Team Spindrift

Two Climb Ride

2010-08-24T21:11:00.001-04:00

The intervals are paying off, I think. Today was Sportsman and the hobbit village.

Sportsman climb - 15:30 (new record)

Total average speed - 16.22 mph

Week in Review

2010-08-21T10:29:00.003-04:00

Sunday, Jim drove up and we did the Sportsman climb and the hobbit village climb

Wednesday was VO2 Max intervals up Sportsman.

Friday was a three-climb ride. Texter Mountain climb: 16:35. New record! And not bad given the heat and the headwind.

20:23

2010-08-13T20:40:00.005-04:00

Myerstown time trial today. Good weather conditions. Overcast, 72 with very little wind.

And I finally broke the 20 mph average speed barrier!!! Hit 20 mph average at Robesonia on the way back and gained speed to the end with a final average of 20:23. Nervous energy trying to hold the 20 all the way to the tuxedo shop.

Average speed: 20:23
Approx time: 1:43:00
Distance: 34 miles

Next goal? Repeat that. The goal after that? 22 mph average.

VO2 Max

2010-08-12T20:20:00.002-04:00

Since I appear to be hitting wall in terms of speed, I'm getting back to intervals. This time, VO2 Max intervals as described here.

Set 1
3 minutes on, 3 minutes off, 3 minutes on
6 minutes off
Set 2
3 minutes on, 3 minutes off, 3 minutes on

I suffered through these beginning on Main Street leading into the mental hospital then all the way up Sportsman.

OUCH.

Climbing Update

2010-08-12T20:16:00.002-04:00

I've been taking it easy for the last several rides. Or, at least, I intended to take it easy. I've been mainly climbing the usual routes, minus Texter Mountain Rd.

Thursday:
Easy climbing
Uphill time trial on Sportsman (not so easy) - 16:07

Sunday:
Easy climbing (not Texter Mountain Rd.)
Up Sportsman, down to Newmanstown
Back around to Sportsman up and back

Time Trial Issues

2010-08-03T23:19:00.001-04:00

I can't figure out why I keep hitting the wall on time trials. Might be the heat or I might not be getting enough calories in me for 33 miles of all-out effort.

There was a crosswind on the way out, and a headwind on the way back. Cracked at around Womelsdorf when I realized that no matter how hard I go, I won't beat a 19:75 mph average speed. So I sat up and soft-pedaled home. Again.

Gotta figure this out.

More Like It

2010-07-31T22:58:00.001-04:00

Not a lot of time today, so it was a two-climb ride. Texter and hobbit village.

Began the Texter climb at 23:40 into the ride. Reached the top at 40:25. That's a new personal best by 55 seconds (previous record 17:40).

Texter Mountain climb - 16:45
Split at 1 mile (Focht Rd) - 9:20

Honestly, I was a little shocked at the time. So much so that for the rest of the ride, I was doing the math over and over to make sure I didn't miss something.

Easy Ride

2010-07-29T20:20:00.003-04:00

I intended to do an "easy ride" today in the mountains (three climb ride). Didn't want to go all out or anything. Just relax and recover from all the hard efforts and heat recently.

Texter Mountain climb - 17:40
Average speed on Texter Mountain - 9.1 mph

Vomit

2010-07-27T21:07:00.001-04:00

A third time trial in five days. Was strong for the first half and my split average speed was 19.4mph at Myerstown. Then I blew up in Robesonia. Soft-pedaled home, feeling like throwing up the whole way. Very exhausted by the time I arrived home.

Temps around 90 and, I think, too many time trials in a row. Just ran out of energy. Part of it had to do with the fact that I wasn't really improving my average speed rapidly enough on the return, and so the math was discouraging. I will break 20 before the end of the season.

Another Time Trial

2010-07-25T21:03:00.001-04:00

Strongest TT since whenever. Temperatures around 80, which I think helped a lot.

Average speed - 19.6 mph

Had enough energy at the end to drill it up the Redners slope and the final uphill section to the tuxedo shoppe. But then I felt like vomiting.

Wasted

2010-07-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

Attempting a time trial today. Failed.

Strong 15mph headwind the whole way out to Myerstown. Cracked at Myerstown, and the wind shifted to a crosswind, so no impetus to keep going and make up time on the return. Soft-pedaled home.

Average speed - 17.5mph
Temperature - 95

Going Backwards

2010-07-20T08:09:00.003-04:00

Three climb ride today. Head wind on all climbs.

Texter Mountain climb - 18:30 (worst yet!)
Average Speed - 14.45 mph

Not sure if it was the wind, the heat or my fitness going backwards.

New Shimano PD-M150 pedals are outstanding, though!

Three Climb Ride

2010-07-19T13:12:00.003-04:00

Elevation profile of the "three climb ride."

1) Texter Mountain Rd.
2.9 miles
4.7% average gradient
22% max gradient
Descent on Sportsman

2) Furnace to Galen Hall
2.1 miles
4.7% average gradient
Descent in reverse

3) Sportsman Rd.
2.8 miles
4.3% average gradient
12% max gradient
Descent in reverse

2,600 feet of climbing.

Seized Pedal

2010-07-13T20:41:00.002-04:00

I wonder how long I've been riding with my left pedal seized up? It might explain why I've felt like such shit recently.

Three climb ride today again. Felt like hell on lower Texter Mountain Rd.

Texter climb - 17:40 (again -- boo!)
Average speed - 15mph (better than last week)

Not a lot of wind. High humidity. Around 85 degrees.

Nervous Ride

2010-07-11T19:44:00.005-04:00

A new route is always nervous. There were two riders who crashed in Robesonia and were being helped by an ambulance and police officer. The taller, lankier rider had some pretty severe road rash on his face. Not sure what happened. Thought about stopping and asking them if it was a hit-and-run. Either way, it freaked me out -- on top of the untried route.

The route was out to Womelsdorf, then right onto 419 and north to 183 and to the vicinity of the Appalachian Trail. I made it to within a mile of Gobbler's Spur Road and had to turn back. 183 was too dangerous. Narrow shoulder and too many speeding cars.

On the way back, my left pedal broke, but I was able to continue using it.

47 miles
2:52
16.54 average speed
Headwind (NNW) out, tailwind home

Ride profile (half distance to Appalachian Trail):

Meltdown

2010-07-08T20:29:00.003-04:00

95 degrees plus humidity. I opted for the three-climb ride. Texter Mountain Road, Furnace to Galen to the hobbit village, then Sportsman. Mini-climb on Preston.

17:40 on the Texter Mountain climb.
14.4 mph average speed

Wasn't drilling it at all.

Intervals

2010-07-04T09:24:00.002-04:00

Scorching hot day. Still not recovered from hard effort on Friday's TT. Legs were very weak.

Did seven headwind interval repetitions at the mental hospital, then the easy recovery climb up Sportsman. Consistently hit 27.5 mph on the interval reps despite being exhausted, hot and weak.

I can't remember it being this windy in mid-Summer.

Almost There

2010-07-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

Solid Myerstown TT today. Very minor headwind on the way out. Minor tailwind on the way back. Not much flag movement. Mid- to low-80s.

Average speed: 19.75 mph
Time: 1:50
Distance: 36.71 miles
Cruising speed on the way out: 20.5 mph give or take
Cruising speed on the way back: 23 mph give or take

It's very likely I would've broken the 20 mph average speed threshold, but I had to stop at four different traffic signals. Rare. One of them was the usually empty Richland intersection on the way back. The slowing, stopping then starting up again really impacts the average speed calculations.

Two Climbs

2010-06-30T20:25:00.002-04:00

Got a late start so I did a shorter 2-climb ride. Texter Mountain Road and Galen Hall to the hobbit village, then home.

Total average speed - 15.5 mph

Texter Mountain Road hill climb - 17:30

Uphill sprint to Redners - Held a solid 23mph

Texter climb was painful at the bottom. But did the first mile to Focht Road in 9:30, which I think is faster that usual.

Mt. Penn Climb

2010-06-27T20:21:00.000-04:00

Finally did the climb to the summit of Mt. Penn.

The road was closed for a previous car race, so I had the road to myself.

9.5mph average from the bottom of Duryea to the Fire Tower. Remarkably hot -- around 95 degrees.

The descent was too sketchy, though, so I'll probably avoid this climb for a long while. Bad roads, lots of potholes.

Catching Up

2010-06-24T20:56:00.005-04:00

It's 2010 and a couple of years since the last time I posted, but I certainly haven't stopped training and riding. From here on out, I'll be logging my progress as I ramp up my efforts.

Weight: 185 lbs. (weighed 240 in 2007-2008)
Average speed max on Myerstown TT: 19.7mph
Cruising speed on Myerstown TT: 22mph
Average ride time: 2.5 hours

Currently combining the Eagles Peak climb with the Texter Mountain climb and the Galen climb.

Also, I finally did the South Mountain climb up from Newmanstown.

Working on interval training once a week to increase overall average speed.

Eagle's Peak and the Filthy Fifteen

2009-03-30T10:54:00.004-04:00

Another local rider, Paul, is working on a series of Berks County climbs called the Filthy Fifteen. Unfortunately, I've been away from the blog and I'm only now catching his comment from February 11.

Lately, I've been climbing up to Eagle's Peak -- a brutal climb split into two sections with a much-needed short recovery descent in the middle.

Turn left onto Hill Rd at the Citgo station along 422. There's a short 6% climb over the railroad tracks. Turn left at the other side and the climbing begins. There are switchback turns that max out at 30%, but only for a few dozen feet. Hill continues up to the summit of the mountain and then descends to an awkward V-intersection at Eagle's Peak Rd. Turn right onto Eagle's Peak and the climbing continues. This section is longer, but not as steep as Hill Rd. Once you pass Eagle's Peak campground, there's a harrowing descent down to Newmanstown. The profile:

So Paul, if you're still around, drop me an e-mail at robertcesca(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Dog Bites Cyclist

2008-08-04T19:03:00.004-04:00

Since I last checked in, I surpassed 1,000 miles on my bike computer (purchased last September). So it stands to reason that, eventually, crazy stuff would start to happen to me along the way. You know... getting hit by a car, stung by bees, caught in hail storms. But I never really thought I'd get bitten by a goddamn dog.

That's exactly what happened last night. I was climbing Gaul Rd. as part of a leisurely 25 mile "easy" ride, and as I hit the third section of 13% gradient, I heard a large dog barking like a maniac behind me and a male human being yelling "Shelby! SHELBY!" I turned my head to look and this large black dog was chasing me down. So as best I could, I started to "sprint" up the 13% hill which means 11mph at maximum effort.

Not fast enough.

The dog ran up and bit me on the back of my left leg just above my achilles tendon. Having a large dog myself, I instinctively yelled out "OFF!" And it worked. The dog turned and bolted back down the hill. In retrospect, it was probably the loud sound I made as it bit me and not my clever dog-training command.

So I stopped to check the damage and sure enough, it had broken the skin with one of its canine teeth and blood was running down my leg. Further down the hill, I watched as "Shelby's" owner attempted to get the dog out of the road while cars and a motorcyclist passed by (fortunately avoiding me on the side of the road).

Once the dog appeared to be out of sight, I turned around and coasted back down to the owner's house to check on the dog's vaccinations. As I pulled into the driveway, a group four rather large women on the back porch alerted the dog's owner that I was there. I waved and smiled politely as the man approached. Large guy -- bright red face, as if he has been drinking beer in the sunshine all day. First sign of trouble.

I asked, "I was wondering if your dog is up to date on her vaccinations. It got me on the back of my leg and--"

The red-faced man interrupted, "Look, ever since this area became part of the suburbs, I hear it from those people across the street. Cyclists and drivers yelling at me, so no offense but this is ridiculous!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not responsible for other people. All I know is that your dog bit me and I want to know if she's had her shots."

"Yeah she's had her shots!"

"Okay! That's all I wanted to know -- she broke the skin and--"

"She broke the skin?! WELL I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!"

"Yes! But she's had her shots?"

"YES!"

"Okay. Thank you."

I started to pedal back up the driveway when my temper spilled over and I yelled back at the guy, "You know, maybe you need to keep your crazy dog on a leash or in a fenced yard!"

He shouts back, "I have 7 acres!"

And as I started climbing again, I shouted, "Awesome! Then why is your dog running around biting cyclists?"

And that was that. As I continued to climb, I dumped water on the wound and took it easy down Wooltown Rd. It's remarkable to me that a guy allows his dog to run free in his yard, then is shocked and defensive when the dog attacks passers-by. I mean, how entitled (or drunk) do you have to be to 1) yell at the person who was just attacked by your dog, and 2) not apologize profusely for it?

Anyway, I've been riding every other day recently to improve my pathetic average speed over mixed terrain. And last night, even in easy mode with climb and, of course, a stop for the dog bite, I averaged 15mph. Really working on maintaining a circular pedal stroke and a faster cadence. Some intervals, too. I think it's paying off, though not fast enough to outrun dogs on 13% climbs.

Wow

2008-06-16T16:57:00.003-04:00

I had an MRI this morning (which is the worst kind of non-intrusive medical torture since turn-your-head-and-cough). It turns out that I have compression fracture of my T11.

Fun!

I had a weird reaction to the news... It's kind of a badge of honor. I broke my back in a cycling accident. Cool.

I'm lucky to be alive.

Stinging Insects In My Slipstream

2008-06-16T14:14:00.005-04:00

I rode on Saturday because I couldn't wait until Sunday to wash the stink from Thursday's sucky ride out of my brain. I'm so glad I did -- Saturday was awesome. I took the traditional route to the Sportsman Rd climb up Texter Mountain.

Sportsman Road was covered with some kind of smashed purple berries in small groupings all along the road. And so there were a lot of bees and other flying, stinging insects having brunch or whatever they do. Several bees decided that I smelled better than the rotting wild fruit on the road (stupid bees) and decided to draft with me for the entire four-mile climb.

As soon as I'd hit a flatter section, I'd accelerate and drop them. Then I'd hit a steeper section and they'd catch back on -- buzzing around my helmet and doing full circular orbits around me and my bike. At one point, I'm fairly convinced that I was stung in the ass. Well, not "IN" the ass, but on the upper left butt cheek. I yelled out, "Screw this!" and accelerated again.

Of course at the top section where the gradient increases to around 10%, it was a little more difficult to drop the bastards, but it didn't matter. I figure I had already been stung once.

I didn't time myself, but I'd bet I've never climbed Sportsman faster. Annoying, but wow -- what a great motivator for climbing.

So I looped down Texter Mountain Rd and then back around Furnace Rd to 422. I stopped at Willow Glen Park (site of Shocktoberfest) and had a banana. Then I decided I felt strong enough to ride over to Gaul Rd and Wooltown Rd for some shorter, more moderate climbing/descending. On Wooltown, I broke 40mph on the descent which was fun.

Total ride distance: 32 miles with climbing and bees.

Sucked

2008-06-13T11:39:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's some stress from work that sapped the mental energy out of me or maybe I just didn't fuel up enough.

Regardless, I tried some moderate climbing yesterday and I bonked worse that I have in a long, long time. About halfway up North Galen, I almost collapsed with exhaustion. I mean, I literally thought I was going to fall over after only around three miles of 5% climbing.

At that point, I totally lost the will to live and turned back. Which I rarely do. When first started riding, I would at least walk the rest of the way up a climb, but my head just totally fell apart yesterday.

Meanwhile, I went to the chiropractor this morning and Dr. Wolf adjusted my back. Suffice to say, it hurt like hell. When he adjusted the area that I injured, it felt like the initial injury all over again. Awesome.

I might try the North Galen climb again tomorrow morning with -- hopefully -- much more satisfying results.

Meanwhile, here's a video of Slipstream's Tom Danielson in the Pyrenees
training for the Tour. Towards the end, you'll see him fly up a 20% section on the big chainring. Which is inhuman.

Snitz und Knepp...with Ham!

2008-06-09T14:13:00.004-04:00

That was the Sunday special at Risser's Diner in Stouchsburg. I'd never seen it advertised with ham, and, as I passed, my heat-damaged brain forced me to say out loud, "With ham?"

It was 95 degrees with 57 percent humidity on Sunday, so I hit the road early. Around 8AM. I didn't have time for a lot of climbs, so I took the traditional route out to Stouchsburg with a loop through the town itself. (Stouchsburg is old and a perfectly preserved relic of, say, 1950. I sometimes expect to see Barney Fife wandering into Floyd's Barber Shop.)

The riding was grueling, of course. But despite the heat, my fitness appears to be improving -- especially on the rolling hills where I was mostly able to keep up a consistent speed. But the heat was a killer. It's been more than 24 hours since the ride and I still feel a little loopy and drained. While riding, I was in one of those zones in which every little break of the heat was significant. Two seconds of shade, or a drop of water on my leg -- I was thankful for it.

26 miles... with ham.

(Also, read this.)

The Reading Classic

2008-06-05T21:56:00.020-04:00

I spent the day watching the pros ride in big circles around Reading. The speed was insane, especially around the tight corners and through the traffic jam of team cars. Oscar Sevilla Rivera of Rock Racing won the day with last year's champ, Bernard Eisel of High Road, taking second.

Here are some fancy-shmancy "exclusive" Team Spindrift photos.

The women's peloton. They were goddamn FAST!

Catherine Cheatley (left) and Team Cheerwine. Meanwhile, High Road's Ina-Yoko Teutenberg won the women's race.

The Italians from Liquigas.

Victor Hugo Peña, Tyler Hamilton and Rahsaan Bahati of Rock Racing at the sign-in. Can you smell the "edgy"?

Freddie Rodriguez talks to an old dude. Rodriguez crashed early in the race. I blame that old man and his old man curse.

Slipstream-Chipotle at the sign-in. Don't tell them that there's not a single goddamn Chipotle restaurant anywhere near here.

The single-file pack descends Perkiomen Avenue headed towards Penn Street.

The pack turns off Penn Street. Mexican Bernardo Colex of Tecos (middle in red) kicked some ass today. Later, Colex blasted up Mt. Penn alone. Towards the top, the video crew clocked him at 20mph. That's insane. (Fun fact: Duryea Drive is named for the inventor of the first hill-climbing automobile. The prototypes of the car were tested on this road.)

Mt. Penn climbing.

When I shot this, a photographer from VeloNews was on my left and the head of CyclingNews was on my right. Very serious!

Sevilla's one-man breakaway in the final kilometer on his way to victory.

Repairs and Rain

2008-06-05T21:47:00.003-04:00

So it wasn't just my brakes rubbing. It turns out the my rear bearings were intermittantly seizing up. Yep. That's probably why it was extra painful to ride a simple, flat ride the other day. My entire rear wheel was basically dead.

The guys at Technocycle fixed up the Kona, though -- repaired the cramped bearings, trued the rear wheel and installed some new rear brakes. Biggety bam. Just like new.

Yesterday, meanwhile, I did a quick 10 miles of climbing in the rain. And a lot of really, really cautious descending. In fact, I tried to ride up North Galen in the opposite direction. But when I turned right onto Preston, the switchback descent was -- sorry to say -- too scary in the pouring rain. This is something I have to overcome. Soon. I love climbing, but I can't be hindered due to the descents.

On Sunday, it's supposed to be 95 degrees. I can't wait. But as painful as it'll be, I'd hate to be the pros in Philly hitting the Manayunk Wall in that heat.

"Attitude Determines Altitude"

2008-06-02T11:44:00.003-04:00

I rode an inexplicably grueling 25 miles to Womelsdorf and back on Thursday. My rear brakes were rubbing, so that couldn't have helped. Regardless, my head just wasn't in the game.

However, the ride reminded me to mention here about the sandwich-board messages at the mental hospital. At the base of the Texter Mountain is located the Wernersville State Hospital: a well-known mental hospital in eastern PA. The best cycle route up to the mountain roads is directly through the hospital grounds via Sportsman Road.

The grounds remind me of the hospital in Cuckoo's Nest. Old brown brick buildings with old-timey doors and tall windows. Basketball courts -- three of them. I can imagine McMurphy showing The Chief how to shoot hoops. Fenced areas, capped with bits of rusty razor wire. Sometimes the patients are walking around the buildings in their pajamas and scrubs. They usually wave to me as I ride by. I always wave back.

Last Summer, I noticed a V-shaped sandwich-board along Sportsman Road -- propped up in the grass and adorned with an inspirational message spelled out in stick-on letters. I can't remember any of the messages from last year, but we were treated to a new one every month or so. At some point, though, the sandwich-board disappeared for the Winter, but I'm proud to report that it's back.

I always used to wonder whether the messages were designed for the patients or for the riders who frequently ride through on their way to big hills. Come to think of it, I imagine it's difficult to tell the difference between guys who wear skin-tight Lykra and hump their way up steep hills on bicycles... and actual mental patients. So it stands to reason that perhaps the messages are designed for both.

To wit: the newest message reads, "Attitude determines altitude." When I read that while on my way to several climbs, I thought to myself, That has to be for the riders. After all, I'm a firm believer that cycling is 90 percent about the brain. The body can adapt to pain. It's the 'attitude' that forces us to keep going when our legs and lungs are screaming for us to stop.

So to whomever is posting the signs... Keep going. They're not lost on passers-by, be they riders or patients.

Backtracking (Get it? Back?)

2008-05-26T19:27:00.009-04:00

I feel like the season has started all over again. This week was the first real week back on the road and my conditioning feels like I've been away for months. Between the resting and the Ibuprophen (which I usually don't take) my body has really taken a huge step backward. So now it's all about backtracking and regaining the fitness I've lost since being hit by a car three weeks ago.

Last Sunday, I rode in the rain with Lauren. It was a fun, short and very freakin' wet ride. Word of warning: saddle bags and handlebar bags aren't waterproof. Both of our cellphones were wet by the time we arrived back at the house.

Last Sunday was also the first time I've been back to the scene of the accident while on my bike. Psychologically, I'm not as healed as my body. I'm finding that I'm really paranoid about drivers -- involuntarily assuming that none of them are paying attention. So I've started to gesture/signal at cars through intersections -- my left hand out, fanning the air as if to say, "I'm riding through this intersection so slow the hell down!"

On Thursday I rode 24 miles out to Womelsdorf and back. Of course the whole way out was haunted by a serious headwind. I mean, probably the worst headwind I've experienced. The kind that pummels the eardrums. So I figure this is what they mean when they say that it's not all about distance. 12 miles into a strong headwind can be more challenging than 25 with a tailwind.

In addition, I tried the Wooltown side of Sportsman Rd (Sportsman Rd "North" I guess). I thought it cut straight through to Wooltown Rd, but nope. After a sharp left turn, it climbed straight up -- 15% for a quarter mile -- before dropping down to Wooltown. Suffice to say, I couldn't hack it. Not in my present shape. So I had to stop for a second, which was terribly disappointing. In my defense, I was cranking hard enough that my front wheel was pulling up and off the road slightly.

And so, thankfully, the ride back was awesome. With the tailwind, I was able to cruise 52-12 (I think) and averaged around 22 mph for the ride back.

Yesterday, Sunday, I hit the hills again. Made it up Martins again, then took the back roads off Fritztown Road which eventually connect over to Wernersville and 422. Then I hit the usual Sportsman Rd climb and was suprised to make it to the top without stopping. I honestly didn't think I was ready. But I think my head has started to come around.

But then... On the way down Texter Mountain Rd, I got spooked at around 35mph and leaned on the brakes too much. Suddenly, PFFFFFFFFFFFT! I'm certain that it was a heat puncture since there were about 20 pinholes in the tube -- each one leaking green slime (which was supposed to fill the holes). Fortunately, I had a spare tube with me. My luck improved when a guy from a nearby house -- also a rider -- let me borrow his floor pump. AND, the guy's family are Obama supporters. Good deal. I didn't have any cash with me, so I promised to do a favor for the next cyclist in peril. Pay it forward, if you will.

It turns out there have been two major crashes in the Texter Mountain area this season. Each one has been during a descent. One of them, on Huntzinger, involved a cyclist whose brakes failed. The dude apparently hit the guardrail and had to be hauled out via medical helicopter with a broken collar bone.

I repeat... All told, I've been very, very lucky. Now that my body is recovering, it's time to get my head back on track.

And finally, I'm honored to have been added to the Belgium Knee Warmers "Most Admired" list. It's my favorite cycling blog, and I'm planning to order two BKW "PRO" water bottles. Seriously, this is very cool. I hope I can rise to the BKW standards of cycling pro-ish-ness.

Two Weeks Since The Crash

2008-05-17T16:22:00.003-04:00

It's been just over two weeks since the accident and I've been under the care of my chiropractor, Dr. Dean Wolf, who has adjusted me three times a week for the last two weeks. My back isn't 100 percent, but it's definitely better. The muscles that run along my spine tense up and spasm every morning at around 4AM. Imagine waking up from a sound sleep to the sensation of someone sitting on your back. That about describes it.

But tomorrow, if the weather holds, I'm riding. Nothing insane. Just maybe out to Stouchsburg and back. Which leads me to my bike...

Other than a few battle scars -- scratched paint and the like -- the Kona Jake is in good condition. It might be because my body broke the fall, but the front end totally collided with that car. I expected the front wheel to at least be really tangled, but nope... totally true.

So I've decided to leave the paint damage alone. Scars can make for excellent reminders. In this case: cyclists are invisible to drivers.

I Got Hit By A Car

2008-05-03T11:46:00.001-04:00

Note to drivers. If you see a cyclist riding on the road in front of you, don't make a right turn in front of the cyclist, thereby cutting him off and forcing him to slam into the side of your car.

Image from BicycleSafe.com

No serious injuries other than strained muscles in the middle of my back. But I got to ride in an awesome ambulance and they gave me some lovely drugs at the hospital. And -- bonus! -- I got to parade around the ER wearing my garish cycling clothes.

Three Rides

2008-04-28T16:43:00.003-04:00

Monday, April 22
For the first time ever, I made it to the top of Martin's Road (25% at the peak) without cracking, but I suffered for the rest of the ride and couldn't quite recover from the early climbing. Nevertheless, I tried to take some new and different roads -- winding my way around the mental hospital area.

Thursday, April 24
Too much climbing. I rode up Sportsman and nearly had to stop during the insanely graded top section. It was one of those moments when I was literally a fraction of an inch away from yanking my foot out of the clip but, at the last second, changed my mind and kept on cranking up toward the top. The descent was incredible though and worth every painful minute of the climb. I was fortunately able to recover on the way down Texter, so I decided to climb Furnace Rd up to the celebrity rehab facility on North Galen.

Sunday, April 27
My first distance-ish ride (35 miles round trip) to Myerstown and back. The Sunday special at Risser's Family Restaurant: Snitz und Knepp. And the business that cracks me up every time I pass it? The Focht Agency. Anyway, just like last year, it takes me until the Conrad Weiser Homestead to warm up. Around eight miles. I really felt strong during the long false-flat after Womelsdorf. By the time I reached the Kumm Esse Diner in Myerstown, my left sit-bone was killing me. Hopefully that will go away after a few more break-in rides. Also, my left knee is holding up. No tendonitis yet.

Nobody Welcome

2008-02-07T23:50:00.000-05:00

Two Sundays in a row... climbing. Last Sunday, January 27, I cycled up two different routes: first, I climbed up Sportsman then down the insanely steep Texter Mountain Rd. The switchbacks at the bottom are around 25% and too fast for my comfort level. Then I looped around Hospital Rd and up Furnace Rd then descended down N. Galen Hall past the celebrity rehab facility.

This past Sunday, I tried Furnace Rd again, but this time, I continued UP N. Galen Hall to Mountain Top Rd, then to the dreaded Huntzinger at the top of the mountain. But I only stayed on Huntzinger long enough to catch the amazing view. I decided instead to descend on Point Rd.

At one point, there was a "Visitor Info" sign with a handpainted "Nobody Welcome" sign underneath. I stopped to snap a photo despite the warning until I heard from *somewhere* an ominous shout, "Get him!" Fortunately, Point is steeper than the bottom of Texter Mountain Rd and I took advantage of the speed to escape whatever the hell that was.

Anyway, I look like a 6'4" ninja on a bike with all of my cold weather gear. I don't blame anyone for feeling a little threatened.

Texter Mountain

2007-11-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a pile of reasons to climb Texter Mountain in the Fall.

Sportsman Rd near the bottom of the climb. Average 5% grade.

The top of Sportsman Rd. Yeah, that's another rider up there. The grade here ranges between 12% and 20%. It's a challenging end to a 4-mile climb. Then again, Texter Mountain Rd has one last steep surprise...

This is the intersection of Sportsman Rd and Texter Mountain Rd looking up towards the summit of Texter Mountain.

This is the same view as the camera-phone shot here.

This is the view from Texter Mountain Rd down into the Cocalico valley and Rt. 897.

Here's one of the awesomely steep descents down Texter Mountain Rd leading into the valley.

The valley.

This last photo is at the 422 side of Texter Mountain Rd. The buildings in the foreground belong to the Wernersville State Hospital.

I won't be doing any climbing tomorrow. My rear brakes are caput.

Insane Week

2007-11-08T07:43:00.001-05:00

My week has been so busy that I haven't been able to write about Sunday's incredible ride. It was probably the most beautiful and satisfying ride of the season through the mountains and Fall colors and crisp air. Yeah, that sounds sappy, but I don't give a shit. It's true.

I climbed Texter Mountain again via Sportsman Rd just like the previous Sunday, only this time, I descended Texter Mountain Rd into the valley to Rt 897. The views were amazing and I curse myself for not bringing a camera. It was definitely the longest and fastest descent I've ever tried. And the road itself was narrow -- a glorified one-laner.

897 was cool too, since I haven't hit that road since the beginning of August (my Google Maps aren't working right now for some reason). From there, it was Galen Hall Rd and back into the mountains. Then it was Preston to Hill Rd and back to Wernersville.

By the way, at the intersection of Sportsman and Texter Mountain, I swear I saw Karl Rove pass me in a white Acura. I think I need a vacation.

The Last 2007 Weekday Ride

2007-11-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

So that's it for my weekday rides until 2008. The days are becoming too damn short, and eventually I'd have to skip work entirely in order to get a decent ride in. Tonight we turn the clocks back an hour and POOF! it's perpetually dark until next Spring.

Sundays will remain intact and outdoors until the snow, but the weekday rides will move into my basement once again, with the exception of perhaps some brief cross practicing over at the school (which also means perpetually changing over to my Maxxis cross tires). I don't really know if I'll be cut out for cyclocross, but it *looks* awesome.

Anyway, this winter I won't be destroying my knees on a stationary bike. I'm buying an indoor trainer today for my Kona, so I'll be doing my weekday evening workouts indoors while watching a 2-3 hour movie. I wonder how long that'll last before I rip my bike off that wretched apparatus and scramble for the door -- our cats tangled in my drivetrain, one of my daughter's drums inexplicably attached to the bars.

I hit the road Friday (yesterday) instead of the usual Thursday for various reasons. And in honor of it being the last weekday ride, I did both a time trial and some climbing.

First, the usual 10-mile time trial. This didn't go so well. I think I hit every red light through Wernersville on the way out, which sucked because I was in a real groove up to then.

I was really moving at around 24mph and my adrenaline was pumping because if I kept it up, I would shatter my previous record. Nah. I usually hit two red lights during each time trial (I know how stupid this sounds -- a post for another time) so my rule of thumb is that I drop 15 seconds off my final time for each stop in order to compensate for the deceleration and acceleration before and after the light. This time, I hit all of the damn red lights. And with on-coming traffic, I had no choice but to stop at each one (when there are no cars around, I cruise on through the red lights because I live on the edge, woo). I lost track of how many 15-second time subtractions I needed for this, but my head started to break anyway and I was losing my will for the time trial.

I turned around at the usual halfway mark and pumped up the hill near L&B Dodge and eventually back through Wernersville where a Trailways bus gave me black lung disease. I mean this son of bitch spewed the thickest blackest exhaust ever in America... into my mouth, throat and lungs... three times through the stop-and-go intersections of Wernersville.

I tried to get around this red and silver Smogzilla in order to salvage the effort, but the bus was too close to the curb. So I had to ride a couple of car lengths behind it. Slowly. With my lungs filling with hydrocarbons. Each acceleration of the bus dropped a big stinking black turd across the road. I mean, it felt like this bus was literally shitting in my mouth.

The bus eventually moved out of the way and I cranked with extreme prejudice and finished the time trial. And you know, all things considered, it wasn't horrible (for me). 31:52. But I dry heave when I think about what might've been. My average speed, due in part to all the stopping/starting/smogging, was a crappy 18mph. I need to find a more remote place to time trial. This is really stupid.

I finished the ride with a bit of recovery spinning, then I decided to climb up Furnace Rd and North Galen Hall. That was fun considering I was hacking and coughing Trailways ass cheese the whole way up. This is when I mention that the temperature was around 45 degrees. By the end of the 2 mile, 40mph descent down North Galen Hall, I looked like this:

Climbing The Actual Texter Mountain

2007-10-29T11:21:00.001-04:00

The mountain I climbed yesterday was definitely Texter Mountain. I don't know what that other one is called. But this one was definitely Texter Mountain, which I confirmed from various signs, as well as from another rider who stopped to chat while I was taking this photo:

The above camera-phone shot was taken at the top of Texter Mountain looking west/southwest.

The route was Sportsman Rd for about 4 miles of climbing. For most of the time, the climb was in the 5% gradient range, but at the top where Sportsman meets Texter Mountain Rd, the grade spikes up into the 18-20% range. I did pretty well and discovered some things about climbing, mainly the rhythm of it. My breathing a pedalling after a mile or so synchronized into an aerobic pattern and when I dropped out of the rhythm, it was difficult to get it back.

I've never endeavored to climb for this distance, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I turned onto Texter Mountain Rd (where I snapped the above photo) then onto South Mountain Rd for some of the most breathtaking riding I've ever experience. It was a super-fast series of descents through the ridgeline of this particular range of hills and mountains. Then more steep climbing over what I think is South Mountain before the long descent into Newmanstown. The below Google Map shows Sportsman in blue and South Mountain in red.

Total miles: 30. Outside temp: 50-degrees. Miles of climbing: approximately 8. Route: 422-Sportsman-Texter Mountain-South Mountain-Rt. 419-Womelsdorf-422. Path profile:

Climbing Texter Mountain

2007-10-26T10:47:00.001-04:00

I think it's called Texter Mountain. I'm not sure. Whatever. Yesterday I rode two circuits of climbing near Wernersville. Furnace Rd up to North Galen Hall was probably the steepest longest climb I've ever made -- Gaul Rd seems like an overpass in comparison.

Looking at the Path Profiler in Google Maps, the steepest sections are 10%, 12% and 15% which are definitely the steepest gradients I've been able to manage. In comparison, nearby Huntzinger Rd (slogan: "Insanely steep!") is around 20% and maxing at 25% -- in the bottom-most section. 25% is truly insane. The steepest section of Gaul Rd, meanwhile, is 10% for about a tenth of a mile. And Gaul has a couple of short recovery descents. I'm beginning to feel a little silly for bitching about Gaul so much.

So I rode two circuits of this. 422-Sportsman-Hospital-Furnace-North Galen Hall past the Caron Foundation, then descended North Galen Hall to Hill Rd and back to 422. 20 miles total, which doesn't seem like a lot. But the climbing, of course, made the whole thing seem longer. Here's the Path Profile. I think you can pick out the Texter Mountain section (click to enlarge):

Lebanon Half-Century II

2007-10-22T15:28:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful day for riding yesterday, so I revisited last Sunday's horribly aborted mission and rode out to Lebanon and back. Compared with my previous 2 half-centuries, I could really feel an improvement in my fitness level. This trip was non-stop (minus a few traffic lights) and in the saddle for the entire 3-hour ride. Speaking of which, 3:06.00 was the exact trip time -- a full hour shorter than my previous two half-centuries.

The one aspect of riding which I absolutely have to improve is my average speed. Now granted, it was a windy day, but my average speed was 15.9 mph. That sucks. It sucks by at least 6-8 mph. I think with my time trial workouts on Thursdays, this will improve. Hopefully.

Puncture-Free Thursday

2007-10-19T09:19:00.000-04:00

At last, a ride without a flat. Most excellent.

And there's more good news. I topped my previous 10 mile time trial record by a full minute. 31:06 (previously, 32:01). Slowly but surely, I'm nearing a respectable speed and endurance level, but I'm still about 6-8 minutes away from achieving where I'd like to be.

After partaking in the open men's room at Shocktoberfest, I rode back down to Wernersville, then around Elm and Ruth to Wooltown, then up to Hospital Rd for some climbing and descending (no cars!). My front wheel was a little off true, so I made a pitstop at Technocycle for a quick tune-up.

Brad at Technocycle (he referred to this month as 'HOT-tober') mentioned that he thought my saddle was too far forward, forcing me to use more of the back of my legs than the front. Maybe so, but I'm hesitant to monkey with my saddle at this point because my knee-cap/petalla issues are gone. Zilch. No post-ride soreness these days. That makes me smile.

Updates and Flat Tires

2007-10-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

Now it's getting ridiculous. Every time I ride, I puncture. And I'm pissed off about it. For instance, yesterday afternoon I set out to ride to Lebanon and back for a scenic autumn half-century, as well as to test my endurance compared to half-centuries earlier in the season.

Everything was going well. The ride out was slow due to a killer headwind, but I was enjoying myself and at the 20-mile mark, I really felt strong. Looped through Lebanon and headed towards home, savoring the tailwind and resulting speed.

Risser's Diner Sunday Special: "Beef Heart on Filling."

The most un-creative name for a taco stand EVER: "Taco Maker." Lebanon, PA.

On the ride back, I hit Stouchsburg and BLAM. Flatted. Without panicking, I pulled onto a grassy knoll, popped the rear wheel off, removed the tire and tube. Found the puncture. Patched it. Re-assembled everything.

Missed a puncture. Took everything off and started over.

This time, I punctured the tube while putting everything back together (there's no elegant way to put that last 8 inches of tire back on the rim -- you have to force it with all your might). Meanwhile, the sun was going down and the temperature was dropping. Went through this procedure again. No punctures, but the Presta valve must've been damaged along the way and the tube wouldn't inflate. No matter how hard I pumped, no air.

So I had to call for a ride. Nothing can be more humiliating than standing along the road waiting for your wife to drive out and rescue you -- whilst dressed in lycra and standing next to a disabled bike, rednecks and hillbillies slowing to gawk as if you're a crash-landed gay alien.

Anyway, I've been puncturing on almost every ride for the last few weeks. Most of the time, it happens at the very end of the ride. Two rides ago, I only noticed the flat an hour after I was done.

What the hell is happening?

I think they're mostly pinch flats caused by dime-sized jagged pebbles -- the gravel pebbles used in road macadam. And they're invisible/camoflaged against the road so I don't see them until it's too late.

Most of the time, they ricochet away from the bike at an alarming speed. The sound is usually a POP! or PING! then the sound of a tree leaves snapping as they're pegged by the flying projectile.

But lately, I think these pebbles pinch the tube just enough to cause a pin-prick sized hole. But what the hell kind of tubes are these? I think I need something heartier. So my mission this week is to find GOOD TUBES and to take one along with me from now on.

Meanwhile, I've been feeling really great riding. The computer is helping me to improve my overall speed and endurance, simply by giving me instant status reports. It's a real motivator and worth the $60 price tag.

And I've found an amazing new area to ride. The Texter Mountain roads beyond the Wernersville State mental hospital. Rolling climbs and fast descents -- NO CARS. And challenging enough without breaking my legs. However, Huntzinger Road... This will be another long term mission. I don't know the grade, but it's the steepest hill I can find around here and I can only get three or four pedal strokes up the bottom section of it before I have to stop. Put it this way, it makes Gaul Rd seem like a speed bump.

But I thought of a great riding slogan for Huntzinger.

"Insanely steep."

Get it? Mental hospital? Ah nevermind.

Setting Some Goals

2007-10-07T10:30:00.001-04:00

I've set another training goal for myself and that is to eventually accomplish a 10-mile time trial within the realm of the Berks County Bicycling Club racing division TT results.

In other words, I want to be able to ride 10 miles in 24-26 minutes. The club record is 23:28, set by Mike Kuhn.

Friday night, I made my first attempt and I'm not ashamed of the result. 10 miles in exactly 32 minutes (three climbs, 422 from the DQ in Sinking Spring to Big Spring Rd and back). I think by next year at this time, I can reach that 24 minute "podium" level.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Friday ride was awesome. Just took it easy for another 15 miles. Rode out to The Crank, turned onto Elm then descended the (nearly abandoned) Ruth Avenue down to Wooltown, then on back to 422.

Then, I still felt strong enough to try to make it up Huntzinger Rd -- the insanely steep mountain climb just beyond Wernersville State Hospital. I don't know for sure, but that climb has to be in the range of a 20% grade. I was able to eek out three pedal strokes then almost fell over due to lack of forward motion. But oh yes -- I will make it up that mountain one of these days soon.

I backtracked back down the hill and turned onto Hospital Rd and had an awesome ride around the side of the mountain. No cars, beautiful scenery, easy riding.

Overall, I'm trying again on all fronts today.

Slow, Hot, Painful

2007-09-28T08:29:00.000-04:00

I rode the Gaul-422-Myerstown route again last night and just couldn't get into a groove, unlike two weeks ago. In addition to being 86-degrees and not being able to push beyond some heat lethargy, both my hands and feet were killing me as well. And by the time I arrived at the Kumm Esse in Myerstown, thunder and lightning began to roll in so rather than resting, I bolted out of there. Even still, I just couldn't hit a stride for the "time trial" back.

Gaul climbing is getting easier every time. And the bike computer clocked my descent at the top of Wooltown Rd: 42 mph. Total ride distance: 36 miles.

Hello, Computer

2007-09-24T11:47:00.000-04:00

I tried out my new bike computer on Sunday during a typical out-and-back to Stouchsburg. Average speed: a humbling 15.7 mph. Top speed: 35 mph. Total miles: 30. Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. On the 422 climbs, I was averaging between 11 and 15 mph, which I felt pretty good about.

The ride out took exactly 1 hour, but the ride back was 45 minutes. Guess which part of the ride had the wicked headwind? On the way back, I was able to cruise at around 22-26 mph on the flats.

No pictures this time, but if I had stopped for photo ops, I would've grabbed a photo of the Risser's Diner daily special sign: "Stuffed Pig Stomach, Beltbuster Burger." I sincerely hope the two items weren't combined.

Floyd Landis Memorial Ride

2007-09-21T09:09:00.001-04:00

Local eastern PA Mennonite Floyd Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France win yesterday. And I had a crappy 30 mile ride to Stouchsburg and back. Same route as last Thursday (Gaul-Wooltown-422).

Felt pretty good on the Gaul climbs, but shitty after that until around Robesonia where I picked up some energy -- this is usually where my warm-up ends and the real riding kicks in. Then the return ride was fun. Big headwind gusts from the east. Until I realized it was a headwind, I thought I had flatted or that my rear brakes has seized on the rim. Pulled into the Conrad Weiser Homestead to check, and only then did I realize it was wind. I'm smart!

The Perkiomen Trail

2007-09-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

My first "away" ride. In other words, on Sunday, I actually drove to a riding location rather than riding from home. And the destination was the amazing Perkiomen Trail. It's a 20 mile stretch of gravel and pavement running from Green Lane near Boyertown, all the way down to Valley Forge where it meets the Schuylkill River Trail which, in turn, meanders all the way to Philadelphia. Unbelievable thing. It really is.

The trail was constructed on the old Reading Railroad tracks -- parts of it literally where the tracks used to be, cutting through hills with sheer rock face on one side and a 30 foot drop down to the creek on the other. Beautiful red rocks. The whole thing has an otherworldly feel to it. The way the world is supposed to be, almost. Clean, gorgeous creek-side villages, tiny road. Hell, the trail even has two roadside restaurants. Moccia's and Bethie's:

I decided to try the trail for a couple of reasons. First, I currently ride a cyclocross bike. If I don't venture off the road, what's the point? (By the way, I'm committed to learning my cyclocross dismount/mount process over the winter.) Second, this was one of the trails I read about last winter when I was eagerly awaiting the purchase of the Kona Jake.

Riding for 30 miles on mostly gravel and dirt was more than a little unusual and, of course, dusty. And it was cold. 58F standing still in the shade of the trail, and who knows what the temp was when I was riding. I wore my Specialized arm warmers the entire time and I needed them.

I celebrated the chillier temperature by exploring the small ski area called Spring Mountain. This only after riding up the only climb on the trail: a 12% grade which stretched for almost a mile over the mountain. 12% is just beyond my ability and I had to carry my bike the final 10 meters or so. On pavement, on a warmer day -- maybe later in the ride -- I might've been able to easily handle it.

It wasn't all gravel, though. The refreshingly smooth hum of macadam was more than welcome on the various trail bridges and near the populated areas. Unfortunately, I must've hit something weird because today (Monday) my rear tire is totally flat.

I can't really describe the Perkiomen Trail quickly on a blog and do it justice. But it's something good. I mean genuinely, surprisingly good and simple. A seemingly endless highway for clean, healthy fun. Next time, I'm bringing a better camera and my family.

A Most Excellent Evening Ride

2007-09-15T09:46:00.000-04:00

This post is a little late, but Thursday afternoon I left work early in order to ride. I figured an earlier departure would give me enough time to have a decent ride before sundown around 7:35-ish.

I hit the Gaul Rd. climb at around 5:45-ish , this time in a smaller gear (I've read that smaller gears and a faster cadence is better for the knees -- especially early in a ride). My legs felt great moving faster like that, but I was really gasping for air by the time I reached Wooltown, as usual. But I was satisfied that, yeah, it's getting easier every time. And I'm starting to work on conditioning my brain to ignore certain things. A pro rider once said that it's all about the brain -- the body can adapt to anything.

So I tempted the setting sun and rode the 18 miles all the way out to Myerstown: the tiny village along 422 with the big water tower next to the road, and a diner called "KUMM ESSE". By the time I reached Myerstown, it was about 6:50. Less than an hour to darkness. As such, I decided to "time trial" home. In other words, go as (steadily) fast as I could for the 18 mile return.

6:55. The goal: try to get as close to Dave Zibriskie's first place US PRO time trail result of 18 miles in 39 minutes.

This was the best I've ever felt on a bike (other than my sit bones which were KILLING for some reason). Seriously. I felt like I was flying. Even on the steeper climb at Womelsdorf and the steady climb into Wernersville, I was able to keep a faster pace and really move. I'm not at the level yet where I could time-trial-pump continuously, but I did the best I could. A couple of traffic lights forced me to stop entirely and I slowed for a hundred meters to watch a group of genuine Amish guys build a produce tent along the road. Other than that, I really felt like I was moving. I don't know how fast, but in comparison to other rides, this had to have been the most consistently fast I've ever cycled.

I reached the steady climb into Wernersville at the Zibriskie time: 39 minutes, and I still had another 5 or 6 miles to go. I hit the climb and concentrated hard in order to keep up my cadence -- which I successfully did. But the weirdest thing happened. When I reached the top and entered the town, my feet felt like they were literally on fire. I mean, hot burning sensation. It went away quickly but it was a hell of a thing. Anyway, yeah, I came up way short on my time trial goal but I figured -- hey -- I'm doing pretty good considering he's the American time trial champion, and I'm a 36-year-old, 6'4", 230 lb. rookie on a cyclocross bike.

At this point, however, it was officially night and I began to really worry about, you know, being killed. I have reflectors on my bike, but what driver is expecting a giant man on a bike to go flying down the road next to -- or perpendicular to -- his or her SUV? With adrenaline pumping, and with some refreshingly chilly evening wind, I booked as hard as I could towards home.

I pulled into the garage at exactly 8PM. 18 miles in 65 minutes. 26 minutes short of my goal. Ride total: 36 miles. I don't know if this "time trial" was fast or slow (probably really slow) for my level, but it felt really fast -- and more importantly for why I ride... it felt really good.

Homecoming Ride

2007-09-10T08:54:00.001-04:00

Not much to report from Sunday's ride. 30 miles to Stouchsburg and back. I hit some kind of boulder or asteroid in the road about half-a-mile from home and flatted. Carried my bike over my shoulder for the rest of the way. Before that, I stopped at the Conrad Weiser Homestead historical park. The poop there is that it was definitely Weiser's property, but the "home" probably wasn't his home. That's weird. More on Weiser here.

Also, I'm still monkeying with my saddle height. For almost the entire season, my patellas have been killing me after riding, but only after riding and only when I stand up from a deep crouching or sitting position. My saddle is plenty high enough. I think it's time to call in an 'expoit, although my chiropractor, Dr. Wolf, said it's patellar-femoral syndrome and that I should wear jumper's straps. I've been wearing the straps, but they aren't working -- other than to look silly. My brother the chiropractor said it could be tendonitis. More later...

Three Cool Things In Burbank, CA

2007-09-08T01:06:00.001-04:00

I'm in Burbank, California on business and couldn't resist seeking out some items which I would've tried to collect had I been in the saddle. And there are certainly many other interesting attractions in the San Fernando Valley, but the following items made me smile.

First, the Chandler Boulevard Bikeway:

This two-lane concrete cycling roadway runs down the median strip of Chandler Blvd and is so (rightfully) beloved that city planners have added a bronze statue of a family of bike riders -- the little girl, by the way, is riding with her hands in the air, and the adult in the scene appears to be smacking her right hand:

The bikeway, however, used to be the historic Burbank Railroad which bisected the former ranch lands of the Valley.

The above photo was taken just a block beyond the eastern end of the bikeway where the railroad tracks remain intact, though unused. Another relic of a time before the car culture.

Second, one of the few publicly displayed F-104 Starfighter jets from Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works facility:

From The Valley Observed:

Burbank Airport was home to Lockheed's secret Skunk Works, where the U2 spy plane and other war birds were hatched. Residents in the 1950s and '60s had to put up with sonic booms that shattered windows ands frazzled nerves, the product of test flights. Read more here.

The Starfighter was first tested here in Burbank in 1954 and was used by the military between 1958 and 1967.

And finally, my perpetual LA motel of choice:

The Safari Inn is my definition of a classic American motel. The '50s era theme and signpost. The breezeway check-in area with the cement deck above. The pool. The outdoor walkway on the second floor. The Safari was also used as a location in True Romance -- the hotel in which James Gandolfini brutally assaults Patricia Arquette. Fortunately, the interiors of the rooms are very different now. No bloody mirrors and no mosquito nets (I'm fairly certain a different location was used for the interior scenes of the movie, but the exterior shots are all Safari).

I could spend an entire week here photographing classic motels. They're living monuments to mid-20th Century America, and, in my opinion, are historic locations, worthy of preservation. More on this in later road tours, but they're truly one of my obsessions.

One Day I Feel I'm Ahead Of The Wheel

2007-08-31T11:01:00.000-04:00

Last night was the best short ride I've had in quite a while. 15 miles to Robesonia and back, and it felt great. I had less than an hour before total nightfall, so it had to be a short ride, so I decided to work entirely on technique. I focused on rhythm, speed and body positioning -- kept my head down and arms bent. Tuck position on descents and used the drop bars on the climbs.

I've also found that when the temperature is around 85 or higher, it helps to dump some water on my head every time I go for a drink, instead of waiting until my face is burning. Even at the height of exhaustion, this offers a tremendous boost in endurance.

Saw three other riders last night. One hoople with a complete Team Discovery Channel kit, which was interesting. At least he wasn't wearing yellow.

The ride also reminded me that the Summer is coming to a close. The evening rides will become shorter and shorter as night arrives sooner each day. Then again, Fall brings its own bits of excitement for riding: the scenery, the cooler temperatures. Can't wait.

Getting Dropped Sucks

2007-08-29T20:59:00.001-04:00

Here's my "aw man!" face shortly after being passed like roadkill tonight by some pro-looking* rider who was seriously moving. There was even a little WHOOSH! sound as he blew past.

In my defense, I was checking my phone at the time, but it didn't matter. This dude would've dropped me anyway. Tonight's ride: 24 miles, 422 Corridor.

*My definition of "pro-looking" = sweet gear, fast, shaved legs. Yes, I happened to notice the shaved legs. So what. Who wants to fight?

Insect Protein

2007-08-23T20:40:00.001-04:00

It never occured to me that after nearly a week of rain, the back roads would be swarming with every bug in the known universe, as well as a freakish few that were visiting from parallel dimensions. Rode a quick sprint around the 422-Gaul Rd-Wooltown-Big Spring-422 horn this evening (13 rapid-fire miles, struggled on the Gaul climbs -- again) and in the process ingested all varieties of flying insect.

Gnat, mosquito, horse fly, Japanese Beetle. Wait. Honestly, I didn't swallow any Japanese Beetles, but some such species of large flying exoskeletoned creature thwacked me in the ear, hard enough to make a loud THWAP! noise, just as I was descending the upper part of Wooltown at around 30-40 mph. Imagine descending really fast, and then imagine being shot in the ear with a BB gun. No marks or abrasions, just a LOUD JARRING POP SOUND.

Meanwhile, I passed a (very serious and pro-looking) rider on Gaul. He was descending as I was desperately trying to remain upright on the climb. I'm in this mode right now in which I believe that every other road rider is faster and better than me (they are). For the rest of the ride, I kept thinking, "That other rider would totally drop me right now." Yes, I often self-motivate with self-loathing. Therapy, please.

Wooltown Road

2007-08-22T08:45:00.001-04:00

Photo by Lauren. There has to be something wrong with this road. Poisonous snakes who hate bikes leaping out of the trees, perhaps. Something. Other than it being too short, Wooltown is awesome (Berks pronunciation: "WOOL-tahn").

The Kutztown Half-Century

2007-08-19T19:40:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning, I had a great ride to Kutztown and back by way of Leesport and Lake Ontelaunee (50 mile round trip). The night before, as I was falling asleep, I reminded myself to check the map for any nearby covered bridges. I forgot. And when I finally checked the map last night, this was the look on my face:

So that's the Kutztown University "Golden Bear," presently located on the north campus of my alma mater (class of 1994) between Schaeffer Auditorium and the library. It turns out that Kutz's Mill Bridge is located about a mile away from that damn bear statue. I noted the location of Kutz's Mill Bridge with a thumb tack on the map below.

The morning temperature had to have been in the low 60s, and there was an ass-kicking wind blowing in from the northwest, which sucker punched me from the flanks during the entire ride. And Lehigh Valley winds are famously powerful in the valleys northeast of Reading -- especially in Kutztown itself. Between the wind and the cooler early-morning temperatures, it took about 15 miles to really find some energy.

It's amazing what you discover around here when you actually *look*. I discovered an assembly of relics in Leesport known as The Reading Railroad Museum. It's a collection of vintage passenger rail cars from a time before Detroit and Big Oil all but killed America's rail system.

Take a ride on the Reading (below).

Several Pullman cars from the fabled New York Central Railroad (below).

The spillway bridge at Lake Ontelaunee:

And the map. Note the thumbtack marking the position of Kutz's Mill Bridge:

Case Of The Slippery Sprockets

2007-08-16T07:40:00.000-04:00

So the gear slips while climbing had nothing to do with my cassette sprockets being worn (which would've been weird since the Jake is new as of this past April). Turns out it was my Shimano chain that was worn for some reason. That reason? I'm told Shimano chains are "soft." Soft like Private Pyle on the obstacle. Replaced it with a steel SRAM chain and case closed.

By the way, I drove the Gaul route last night just to see what scenery I was missing. Saw two roadies (not together). One was cranking up Steely Rd and the other was descending Gaul. Glad to see I'm not the only one who likes the torture.

View From The Spring House

2007-08-14T22:34:00.001-04:00

This is the view due east from the historic Spring House, home of the "largest natural spring east of the Mississippi." I would verify it online, if only the joint had a website. But the signpost at the spring said that the house was built in 1735. Yet no website. Back to the photo -- the mountain in the center distance looks like a profile view of a crashing wave. That's steep.

Speaking of steep... I rode the same grueling circuit from last night, by the way. This time I avoided Steely Rd and hit Gaul Rd which seemed to go straight up for a full mile. Very nice. Fortunately, I was prepared this time. Though at one point the grade was so steep that after each crank, my bike would stop for a split second before the next crank. Crank--stop--crank--stop. Liquid hot magma in the legs.

However, I found my new favorite back road: Wooltown Rd between North Church and Big Spring Rd (location of the above photo). Long downhill traveling west, leading to flats along a creek and adjacent to a horse riding stable. It made Gaul 100-percent worth it.

Tomorrow I'm taking the Jake up to Spokes for a derailleur check. The sprockets slipped every time I stood up to crank. I concluded that it was my NO-SPEED fall the other day. Everything on the right: my hip, knee, ankle, and derailleur. Messed with the gears to make sure everything was aligned, but it didn't matter. "On the smoothest ride, there's a squeeky wheel" -Rush, Bravest Face.

Dinky But Steep

2007-08-13T23:57:00.001-04:00

This evening I was running late at work so I only had time for a quickie ride. I figured a 12 mile sprint around the horn would suffice, and I headed out along an abbreviated and modified State Hill Circuit. This time, I hooked a left off of Evans Hill Rd onto Faust Rd and cranked into the deep wilderness. I mean, real back woods territory. I love that this area goes from dense suburb to complete oblivion within a few miles.

Almost immediately, I hit a crapload of these dinky yet insanely steep little hills on Faust and Steely Rds. These wall-like rises are invisible in the Google Maps satellite photos so I had no idea, then again part of the fun is the exploration. Too bad I was losing daylight and, well, after a couple miles of this, my legs felt like they were filled with liquid hot magma. Not since my first ride of the season have I felt this crappy. And I blame both my missed breakfast and the steepness of those little climbs. Plus, my sprockets kept slipping the chain down for some reason, so what little energy I had left was spent trying to crank over these little walls (call them BIG speed bumps) with my sprockets going all herky-jerky at random.

You know what else didn't help? On my ride with Lauren the other day, I suffered a boneheaded NO-SPEED crash. In other words, I was stopped and I didn't pull my foot out of the toe clip in time before -- BOOM! -- down I went. Huge black and purple raspberry on my right hip and the frantic struggle to pull my right foot out of the clip has rendered my right ankle a little sore. Bam. Oh and I suffered a gnarly gushing road rash on my right knee. All from falling whilst at a complete stop. Doy.

The only redemption for the day was 422. Man, I love riding on that road. Really felt good sprinting at my version of high speed for five or six miles. I think I hit a second wind after the crushing warm-up, or maybe I was just pissed off at my "modified and abbreviated" circuit. What I'd give to have 422 closed to car and truck traffic for a day between here and Harrisburg.

UPDATE, 8/14/07: A year from now when I'm in better shape and more skilled, I'll read this post and laugh at all my whining.

My 2007 Bike

2007-08-13T13:05:00.001-04:00

By request, here it is: the 2007 Kona Jake (click the image to enlarge). And the specs:

Frame size: 60cm (I'm 6'4" and my ideal frame size should be 61.5cm)
Frame tubing: Kona 7005 Butted Aluminum
Fork: Kona P2 700c
Braze-on fittings: 2 bottles, fender eyelets
Headset: TH
Crankarms: FSA Gossamer Triple MegaExo
Chainrings: 53/39/30T (I wish there was a bigger gear.)
B/B: FSA MegaExo
Pedals: Shimano PD-M324 (Custom addition)
Chain: Shimano CN-IG70
Freewheel: Shimano DEORE (12-25t, 9speed)
F/D: Shimano Sora
R/D: Shimano Tiagra
Shifters: Shimano SORA
Handlebar: Easton EA30 OS
Stem: Easton EA30 OS
Grips: Cork Black
Brakes: Avid Shorty 4
Brake Levers: Shimano SORA w/Tektro RX 2.0
Front hub: Shimano DEORE
Rear hub: Shimano FH-M3300
Spokes: 15g front and 14g rear stainless DT
Tires: Maxxis Locust CX 700x35C (super durable, so far!)
Rims: Sun MZ-14
Saddle: WTB Rocket V COMP
Seatpost: Easton EA30
Seat clamp: Kona Clamp
Color: Blue/Black

Riding With Lauren

2007-08-11T19:31:00.001-04:00

My daughter Lauren at the lake along Reedy Road. She ripped through 18 miles today like a champ.

The septic sludge at liftlock No. 47 E, one of the few intact Union Canal locks along the Tulpehocken Trail. From the Berks County website: "When the [Union] canal was in operation (1827-1884) the locktender's home would have been located on the land between the hill and the lock. Some of the men who lived in this locktender's home were Edwin Ball, Jacob Grubb, William Adies, Samuel Werner, and John Moyer. Their job assignments included operation and maintenance of this lock. Locktenders' salaries ranged from a maximum of $10.00 a month to a low of $1.00 a month, which they received in the later days of operation of the Union Canal."

The bikes of Team Spindrift at the end of the Tulpehocken Trail, near Reber's Bridge.

The historic Gruber Wagon Works near Wertz's Bridge.

Lauren is a better photographer than I am. Her shot of Wertz's Covered Bridge.

Lauren at the Gring's Mill bridge.

That's me at the Gring's Mill Bridge.

The one rider breakaway! Will the peloton catch him? Yes. Definitely yes.

The Wertz Covered Bridge

2007-08-09T16:39:00.000-04:00

One of my goofy riding missions is to "collect" covered bridges, and Berks County is a great place to start since it boasts five historic and notable covered bridges. Last night, I snapped up the first bridge: Wertz's Covered Bridge near the Reading Airport. (Again, pardon the poor camera phone quality. I swear I'm buying a new camera soon.)

Also known as Red Bridge, the Wertz is the longest single span covered bridge in Pennsylvania. The stats:

Length: 204'
Width: 15'
Built: 1867
Builder: Amandas Knerr
Truss: Burr
Stream: Tulpehocken Creek
WGCB Number: 38-06-06
Also known as: Red Bridge

One of my favorite aspects of any historic area is to find little physical details that aren't always noted in the visitor center brochures.

For example, the bridge is also adjacent to the old Union Canal. The canal was a massive structure with a history going back to William Penn himself. If you ride to the Heritage Center side, the gravel hiking trail along this bank happens to run parallel to a wide trench which was once the Union Canal. In places along the trail, you can even see the old stones used as the walls of the manmade waterway, and at the Gring's Mill park, the towpath and canal remain intact and preserved. More on the Union Canal here.

The bridge is the only Berks covered bridge which is closed to vehicle traffic, but on the Tulpehocken Rd side of the bridge near the park area, you can ride on a small section of the old road which once ran up to- and over the bridge. I love things like that. Remnants of old roads, old structures. I like to imagine what the terrain used to look like before progress changed the landscape (for better or worse, depending on the case).

One down, four more to go: The Dreibelbis Bridge, The Kutz's Mill Bridge, Griesemer's Bridge and The Pleasantville Bridge.

Peace In The Middle East

2007-08-05T16:52:00.001-04:00

It seemed like the perfect day for my first half-century, so I did it. The 50-mile round trip to Lebanon, PA and back. I really only "bonked" (lost all will to live) once, and it was just a few miles from home. I wrote it before and I'll write it again: 422 West is awesome for cycling. Just awesome. More details and a map later on.

Judge Reinholds

2007-08-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening's ride (24.5 miles round trip) was an experiment in contrasts. The Old Fritztown Rd section through the low hills of northern Lancaster County were some of the toughest climbs I've experienced so far. Really steep and giving off that optical illusion in which "the top" isn't really the top, prompting me to breathlessly exclaim, "Oh f***ing hell!" several times.

But upon reaching the town of Reinholds at Rt. 897, the terrain leveled off into a rolling valley of flats and small hills. Where the Fritztown Rd offered civilization, 897 offered an endless cycle of simple Menonite farms, Amish homesteads, redneck farmers, and one or two isolated new-construction neighborhoods for the upper-middle-class folks.

The mission was to make it to Kleinfeltersville, but the setting Sun ended that quest. I had to turn back at around 12.25 miles into the ride. And it's a good thing I did. By the time I returned to the Berks County line, it was well past sundown and with no shoulder to speak of on Fritztown Rd, I would've been doomed in complete darkness had I continued on to Kleinfeltersville and turned back there.

The above camera phone shot was taken at the historic Reinholds Station Inn on Rt. 897. Information from VisitPA.com:

Historic Reinholds Inn was built in 1863 by Colonel Jesse Reinhold after its founder Colonel Jesse Reinholds who built a large and commodious hotel in 1863, soon after, the Reading Columbia Railroad Company had opened its railroad for business. This house was for a time occupied as a hotel, ticket-post-and telegraph office, with Mr. Reinhold as postmaster and station agent. During the summer Mr. Reinhold had his house open as a resort for recreation, it being generally patronized by wealthy Philadelphians. Now we offer the saloon downstairs and "The Station" upstairs, second floor, which is open for fine and casual dining offering dinner specials nightly.

VisitPA needs a proofreader. Official site for the Reinholds Station Inn.

The State Hill Circuit

2007-08-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Not sure why the route isn't showing up on the map.

As promised, here's the State Hill Circuit. 12.46 miles according to Google Maps. I rode this one counter-clockwise and tackled some of the small climbs first. Reedy Road through Cacoosing was incredible, as was the wilderness of Wagner Drive (far upper right on the map) but the sum total of all the climbs on the right hemisphere of the circuit was insane for my feeble level of fitness. I noted before that Brownsville Rd is treacherous due to the traffic, but the scenery is stunning in the late evening with the Sun setting over Blue Marsh Lake in the valley below.

The descent on North Church Rd is super fast in places. I should probably check my brakes. In terms of sites on the ride down, the Jesuit Center has some impressive grounds, and be sure to check the view around the area of the cemetary.

Bunker Hill

2007-08-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

Another Razr camera phone shot. This one is from a 20 mile ride on July 26 through the farm lanes and hills northwest of Robesonia, PA. I snapped this one at the halfway point of the ride: the intersection of Bunker Hill Road and Tulpehocken Forge Road. This is about two miles from the Clover Hill Winery.

The Kona Jake At State Hill

2007-08-01T21:36:00.001-04:00

Tuesday afternoon/evening, I made the 5 mile climb to the top of State Hill, then the 7 mile ride down. Here's my Kona at the peak overlooking Blue Marsh Lake. This photo was snapped at the top of the access road to the State Hill boat ramp on Brownsville Rd. The camera? My Razr phone. Not too bad for a really awful camera phone.

This circuit was both beautiful and brutal. Some steep climbs, heavy traffic, and not much shoulder room in some places. I'll post the route later.

Sinking Spring to Robesonia

2007-07-18T14:45:00.001-04:00

Penn Avenue, aka. 422 West, aka. Ben Franklin Highway, could be one of the finest Berks/Lebanon County road bike routes. It's mostly rolling hills and false flats. And it has a wide, paved shoulder with plenty of room outside of the normal car lanes. There are very few lights, so you can really get a rhythm going. Being an idiot and a menace, I decided to ride 422 West to Conrad Weiser High School (12 mile round trip) during rush hour. Even still, not so congested. On the idiot and menace tip, I also forgot my camera, so the above map will have to suffice until the next ride... which will be very soon.

My hope is to find some time (and a cool morning) to continue on the Ben Franklin all the way to Lebanon, Hershey and Harrisburg.