Inland loop in preparation for MS ride.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14438304

Another amazing ride and full of new discoveries full of fun and challenging roads.

This is not a ride that I would do again if I wasn't training. This ride included much of the ride that we will be riding on for the MS 150 ride after already completing roughly 70 miles on the first day, so the challenge is as clear as day for me, but at least I have a good idea of what I will face on that first day. Alga road, from what I understand is where many riders decide that the ride is just too much of a challenge and wait for sag vehicles to take them to the finish. NOT ME! I'll walk back before I take a sag vehicle. I would have to be physically injured and unable to complete before it came to that.
I managed to let peloton after peloton go by yesterday without a chase. I'm glad I did, because I needed what reserves I had yesterday to just finish. The only problem that I ran in to yesterday was the lack of nutrition. The carbo-loading I did the night before was not followed up with a large enough meal just before the ride. I wont say I bonked but I did not finish as strong as I would have liked to.
This was one of the longest rides I have ever done and it included door to door for me which means I did not start from the bike trail, where I usually start, so I had 450 feet of elevation staring at me on the last two miles of the ride. I finished, but was not happy with the finish. I'm confident that I needed to take a break or two which should have included more carbs instead of the bars and blocks that I was consuming. I was hydrating myself. I just did not give my legs what they needed to get me back as strong as they could have.
I'm just glad that I am learning these lessons before the big MS ride.

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Generous Donation Received Today

I just received a very generous donation from donors who wish to remain anonymous at this point. I received the donations from one person and have asked that they all be thanked from me personally.
The donation of $527 will be added within the next 24-48 hours to the total, which puts us close to $1,500 in total contributions. This makes me feel like the training is starting to pay off and that I can make a significant contribution to an organization that is doing more for those with MS, so it gives me a comfort level that positive changes will come sooner rather than later. Thank you, once again to all of you who have supported me and this drive to "Finish MS."

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Ride from Angel Stadium

Amazing ride yesterday. 81 miles of sun, perfect temperatures, scenery and biking for five hours.
I started off at the Solana Beach train station and rode with four others who were all about the same skill level as I am from Angel Stadium in Anaheim back to Solana Beach. It really made the ride much easier knowing that they had done this ride before so I wouldn't have to rely too much on my bike computer.
Here's the route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13705046
Probably not far from the route I posted the day before last. I think we went just a bit further when we turned off for the rest spots.
I stayed in a comfort level that enabled me to finish without any issues whatsoever. I really held back the dogs from getting loose a couple of times, but really no large competitive groups to speak of the entire ride. The group I was riding with was great.
I will attempt the hills in Carlsbad that are the final 20-25 miles of the 106 miles on the MS ride next Saturday or Sunday at the latest and throw in a couple beach runs in this week.
I wanted to thank all of those who have donated thus far to the MS ride. We have almost reached $1,000 with less than three weeks left. My goal is still $2,500 and am shooting high with this goal, but that's the way goals should be set. Again, thank you for your support with donations of $$ and your time if you are planning on riding solo, with a team or as a virtual rider. Every bit of your support makes a difference.

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Ride planned for 9/19/09

My ride tomorrow morning: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/349490Will be jumping on the 7:39am Metrolink to Angel Stadium and riding back to Solana Beach.

50 percent of this ride will be completely new to me. This is the primary reason I'm doing this ride. A new ride is like a movie you have seen for the first time that you know you really going to like even before you see it.
Secondly, this is my chance to see much of the northern route of the MS ride, which is in only three weeks. Lastly it gives me a chance to ride with a bunch of guys who have the same interest in cycling as I do. They are all riding in the MS ride together as a team.
I will follow up on the ride on Sunday. As soon as I get back home we are headed out the door to a friends birthday party. Long day, so I will report back on Sunday.

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Ride 9/12/2009

I had some growing pains with the new Garmin unit as it only recorded about half of my ride on three separate links, so I ended up deleting them all and used my failsafe computer that can really only give me miles and average speed as far as tools that I can use for training. The ride was 73 miles and I did the ride that I mentioned from yesterdays post and it was a very nice ride through Carmel Mountain, Rancho Santa Fe and Carlsbad on the way back before I reached the coast. Very hilly and found some fun groups to ride with.

The only thing that will keep me from finishing the 150 mile MS ride is my competitive nature. Riding at a nice comfortable pace I was passed by a peloton and quickly decided that it wasn't going to work that way. I caught up to the group and worked my way up to the front and found myself about 100 yards in front of all of them, which you never want to do. By the time I made it to Carlsbad only about two other riders were in range of catching the rabbit(me) and it would take a traffic light or my old body parts giving out on me and it was my right knee that started giving me troubles by the time I made it to the coast. I hobbled back home with about 15-17 miles remaining. Not fun! I really have to control these urges to compete and remember that if I can't pedal, I wont make it on these longer rides. Less than one month away.
I'm riding with a larger group next Saturday or Sunday from Huntington Beach to Solana Beach just to get a feel for the northern route of the MS ride. Hopefully I didn't do any long term damage to the old knee. I should have a grasp of the damage by the morning...

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Saturdays planned ride

I have found a way to share rides with other Garmin gps users and will be using this route tomorrow morning: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/6872784

The ride is very similar to the ride I did last Saturday, but the northbound route takes me through some of the more hilly coastal parts of North County before reaching the coast highway again.

I try to inform Martha of my planned rides just in case I don't make it back home when I was supposed to and don't answer my cell phone, but I thought it might be a good idea to post future rides as well just in case the unfortunate ever were to happen.

I plan to be up by 5am and on the road by 6am. It really doesn't even get light until about 6:30 now, but the earlier the better and the first ten miles or so isn't even on traveled roads, so it is safe.

I will post my actual ride tomorrow night or early Sunday.

I'm going to throw in shorter rides during the week from here on out until the MS ride and one week off prior to the ride as planned.

Have a great weekend!

MS Day One Route

I finally have the day one route of the 150 mile MS Bay to Bay ride. Whew! The last 30-35 miles of the first day, which includes 108 miles total will be my biggest challenge. I've posted the map for those that are familiar with some of the elevation changes on the route. I will be doing much of this route in ten days with a group of guys that are familiar with the first day route. It should be a "tell all" to see if Im up for it. Not that I will back out. I really do have much more confidence compared to even a couple of months ago. I should have no problems.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/2008-Century-Route

Ill post day two also for anyone interested in maybe meeting up in San Diego.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/2007-Day-2-Route

This one will test how well I can repair myself from the previous day and do a little 43 mile bike ride. It does have the Torrey Pines grade on it though. That is no snoozer for anyone level rider. I'm pumped!

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Garmin Edge 705

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/12648190

The link above is about as detailed and technical as I can break my bike workout down to.

Last week I broke down and bought the Garmin Edge 705, which pretty much allows me to track, measure and analyse my every move on the bike.

I'll share more about the technical aspects of the 705 later on but just wanted to make this entry short a sweet.

I ended up riding 75 miles as you can see from the link above and nearly rode to Poway. If I had realized how close I was I would have hammered it out the rest of the way. I will next time, now that I know how close it was.
With the 705 I was able to find the corridor for bikes and pedestrians that runs parallel to the 56 freeway, which takes you all the way out to east county(Escondido, RB, Poway, Scripps Ranch, etc.) During the winter months, those areas will be ideal rides.

Reminder to check the secure latch on the tire pump, adjust left cleat and pedal contacts(grease) and clean bike for next ride.

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Good Sunday ride

I woke up this morning to the smell of smoke. The kind of smell that only a local wildfire can create. I was a little worried that a fire might have sparked up around us, but learned later that the fires all the way from L.A. that we saw first hand yesterday, the smoke had made it all the way down here. Those fires yesterday in L.A. looked like a nuclear blast had gone off in the foothills. The towering smoke plumes were something to behold and scary at the same time.
Where was I? By the time I got on my bike it was 6:20am and was a bit chilly and initially had wished I brought my arm warmers, but quickly became apparent the the weather was going to be quite warm. By the time I finished the ride it was 90 degrees at 10:30am. Way too hot for me and riding as hard as I do.
I made it all the way up Torrey Pines grade once again and did it faster than I have ever done it. I think the combination of the new cassette with the 27 tooth cog, the carbo loading I did with my secret weapon(speghetios), and the leg workouts I have been doing at the gym have really helped. I finished the bike path from College to the coast in record time riding westbound. My average speed was 19.4mph and did the bike path in 34 minutes to start the bike ride.
Personal note: I need to re-adjust my left cleat to pronate more toward the center instead of how I have them now.
About 17 miles in to my ride I had one of those moments that really has motivated me stick to riding and do what I can with it to make me a better person physically and mentally and do whatever I can with it to make this world a better place. OK, Im getting a little off course, but I was cruising about 21-22mph and this solo biker passed me doing at least 25-27mph, but the first thing I notice is his prosthetic leg from the knee down. I was so completely impressed that I realized that some people with handicaps use that as their motivation to be better than good. This guy would have blown by really good riders with two good legs. I thought I would just share that and maybe help motivate those that have or think they have a handicap for one reason or another and to use that as their strength in one form or another.
Total miles: 62
Total odometer 1717.

For donations:
http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

New YMCA membership

I've had gym memberships before in the past, but it usually ends up being a complete waste of money and time because you usually have to drive to where you are going and then work out amongst all of the other meat heads and hamster hyper "aerobies" that seem to be there for the meat market appeal rather than focusing on a healthy lifestyle and improving their chances at longevity on this earth. There's more steroids floating about these places then there are dumbbell or is that the other way around???
I recently purchased a family membership at the "Joe and Mary Mottino" YMCA and I can say that this is a place where one can go to find a healthy balance between real, caring employees and volunteers and member/patrons that are there to make the best of what it is intended for. A safe, family oriented organization, structured classes and workshops that are there for the community and those in it.
Best of all, this YMCA is 15 minutes away on foot, has a pool that we now consider the community pool because it is so close, a full featured gym with free weights and the habitrails for the "aerobies" and no one cares how you look, who you are with and no one looks like the unnatural -Lou Ferrigno. Man, the last two evenings have been some of the best workouts I have ever had. The only thing I will miss are the raquetball courts. My old knees have no quick lateral step to them anyway, so raquesball is really not an option for me anyway. Only a fond memory now...
I'm hoping now that the strength building leg workouts will transfer to more efficient hill climbing on the bike. The primary reason for the YMCA membership was for focused leg strength, but it turns out that this membership is one of the best investments I've made in a LONG time.

To donate to finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Ride with the new cassette and cleats

I finally got my new cassette for climbing the hills and installed it friday evening. I also purchased some new cleats for my shoes that needed replacing. With all the vibration and jarring of a road bike it seems that screws, nut and bolts need tightning more than I realized. I'm probably falling apart and just don't know it. I had lost two screws from one of my cleats that holds the cleat on the shoe and it became so loose it had started to affect my ability to even pedal correctly, especially up hills. Anyway, I installed my new cassette and replaced the new cleats on my shoes and woke up early (5am) Saturday morning for a ride. I stuck my head outside to see how the weather was. The forecast was for rain and very breezy(gusts to 20 mph). I had to check because our weather people in San Diego are quite often so far off. They really shouldn't be paid for what they do here in paradise. 99% of the time, depending on where you live in the county it is cool in the morning, warming up in the afternoon and sunny by 9am. If you can say this, it qualifies you to predict the weather in San Diego. So based on the "actual" weather (breezy and light sprinkles) outside and the local radar that showed scattered precipitation, I decided to call off the ride and concentrate on a new gym routine that I have worked in to my training. Slicks on wet pavement just don't go well with eachother.
I got a new family membership at the local YMCA. It is so close that we can walk to it within 15 minutes, workout and walk back home. Needless to say, I'm stoked that I did this. It was a great workout Saturday. This morning, Sunday I decided to go for a ride because the weather was once again perfect, but I have to tell you I won't be doing a leg workout the day before a long ride again. Ouch! Im a bit sore after todays ride. I did 59 miles to Torrey Pines state park and back. After the ride I made some big changes to angle of my cleat positions, but other than that it was a great ride. Looking forward to a mid week workout again and then a weekend ride. I will start my midweek rides back up after next weekend or possibly after Labor Day weekend once all the tourist leave our coastlines. TOO DANGEROUS out there during the week.

Help finish MS: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

New Shimano Ultegra 12-27 (10 speed) cassette

After discussing the route for the MS ride and the hills it includes, I decided to add two more teeth to my largest cog on my bikes rear cassette. It doesn't sound like much but it will help. Unfortunately I had to replace the entire set of 10 cogs to get the one that had 27 teeth instead of 25 that I have now. Not cheap!
I can't wait to try it out! I'll report back after I've installed and rode the local hills since I have a good idea of the hills that we will be climbing on October 10th. I also found out that the first day of riding will be about 105-106 miles. We won't even hit the hills until about mile 65, so I have not only committed myself to getting, installing and training with the new cog set; I am also committed to losing 15-20 more pounds before October 10th. That may be my biggest challenge yet without losing any muscle mass...

Great ride and new MS ride buddy source

Yesterday I started my day early, once again, at 5am to be on the bike path by 6am. There's nothing better from my perspective to start your day this way. This early the breeze that is typical on the first 7-8 miles of my ride are non-existent and really gives you an idea what your top cruising speed is without a head wind and doesn't drain me before my ride has even really begun. I ended up riding all the way down to Torrey Pines and up the hill to the state park, which was more difficult than I thought but rewarding nonetheless.
I did have one issue with a peddle cleat mating correctly, but I figured that out after two or three attempts to fix them incorrectly. Once I got that corrected I found some serious speed, which I will be trying to implement with the other side of the crankset.
I ended up meeting up with another rider that will be in his fifth MS ride this October. He rode with me all the way to the end of my ride and we discussed routes and prep and a ride that 8-10 of us will be riding on September 12th that entails the northern route from Huntington Beach to Solana Beach. This will cover about 80 miles of the MS bike route. I'm grateful for meeting up with riders that have this perspective of the ride and how to prepare. We are less than two months away and I feel confident but a little intrepid about my first century ride. Im hoping that I can ride with these guys during the MS ride to help with the moral support and pacing, but if not Im sure I'll be surrounded by others who are just as supportive. I'm really looking forward to it...
Oh yeah, almost forgot. I rode 61 miles yesterday.

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Wednesday evening ride 8/12/09

I rode 46 miles last night with full night riding gear. I didn't need it though as I returned to my car by 7:45 and didn't feel like riding any longer as traffic is just getting out of control in these waning days of summer. Rush hour mixed in with tourists trying to squeeze as much out of their summer vacations as possible and quite honeslty are not watching the road, pedestrians and riders, especially on PCH. If I don't return for a ride one day, you might just find me strung out on the cement on PCH in Luecadia. I'm going to have to change up my training schedule a bit because of these dangers. I won't do a weekday evening ride until September, which might bring down my average miles, but I'll combine my early weekend ride with some weight training. Summer, summer go away!!! Or should I say tourists???

Want to help eliminate MS?: http://www.biketofinishms.com/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=304333&supid=259559506

Self Tune-Up and Night Rides Preparation

Yesterday I completed, what I thought, was a pretty good tune-up on my bike. It has not even been a month since I took it in for service, but the chain, cassette and deraillers were really getting gunked up with road residue and caked on chain lube.

After a good 3 hours of general frame, wheel and components cleaning, I removed the rear wheel cassette and chain and degreased them.

The more I ride, the more I see bikes that really should look and run a lot better than they do. In my earlier days I detailed cars and attention to detail for cleanliness has really stuck with me to this day on cars and now to bikes. I see some newer bikes out there that just look "ratty" and not taken care of. Maybe I'm missing something and the "ratty" look might just be a badge of honor...? I had one guy, not too long ago mention "Did you get yourself a new set of wheels?" I don't think it was a question as much as a poke at how clean it was. I'm not much in to changing out bikes once they get so dirty and un-maintenanced that they don't work the way they were intended. If you care for your investment and maintain it the way it was intended, it will reward you with many miles and years of service. That is my goal and why you just might see this type of post on a regular basis.

As a side note to this post, I also wanted to mention that I adapted the bike to night rides, if neccessary. It is almost dark/dark by 8pm now and I don't want to get caught out in the dark again with no lights like I was last thursday evening. I use "Super Flash" by Planet Bike for my rear light: http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3034.html

and the "Hi-Flux LED" by Cygolite for my headlight in situations where I know I'll be out later than usual: http://cygolite.com/products/new/HiFlux2/HiFlux2LED.html

Despite another flat, it was a great ride!

I got started today at 5:00am and on the road by 6:15am from the bike trail off College. I was going to go to the coast and take Cannon Road to head inland from there to train a bit on some rolling hills to prepare for the MS ride, but decided to go down to the Del Mar train station and back. While heading back north, I caught up to a large peloton(50-60 riders) and have to tell you it was so much fun knowing I can keep up with the club riders and maintain in a large group of cyclist with the same interest in bikes that I have, until I got the flat. It did turn out to be a slow leak which was nice, so it gave me plenty of warning and another cyclist noticed it too so I pulled off out of the peloton to fix the flat. I carry plenty of equiptment to change a tire, but did almost find myself in a pickle because the first tube actually had a pinch in a location other than where the nail was sticking out my tire, so I had to replace the flat with a new tube, which wasn't a problem but I only had enough air to refill that tube with about 40 lbs of pressure instead of the 140 I usually ride with. This happened because I use a CO2 cartridge to fill my tubes back up and not a traditional bike pump, which will get me in to trouble one of these days. Hmmm maybe I should look into getting a pump... They say flats like these come in streaks...
I decided to make a "B-line" home, which still ended up being right around 53 miles round trip, but would have been nice to take the inland route home to test my training development. Despite the flat and slow pace home, I was still making good time and the ride was extremely rewarding once again.

Great ride last night

The ride yesterday evening got off to a late start. I had to get Sereina to her swim lesson, which didn't end until 4:30. I got on the bike right around 5:30 and planned to ride until 8:30. I'm glad that I decided to turn around at Swami's last night because it gets dark a lot sooner than it did just three weeks ago when I was out that late. I got back to the park at College at about 8:10 and it was nearly completely dark. I might just have to get the night riding equipment out already.

The ride was a nice 42 miler. As you can see from the video that the turnaround point is a nice spot to take a rest and a drink for 5-10 minutes or so. The north to south headwind was a bit much but made for a good physical ride back from Swami's. I'm also posting a new picture of my bike and the new Michelin Pro IIIs I just installed. So far, the best tire I have ever been on. The red, grey and black doesn't hurt either... Have a great weekend!

I rode up Torrey Pines grade today...

I put my new tires on yesterday and the red, black and grey matched my bike to a "T"! Looks great!
This morning I was up before the sun was and was on my bike by 6am. I set off for Del Mar. I ended up going south of Scripps Hospital on N. Torrey Pines Road to Genessee. I really felt good about getting up Torrey Pines grade and back down(top speed 40 mph). Until I got about 10 miles from home. I guess the one serving of lasagna wan't enough to keep my energy up. I pretty much bonked, but made it back to the park from where I started. Average speed slumped to 16.5 mph though... Nutrition will have to be one of my priorities when planning these long rides as well as for the MS ride in October. Im sure there will be stations to refuel along the way for the MS ride, but don't want to have to depend on that.
Despite the sluggish end, the ride was a success because of the hills climbed and 65 miles. That's 105 miles in 48 hours. I'm feeling more confident to knock out the century rides at this point and I still have over two months to prepare for my first in October.

Christmas is just around the corner...

(Click on the title) I'm only dreaming at this point, but I'm sure this would be exactly what the doctor ordered for enhancing my training and ride focus... WOW!
Anyone reading? Christmas??? My Birthday is in September...

Blown Tire!

Well, just beyond the 1300 mile mark, my front tire decided that it couldn't take it anymore and blew up. I thought somebody was shooting at me with a .22 until I remembered I was in Encinitas. Luckily it gave me a fair amount of time before it took it took a turn for the worst. The bead on the tire actually came loose from the wheel. Probably too much pressure. One of the unfortunate evils of being a heavy rider on a bike that was designed for riders almost half my size is that tire pressures have to be high in order to reduce another type of flat(the notorious tire/wheel pinch). I planned ahead and already have a nice set of Michelin Pro IIIs to replace the original tires I have had since I purchased the bike back in December. I'll probably ride these same tires right through the MS ride and change shortly after based on the history and longevity of the last set.
Other than the blow-out, it was a nice 42 mile ride down to Swamis and back.(my favorite ride) This ride has much of what I'm going to expect on the MS ride.

Sunday July 19th Ride

What a perfect 60 mile bike ride! Woke up at the crazy hour of 5am to start my ride by 6:10 so that I could get a nice long bike ride in before the day even started for most of the family. Once I was pretty excited to get out today so waking up was not a problem. Working in retail for so many years made it a little easier as well.
Rode from the bike trail at College to the coast and down and back from Torrey Pines State Preserve/Reserve... Overall great ride! Will have to tackle the infamous Torrey Pines grade sooner or later. It will be part of the MS ride and probably my biggest obstacle right now. I'll get there.
We're having a four year birthday party today for my baby girl Sereina! Happy Birthday to you Sereina! Daddy loves you!

That bee meant business!

If you haven't been stung by a bee or haven't in a long while let me throw a bit of advice your way. If you have been so unlucky to have been stung by a bee and are able to see or reach the spot where the bee stung you don't panic. The pain you suffer initially is nothing compared to the pain you will feel later if you don't do what I suggest here... In the past several years, I have been stung in places that are unreachable or not visible. In the middle of my back or top of my head where I'm not apt to make a mistake after the bee stings me. Once stung, I usually ask someone to help out by taking the stinger out. In those cases, those individuals must have known what to do in these cases. First of all, never use your fingers to pull out a stinger. After reading the different techniques to remove a bee stinger and post bee sting preparation I realized I did everything you shouldn't do and that which could cause the most damage from that initial bee sting. I used my fingers to pull it out, apparently causing as much "bee venom" to be squeezed into my left quadracept. I can tell you from experience that this muscle does more for a bike rider than any other. I continued to ride my bike for another 25 miles or so spreading the poison deeper into the muscle tissue. By mid morning yesterday, my left quad was twice the size of my right quad muscle. It hurt to stand on as I could feel all the blood rushing to that spot of my leg. It was physically warmer compared to my right leg and harder from the swelling. I have never had this type of reaction from a bee sting, but wanted to warn those of you who inevitably will get stung by a bee and how to remove a bee stinger. The steps are pretty simple really. You take a credit card or drivers license(something everyone has on them at any given point in time) and scrape the stinger off with the edge of the credit card. This will minimize the amount of venom that is released into the muscle tissue and blood stream. If you have available an antiseptic cleaner or insect bite cream apply that asap and cover with a bandage for 20-30 mintes and remove so that the bite area can breath.
I've learned my lesson. I will be carrying with me some bite cream and antiseptic, which doesn't take up much space at all.
I am sidelined from a bike ride today simply because I don't know how my leg will react to swelling once I elevate my heart rate. The swelling seems to be subsiding today, but reports that I have read say 48 hours to one week before swelling subsides. It has been about 40 hours since the sting. Im really anxious to get out and ride, but want to play it safe. I will update tomorrow and hopefully will be reporting on how great the ride was in the morning.

Ride on July 16th

Last night I took a late afternoon ride and in my haste, I did not nutrition/carb up enough to get me through a good ride. Poor planning and I was excited to try the tuned bike.
I also rotated my tires from front to back for the first time. I have a new set but dont want to put them on until just before the MS ride. These tires are not cheap, but you can not pay for safety and puncture resistance, so I don't skimp on tires. I have put almost 1300 miles on this first set and have a had no flats on either tire. Really amazing if you consider where I ride, my weight and the hazards that I have run over. I would highly recommend the Micheling Race Pro IIs. If you can't find these, get the Pro IIIs. Feedback and reviews have come back just as favorable.
I can't end this post without mentioning the bee that stung me on my ride. Four miles into the 31 I rode I was stung by a bee. I stopped took the still wiggling stinger out of my leg and kept on riding. I probably should have stopped and rode back from there, but I didn't. My leg started to swell up after the ride. This morning it just feels hot and itchy, but no worse for the wear. The funny thing is I was stung in the same spot just about one month ago in the same ride location. I was stung on the top of the head that time. The little bugger got stuck in my helmet and decided to sting his way out. If this is all I have to deal with as far as bike injuries go, I'll take a bee sting...

I got my bike back!

I picked up the bike last night. It was in for a much needed tune-up. I havn't taken it out for a ride yet, but it looks brand new again. I maintain and keep it pretty clean, but I took it in looking pretty beat up after that brutal bike ride on Sunday and the guys at "Bicycle Warehouse" did a great job as far as what the bike looks like. I can't wait to see how it handles as far as how precise the front and rear derailers go.
My plans for a ride tonight are sidelined until tomorrow. Martha has an association meeting. I probably need the rest anyway. Plans for rides the rest of the week are Thursday and Saturday. Anticipated total mileage for both should be around 75-100 miles depending on how early I can get up Saturday morning. It is supposed to be hot again this weekend and I don't want to be out any later than noon.

How important is the MS bike ride to me?

When I planned the MS bike ride, I was so excited that I could do something that I really enjoyed and could help with a cause that has affected my family and me in personal ways.

I was so excited that I didn't even check my events calendar. I was going to do it!
Well, most of you know how much I love my NASCAR. The California race that I have been going to for years is scheduled the same weekend and it is the speedways first "chase race", which is like a playoff game in other sports.
When I realized this, I didn't even think twice about the MS ride. I am committed to this event 100%.
I do have 4 tickets to the NASCAR races for both October 10th Nationwide race and October 11th Sprint cup race and will be selling my ticket on Stubhub.com by August 1st so that the proceeds will go to the MS ride unless I get an offer I can refuse before then. I'm willing to take trades in kind as well for the remaining ticktets.

Thank you!

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have supported me thus far so that I can do my little part in eliminating MS from our planet by doing what I love. Thank you for your support through my Facebook cause page at: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/309283/62360556?m=f3643606

Those of you who have shown support through this portal, please help me by passing this on to your Facebook contacts. We can use all the support we can get...

Don't forget to check out my regularly updated blog for my training progress and news here: http://mikewillbiketofinishms.blogspot.com/

With out my bike I don't ride. With out your support Multiple Sclerosis wins the battle.

Bike is in for a much needed tune-up

After yesterdays ride, I took my bike in for a much needed tune up. I got this bike new about seven months ago and started riding it regularly by mid february and have over 1200 miles on the bikes computer odometer. I know enough to get myself in to trouble when it comes to fine tuning a bike, so I'm leaving it up to the pros and hopefully it will be like new again when I get it back. It is supposed to be done by Tuesday. I'll go for my second ride this week either that day or Wednesday depending on the rest of the families plans.

Sunday July 12th

I was set on taking a nice long bike ride to Torrey Pines today to get a feel for one of the notoriouly tough hills that runs along the coast from North County to San Diego up the "Torrey Pines grade." My plans were sidelined somewhat with the triathlon that was being held on the coast in Carlsbad. I made it to Carlsbad, but had to climb over Tamarack and then up and down some pretty good sized hills to La Costa Ave, which was a bit of a challenge for this old guy that is not a hill climber, but I made it to Solana Beach train station and back the same route. Whew! 62 miles total.

Thursday July 9th ride

I got a little carried away and did 49.67 miles. Actually started from my house at the top of Old Grove Road and College instead of the bike path at College. This was a major step and hurdle for me as it throws new challenges like elevation gains that I have not done at my current weight and age. 20 years ago it would have been a challenge. I completed a 50 mile bike ride and the elevation gain at the very end of the ride. Sky is the limit! Let's go kick some MS ass!

Ride schedule changed

I did not end up going for a ride yesterday as planned. Martha had a meeting, so a little rearranging of the schedule here is in order.
Planned ride this evening - goal 30-40 miles and Saturday morning 45-60 miles. This weeks anticipated miles 120 - 145 miles combined with the 45 miles I did earlier in the week. Both rides today and Saturday will be "the bike path" from College to the coast and ride south no further than Del Mar train depot.
For longer rides, I'll push futher to the top of Torrey Pines and then to La Jolla and back, but for now these rides are what I am to expect as far as elevation changes on the MS ride.
If there are any riders in North County that follow here that would like to join me in a ride, please let me know.

Bay to Bay Bike to fight Multiple Sclerosis

Did I mention that I was doing this ride for charity???
If you can support my efforts to support the National MS Society please see my site here: http://www.biketofinishms.com/mikebike

7/6/09 - Rode 5:30-8:30 45 miles to Charlie's by the Sea in Cardiff from bike path at College. Average ride speed 17.5mph

Next planned ride 7/8/09 and 7/10/09 to make up for lost riding time during first week of July.

The training schedule has been rolled out from the first week of July 2009 to the first week of October. The Bike to Finish MS is schduled for October 10th and 11th. Relatively flat, coastal ride of 150 miles. There won't be one single day that I anticipate riding a century ride to prepare for this ride due to time and the lack of a support team or someone that can commit to the same 100 miles in a given day.
The planned training includes 75 miles, on average, per week in the months of July and August. September, I will bump this up to 120 miles per week to get acclimated to longer rides and pacing myself instead of going all out on typical bike rides. I also plan on taking the last 7 days leading up to the ride off as a "recovery period". Nothing does a body good like rest.

I'm confident that this ride will be a successful one for personal reasons as well as for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society from bikers like myself, "virtual riders" and support from friends and family that have supported all of the pieces to this puzzle. I'm also confident that with the collective support such as this our children and their children will only about Multiple Sclerosis by reading about it in a text book and never have to experience a loved one with MS or afflicted themselves with this debilitating desease.