A Race

Out in the desert today.  Doing long loops, stopping at the start point to make shakedown adjustments as they become apparent.  (Cable ties and Gorilla tape are GOD).

I’m climbing a short 2%er hill (2.5 miles).  I’ve got 75 miles under my belt so far today and the radiant temperature is 103F.  Thankfully moderate wind. 

A fellow on an upright bike behind me a bit, pushing to catch up.  He catches me and we share a greeting.  He slows and rides alongside me.  I admit to him I’m not likely to be much for conversation bc I’m a bit tired.  He’s o.k. with that. 

He says: “Recumbents have a hard time climbing, right?”  Me: “Actually, it’s the rider who does the climbing.  With good training a rider on an upright and a recumbent should do equally well.”  He responds but I can’t hear because of the wind and the road noise.  But the tone of his voice was friendly. 

A few minutes later he says he enjoyed riding with me and he needs to move on.  We both nod and he accelerates. 

As I watch him climb, out of the saddle, I begin to gauge how much I have `in the tank’ and what my training task for the day requires.  I conclude that I shouldn’t catch him.

So I take off to catch him. 

I reach him as we’re about finished with the first climb, before a false flat and another climb.  He sees me coming and speeds up.  I speed up.  He speeds up.  WE speed up. 

We hit the second, short, climb.  We’re both trying to kill ourselves, no energy even to laugh or yell in excitement. 

Finally, I’m at 27.5 mph and begin to inch forward.  Wisely, he tucks behind me to draft me with the plan to swing out when I am exhausted. 

Recumbents don’t offer an upright much of a drag. 

Finally, after a killing pace he pulls out and recedes.  I waive.  He waives.  We’re both too knackered to even risk a smile for fear that it will interfere with our breathing.

I reach a short descent and blast with everything, 33+ mph.  After a mile I don’t see him at all.

I’m toast.  Destroyed.  Empty.  And I have 25 – 30 miles to go. 

Made a great day. 

I think I could be his grandfather. 

CA2 - Oct 29 2015

SINCE THIS PIC WAS MADE I HAVE `SCULPTED' THE SEAT PADDING SO THAT IT IS TAPERED, BULL-NOSED AND NOT A WIND ANCHOR

 

 

 

SINCE THIS PIC WAS MADE I HAVE `SCULPTED' THE SEAT PADDING SO THAT IT IS TAPERED, BULL-NOSED AND NOT A WIND ANCHOR

 

SINCE THIS PIC WAS MADE I HAVE `SCULPTED' THE SEAT PADDING SO THAT IT IS TAPERED, BULL-NOSED AND NOT A WIND ANCHOR

 

 

Riding the White Spars # 2

Still awkward, weak and uncoordinated me on the White Spars Sunday, October 25. 

 

On my fixed boom, rear wheel drive Bacchetta CA2. 

 

Stiff east to west crosswind.

 

On AZ 89 from MP 298 to Wilhoit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riding the White Spars # 1

Awkward, weak and uncoordinated me on the White Spars yesterday. 

 

On my fixed boom, rear wheel drive Bacchetta CA2. 

 

Oh my!

 

White Spars in Central AZ Mountains

 

Ride With GPS File of Entire Training Ride

MARTYR COMPLEX

From a recent post on a bike forum. 

"Dan Fallon, i.e. "bookworm" was our crew chief on Maria's 2013 RAAM, until the accident between Tuba City and Kayenta, Arizona. He was one of three crew members who quit after the accident.

 

He was furious at me for choosing to continue in RAAM, and I believe he still holds a grudge. Ever since then, he tends not to pass up an opportunity to bash XXXXXX bikes, which I believe is based on 1) personal animosity against me, and 2) justification for his failure to learn to ride a XXXXXX well.

 

Frankly, during Dan's brief ownership of a version 1.0 XXXXXX bike, he was awkward on the bike, in part, because he kept riding his fixed-boom recumbent. In addition, there is a certain degree of core strength and coordination required to ride our bikes and not everyone has it.

Dan is right to express admiration for some of the racers doing amazing things on the XXXXXX V20, but to say their "accomplishments have literally nothing to do with the kind of bikes that they ride" is a statement all of these very successful racers would strongly disagree with. "

 

So Tiresome. 

 

Awkward Me # 1: Riding the Spars

 

Still Awkward Me # 2: Riding the White Spars

 

Descent to Skull Valley

Complaining vs Whining

UMCA - Indiana Recumbent Record - 2009

UMCA - Illinois Recumbent Record - 2009

Bike and Hike in the Desert - Adversity Leads to A Great Training Experience

I have been training lately on a 13.5 mile out and back course in the remote desert of Arizona.  Salome Road Training Course  Literally no traffic.  Minimal climbing (flat).  And great road surface (smooth).  A great location on which to train, make numerous adjustments to the bike and measure the effect of those adjustments.  Of course, also a great course on which to note performance changes (improvements) in training and fitness. 

 

Recognizing that this road is very lightly travelled I park my car midway on the course, at the 7 mile point.  That way, if I have an unrecoverable mechanical problem I would never be more than 7 miles away. 

 

My plan, yesterday, was to do the 13.5 mile distance on this course 8 times, for a total of 108 miles.  Didn't happen.

 

After 75 miles I stopped to make a small adjustment (shorten the tiller by about an inch).  The tiller tubes are connected by a small seat clamp.  When I retightened the seat clamp it simply broke.  Without this clamp I could not steer, i.e., the front wheel would just float left and right.  So, finally, I had my `unrecoverable mechanical problem.' 

 

I was 6.5 miles from my car. 

 

So, I stashed the bike off behind some scrub bushes in the desert and started walking.  (My Garmin recorded the end of the ride and my trek into the desert.  Drill down to the red arrow location on this LINK ) 

 

And there I was.  In the middle of the desert.  100F+ temperature.  Decked out in my cycling lycra.  White arm coolers and white leg coolers.  A day glo orange jersey and black shorts.  Carrying my helmet and walking in my clipless sandals.  I certainly looked like an alien. 

 

Every ten or 15 minutes a vehicle would come by and I would stop and hold out my thumb.  Would you stop to pick up a space alien in Area 51?!

 

Finally, after walking for 2.5 miles a big crew cab pickup truck stopped.  The nice couple offered me a place in the bed of the pickup.  I clambered in and noted lots of fishing gear and big case of Coors beer.  (Tempting).  They dropped me off at my car and I drove back to get my bike. 

 

Although I didn't accomplish my full training goal ... I know that I achieved something even more important.  An enormously satisfying and meaningful experience in the natural world, with kind and decent people, confronted with a real adversity. 

 

A welcome `problem.' 

 

The only people without problems ... are dead. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CA2 - Oct 11 2015

A dump of pics taken with my Garmin VIRB-XE today.

This seat was measured and fabricated for my Ti Aero.  But, typically, I changed my mind afterwords and installed it on the CA2.  A solid testimonial to the utility and craftsmanship of fabrication by Kent Polk.  I think this is the first time Kent may discover that I did a switch.  Still, an outstanding improvement over the typical carbon fiber hard shell seat. 

Hard to see but this is the head rest with rolled up foam pad
 



This is another angle of the head rest pad

Hard to see but two bottle holders under the carbon fiber hard shell Railgun

Hard to see but this is with the standard Ventisit pad.

With Kent Polk's proprietary foam pad seat

With the standard Bacchetta foam pad