Monday, June 30, 2008
MS 150 Bike Ride - Best Dam Ride ever!
Special MS 150 Installment
Factoids:
• Distance rode: 143.69 miles over two days
• Average speed: 16 mph on Saturday, 14 mph on Sunday
• Number of riders: 3,000
• Money raised: Over 1.5 million!
Well, the MS 150 is behind us now, and it’s time for my account of Cassie’s and my adventures.
As is common for all events in Utah, our story begins with food. Since we left SLC for Logan a little after 5:00 PM, we naturally decided to stop someplace for our carb-loading supper. We chose to go to the Golden Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant on State Street, where we partook of most excellent chicken chowmein (noodlecarbs) and salt baked squid. They bake their squid with jalapeno peppers, which makes for a very intense flavor. Yum!
It would be pretty easy to say that everything was anticlimactic after that, but it would be a lie. True, we got stuck in traffic heading north, but it only lasted for so long. We got to the Logan Fairgrounds around 7:00 and found where Jane Santora had set up our team’s camp site. Team Dogmeat consisted of me, Cassie, Jane and Steve Santora, Jacques D’Astous and a couple of people I only saw briefly Saturday night. Steve and Jacques are surgeons at Shriners (Jacques was Cassie’s surgeon when she had her spine surgery). We set up our tent and sat around waiting for Jacques and Steve to arrive. Steve had spent the previous week at a mandolin camp in California and Jacques picked him up at the airport.
Saturday morning came all too soon. I don’t think I fell asleep until about 3:00 AM. There was a street light shining through our tent, and with the noise of 3,000 people camping nearby, I found it hard to get to sleep. (Funny, I had no problem sleeping - C) Regardless, we were up at 6:00 when we grabbed a bagel & muffin breakfast, got the bikes ready, and hit the road a little after 7:00. Jacques rode with Cassie and me as we headed on a 75-mile loop that went West and North of Logan. In fact, we actually ventured into Idaho for several miles.
The weather was beautiful. NO WIND! The temperature was probably in the low 70’s to start, and not a cloud in the sky. NO WIND! It was a pretty casual ride—we averaged 16 mph over the 75 miles. NO WIND! The MS people had rest stops set up about every 10 miles where you could refill water bottles and get some snacky food stuff. I was a little concerned because they seemed to only have fruit (apples, bananas, oranges), granola bars and fruit snacks. All too sweet for me to stomach. I managed to get by till lunch where they had ham and cheese sandwiches and chips (salt, m-m-m-m-m). At the last rest stop of the day, with 9 miles to go, they finally had cheese and peanut butter crackers and (shudder) tasty Slim Jims! I did okay.
Saturday’s ride was mostly flats. There were only a few smallish hills as we rode along the East bench of the mountains, as we turned South. It looked very much like pictures of (to be said with a French accent) Provence – only without the vineyards and gothic churches. Just beautiful! NO WIND! Jane and Steve broke a chain on their tandem bike along there somewhere and we stopped to help them. After that, Jacques rode with them.
The last nine miles, Cassie let me ride at my own pace, around 18 mph. It was nice to stretch out and go! (he makes it sound like 16 mph is a slow pace! I say it's a perfectly respectable clip for the distance we were doing - C) I even overtook the other three about a mile short of the fairgrounds. Cassie really wasn’t far behind.
After the ride, we all changed out of our riding togs, went over to the Logan Public Swimming Pool for a quick shower and rested up a bit. At 3:00 a live band started playing and we went over for supper (lasagna and salad) around 6:00. After supper, the MS people presented awards and had a raffle. Steve bought all of us raffle tickets. Cassie and I had no cash with us. The grand prize was a $4,000 Specialized road bike. Cassie and I would have really liked that, I can tell you. We didn’t win.
Cassie and I went over to the pool where there was an MS pool party. It felt good to just float around in the water. We went down one of the water slides once, but the water was ice-cold. You never saw so many funny tans and sunburns as at that pool party. Everybody had some kind of biker’s tan either on their legs, backs or arms. Or like me, all three places.
When we got back to camp, Jacques and Steve were practicing on their mandolins and gave a mini concert. Very pleasant. We sat around and talked till 10:00, and turned in. I had put the rain fly on the tent to block out most of the outside light, and I slept much better.
Sunday dawned much like Saturday. They served pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Very good. We hopped on our bikes and took off.
The consensus of our team was that we weren’t going to do the whole 75 miles. There was a nice place where you could cut off about 15 miles. Sunday’s ride promised a lot of hills, so we were okay with cutting it short. As we approached the first rest stop, we rounded a corner and ran smack dab into a steep hill. I didn’t gear down so it was a strain to get up it. Rude. As we approached the canyon that goes up to Hardware Ranch, we encountered some nasty winds. There was a bit of South wind trying to knock us over and a canyon wind trying to stop us. The bottom of the canyon had some steep pitches, so it was a struggle the first three or four miles. But the canyon went on for 14 and most of it was fairly gentle and very scenic. The road follows a fishing stream and is flanked by high squared-ff mountains. And everything was very green.
I reached the rest stop at the top of the canyon first, then Jacques. I rode back down till I met Cassie, then rode back up with her. We had a ripping good time going down, although I would say the going up was harder than the downhill was easy. Unfortunately, as we exited the canyon there was a big ol’ stinkin’ hill we had to go up and over. I would say that was the steepest, longest slope we had to ride! Not fun. After that we only encountered small gentle hills, but the heat got hotter and Cassie kinda ran out of gas (that's implying that I had much to begin with. I was riding pretty poorly all day. But I finished the thing! - C). But we got back to the Fairgrounds in good time, packed up and headed home.
Factoids:
• Distance rode: 143.69 miles over two days
• Average speed: 16 mph on Saturday, 14 mph on Sunday
• Number of riders: 3,000
• Money raised: Over 1.5 million!
Well, the MS 150 is behind us now, and it’s time for my account of Cassie’s and my adventures.
As is common for all events in Utah, our story begins with food. Since we left SLC for Logan a little after 5:00 PM, we naturally decided to stop someplace for our carb-loading supper. We chose to go to the Golden Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant on State Street, where we partook of most excellent chicken chowmein (noodlecarbs) and salt baked squid. They bake their squid with jalapeno peppers, which makes for a very intense flavor. Yum!
It would be pretty easy to say that everything was anticlimactic after that, but it would be a lie. True, we got stuck in traffic heading north, but it only lasted for so long. We got to the Logan Fairgrounds around 7:00 and found where Jane Santora had set up our team’s camp site. Team Dogmeat consisted of me, Cassie, Jane and Steve Santora, Jacques D’Astous and a couple of people I only saw briefly Saturday night. Steve and Jacques are surgeons at Shriners (Jacques was Cassie’s surgeon when she had her spine surgery). We set up our tent and sat around waiting for Jacques and Steve to arrive. Steve had spent the previous week at a mandolin camp in California and Jacques picked him up at the airport.
Saturday morning came all too soon. I don’t think I fell asleep until about 3:00 AM. There was a street light shining through our tent, and with the noise of 3,000 people camping nearby, I found it hard to get to sleep. (Funny, I had no problem sleeping - C) Regardless, we were up at 6:00 when we grabbed a bagel & muffin breakfast, got the bikes ready, and hit the road a little after 7:00. Jacques rode with Cassie and me as we headed on a 75-mile loop that went West and North of Logan. In fact, we actually ventured into Idaho for several miles.
The weather was beautiful. NO WIND! The temperature was probably in the low 70’s to start, and not a cloud in the sky. NO WIND! It was a pretty casual ride—we averaged 16 mph over the 75 miles. NO WIND! The MS people had rest stops set up about every 10 miles where you could refill water bottles and get some snacky food stuff. I was a little concerned because they seemed to only have fruit (apples, bananas, oranges), granola bars and fruit snacks. All too sweet for me to stomach. I managed to get by till lunch where they had ham and cheese sandwiches and chips (salt, m-m-m-m-m). At the last rest stop of the day, with 9 miles to go, they finally had cheese and peanut butter crackers and (shudder) tasty Slim Jims! I did okay.
Saturday’s ride was mostly flats. There were only a few smallish hills as we rode along the East bench of the mountains, as we turned South. It looked very much like pictures of (to be said with a French accent) Provence – only without the vineyards and gothic churches. Just beautiful! NO WIND! Jane and Steve broke a chain on their tandem bike along there somewhere and we stopped to help them. After that, Jacques rode with them.
The last nine miles, Cassie let me ride at my own pace, around 18 mph. It was nice to stretch out and go! (he makes it sound like 16 mph is a slow pace! I say it's a perfectly respectable clip for the distance we were doing - C) I even overtook the other three about a mile short of the fairgrounds. Cassie really wasn’t far behind.
After the ride, we all changed out of our riding togs, went over to the Logan Public Swimming Pool for a quick shower and rested up a bit. At 3:00 a live band started playing and we went over for supper (lasagna and salad) around 6:00. After supper, the MS people presented awards and had a raffle. Steve bought all of us raffle tickets. Cassie and I had no cash with us. The grand prize was a $4,000 Specialized road bike. Cassie and I would have really liked that, I can tell you. We didn’t win.
Cassie and I went over to the pool where there was an MS pool party. It felt good to just float around in the water. We went down one of the water slides once, but the water was ice-cold. You never saw so many funny tans and sunburns as at that pool party. Everybody had some kind of biker’s tan either on their legs, backs or arms. Or like me, all three places.
When we got back to camp, Jacques and Steve were practicing on their mandolins and gave a mini concert. Very pleasant. We sat around and talked till 10:00, and turned in. I had put the rain fly on the tent to block out most of the outside light, and I slept much better.
Sunday dawned much like Saturday. They served pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Very good. We hopped on our bikes and took off.
The consensus of our team was that we weren’t going to do the whole 75 miles. There was a nice place where you could cut off about 15 miles. Sunday’s ride promised a lot of hills, so we were okay with cutting it short. As we approached the first rest stop, we rounded a corner and ran smack dab into a steep hill. I didn’t gear down so it was a strain to get up it. Rude. As we approached the canyon that goes up to Hardware Ranch, we encountered some nasty winds. There was a bit of South wind trying to knock us over and a canyon wind trying to stop us. The bottom of the canyon had some steep pitches, so it was a struggle the first three or four miles. But the canyon went on for 14 and most of it was fairly gentle and very scenic. The road follows a fishing stream and is flanked by high squared-ff mountains. And everything was very green.
I reached the rest stop at the top of the canyon first, then Jacques. I rode back down till I met Cassie, then rode back up with her. We had a ripping good time going down, although I would say the going up was harder than the downhill was easy. Unfortunately, as we exited the canyon there was a big ol’ stinkin’ hill we had to go up and over. I would say that was the steepest, longest slope we had to ride! Not fun. After that we only encountered small gentle hills, but the heat got hotter and Cassie kinda ran out of gas (that's implying that I had much to begin with. I was riding pretty poorly all day. But I finished the thing! - C). But we got back to the Fairgrounds in good time, packed up and headed home.
Friday, June 27, 2008
MS 150 Live!!!
Tomorrow Dad and I are heading up to Logan for our super epic MS 150 ride. I thought it might be fun to do a live (more or less) account of the ride so I'm venturing into the world of Twitter. Hopefully it will work. Read along as we ride!
Also, if you want to check out the routes that we're riding (which might make it easier to follow the twittering), here are the maps for Saturday and for Sunday.
Also, if you want to check out the routes that we're riding (which might make it easier to follow the twittering), here are the maps for Saturday and for Sunday.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hitting the Paceline
So, after hearing about the Little Red Riding Hood, I decided to give Marsha, Cassie $ Susan a couple of lessons in riding in a paceline. A paceline is where a group of riders ride in single line. This way, only the leader has to ride into the wind, the followers can draft. Up till now, I always led the rides.
Today was different. We each took our turn at the front. The leader would set the pace for about 1.5 miles, then we'd switch. We had some success. Marsha and Susan don't have computers, so they had a hard time telling how fast they were going. Cassie and I would correct them as we could.
We went this way for about ten miles, where we hit a series of hills and lost all cohesion. After that, Cassie and I went off to add some miles and the other two went their shorter way.
By the way, the wind blows from the south 375 days of the year. Today, since we were riding primarily north, the wind came out of the north!
Today was different. We each took our turn at the front. The leader would set the pace for about 1.5 miles, then we'd switch. We had some success. Marsha and Susan don't have computers, so they had a hard time telling how fast they were going. Cassie and I would correct them as we could.
We went this way for about ten miles, where we hit a series of hills and lost all cohesion. After that, Cassie and I went off to add some miles and the other two went their shorter way.
By the way, the wind blows from the south 375 days of the year. Today, since we were riding primarily north, the wind came out of the north!
Riding On Weak Legs
Oh man! Today's ride totally kicked my ass. We went about 57 miles, and it was mostly flat. It probably wouldn't have been a problem for me at all if I hadn't started out tired.
I did way too much with my legs yesterday. I rode my bike (the fixed gear) about 5 miles just getting from one place to another all day. I worked in the morning then went to a dance workshop, went swimming and then went out dancing again. After all that my legs were completely worn out by the time I went to bed, and it carried on into this morning.
I figured that riding tired today was good practice for the MS 150 that we're riding next weekend. The plan is to ride 75 miles on Saturday and then another 75 on Sunday. I imagine we'll be a little worn out for the 75 on Sunday. I think it will be fine as long as there aren't too many hills. That's what really killed me today- going up hills.
It was not a bad ride though. I finished the full 55, so that's optimistic. If I'm this tired next Sunday, I'm pretty sure I can will myself another 20 miles past what we did today. It will be a great adventure to see what happens.
As long as we're talking about the MS 150, I have to urge you to donate a little. It's a really good cause.
I did way too much with my legs yesterday. I rode my bike (the fixed gear) about 5 miles just getting from one place to another all day. I worked in the morning then went to a dance workshop, went swimming and then went out dancing again. After all that my legs were completely worn out by the time I went to bed, and it carried on into this morning.
I figured that riding tired today was good practice for the MS 150 that we're riding next weekend. The plan is to ride 75 miles on Saturday and then another 75 on Sunday. I imagine we'll be a little worn out for the 75 on Sunday. I think it will be fine as long as there aren't too many hills. That's what really killed me today- going up hills.
It was not a bad ride though. I finished the full 55, so that's optimistic. If I'm this tired next Sunday, I'm pretty sure I can will myself another 20 miles past what we did today. It will be a great adventure to see what happens.
As long as we're talking about the MS 150, I have to urge you to donate a little. It's a really good cause.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Little Red
While Dad was riding unsupported from Logan to Salt Lake yesterday, Mom, Suzanne and I were riding in circles doing the Little Red Riding Hood ride.
After dad left on his little adventure, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. The official start of the ride was at 8:00 so we had plenty of time to relax before hand. All week we've been keeping an eye on the weather... the forecast had been suspect at best all week. The news that morning told us that we were in for partially cloudy, 62°, and possible thunder showers. The sky looked pretty clear though, so we were optimistic about the rain. As it turned out, conditions were just about perfect- we didn't run into any rain- except for the wind.
Mom and Suzanne decided that they only wanted to do 45 miles, but I was all set to do 62. If you click on the links and check out the maps, you'll notice that the 62 mile route is just the 45 route with an extra loop added on. That worked out well, because the ladies rode with me to the Newton rest stop and just waited there while I went on. Up to that point (about 17 miles in) the riding was not bad. It was a little chilly for a while, but then the sun came up and we were cruising and doing just fine.
I left Mom and Suzanne at Newton around 10:15. As soon as I started out, the wind decided to show up to burst my bubble. Not only that, but the first 10-15 miles of that extra loop was mostly uphill. Riding uphill into the wind I was averaging about 10 mph, which is almost, but not entirely, completely unlike fun. The last bit of the loop was mostly downhill though, and it started with a wicked hill. I let loose on the way down and got going about 45 mph. Mom pitched a fit about me going so fast (something about I could have crashed and died, or something) but I have to say it was wicked fun!
I made it back to Newton around 11:30 and ate a quick lunch. Of course, by the time I got there, the ladies were ready to go, especially since there was a dark and sinister storm wall looming in the distance. I was pretty knackered at that point though, and really just wanted to relax a bit before going on. They ended up setting off ahead of me with the expectation that I would catch them up. I almost did, too, before they made it to the next rest stop.
The end of the ride was uneventful. The wind was grueling and I apparently made a nice wind block. There were a few places where the pavement was wet, but we didn't get rained on ourselves. For the last 20 miles or so, I was really in the groove of things and just sort of checked out and let my legs do the work on their own. We finished around 2:30. All in all it was not a bad ride, but certainly not the best I've ever done. Stupid wind. I guess I should be really thankful we missed the rain and had sun most of the time; more than Dad can say.
I would like to say that the Bonneville Cycling Club, the guys who put on Little Red, set up the rest stops at odd places. The first was only 5 miles out, the second was Newton at 17. There weren't any stops on the extra loop for the 62 miles, so I went 20 miles straight before I got back to Newton. On the way back, the next stop was only 6 miles farther, then it was another15 miles, but it was only 5 miles from the end. Last summer when Dad and I rode the ULCER the rest stops were spaced much better. It's funny, because Bonneville does both rides.
Here are some pictures of us and the Big Bad Wolf... get it, 'cause the ride was Little Red Riding Hood. It's at the end of the ride and we all have our celebratory sparkling cider.
Me and the BBW
Mom, BBW, Suzanne, Me
After dad left on his little adventure, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. The official start of the ride was at 8:00 so we had plenty of time to relax before hand. All week we've been keeping an eye on the weather... the forecast had been suspect at best all week. The news that morning told us that we were in for partially cloudy, 62°, and possible thunder showers. The sky looked pretty clear though, so we were optimistic about the rain. As it turned out, conditions were just about perfect- we didn't run into any rain- except for the wind.
Mom and Suzanne decided that they only wanted to do 45 miles, but I was all set to do 62. If you click on the links and check out the maps, you'll notice that the 62 mile route is just the 45 route with an extra loop added on. That worked out well, because the ladies rode with me to the Newton rest stop and just waited there while I went on. Up to that point (about 17 miles in) the riding was not bad. It was a little chilly for a while, but then the sun came up and we were cruising and doing just fine.
I left Mom and Suzanne at Newton around 10:15. As soon as I started out, the wind decided to show up to burst my bubble. Not only that, but the first 10-15 miles of that extra loop was mostly uphill. Riding uphill into the wind I was averaging about 10 mph, which is almost, but not entirely, completely unlike fun. The last bit of the loop was mostly downhill though, and it started with a wicked hill. I let loose on the way down and got going about 45 mph. Mom pitched a fit about me going so fast (something about I could have crashed and died, or something) but I have to say it was wicked fun!
I made it back to Newton around 11:30 and ate a quick lunch. Of course, by the time I got there, the ladies were ready to go, especially since there was a dark and sinister storm wall looming in the distance. I was pretty knackered at that point though, and really just wanted to relax a bit before going on. They ended up setting off ahead of me with the expectation that I would catch them up. I almost did, too, before they made it to the next rest stop.
The end of the ride was uneventful. The wind was grueling and I apparently made a nice wind block. There were a few places where the pavement was wet, but we didn't get rained on ourselves. For the last 20 miles or so, I was really in the groove of things and just sort of checked out and let my legs do the work on their own. We finished around 2:30. All in all it was not a bad ride, but certainly not the best I've ever done. Stupid wind. I guess I should be really thankful we missed the rain and had sun most of the time; more than Dad can say.
I would like to say that the Bonneville Cycling Club, the guys who put on Little Red, set up the rest stops at odd places. The first was only 5 miles out, the second was Newton at 17. There weren't any stops on the extra loop for the 62 miles, so I went 20 miles straight before I got back to Newton. On the way back, the next stop was only 6 miles farther, then it was another15 miles, but it was only 5 miles from the end. Last summer when Dad and I rode the ULCER the rest stops were spaced much better. It's funny, because Bonneville does both rides.
Here are some pictures of us and the Big Bad Wolf... get it, 'cause the ride was Little Red Riding Hood. It's at the end of the ride and we all have our celebratory sparkling cider.
Me and the BBW Mom, BBW, Suzanne, Me
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Logan to Salt Lake City
So today was the Big Ride Day. Cassie, Marsha and I drove up to Logan last night. We checked into our motel about 10:00 PM. I didn't sleep much.
Got up and had breakfast in the lobby. Not too bad - cereal and a bagel. Then at 6:30, I hopped on my bike and headed back toward Salt Lake. I'm sure Cassie will write about The Little Red Riding Hood.
I soon hit a snag. Hiway 30, that leaves Cache Valley to the West was under construction. Looked like there was no pavement for miles. So I headed south to go over Sardine Canyon. I did ride through some nice farmland with lots of waterfowl preserves. I was harassed several times by redwing blackbirds.
I dreaded going over Sardine, as I remembered it being very tough going last year. But actually, the getting there was a lot harder. I had to crawl up and down several hills to get to the highway. I saw a lot (dozens!) of women riding their bikes to the start of LRRH. I guess 100 miles isn't enough for some people.
Anyway, the climb up to the pass wasn't really all that bad. And the ride down (30-35 mph) was a gas. Then, when I hit Brigham City and turned south, I hit a nice head wind. Reminds me of an old War (the group) song. Goes like this:
Wind - Huh!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothin'!
Say it again.
Actually the weather only got worse from there. In Roy, after 50-some miles, it started to rain, and I rode in rain for the next 90 minutes. I failed to mention that it was a cool day, only around 50 degrees. I froze. My feet were numb and the large muscles in my legs didn't work too good.
I stopped to eat lunch at the Quiznos in Layton around noon, and at last the sun came out. So the rest of the ride wasn't too bad.
95.5 miles and NO FLATS!
Got up and had breakfast in the lobby. Not too bad - cereal and a bagel. Then at 6:30, I hopped on my bike and headed back toward Salt Lake. I'm sure Cassie will write about The Little Red Riding Hood.
I soon hit a snag. Hiway 30, that leaves Cache Valley to the West was under construction. Looked like there was no pavement for miles. So I headed south to go over Sardine Canyon. I did ride through some nice farmland with lots of waterfowl preserves. I was harassed several times by redwing blackbirds.
I dreaded going over Sardine, as I remembered it being very tough going last year. But actually, the getting there was a lot harder. I had to crawl up and down several hills to get to the highway. I saw a lot (dozens!) of women riding their bikes to the start of LRRH. I guess 100 miles isn't enough for some people.
Anyway, the climb up to the pass wasn't really all that bad. And the ride down (30-35 mph) was a gas. Then, when I hit Brigham City and turned south, I hit a nice head wind. Reminds me of an old War (the group) song. Goes like this:
Wind - Huh!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothin'!
Say it again.
Actually the weather only got worse from there. In Roy, after 50-some miles, it started to rain, and I rode in rain for the next 90 minutes. I failed to mention that it was a cool day, only around 50 degrees. I froze. My feet were numb and the large muscles in my legs didn't work too good.
I stopped to eat lunch at the Quiznos in Layton around noon, and at last the sun came out. So the rest of the ride wasn't too bad.
95.5 miles and NO FLATS!
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