Riding – PROBIKEWRENCH

Happy Holidays and Such…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends, family, and colleagues. I’m thinking of all of you this holiday season, and I wish you all the best for 2014.

The race mechanic requests for 2014 are rolling in. I’ve already had to turn down a few upcoming opportunities due to scheduling conflicts. I hate turning the jobs down, but it’s a double-edged sword. It’s really fun to travel, to see new places, and to work with new athletes on the road. The downside is being away from the family. I was on the road A LOT in 2013, and missed my wife and kids very badly. We’ve both been blessed with steady jobs, and are FINALLY falling into some sort of rhythm in this crazy life. As much as I enjoy managing all the moving parts and hitting the road, my flexibility to do so isn’t going to be there in 2014. I haven’t said “NO” to everything yet. I’m still trying to shift some things around to try and sneak in a bit of race work next year. Maybe get a little fix during the upcoming season…

I am hopefully going to do some more local races next year. I changed race team affiliations, and will be racing with Team Energy Velo for 2014. It’s a team that my shop sponsors, and it’s headed up by two very good friends and customers of mine. They’re looking after me very well, and I hope to represent them to the best of my ability at the races I’ll be able to attend. I’m trying to get a few solid results early in the season, in order to get my upgrade to Category 3 this Spring. I’ve been a Cat. 4 for as long as I can remember, and the tail end of the season I actually had some decent results. Hoping to upgrade sooner, rather than later.

Gotta get some of my fitness back. I hyper-extended my left knee the day before the Hincapie Gran Fondo, and decided to ride the entire 80 mile ride with a little soreness in the knee. That turned out to be a horrible idea. I severely strained my patellar tendon, and was off the bike for over a month. There were times I could barely walk, and most nights I spent with my leg elevated and icing. With some amazing help from one of my friends, Jeff, a physical therapist, I was able to rehab and strengthen the knee back to normal. My fitness took a serious dive, however. I’ve been able to ride during the past three weeks, but it’s still winter, and I’m being a bit of a wuss about it. I’ve signed up for the Strava/Rapha Festive 500k challenge, which entails riding 500k between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I don’t see any way to finish it, short of burying myself on NYE, but I’m doing as many miles as I can until then to see if I can regain some of that lost form. Definitely got some pounds to shed and some muscle to regain in that leg…

Oh… I need some help. I want to plan some sort of bike adventure for 2014. I need some ideas. Leave me a comment here if you have any thoughts for what kind of bike mischief I might get into.

Good talk. See you out there.

Building a Friendship

Several years ago, I was road cycling regularly, participating at and leading most of our shop’s group rides, doing some solo training, and doing some other casual rides with friends. I stayed fairly fit, but at this point in time, I was pretty close to my mid-season prime, and had some legs about me. I started seeing an older gentleman show up for our group rides on occasion. I had seen him before, riding on his own, but he started tagging along on our Wednesday night “hammerfest.”

I gave him the obligatory once-over, the look that all roadies give to new members of their cycling group, not to belittle or offend, but to size up our new riding companion and his equipment. He was kitted out in Italian-made cycling garb, and his steed was a custom titanium and carbon Seven, with a full Campagnolo Record 10 gruppo. Upon this first glance, I could tell that he and I shared the same appreciation for very nice things. He straddled the bike, one foot clipped in, and was ready to ride… and was grinning from ear to ear. Interesting.

budsbike

We didn’t make verbal pleasantries at first, we just introduced ourselves by exchanging pedal strokes and paceline duties. This interesting character, who was obviously a few decades older than I, was able to suffer with the best of us. Upon returning to the parking lot to complete the ride, I gave the obligatory, “Good ride,” and continued home. The entire way home, I wondered, “Who was that guy?”, like I was trying to find out the identity of the Lone Ranger, or another masked superhero from a black-and-white television series. I didn’t anticipate someone his age having the ability to ride that hard and hang with us twenty-somethings. I was impressed… and respected that greatly.

Over the course of a few years, the guy kept coming back to our rides. He always rode at a very-high level, and we forged a friendship. His style never changed, and his smile never went away. He began coming into the shop more often, and I had the privilege of working on his Seven. I glued his tubulars, installed his Campy Super Record 11-speed gruppo, and did other maintenance on the bike, from time to time. One day, he brought a lady-friend into the shop, to help her purchase some cycling gear. He introduced us, but he didn’t tell me she was his new flame… he didn’t have to. He had a glow about him that I hadn’t seen before, and it was obvious that he was really into this lady. We outfitted her with cycling shoes, clipless pedals, and some proper cycling attire… keeping it perfectly fashionable, of course.

A while after that, I received word that my friend had been hit by a car, knocked off the bike, and had broken his hip. He was hurt pretty bad, but I knew he’d make a comeback. It was a long recovery, but he was a resilient old bugger, and I was sure he’d ride again. I didn’t see much of him for a while, after all… if he wasn’t riding his bike, he didn’t really need any maintenance or anything that I could provide at the shop. Just recently, he stopped by the new shop I work at, and we exchanged pleasantries. I knew he had visited that shop in the past, so I wasn’t shocked to see him, but I was happy that he found me. He greeted me with that same big smile on his face, same gentle attitude, and he seemed extremely happy that we had the chance to talk, even for just a few minutes. I was glad that I would be able to work on his bikes again, and to be able to ride with him again soon.

Little did I know, that was the last time I would speak with him. Bud Phillips, my friend, was hit by a truck while riding his bike in our town. He was air-lifted to a local hospital, and is currently on life support, with little to no brain activity, and has been that way since Saturday. Barring a miracle, Bud will pass away soon after the machines are unplugged from his body, which will be any day now. Since Saturday, I’ve been waiting for word of my friend’s impending passing. Needless to say, it’s been a rough week.

Just last week, I wrote about the death of champion mountain biker Burry Stander (“Death and Fear in Cycling”), and how much of a tragedy it was, not knowing that the same tragic situation would darken the roads of our town, just a few days later. Cyclist versus vehicle incidents seem to be increasing at a staggering rate. I don’t know the exact situation surrounding Bud’s incident, so I can’t blame anyone for the accident. I will say that motorists today are more distracted, less patient, and seemingly less sympathetic to individuals who choose to exercise their right to take a more healthy, two-wheeled approach to travel. Bud is not the first friend of mine that has been on the wrong side of this equation, and I can say, without a doubt, that he probably won’t be the last.

But it needs to stop. I’m tired of losing friends.

Death and Fear in Cycling

Today, the cycling community lost a very dear friend, South African XC mountain biker, Burry Stander. He was tragically killed by a taxi while training in his hometown. The entire MTB racing family, and most friends that follow competitive cycling, are mourning greatly.

Burry was riding his bike, just like you or I ride our bikes every day. If we take to the roads, we are putting ourselves in danger. Cyclists cannot predict what auto drivers are going to do while driving. We can take all the precautions possible, but we are still no match for a 2,000 pound vehicle heading our way. Mountain biking carries its own inherent dangers, even if we choose not to ride insane stunts like riders in our favorite MTB videos. Rocks, roots, trees, and even crazed animals are all hazards that could be encountered on a trip in the woods.

Should we stop cycling, all together? Should we take all risk out of our lives to ensure that we survive our day-to-day lives? Absolutely not, I say. Regardless of how we try to shelter ourselves from potential threats to our livelihood, ceasing our activities and living under an umbrella of fear is no way to live life.

“A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.” — Spanish proverb, in Baz Luhrmann’s movie Strictly Ballroom

Remember Burry Stander’s family and friends in your prayers, as well as those family and friends of other cyclists that have been killed while cycling. Take time to mourn, but do not allow sadness and fear to encompass your life. Do not live in fear, but in action. Join a cycling advocacy group, and do your best to encourage positive and progressive cycling legislation in your local cycling community. Obey the rules of the road. Wear your helmet. Teach a beginner road cyclist how to properly ride in traffic. Lead a group ride. Go live.

My friend, VeloNews journalist Dan Wuori, echoed the sentiments of many cycling fans tonight in a Tweet:

“@dwuori: A Cyclist’s Prayer: Watch over those who ride and bring comfort to all who mourn. #RIPBurry”

Rapha Rising – Circle of Death Challenge

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before on this blog, but I’m addicted to Strava. For those of you unfamiliar with Strava, it’s a cycling/running program that you track ride/run statistics with, and you can use it to compare stats and compete with friends. You may have seen the television commercials on during the Tour de France coverage, featuring Tim Johnson (Cyclocross stud, multi-time National Champ, and one of my former riders on the Jittery Joe’s Team when I wrenched for them), Jesse Anthony (Optum p/b KBS rider), and others.

The cool thing about Strava is that you can set particular segments of road or trail, and the program keeps track of your times via your mobile phone or GPS-based computer. I find it extremely fun to challenge myself on particular segments (mostly uphill), and see how this 200+ pounder compares to his 170 pound counterparts. I’ve pushed myself harder to compete on climbs, even though I’m not a natural climber, and it’s been a good training tool for me, since I’ve started riding seriously again.

Last month, Rapha posted a challenge to Strava users that was to take place last week called the “Rapha Rising Challenge.” The challenge was to climb 6,881 meters (22,575 feet) over the course of last week, which was equivalent to the “queen stage” of the Tour de France, which took place last Wednesday. Basically, you had to climb, in one week, the same amount the pros did in one day…

I wasn’t planning on completing the challenge, but I got a good start, getting several thousand feet of climbing in on Monday of last week. On Tuesday, I pounded out a big ride with the Free-Flite Canton group ride, where I pulled a lot, we broke some records (collectively), and after splitting from the group, I tacked on a few more miles. Wednesday and Thursday, I figured I’d add a couple of extra rides and see how my climbing was adding up. We took off for the beach this weekend, so I got a long climbing ride in on Friday morning (3 hours, 3700 feet of climbing) before we took off for Myrtle Beach, SC.

Myrtle Beach is obviously flat, which was not conducive to setting any climbing records. I was going to do laps in the parking garage to get a little bit of climbing, but I didn’t have any expectations of getting the remainder of my climbing – around 4400 feet) finished by Sunday at Midnight, so I just canned that idea. We enjoyed our time at the beach and headed home on Sunday.

We rolled into my parents’ house for the night around 6:30pm on Sunday. I talked my wife into letting me ride some more and see how much climbing I could finish before it got too dark. I rode about 3/4 mile down the road to Old Six Mile Road, where I did repeats until 9pm. I rode to my parents’ house and had close to 1200 feet of climbing left to go… only 3 more repeats.

After much sweet-talking and a few bottles of Gatorade, I headed back down the road with Niki in the van behind me, shining headlights so I could see where I was going. Together, we knocked out three more hill repeats, and finished up with 56.3 miles and 4236 feet of climbing for the evening, all on Old Six Mile Road… and I was cooked. We got home and I uploaded the data to Strava, and… I was around 15o FEET SHORT! 99% complete with the challenge was not going to cut it…

Since it was only 10:45pm at that point, I jammed my bike back in the van and drove down to Clemson. It’s a pretty well-lit town, so I felt comfortable riding downtown and around the university for a few miles to tack on the extra few feet I needed to finish the challenge. I completed an extra 3.8 miles and 259 feet of climbing, and FINALLY finished the challenge with 6,917 meters of climbing for the week.

I had to take a day off after completing the challenge, especially after the strong finish on Sunday. Would I do the challenge again? Absolutely, except next time, I won’t plan a beach trip in the middle of it, so I can space out the climbing better. I think because of the climbing that I had to seek out to complete the challenge, I’m actually enjoying climbing a little more. I’ve kind of honed some of my techniques and I now look forward to the hills a little more.

Down Time

I’ve had the last few weeks off, and I’ve been collecting my thoughts and trying to figure out what’s next for me. Last week, Niki and I dropped the kids off at my folks’ house and we spent a couple of days in Asheville, NC. She surprised me with a ziplining trip at Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures. I wasn’t expecting it, but enjoyed it thoroughly. Our guides, Joe and Jamie were AMAZING! If you’re ever in Asheville, visit the Crowne Plaza Resort and check them out!

The next day, we visited my buddy Andy Grabowski’s shop, Chainheart Cycling Studio, on Riverside Drive in Asheville. I’ve been telling him for the last several years that I would come up and visit, and I finally made good on my threat! Andy and his partner, Chad, run a sweet little cycling studio (not your ordinary bike shop…) that caters to higher-end and professional clients from all over. Andy’s been a good friend since he worked for SRAM and I was Head Mechanic for the Aaron’s Women’s Team. The last time I saw him was this year at USPRO Championships, where he and Chad worked for Team Liquigas riders Ted King, and eventual USPRO Champion, Timmy Duggan. Andy’s work wins races… big ones. If you’re ever in Asheville, go see Andy.

We had to drive home quickly, because the following day was the Georgia Games Road Race. It was the Georgia State Championship Road Race this year, and it was the goal I set for riding and getting back into some form of shape lately. The most fun part for me was that it was going to be my wife’s first bike race… EVER! We met as a result of cycling and she’s been involved with it for 9 years, but had never done a bike race herself. She was extremely nervous, but I was proud of her for just starting the race. The first one is definitely the hardest. She finished one of two laps, with a very strong women’s field (they averaged 21mph for Cat 4 Women!!!), and I was super-proud.

My race (Cat 4 Men) was a decent race for me. I was riding with my friend Harvey’s Lifetime Bikes/Loganville Ford team. Since I left my previous shop, I had no real team affiliation, so Harvey brought me a kit for the day’s racing. I missed my start by a few seconds because I had forgotten my energy gels, but was able to catch the peloton within the first half mile, so no reason for panic. We started out with a really fast first lap, in which my teammate and friend, Stephen Baxter, was taken out by a crash. He survived, but had to pop his shoulder back in place before his race on Sunday…

It was a pretty quick pace throughout the race, and got progressively hotter as the race went on. At the start of lap 3, one of our Lifetime Bikes/Loganville Ford teammates attacked right before the start/finish, and I was sitting about 4th wheel. I tried to get on the front and slow down the pace, but he didn’t have the energy to sustain a solo break with 45 other riders chasing not too far behind him. Right after the last turn on the last lap, some idiot decided to take a drink from his bottle and hit a reflector in the road, causing a massive crash. We were less than 2 miles from the finish at that point… any smart racer would have already fueled up for the finish by that point and been ready to turn on the gas. As we neared the finish, our aggressive motoref pulled EXTREMELY close to the field with less than 500m to go and tried to start relegating more people. It got too dangerous for my tastes, and my legs were worked from the race, so I pedaled across the line for 28th place out of 65 racers. My goals were accomplished: Finish with the field, and don’t crash.

A good friend I made at the Carmichael Training Systems Tour of California Race Experience, Will Williamson, came up and raced his first road race and criterium over the weekend. He and his wife, Jenny, came up from Alabama the previous weekend with the kids to hang out and for us to pre-ride the race course. They left the kids at home with the grandparents, so we had a chance to hang out with them after the road race. We didn’t really have any plans on Saturday, so we went down to East Point and watched the action at the Dick Lane Velodrome. They were having a big race weekend, and Outback Bikes had free tickets available, so we got the chance to introduce them to the track. Bumped into Jeff Hopkins (one of my former Jittery Joe’s riders, and track operator), Scott Patton (race announcer, and overall good guy), Joe Eldridge (Racer and Friend, Team Type 1), and Jon Woodroof (TwoToneATL.com, Bike Blogger, Instagram hero). Good times had by all.

Since Monday, I’ve been helping Harvey out over at Lifetime Bikes in Loganville, GA. One of his mechanics is on vacation, so I’ve been getting my hands dirty a little bit. If you haven’t made the trek over to Loganville, you most definitely should. The shop does a little bit of everything, but based on the cyclists coming in the door, I’d say it’s mostly a road shop. There are LOTS of group road rides that leave FROM THE SHOP (key to a successful road following), and Harvey’s got a passion for getting out there and cycling, himself. He competed in the road race and criterium this past weekend and pulled off a 2nd place in the Cat 5 crit at West Oak. Not bad for the owner of the bike shop, huh?

I’ve had a great time over here, and I’ve got one day left. Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday, and I get to spend it doing something I love. Working on bikes. I’ve said enough for now. I’ll catch up later.