Tulip Trestle Ride

The girls got together for a fabulous road ride on Saturday. There were stretches where I didn't think the ride was so fabulous, though. Cheryl mentioned there was approximately 4000 feet of climbing on this route! Check out her post for some more info on the bridge. She was kind enough to map the route for us on mapmyride which also has the Google Earth view!


We decided to tack on some miles and do some exploring, which is fun when you're in shape. I made the entire ride with only one bit of grouchiness that was outwardly expressed. After passing the viaduct looking for a way back to Bloomington, Cheryl asked, "Wouldn't it be funny if this road came out by the trestle?" My outward reply was, "NO!" My inward reply was, "Funny? Are you serious? Funny? How could you think something like that? Why are you messing with our minds? Why does this hill hurt so much? Why are you making jokes while we're climbing a hill? Don't you have something better to do--like breathe?" Alas, I found some more energy and did not die. After stopping at YoHo's in Solsberry (where we joked we should buy some HoHos and YooHoos), we set out for home--somewhat more quiet than on the way out. Much of the time we were in a single pace line cringing at the thought of being on the front. Or was that just me?

I came home with the good kind of tired in my legs and body wondering what our next adventure will be. I'd like to also mention my awe at Randi who has been riding (and climbing 4000 feet) with a broken collar bone and a tweaked knee. What a champ!

Also wondering how my mom fared in the Indy Nite Ride.

Here are some more pics (not mine) of the train bridge and a link showing even more pics!

If it's not about bicycling, it's about Pizza

Here's a new success from DiGiorno and my new frozen pizza favorite.



And just for future reference, if it's not about pizza, it's about ice cream.

Summer Solstice

Unionville is mourning the loss of another great dog. Maggie, a 17 and 1/2 year old golden retriever went to be with Rudy today. We're thinking of you M&M! And may the bourbon flow tonight.

With today being the longest day of the year, I had grand visions of riding my bike to Columbus, ordering new bike shoes, and riding home. One route involved SR 46 for 15 or so miles; I decided against this traffic-laden course and ventured to the back roads. Having looked at a map for 3-4 seconds, I knew Gatesville Road to Hoover to Georgetown would get me close to Columbus. I still think it would have.

The wind was out of the West/Northwest; it would be in my face the whole route back. Nevertheless, I found my way to Gatesville Road and kept my eyes peeled for Hoover. In the mean time, I climbed the LONGEST HILL ever. It wasn't super steep, but I was sure the girls would love it. I'm going to map out a new route to include this incline; a creek on the right side accompanied me most of the way. Too cool.

Twenty-four miles later, I still hadn't found Hoover Road but saw a road sign indicating I was now on Sweetwater Tr. Uh oh, I knew making a wrong turn was possible--even likely. In my head I started cussing the county highway dept for incompetence and teenagers that steal road signs. So, I consulted my handy iPhone for an alternate route; the new route would still take me 23 miles to get to my destination. "Negative, Ghost Rider. The pattern is full." (Anyone? Anyone? Top Gun)

Knowing I would have a head wind and the temps would climb to the 90s, I abandoned my destination and decided to turn around; a 50-mile ride is still nothing to scoff at. As it turns out, Hoover Road was marked (about 8-9 miles before I turned around); I had missed the sign due to its angle and read the wrong road name--duh. Cest la vie, right? I just laughed and made a mental note for the next attempt.

I loathe riding by myself most days. The chatter, the funny stories, the safety in numbers, and getting my a$$ handed to me on the hills make every ride enjoyable. Today was different; I was an explorer. Today I had a destination instead of just a ride. Granted, I didn't make it, but I still chose my own pace and even chose to stop at the Gatesville store and have a ham sandwich.

My return trip included the hills on Clay Lick and the hike-a-bike section at the bottom of the hill where the bridge was out. Yes, yes, the signs told me the road was closed; this was the second Road Closed sign I had ignored today. Sometimes a bike can get through places that cars can't--and I wanted to go that way. I made my way back to Nashville and opted for Owl Creek since I hadn't gone up it this year. It still hurts.

I ended up with 53 miles or so and am glad I'm not laying along the road somewhere. Below are a couple of images from Google Maps of pieces of my route. My new HR monitor came with a GPS accessory. The Google Map feature is only one-click away--how geeky am I? Again, too cool.

This shows my return trip from Gatesville (green peg on the right) after eating some lunch. Click on pic to make it bigger.

The image below shows Columbus, my destination, and where I presumbly took the wrong turn heading North instead of East. Click on pic to make it bigger.

The Margin of Victory and Defeat is Mere Seconds...

Multiply those seconds by 2,000,000, and that explains why I was so badly beaten in the DINO race in Fort Wayne (click here for results). Allow me to put it in perspective. I'm in decent shape; I do hard workouts sometimes. I have NOT fully committed to a training plan or to racing. BUT, on a course like Franke Park, time is gained or lost in each of the 2,000,000 corners. A second here, 3 seconds there, a slip-up could be 7 seconds. I do OK at cornering; I will pass off the crash in the corner at Warsaw as an anomoly. I don't do OK when the corner has peanut butter mud with slick roots at all angles before, inside, and after the turn. (Again, multiply by 2,000,000 here.) Are you getting a picture of this trail yet?

We arrive on Friday to get in a good pre-ride. Unfortunately, the trails are in bad shape from heavy rains--big mug bogs, greasy (see peanut butter reference above) mud where there weren't bogs, and roots galore! The pre-ride almost put me in a funk. Especially where there was a LEFT-HAND, DOWNHILL SWITCHBACK. My previous post indicated I had mastered the skill; apparently I hadn't as I dabbed my outer foot when I didn't get the bike turned all the way. Doh! (This will cost me a couple of seconds for sure in the race.)

I didn't let it worry me. I got a great nights sleep in the hotel room and woke everyone up at 7:00 when I couldn't hold it any longer. Most days I will have gone pee at least 2 hours before this time. The bathroom was right near the beds, so M&M's alarm clock was the sound of a flushing toilet. GOOD MORNING!

Soon after arriving at the race course, I changed to get in a good warm-up. Plus, I went back to the dang switchback to show it who was boss. Upon failing the first 3 times and almost having a temper tantrum, I nailed it on the 4th try. Consequently, all 3 laps of my race were victorious in that section. I smiled each time and was rewarded with a small downhill that ramped up the speed a little.

The horn went off at the start. I wasn't about to blow up like I did at the previous race, so I took it easy. Plus, I assumed everyone would have to pass me anyway since I couldn't corner in rooty peanut butter. (How's that for negativity.) Meanwhile, up the trail, Mer was holding her bike as she shouted, "Go Ange!" "Hey, aren't you supposed to be racing? What's up?" She was busy chasing her seat through the woods as it had come off. I felt so sorry for her when she pulled out as she would have totally ROCKED this course. Mer doesn't know it, but she has superb technical skills!

Accepting my last place, I started setting new goals; I will work hard to catch every rider in front of me regardless of whether or not they are in my class. I will make this lap faster than the last. I will peg it on any of the 3 straight sections on the course. Without a lot of pressure, I started concentrating on all of the tidbits everyone has given. Note the list below does not comprise every piece of advice, but it's a good list:

Jason: Just do it. Don't worry about it.

Mike F: Wheelie through it. (I didn't try this one, but I did think about it.)

Jean-Luc: Try to unweight the bike when going over greasy roots. And in the nasty corners, lean the bike but keep your body & weight on the outside. This will allow for quicker correction as well.

Scott: The bike does not want to crash when you have momentum.

Matt B: Put your knee up when cornering; you will be in good position with the weight where it needs to be. You'll get more speed.

Cheryl: Boobs to the tube.

Griff: Pedal through the mud; keep it constant and smooth.

Leslie (through Randi): Tell your body this is the new maximum. This is pain you can endure.

Jake: Don't use the brakes so much; you can do the corner without that safety net.

Matt L: Prison love: quite useful on the short, steep hills (especially when muddy).

Blake: Keep it between the trees.

Leslie (through Randi): Tell your body to recover in appropriate places, if only for a few seconds.

Mer: Keep weight on the front wheel in the switchback.

Heart Rate Monitor: You're way too high! Must slow down. You're way too low! Start pushing it.

Randi: Whip it. Whip it good. There are way more Randi quotes, some on the top right of this site, this one was the most recent and applicable. (The video is a must see!)

I thought of all of these during the race. Competition and training require a good deal of mental stamina, attitude, and perspective. It's so great that so many people freely help their peers. That's what I love about the mountain biking community; it was similar in sailboat racing. You ask your competitors how you can go faster! What a concept!

Despite the negatives listed above, I had a good time on the course. These conditions gave me good practice and experience for future events. I should note that the trail did dry up quite a bit as the sun came out and the hundreds of tires helped to smooth some lines. Additionally, I was having fun riding hard and setting the intermediary goals. I don't have any complaints! Yes, my finish time sucked. I did it with a smile, and that's still what counts.

Summer is here

How do I know?

...Tour de France! Long live the Tour!! So much excitement and speculation.

...Indiana sweet corn is popping up in roadside markets and grocery stores. Mmmmm.

...My very first garden is actually producing vegetables and herbs.

...Home construction projects are numerous and in various stages of completion.

...Daylights reaches in to the late evening hours.

...County fairs; I was especially aware of this one when a demolition derby car, having obviously been in a derby, drove by my house last night--its thunderous engine and no exhaust echoing throughout the countryside.

And I've still promised to visit the humane shelter in the Fall.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Congratulations all around!

Saturday was a special day when I ventured to Hendricks county to participate in the B&O Trail ride with my mom, Thurston, & Padgett. Unlike the name suggests, this is actually a road ride around some of the land that will soon be a rail trail from the old B&O railroad. There is a great, abbreviated history on the Trail Association website.


This organized ride is well-supported with SAG stops about every 15 miles. For $20, participants can choose an 11, 24, 46, or 62 mile loop in the FLATTEST part of the state then be rewarded with BBQ sandwiches after the ride. We started together, but I (along with Padgett) quickly ditched Mom & Thurston in pursuit of 62 miles while they were going to do their longest rides of the year at 46 miles.


My enthusiasm for the flatness waned as I stared at yet another cornfield as far as the eye could see. "What's that?" Yes, I guess I actually like the hills in these here parts. Nevertheless, my riding partner proved quite able on his new steed, although there were some grumbles about the wind. Every now and then we would catch some pace line, and we held on to one with a string of 4-5 for quite a while. Padgett learned a lot about drafting and will work on maximizing the benefit by slowly getting closer to the wheel in front of him. He says he's out there for the enjoyment of it, but we all know speed is everything.


Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but I did snap a picture with my phone of this giant cow. Quite honestly I thought of Cheryl. AHHH---NO, I DON'T THINK SHE'S A GIANT COW! Rather, she thinks cows are cute; I find this very odd b/c I think they are goofy looking creatures. Except when they are babies; everything 'baby' is cute--especially baby shoes and baby bicycles.

So, we caught up to Mom and Thurston with 13 miles to go when I found my mother WEAVING all over the road. Even after the 495029128 lectures I have given her on this unsafe practice, she continues to zig zag, so she probably ended up with 78 miles instead of 47. We rode the rest of the way with them granting them draft privileges for the last 10 miles.

CONGRATULATIONS, Mom, on your longest ride of the year! And congrats to the guys for being great sports and to their longest rides of the year!

And Congratulations to me and Jason for celebrating our 11-year wedding anniversary today. Letting me choose a special activity, I opted for viewing the train tunnel underneath Tunnel road. I've driven this road numerous times and have always wanted to take a peek. Unfortunately, getting there is more difficult than it might seem as the shortest way involves trespassing on people's land who don't want other people walking on it. We found a different route through a friend's property that wasn't too long of a hike at all. We invited some neighbors and had a grand time seeing deer, turtles (one we rescued as it was stuck between the rails!), snake skins, and geodes.

Jason shows off his balancing skills.

The little one shows off her balancing skills as well.

The tunnel under Tunnel road.

Perseverance

Perseverance has been my best friend since I was a teenager. Have you ever heard that the teenage years are the best years of your life? Whoever said that was wrong. They sucked. I persevered through them. OK, OK--they weren't that bad, but the 20s were much better.

Enter college. That was rough too. Working full-time and attending classes full-time was certainly a test of perseverance. Knowing I was successful the first time, I signed up to do it again when I got my Master's degree.

That's the neat thing about perseverance; it taught me that if I stick with it, I'm not going to die. It's that simple.

So, the second DINO race was this weekend at my home course: Brown County State Park in Nashville, IN. I woke up nervous and queasy. There is some inherent pressure in those two words, "home course." So, I turned on some tunes to help me get some attitude. Thanks, Eminem & Beastie Boys! The pre-race chatter from the girls indicated they were going to take the steep, b!tch of a hill at the start easy. I hadn't decided. However, at the start, I felt good, so went for it.

Success was mine! And it was very short lived. I think I was 3rd up the steep part but quickly started losing positions as the hill continued. What was wrong with my legs? "Hello? Didn't I tell you we were racing today?" Ouch. It hurt. Finally - into the woods I went with a little downhill to help recovery. Only I didn't recover. Everyone who hadn't passed me now caught up to me in the singletrack. Again, "hello legs?!?!? Lungs? You guys can join in too!" I was thinking--must recover, must recover. It wasn't happening. So, my handling was sloppy, and I wondered how I would fare on the Aynes hill; another scorcher.

Unfortunately, it took me a while to find out. Just before the big climb, I felt my rear wheel sliding around. I pulled over; yep--the tire was low. I grabbed the pump and put some air in. About a 1000 feet later it was low again. This time I stopped to put a tube in. Let me tell you I am SLOW at doing anything mechanical. I knew my hopes for a great day were dashed as everyone rode by. By the time I got the tube in, the pro/expert guys were coming back around. I pulled over every so often to let them by.

I still rode hard to put in a good day. And I gained 193 points for the X-wing fighters, the team competition within the DINO series. That's where perseverance paid off--still getting points. Still getting in a good ride. Still enjoying the trails. Still better than a DNF like the last race.

I rode home from work on Tuesday thinking about Sunday's race and how much my legs still hurt. While I didn't consider the race a success by any means, I learned a huge lesson. Take the hill easier at the start. My move was risky and it didn't pay off. I found a boundary by pushing myself to the edge of it or past it. Small victory.

Always persevere. You may not always get a win, but you'll still get through it with a sense of accomplishment.