JDRF Ride 2010 - Lake Tahoe

This time around the weather could not have been more beautiful. Clear sunny skies were coupled with smooth roads and breathtaking scenery. Lake Tahoe is a great place with many offerings. You can hit the casinos on the Nevada side, hike the trails around the lake, dive into boating activities, or explore the small towns with quaint shops and eateries. My father accompanied me on this journey and in our free time we explored the trails that led down to the sandy beach at Emerald Bay.

Sunday was the start of the big race. I joined 160 other JDRF riders for the Tour de Tahoe rally which circumnavigated the lake. Two thousand other “civilian” riders were along too but the JDRF riders received a 15 minute head start. At 6:45 AM the air was still and crisp and there was just a hint of the dawn light. We were off. I worry that I will be too cold but I have prepared adequately with arm and leg warmers and a jacket. The first quarter of the route culminates in a steep 800 foot climb, but since it is early on my legs feel fine and I am able to charge up at a good steady pace. I do not really feel the need but I stop at the rest stop anyways.

As the saying goes: what goes up must come down. The second quarter of the route is downhill. Without any pedaling I accelerate to over 40 mph. I have never been that fast on a bike before and I got a little nervous so I feathered the brakes slightly. Other riders tucked down and zipped by me going 50 to 55 mph. With these type of speeds the second quarter of the route goes by quick and I find myself at the halfway point before I know it.

The third leg is the most challenging. This leg comprises the long 1000 ft climb up to Spooner Junction. I head out with a steady pace moving at about 6 to 8 mph up the hill. Moving that slow has its benefits. You have time to look out to the right and see the deep blue water of the lake and the tree filled mountain sides. At these times you feel at one with the environment, breathing and pedaling in sync with nature.

I reach the top of Spooner Junction and stop at the rest stop. I call my dad who has been leapfrogging the riders to photograph the event. I did not see him pass me in the car up the climb. He has made a miscalculation on my speed and did not realize that I was so far along. He has to really hustle to get in front of me for the finish as I am on the top of a mountain and it is only downhill the rest of the way…I plan on flying down.

The last leg is a blast as I zoom down at 20 to 25 mph. I opt to stop one time on the side of the road to soak in the Lake’s beauty from a good vantage point and take a final picture. I roll in towards the finish where I am greeted by a handful of cheering supporters. Dad is there too snapping pictures as I triumphantly raise my arm in the air as I pass the finish line.

I would normally expect to be exhausted but I feel surprisingly well. I feel that I could have easily ridden farther. I completed the 72.5 mile route in 4 hours 45 minutes (on the bike) with an average speed of 15.1 mph. I think the route felt easy because you were all there with me…my wife Stacey…my kids Lance, Seth, and Lexi…my family, friends, and coworkers…all part of Team Lance-a-lot helping me crank those pedals to move us closer to our goal on our Quest for a Cure.

To My Supporters

I would like to thank all my supporters again for your donations and support. I believe there is a chance for a cure in Lance’s lifetime and Team Lance-a-lot helped by contributing $9000 towards cure research. You all are the best!

Tahoe Elevation

The Tahoe ride elevation chart is published. There are going to be two steep climbs: One of about 800 feet and one over 1000 feet. At high altitude none-the-less. How do I train for that around Dallas?

How is Lance Doing?

After one year we have a routine. And Lance is doing well with it. At breakfast we check his blood sugar and administer his morning cocktail (a mixture of short acting and long acting insulin). We have trained the nurse and counselor personnel at school and camp to check his blood sugar and watch for signs of high or low blood sugar. We keep them stocked up with all the insulin, emergency glucagon pens, and backup snacks to keep them prepared. At dinner he is checked again and given a shot. Before bed Lance takes his bath and gets checked again and gets a night time snack after an insulin shot to keep him stable throughout the night.

His blood sugar numbers are generally good. His A1C number is around 7.5 (below 8 is good for diabetics, below 6 is normal) When we stick to the routine it all works out well. But when does life stick to a routine? Well, we have gotten adept at tweaking the routine on-the-fly to account for life’s unexpected turns and Lance really is a trooper. Now if he would just eat those last bites of spaghetti…

Ride Log

Here is my ride log for this season up till 7-31-10. Double click the image to make it bigger and readable.

Anatomy of a Bonk

In hindsight through the lens of time the reasons crystallize. But at the time it is baffling, annoying, and embarrassing. I bonked. It was Sunday morning and I head out to ride with the PBA on the weekly Tempo ride. I have done this ride several times before with no issues. So why would that day be any different. I head out at 6:30 AM solo to meet up with the group. I put in 12.5 mi at 16.5 mph and feel fine. I eat a nature bar until the group starts. At 7:30 we head out toward Lake Lavon. For the group the rest stop is 30 miles into the ride, but for me that equates to 42.5 miles. We are putting out a brisk pace of 18.5 mph average and I am feeling OK.

Just 5 miles from the rest stop we turn onto a major street and ride single file. Suddenly the bike in front of me distances. I crank it to close the gap then let the burn in my legs dissipate. The bike lurches forward again and I struggle to close the gap. Then again and I can not close the gap this time. Riders from behind pass me. Within seconds I am off the back and alone, but only a few miles from the rest stop. At a much slower pace a roll into the rest stop and meet the group where I eat a Cliff bar and rest. But the rest time seems too short and the group is back on the bike.

I work my way toward the front of the pack. I think that there is less surging up there. Concentrating on riding efficiently, I keep pace for about 6 miles, but then that gap forms again and I can not close it quickly enough. Riders from behind fill the void and slowly I trail off the back. Within minutes the group is out of sight and I ride back to home at a paltry 14 mph average over the last 4 miles.

What happened? I thought about the situation and broke down several red flags that I failed to recognize at the time. (1) I did not eat a good high carb meal the night before. A frozen dinner meal does not cut it. (2) I did not eat a big enough breakfast. I was in a hurry to get out the door that I ate only half of what I usually do. (3) I was on vacation the week before and had not ridden in almost two weeks. (4) The tempo group was actually a faster group than typical averaging 18+ instead of 17+. (5) I did not eat a snack until over 40 miles into my ride and usually I eat after 20 to 25 miles.

Now I have learned from that situation and have attempted to remedy. The following week I ate a good dinner, breakfast, snacks while riding and I kept with the pack much better.

Collin Classic

Clouds blanketed the sky on June 12 on the morning of the Collin Classic Ride which kept the summer temperatures at bay. I hooked up with my old boss Nicolas, my neighbor Eric, and my son’s best friend’s dad, Scott. We headed out on an enjoyable first leg at a brisk pace. It was great to ride with friends. At the first rest stop we teamed up with fellow JDRF rider, Dick.

Half-way through the ride a police officer waved us to stop but then at the last second waved us to pass. I was stuck in that limbo period of stopping and unclipping and pedaling through which resulted in me falling. Ouch. My bike needed a bit of mechanical adjustments and I was on my way trying to catch up to my group. 40 miles in I catch up to my buds but I can already tell that my legs are mush and my calf muscles start to twinge. We head out together from the rest stop but I find that I can not keep up. Any attempt to accelerate results in left calf seizures.

I roll through to the finish and meet up with my friends. Later I realized that I had my seat a little too high which was causing my calves to flex more than normal on every rotation. After 40 miles that caught up to me. Despite a poor finish it was a good ride and great to get out with some of my fellow bike enthusiasts.

On May 15, 2010 I took part in Richardson’s WildRide to benefit Cancer research. The forecast was bleak; thunderstorms were expected by late morning. The sky was cloud covered. It looked like it could down pour at any moment and I was nervous. Last year I rode this ride in constant rain and it was miserable. I did not want to do that again but I took my chances and headed out.

I met up with my neighbor Eric riding his new Specialized Tarmac (nice bike!). We headed out on the first leg riding together more or less. The pace was brisk to start with, about 18 mph. The first leg was a good chance to meet other riders like the guy who was wearing a full backpack because he needed to go to work after the event and the couple on the mountain bike tandem who were riding off-road at Tyler next weekend.

After the rest stop we headed on to the next leg winding through Wylie, Nevada, and Josephine. This is hilly east Dallas territory. At the 50 mile bailout Eric veered off and I kept going..feeling pretty good at this point. In Josephine there are some steep hills. Last year I struggled there but this year my hill training paid off and I was able to climb them at a good pace. By the time I got to the rest stop at about the 40 mile mark my legs felt pretty good but my ace was feeling it. I had not been on the bike for that long a period of time in a while.

I was on the home stretch. A group of riders left the rest stop together and we played cat and mouse a bit over the last leg. I was actually able to pass some riders on the hill which I historically do not do very well at. I cruised in to the finish line at about 64 miles which is the farthest to date for me this year. I averaged 16.7 mph; this is about 0.5 mph better than I did last year so I am pleased with my progression.

Since we last spoke…

A lot has happened since we last spoke. Our household has been blessed with a new baby girl, Lexi Payton. Her lil’ smile has a way of brightening up the whole house. At the ride last year Lexi was still in Mommy's tummy.

Work has changed too. I moved into a new role just after the ride. I am now managing the Applications group of High Speed Data Converters at Texas Instruments. I am quite fortunate to work with a great team in a dynamic group.

I felt well prepared for the ride last year but was humbled by my personal performance. Perhaps it was the rain…perhaps it was the mountains…perhaps it was that I was suffering with Pertussis (Whooping Cough) that took about six months to fully recover from.

With all that going on I had not been on the bike since the ride. I got back on the saddle on New Year’s Day. I figured I could start off more or less where I finished off. Wrong! I had lost a lot in the four months of inactivity.

In the latter part of February I got serious again about training. With the baby and more stuff going on at work it is difficult to find the time, but I am trying to ride at least twice a week. This year’s location will have some serious climbs which will be quite a challenge for me. More training challenges lie ahead.

I Want to Help!

Several people have found their way to this blog and expressed interest in helping out. That’s great! Donating is easy. You can go to my personal JDRF web page and donate online: http://ride.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=rideCentral.personalpage&riderID=9804.

Alternatively, you can send in a check to me made out to JDRF. Email me at rhoppenstein@att.net if you need my address. Heck, you can even email just to say “Hi”.

Perhaps you are unsure about this particular charity. I mean there are so many good causes out there it is hard to know which ones to support. JDRF is one of the top rated charities because almost all of the donated funds go to the cause and not to the administration. Don’t take my word for it…check out http://www.charitynavigator.org/ to see how your charities stack up.