The Blog Within

Have I mentioned that I really like my new GPS?

In my previous post I discussed the GPS views of my bike commute in detail, so this is just an update showing the elevation profile in reverse.

So THAT’S why it takes me a bit longer to get home than it does to get to work…

This past weekend I picked up a new toy, the Earthmate Blue Logger GPS from DeLorme. This is quite possibly the coolest gadget I have ever owned, and I will devote a whole post to it later.

Meanwhile, the first official function of my new toy was to track my bike commute this morning. 

Here is my bike ride overlayed on the map, courtesy of Trimble Outdoors:

 

And also the elevation profile:

I had suspected that the overall trend was slightly downhill going to work, and the chart proves it. More surprising was the amount of climbing I’ve been doing every day. I really had no idea! 2,178.5 feet every day that I commute…..WOW!

My speed numbers are about where I knew them to be based on my cycling computer:

So there you have it, the morning half of my daily bike commute, in a nutshell!

Seen on the trail this (Friday) morning:

A pheasant and a herd of 17 deer!

This is a beautiful trail that is everything you’d expect from Colorado singletrack. It is also 3,400 feet of climbing, a lot of it technical over roots and rocks and more roots, and it stays at or above 10,000 feet for the most of the way, topping out at 11,800. It is definitely NOT for the faint of heart!

It is actually a section of the Colorado Trail and heads west from the Kenosha Pass trailhead parking lot. The first section of the trail is a mild climb that breaks out over an amazing view of the valley and then a smooth, fast decent through some trees at first, and then across an open meadow. Yes, you have to climb this on the way back out, 20+ miles later… After bottoming out just past the meadow (watch out for the irrigation ditch near the bottom) the trail starts the long climb to Georgia pass.  

  
Photo: Courtesy of Devin Lenz

There are some ups and downs, but overall the direction is up. If you are not a natural climber, then the only saving grace here is that you get to ride back down this section on the way back, and FAST! Eventually the trail breaks out of the treeline, and you get to see the climbers up at the top of the pass. You continue to see them…for a while, until finally, push, pull or drag, you make it to the pass for food and photos!

 
Photo: Courtesy of Devin Lenz

From here there are two ways to descend; back the way you came, or down the Jefferson trail, which is a bit more technical, but allegedly a lot of fun. If you return the way you came, you get about 2500 feet or so of  of fast technical descent, and then the long climb back over the meadow. Thankfully, the last section of the trail is pleasantly down hill and you arrive back at the parking lot with a smile on your face and looking like you rode the whole thing that way!  

Photo: Courtesy of Devin Lenz

This was my first outing with B.O.M.B. (Believers on Mountain Bikes) and IC³ (International Christian Cycling Club) and I was very impressed at the organization and turnout. At the trailhead, we separated into two groups: expert and intermediate, each with a leader and a sweeper. 

It has been said that to become a better rider, you should ride with people are better than you are currently, and I definitely did this! Skill-wise I felt that fit in OK, but I need some improvement in stamina. These folks have been riding together all season, and it shows! I rode pretty much to the treeline, but then had to take my bike for a walk from there to the pass. Ditto on the climb back out. I hate having to do that, but unfortunately, sometimes it can’t be helped. That being said, however, I may have unintentionally sabotaged my physical condition before this ride. Let me explain.

At 6:00AM I grabbed a light breakfast and a small coffee, no big deal. On the way to the trailhead I felt a little “off” and not wanting to have to deal with “that” on the trail, I decided to pop a couple of Immodium tablets. Then at the trailhead and along the trail I ate my usual Gu gels, which of course contain caffeine. I was also doing a really good job drinking from Jen’s camelbak, which I had borrowed since it holds 30% more water than mine and has room for extra clothing. To make a long story really short, I peed…a lot, and frequently. It turns out the one thing you’re not supposed to take with Immodium is caffeine. Oops!!! We will not be making that mistake again. Now granted I have a ways to go fitness-wise, but I’m fairly certain rapidly dehydrating myself at the beginning of this ride played into how much I struggled later on. I look forward to doing this ride again sometime, not pharmaceutically enhanced, for a comparison.

On a separate note, my trusty Rockhopper endured yet another beating, but Sunday when I was cleaning it, I found a bunch of weird grease all over my front wheel. Upon turning it over, I discovered one of the foot-nuts on the bottom of the fork had fallen off, letting all the oil drain out from that leg. So that was the weird noise I kept hearing on the downhill sections.  So for now, I swapped out my fork for the leaky OEM Manitou so I can at least commute to work with it while I search for a replacement part for the Marzocchi, and/or a new full suspension mountain bike.
Tomorrow is my birthday, so who knows, maybe I’ll get a shiny new Yeti…

“That which does not kill me leaves me in pain and wishing for death.”

In addition to mountain biking with the guys from church, tomorrow I am hooking up with the Denver chapter of BOMB International to ride the Kenosha Pass trail.

While not an IMBA epic like Monarch Crest, at 23 miles in length and around 10,000 feet elevation, it will certainly feel epic. After completing Monarch Crest several weeks ago, I feel confident in my ability to keep up with the pack, and I am very much looking forward to using what I learned there, combined with the fitness I’ve gained from bike commuting. I’m hoping for a really great time on this ride!

Several weeks ago a lot of cyclist bloggers took issue with an ad campaign sponsored by the State of Delaware.

If you accept the premise, as most did, that this campaign is intended to instruct drivers on how to effectively kill a cyclist, then you will agree that in Asia they are much more direct in their approach.

On the seventh anniversary of the unprovoked and violent attacks by Islamic jihadists on civilian targets in the US, many bloggers are sharing their memories from that fateful Tuesday morning. 

My 9/11 memory is actually from Friday 9/14. I was talking with one of the auditors at the bank where I worked at the time while she was examining a report of recent wire transfers. She noticed a transfer sent to us from 1 World Trade Center, 101st Floor at 8:30 AM 9/11/01, just sixteen minutes before the plane hit several floors below. The transfer record included the company and the sender’s name. She simply commented, “Wow, the person who initiated this transfer is probably dead now.”

If Isaac Newton had used clipless pedals, he would have discovered the principle of gravity much sooner.