GSW Seacoast Half Century

Rode a half century in the GSW Seacoast Century. 53.7 miles

For the past few years, I have tried to ride the Seacoast Century, mainly because I really like the ride T-shirt, and the ride is not half bad, either. However, today is also the day when we had Red Sox tickets and my daughter had to be at the football game to play in the band. Given the conflicts, I opted for the half century. The forecast for the day was for partially sunny and 70s. But, as I cranked toward the Newington rest stop, it was 55 and drizzly. The grate on the bridge heading to and from Salisbury over the Merrimack River at the Hampton rest stop was slippery and treacherous. I was glad to be heading back, but the route was unfamiliar and the markings on the road were impossible to discern. There were no flaggers anywhere. There was talk the flaggers they hired for critical turns had worked too much yesterday, so they took the day off. I began following the wrong markings and got lost for a mile after missing a turn. The one good thing about heading back early was I was able to follow the trail of stragglers heading north. I felt really bad for riders starting a century at 10 a.m. I tried to ride around 20 mph on the way back, which is about my limit, because if I'm not going to do 100, I'm going to hurt myself doing 50. Actually, I was glad that I had cut the day short. Lake Tahoe and its insane climbs are next week.
My ride with MS Global 2012 is only one week away. If you want to support my ride, and cutting edge research into a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, please check out my FirstGiving page.

A good reason to ride

A Reason to Ride bikeathon fundraiser for cancer research at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital on Sunday, Sept. 9

I met Ethan Fleming at the start of the A Reason to Ride bikeathon at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers. He was a big guy wearing a Team Discovery kit from the 2006 tour. The reason that he struck me was he nearly had my name! He became rider Number 3 and I became Rider Number 103 at sign in.
I caught up with him a few miles out. He was riding a road/commuter bike with the rack still attached, and he commented that the bike rides a lot faster without the trailer hitched on the back. He told me about the time at work a co-worker came into the bathroom while talking on a cellphone, and Fleming was changing in a stall after riding to work. Fleming flushed, then got reamed out by the guy for, what? doing what comes naturally?
Ethan is a rebel commuter. He got horrible stares at work when his company put a bike rack in the closest spot to the front door. And, he works at a biotech firm, of all places. He's also high up in efforts to create bike lanes in Boston, and can even report cars parked in those lanes to be ticketed and towed.
I didn't want to do the ride alone and I guess he did not as well, so we tagged along. Then, for no reason, he sped up and passed a guy with a camera with a car that had a bike rack on the back. Turns out, this was his dad, who was taking pictures of him along the way, riding support. I kept seeing that car, and it reminded me how we always see the van during the MS Global ride, riding in support. I thought that was a nice thing for a dad to do.
We rode, and I tried to keep the pace at an MS Global friendly 17 mph. I noticed that when my doppleganger got out front, he tended to slow, so I got ahead of him and pulled.
I chatted about which towns we were passing through, Essex, Ipswich, Hamilton, Wenham, I knew them all and I knew the route. When I announced we were in Danvers, both he and I were relieved. It's always good to finish. I wanted him to ride ahead of me to the finish. At the end, someone told us that while we were not in the lead group, we had finished well ahead of anyone else. I had done my job, and Tom DesFosses of Peabody had done his, raised a lot of money for cancer research and again thanking his doctor, Eric Wong, for saving his life. I hope to be back next year. Maybe I will run into Ethan, there.

How to outrace a race a chocolate lab the day before the Mt. Washington

Rode 14.8 miles in Bridgton, Maine
While doing my usual morning loop up Mountain Road, at the top of the hill, I decided to head straight onto Hancock Pond Road. Instead of a pond, I found a ramshackle home with a pontoon boat and a vicious, unleashed chocolate lab in the front yard. I was heading downhill, so it was easy to out run the barking beast, but as I came up the next climb, I realized outrunning him while climbing up a hill would not be so easy. So, I turned around and flew back down the hill. As the road turned up I notice the pontoon boat sitting halfway up the hill, so I gunned it, and it was a lucky thing I did since there was not one, but two chocolate labs gunning for me. I was able to outrace them, then noticed I was nearing my maximum heart rate. I slowed down, feeling as if I had just won the sprint of my life.

Witches Cup "Go G-Ham"

Witches Cup in Salem, Aug. 8

I rode from work to the Witches Cup around Salem Common and as the final lap rounded the corner, the back of the pack exploded and the riders in the women's race and the riders went down in a crack or carbon and to the sounds of cleats popping.

Crash during the last lap of the women's race

The men's final lasted an hour and the pace was pretty quick. There's a pretty good article in The Salem News that recounts it. This year, I knew some people in the crowd and in the peloton. I stood next to Jay, who is friends with Kurt Maw, who recognized my name from Facebook. Across the street stood Mike and Karen, strong riders on the Tuesday night Marblehead Cycle crit. In the pack rode Geoff Hamilton, Tyler's brother, and he gave it a good shot and hung in with the pack the whole race. It was a jittery ride, and some of those turns are quite scary. Jay and I kept shouting for Geoff, and hopefully that gave him some encouragement.

G.H. during the cool down lap

Witches Cup speeds by the common

There were no crashes, the breakaways could not stay away, and the race ended in a sprint finish. I couldn't see who finished, and so I rode home, skipping the podium ceremonies. My apologies to Arthur, who was at the courtesy tent the whole time, looking to catch up on old times of this past PMC weekend.

Ninth PMC on Aug. 4-5

Rode 75 miles on day 2 of the Pan-Mass. Challenge, after spending the first day, Saturday, parking bikes. Saturday was one of the most hot, humid days of the ride, so hot that even PMC founder Billy Starr DNF, though he was in great spirits at the "Living Proof" photo. If you want to contribute to my effort, you can go to my profile on the PMC website. I really need your help. The Sea Glass Ride is Oct. 14. Wanna ride? Volunteer? Go to the ride's website.

Training doubts

June 19: 30.6 miles to Manchester

June 20: 15 miles around Marblehead

June 21: 19.5 miles around the Neck and Peaches Point

June 23: 28.2 miles around Marblehead Neck and Beverly Farms

June 24: 54.1 miles on the Tour De Shuls ride from Swampscott to Gloucester

June 26: 24.7 miles Greenwood Ave., three loops of the Neck and Peach's Point/Beacon St.

June 28: 18 miles around Marblehead and Swampscott.

June 30: 10 miles in the rain around Marblehead.

July 2: Rode 18.7 miles around Marblehead with Scott

July 3: Rode to Nahant and then picked up bagels at Panera, 19.7 miles

July 5: Rode to Nahant, 26 miles. Also rode the Neck

July 7: Rode 26 miles Nahant and Marblehead Neck

July 8: Rode 26.8 miles to Manchester with Arthur

July 10: Rode 25.1 miles to Nahant, rode Nahant backwards, rode fast to get back home

July 11: Rode 26.2 miles to Nahant and Marblehead Neck.

A total of 483 miles in the past 28 days.

Thanks to my Strava app, I no longer feel it necessary to track all my rides on paper, which is a shame. Strava may give my a map of my ride, the miles, the average speed and even the power, but it lacks soul. What about riding in the rain just for the heck of it? What about nearly slamming into another rider and an Audi SUV on the Neck the other day at 30 mph? What about feeling tired and out of it today but riding anyway? On the app, one ride melds into the next. Achievements are based on other riders I don't know and have never spoken with. The whole process of dialing in every ride by the numbers leaves me cold.
Tonight, the Beverly Grand Prix took place and again this year I worked late and headed home to be with Aveen. I am also freaked out because a rescue cat we took in last weekend has managed to disappear inside the walls of the house and we cannot find it.
I would have loved to see the race, tonight, but I love riding in the morning. I like feeling I've accomplished something before I go to work. I have the same feeling about the Tuesday crit. I want to ride it, but it is nearly impossible for me to break away from work, even with early deadlines.
With the Hillclimb and Tahoe looming, this is the time when I start to doubt whether I'm training right. I have not been able to pull off a long ride all season. So I drag myself out of bed every morning and I ride, hoping I am not overtraining or undertraining.

June rides and every bike has a story

Sunday, June 3: Rode in the rain around Marblehead. Washed my bike and fried my bottom bracket.
Thursday June 7: Spin class at the JCC
Friday, June 8: 48.6 miles with Chris Finn. Rode out to Gloucester, did Atlantic Road twice. Longest ride of 2012. Rode the steel Allez. Cramped in Salem
Saturday, June 9: Spin-a-thon at Energy Within. 45 minute class featuring a long climb. This was a fundraiser for the Sue de Vries Cancer Foundation.
Sunday, June 10: Rode to Aveen's horseback riding lesson at Pine Tree Equestrian Center. 23.6 miles to Hale Street and back.
Monday, June 11: Rode 15.4 miles around Marblehead.
Tuesday, June 12: Rode 29 miles to Manchester on the Allez. Trek in the shop with bottom bracket issues.
Thursday, June 14: Spin class with Margie. She simulates Mt. Washington climb and we all suffer.
Friday, June 15: Rode 20 miles around Marblehead before work.
Saturday, June 16: 28.4 miles. Rode to Manchester on the Steel frame Chromly lugged Allez. Scored second best time on Forster Road, 1:31.
Sunday, June 17: Father's Day ride, 19.6 miles. Late start getting out. Rode at low intensity. Saw Scott K. coming off the Neck. Bought lime green tires for the Trek.
June 18: Off day
June 19: Happy Birthday ma. 30.6 miles to Manchester. Climbed Forster Road backwards and forwards. Stopped off at Marblehead Cycle.

Every bike has a story.

I stopped off at Marblehead Cycle and found Chris packing up an orange Serrota. He put a piece of plastic on the end of the fork, then slipped a sleeve of cardboard around it. He put styrofoam around all the tubes and put plastic cups on the axle of the back wheel. He was being extremely careful. I noticed a black saddlebag hanging from the seat.

Every bike has a story, as cliche as it sounds, and this frame has its.

It belonged to John Vale, a Swampscott man in his 60s and a good customer of Chris's. When the season rolled around, John did not bring in his bike for service. Later, he learned from a family member that he had taken a ride in March, came home, took a nap and did not wake up. I think it's how a lot of cyclists envision the end of their life; it happened to Cyclopath Dave Benua two years ago, but having had a mother who died in her sleep, I think it would be nice to be able to say 'good-bye' before you go. Of course, you never really know when the road is going to end. We never got a chance to say 'good-bye' to mom. Today would have been her 85th birthday.

While Mr. Vale may not live on, his bike will. Chris was boxing it up to ship to California where it will be ridden by his son. Sue's bike also got a new life: the one she rode in the PMC with the pink saddle given to her by Bruce K. is presently being ridden by her sister, Julie. Maybe that's the real question about the hereafter most cyclists face. Who is going to ride my bike when I've gone to the big climb in the sky?

Second half of May rides.

May 15: Spin class at JCC
May 17: Spin class at JCC. Last class with Andrew P! Rode bike.
May 19: Morning ride with the Cyclopaths. Rode 24.5 miles up to Wenham and then rode home to work at the bike store. Took it slow, 13.2 mph average.
May 20: 17.4 miles. Rode to Nahant. Averaged 14 mph.
May 21: Rode 20.1 miles, three loops of Marblehead Neck and around Beacon Street and Peaches Point in Marblehead. Average 14.9 mph
May 23: Early morning ride on the Pinarello with Trek in the shop. 13.4 miles, aveage 13 mph. May 24: Spin class at JCC.
May 26: Rode part way to Beverly Farms, 23.3 miles, with MS Getaway Tune up ride organized by Bill Hamilton. Rode Pinarello with Trek in the shop. Fist-bumped Geoff, rode for a bit with Charlie and Vito, then cut home. Average 15 mph. Worked at Marblehead Cycle.
May 27: Rode 38.1 miles to Gloucester's Stage Fort Park. Rode the Forster Road Climb in 1:45.
May 28: Memorial Day Rode 21.1 miles around Marblehead. Weekend total:82.5 miles.
May 30: Rode 16.5 miles around Marblehead. West Shore Drive TT, 0.7 miles, 1:51 at 21.2 mph.

My first tri

Saturday, May 12: 26.5 miles to Topsfield
Sunday, May 13: JCC Triathlon by the Sea. Finished No 138 out of 203 athletes

The day before your first triathlon, might I suggest that instead of going on an unplanned 26 mile bike ride to Topsfield, you spend some time in the pool. Riding with the Cyclopaths cycling group was nice, but an hour ride to stretch my legs turned into a two-hour ride, one hour too much. Then I worked at Marblehead Cycle lugging bikes up and down the stairs. To top it off, I didn't sleep very well with house guests, friends of ours from Russia, roaming around upstairs packing on their return trip to Russia.

Having done a lot of charity rides, but never a race or a triathlon, the next morning was surreal. I managed to buy some Gatorade and get a good parking space on the hill of the JCC. I registered, then asked Maria about what to do next, and her response was "hurry up and wait." At one point, someone told me I could go to the pool to warm up, but the top 100 had already gathered there and I was intimidated by the whole pool thing. It suddenly struck me. I had never swum in anger before. I was going to have to bluff. As I got closer to the water, No. 109 in the pool, I tried to reassure others around me that all you had to do was relax, swim your swim, don't push to hard. It was all fake.
When at last I was at the start, the man punching the numbers in for the start told me to 'go,' instead of heading in feet first, I dove. I came up thrashing and pushed as hard as I could, then swam the second lap and thought to myself, 'I'm going to drown.' I made it one more lap, rolled over, took off my swim goggles and wanted to get out of the pool.
Somewhere, somehow, I heard my childhood friend Steven Ford, who is a triathlete and who likes to take a slow swim time so he does not have to feel rushed, blurt out: "That's no 5-minute swim."
Taking off the goggles had the affect of calming me, and swimming on my back allowed me to rest. Those swimming behind me in the pool, however, were trying to crawl over me, and I let three of them go at once. I felt a mixture of shame and fear. I kept looking up to see if the lifeguards, mostly young girls, were going to pull me out. I kept going, struck with the thought that my daughters were probably standing on Marblehead Neck, waiting for me along the bike course. They would not like it that Dad only completed half the swim.
Somehow, I made it to that last 10th lap, and I rolled over and free-styled it as best I could to the finish. I think it took me nearly 8 minutes to swim 1/8th of a mile. I was relieved that I had not drowned.
I took my time to get my bike shoes on. It was good to be getting on the bike. It was so warm, I didn't need a towel. As I accelerated away from the swim, my body slowly adjusted to being on the bike. At first I soft pedaled, but I was determined not to get caught. I sped up. I rode fast, but not all out, because I wanted to save something for the run, because I cannot run to save my life.
I made it around the neck three times relatively unscathed. I passed a lot of people riding not such great bikes. It was great to zoom past Sophie and Aveen standing at the bend to the causeway cheering me on. That made the struggle in the pool worthwhile. I was 62nd on the bike.
At the bike dismount, the organizers had us run up hill to the timing pad, which was not easy to do in bike cleats. A twisted ankle here would have meant my swim was all for naught. I took my time again putting my running shoes on, then headed out of the JCC driveway onto Atlantic Ave.
I can walk quicker than I can run, but I kept going. Several people passed me, including a woman who also looked as if she were struggling. I just could not seem to find my kick, but I had run the course the week before, so I knew I could at least do the distance. This was my neighborhood, after all, so it felt good running in familiar territory.
Somewhere on Atlantic, Lori Sherf, who can a run a marathon in her sleep, passed me. I had passed her on the bike on the Neck, but she is a strong runner. She is so strong, that when she finished, she met her friend, and then ran the course again to be with her.
After about the second mile, after we had turned onto Humphrey Street, I passed the struggling woman. Then I got passed by a few more people. Finally, I turned onto Sea View, and I tried my best to sprint up the hill to gain time, but I tired. A woman, Bridgett, I'm sure, who is now our Thursday spin instructor, sprinted past me without a word.
We turned left onto Atlantic Avenue toward the home stretch. I was finally able to open up and run. There were cars on both sides of the street, and traffic, but I kept running on the road, and it was great to pass runners who had just finished on the bike. Steve came striding past me, just heading out on his run. We high-fived as we passed. I knew that in the end, even though I would finish ahead of him, that his overall finish would wipe we away. I was so glad to finish. Someone handed me a red, white and blue ribbon.
I met up with my daughters, hung out, drank a Muscle Milk, changed clothes, packed up my bike, hung out, listened to a portion of the awards ceremony before Aveen, my 11-year-old, dragged me away for lunch, the medal dangling under my shirt.
Somehow, the organizers knew that this was my first triathlon, and after sprinting to the finish line, someone handed it to me. I put it on as if I'd won gold. On the back it read "My First Tri."
You can see for yourself the results to the JCC Triathlon by the Sea.

It's sink or swim with the JCC triathlon Sunday.

May 1: Spin class with Margie
May 2: Off
May 3: Spin class with Margie
May 4: Off
May 5: Jogged 3.5 miles on the course of the JCC Triathlon.
May 6: Swam 10 laps in JCC pool, rode around Marblehead Neck three times.
May 7: Off
May 8: Spin class with Margie at the JCC. 40 minutes of climging
May 9: Swam at the JCC
May 10: Spin Class with Andrew.
May 11: Light jog on the beach and around Swampscott
You would think, with two months to train, I would've.
In the weeks leading up to the triathlon, I've cut back on everything and tried to stay active. I haven't rode much, but I have spun, just because of the time crunch and rain almost every day. My goal is to finish. I swim like a tug boat and run like Shrek. I have actually forgotten how to run, and I am constantly favoring my left leg, which has a rod in it from my hip to my knee after a compound fracture from a car accident in 2001. I'm convinced I can walk faster than I can jog. Tomorrow, I work at the bike store. I will probably take a slow ride in the morning just to get the feel of the bike. If you see me on the course, give me a shout.
PS: Stop by Marblehead Cycle on Saturday. It's owner Chris Finn's birthday. There might be cake.

A ride with some CCB friends

April 25, 17.7 miles around Swampscott and Marblehead, climbed Greenwood Ave., rode out to the Neck, climbed Beacon Street.
April 26, Rode 19 miles to Beverly. Flatted at Prides Crossing on old tires
April 27,Took the Allez out for a spin around Marblehead Neck
April 28, Jogged a couple of miles around Phillips Beach
April 29, Longest ride so far this year. Rode 35 miles up to Essex, via Route 22, came back on Route 127.
April 30, rode about 30 miles with Mark Lorenz, Jean Magazu and Dave Selsky of CCB fame

  You can either replace old tires before you get a flat, or ruin a good ride with a flat. My luck ran out last Wednesday when I headed out for a long ride and flatted at Prides Crossing in Beverly. I had just come the back way out to Route 127, hopped over the train tracks, and wondered about the toll the ride was taking on my old ProRace3 tires. I think the back one I bought in a bike shop in Jasper, Alberta, Cananada on MS GLOBAL 2011 last August. It replaced a tire I had ruined after skidding as we headed to the Saskatchewan Crossing. Your luck with old tires runs out eventually. Trying to save money, in this case $70, and stretching a tire's life meant a wasted ride fixing a flat and heading to Marblehead Cycle for a new set of rubber.
  The highlight of my enforced week off was a ride Monday with Mark, Dave and Jean around Middleton and North Andover. It turned into a 30 mile loop but they are such strong, good riders, and they set such a relaxed pace, I never felt like I was working. Mark is battling some health issues, so it was great to get out with him and just ride. He's such a strong rider. He's like a locomotive.
I spun on Tuesday, but I think I'm overtraining at this point. I am competing in the JCC triathlon next week, and I feel like if I rest I will never be able to finish. I know I won't swim fast, and the run will be torture, but at least there's the bike! I have to be careful not to over do it.

Riding into the teeth of a breeze

Tuesday, April 24Rode 16.4 miles to Nahant and back.
 After taking Monday off trying to figure out the Sea Glass Ride, I rode to Nahant today in the teeth of a strong breeze. I rode my steel frame Allez just because I could, and I figured not only would it be more stable in the wind than the Trek, the heavier bike would give me a better workout.
With the wind in my face, the ride out was cold and felt like a climb. I couldn't get out of the small chain ring up front. Coming back was a different story. I was going 20 mph without pedaling, or at least it felt like it. I managed to cross Humphrey Street and ride to the Middle School to vote. As I headed toward the Middle School, a CCB rider was coming at me down the hill. As I always do when I see a CCB rider, I shout "CCB!" and as they always do when they hear this, they give a quick "hey," and pedal off as fast as they can.
Now it's off to work. And I'm again going to shamelessly plug my my big MS ride in the fall, especially in light of news this week that an MS drug, when taken early enough, can head off the worst symptoms of the disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. Check out my MS GLOBAl fundraising page or pass it along to someone, please. The ride is also looking for sponsors. For as little as $500, you can get your name on rider T-shirts!

Bike shop boot camp survival guide

Tuesday, April 17 Spin class swelter at the JCC, rode to class and back.
Thursday, April 19 Swam at 5:15 a.m. then went to spin class at the JCC
Saturday, April 21 Rode 24.8 miles to Beverly Airport, then Wenham, down Larch Row and onto Cedar Street, coming back via East Lothrop. 1:43:16, average 14.4 mph
Sunday, April 22 Swam at the JCC. 50 yards lap in 4:58
  Coming home from a lazy ride Saturday, four riders pace-lined past me on Lothrop Street, then slowed a few blocks after that. Then, for some unknown reason, they didn't turn off for the Beverly Bridge, but continued down to Water Street toward the marina and an uphill climb to the bridge. That allowed me to get over the bridge before all but one of them, after he dropped his buddies by, I'm guessing, running a red light. I didn't take the bypass, but instead cut left on the bridge to Bridge Street in Salem.
 Later, I took a short cut in back of the Peabody Essex Museum to get to Derby Street, then skipped onto Lafayette by using the pedestrian signal. I don't know if it's legal, but at least I know that there will be no cars. I held off the chase all the way down Lafayette Street, but let up heading toward the downhill.
  "Climb aboard!" one of the riders shouted as they passed me, so I did. Just as I expected, one of the riders in a red shirt sprinted up to the base of Lafayette Hill, and as gravity pulled him back, a guy in a yellow jersey and I shot around the other two and passed him.
  It was at that moment a little voice in my head said: "Don't pass him, you have to work at the bike shop, today ..."
  And wouldn't you know it, it was a busy day at the old Marblehead Cycle. There I was, standing by the register, Col. Muammar Raymond telling me I'm talking to much as I try to ring everyone in as fast as possible. Just when the math couldn't get more confusing, I start discovering screens on the register they haven't seen in 13 years. Just how do you ring in a debit card? What is the code for "nontax/labor" again? The thought of screwing up at this point was almost too much to bear, but this is what I enlisted for. Retail means lots of pressure. After it was after 5 p.m., the day ended, and Chris ran the tape. There were no more bikes to be squeezed upstairs. No more transactions to sweat over. I had a pretty good day, despite slamming my head against the staircase for the umpteenth time. The bike shop is not going to beat my brains out! (Don't tell that to the Colonel).
  Shameless plug I'm riding for MS in the fall. There's an old coffee jar on the counter of the bike shop. Please throw a buck or two in there if you get some air or flat fixed on the go. If you want to make a donation to a great cause that is helping to speed a cure for MS, please check out my FirstGiving page I'm still $2,896 short of my goal! Thanks!

Please pave Bridge Street in Salem, already!!

31.2 miles to Manchester and back. New personal record on the Ayube bypass, 1:42, average of 27.3 mph, 10th overall. Average ride speed, 15.1 mph, max, 30.4 mph off the bridge
  To the person in the black Mercedes SUV, thank you for eventually hitting your brakes while I took the corner from Beach to Union heading south. Seeing that big old grill coming toward me sure gave me a shot of adrenaline to tackle the Forster Road/Susan's hill climb. Note to all you people behind the wheel, pay attention!
  Happy Patriots Day. Rode to Manchester and have these observations:

• The Salem bike path ends at the Palmer Cove Park and Playground. There is no route marked back out to Congress Street and Hawthorne Boulevard that I could find. This is a huge mistake. The bike path would be used more if it was market to allow riders to bypass Lafayette Street, although every Cross street in the Point has an annoying STOP sign on it.
• PAVE BRIDGE STREET IN SALEM ALREADY!! editor's note. Crews have listened to me! On April 18, crews gouged out the pavement for what looks like more trench work. Way to go!
• Very few people ride their bikes on Marathon Monday.
• More people ride their cars on Marathon Monday and seem to be in a big hurry.
• I know the folks in the Beverly DPS do a great job, but do you think some of them could pave the pot holes on Route 127?
• Cross Lane, Foster Street and Common Lane in Beverly Farms may as well have cobblestones on them, which is good training should I ever race in Amersterdam
• Don't complain when you have an awesome ride!

Finding time to ride while working more

April 10: Swam at the JCC
April 11: Rode to spin class at the JCC with Margie
April 12: Rode to spin class a the JCC with Andrew
April 14: Rode 24.8 miles with the Cyclopaths up to Hamilton. Rode on Trek. Averaged 13.7 miles. Personal record on the Bypass TT of 1:49 on Strava
April 15: Happy Birthday, Dana. Rode 17.9 miles to Nahant with Dr. Freedman.

It's really getting hard to find the time to do all the miles I should be doing. I'm still haven't gone long this year. A further crunch on my time is I've taken a part time job at Marblehead Cycle on Saturdays, helping out. If I can ever get the register down, I think I'll do OK. It's a lot of work. The hardest part is carrying all these 30-pound beater bikes up to the second floor when they come in for repairs. Makes me appreciate my desk job more.

Passover ride passed over

27 miles to Manchester and back on Trek Madone. Average 16 mph

Don't believe the Strava when it says I only rode 13.5 miles today. As luck would have it, I turned it off when I got Manchester, and I either forgot to turn it back on or all the jostling in my jacket shut it off.

I was hoping to catch the tail end of the North Shore Cyclopaths Passover ride, but I was too late. I just could not get out the door on time. The benefit of all that dawdling around, blue skies and a tailwind on the way back. I even hit 28 mph on the flat for a spurt on the bypass, which I was happy about. Alas, the Strava will never know.

The Marblehead Race ... In Training

Sunday March 25 Swam at the JCC
Monday March 26 
Tuesday March 27 
Wednesday March 28 16.5 miles around Marblehead
Thursday March 29 Spin Class with Andrew at the JCC. Rode to class.
Friday March 30 Off
Saturday March 31 Rode 30.9 miles to Manchester. Cold weather
Sundy April 1 Rode 10 miles around Marblehead Neck. Watched the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race and Vito Visconte's race in the 4/5 category.
Monday April 2 Off day

Tuesday April 3 Spin class with Margie. Rode to class. Then rode 16.8 miles around Marblehead. Broke a spoke.
Wednesday April 4 Rode 19.9 miles around Nahant on Trek.

Marblehead Race

Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race
Each year, I've watched like a doggie in the window the CCB circuit race around Marblehead Neck. A friend of mine, Bruce, used to race it. I would stand at the end of the causeway and watch the action. After attending MS GLOBAL last year, turns out I know the race director, GH! And, also this year, Vito, also from MS GLOBAL, was racing in the category 4/5s. For some reason, I couldn't sleep the night before, as if I were going to race. As if. But it turned out to be a beautiful day, though it was chilly at the start. It warmed during the race, and you could see some of the riders suffer as they had too much clothing on.
Vito did well. He hung up at the front of the pack until the end, before Dean Phillips of FitWerx2 in Peabody blew the doors off the pack in the last two laps. Geoff was busy pulling riders off the course to avoid them getting lapped. It got tense whenever SUVS full of "blue hairs" would meander through the course unaware there was a pack of bicycle racers about to sprint down upon them.
The way the course is set up, right up a steep climb near the finish, is pretty tough. That's where Vito hit the wall in the last stretch. Watching the race made me want to try and race, but it also made me realize that I would have probably been spit out the back and pulled off the course before the jig was up.

 

Race director Geoff gives the thumbs up on a perfect day  left
Dean Phillips, a co-owner of FitWerx2 in Peabody, easily wins the category 4/5 race. I think it's time he move up a notch, don't you!   bottom

Chasing cycling legends

Tuesday March 20: No spin class. Rode to work. Rode home 9.2 miles with av. speed of 13.8 mph.
Wednesday March 21: Rode to work. 9.2 miles, 28.4 max. Rode on the Trek.
Thursday March 22: Rode to spin class at the JCC, went to spin class with Andrew, rode home
Friday: Off day. Rode to Panera
Saturday: Rode 24.4 miles to Wenham and back. Ride time 1:48:00, 13.6 av. Rode on the steel Allez, max speed of 29, personal record on the bypass 1:54, av. speed of 24.5, 16th overall according to Strava. Met up with Lynda B.

I rode around Wenham and Beverly and managed to find Lynda B. after breakfast with the Cyclopaths at Beverly Airport. She, Steve Bob and I looped around Wenham on Larch Row, then headed toward Route 127 back to the bridge. While it was not a big challenge for Lynda, I was amazed that I arrived at the airport in time to meet up with the group after a frustrating morning trying to get my daughter at the passport. The U.S. Postal Service offers passports, but not at a time when it is convenient or possible for two working parents to get one for their children.

Hey Bill, Hey Dick, wait up!

On the way back on Lafayette Street I a saw two cyclists who looked like Bill Hamilton and Dick Tapply!

But they had already turned up Lafayette Street and I was waiting for the light to change by the Fire Department. I gave chase but they were way to fast. Halfway up Lafayette Hill, I gave up. I was on my heavy steel frame and I could not catch them. I headed down Humphrey Street and there they were, having looped around Old Salem Road. I caught up to them and yelled their names, but then I wasn't sure if I was mistaken. So I backed off. Now I will never know. Dick, Bill, if it was you, you looked in great form!

Tempo chain drop and recovery

March 13: Commute 11.4 miles to work
March 15:Spin class
March 17: Last ski runs at Shawnee Peak for the season
March 18: 24.1 miles around Nahant and Marblehead, 14.6 mph average
March 19: 9 miles commute home

I was finally able to get out and do somewhat of a tempo ride to Nahant. The causeway is entirely chewed up, so I had to ride the walking path. Needless to say, I soft-pedaled that, which was OK. I finally got out on the Trek, and it was fun to be able to let loose.

One stupid thing I did was to try and time trial the Causeway at the end of the ride into a head wind just 20 minutes before I had to pick up my daughter from Temple. Sure, I shaved three seconds off my best time, but I nearly wiped out two cyclists on the curve. Then, there was not enough time to make it around the Neck. I'm also finding it strange that all my favorite rides are mapped out and now I have to beat the clock all over the place with Strava. I've got to not take this Strava thing to seriously.

Chain dropped, chain recovered

On the commute home on the Ayube Bypass, I had the greatest chain recovery ever. My chain hopped off the big ring as I flew down the bridge. I wasn't racing, I was trying not to spin out the small chainring. Now, this is the bypass, and stopping in the middle of it was not an option. At 21 mph, the chain was dangling off my crank. So I backpedaled a little, popped the front derailleur, and pedaled the chain back on the front cog. I had never done that before. The thought of getting off my bike on the bypass scared the bejeebers out of me. That tip on how to recover your chain from Bicycling magazine made the subscription all these years worth it.

Stringing it together

Rode 14.1 miles around Marblehead on the Allez, personal best on the Ocean Ave. Causeway at 1 minute, 1:01:37, average speed 13.7 mph
Rode home from work on the Allez, 10.2 miles, average 13.5 mph. 2:06 mph on the Bypass TT at average speed of 221.1 mph. Total ride time 45:31
Rode to spin class at 5:40 a.m. Daylight Saving Time. Getting set to commute to work.

Somehow, I've managed to string several rides together. I squeezed a ride in late Saturday morning, then did the same thing on Sunday, before the weather got warm. Yesterday, despite it getting dark and a frustrating day at work, I rode home. Glad I did so, too.

The frustrating part about my rides is someone has created these segments in the Strava Cycling app. Now, whenever I ride home on the bypass or on the Ocean Avenue Causeway, I have to book it as fast as I can. Not sure if I like the idea. Maybe I should just leave the iPhone off.

Snow ride and Sea Glass Ride update

Saturday, March 10 16.9 miles around Marblehead and Swampscott on the Allez. 1:13:11, 13.4 mph average, 26.4 mph max speed
OK. I signed up for MSGLOBAL 2012, and I signed up to climb the Hill. I better ride, even if it's 40 out and it snowed this morning. And, it wasn't a bad ride. The worst part was ripping the stem out of the tube while pumping up the front tire.

Sea Glass Ride update

Tentative date is Sunday Aug. 26.
Tentative start would be Temple Shirat Hayam in Swampscott.
While Nahant was a great start last year, and we had the run of Kelley Greens golf club, logistically it proved a challenge. The extra miles also proved hard for many. The August start will allow riders plenty of time to train. Many will have already logged plenty of miles in their legs. The weekend does not appear to conflict with any local charity rides. Please write me a comment if you have any ideas about the date, start location or if you want to volunteer to help. We need volunteers and sponsors! The ride's website is being updated, too. Thank you to Mike Sperling of Sperling Interactive for hosting our site. The ride benefits the Sue de Vries Cancer Foundation and its free wellness programs at the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers, Mass.