Seagull Century Map

This is a parking map of the Seagull Century starting point at Salisbury University. My first 100 mile ride.

Tour de Cure, June 8, 2008

The temperature tied the record high in Reston and the heat index hit triple digits. Hell of a way to ride my first metric century!

It was already pretty clammy even before the 8:00 am start. The temperature would hit 95 before I finished -- the heat index would be close to 110.

I was pretty nervous about riding in the humidity. Probably a good thing. I drank a ton of fluids. Took advantage of all five rest stops, downing as much food, water and Gatorade as I could in 10 minutes. Didn't want to take more than that -- to keep from cramping up. But I took the full 10 each time to hydrate as much as I could.

Starting Line: Reston Town Center, June 8, 2008

I drew rider number 622. We left the Reston Town Center (see picture right) at 8:00 straight up and headed north on the W&OD Trail.

Did really well on the first 10 mile leg to -- averaged just over 20 mph to the first rest stop. Would have done better, but the trail was crowded and a kid peddling along at about 8 mph on a BMX bike was holding up traffic for a good mile. Once I got past him, I fell into a pace line and cruised at about 22 mph to the first stop.

It was an easy ride on the way out. You lose about 125 feet of elevation in the first six miles of the route.

Only real hold up came at Clark's Gap. A Virginia cop had pulled over 18 riders for not coming to a complete stop at the intersection. He was writing tickets for everyone.

A charity ride! And he's racking up revenue for the county instead of directing traffic for the cause! Only in Virginia -- the Commonwealth with no Common Sense!

Then I got to the toughest part of the trail. The W&OD climbs 300 feet in a matter of five miles. You lose about 150 of that after the peak and climb another 100 on the remaining five miles.

The route took to farm roads outside of Purcellville for some of that elevation loss and I made great time, hitting my maximum speed of 36.2 mph according to the bike computer.

Purcellville and the Return, June 8, 2008

I fueled up at the Purcelville stop (right).

This would be the longest stretch without water -- about 15-20 miles -- and the temperature was rising.

The problem was a lot of people didn't notice it.

The bike gear is designed to wick sweat away and use it like air conditioning while you're moving. And as long as you're moving, you don't feel the heat. Problem is, you don't realize how much you're sweating out fluids.

In the last two stops, I saw tons of people blazing through without stopping. And the last 20 miles were all in the sun.

In the final five miles -- moving up a long, slow grade with a 125 foot increase in elevation -- I saw tons of much more experienced riders falling out anywhere they could find shade, looking for the last drops in a water bottle, cramping up from the heat.

People were huddling under tiny little Bartlett Pear trees for what shade they could get.

I finished the ride back at the Reston Town Center in 4 hours, 53 minutes total time -- 4 hours, 3 minutes actual riding time.

And the coolest thing -- Marti, a woman I'd been seeing -- was waiting at my house with steaks and beer when I got home!

Here's the Route!

This is the route I'll be taking next Sunday:

2008 Reston ADA Tour de Cure - 63 Mile Route

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Diabetes Facts

From the American Diabetes Association:

Did you know?

A recent study showed that 1 in every 3 children born after the year 2000 will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes if current trends do not change!

This is a projection for the future and we have the power to change this! Here are a few things that we can do to prevent this from happening:

1. Eat Healthy
2. Exercise at least 60 minutes a day
3. Raise Money to Find a Cure!!

Visit my Tour de Cure website!

Save Some Money, Send Flowers, Fight Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association has cooked up a cooperative deal with 1-800-FLOWERS that will save you money while sending a donation to the ADA.

Enter the promotion code "ADA" in the appropriate "Promotion Code" box and save 15% on flowers -- just in time for Mother's Day.

Click on the picture to take advantage of the savings!

And what to do with that 15%?

You can always donate to my Tour de Cure ride on June 8th!

Visit my Tour de Cure website!

New Speed

Don't know what I did differently. But I set a new average speed record for myself today.

For weeks, I've been unable to beat 12 mph on the Mount Vernon Trail. Today I averaged better than 16 mph. That's unofficial -- since the official speed limit on the trail is 15 mph.

Not a lot to brag about -- except I'm still figuring out how to ride. And, as one of my riding buddies cracked at me a month back, "Nice mountain bike. What's it weigh, about 500 pounds?"

I gave her a dirty look. Looked back at the bike on the rack on the back of the Mustang. Then looked sheepishly at her and asked back, "Would you help me get it off here. I can't lift it by myself."

The lack of a headwind and the fact the tires were at maximum pressure are the only things I can credit with the improved speed. Stayed off the streets in Old Town, and that probably played in my favor.

I set off from Roosevelt Island. That's my car and bike before the ride.

18 miles/1:05 hours

Temp: 70 Sunny

Winds: Calm

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Old Town to Roosevelt Island

I love the Mount Vernon Trail.

One mile and the thighs stiffen. Two miles and the endorphins kick in. And I understand the lure of the journey. The call to sailors and hitchhikers and hobos.

I ride north from Old Town. Slipping past soulless office buildings and wrought iron fences flanking the railroad siding. I skirt the power plant on a wooden bridge above the river through a steel cage and sail silently into the trees on the edge of Alexandria.

A flotilla of boats flash white sails in the bright afternoon sun through the veil of spring leaves. The whisper of bicycle tire on asphalt turns to a rude, clumsy rattle as I clatter across another bridge through swampland. Still water and old trees keep the trail cool and quiet around my rowdy interruption. Sweetness fills the air and I wonder if it's too early for honeysuckle to be in bloom.

I leave nature and the coolness for sun and traffic and concrete. I leave the Potomac at high tide for the George Washington Parkway at rush hour. Past National Airport and through Gravelly Point, where the jets swoop low on their approach bringing tourists and lobbyists to the center of the world.

Then back to the Potomac. Cruising alongside the river that hauled tobacco to England and soldiers to the wilderness when this was a small town or empty farmland.

Under the bridges, over the Humpback where I walk my bike so I don't force some poor rider headed south off the trail and into oncoming traffic.

Here are the monuments. The skyline of a city that has few buildings taller than 14 stories. Domes and spires and trees and the obelisk at its heart. Past the Memorial Bridge, built just to let Presidents get to Arlington National Cemetery and back home quickly after laying a hasty wreath for men who paid the last full measure of devotion.

Past dogwoods and dandelions, a north wind presses against me like an unseen hand, holding me back. Every stroke of the pedals seems pointless. I curse the headwind. I see a handful of wild geese leave the Potomac into the same wind, praising it. It gives them effortless altitude. They leave the water and are gone.

I race alongside a rowing crew from Georgetown. They against the current, me against the wind. We both press on to Roosevelt Island -- a wilderness in the center of the city.

It is my halfway mark.

Pretty coeds from Georgetown run along the trail, long pony-tails bouncing from shoulder to shoulder. The ones running toward me smile. Sometimes they wink. I wonder if they would have when this bike carried 50 pounds more in the winter. Now, I smile and enjoy it. I get flirted with more on these 10 miles of trail than in a year of happy hours.

I reach the island, turn and head back 12 miles to make it 20 even.

The wind is at my back. The sun is at my back. The day and its worries are behind me. What more could any sailor or hitchhiker or hobo want?

--

Today's Stats:

Temp: 75 Degrees - Sunny

Winds Calm

1.5 hrs/20 miles

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On the Road Again

After rain and a week of bad medicine -- I hit the trail again today. Worked out some stiffness and got back on track.

I rode from the office to Roosevelt Island -- in the Potomac right off Georgetown. Great views of the monuments and bridges and all the DC skyline. That's the Lincoln Memorial through my spokes.

Rain disrupted my schedule for most of a week. Then I had a bout of dizziness my doc linked to Lipitor. He'd put me on the stuff April 4. I couldn't balance on my bike -- and missed a week of the best weather since last fall!

But, after quitting the meds and waiting for the sky to clear -- I returned for a 17 mile ride from the office to Roosevelt Island and back. Oh, yeah -- with a stop at Indigo Landing for a couple of beers with co-workers.

Averaged about 12 mph for the ride. Can't seem to break that average.

Trying the same ride tomorrow!

Temp: 75 degrees -- Sunny

Calm winds

1.5 hours -- 17 miles

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Cherry Tree Tour

Got in 20 miles and got to see the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin. Set out on the trail, but got distracted by the trees across the river. I crossed the I-395 bridge and landed near the Jefferson Memorial.

The road around Hains Point was largely blocked off. There was some traffic, but not too much. So I got to tool around looking at the trees as sunlight flickered through their branches.

All told, not a bad day.

2:15 hours/20 miles.

Temp: 64, Sunny
Wind: 10-12 NW


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Check Out My Route

Got the map and cue sheet for my ride on June 8!

Check 'em out.

Working the Knee

I worked out some of the stiffness with a short ride after work.

Great day for a ride! Even got to see some of the cherry blossoms -- like these in Old Town Alexandria.

Left the office and headed south along the Mount Vernon Trail. Got back to the office early enough to head out along the upper portion of the trail for about a mile and a half before coming back to the office.

Back in time to hit happy hour.

This beer and biking thing is a great training routine!

1 Hour/13 Miles

Temp: 75/Sunny
Wind: 13 mph NW

Training Day

I can remember now that when I was a kid, "Captain Kangaroo" was sponsored by Schwinn bicycles and Bactine.

That relationship finally hit me today.

The sun was shining. It was 70 degrees. I hit the trail a day early.

I hit it hard.

That's my knee.

Some stiffness. Some bruising. Lots of blood.

Pulling out of my parking lot onto the street, my rear wheel hit a piece of gravel. I was still clipped into the pedals and couldn't get my feet loose. No idea what happened. The fall dazed me. One second I was riding. Next second, I was under a parked car.

Maybe instead of asking for donations, the ADA should just take bets on how far I make it in June. Bet my friends would bet on that!

Didn't get much better.

I tried following a bike route I'd never used before. Across to George Mason then down to WO&D and onto Four Mile Run which would get me to the Mount Vernon Trail. Ran into problems with the front derailleur. Couldn't get it to shift smoothly into first or third gears.

So.

I spent most of my time riding, adjusting the derailleur, riding a little more, tinkering a little more. Finally decided to pack it in and try again Wednesday.

Think I'll also stick with the Mount Vernon Trail for most of my rides. More scenic -- and far fewer traffic crossings. The WO&D section I rode pretty much had me walking and waiting at intersections more than actually riding.

And my office is halfway along the Mt Vernon Trail. I've been taking the bike to the office with me and riding after I get off work. That's worked better than the route I tried today.

Training Schedule

This is actually pretty doable.

Everything I've seen says if you ride seven hours a week, you can get in shape for a century in 12 weeks.

Only problem is, I've got closer to 10 weeks. And have some catching up.

Here's the weekly training schedule I've adapted:

• Saturday: 1-2 hour ride with 30 minutes of hard effort
• Sunday: 1-2 hour ride at steady pace (65% Maximum Heart Rate)
• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 1-1.5 hour ride with hills
• Wednesday: Rest or 1-hour easy recovery ride or two miles on an elliptical trainer
  
• Thursday: 1-1.5 hours with interval training
• Friday: Rest or 30-minute easy recovery ride or two miles on an elliptical trainer

The idea is to create a pattern of 7 hours in the saddle every week as the base. But the Sunday rides will actually grow over time to work on endurance. Eventually, I'll want to do 45 miles in a single ride the week before the Tour de Cure.

Easier said than done. Lots of rain. Makes it hard to ride. I'll do cold. Rain's another problem. It's just plain dangerous.

So.

I'll shift rides from rain days to rest days or make up with elliptical training or spin classes.

I've been riding 20 miles at a time. I'll be working up from there. Checking the forecast, my training schedule starts Wednesday, April 2!

Take the Diabetes Risk Test

Could you have diabetes? The American Diabetes Association says 1-in-5 Americans have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or may even already have diabetes.

Check out your chances of developing diabetes with this test from the American Diabetes Association.

My Kinda Training

Biking and beer!

The weather cleared up today and a friend asked if I wanted to go riding with her on the W&OD Trail. It was about a 10 mile ride each way.

And at the halfway mark, was the Vienna Inn (pictured).

It's a quarter block off the bike path -- and a genuine biker bar. As in "bicyclist" bar.

No leather. Lots of lycra. We bailed though when the in-line skater gang showed up. Looked like trouble brewing.

Thing is, while we drank beer, the weather turned. A cold front passed through. It was an easy 10 degrees colder when we stepped out of the bar.

Hell, it was a good 10 degrees colder than the Rolling Rocks we'd just had!

And we were running out of daylight. It'd been in the mid-50s when we set out at 4:30 that afternoon. By the time we got back to Arlington, the temperature had dropped to 39 degrees.

Glad for the Under Armor.

So.

We worked a 20 mile ride around three beers each. Not bad. Not really sure that counts toward training. But it was fun.

Donation!

Wrapping up the donations for the week, I'm two-thirds of the way to my fundraising goal -- which means there's a good chance I'll have to raise the goal eventually!

Thanks to Shiloh Woolman Torodov, Vicki VanArsdale, my brother Tim, cousin Randy Caldwell and to Jen & Sash Dow!

The Epiphany and the Ride

Seemed like a good idea at the time!

100 kilometers. 63 miles.

OK.

On Thanksgiving Day, 2007, I weighed 225 pounds. My waist was 38 inches. I could barely walk up a flight of stairs.

And I'd just had an epiphany.

I had a long list of things to do.

Part of list was to get back in shape. Part of it was to be a better friend to my friends. Part of it was to be better to strangers.

Home in Arkansas for the holiday, my brother threw me on a mountain bike and we rode 15 miles of bad, dirt roads and Ozark foothill highways. When it was over I was winded. I wasn't sore.

I bought myself a bike for Christmas. A blue, Trek 3-Series mountain bike. I've been riding every chance I get -- weather and daylight permitting.

By New Years Day, my weight was below 200. My waist was 32 inches.

I decided to ride a Century. That's 100 miles in a day. And to get there, I had to reach some other milestones. An obvious one was a "metric century" -- 100 kilometers, about 63 miles.

I started looking for charity benefits that could let me ride with a group for a cause -- part of that "better to strangers" part of the epiphany. I found the Tour de Cure.

It raises money for the American Diabetes Association. My mom has Type 2 diabetes. Since signing up, I've found a surprising number of friends have relatives with diabetes, too.

So.

I also get to do something to be better for my friends.