Enjoying The Day…
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It Was Just One Of Those Days…
On Saturday, I pedaled in my 3rd “Blood, Sweat & Gears“… a century ride that starts and ends in Valle Crucis, NC. The cumulative climbing elevation is 13,000+ feet, with one of the climbs up to the gap at Snake Mountain, mile point 63, reaching an 18-20% grade near the top. Here’s a look at the elevation chart:
It’s such a great ride and so well organized… the entries continue to grow. It’s usually sold out at the cap of 750 cyclists for the century and another 500 for the 50 miler sold out for the first time this year.
This shot below is at the start. The line of 1,250 cyclists winds around the corner and out of the picture.
I knew I was strong enough but I haven’t had as many long training rides leading up to it as I have in the past. So, I figured I would go into the ride relaxed, enjoy the cyclists I met along the way, bask in the awesome surroundings and check the clock when I hit the finish. I did just that. I felt good waiting for it all to begin. I met Joe, from Blowing Rock, at the start. I met Noah, from Durham and talked a while with him. I saw Amanda or “Cookie” and chatted briefly before she surged ahead (great cyclist). I saw Rob, from Durham and we cheered each other on about conquering Snake Mountain. I also met a great German (missed his name unfortunately) who was a beast who helped me survive Snake Mountain. I also talked with Dave, an Englishman from just north of Manchester, who would soon be moving out to Seattle. They were all so nice… brief encounters… but so memorable. It’s one of the main reasons I love cycling. The best part is I remember only these good people and their nice faces and nothing really associated with pain or exertion. Next thing I know, I’m within ten miles of the finish and I realize I’m on pace to finish in my best time. I surged to the finish at 6:18:25… an 8 minute improvement. It was just one of those days!
Strength Training… But Looking At Core Options
Thanks to a friend at work, my wife and I have both started the workout plan to one hundred push-ups in six weeks and two hundred sit-up (crunches) in six weeks. As a cyclist, my upper body is not exactly developed… maybe it’s even concave. OK, it’s not that bad but let’s just say I don’t have a lot of power. The push-ups aren’t easy but I’m actually doing alright. It helps that I’m skinnny because there’s less weight to push up. The crunches aren’t bad because my core is already in pretty good shape. But it never hurts to improve… especially for cycling (specifically climbing).
But then I just read this rather “concerning” Newsweek article: “Stop Doing Sit-Ups: Why Crunches Don’t Work” My wife and I certainly don’t want to damage our spines so I went searching for something better. I googled “core strengthening without crunches” and I found this 10 minute video using Pilates related moves:
It looks pretty good and I’ve already emailed it to my wife to put on our workout plan. I’ll let you all know how it goes. If you have any suggestions… I would love to hear them.
Me & Mrs. Jones On A Spin…
The boys and I gave Janice a new road bike for Mother’s Day… and we finally got out on another ride together. It’s hard with schedules and our children… but we’re working on finding more time to ride together.
Actually, it’s her first road bike so I’m working with her on handling skills, etc. and rules of the road.
She’s still not too comfortable yet with the clipless pedals but she’s getting there. I’m very proud of her and very excited that we can ride together. I asked her today after going up a couple of hills if she was ready to think about climbing Beech Mountain one day. She said…”sure.” That’s my girl!
Double The Event… Double The Fun!
It didn’t take me this long to recover… I just had a couple of days off for an extra long weekend. The weekend, in which, I double booked myself on events. In my last post, I talked about racing
The Doughman with three friends from work at 8am Saturday… then jumping in the packed car and driving almost 4 hours over to the mountains for “The Beest” Beech Mountain Time Trial by 3pm. I would just have enough time to get out of the car… put the bike on the trainer… warm up… and then start to climb a very steep 3.5 miles as fast as I could. But let’s go back to the beginning… I was up at 5:45am… coffee… and a biscuit. I had to get something in my stomach before it was time to eat and compete. We checked in and we were ready to race. It all started with Katie who had to eat Blu Seafood’s Crab Mac n’ Cheese with a fried egg on top. But something about that dish and Katie didn’t mix. She had trouble getting it down and she told us she looked up and realized she was the LAST one left at the table out of 51 teams. But she took off running after consuming her dish and was able to pass two other runners. At the end of her run… she had to jump in a pool with a raft and paddle to
the other end where I was waiting to be tagged. I slapped her hand and took off as the third to last cyclist. I was going all out which wasn’t easy with hills and a cold start. But I passed 3 cyclists in my first 2 miles. I got to my restaurant, Four Square and started shoveling in a BLT sandwich with chips and a pickle. I left 8 people still eating and my ride continued… 5.5 more miles… more hills. My legs started to warm up and my engine was doing its best to process the fastest meal I have ever consumed. I passed 8 more cyclists and almost hit a curb speeding into the next stop where I tagged my teammate Josh. He had to eat Nosh’s Tomato Triple Threat sandwich and then run almost 2 miles, the last of which was a good hill climb. He made it to Dain’s Place where Penn, our last teammate, had to eat a 1/4 pound hamburger topped with chili and a cut up hot dog and steak fries. Penn is 6′4 and is a human trash compactor. So, he finished the entire meal in what seemed like two minutes and sprinted out on a 2.5 mile run. We were there waiting for him to finish 
his leg but that was NOT the end. We all had to eat dessert together before the finish. The place… Daisy Cakes… which meant choking down cupcakes and then… sprinting two blocks to the finish while holding hands (a requirement to finish as a team).
And we did! We finished with speed… we finished with confidence. In fact, I really think I heard the theme song from Chariots of FIre playing in the distance. After starting off in last place, we clawed and consumed our way back to finish 12th out of 51 teams. We Kicked Dough! And… a special thanks goes out to our Team Captain Kristin. She was our driver, organizer, photographer and cheerleader. Thanks Kristin!
Soon after, I was off to the mountains working to prepare myself mentally to climb Beech Mountain (see 
Elevation Gain chart) like Lance… but I didn’t really feel like Lance. In fact, I didn’t feel like much at all. I certainly could not imagine putting any food into my system. I drank a lot of water… but just couldn’t eat. We made the drive in good time and I managed to eat some dried fruit and almonds about 30 minutes before my ride. I hopped out and the last two cyclists were preparing to start. They were going every 60 seconds. The organizer was very gracious (Thanks David!) and told me to take time to warm up. I hopped on the trainer and got in about 18 minutes of warm up but I could tell no matter how much I warmed up… I was running close to empty.
I just didn’t feel strong but I knew the old Tour DuPont finish banner was waiting for me to sprint under at the top. So, I gave it my best. Once I made it around some of the first switchbacks, I saw this first sign that confirmed the pain… the gradient running at 12.63 percent. I quickly cursed the sign ( in the nicest way) and turned my head to focus on the road ahead. My wife and boys were in the car and would pass me yelling… “Allez… You can do it daddy… Go daddy go!” I couldn’t respond because I felt like every last ounce of my energy was going into the pedals… but 
they knew how much they were helping me! I realized soon after I was starting to count the switchbacks and had to make myself focus on something else like knowing I was turning the pedals over… rather than lingering on how much more I had to go. But when I came around a turn and saw the new speed limit sign… I knew that’s the point where I was close to the top. I reached down deep and turned it up as much as I could. Then I got out of the saddle and sprinted around a big turn and flew under the Tour DuPont banner. My finishing time… 25:35.
It felt GREAT! Great to have taken part in the first (hopefully annual) Beest Beech Mountain Time Trial… Great to have found a little more power… Great to be done with a very long day. I went, I competed, I got the T-shirts and a couple of great door prizes at The Beest… and the finishes were pretty good. But the GREATEST part… my wonderfully supportive family following me ALL day and being there again at the finish with big hugs. My 5 year old son ran up to me and gave me a handful of little yellow flowers. He said, “Just like they do in the Tour de France daddy”. That… will always be with me!
I Doubled Booked: The Beest & The Doughman
I’ve talked many times before about how much I love pedaling in the mountains. My first century ride is coming up at the end of June which is Blood, Sweat & Gears. But I was so excited to see a new event that I couldn’t stop my credit card from jumping onto the computer keyboard to register. It’s called The Beech Mountain Beest! (It’s this Saturday and it starts at 2pm. There’s a reason I’m pointing out the time).
It’s a time trial up Beech Mountain… 3.2 miles with 1,800 ft. of elevation gain. What great training! Remember, Beech was a crucial climbing stage in the Tour Du Pont, which Lance won twice. It’s also the climb that inspired his comeback from cancer (see quotes to the right).
If you’re interested in registering you can do so until Wednesday (5/20) night. Just click on The Beech link above.
Anyway, I’ve tackled Beech before but I have no idea how long it took. I do know the visibility was poor. You can see that… by this picture I snapped with my cell phone. It was maybe two feet from my face.
Just the thrill of participating in this “Beest” Time Trial is enough for me. I’m so pumped about doing this ride that I’m sticking with it even though my schedule is a bit screwed up (my own doing). That’s where the “Double Booked” comes in. Because I didn’t check my schedule… I am booked for two events that day. The other is “The Doughman” which starts at 8am Saturday in Durham. What is “The Doughman” you ask? It’s the world’s premier Team Relay Quadrathlon - combining competitive eating with a traditional triathlon.
I will be the cycling leg of the race and THIS is what I have to eat before my 8 mile ride. The race has even attracted Adam from the Travel Channel’s show “Man vs. Food”. They’ll be racing and shooting an episode.
It’s called the Bull City BLT: Brinkley Farms bread flour and bacon, restaurant grown tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers (pickle), restaurant grown fingerling potatoes for chips. I have to eat every last crumb before I’m approved to pedal 8 miles down the road and tag my teammate. Once we’ve all “handled” our leg of the race… we all must meet for dessert before sprinting two blocks to the finish line together. Our dessert? Sunny-side up cupcake with candied bacon: A maple cupcake made with *local eggs and dairy, topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting and candied *local bacon.
Anybody nauseous yet? Oh, by the way, our NBC 17 Team name is “My Name Is Hurl” (even though hurling is strictly prohibited).
So, once we complete “The Doughman” (around 10:30am)… I will jump in the car and drive over to Beech Mountain for “The Beest” (starts at 2pm). The good news is I talked with the race organizer of “The Beest” and he says they can put me toward the end of the list (riders start off one at a time every 60 seconds).
That means I’ll be starting around 4pm. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Hopefully, I get there in time to get a good warm-up on the trainer.
WOW… I’m hungry to climb and to eat. Despite the “Double Booking” I think it’ll be one helluva day!
Biking to Work Makes For A Great Day…
The bike ride to work was so good I didn’t want it to end. My route turned out to be smooth and not much traffic. I started at 9:15am and rolled into work about 10:35am. The part you won’t see in this video is the “freshening up”… and I want to thank you all for your great suggestions in my last post. We don’t have a shower at the TV station but with a sink, washcloth, wet wipes, shampoo, a little soap, hand towel and deodorant I was ready to anchor the 6pm News. I’m also ready to ride my bike to work again! Here’s a short (may be considered cheesy) video documenting the ride:
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON THE SMART COMMUTE CHALLENGE.
Got Bike… No Shower… Any Ideas?
First, I thought I would share this pic with you from my ride on Saturday. I got in a great 70 miles. But I consumed 144 ounces of fluids… it was HOT. I mean really… look what it did to my wheel.
The good news… it’s cooling down and it should be nice as I ride my bike to work tomorrow (Tuesday). It is Bike To Work Week and there’s even a Smart Commute Challenge in the Triangle. That will also be a plus because we don’t have a shower at work. So, once I get to the station… I’ll cool down a bit and then figure out the best way to “freshen up”. That’s where you come in. I’m looking for suggestions like: extra deodorant… baby wipes, etc. What Are Your Ideas? I have to to put on a suit and tie and be presentable enough when I anchor the 6pm newscast. Whatever the outcome… viewers are safe as “smellivision” isn’t here yet. My co-workers… however… are hoping you come up with some good ideas.
Riding With The Wolves…
So, I’ve talked about cycling with a good friend of mine, Brian Sain (pictured on right with cheesy grin). He rides with the NC State Wolfpack Cycling team. I’ve also had the pleasure of spinning off some tough miles with Will & Hannah, also members of the “Pack”.
Well, I finally got the chance to head out with many more “Pack” cyclists.
About 13 of us hit the road this weekend. The 70 mile ride that was… well… let’s just say it was where ever we wanted it to go.
But that’s what made it interesting. Walker, the cyclist who organized the ride had us going through many areas… flat, winding, hilly, narrow, wide. At one point, 5 of us went all the way down to the boat ramp at Lake Wheeler and raced out of the parking lot and up a steep hill. There were a lot of “man up” sprints… there were a lot of “town limit sign” sprints. Let’s just say I got a fast twitch muscle workout! Thanks guys… I look forward to the next ride.
Please Help Us Kick Cancer’s Butt!
Many of you reading this… may have just recently seen the segment we ran on my station about my involvement in the 24 Hours of Booty along with my good friend Brian Sain. We so appreciate your interest and would love if you could help us meet our fundraising goals. Unfortunately, too many of us these days have a close connection to cancer. If you have had a family member or good friend face this fight you can donate in their honor or memory.
I am including both of our 24 Hours of Booty Page links just below so you can check them out and read our stories:
Brian’s 24 Hours of Booty Page
Donald’s 24 Hours of Booty Page
Please email me or comment below if you have any questions. Again, we can’t thank you enough for your support. I know our families feel the same!
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