Thank you to all the folks who offered me a tube or to help me fix my flat tire on my trip back to my place! For everyone who passed and didn't say anything or laughed...well...I would have still offered you help if you were broken down.
My tire went flat about 2.5 miles into my ride. My stupid ass old MTB rims SUCK!!!! I'm throwing that shit away. I'll just swap tires on my new kick-ass Mavic rims if I want to ride the MTB slicks on the road. However, the WTB Graffiti tire was strong enough to hold on the rim and let me keep a 7mph pace back home instead of hoofing it. Obviously I didn't care for the rim at that moment.
Bottom line, swapped wheels, back out by 6:30pm and got 27 miles in! Can't hold me down! :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Group Ride Fun and Pissing People Off!!!
So, I showed up at the regular Thursday night Akron Bike Club group ride sporting my 26 pound Trek Fuel EX 8. I got plenty of funny looks from all of the shaved legged roadies on there carbon fiber rigs waiting to eat me alive! I loved every minute of it and on top of that I wore my Red Riders jersey so everyone new I was a diabetic. It was pretty warm yesterday making me nervous as to whether or not I could keep the road pace, even though I have switched out my tires to use my dirt jump slicks.
We headed out and around in the valley, much to my surprise I was in the lead group of about 5 riders or so. They would try to speed up and I was right with them. People would try to pass me and nudge me out of line and I wouldn't let them, I even took my turns pulling at the front. Then came the first hill and up I went, this is where I felt the heat. My heart rate danced at about 192 bpm! Finally at the top I was the 4th person to finish out of 20!
From there we cruised around the top of the valley before dropping back in at Boston Mills road. We cruised on Riverview Road for a little while before heading back to the parking lot. A few guys peeled off to add some more hills to their day the rest were heading back. I kindly said goodbye at the 303 interaction so I didn't have to ride to the lot to ride back to go home.
The stunned crowd asked, "You rode here???". Heck yeah! Jaws were agape when I said maybe next week I'll bring my road bike! lol!
The final summary was 33 miles at a 17.08 mph pace. If I didn't chill out on the way home my pace for the fist 25 miles was 17.8mph. I was asked no less than 4 times to please stop making people look back. They can buy a MTB for group rides if they want to kick-ass as well! :)
Happy Friday!!!
We headed out and around in the valley, much to my surprise I was in the lead group of about 5 riders or so. They would try to speed up and I was right with them. People would try to pass me and nudge me out of line and I wouldn't let them, I even took my turns pulling at the front. Then came the first hill and up I went, this is where I felt the heat. My heart rate danced at about 192 bpm! Finally at the top I was the 4th person to finish out of 20!
From there we cruised around the top of the valley before dropping back in at Boston Mills road. We cruised on Riverview Road for a little while before heading back to the parking lot. A few guys peeled off to add some more hills to their day the rest were heading back. I kindly said goodbye at the 303 interaction so I didn't have to ride to the lot to ride back to go home.
The stunned crowd asked, "You rode here???". Heck yeah! Jaws were agape when I said maybe next week I'll bring my road bike! lol!
The final summary was 33 miles at a 17.08 mph pace. If I didn't chill out on the way home my pace for the fist 25 miles was 17.8mph. I was asked no less than 4 times to please stop making people look back. They can buy a MTB for group rides if they want to kick-ass as well! :)
Happy Friday!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
My July
July has been great so far! Had a crazy busy holiday weekend and now I'm settling in for some training during the dog days of summer! I have some races and whatnots coming up:
July 18: MTB Time Trial at The Thorn
July 25: OMBC Race at Alum Creek SP
Aug 7: Big Bear Lake MTB Ultra (50 miles)
Sept 18: 12 Hours of Mohican
Sept 25: West Branch SP
I'll keep myself busy in between! Tonight I'm taking my MTB with slicks on to the Akron bike club ride. I'll either show the roadies what's up or embarrass myself! :)
July 18: MTB Time Trial at The Thorn
July 25: OMBC Race at Alum Creek SP
Aug 7: Big Bear Lake MTB Ultra (50 miles)
Sept 18: 12 Hours of Mohican
Sept 25: West Branch SP
I'll keep myself busy in between! Tonight I'm taking my MTB with slicks on to the Akron bike club ride. I'll either show the roadies what's up or embarrass myself! :)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Almost forgot!!!
Mohican MTB 100, 700+ riders started. 287 finished. Great job to those that survived!!! :)
Mohican MTB 100 Race Report Part 2
We were awoken at 4am by the continuance of thundershowers moving through the area. It poured so hard that it woke up my girl. Buckets, cats, dogs, the works. Uggg, was the only thing going through my head. My stomach hurt I was so at odds. I had busted my ass training for this race and now everything was jacked. Since my girl was awake she calmed me down and reminded me I didn't bust my ass to let a little rain slow me down. Damn right!!!
So we packed up and headed to the start line. The weather broke right before the 5 mile trip to the start. We found a great parking place for me to get ready and it was close to the bathroom!
Now I'm not sure where everyone came from be there were over 700 riders that started the day. It certainly didn't seem like there were that many cars around.
Here I am getting ready, having no idea what lie ahead.
Warming up, getting the blood flowing.
Here is everyone at the start.
I'm in the middle pedaling my little heart out.
Thus we were off, the first few miles are along roads until you are out of town. There roads go straight up BTW. Then we hit the mud. It was every where and deep! It was just a plain mess. I was moving along okay but slow for the first 20 miles or so and then I started to notice a problem. My chain was not shifting into the upper 3 rings on the cassette, then the top 4. WTF!!! There was so much mud every where that I couldn't see what was what down there. At the first aid station I was able to splash a cup of water on but it didn't help much. The peeps at the station said station two had power washers so I pressed on. It was tough though, I only really had three speeds that I could bounce around in the front chain rings. My bike slowly becoming useless against the mud, I needed the upper chain rings. I finally made it to the second aid station about 36 miles in and cleaned off the bike. Nothing doing. It was still jacked.
After some thinking and cursing I decided to pull out. It wasn't worth destroying my entire drivetrain. I tucked my tail between my legs and headed back to the finish line to meet up with my girl. She helped me scrape up my ego and pack everything up. She had mentioned she was worried about me and I asked why, she proceeded to tell me the tornado sirens were blaring and a tornado touched down about 8 mile north of where we were at.
Wow, news to me!!! Shortly after I arrived back it began to absolutely pour again. :( Covered in mud I was able to find a shower to stand in with all of my gear on and slowly strip down and try to clean everything off.
Next time, there will always be a next time. I'm in the best riding shape of my life and I don't intend to waste it!!!
Here's a picture of me in action.
We packed up and headed to Columbus for my good friends wedding.
Bottom line, my chain seized up on me. I had to take it off and throw it away before we even made it home. You know what that means??? Yes, time to upgrade! I know have a 9-speed KMC chain that is titanium and nickel plated. Hopefully problem solved!
As for the poison ivy, I had it everywhere. Apparently I didn't do a great job washing my hands after handling my bike. It was all over my face. I toughed it out and it has all cleared up now.
Additional pictures and videos courtesy of people other than me!
http://www.vimeo.com/12351313
http://teambikesour ce.myphotoalbum. com/view_ album.php? set_albumName= album102
http://picasaweb.google.com/waderlewis/MOHICAN100MILEMTBRACE?feat=email#
So we packed up and headed to the start line. The weather broke right before the 5 mile trip to the start. We found a great parking place for me to get ready and it was close to the bathroom!
Now I'm not sure where everyone came from be there were over 700 riders that started the day. It certainly didn't seem like there were that many cars around.
Here I am getting ready, having no idea what lie ahead.
Warming up, getting the blood flowing.
Here is everyone at the start.
I'm in the middle pedaling my little heart out.
Thus we were off, the first few miles are along roads until you are out of town. There roads go straight up BTW. Then we hit the mud. It was every where and deep! It was just a plain mess. I was moving along okay but slow for the first 20 miles or so and then I started to notice a problem. My chain was not shifting into the upper 3 rings on the cassette, then the top 4. WTF!!! There was so much mud every where that I couldn't see what was what down there. At the first aid station I was able to splash a cup of water on but it didn't help much. The peeps at the station said station two had power washers so I pressed on. It was tough though, I only really had three speeds that I could bounce around in the front chain rings. My bike slowly becoming useless against the mud, I needed the upper chain rings. I finally made it to the second aid station about 36 miles in and cleaned off the bike. Nothing doing. It was still jacked.
After some thinking and cursing I decided to pull out. It wasn't worth destroying my entire drivetrain. I tucked my tail between my legs and headed back to the finish line to meet up with my girl. She helped me scrape up my ego and pack everything up. She had mentioned she was worried about me and I asked why, she proceeded to tell me the tornado sirens were blaring and a tornado touched down about 8 mile north of where we were at.
Wow, news to me!!! Shortly after I arrived back it began to absolutely pour again. :( Covered in mud I was able to find a shower to stand in with all of my gear on and slowly strip down and try to clean everything off.
Next time, there will always be a next time. I'm in the best riding shape of my life and I don't intend to waste it!!!
Here's a picture of me in action.
We packed up and headed to Columbus for my good friends wedding.
Bottom line, my chain seized up on me. I had to take it off and throw it away before we even made it home. You know what that means??? Yes, time to upgrade! I know have a 9-speed KMC chain that is titanium and nickel plated. Hopefully problem solved!
As for the poison ivy, I had it everywhere. Apparently I didn't do a great job washing my hands after handling my bike. It was all over my face. I toughed it out and it has all cleared up now.
Additional pictures and videos courtesy of people other than me!
http://www.vimeo.com/12351313
http://teambikesour ce.myphotoalbum. com/view_ album.php? set_albumName= album102
http://picasaweb.google.com/waderlewis/MOHICAN100MILEMTBRACE?feat=email#
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Mohican MTB 100 Race Report Part 1
I know better late than never!!!
I'm not sure where to begin, this was quite the weekend to remember.
Friday: In the morning I continued to pack and check things off of my list. My girlfriend said I was being to anal with my list and I said I will forget something for sure. So after getting made fun of a bit I finished gathering my gear and loaded up the car. My girlfriend had to work in the morning so around noon we ate lunch she finished up and we were on the road by about 2:30. Mohican is about an hour and twenty minutes or so away from Stow, OH.
It was pretty stormy with rain starting and stopping the whole way. As we were reaching the outskirts of Loudonville, I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach. I forgot my CamelBak bladder. The pack is useless without it and I have no other good way of carrying water on my FS MTB. So after I registered we went to check out the local bike shop to see if they had camelbak bladders of even the whole dang thing that I would just by, pack and all. Nothing, the closest store was back in Wooster. Keep in mind the Loudonville bike shop was about 1/3 bike gear and 2/3 auto parts store. Nice!
So back up to Wooster we went it was about a 20 mile trip back. We located the store, found a pack and grabbed some dinner before heading back to our hotel. Keep in mind heavy rain was turning on and off like a light switch at this point in time. So, on we forge to our hotel...well Motel I believe is the actual term. My girl was not exactly excited when I told her that the place was a Motel, they sound dirty and sketchy. This one wasn't horrible but it was pretty far away from civilization. It was called the Mohican River Inn and it was a quick 5 mile jaunt away from the start line. So we check in and unload the car, as we unloaded the parking lot quickly filed with more riders stopping to check in. So we unload the card and try to get comfortable while I work on getting my bike set for the morning. This is when we realized problem number two. I had forgotten to grab the garment bag hanging in the closet by the door full or our dress clothes for my very good friends wedding. :( Another plan was concocted that while I was riding my girlfriend would drive back to Wooster and go shopping for clothes. Needless to say she was much more excited about that than waiting 6 hours in Loudonville for me to finish.
Our motel room, note the cinder block walls like a prison cell!!!
The girlfriend, relaxing. BTW, she hates raccoons. Check out the art between the beds! lol!
Silly grin while getting the bike ready for the race. Note the flashy new Mavic Crosstrail rims and Kenda Karma tires! :)
I'm not sure where to begin, this was quite the weekend to remember.
Friday: In the morning I continued to pack and check things off of my list. My girlfriend said I was being to anal with my list and I said I will forget something for sure. So after getting made fun of a bit I finished gathering my gear and loaded up the car. My girlfriend had to work in the morning so around noon we ate lunch she finished up and we were on the road by about 2:30. Mohican is about an hour and twenty minutes or so away from Stow, OH.
It was pretty stormy with rain starting and stopping the whole way. As we were reaching the outskirts of Loudonville, I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach. I forgot my CamelBak bladder. The pack is useless without it and I have no other good way of carrying water on my FS MTB. So after I registered we went to check out the local bike shop to see if they had camelbak bladders of even the whole dang thing that I would just by, pack and all. Nothing, the closest store was back in Wooster. Keep in mind the Loudonville bike shop was about 1/3 bike gear and 2/3 auto parts store. Nice!
So back up to Wooster we went it was about a 20 mile trip back. We located the store, found a pack and grabbed some dinner before heading back to our hotel. Keep in mind heavy rain was turning on and off like a light switch at this point in time. So, on we forge to our hotel...well Motel I believe is the actual term. My girl was not exactly excited when I told her that the place was a Motel, they sound dirty and sketchy. This one wasn't horrible but it was pretty far away from civilization. It was called the Mohican River Inn and it was a quick 5 mile jaunt away from the start line. So we check in and unload the car, as we unloaded the parking lot quickly filed with more riders stopping to check in. So we unload the card and try to get comfortable while I work on getting my bike set for the morning. This is when we realized problem number two. I had forgotten to grab the garment bag hanging in the closet by the door full or our dress clothes for my very good friends wedding. :( Another plan was concocted that while I was riding my girlfriend would drive back to Wooster and go shopping for clothes. Needless to say she was much more excited about that than waiting 6 hours in Loudonville for me to finish.
Our motel room, note the cinder block walls like a prison cell!!!
The girlfriend, relaxing. BTW, she hates raccoons. Check out the art between the beds! lol!
Silly grin while getting the bike ready for the race. Note the flashy new Mavic Crosstrail rims and Kenda Karma tires! :)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Three days out
And I'm a little nervous. I've been training for this weekend since January. The Mohican 100K MTB race is this Saturday. I know I can do it but I'm getting butterflies right now as I think about it. I can't think about these meetings I'm in right now, all I can think about is riding.
I'm thankful for many things including the support of my girlfriend, my family, the guys at Eddy's Bike Shop and the bewildered stares I get from coworkers when I tell them what I'm doing.
I'm pumped to be riding with diabetes, after all we all ride for the thrill and challenge, I just have one little additional challenge. I rode a big chunk of this past Sunday but pulled out half way through the 2nd lap due to the heat. I felt good overall though. 90 degrees was just really hot and humid, especially in the woods! My legs felt good and I'll only be doing part of the crazy 25 mile loop before we jet out of the woods on to back roads and new courses. Much of the 100 mile and 100K course is on hiking trails and private property that is only open for riding this one day of the year. How cool is that?!?!?!?
I'm getting myself ready, slowly. Making sure nothing is forgotten. I'll keep you posted over the next few days and do my best to document and keep track of this incredible start to my 2010 season and endurance career!
In a lighter final note, I tried the new Snapple Trop-a-rocka ice tea that Bret Michaels created on the celebrity apprentice. It is probably one of the best diet drinks I've had. Way to go Bret!!! Try it for yourself, it also supports the American Diabetes Association!!!
I'm thankful for many things including the support of my girlfriend, my family, the guys at Eddy's Bike Shop and the bewildered stares I get from coworkers when I tell them what I'm doing.
I'm pumped to be riding with diabetes, after all we all ride for the thrill and challenge, I just have one little additional challenge. I rode a big chunk of this past Sunday but pulled out half way through the 2nd lap due to the heat. I felt good overall though. 90 degrees was just really hot and humid, especially in the woods! My legs felt good and I'll only be doing part of the crazy 25 mile loop before we jet out of the woods on to back roads and new courses. Much of the 100 mile and 100K course is on hiking trails and private property that is only open for riding this one day of the year. How cool is that?!?!?!?
I'm getting myself ready, slowly. Making sure nothing is forgotten. I'll keep you posted over the next few days and do my best to document and keep track of this incredible start to my 2010 season and endurance career!
In a lighter final note, I tried the new Snapple Trop-a-rocka ice tea that Bret Michaels created on the celebrity apprentice. It is probably one of the best diet drinks I've had. Way to go Bret!!! Try it for yourself, it also supports the American Diabetes Association!!!
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