Been riding a lot of three long rides in consecutive days in
recent weeks and have learned a few things. Mainly, that I ride a lot faster and
more efficiently when the air is relatively cool and dry. If it gets hot on the
ride, even if I’m well hydrated, I sweat it out and my energy goes down like a draining
battery. I do all I can to avoid rides in the heat, but can’t always manage it.
One strategy is to leave early in the morning to beat the heat of later in the
day. But I also found my energy is lower when I start out early, around
sunrise. That’s probably because I’m not fully warmed up. And the early morning
air puts a bit of a drag on the bike because it is heavier with vapor than
later in the day when the heat kicks in. But either way, challenging conditions
can be overcome mentally. It just takes some dialed in concentration. Physically it takes a high energy level that can happen with good nutrition and hydration. And, it takes good aerobic/anaerobic
capacity. Oh yeah, and strong legs. But
getting those variables synched up is no easy trick!
I’d been pushing hard on every ride for several weeks to
work on improving my times. But I came to notice that my constant hammer down
mentality was taking the fun out of the rides. Except at the end of them, when
I got good times. So this last week I rode with the idea of going as fast or as
slow as I felt like, without pushing. And it definitely brought the fun of the
ride right back. Didn’t go as fast, but still kept a nice pace and let the mind
relax and enjoy. It was very much worth it.
Trail regulars
A coyote loped across the trail in front of me the other
day, and it reminded me of another rare encounter I had a few months ago. A
skunk waddled urgently alongside the trail as I rode up. He stopped, turned and
reared up on his hind legs as I rode by. Usually the only indication there’s a
skunk nearby is the pungent stink they use to defend themselves. While I’ll
smell them occasionally on the trail, I usually don’t see them. But this guy
stopped and watched as I rode by and I thought he was figuring whether it was
necessary for him to fire off a round of his anti-cologne. I just kept riding
straight ahead, and I’m glad to report he held fire.
I also see deer fairly regularly, the latest was a doe
sniffing some vegetation right off the trail with her sweet little Bambi, back
spots and all, at her side.
And just a few days ago rode past a newly run over squirrel
on the trail, belly up. He was a pretty little guy with a big fluffy tail. Sad
to see, but at least he probably didn’t suffer.
Some riders I see all the time on the trail, going in the
opposite direction. There’s a woman who’s always pedaling in high gear who always
wears baggy lilac-colored shorts. She never makes any eye contact, she just purposely
looks away. She’s always out there, powerful pedaler, gotta have legs of steel.
Another woman I see rides with a big hat and scarf. Looks like a beekeeper.
Others include a guy I call Woody Allen, who walks fast along the trail
swinging his arms high as he strides, there’s Ruben (my name for him, don’t
know where it came from), a tall older tan guy with black hair and ponytail,
who just quietly rides the trail upright on a bike with high handlebars, in a
steady, contemplative way; and Akimbo (also my name for him), a runner who lets
his arms flail in all directions while he runs.
Then there’s Ear Muffs Guy, who’s always slouched over a
time trial bike with extended handlebars. He always looks ahead and waves as he
flies by. Don’t know if he’s got music playing in his earmuffs or what, but they’re really big, covered with
fluffy white fur. Which is a very different look! He always seems to wear them,
even in warm weather. He must really like ‘em! Maybe he doesn’t want to hear
wind as he rides. Can only speculate.
Another guy I see has a full riding kit on, and has a dark mustache
like Tom Selleck or Keith Hernandez. Friendly dude, strong rider, always waves.
And the other day, saw something for the first time. A woman roadie approached from
the other way, and when I looked up to see her face, saw something covering her
face that looked like a flattened cloth mask with little holes in it. Maybe she
was trying to filter the pollution out of the air, not sure. But wow, it looked
weird. So I came up with a good name for her: Lady Freddie Krueger.
I’m gonna race you
A few weeks ago I was riding up an extended pitch on the
trail and came upon a roadie, going slow, and he was followed closely by a teen-aged
kid on a fixie and some of his friends. I passed the roadie, and the lead kid
on the fixie decided to pass him too and catch up to me. I asked him something
about whether he ever climbed with that bike, but I don’t think he heard me. He
picked up speed, and so did I until I could feel we were having a little
friendly little race that was building to a sprint after we hit the top of the
pitch. This kid had serious raw power and of course, he was cocky. He was going
to smoke a guy on a road bike with his fixie. So we kept going faster and
faster, and then I flipped up to the next gear. This was actually pretty
entertaining for me, because this kid was sure he was strong enough outrun a
road bike with his fixie.
To his credit, he picked up the pace as my higher gear
kicked in, and we were going about 20 mph. I continued to put down the hammer
as a sweeping left hand, dipping turn approached. That’s when he pulled off. I
wanted to tell the kid that if he wanted to go fast so bad, just get a road
bike! But I suspect he turned around to tell his friends he just beat that guy
on a road bike in a race. It was fun all around.
And finally, I’ve gotten into the habit of oiling my chain
once every three rides or so, and it really makes for smoother shifting and
keeps the chain happy. I use Boeshield T9 since it’s better at repelling dirt
than others I’ve used. Check this out…
‘Til next time, remember to strap on a helmet before every
ride. Then, keep the rubber side down, be safe and have fun.
-- Mark Eric Larson
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