While SF is not as bright and sunny as other parts of California, it’s parched by comparison to Vancouver – which of course means lots of late-season riding. After participating in the Whistler Granfondo, I signed up for the King Ridge Granfondo which takes place just a couple hours north of SF, and looks to be a fun little race. Despite the fact that I’ll probably replace it soon, the Pinarello has performed admirably on the extremely long rides that tend to characterize Granfondos. Italian bikes may be all manufactured in China now, but they’re still built solid.

I wish I could say the same about myself – my time in the Whistler race was crippled by a lack of caloric intake. You really do need to be constantly taking in calories in rides like this – the human body can only absorb something like 200 calories per hour, but can easily burn over 1000. It’s easy to see how you can run out of energy very quickly, and if that happens – well you better hope you’ve got a good Granny Gear.

Lessons learned for next time:
-Fill bottles with sugary sport drink
-Don’t lose bottles when going over bumps (!!!)
-Eat/drink constantly
-Work on upper/core body strength

A point about the latter: most beginner cyclists think that you don’t really need to care about upper body strength or core strength when cycling, but they’re very wrong. Having a strong core and upper body means that you can support yourself in an aerodynamic position comfortably for a much longer period of time, and you also have much better bike control, and power when cycling out of the saddle.

You don’t need to be huge, but upper/core strength shouldn’t be ignored.

Its very easy to lose sight of the fact that for most amateur riders, the 10lbs we could easily lose in flab would do us a lot more good in races that the 100 grams we would lose in a $1000 gear upgrade.

While I lose the battle against the upgrade urge from time to time, this winter Ive been working on upgrading my legs and seeing a much better return on my investment. I’d recommend it.

Layered up with smartwool, lycra, and a nylon windbreaker over the whole deal just to be sure, us cyclists lumber out of the garage feeling more like the michelin man than Andy Schleck. Thanks to an unreasonably warm winter, though – any cyclists in the pacific northwest are getting treated to spring training weather a couple of months early.

While the organizers of the 2010 winter olympics don’t like it, I couldn’t be happier. 30k on the training loop today under a brighter and bluer sky than we usually get at the height of summer.

I’ve managed to get myself a trainer and nutritionist helping me out in exchange for services, which is also going to help me get a running start at this year’s cycling season. I cannot really overstate the value of seeing a nutritionist for at least an initial consultation. As people of the internet, it so easy to fall into believing whatever we read online, and it’s great to get the straight goods from a doctor.

I also got my lactate levels teste which, although painful, is really fun and interesting.

I’m off to brave the olympic tourist crowds, so wish me luck. I’ve got the wordpress for blackberry app working now though, so look forward to more regular updates.

Rich foods and a lack of dry open roads (at least here in the NorthWest) make it easy to pile on pounds, and almost impossible not to lose form. I’m a bit of a stickler for riding in the rain, in that I bloody hate it.  You’re cold and miserable the whole time, and you know you’re wearing down your drivetrain tremendously. Plus once you get back home, you’ve got to clean the whole bike once you’ve dried yourself off and warmed up.

And that’s without going into the whole vehicular danger issue.

I’ve been managing well this winter though, mind you I’m sick right now and can’t do much for the next few days – but I”m on a regular program of stair climbing and power squats that seems to be keeping me from getting fat too quickly.  I have a trainer as well, but I’ve found that trainers tend to rub through your tires quite quickly, so I only am on that once a week.

Keeping weight off in the Winter is a challenge for anyone, but when I start being able to hit the mountains again in the Spring, it’ll pay off.

Oh yeah, and buses.

How far to go for a good ride? Marine drive is scary as hell when you know you’re dealing with Vancouver drivers, sleepy bus pilots, and distracted retirees. With no shoulder to sneak off to for most of the route, how is Marine Drive one of the most popular route for “serious” cyclists? We’re self destructive by nature I suppose. Ask any good cyclist and they’ll say that the secret to 2-wheeled success is the willingness to endure pain, and to inflict pain on yourself.

Is the view and the good climbing worth it? Probably.

If you want to give it a go, the best route from downtown is to head east and go over the Port Mann bridge, ride up the Dollarton Highway until Ellis Drive, where you make a left and roll up some seriously steep streets to Mt. Seymour Parkway. The climb up Ellis Dr. is just a prologue, if you can’t deal with Ellis, you are in for some trouble.

Make a right onto the Mt. Seymour Parkway and head down to the minimall where there’s a great ‘Bean around the World’ coffee shop that’s usually packed with cyclists on any given sunny day. Have an espresso and take a breather, maybe reload on some water. At this point it should be obvious where to turn next. Head straight up Mt Seymour Drive and prepare for some real pain. The bottom 4k is the toughest with some sustained 12% grades, which gets “easier” towards the top at about 8%.

Glory to those who reach the summit, as it’s an awesome view, and you never get tired of conquering the mountain – check it out if you’re into climbing!

A: Go back to bed.

Having a cold wouldn’t be so bad if the weather wasn’t so damn nice right now – ah well.  Rumor is that cyclists tend to be more susceptible to illness since we are straining our bodies so much, and don’t have any body fat to keep our core temperatures high.

In the meantime I’ve been lusting after these awesome wheels that Competitive Cyclist is selling:

Ambrosio Nemesis Rims

Gonna get me a set of sick carbon rims one of these days – going to have to be clinchers though.

It’s PRO or it’s NO.

I know there are plenty of people who ride late into the night, but i’ve had too many close calls to take the risk. Daylight riding only for this guy.

I’ve been watching the “road to paris” youtube movie about the US postal service team training for the 2003 tour de france – pretty awesome.

Check it out here:
The Road to Paris

This blog’s all about cool cycling crap, the rides I go on, and my goal of dropping 10 lbs and making it to Cat 3 next season.