PROVEN AGAIN! I’M NO LEVI LEIPHEIMER!

On the day in which Levi Leipheimer was in the process of proving that he was the best rider in the USA Cycling Pro Challenge, I was once again, if to no one other than myself, proving that I am no Levi Leipheimer. For that matter…

HOW COULD I NOT? RIDE THAT IS!

January 2011 is sure going out on a lot milder note than when the calendar turned another page on another year 30 days ago. Today’s (January 30th) blue skies and mid-60’s temperatures were not meant to be enjoyed from inside a house or other abode. No excuses, no reasoning could justify not riding today…

(Fields along NC 110 are still enjoying  a winter’s slumber)

Of course, my first ride of the year had a small “burp” that could have led to chucking the whole idea of riding….

A LEG LOOSENING THURSDAY

Not to be confused with “Thirsty Thursday” wherein local baseball fans flock to our local minor league baseball team (the Asheville Tourists) games and consume massive amounts of beer, I enjoyed a leg loosening Thursday ride of ….

THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE SETS STAGE FOR METRIC CENTURY THIS SATURDAY

Our BicycleHaywoodNC sponsored Thursday night ride served two purposes this week. It continued our summer long effort to encourage new and newly returning riders to get out, exercise, and enjoy our community. This week it had the added benefit of serving a final warm-up for me as I go into my first metric century ride on Saturday as the inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway unfolds.

Our group was somewhat smaller this week in numbers but not effort. The reduced size could easily be written off due to the start of school and the return of tourists to their homes. This was the first week in several in which we did not have a visiting cyclist to ride with us.

We branched out with our route this week and did some “country cruising” rather than staying in town and within the city limits. Our ride included Raccoon Rd., Ratcliffe Cove Rd., Francis Farm Rd. Business 19 & 23 and both South and North Lakeshore Drive around Lake Junaluska.

Being out in the country meant reduced traffic once folks got home from work and very pleasant scenery as we rode by family farms and gardens. We were blessed with improving weather throughout the day and had great late day sunshine and white puffy clouds as we enjoyed the weekly ride.

(A happy group of riders at the base of the Cross at Lake Junaluska)

Today, Friday, is my final prep day for tomorrow’s ride. I had my monthly massage and then picked up my registration packet for the ride. While there, I was able to help load vehicles with supplies for the various stops tomorrow. A lot of (wo)man hours have gone into the planning and implementation of this event.

After arriving home, I gave my Fuji CCR3 a good once over and installed the holder for a new pump that I purchased today. After seeing “Cross Country Stan” use his last week, I realized how much better it was than the small hand pump I’ve been lugging around. I purchased a Lezyne Alloy Drive M with a stated weight of 128 grams. Installation was a snap as all I had to do was remove my water bottle cage, slide the mounting clip under the water bottle cage, and screw everything back down. I liked the hidden hose and clearly marked hose ends for Shraeder or Presta valves. I topped off my tires just to be sure the pump was working.

The Navigator and her sister are working one of the stops on my route tomorrow so I loaded up the truck with their chairs, my work stand to use at the stop, and my floor pump. Hopefully, no one will need their services! Now, all that remains is for me to get myself ready!

As part of the community wide awareness regarding the Blue Ridge Breakaway, the local newspaper, The Waynesville Mountaineer, covered the dangers that face cyclists every day with an emphasis on how traffic can interact with the riders on Saturday. This fit very nicely into our Advocacy and Education activities for the year and I was pleased to be able to provide some input to the article. The article is available on-line for those interested.

I’ll be forcing myself up early in the morning and turning on SPOT about 7:30 as the ride gets underway. This time tomorrow I will have either set a new personal best for myself and achieved one of my main goals for the summer or I’ll be one tired, less-than-happy dude! Either way, tomorrow will be interesting!

Until later,

- Zeke

AARP PROMOTES CYCLING

The  Association of American Retired Persons (AARP) featured an article on cycling in the July – August 2010 Bulletin. The article titled Biketopia covers the increase in American cyclists and how one town, Brunswick, Maine, has increased their cycling infrastructure resulting in an increase in ridership. There are also 5 helpful hints on how any community can become bike-friendly. Author Rob Gurwitt connects with numerous over 50 years old cyclists involved in the cycling culture around Brunswick. He reports that years ago Brunswick “made  a commitment that every middle-school-aged child should be able to bike safely anywhere in their town.” Episcopal priest John Balicki, 60, former Maine Department of Transportation bike/ped coordinator says “we're not there yet. That’s our next frontier.” It is refreshing and affirming to see that the elders of our generation are taking cycling to heart. It also shows the breadth of the cycling movement in America, i.e., you don’t have to be spandex clad roadie or a MTB flash to enjoy cycling! (Not that there’s anything wrong with it….)

For the on-line version and to see a well done video on the Brunswick bike path, visit Biketopia.

BLUE RIDGE BREAKAWAY

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to drive with Ken Howle, one of the coordinators for the inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway, around the metric century route of the upcoming BRB. We were using multiple gadgets to get altitudes and mileage measurements for the route. It also gave me a chance to preview the route from the comfort of air conditioning!

We used a SPOT II, a Garmin Oregon 400T, and Ken’s Smartphone using an included maps program. The course had previously been mapped on MapMyRide by the event organizers. Our goal was to compare and contrast any differences we found. Well, to no one’s surprise, we did get differences in both mileage and altitude gain. The MapMyRide result had substantially longer mileage and greater elevation climb than any of the other programs. The SPOT II turned out not be very helpful because the points were “as the crow flies” and did not take into account the road’s twists and turns, which, of course, adds mileage. Our handwritten notes transferred to a spreadsheet matched up best with the Smartphone app used by Ken. We were relatively close in both mileage and elevation gain. We also made liberal use of Google Earth in post drive editing.

Regardless of which instruments was used, I can tell you that the organizers have laid out a very challenging route for both the century and the metric century routes. The metric century and century routes start at the open air gymnasium at Lake Junaluska Methodist Assembly and proceed west on US 19/276 before heading north on US 276. A right hand turn on to Coleman Mountain Road will feature the first climb of the day. Rides will peak out at 2870’ elevation before taking a winding descent to Iron Duff Road.

Turning left on Iron Duff, riders will have a descent to the Pigeon River (elevation 2463’) where the century riders will turn northwest toward Panther Creek and the metric century riders will turn east along Riverside Road. The century riders will proceed along 2 more climbs before getting to Fines Creek and a turn back southeast onto NC 209 and a long climb up the backside of Rush Fork Mountain. Metric Century riders will ride along the river to Crabtree Church Road and a climb up to NC 209 where the first water stop of the day occurs and the two rides rejoin.

Following a short pedal to Golf Course Rd. and Big Branch, both groups will then climb the Crabtree side of Hyder Mountain, which peaks at 2827’ after a climb up from 2492’ at the beginning of Big Branch. This side of the mountain is a longer climb but substantially lower grade than climbing up from the Clyde side of Hyder Mountain.

After descending Hyder Mountain, the riders will make their way to Clyde, NC along Hyder Mountain Road and then cross over Main St. and Carolina Ave. in Clyde. The next climb of the day is Stamey Cove Road with a peak elevation of 3040’ after a steep ascent featuring hairpin turns. This is part of the old Bele Cher race route from years ago although that route went in the opposite direction. From the peak, riders drop down to the Pigeon River again just above the town of Canton and make their way along NC 209 to Wells Road, which connects NC 209 and NC 110.

The second water stop of the day is planned for near this location. Riders will continue on south on NC 110 to the intersection of US 276/NC 110. The route crosses over to one of my favorite rides in the area and one I’ve written about many times – Love Joy Road. At the intersection of Love Joy and Lake Logan Road riders will make their way south toward Lake Logan and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Another moderate climb will greet the riders as they spin their way to the top of the ridge above the lake. At the bridge crossing the upper end of Lake Logan, a 3rd water stop is planned.

At this juncture, the century riders will continue on NC 215 (Lake Logan Rd) to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a long climb of another 10 miles or so. The grade picks up above Sunburst Campground and remains around 5% or so to about 2 miles below the BRP. The grade really jumps up the final mile before reaching the BRP at 5340’ elevation.

Century riders will turn south on the BRP and then climb to the highest point of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Balsam-Richland (6052’ elevation) before dropping down to Balsam Gap (3340’ elevation) and then climbing another 7 miles to the top of Water Rock Knob (5722’ elevation). Following a descent to Soco Gap (4340’ elevation), riders will turn east on US 19 and return to Lake Junaluska Assembly.

Metric century riders will use the Lake Logan water stop as their turn around point and will retrace their way to Clyde including another climb over Stamey Cove before dropping back into Clyde. A slight change in route will include a return to Lake Junaluska and the assembly grounds via Old Clyde Road and then along South Lake Shore Drive before a very short segment along US 19. All riders return to the open air gym for the finish.

I was tired just thinking about these courses. It should be a great day of riding in beautiful Haywood County. Come for a visit and join us as we thrill in the climbs and descents of our very old, very beautiful mountains! To register and get more details, visit Blue Ridge Breakaway.

LOCAL WEATHER IS TEMPETUOUS…

… and irritatingly timed! Our area has been visited by strong thunderstorms and heavy rains the last week. Unfortunately, they fire up just about “riding time”, which is the end of the work day for many of us. Last week’s BicycleHaywoodNC new riders group had to be cancelled due to inclement weather and my own ride yesterday was stopped due to thunderstorms. Today’s forecast looks worse than yesterdays. I need some miles under me so I can survive the Blue Ridge Breakaway. Maybe today – but probably not…

Until later,

- Zeke

A RIDE WITH A GATOR…

Rides/Tours I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

Riding with a Gator…

I’ve never ridden with a Gator before today. It was a very pleasurable experience! This particular Gator is coming off of a significant bike injury that required surgery, which was then followed up with a blood clot. No fun! Everyone knows Gator skin is tough and this particular Gator is no exception!

(Gator John Bryan following our spin up to Sunburst!)

Yep, John is a University of Florida Gator and has sent two of his children to that esteemed institution of higher learning. John and his spouse are here enjoying a couple of weeks at their home in the Bethel Community. We’ve corresponded via email from time to time through this blog and have agreed in the past to get together for a ride when John was in the area. Unfortunately, his bike accident resulting in injury requiring surgery slowed that ride opportunity down. John has jumped back on his back after getting physician clearance and has been putting on some miles at home.

Today was our day to connect. We met at Bethel Middle School and spun our way up to Sunburst, which is a NC Forest campground/picnic area about 8 or 9 miles up the Pigeon River from Bethel Grocery Store.  After some initial greetings and getting acquainted, we started up the mostly river grade road running along the West Fork of the Pigeon. Road traffic was heavier than usual today but everyone had apparently taken a “nice pill” as folks waiting patiently behind us until safe to pass and then waved as they went by us. We crossed the West Fork twice before getting to the bottom of the only real climb we would face today.

Just past the Lake Logan Volunteer Fired Department, the road takes a significant increase in grade as you climb above Lake Logan. The climb can be deceiving because just as you think you’re through, you come upon a little reprieve in grade only to find that the grade increases again to the top of the climb. John’s Garmin was reporting a 13% grade and my VDO-Z1 showed 11%. Somewhere between the two is actual grade we were climbing.

Following a very pleasant, cool descent under heavy pine canopy, we come out of a right hand turn and cross over the bridge at the upper end of Lake Logan. A big peal of thunder occurred just as we hit this straight stretch and you could see the day’s late afternoon thunderstorm beginning to roll in over the mountain. It didn’t look like imminent rain though so we kept the cranks moving.

We passed a number of folks enjoying some swimming in the watering holes of the Pigeon and went by an open house for today’s Family Farm Tour sponsored by the Bethel Community Action Group. I recognized George Ivey, a friend, fellow Rotarian, and serious cyclist, sitting on the porch. George is also a published author in addition to his other many talents.

We made our way to Sunburst and pulled into the picnic area just as the first rain drops began to fall. We didn’t tarry long as neither of us wanted to get caught in a thunderstorm without jackets. The rain turned out to be just enough to be cool and pleasant. We had run out of it by the time we reached Lake Logan on the return loop.

From there, we had one more climb and then pleasant pedaling back to Bethel Middle School and sunshine. This was a very pleasant interlude in a hot day and I’ll look forward to riding with this Gator again!

The Tour Divide

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson had a mechanical that has brought his participation in the 2010 edition of the Great Divide Ride to a halt. The freehub on his Monocog bit the dirt and being in the Great Basin moving at bike/hiking speed isn’t a good plan. Kent had supplies to last at biking pace but not walking pace so he has made the correct decision and withdrawn. I would imagine he is hastening somewhat more swiftly back to the arms of the lovely Christine! It was an outstanding effort that included one heck of a prologue just to get to the start. Thanks Kent for supplying us all with some great inspiration! I know that there will be stories to come with lots of images! Enjoy your embrace with Christine, recharge the batteries, and then give us some great stories that we all know you absorbed on the trail! Well done, my friend!

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo.

Gearing issues seem to be the tale of the day as Jim Artis finds himself in a “no go” condition in Ashford, CT. He has written recently of difficulties with getting over climbs due to slippage and the reason has become much clearer in the last 36 hours. He has posted clear images of the problem gearing on his blog.  It currently appears that Jim and Fargo will be at the Ashford Motel in Ashford CT until at least Tuesday morning as he consults with Ashley on repairs and receives a needed replacement part. The Lithium Ion batteries required to power his SPOT died yesterday and there was no where on his route to find any replacements. I am in the process of shipping some to him by Tuesday morning in the hopes that he will be on the road again. We’ll see how Staples and UPS keep their promises of overnight delivery. I’ve been assured that the batteries will make it to Ashford by the Tuesday 8:00 or 10:00 a.m. delivery. Jim told me this morning that the only place to get food is by delivery from a Sports Bar!

Jim had another interesting encounter with local Law Enforcement, who once again took his safety to heart and assisted him in getting to his lodging. Jim remains in good spirits and is doing well. As he so clearly points out himself, he enjoys the design and evaluation phases of building new cycles. This is certainly one heck of a shake down cruise! Check it all out by visiting Cycling Experiences! 

Until later… I gotta go put another shrimp on the barbie…

- Zeke

ARTIS IS ON THE MOVE!

 

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

 

(Saturday, June 18th, 09:10 EDT update) Our friend and touring aficionado, Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences, got an early start this morning. He began moving around 5:00 a.m.this morning and appears to have covered 13.6 miles to his latest SPOT track. Note that SPOT tracks are not immediately updated so he is likely further along than this as I write. We’re all hoping the mechanical issues with the misaligned axle and friction from rubbing on the metal brake caliper have been resolved. It will be good to know if Fargo is moving along more smoothly today.

Using Google Earth to calculate the difference in mileage from Jim to Raphael Giraldo and the TOD: Ride for the Republic, it would appear that there are about 56 miles difference between the two. (I am NOT writing this to indicate or insinuate that Jim is attempting to reconnect with the TOD. I note this only as a point of reference between two riders that started at the same time and place 5 days ago.)

(Saturday, June 18th, 6:50 p.m. EDT update) Jim’s last SPOT track was at 4:26 p.m. at GPS coordinates 43.79051, -70.39734. Utilizing Google Earth Street View, I note this appears to be a motel. I’m guessing he has called it a day for travel. His metrics indicate he moved 22 miles today even though he continues to experience a “rubbing of the lexan”. His last post indicates he thinks he has isolated the issue and is working on a resolution. Check out his latest posts at Cycling Experiences.

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson’s images from his prologue to the beginning of the Tour Divide have been received and posted on KentsBikeBlog. These are images he took on the way to the race during his 500+ mile ride to start the race! Click on over to see the images and to also get the latest updates from Mark and Christine on his progress south while “hastening slowly!”

(Saturday, June 18th, 7:00 p.m. Update) Mark has a new post up about the trials and tribulations facing this year’s riders. He notes that “Mountain Turtle” reports being in better physical condition than 5 years ago but reports that the trail is in much worse condition this year due to wet conditions. Check out Mark’s post for some excellent points on the race.

Tour of Switzerland:

Rui da Costa of Caisse d’Epargne took stage 8 of the Tour de Swisse today. His teammate Jose Rojas Gil crossed the finish line second. GC leader Robert Gesink holds the leader’s jersey again as he finished one minute back of the stage winner. Team Radio Shack members Lance Armstrong (7th overall) and Levi Leipheimer (13th overall) finished 14th and 18th respectively at the same time of 1:16.

Pro rider Kim Kirchen was placed in an artificial coma after experiencing a heart attack while competing at the Tour de Swisse. He was hospitalized overnight Friday after reporting that he did not feel well. VeloNews is reporting that he is in stable condition.

Race Across America:

Team Bent Up Cycles appears to have finished the Race Across America in 3rd place in the Mens, under 50, 4 man team category. The 3 top teams crossed the finish line in Annapolis within hours of each other. Jure Robic captures his 5th RAAM title in the Mens, solo, under 50 category completing the race in 9 days 1 hour and 1 minute with an average speed of 13.85 mph. Women’s solo under 50 leader, Barbara Buatois, is still on the course and has what appears to be a very comfortable lead on her nearest competitor.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic Raphael Giraldo appears to be in Portsmouth, NH. He seems to have covered 22 miles today according to calculations based upon GPS coordinates in Google Earth. His last SPOT track was reported at 6:45 p.m. so he may have stopped for the day. Check out his daily updates at the TOD: Ride for the Republic.

More updates later.. I have to go “ride” my John Deere tractor for awhile…

My own update… (Saturday, June 18th, 7:26 p.m.) I’m tired… 3 yards, 1 field, 2 additional hours of running the weed-eater and more poison ivy than I care to recall. I didn’t travel anywhere near 22 miles today!

Best wishes to all of our ongoing riders and congrats to the winners of the various RAAM categories.

Until later,

- Zeke

…AND THE GOOD TIMES ROLL ON!

 

Races/Tours that I am following:

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

(TOD: Ride for the Republic/Touring with Fargo: (updated 06/17/10 @ 11:30 EDT)

This brief update is to inform that Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences is now on his way to Bath Bicycle & Ski via the courtesy of yet “another angel on his trip”. He is being transported to Woolwitch, ME to get repairs on the Rohloff drive completed. Preliminary thoughts are that some pins sheared to protect the drive itself.

Given that Jim has retitled his tour effort separately from the TOD: Ride for the Republic, I believe that his intent is now to tour his way home at his pace and continue testing the limits of Fargo and himself. He is going to have a story rich in detail between the various cycle specific content and the human connection stories. I think we’re in for some good reading based upon both the TOD: Ride for the Republic and Cycling Experiences: On tour with Fargo. Most of Jim’s daily posts will be on a BROL thread so you can check there for more immediate details.

(Update 14:10 p.m. EDT) Jim is on the move again after having found out that mechanical #2 was really an extension of mechanical #1. The LBS got him assessed and fixed quickly. He was also able to ship some more weight home. It is raining at his locale as he started out again.

(Update 16:10 p.m. EDT) I just ended a phone call with Jim Artis and he updates the scenario as follows: The Rohlff did not have sheared pins and was not part of the mechanical problem. As it turns out, a snap ring was not in place for some unknonw reason and it had allowed the axle to shift. It shifted in a way that it was rubbing against a metal brake caliper and wearing it down. This was not discovered until Jim was ready to ride again. He is still at the LBS in Woolwitch affecting change to Fargo. Part of his weight reduction was the removal of a generator and chain, which will further reduce drag once he is rolling again. His hopes and plans are that Fargo will be healthy again shortly with no drag issues and he will ride briefly to lodging for the night. He does not anticipate significant mileage today. The LBS staff have been excellent and have connected with Ashely in Utah several times today to work out repairs. Jim remains upbeat and is very pleased with certain aspects of how Fargo has performed. He will post more details tonight at Cycling Experiences and on BROL.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

Raphael Giraldo is on the move for the past 3 hours. He is currently, according to his SPOT track, in Brunswick, ME. He is in what looks to be a very busy section of town (utilizing Google Street View for this info) and is either on or headed to Old Portland Rd.

 

The Tour Divide

Our “Mountain Turtle” continues his southward trek through Montana. According to his latest SPOT track, he is just intersecting with Priest Pass Rd. and Highway 12 west of Helena, Montana.  Visit KentsBikeBlog to get last night’s update from his wife Christine! Now for an unsolicited suggestion that if you like the Mountain Turtle logo, BUY YOURSELF A SHIRT EMBLAZONED WITH IT! All proceeds go to Kent to finance these treks. Visit Bike There Online Store to purchase any of several Mountain Turtle inspired shirts, caps, and other products. (Full disclosure: Kent did not ask me to solicit this, probably doesn’t know that I did it, and I get no renumeration in any form other than enjoying his fine writing and riding!)

 

The Tour of Switzerland

The 213 km 6th stage of the Tour de Swisse was won by Robert Gesink of Rabobank. He topped the final summit alone and then raced the final 10k alone. the next group of riders came in 42 seconds later and included American Lance Armstrong. Former Tour leader Tony Martin could not maintain the pace today and came in 2 minutes after the winning time. Gesink holds a 29 second advantage on the field going into tomorrow’s hilly stage. In a tweat following the race, Armstrong indicated that the ride was “tough” but that he felt strong. He also indicated that Levi Leipheimer and Andy Kloedin had goo days as well. Armstrong has moved into 7th place overall at 55 secs. down.

VeloNews is reporting that Mark Cavendish has withdrawn from the tour after the crash in which he was penalized 30 secs and experienced minor injuries.

 

 

Until later today,

- Zeke

HOT SULTRY SUNDAY WITH RACE RECAPS

 

Links to current races/tours I  am following:

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

That crunching sound run to ground… maybe!

I guess better late than never applies to this inspection or lack of timely inspection. I now realize I’d better add to my normal scheduled inspection, check those cleats! On the left you can see the condition of my cleats after hitting the deep pothole last week and beginning to hear a crunching sound. On the right, is my shoes with newly replaced cleats. Hmm, there is a difference!

Note sharp point on shoe on right.	Newly replaced cleats.

I now think that bottoming out the pothole broke off a remaining portion of the thin cleat on my left shoe (shown on right in left image above) and that resulted in the crunching sound that I was getting. I sure hope so because the next option is my knee! I hope to test my theory later today.

Artis arrives in Bar Harbor…

(Jim Artis image of sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, Bar Harbor. Click on the image to see more Artis imagery.) 

The final stages of preparation for tomorrow’s Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic are underway. Cycling Experiences Jim Artis arrived in Bar Harbor, ME after having driven straight through from Fayetteville, NC. If I am correctly interpreting his SPOT markers, Jim arrived in Bar Harbor around 9:30 p.m. last night (Saturday). According to email I received from him this morning, he spent the night in his van. He now appears to have ridden to the top of Cadillac Mountain and reconnoitered tomorrow's starting location. As of this writing, I do not know if his touring partner, Rafael Giraldo, has arrived in Bar Harbor. The tour begins tomorrow morning when the first rays of sun hit Cadillac Mountain.

“Mountain Turtle” continues “hastening slowly”…

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson has reentered the good old USA approximately one hour ago, which would be around 2:00 p.m. EDT. A quick look at the Tour Divide Leader Board shows “Mountain Turtle” near a number of racers as they approach Eureka, Montana. Matthew Lee and Erik Lobeck appear to be in the over-all lead. Keep in mind that “Mountain Turtle” is racing a single speed bike!

Team Bent Up Cycles moves into 3rd place…

In the 4 man team category, Bent Up Cycles has captured 3rd place behind second place team Doc2doc and first place team Bandwidth.com, Inc. Teams in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place are only separated by seconds at this point. They have travelled 441 miles and are maintaining an average speed of 20.77 mph. You may find current standings for all categories at the RAAM Leader Board.

The Tour of Switzerland, Stage 2…

Heinrich Haussler took the stage victory and Fabrian Cancellara retained the yellow jersey following the sprint finish. In a tweet to his followers, Lance Armstrong indicated “I felt o.k. Not great, not terrible”. Armstrong is in 46th place after stage 2. Andreas Kloden and Levi Leipheimer, also of Team Radio Shack, are in 28th and 42nd positions respectively. Congratulations to Janez Brajkovic for his win in the Critérium du Dauphiné 2010.

The coming week…

Be sure to “tune in” tomorrow for the start of the Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic. Tomorrow will be our first chance to see the technological goodies planned by Jim Artis. Jim will have posts at Cycling Experiences and I’ll do my best to keep updates fresh here as well. Also, check out the interactive site for the Tour of Discovery setup by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

I hope to hear that Bro Dave got confirmation on the sale of his crankforward in Los Angeles yesterday. If so, there may be a Fargo Salsa in his near future! As in all things, time will tell…

Until later,

- Zeke

THE “MOUNTAIN TURTLE” CLOSES IN ON RACE SITE

 

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson is closing in on Banff, AB, Canada after several days of riding to the BEGINNING of the Great Divide Race. Kent has been on the road since last Thursday making his way through Washington, Idaho, Montana, and now Canada in order to start the race on Friday. He is currently on the BanffWindemere Parkway heading toward the intersection with the TransCanada Highway and then on into Banff. According to the calculations I get in Google Earth he has only 38.9 km to go in order to reach Banff as of this posting.

Kent’s Travel Information Through Tuesday Night Date                 Miles              Overnight Stop   State/Province         total Wed  Jun 2         0.0                  Issaquah            WA                          0.0 Thu Jun 3       102.1                Thorp                 WA                       102.1 Fri Jun 4         124.5                Moses Lake       WA                        226.6 Sat Jun 5        154.8                Coeur d'Alene     ID                          381.4 Sun Jun 6       147.8                 Libby                MT                         529.2 Mon Jun 7     112.7                Cathiness           BC                          641.9 Tue Jun 8       113.3                Dry Gulch         BC                           755.2 As of waking up Wednesday morning Kent had ridden 755.2 miles, or 1215.1 km.

Data courtesy of KentsBikeBlog and Mark Canizaro used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Rights

This is, by any standard, a remarkable “warm up” for a race! Have you ever wondered about what someone in Kent’s position might be ruminating on while pedaling hour after hour? Well, check out the answer to that question as Kent ponders seeing “Dennis Hopper’s Ghost”.

Our best to “Mountain Turtle” in the coming days as he heads south along the spine of the Rockies!

Until later,

Zeke

OUR INTREPID TRAVELLERS ON THE MOVE!

Friday, June 4th @ 9:18 EDT update:

 

(Hasten Slowly!)

After stopping for the night around 12:30 a.m. EDT, Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson is on the move again. He appears to be riding the Iron Horse Trail just now approaching the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Follow along on Kent’s journey to the beginning of the Great Divide Race by checking his SPOT shared page.

Meanwhile, our friend and soon-to-be east coast tourer, Jim Artis, is in Charlotte, NC picking up his fantastic quadricycle, Fargo. Final setup and prep for Jim’s departure is now in high gear. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic kicks off from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor, ME on June 14th! Follow this tour at Cycling Experiences! SPOT tracking and live streaming, when available, will be posted on this site as will numerous daily updates from the road!

Until later,

- Zeke

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson Begins Pre-Race Trek

 

Kent Peterson our intrepid blogger/biker/racer has hit the road and headed toward the starting point of this year’s Great Divide Race. The race begins on June 11th in Banff, AB. Kent left his home in Issaquah, Washington some 7 hours ago. Let’s see, Kent is going to ride 7 or so days to get to the start of a 2700 mile race…

Hmmm, that, my friends, is one serious biker! You can follow Kent’s progress at his SPOT shared page:

For more details on Kent’s preparation, visit his site at Kent’s Bike Blog. You can also get additional information on the Great Divide Race HERE!

Until later,

- Zeke

FIRST RIDE OF NEW MONTH HAS SAD INTERLUDE

After my return to work following 12 days of vacation, I was ready to ride and discharge pent up stress resulting in catching up, getting subpoenaed to Court, and other aspects of my job. We’re in another wet pattern here in lovely and VERY GREEN Western North Carolina. I was keeping an eye on the local radar trying to gauge whether a break in the rain bands would allow the 20+ mile commute home.

After a steady rainfall of 30 minutes around 3:00 p.m., the radar seemed to indicate that no more moisture would be arriving for 3 or 4 hours. The next big band was well off to my northwest in Tennessee. So, it was on – my first commute of the month and my first ride on familiar roads since returning from our 2 week camping adventure.

At the close of business, I loaded up and headed out only to discover that the cadence sending unit on my VDO-Z1 bike computer wasn’t working. I’ve been meaning to change batteries and I guess it is now clearly time to do so. This was my first ride with my new SPOT II on the bike. I used it extensively to track our course while camping but it was always based in the truck so this was my first real test to see if it would report through my cycling jersey. (Note: upon returning home, I discovered the SPOT had nicely charted my course. I carried it in the back left pocket of my jersey. It is so light that I didn’t notice it once. The arm band that comes with it was not to my liking so I’m pleased that if functioned through the jersey.)

The streets had largely dried off except in very low lying areas so there was no road spray to speak of that would affect the ride. I was hitting the roads just as the end-of-workday traffic was picking up but I fortunately didn’t seem to hold anyone up so the only horn blowing I received was a friendly “toot” letting me know that the person was behind me. I waved them around when I could see the road ahead was clear and they threw up a hand in greeting as they went by me.

I was interested to see if the knife that I had previously placed on a bridge railing several weeks ago would still be in place. The knife served to get my mind off an unpleasant interaction with an auto driver and I’ve maintained, admittedly silly, interest in seeing how long it would remain on the bridge. Yesterday was the first time in over 2 weeks that I’ve been on the bridge. The knife had finally been taken. Someone came across it and took it away. It lasted longer than I thought it would in that location.

I ran the length of the Pigeon from the intersection of Richland Creek Rd. and NC 209 to east Canton where the road and river diverge. I was struck by how calm the river was yesterday. In places it barely appeared to be moving, which made for enhanced observation of the dark tea color of the water that results from the tannins in the paper making process at the mill in Canton.

As I passed the second of two churches and two climbs, the road had a clear view looking east of Canton and along I-40. One home in particular still had all of its Memorial Day colors on display. (Thickety Road northwest of Canton. Note I-40 ribbon in distance.)

I-40 through Haywood County into and from Tennessee has now reopened following the clearance of debris resulting from a rock slide months ago. The good news for local business owners is that the return of traffic has begun to bring business transactions back toward normal. The following image was taken from the same location as the shot above. I used the maximum zoom option of the Canon PowerShot to show how busy I-40 was on this first day after Memorial Day 2010.

(Traffic on reopened I-40) 

My ride continued on pleasantly for another couple of miles before taking a very sad turn of events. I made a short climb up to a 3 way intersection where I was the right hand turning “vehicle”. I waved a truck to my left on so they could go in front of me and clipped back into my pedals to get moving. As I made the right hand turn, a small dog at a home diagonally across the road spotted me as I began moving and started giving chase. A woman, whom I assume to be the owner, started calling him/her but the dog would have none of it. The dog had a full head of steam and was coming my way. This was a short, small dog and I was already well out in front of it so it posed no threat to me but I realized that it wasn’t going to stop and stay in its yard. It dashed underneath some pine trees on the edge of the road to continue its pursuit of me. I started trying to point it out to oncoming traffic as I realized the dog was coming into the main road. The lead car did start slowing down but then I heard a loud crunching sound following by a wailing dog as it tried to drag itself back home. Several other vehicles were approaching and I tried to slow them down as well. At least 3 of them stopped to offer assistance.

I was torn between going back or going on. I realized that there wasn’t anything I could do to offer aid and was concerned that my presence might be an added stressor for the owner of the dog. Even though I did nothing to cause the accident, I know that human beings see things differently in times of stress and I feared I might have been seen as the instigator of the event although I know that not to be the case. I chose to continue toward home and said a short prayer for the little dog. I hope that its injuries are not life threatening.

The unpleasantness of the situation made the remaining 10 miles of the ride home significantly less bright. I caught a few rain drops on the south side of Canton but otherwise arrived home wet only from my own perspiration. The few rain drops I did catch felt pretty good in reality. So, it’s home again and riding familiar roads, which is a fine feeling!

Until later,

- Zeke

TRIP WRAP-UP AND OTHER ITEMS:

Some final thoughts on our recent sojourn around West Virginia and Virginia seem to be in order. The trip that started out headed to California was significantly shortened. What would have been about a 4600 mile trip in 16 days ended up being 960 miles over 11 days. A few final observations and I’ll move on…

• I was over packed regarding electronics. In my repertoire of electronic tools, I packed my Olympus Camedia C-8080 digital camera, my Sony camcorder, our Canon PowerShot camera, 2 tripods, chargers for each tool, a 1200 watt power inverter, a Garmin Nuvi 260 GPS unit, my new SPOT II, a Garmin Oregon 400T handheld GPS navigator, two cell phones, and one Dell laptop. The Olympus camera, Sony camcorder, tripods, and 1200 watt power inverter never saw the light of day. All images were taken with the Canon PowerShot and I was very pleased with its performance. The battery did not require a single charging. The SPOT II exceeded my expectations. It sent every “We’re o.k.” message that I attempted and it provides me with an ongoing map of our trip. One set of AA batteries powered the SPOT for the full trip. “Milli”, our Nuvi 260, performed wonderfully as she has previously. She was “spot on” (pardon the pun) in getting us to and from our intended locations. My most pleasant surprise was getting used to the Garmin Oregon 400T. I have had it for a little over a year and never had the opportunity to get accustomed to it. I made an effort this time and kept it on my side as we hiked in the various parks. While I always knew where we were on our hikes, it was comforting to see how accurate the Oregon unit was. I recall that, at one point, the Navigator told me I really didn’t need to tell her we were approaching another climb. The color screen is harder to see in the daylight than my former Magellan black and white screen but I was able to adapt. Even under heavy tree cover, the Oregon maintained its satellite connections. The laptop was essential to keeping up my blog posting but also, along with my Blackberry Storm II, meant I was more aware of work issues than I would have desired. I would see an email that piqued my curiosity and I just couldn’t let it go… (My ongoing weakness!) The cell phones… well, more on that later.
• Wet, rainy weather can be fun… for awhile! Our first 3 days of travel were literally spent inside the camper or inside a local public library. Overall it worked well as we enjoyed simply reading and relaxing. There was no TV coverage, no radio, and no cell phone coverage in that particular campsite. I appreciated that I could have a conversation with the Navigator and not have it interrupted by a ringing cell phone – something that happens way to frequently at home and happened once we were back in coverage areas on this trip. The wet weather also led to my biggest disappointment of the trip. We didn’t get to ride the Greenbrier Trail. I really wanted to have that experience but it wasn’t to be this go round. Perhaps this will plan the seed for a return trip later.
• We were overwhelmingly greeted in friendly and courteous ways by the people of the local communities we visited: The people of the Middle Appalachian mountains were exceedingly polite and pleasant to us throughout. I’ll always remember asking for a suggestion of a good local grocery store in Lewisberg, West Virginia. EVERYONE in line chimed in with a suggestion! The various Park staff members, business owners, public library staff, and just good folk all made our trip a very pleasant endeavor. (Note: we had one less than gregarious meeting that I’ve written about and that person wasn’t rude – just distracted or having a bad day.)
• Big brothers can be a problem: I made mention somewhere along the line of young families with pre-school age children beginning to fill the park in anticipation of the Memorial Day Weekend. Our last night in Hungry Mother State Park was enlivened by a toddler, who would simply not quit crying and go to sleep. If a parent was with him, he was quiet but once they tried to sit by their campfire, he would start screaming again.  Being that he was in a canvas pop-up beside us there wasn’t much to muffle his wailing as we sat by the campfire. The following morning, his mother informed us that they had just found out that the toddler’s older brother would wait until the parent left the camper and would then make scary faces and guttural sounds at his younger brother. This, of course, scared the toddler and he responded with his cries for his mother. She also informed us that “big brother” was in a bit of trouble…
• Living up to the title of this blog, which includes a reference to cycling adventures beyond the Great Smokies: Due to the dreary weather, I didn’t get to do as much riding as I desired. The aforementioned Greenbrier Trail was missed and the rainy weather at Douthat kept me from adding many miles to my log. I did enjoy getting out of the campground at Hungry Mother and could have added quite a few miles more had we stayed longer. It was good to see the bike lanes and “share the road” signs in Marion, Virginia.
• The BEST FEATURE of this trip was sharing it with the Navigator: We are lucky in that we are very compatible with similar interests. Our days and nights went quite smoothly throughout. We didn’t have competing interests in either desires for activities or duties to keep things running. At the end of the day, I’m always glad to go to bed with “my best friend!”

On to other items:

Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic: We’re down to 18 days until the kick off on this important tour being undertaken by our good friend Jim Artis and Florida teacher Rafael Giraldo. This tour will depart from Bar Harbor, Maine at the crack of dawn on June 14th and make its way along the 13 original colonies that formed America. 2670 miles later, it will end in Key West, Florida. If you haven’t been following the trip preparation, check it out at Cycling Experiences.  You can also see detailed information at Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic.

2010 Ride the Divide is approaching quickly. The race, which runs along the spine of the Rockies from Canada to Mexico, will begin in Banff, AB on June 10th. Our friend, Kent “the Mountain Turtle” Peterson, will be partaking of this adventure again. Kent will again be running the race on a single speed bike. You can join Kent on his “roll out” if you are in the Issaquah,Washington area on June 3rd when he begins his 7 day ride to the starting location. To get more details on this incredible journey, check out Tour Divide. Kent is one of 12 veterans signed up for this year’s race. A total of 46 racers are currently signed up to start. This 2745 mile single stage, self-supported race will likely not have 46 finishers.

The use of electronic technologies plays important roles in both of these races. SPOT will be present in both adventures enabling us, the viewing public, to share virtually in the trip. Jim Artis has put together quite the travelling power shop to manage his various charging needs. He has multiple posts on the evolution of the Power Box.

Our best to both of these intrepid adventurers!

Finally, my home community will be sponsoring the first annual Blue Ridge Breakaway on August 21st. This ride will have century, metric century, 40 miles and 24 mile routes. Cyclists interested in climbing will be particularly pleased with the opportunities to climb Soco Mountain, Water Rock Knob, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then descend back to the starting point. Registration is now open!

 

Until later,

- Zeke

LUCK AT GATHERING LEMONS CONTINUES

I’ve always been “blessed” to be able to reach into a pile of assorted fruits completely blindfolded and pull out the only lemon in the bunch. This skill has kept me entertained, flummoxed, and busy through the years. Apparently, I haven’t lost my touch!

On Sunday, I made the trip to my local REI to finally purchase a SPOT 2 GPS locater. I’ve been intrigued with the concept since watching the 2009 Tour of Discovery in which Rafael Geraldo made his way cross country and allowed observers to join him through the use of technology.

Arriving at the store just before closing, my Sales Associate reached into the proverbial “bunch of fruit”, except this time it was the stock of SPOT 2’s on hand. Drawing back his hand, he gives to me a nicely wrapped brand new SPOT 2 in black and orange dressing. He assured me that REI had returned all of their stock of the original SPOT 2 after so much negative press highlighted problems with that version.

With lots of duties to take care of for our long planned vacation beginning at the end of this week, I didn’t get to do the initialization until lunch time on Monday.  Everything went smoothly. All of the lights blinked green just as the manual indicated they would. A GPS location was locked in quickly and the send message cycle started properly.

I eagerly looked forward to getting emails from those individuals that I had already listed as being the recipients of my hopefully “all is well” message. I eagerly looked forward to receiving one for an hour. Then, I began to look forward with some trepidation to finally getting acknowledgement that the messages had been received. Finally, when no message arrived from anyone, I gave a short “thanks” that I wasn’t critically wounded and in need of the SPOT service.

Following work, I tried to send the “track progress” messages. Upon arriving home some 1.5 hours after initiating the latest message, I logged in to my SPOT account only to be informed that I had zero, the big 0, in GPS locations.  Fortunately, I recognized my deck and knew where I was currently located even if my SPOT somehow didn’t process that information.

So, a quick call to SPOT tech support and an approximate 10 minute wait resulted in a pleasant conversation with the SPOT personnel, who had me retry everything making sure I had a clear view of the sky. We had a nice conversation for about 15 minutes and the SPOT tech dude properly announced, “Yep, you’ve got a defective unit there. Take it back to the store where you bought it and they’ll replace it.”

Yet another quick call to REI and the Sales Associate assured me that they had more lemons, err SPOTS in stock and that they would be happy to replace my 1 day old unit. So, I’m heading out shortly to Asheville to replace the busted one. I’m testing the replacement BEFORE I leave the store!

In a related matter…

I ordered from Amazon a RAM mount for the SPOT so that it can sit nicely on my truck’s dashboard or windshield as we travel. I paid extra for 1 to 3 day business shipping so that the unit would arrive before our departure date this weekend. If my math is correct, I ordered on Monday and 1 to 3 working days should end by this Thursday giving Tuesday as the first working day following the order. Imagine my surprise when I received an acknowledgment from Amazon that my unit was shipping and would arrive by May 17th. Hmmm, that seems to be the week AFTER we depart… I guess that, as in all things, time will tell!

Until later,

- Zeke

(Update to this story 12:30 p.m. 05/11/2010)  I am back from the REI store where I swapped out the faulty SPOT 2 for one that works. I had a very easy swap out with REI and then a quick response from SPOT to get the ESN switched over to the new unit. I was able to quickly initialize the new unit and started receiving messages, as did my intended recipients, within 10 minutes. All in all, things are working nicely at the moment!)