Wow! I can't believe there is only three weeks left...

 

In 2011; thus far, I’ve completed nearly 2000 miles on my bicycle withstanding such elements as bee stings, wind, rain and summer tourist driving season and lots of pain this year and it has come down to just three more weeks of training.  I ride to benefit those who can’t.   As many of you already know, on October 23^rd and 24^th I will bike 150 miles with 3000 cyclists and friends to do what we can to help those afflicted with the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

I have walked with many of you in the past in the “MS walks” and now ride my bike in these events organized by the National MS Society.  I ride in honor of my Mother Ellen who has been diagnosed and lives with MS for nearly 10 years now.  Ironically, she was diagnosed with MS after a horrific bike accident that nearly took her life.  Thanks to modern medicine and her will to fight, she won the battle over her bike injuries only to have a CT scan find the signs of MS surrounding the nerves around her brain.   Modern medicine is great but not yet against the nerve rattling affects that MS has on its victims.  She had symptoms of MS prior to her bike accident but wasn’t diagnosed with MS but lived with the daily grind that it takes on your body and nervous system and now has the ability to accept treatment such as inhibitors and physical therapy that help her get through the most trying days.  When you have MS, you don’t know when or if it will be a good day or a REALLY BAD day.  You don’t get a warning and believe it or not there is no cure for MS. 

I know the economic times are tough and asking for donations knowing this is also one of the most difficult things done.   Knowing that your donation could be the one that makes the difference in somebody else’s life makes that task for me very rewarding and I’ve seen first-hand how dollar for dollar donations to the National MS Society are extremely efficient and do make a difference in the lives of those affected by MS. 

With just a few weeks to the big event, I’m asking for your support to help me make my goal this year.  Any amount is welcomed.

 To make a donation through my personal portal page click here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2633597&pg=personal&fr_id=17111&s_tafId=216453  

Thank you and thanks so much to those who have already made a donation to help end MS,

Best regards, Mike Flanagan

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Toolshttp://connect.garmin.com/activity/117044894

Easy spin to the beach and back in preparation to get he motor runnin' for tomorrows ride.  I anticipate about 75 miles to San Clemente and back riding solo because as of now no one has stepped up and said they would join me.  It's about this time of year that I'm a lone wolf out of fear that I might discuss or ask friends and family about a donation for my pledged support of the MS Foundation.  The human psych element of what I do by asking for donations is starting to wear a bit silent and transparent with most around me this time of year and can be a bit challenging.  Fear not; as I train to do what I love and in the end that is all that really matters as long as I keep on keepin' on. 

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Toolshttp://connect.garmin.com/activity/115082467

I know how you can help...... Fight MS!

Four more weeks until I embark on my third “Bay to Bay MS 150” mile bike ride.  I’ve been training hard for this event all year.  I have lost about 40 pounds and am looking to crush previous ride times to complete this event on my way to taking a bite out of Multiple Sclerosis.  This ride hides no hills.  70 miles in to the event is when the challenge begins and that has always been to the hills advantage.  This year I’m climbing like a mountain goat and each year just to finish this ride is an emotional one for just about every one of the 3000 riders who will participate.  We ALL know someone with Multiple Sclerosis and someone who either has a very hard time with the debilitating disease or who has passed away from years and years of fighting it. 

I ride in honor of my Mother who has been diagnosed with MS for nearly 10 years now.  Ironically, she was diagnosed with MS after a horrific bike accident that nearly took her life.  Thanks to modern medicine and her will to fight, she won the battle over her bike injuries only to have a CT scan find the signs of MS surrounding the nerves around her brain.   Modern medicine is great but not yet against the nerve rattling affects that MS has on its victims.  She had symptoms of MS prior to her bike accident but wasn’t diagnosed with MS but lived with the daily grind that it takes on your body and nervous system and now has the ability to accept treatment such as inhibitors and physical therapy that help her get through the most trying days.  When you have MS, you don’t know when or if it will be a good day or a REALLY BAD day.  You don’t get a warning and believe it or not there is no cure for MS. 

Until there is a cure the National MS Foundation has committed itself to help those living with MS and to ensure they have the resources necessary to live as normal of a life as possible until there is a cure. 

Many of the cyclist I ride with say that we ride for those who can’t and we take advantage of what we love to do on our bikes.  With the support of the MS Foundation we have made a difference but we couldn’t have made a difference without the support of people like you. 

Last year in just this one event we raised 3.2 million dollars that goes to those who have MS and need quality of life resources support. 

With only four weeks left, I’m asking for your support to help me make my pledge goal this year.  Any amount is welcomed and like I have said before, how would it make you feel if you knew your donation was the donation that brought us one step closer to ending Multiple Sclerosis. 

To make a donation through my personal donation portal page click here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2633597&pg=personal&fr_id=17111&s_tafId=216453

Thank you and thanks to those who have already made a donation to help end MS,

Best regards, Mike Flanagan

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

Can I lose weight by riding my bike? NO!

Wow!  Has it been that long since I took the time to update my riding??? 

Well; I'm extremely happy to say that the calorie management app "myfitnesspal" has worked even better than I intended.  I have added this new badge for this specific blog so that others can take advantage of what I consider the best free app EVER!  If this worked for me, it will work for anyone.  I was at the end of my rope and was seriously considering what would have been expensive medical procedures.   Funny though I don't seem thinner until I try and put a pair of old shorts on and have them fall right off my ass unless I tighten with a new belt that I had to purchase with a few interim pairs of shorts that will work until I reach my goal.  I have revised my goal to 190 lbs from 245lbs by the end of the year, which at this rate will not be a problem, but according to body mass index calculators for my height, I should be at or below 190 to be considered "normal" weight.  Hard to believe I was "obese" according to the calculators and have about 16 more lbs. to go to make this weight goal.   myfitnesspal.com has or will add years to my life and I feel better than I have in a LONG time because of it.  I would recommend to anyone who NEEDS to lose weight.  If you are reading this, you probably do if you're like most Americans.  I'm not saying that to belittle you or to insult you.  Americans just eat too much and still don't understand why they are so huge.   Listen; Give it 6 weeks with honest motives/actions and if you haven't lost at least 5% of your body weight, you can call me a liar.  I have lost 10 lbs. every month since May.  This is not a diet.  This is a cultural awakening and not rocket science.  It is and will be a lifestyle change for me and I'm OK with that.  I do miss stuffing my face with 3-4000 calories a day but not unlike any other new habit you get used to it and it becomes easier over time. 

I also have to say and was predicting that if I lost the weight my bike skills would improve.  Oh boy, did they ever!  I'm a hill climbing fool now and can ride with riders that are much lighter and younger than I am.  Even at my current weight of 206lbs.  Dropping nearly 40lbs. has done wonders for my hill climbing and endurance.  I'm riding less than I was in previous years but eating much smarter and managing my calorie intake, even on ride days.  I don't cut out the things I have always loved to eat.  That's the beauty of this management plan.  I just eat less of it.   It's simple really.  You can ride hundreds of miles a week but if you don't control how many (calories) go in to your pie hole, you will never lose weight.  Trust me!  

 

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MyFitnessPal - Free'>http://www.myfitnesspal.com">Free Weight Loss Tools

MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

2011 San Diego Century

I completed the first century ride (104 miles) of the year over the weekend and really have not been that compelled to write about the event until now. The preparation for this ride has been nearly nothing all winter and spring (377 miles) and it showed in my performance. The ride type (very hilly) is not the type of ride I would typically take on for this distance.

If I had to compare this ride to others I have completed with the MS foundation, it doesn't even come close in just about every category. The only high marks I give it would be for the views atop Mt Woodson at nearly 2000 ft. in elevation on what was a perfectly clear sunny day in the upper 70s to low 80s. Other than that, the ride was a complete fail as far as I'm concerned. I'm probably just spoiled from the past organized rides with the MS group. I'm not going to go into too much detail here as it can be echoed from the reviews found from other riders here on Active.com's website: http://community.active.com/thread/153895/san-diego-century-bicycle-tour-2011-reviews

I realized one thing on this ride and that at 245lbs., I'm not as competitive on hilly rides as the rest of the group I ride with and the last 30 miles or so really took a toll on my body with cramping and loss of water from the higher than anticipated temps. My ride data can be found here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87140451. This ride literally should have been completed in 7.5 hours instead of 8.75. This realization has prompted me to begin a calorie counting regimen; that if followed, I should be shedding 1lb/week for the next ten weeks. From there I will analyse and correct where needed. I will update the weight loss results each time I post to this blog as well and describe how it helps my riding. My ultimate goal is to loose 45 lbs by the time I do the MS Century at the end of October. Any support or advice with this plan would be helpful too as comments to this post. The calorie counter that I am using that I find very easy to load data either from my desktop or android phone is www.myfitnesspal.com

Until next time... No ride planned this weekend as I have family events planned with and for my daughters field hockey games at Cal Cup (Moorpark College). Go get 'em Hotstix! The week after I will be riding no less than twice a week for the forseeable future to prepare for the Solvang Century and the MS 150 among others that aren't on the calendar yet.

Latest updates

Offseason riding in Southern California is an oxymoron but we are spoiled here and when it dips to the 60s for daytime temps and you when you have to brave upper 40s and low 50s every once in a while for a early morning ride we tend to shy away from riding as much as we would like to. Many of us turn to garage trainers and stationary bikes at the gym as I have done lately but it just doesn't seem to give you that recharge you get when you finish a long ride back from the coast and fresh air.
I have been riding 25-50 miles just about each weekend, but definitely not riding as much as I would like.
I have organized a ride this weekend that should handle the fix I have been craving for a while now and one that I have done before. The ride is from Anaheim(Angel Stadium) to either Oceanside or Solana Beach. That will all Depend on who goes with me and the weather. I'm game for either and if no one ends up riding it with me, then I may just ride to Solana train station. This ride consists of riding the Amtrak to the Stadium and riding back to the the initial train station. Fun, fun and more fun! I have the ride saved in my Garmin for easy turn by turn directions but should be easy to remember as I have done this one before. It will be a good test for the San Diego Century I plan on doing in May.
I will update the blog on Anaheim ride afterwards and give some insight as to another future ride that this ride will be part of when I ride from downtown Los Angeles to San Diego later this summer. Let me know if there is any interest in joining any of these rides as I could use the ride support. Any online comments are welcome as well...

Bike the Coast event

Here's a little last minute ride that I did with a neighbor over the weekend.

This was more my type of ride. It was flat and near the coast. The weather was perfect and ended before 10:30am. The finish line has free catered food and beer... Parking was free and did I mention there was beer? There is really nothing like a good cold beer after a long ride and it really did hit the spot.

I did find a nice alternate route course that is strictly for bikes and pedestrians that is a safer alternative to crossing all the freeway interchanges at Carmel Mountain. You can also use it as a longer, but more relaxing route to the 56 path that takes you all the way out to Poway. I'm sure I will work it in to a future ride very soon.

Other than the massive amounts of beginner to intermediate riders on the course, it was an enjoyable ride and would recommend to anyone interested in a nice flat organized ride.

Poinsettia Loop

Just a quick ride the weekend after the MS ride to see if all the parts from the bike and body are working appropriately.
I had the bike taken in for a clean and tune at bicycle warehouse and pretty much appears that they just cleaned the bike and didn't replace parts back to my specific settings. The front derailler works about as bad as it did when I took it in. The handlebars were not even set straight, the seat angle was all jacked up. I was not happy with the $60 I spent on that tune-up needless to say. Needless to say, I will not be taking my bike back there again and will be taking any suggestions on a good bike mechanic for future tune-ups...
All of the parts on my body seemed to be working just fine. I felt like I could have done the MS ride again with just a couple of days of recovery time.

2010 MS Bay to Bay ride

Images of day one Start, Bike before event and wet, dirt and grime that was collected during the ride.

Attached are the Garmin files of Day 1 and Day 2 MS Bay to Bay bike event.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53488060
(copy and paste to your browser to see details of day one)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/53487986
(copy and paste to your browser to see details of day two)

Stats:
Total miles: 156.7
Total calories burned: 12,128
Total Elevation Gain: 7,690
Total donations received for the MS Society as of 10/18/10: $2,460.



Despite the early 5:30 and 6am arrivals to the starting lines, the cool headwind, the rain and mud that found my bike for the first time in its existence, a chain break on mile 12, the slow processions of team riding from the start and in to the finish lines and losing my new sunglasses to our dog Buddy(don’t ask), the ride was AMAZING!

First I must thank everyone that helped me complete this ride in some form or fashion. I set a lofty goal this year to raise $2000 and it appeared that I wouldn't make that goal up until a few days before the event. I even received donations on day one and day two of the event to put OUR current total donation amount at $2,460. I can assure you that those funds will go to a great cause and your support there is extremely appreciated by those afflicted with MS. I too am extremely grateful of all the support that I received in donations this year. I believe the MS Society will be keeping our goal links live a couple of weeks, so it is not too late to add to our total. Again, the link to donate is: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikeflanagan

I couldn't have finished the ride without those who have trained with me encouraged me and helped along the rides with the maintenance issues. I though day one was going to end early on mile 12 of 109 but with the support of ride Marshall, Mike number 1289, literally saved me from having to abort. Macgyver like he fixed a broken chain with a small multi-tool wrench by completely removing a link and repairing it to the point where it actually felt like a new drive train. Not to mention he managed all of this on the side of the road with bikes whizing past in the rain on a wet grimy bike. I couldn't thank him enough and had nothing to offer but I’m fairly confident that he was pleased by just doing the right thing...

I would also be amiss if I didn't thank my family and most importantly my wife Martha for putting up with my hobby and the time involved it takes in order for me to complete events such as this, also for waking up early to drive me to my starting destinations over an hour away this weekend. Thank you Love!
As mentioned before, I joined the riding group from 24 Hour Fitness out of Southern California. This event was my first ride with them. I wished I had an opportunity to train with them prior to this event for many reasons. I felt more like an outsider even though they were all very welcoming and supportive. It so happens that almost 30 of the 71 total riders in this group were new as well. I'm guessing that I was the newest rookie based on conversations of previous rides. The group consists of riders that have been riding that are extremely talented on a bike that rode 158 with very little effort to riders that found the first ten miles in the rain to be one of the worst traumatic experiences of their life...
I was grateful for their support and event planning, but the processions away from the starting line and in to the finish lines dragged along to the point of frustration. I guess that comes with riding solo for so long. I appreciate the sport as an individual sport and have always biked that way and have never been passed up by a biker that hasn't asked if I needed support when I have mechanical issues. I appreciate the group managers wanting to ride in as one group, but when it takes an hour to finish the last 7 miles of an event to ride in as a group, it does more mental and physical damage to the individual riders than it accomplishes for the team. That's just my two cents and free advice to team managers out there and worth every penny you pay for it.
I’m also grateful for all those who willingly gave their time to volunteer for this event. The outpouring of volunteers was pretty impressive and always amazes me how smoothly they all pull together to make this event so successful each year.
Last year I didn’t ride much after the MS event, but feel committed and compelled to sticking with some form of winter riding and training so that I can ride more events in between MS rides. I’m currently interested in riding the Palm Springs Century ride in February, The Solvang Century in March, the San Diego Century in May and possibly the Santa Barbara Century in October of next year. My goal will be to ride in five Centuries a year for as long as I physically can and from my experience from riding with “older riders”, it is possible to ride well in to my late 50’s and in to my 60’s and remain as competitive as I am today. The average age of the top five most physically capable riders in the 24 Hour Fitness group was easily 50 years old. I’m also interested in an L.A. to San Diego ride, a Santa Barbara to San Diego ride as well as the ride across Iowa in 2011 or 2012.
I managed to find riders of my experience and riding capabilities on both days. Day one a little more of a challenge with the broken chain that put me about 30 minutes behind the faster riders, but with shorter breaks and lunch, I managed to catch up before we hit mile 100.
Day two started off very fast for a bunch of tired sore riders. I managed to find the quicker paced riders and stuck with them pretty much from start to finish up until the last rest stop 7 miles from the finish. That is where we ALL had to ride in together as a group.

Also on day two, we rode up Torrey Pines grade not once but twice. It was a new tradition that the group decided to start. They called it the "Extra Mile". This was a ride up Torrey Pines twice. Once for the event and once for those with MS who are unable. It turned out to be about five extra miles... Surprisingly enough, the second time up was easier than the first. I am glad I did it though. I thought of all those that struggle daily with MS like my Mom who have to deal with the challenges and pain of MS daily. Those thoughts really motivated me to do what I did last weekend. Torrey Pines to local riders is known as the widow maker for the enduring climb that doesn’t seem to end. The grade is about 6-7% and is 2.5 miles long. There were many people literally crying when they made it to the top. Many of them also wore the "In memory of" sheets on the back of their jerseys that represented the person or persons they knew who have passed away from the devastating effects of MS, but still continue to ride in this event because they know how important is it to find an eventual cure. Whether I ride with an organized group or not in the future, I will continue to ride the Torrey Pines grade twice as a tradition for those who can't.
Thank you all; once again, for your support! Together we did make a difference… Mike Flanagan
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikeflanagan

Quick Sunday ride

I haven't had a chance to update in a couple of weeks and will make this entry short. Last weeks ride was of 68 miles was from RDO to Tresles and a Cannon Loop before I made my way home. Great training ride.

Yesterdays ride was a shortened training ride of 43 miles from RDO to Las Pulgas gate in Camp Pendleton. I rode out with a friend at a slower pace and flew back to test a hip flexor that has been troubling me. It passed the stress test and should be on my way to recovery. I'm laying off the mountain bike for a while until I can figure out what is causing the stress there. It just makes it much more difficult to climb and keep pace with more competitive riders. Almost feels like your rear tire is going flat but isn't. Frustrating! Safe rides! Mike

Less than three weeks until the MS ride: Won't you consider helping me reach my goal? Click here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikeflanagan

RDO to CVD(Carlsbad Village Drive)

This 31 miler(click on the title of this blog) was intended to be a supplemental midweek ride to see how I recovered from Sundays ride on short notice to my body and to see how it would fit in to my already busy schedule. All around, it was a great ride. I actually felt like Superman on the hills today. Not sure if that was just because it was a short ride or that I'm actually getting stronger on the hills. I'm going to have to continue to throw in midweek rides because there just isn't enough time to get the miles in that I feel is necessary to make the MS ride a successful one. I'm almost there, but the weekend before the ride is already going to be a non-training weekend because of pre-planned events.

UPDATE: As of yesterday, I'm have joined and will be riding with one of the largest organized bike groups on the West Coast. I joined Team24 Pacific; the 24 Hour Fitness riding group. This is a group that has a $100,000 commitment goal to help fight Multiple Sclerosis this year. Hopefully I can meet up with a group this weekend to see what their riding styles are. I'm hopeful it will be a challenge for me and will not slow my current riding style down.

Here's my new page so that YOU can help my team, Team24 win the battle over MS: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikeflanagan

Fun, hilly ride to San Elijo and back

This mornings ride was a just under 58 miles. I rode out to the harbor to see if any of the usual group was meeting there anticipating that there might be one or two. No one showed up so I made up my own ride on the fly. A few of the riders in the group were doing an "Ultra run" this weekend which is running 100 miles in about 25 hours. Yes, that is frigin' crazy talk right there. People just weren't designed to do just that, but Joey, Eric and I believe one other rider are probably already finished with that run. Hopefully they were all successful on their run...
My ride today was riding from home, hit the SLR bike path and headed to the coast to see if anyone was going to meet at the Harbor for the usual Pendleton Sunday ride. No one showed, so I went south this time and headed inland on Poinsettia and up through Carlsbad to the top of San Elijo in San Marcos and back. As usual, you can click the title of this blog and see my actual route and ride data. The ride was to see how well I would do on some of the hilliest parts of the MS ride. I felt pretty good once I had 20 miles in and headed inland through the hills. The MS ride is a little different. I'll have 60 miles in before I hit the same hills instead of 20, but I did both directions (east and west) which more or less doubled up the hills and ended up with about 3000 feet of elevation climbing. It felt like more, but that is what the Garmin is telling me... It was a really productive ride and I feel more and more confident in my abilities to make this MS ride a very successful one. Last years ride really kicked me in the rear and I had more miles of training last year than I ever will for this years ride. I think the difference is the hill climbing that I'm doing this year. Riding all the way home instead of starting and stopping at the SLR bike path park at College.
Great Ride! No bees and no close calls with motorists...
I may end up doing a ride I saw from another Garmin rider that takes me to San Clemente and back to North County but then you do the Canon Loop, which puts the ride at about 90 miles with hills at the end. Much like the first day of the MS ride. I'm thinking this will be an excellent training ride for next Sunday...
Ohh; I also have a new contact from a rider I met that rides for 24 hour fitness. It might be fun to join a big ride group and it might not...

Ouch! Stung by another bee

Well, I was stung by another bee on the San Luis Rey bike path yesterday and have had a pretty bad reaction to the venom. The bee went in to my mouth and while I was riding and trying to spit it out, it got stuck to the side of my mouth and did its natural dirty deed. This was only about 10 miles in to my ride and right before I met up with the group that I have been riding with on Sundays. It started swelling pretty fast once I got the stinger out. I couldn't quite use the credit card technique to my advantage as I couldn't exactly see where it stung me on my lip. I really felt quite good on the ride physically in my legs and lungs, so I continued but it just got progressively worse and we were on Camp Pendleton for most of the ride. I wasn't prepared as I should have been with a bee kit to limit the amount of eventual pain and swelling that seems to be more and more likely with each new bee sting. I will be next time for sure. For now; ice, benadryl and rest as the benadryl is making me sleepy. Good thing it is Labor Day. We are supposed to rest on Labor Day, right??
I seemed to have earned the name Bubba from Forrest Gump with the ride group because of how the swelling looked on my face and was making my voice slur. I have popcorn shrimp, shrimp shrimp,....
Great ride otherwise.
I would still encourage as many experienced and new riders in the area to use as much of the trail as possible instead of using streets full of motorists that don't know how to drive. I'll take a bee sting a reduce the chances of getting swiped by a truck any day. Thanks to those who have given so generously to my Bike to finish MS cause. We still have a long way to go and less than 40 days to go. Won't you consider helping me reach my goal? http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2633597&pg=personal&fr_id=14192

Home to Trestles and back with Joey's group

Nice 65 mile ride. I met the group that I have been riding with on Sunday's at the Harbor from my house and we headed up through Pendleton and on to Trestles. The rides was great going out, but I didn't realize I had such a strong tailwind at my back and paid for it coming back. Seemed like the whole way back I was fighting the wind in my face and didn't matter what direction I was riding in. My average mph was slowed by that quite a bit as well as from the hills close to home, but overall it was an enjoyable ride with the group. We had about seven of us out there today. I'll continue to ride with this group on Sunday's as it feels like we all get something from eachothers ride style and seem to be very complementary to eachother.
I had one big problem that I have to note so I get it fixed before my next longer ride and that is to fix the toe in/out on my left pedal. Fluid was building in that knee especially when I was pushing hard, so that will have to be set to more toe in and probably not more than a 1mm as the 4degrees of float will make up for the difference.

Bike path day

The ride Sunday was my first in two weeks. I felt strong though. Sometimes a nice break like that is just what the body needs. I was going out with the group I rode with two weeks ago from the Tressles ride and one of the riders discovered they had left their ID at home, so there was no chance that we were all going to get on to Camp Pendleton without everyone's IDs, so we just rode the San Luis River trail back and forth. Since I rode from my house on the trail to the harbor, I had already done this route once, so by the time I finished up at the harbor, had an after ride coffee with the group and back home again, i had been up and down the River trail four times. It is not the most exciting ride and with the strong headwinds, it made for a very mellow ride. The six of us made the most out of it though and was quite fun riding in a group again. I forgot how fast and strong you ride inside a draft; eventhough it was 2-3 riders in a group at a time. Like the ride a couple of weeks ago, I felt strong, so I led the group most of the time. I didn't mind as I'm sure the riders behind me didn't either. Riding in my draft is like driving a Chevy Sprint behind a semi truck on the freeway. No effort is required. It was a rewarding ride in many ways, none the least is how much easier it is getting back home up Mesa and Avenida De La Plata. Some of those hills will seem like they go on forever at up to 14% grades. Eventhough Im not riding the distances I was last year, I feel like I'm in better shape physically and mentally for the MS ride in October. Hopefully soon, I will be able to talk one of the group riders to take a trip to Anaheim on the train and back on bike soon as that is always a good test of distance and covers a big portion of the MS ride. Speaking of long rides... I was discussing the possibility of the boarder to boarder Iowa ride with another rider that has already done it. That ride is next June. That would absolutely be one feather in the cap of my bucket list of rides to do before I can't anymore. I also have a couple of century rides that I have penciled in for the next twelve months. One is the San Diego century and the other is the Solvang century.

Oceanside Harbor to Trestles with Joey and Raymond

The guys I rode with I bumped in to last week during their preparation to run with a large group. No, I wasn't running and probably never will with my knees. Thats why I ride. I know Joey as a friend of my Brother Brian. We have spoken to eachother about running in passing, but never about biking. Since Joey is a triathlete, I should have put one and one together and talked to him about biking a long time ago. The ride with the two other riders was great! It helped me focus on something other than spinning the cranks and making it over the next hill. This ride had practically no hills, but it was a fun 40 miler none the less. I was a bit skeptical how I would ride with guys who were in such great shape, but I managed pretty well and will be riding with them more often in the near future. Their typical ride is a bit shorter than mine, but I will just plan on riding from my place to the Harbor to meet them for future rides. This will add another 20 miles to my ride, which will be ideal for what I am training for.
Our ride is hyperlinked to the title of this posting.

Did I mention that I'm in a fight that I need your support with? Please support me: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2633597&pg=personal&fr_id=14192

I'm currently at 15% of my goal and only a little more than two months to go to reach it...

RDO to Buccaneer Park loop and back

You may click on the title of this post to view my ride.

This ride was more or less a "shake down ride" from yesterdays 70 miler. I do feel much better after this ride and not as sore as I was when I woke up. 99 miles in two days, in honor of my favorite NASCAR driver #99 Carl Edwards, who didn't win the Brickyard race today, but finished a strong top ten.
This was a quick solo ride and was kind of pushing pretty hard for a shake down ride, but it felt good to go fast in certain sections of the ride. I noticed a lot of club riders out today, which is one thing I have been meaning to do lately and that is to see what clubs are out there that would fit my riding style and schedule. I'm pretty sure that joining one would help improve my skills and I would be able to ride faster in a group, but not sure one would work with my ever changing schedule. I don't like to ride when I'm told to. I ride when I can. I find time, but it is always fit in around everyone elses schedule/s and needs. I'll look in to it and see if there is some group that is more flexible. Are there any suggestions?

RDO to Bagel Shop and back

To access ride information you can click on the title to this blog.

This ride was fun and longer than I anticipated. I only planned on riding to San Onofre, but felt like it was going to be neccessary to eat before I headed back home. I was going to stop at Carls Junior, which is the first restaurant that you come to on the southern end of San Clemente, but decided to go a little further to find something that wouldn't be counter productive for the ride back. I have heard from other cyclist about the "Bagel Shack" about 2.5 miles further north to find it and it didn't let me down. I got a strawberry/banana smoothie and a cheddar cheese bagel that really hit the spot and gave me enough to make the ride back home. Other than the need to stop and tretch a couple of time to get the blood flowing in areas that were having a difficult time, it was a nice relaxing ride. I made the hills coming back home with less difficulty too which is really the whole reason for starting and finishing from home and that is to see how I do on the hills after a long ride. I have to say they are getting easier and easier. I also had the grade feature working on my Garmin computer as well and was happy to see the grade % push to 12%, which is pretty steep. I was hearing how difficult the riders have it in the tour on grades that reach 10% on the Col d' Tormelet. Of course it is much harder when you are reaching speeds of 15-20 miles per hour over 12-15 miles over those grades, but it was nice to know that we have some road grade % right here in So. Cal. that rival those in France. I'm just looking forward to the day when I can tackle longer hills over a longer period of time without losing too much and suffering for it afterwards.
One item on my most do "bucket list" items is to ride from San Francisco to San Diego. I may do one leg of this ride over two days after the MS ride in October if some additional pieces fall in to place before then. I want to ride from Santa Barbara to San Diego. I won't do this without a partner/s because of safety reasons, so the search is on. I have a few leads. Anyone in?

North County Loop again

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40781010

This post is a bit overdue. I did this ride Saturday morning. I started very early to avoid the heat that was supposed to stick around until late Sunday but never really materialized. Thursday and Friday were in the low to mid 90's so I got up early to avoid that. I'll let the boys in France hammer away in the mid 90's heat and sun. I was home from this short but effective ride by 9:15am. The cool cloudless morning was ideal for heading to the coast and tackling some hills just east of the coast through Carlsbad and east Oceanside. I really feel like 4-6 days off between rides is optimal, but feel like I need to vary my rides between heart pumping rides and slower casual rides so my legs get used to the long run of the Century ride scheduled in October.
I have another long ride that is in the early planning stages. This will cover two days and be, by far my longest ride. I would like to find a riding partner before I commit because I have only been on short portions of this ride. I'll discuss details of the ride in the next 30 days or so. I'm pretty excited about what kind of ride this could be for me. It will encompass a portion of a ride that has been on my "bucket list" for nearly two decades now.
The dog is barking for me to feed or walk him. Gotta go!!!

Tri-City Loop Ride

Took to the road this morning to compare last weekends ride to todays. It was the same ride except that I just cut inland at Poinsettia instead of going all the way to Swami's and then back to Poinsettia. If you look at it on a map, it looks like a loop. I like this ride as it really prepares me for what will be much of the last 30 miles of the first 107 miles on the first day of the MS 150 ride. The hill at Alga just east of El Camino Real still kicks my butt, but I'm feeling good about improvements I have made even since last week.
The ride ended with a flat just one mile from home. Bummer of a finish, but forced me to get the bike home and really do a detail job on all the powertrain and bike in general. The chain and rear cassette are soaking in degreaser overnight to get the grime off and then we'll start fresh with a nice coat of lube when I get it all reassembled. I personally feel physically and mentally stronger when riding a clean, well lubed bike so can't wait to get back on. This weeks total miles logged was 135. Not a bad start to the summer riding. If it weren't for this cool weather it wouldn't be as fun as it has been so thank you Mother Nature...