Ride Report: R2R California Challenge, Day 7

There are bike rides and then there are Ride 2 Recovery rides.  One is pure fun and leisure, while the other is a testament to all things orderly, businesslike, safe, and efficient.  There is no "i" in teamwork and I felt that I was a part of something greater by participating in this ride.

79 miles, 6 hours 30 min, 12 mph, 4360 Calories

We had been wanting to try taking the train out to Ventura and riding either North or South from there and this organized ride gave us an opportunity to go for it.  Leaving work at 4pm on a Friday, we visited CycleWorld in Northridge for some last-minute adjustments to our bikes.  Then we hopped the Metrolink train to East Ventura station, arriving at almost 7pm.  We forgot our directions to the hotel, but Ventura has plenty of marked bicycle routes, and we followed the sunset West until we arrived at our destination.

A short walk to The Habit provided a Santa Barbara burger, Cesar salad, pastrami sandwich, and sweet potato fries.  We could see the meeting place from there, so we went to bed knowing we were very near the start of the next day's ride.  In the morning, we ate continental breakfast in the hotel: oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, potatoes, and sausage.  Also, the coffee was strong.  We headed over to the Crowne Plaza hotel and found a congregation of riders and support vehicles waiting.  Just before we left, we used the restroom and snagged a banana.

Most everyone there had been riding all week and were outfitted in the R2R jersey.  We did our best to fit in.  Mike had the R2R bibs and I had an R2R hat, but it was clear that we were "day riders" just joining for the last day of the challenge.  The ride briefing was informative and there was a speech from the city of Ventura.  At this point, we had no idea yet of the coordination that must have gone into planning a ride of this scale.  The riders were organized into groups: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta.  We opted to ride with Delta group (12 mph), thanks to the guidance of our friend who originally exposed us to R2R via a facebook event last year.

We rolled out to the sound of bagpipes and rode 2 by 2 alongside the Naval CBC Port Hueneme.  Folks came out and cheered us along.  We entered CA-1 (East Pacific Coast Highway) at Hueneme Rd.  Until this point, I did not realize how amazing the support was for the ride.  We didn't stop after this.  There were escort vehicles including motorcycles, police cars, fire engines, ambulances, and boats along the water.  They would sound their sirens and flash their lights and even blow a stream of water out to salute as we passed.  It was incredibly moving.  And we were literally moving!


Riding to our first rest stop, we chatted freely.  People started to wonder where we were stopping when a bathroom break was needed, but we all made it to Sycamore Canyon (Pt. Mugu) without much difficulty.  There were water bottles, Gatorade, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and port-a-potties for us to use.  Everyone was stretching and talking, making sure that all riders were doing OK.  There was a person making rounds with "second skin" spray for those who had spills on previous rides and had open sores that would have been painful if sweat dripped across them.  Torn shorts and jerseys were further evidence of difficulty on previous days' rides.

We rolled through Malibu (the "boo") and it was gorgeous.  The most striking thing about the ride was that we didn't have to fight traffic at all.  I would say the organizers did a fantastic job of streamlining our trip.  There were a few climbs, but nothing too grueling.  It was particularly exciting passing Neptune's Net and Moonshadows, two restaurants that I had always accessed by car.  We had a regroup stage at a parking lot in Topanga, just past Pepperdine University.  We were handed Gatorade chews and water bottles, much needed for the final climb to LA.

After joining all groups together we stepped up the pace to 16-19 mph.We arrived at the West LA VA Hospital just after 2pm.  A food truck from In-N-Out Burger provided us cheeseburgers and Lay's potato chips and we drank Gatorade and Coke Zero.  There were speeches and live music.  We stayed about an hour, then used the port-a-potties and headed out to Wilshire.  The ride home was uneventful (in a good way).  We took a "Copenhagen" left onto La Cienega to get up to Fountain Ave.  We rested at the top of the hill and then hurried across Fountain to the McDonalds before turning to Hyperion.  I had many moments along Fountain where I thought I couldn't make it all the way home, but we did it!

Our trip was epic.  We brought with us 6 Gu packets, one packet of Clif Blocks, one package of electrolyte Jelly Beans, a camera, two phones, our ID and health insurance cards, our train passes, one change of clothes, flip flops, 2 bike pumps, 2 spare tires, tools (Allen wrenches, patch kit, tire irons), sunscreen, chap stick, helmets, gloves, and bikes.  Traveling so light was liberating and we learned to trust our instincts and the power of riding with a large group.  We are looking forward to riding with R2R in the future, both for training rides and challenges.  It was humbling to be among so many motivated and inspiring leaders in cycling rehabilitation.

It's TIME: Pt. Reyes ~ Ride Report

A ride mapped on 03/21/2013 using a Garmin Forerunner 110

Sometimes when you do something so EPIC, you have to take a step back and see how that jewel fits into the crown of your existence.  This ride was certainly tops in LIFE so I have to express a bit of it here in my biking blog for posterity, of course.

A HUGE thanks to my dear aunt Anne for organizing and facilitating this transformative weekend. We took 1,066.27 ft of climbing in strong winds along Sir Francis Drake Blvd all the way until the end of the pavement.

Basking in the sun at the turnaround like a sea lion.  We saw so many different flowers and wildlife, including a coyote.  Also ran into an experiment station at the end of this tree-lined driveway.  It was a great pleasure to take an 11 mile recovery ride the following day out of that wind.  When a friend told me to bring a windbreaker, I'm glad I listened.  Also totally loving these gloves I found at a gas station in either KS or NE over our epic Christmas vacation.  Missing family right now, lots going on with cousins and sisters.  It's the dawning of the Age of Aquarius or something, like big things are happening for all of us.  Claiming the area like early explorers must have done felt really inspiring.   I always loved our in-house library with maps and photographs of ancient artifacts and cultures.  I wonder what will survive this modern digital age for the future generations.  Will this carbon fiber bike still be an artifact after 10,000 years or will it be broken down again to atoms and converted to another substance in this universe?

Things I learned from this ride:  hills kills.  Beware of cows.  Bring lots of CLIF.  Don't be afraid to lay in a grassy meadow.  Explore meandering pathways.  Sing in unison.  Sometimes all you need are two peas in a pod.  The experience of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center was incredibly authentic.  The powerful women we stared into each others eyes and shared deeply.  It was scary and uplifting.  Hiking the hills of Mount Tamalpais overlooking Stinson Beach was a moment in time that is completely priceless.  When I think back to the expansive views, I become speechless and calm from the inside out.  When you see yourself in that scale, the worries fade to grass and the peaks which seemed large are now just a part of the landscape.

shoe blues => new shoes

That old pair of Diadoras has logged 2,296.56903005 mi. They are now a puppet. I can haz new shoez.

I found out that I've been rocking MTB shoes/pedals on my road bike all this time. Also, there was a considerable amount of grit in the bindings. Thanks to Glendale Cycles for hooking it up in the 'hood.

Also, we saw a horse of a different color at the show Cavalia Odysseo in Burbank, CA. Acrobats, stunts, dancing, music, it was like the Emerald City brought before our eyes. And William Chatner was there too!

What a Super Tuesday!  Tags: clipless, cycling, dancing, diadora, distance, education, green, love, Map My Ride, motivation, mountains, pain, pedals, plants, shimano, shoes, spring, summer, teamwork, technology, weight loss, winning, winter, writing

Consider the Alternative

For every consumer choice, there is an alternative "greener" choice.  I have been wanting to write this post for months (at least since September 2012) when I thought I would title the post "A House Divided" because of how my household voted in the election.  But not only that, we have different choices in terms of household goods (soaps) and sources of nutrition (food) and whether or not it is worth sorting out the recycling.  In our house, marriage means compromise and I am so happy to be using a composter and driving a Smart car that I can only do so much for the environment.

Finally riding the Fuji again

But regardless, here are a couple things I/we do to be "greener":

(1) Natural soaps in the bath for hands, face, hair, body = CT Organics

(2) Natural soaps at the sink for hands, dishes = CT Organics, Seventh Generation

(3) Natural soaps as cleaners for tile, tubs, toilets = Pine Sol, Baking Soda

(4) Natural soaps as cleaners for bicycles, countertops = Simple Green

I am attempting to battle against the alternatives:

(1) Bar soaps, body washes, shampoo, conditioner = detergents

(2) Antibacterial hand soaps = detergents

(3) Chemical cleansing = Formula 409, bleach, Comet

(4) Chemical cleansing = Windex

Buying eco-friendly cleaners

You might ask why I would crusade against these alternatives to "greener" choices... I have some sense that the synthetic molecules will eventually build up in the environment.  I worry that our rate of manufacturing, use, and excretion of detergent into the environment far exceeds the rate of its fate in the environment.  I imagine that these molecules persist in the order of 10,000 years, but maybe I'm wrong and I've been meaning to do some more reading on the subject.  Maybe during 2013 sometime.

Another thing I'm doing to be "greener":

(1) Buying local = farmer's markets, homemaking, friends/neighbors exchange, walking to downtown

(2) Living local = "day without a car" at least one day per week

(3) Commuting socially = Metrolink

(4) Commuting sustainably = Bicycle

Taking the train

I am attempting to battle against the alternatives:

(1) Buying supermarket = food out of season, trucked 10,000 miles, swollen for market

(2) Gasoline addiction = cars are status symbols and lifestyles are unrealistic for our children's children

(3) Commuting solo = lonely, stubborn, type-A

(4) Gasoline addiction = cyclists are not esteemed in our culture, safe cycling should be a respectable option!

I feel like I live in a bowl of mixed nuts.  I want all the nuts to taste well together but not every flavor is to every guest's palate.  I'm meeting lots of new people these days with classes starting up again.  It's fun.  Regardless of that I feel like a hypocrite up in front of a classroom of young idealistic people preaching about carbon dioxide emissions while driving on the freeway 80 minutes per day.

Clipless pedals

So, I finally got my first donated gear and it is all the more special because it comes from someone I love and respect very much, my cousin Josef Nygaard. He gave me a pair of Diadora Geko road shoes (men's size 7) that he had outgrown several years ago. They turned out to be perfect for me because they are already "broken in" but not completely broken down. To match them, I got Shimano 505 Clipless Pedals from my local bike shop (Anthony's Cyclery).

I have already been warned from experienced cyclists that they really are entry level pedals, recommended because they are "perfect for first timers" due to their doublesidedness, and they are not really suitable for intense training. They are advertised as being stylish, durable, and affordable, I got the whole system for under $60. I've been told that they are appropriate for "commuting and easy riding" and I have also been told that on intense rides I will experience the "burning diamond" of heat generated in the small area where the shoe contacts the pedal. I'm hoping to train on them for at least 6 months before upgrading to something more professional. If I don't notice any problems, I can just keep them.

I've already enjoyed a couple easy rides back/forth to work (3) and several leisurely rides around Riverside (10.26 mi last Saturday and 32.96 mi this Tuesday) and I haven't noticed any serious problems except for the first time I clipped in and panicked when I tried to clip out and stop. Unfortunately, I tipped straight over, but I hear this happens alot.

It had been said to me over and over that pedal systems conserve energy, helping the cyclist ride longer, stronger, and faster. So far I've noticed the benefits most on challenging hills that previously were a lot of work, but now seem downright fun. It's definitely easier to sprint uphill. As for flat ground, being clipped in helps when trying to maintain a steady but quick pace. I do have a bit of anxiety about going downhill (coasting) and being clipped in. In fact, I had a near collision at the bottom of the Canyon Crest hill (near the golf course) where a truck almost turned right into me. Luckily I was able to slow enough and he saw me and stopped also. Glad I didn't completely panic and fall over again. I did experience a tiny bit of fishtailing of my rear tire so I guess I need to consult "Effective Cycling" for more adventageous braking protocols.