Been gone a while!

So after the MS150 it started getting plenty hot and I also started dieting, which adversly affected my cycling performance. I took the month of August off completely, as it was just too hot to make cycling (or anything outdoors) any fun. Since The end of June I have lost 25lbs, and have ridden 215 miles and picked up another mountain bike. Alex and I have decided to shoot for riding the entire lenght of the suncoast trail the last weekend of the year. The entire length up and back is 83 miles, which is the same distance as day one of the MS150. To say we have been amping up the riding would be true.

2011 Ride #39 Trainer ride gets me over 1K miles for the year!

After returning from two days at the Dell storage forums and finally finish up all the tweaks since I swapped the components out, I finally got to get back on the bike. This ride put me at 1010 miles since 1/1/2011.

Ride Stats:

Speed 17.4/24.2
Heart Rate 162/182
Cadence: 85/131
Calories: 343
Time 39:22
Distance 11.4 miles

2011 Ride #38 - Trainer Ride - Sufferfest Video

So I realized I have not been able to get my evening rides in since we moved out to Temple Terrace, so it was time to break out the trainer. If you've ever ridden a training indoors you know it is disturbingly boring. A few weeks back I found a review of these videos called "sufferfest" which is a pretty accurate description if you attempt to ride anything like the video suggests. The video keeps you pumped up, gives you audible cues and shows timers, suggested cadence and effort levels. It is set based on videos from the Tour De Suisse, Tour De France, Tour of Romandie and several other venues. This definitely helps with the monotony of riding stationary.

On a positive note, my current mileage for the year is 998.3 miles, I am 1.7 miles short of hitting 1000 miles for the year. If I'd had realized that, I'd have done another two miles!

2011 Ride #37 - Fast at Flatwoods

As seems to be my typical Sunday morning routine as of late, roll out of bed at 6:30 and aim to be on the trail by 7:30. I started out around 7:30ish and noticed I was a little sore on the saddle - could it be because its new or because I still dont have the position down quite right yet. I'd bet number two, because at one point I damn near felt numb down below. Nothing that some additional tweaks can't fix.

Now I mentioned going faster. Compared to my last ride out there, I not only went a mile further, but I did it in 5 I'd attribute most of this to the group I rode with on mile 11 to 19 - mostly averaging 20mph+. For the most part I could hang, but when it was my turn, naturally the point where we turned into the wind, I knew I had I bit off more than I could chew, but I did my pull and then dropped off.

Ride Map and Stats:
Ride Time: 1:18:46
Stopped Time: 8:28
Distance: 25.81 miles
Average: 19.66 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 48.77 miles/h
Ascent: 627 feet
Descent: 741 feet
Calories: 1431


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #36 - Back to the Pinellas Trail Ride

Life is starting to return to somewhat normal again and I've actually been feeling well for about a week now so out to the trail we went. Winds were about 5-10 mph from out of the ENE, so we headed north to start. I made good time up but was a little sluggish coming back down. The medicine I have been taking warns of stiff tendons, so that is about all I can think would be the cause. I also just recieved my Ultegra components, so I swapped out the rear derailluer last night, along with a 12-25 cassette and the front crank. I won't be able to do the rest until I get my new torque wrench, a necessary evil when you are working with carbon frames. The bike is noticeably lighter, but we'll see when the new bars come in and I can also swap the brakes out.

The wind switched to a more ESE direction on the way back, always a treat to ride into the wind both directions. I waited for Ana to return and we headed over to Cafe Alfresco for a quick lunch.

Ride Stats and map:
Ride Time: 1:29:09
Stopped Time: 16:16
Distance: 24.77 miles
Average: 16.67 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 46.77 miles/h
Ascent: 144 feet
Descent: 148 feet
Calories: 1390


View Larger Map

Year to Date Update

Almost hit that 1000 mile mark, almost burned 60K calories just cycling alone...


Miles Average Max Time Calories HR Avg HR Max Cadence Cadence Max
211 17.23 28.76 12:30:54 12647 158 180 74 107

939.32 15.40 25.51 59:59:31 58278 165 174 75 120

2011 Ride #35 - Flatwoods loop

Well, after taking two weeks off after riding the MS150 (and being sick and the doctor saying to avoid the sun until I was off the meds) I had enough. Finally got back on the horse today and did a quick 25. It probably would have been a quick 32, but I wasnt quick going out the door. Change the routine up a bit and there goes 30 minutes.

The first 10 or 12 miles my left leg cried like a little baby, so when I stopped after the first full loop, I stretched out a bit and that seemed to do the trick. I stopped and chatted with some other roadies and then got back at it. The next two loops just flew by. If it wasn't for the fact I told Ana I'd be back around 9:30, I'd have done at least 1 or 2 more.

At any rate, ride stats and maps:
Ride Time: 1:23:24
Stopped Time: 14:48
Distance: 25.46 miles
Average: 18.32 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 38.08 miles/h
Ascent: 72 feet
Descent: 98 feet
Heart Rate Avg/Max: 171/187
Cadence Avg/Max: 78/98
Calories: 1637


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #33 and #34 - MS150 er 135...

Day 1 of the MS 150

The MS150 is an annual ride done for the MS Foundation. They offer rides of 50,75, or 100 on Saturday and Rides of 50 or 75 on Sunday. This was one of the first events I saw after I began my transition from mountain biker to roadie. The proceeds go to a great cause and it gets us who like to do endurance riding a fairly safe and well supported ride. As you've probably guess by reading my other blog posts, I have been training solidly for months for this ride. My training rides were of great help as were the friends I would make from Suncoast Cycling Club (Chainwheel Drive/Suncoast Cycling was the team I joined).

On Monday night, I started to get the scratch in the back of my throat that said either allergies or a cold was coming. As the week wore on it got progressively worse but nothing to stop me from riding. Oh well the joys of daycare right?

Finally Friday rolled around. We stayed in Winter Haven to make the early morning comute to Bok Tower a lot less of an issue (I had to be there for our team photo at 6:20 and the ride started at 7). I woke up around 4:45 after a night of tossing and turning. Hit the shower and stopped at a Dunkin Donut on my way to Bok Tower.

When I arrived at Bok Tower, the place was alive. There was a brilliant glow of light coming from the parking area near where the tower and visitors building were. As I got closer there were already many rows of cars and there were tons of people out and about. I found my team and verified where we were supposed to meet up. After taking the picture I finished getting myself and the bike ready. It was quite humid at this point and already about 75F. At around 6:45 my team and I rolled into position. As one of the biggest teams we got to be one of the first waves of riders released.

At this point I met the first of my teammates I would be riding with, they were looking to do 16-18mph consistently. This falls into the realm of my riding preference (or rather endurance level). Courtney, Christine, Donald, Mike, and, I would take turns taking pulls. By taking turns being the one to take the wind effectively makes the whole team ride faster. We called ourselves the wolfpack and kept up the higher side of 18 as our pace for quite some time and having a group of people to help you keep distracted from the constant churning of the pedals is a great thing.

Another blessing of the humidity was a thick layer of fog. This helped us all stay cooler and kept the sun out for a much longer time. The ride also had the best rest stop volunteers and were filled with all the goods one could ever ask for. The porta pottys were all super clean too (if you can imagine).

The first 37 miles were for the most part - flat. For the most part. There were some slight hills but nothing really out of the ordinary (and nothing worse that the inclines on the Pinellas Trail. Around mile 36 rest stop is where I met up with my friend Nate who I would finish the ride with. The next 19 miles were hellaciously hilly, especially the section on"Detour road". We should have definitely detoured this section. Climb afterer endless climb. The real plus here was the 1/2mi downhill that let us see 30+mph without so much as turning the cranks. Once we finally got past the hellacious climbs, there was a short run through some neighborhoods and then the busy road fun began. They also had a photo opportunity here as well:

Around Mile 46 there was a stop for lunch - pb&j (if you wanted that) and stock up on gatorade, ice water, and bananas. From mile 57 to nearly the end, it seemed like the roads were either very busy or in very poor repair (or in some cases both).

The stated distance for this ride was 75 miles. The distance indicated on the cue sheet was 78. I set my sights at 78. When I got to about mile 75 I was stopped at a stoplight and was talking to the cop who was directing traffic. I mentioned where we were and he said we had at least 6-10 miles remaining. Nothing crushes your motivation like setting your goals on one thing and being told you were quite a bit short.

Emotional ending. The power of this event doesn't hit you till you get near the finish line and the folks with MS are waving you in and people are cheering for you as you make the push past the finish line. It truly was an amazing experience.

After the ride I got cleaned up and got my post race massage. While it was being done the storms that had been promised arrived which for some unfortunately folks meant a wet afternoon was in store for them. At this point I had some coffee and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Day 1 Ride Stats and Maps:
Ride Time: 4:47:20
Stopped Time: 1:23:18
Distance: 83.26 miles
Average: 17.39 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 42.06 miles/h
Behind Best Ride: 3:48:56
Ascent: 2244 feet
Descent: 2385 feet
Calories: 4960

The Roubaix needs it's rest too!

Day 2 of the MS 150 - 50 miles

I was awoken at 5am to the sounds of hellacious thunder. I fired up the weatherbug app on my phone and saw a nasty patch of weather moving across the state. The one big plus was that it was moving across at a rocket pace.

I stopped in and had a huge breakfast of cereal and bananas and then headed to the cafe for an espresso as they had delayed the ride for an hour. Nate and I discussed wether or not we were going to ride, as the weather still looked really bad and the wind was something fierce.

Around 8:05 we finally got underway. It was much cooler this morning, and it was still wet which was a little disconcerting. One thing I did notice was a huge number of people repairing flat tires. A surpising number...

So naturally about 16 miles into the ride I feel the bike start to be somewhat sluggish. I look down and sure enough the tire was going flat. I pulled over and Mike from the club did as well. He let me borrow a CO2 tube to quickly get it pumped up, and meanwhile a SAG truck pulled up with a pump and let me fill it the rest the way up. The bummer was that I forgot to readjust the the speed sensor and I lost speed reading and distance for the next 8 miles. Great.

From here we rode up to the next rest stop and I topped off my water supplies and made sure my speed sensor was good to go again.

From here the pain train arrived. The next 9 miles were filled with climb after climb and then another flat. Courtney from Suncoast suggested running a piece of cotton or a paper towel around the inside of the tire to find out if there was something poking inside the tire. Sure enough, there was a wire sticking through which we quickly removed and got back on our way.

A quick stop for lunch and cold water and we were off again for the last leg of the journey. At this point the wind became brutal and the climbs were no help. It is a sad time when you are going the same speed downhill as you were uphill  because the wind is just beating you.

We finally made it to the rest stop at the bottom of the last climb, rested for a minute and then attacked. It was the perfect time for using the small/big chain combo. Nothing like spinning 100rpm up a hill at 10mph.

I will definitely do this ride again - it was for a great cause, and I had an awesome time. Ana and Alana had a good time shopping and going to the hotel's kiddie pool.

Day 2 Ride Stats and Maps:
Ride Time: 3:29:16
Stopped Time: 1:36:46
Distance: 52.44 miles
Average: 15.03 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 44.06 miles/h
Ascent: 1467 feet
Descent: 1293 feet
Calories: 3131

2011 Ride #32 - Last ride before the MS150

Today being Mother's Day I didn't want to waste away Ana's day while I was out turning the cranks. I got up and after finally waking up, headed out to Flatwoods. Today was a solo ride, as sadly, Alex has taken a job in South Florida and will be leaving in a few weeks, so his time for cycling has pretty much been lost. Today's ride was also one of the coldest rides in recent memory, when I left the house this morning it was 55F...and where the park is, especially when the sun hasn't come up and you are pedaling 18-20mph, it feels even colder. Today was also going to be the last ride I was going to likely get in (unless I get on the trainer) before the MS150 this weekend.

New Pedals:
I also didn't want to ride out to the MS 150 without riding on my new pedals, a pair of Speedplay Stainless Zero's. I'd have preferred the Titanium pedals, but they have a 170lbs rider weight limit, so that is pretty much out of the question. I decided to ditch the Shimano's because I was tired of missing when I tried to clip in when taking away from a light or other stop. These seem to be easier to find and are double sided so I dont have to play flip the pedals. They are still pretty darn stiff to get in and out of, but from what I have read that should change after use. Only time will tell.

Overall the ride was pretty good, it was very quiet and there really were quiet a number of folks out considering.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Ride Time: 58:24
Stopped Time: 7:36
Distance: 17.89 miles
Average: 18.38 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 49.42 miles/h
Ascent: 299 feet
Descent: 322 feet
Calories: 1104


View Larger Map

Trying a Tri

So I have signed up for the Assault on Fort Desoto sprint tri in August. I think I must be crazy. I'm also hoping to be well enough to do the Picnic Island Adventure run in June (I'll miss out on the one next Friday because of the MS150).

I ordered a pair of tri shorts, a top and a pad for keeping all my stuff and not burning the heck out of my feet!

2011 Ride #31 Wanted 50 Got 30...

Today was like any other day out on the Suncoast Trail, but I just didn't have the time to put in all the miles, as we had a 1:30 brunch to be at over on Clearwater Beach. Alex and I hung with a group preparing for the MS150 from a group called "Groupetto" (which I'll be reaching out to ride with more in the future).

Mother nature decided that our training would be more intense - she insisted that the wind be at our head no matter what direction the cogs were pointed. At least when we were riding with the group we were somewhat shielded from the wind. When we turned around it was brutal.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Ride Time: 1:52:30
Stopped Time: 10:57
Distance: 31.95 miles
Average: 17.04 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 40.77 miles/h
Behind Best Ride: 1:52:30
Ascent: 433 feet
Descent: 367 feet
Calories: 1815


View Larger Map

April and YTD stats

So far this year I have done almost 750 miles 272 of that was during the month of April alone. My goal this year is 1500 miles which at this point I should easily surpass. I think I may need to shoot for 2500. I have already surpassed last years riding by over 100 miles.

Month  Miles    MPH Avg/Max      Time         Calories   HR AVG/Max    Cadence Avg/Max
April    272.44     15.94/28.28     16:52:22       16589        155/183                       75/127
YTD    728.32     14.94/24.69     47:28:37       45631        167/172                       75/127

2011 Ride #30 Easy Bridge Ride

So Ana and I finally got the chance for us both to get out and ride. It wasn't without some idiots behind us smacking into the back of each other and then the other lady rolling into the bike rack. Thankfully there wasnt so much a scratch.

Tomorrow I will be doing 50 miles with Alex, likely the last ride before the MS 150. It certainly is heating up, it was much warmer than last weekend. I do feel my endurance and power going up (I actually only used the small ring once, uphill into the wind on the Clearwater pass bridge.

Ride Map and Stats:
Started: Apr 30, 2011 1:55:42 PM
Ride Time: 1:31:02
Stopped Time: 15:23
Distance: 21.41 miles
Average Speed: 14.11 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 28.46 miles/h
Ascent: 305 feet
Descent: 361 feet
Calories: 1249


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #29 - MS150 Training Ride - Metric Century - Check!

I knew that today would be met with some firsts - Riding road with a big group, my first metric century. I am happy to say I completed both of them and then some.

Everyone Getting Ready to head out:


The ride started off pretty awesome, the Clermont police blocked off all the major intersections in Clermont. From out of the parking lot and for the first mile or two, the ride was downhill. Very much downhill. It was at this point I saw the fastest time of the day - 41 miles per hour. Let me tell you what - that is hauling ass on a bicycle. I almost decided to just stick with the 35 miler and up to the point where I hit about 45 miles or so, I loved it. From about mile 34 to mile 50, the wind was just unrelenting. It was at about mile 50 when someone having fun, swapped the directional sign telling riders where to go sending me the wrong way...unfortunately I didn't notice for about 5 miles, so I ended up with an extra 10 miles. Unfortunately that also mean that I had to traverse about 5 extra hills both ways. That sucked. I went so far as to call the bike shop and asked to be picked up in a support vehicle, but they told me I'd have to make my way back to the official course. I did manage to make it back and with about 7 miles left to go, I met the guys in the SAG van. The gave me ice cold gatorade and water (and I poured a great deal of it on me to cool off). They encouraged me to ride on because there was only one more really steep hill (as I am looking at the hill from beside the van thinking no freaking way). At this point I said to myself, just do it, and they reassured me that if I finally gave out, that they would be about 5 minutes behind me. Now that I was paranoid about going the wrong way, I kept pulling out the GPS and checking, just to be sure. There was really only one more seriously challenging hill that they neglected to mention on the way back, but it was like an eighth mile from the shop and the glorious payoff to the climb was the major downhill on the other side (which without pedaling had you doing 32mph).

I ended up doing 74.93 miles (I went past the metric century (100K/62.5 mi) by more than 10 miles).

Ride Stats and Maps:

Ride Time: 4:35:26
Stopped Time: 1:06:45
Distance: 74.93 miles
Average: 16.32 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 41.46 miles/h
Ascent: 1785 feet
Descent: 1785 feet
Calories: 4258





View Larger Map

2011 Ride #28 40 miles back to back

I did it! 41 miles on Saturday and 41 miles today! It was even more windy than it was yesterday, but this time the wind was worse on the trip out (it was nearly non-existant when you were going south.

This was a mixed blessing. While my average speed was substantially less than normal on the way up, on the way bay we more than made up for it. On the southern end of the ride I actually saw 7 miles that were averaged over 20mph. While I thought I would end up bonking, I stayed through it and was rewarded with my fastest 40 mile average to date.

We changed up the ride a bit today, instead of returning to the lot we proceeded to the southern terminus of the trail and returned back up. At this point it is where Alex went to his car (around 33 miles) and I kept going. There were several points where I thought my legs were going to explode, but then on the return trip I ended up with three of my fastest average miles to date.

Next weekend I will be going on a group ride in Clermont - with options to do 35 or 65 miles. The distance isnt a worry but the hills are...we shall see.

Ride Map and Stats:
Ride Time: 2:28:01
Distance: 41.41 miles
Average: 16.78 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 25.59 miles/h
Ahead of Best Ride: 5:56
Ascent: 856 feet
Calories: 2483


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #27 Forty Miles with Nathan

This weekend begins the true ramp up for the MS150 next month. Nathan met up with me today and we did my usual 40 mile trip. While he hadn't ridden in a while. it certainly did seem that way, he motored along just like had been for months.

The weather on the way up was great - but the wind on the way back was insane. I hope the wind subsides for tomorrows 40!

Ride Stats and Maps:

Ride Time: 2:33:08
Distance: 41.44 miles
Average: 16.24 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 30.16 miles/h
Ascent: 443 feet
Calories: 2839


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #26 Forty miles and falling

It was another beautiful Florida morning today, a nice cool 68F. Alex and I had decided ahead of time that this would be a 40 mile day. Today I was also experimenting with the "Endurance Fuel" from Infinit Nutrition. My goal has been to find a product to replace having gels, bars and everything else on each trip. We got rolling around 7:45 and agreed to keep the pace between 16-18mph so we wouldn't kill ourselves with the distance.

So it happens to all bikers eventually...you cruise up to the light and stop. Except you didn't unclip and fall over, or your riding buddy forgets which side he unclipped from and falls on you, which isn't bad if your opposite foot is unclipped...So we got to the light at SR52 and Alex forgot he unclipped on the right and not the left...and then leaned to the left. Standing to his left, I was unclipped on the right...he fell onto me and while I still managed to unclip my foot to prevent from falling completely, the bikes both got to kiss the pavement (and so did Alex). Of course the cagers sitting at the light had their laughs, and the other roadies told us we had earned our badges. Neither of us were hurt, but it was funny.

The Infinit nutrition products worked out great - not once did I feel fatigued, and I had plenty of energy (without making my teeth feel disgusting at the same time).

We keep rolling up to County Line Road and turned back:


Ride Stats and map:

Ride Time: 2:33:57
Distance: 41.89 miles
Average: 16.33 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 44.41 miles/h
Ascent: 1104 feet
Calories: 2508


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #25 quick and dirty thrity..broke 500 miles on the year

Today Alex and I met up at the suncoast parkway to get in 25-30 miles at a good clip. Alex had a surprise this morning - he rolled up and pulled out a Trek Madon 5.2. One sweet freaking bike. Alex has really picked up the pace over the last few rides and being on a new bike certainly showed. We rode up the parkway about 14 miles, turned around, headed through Starkey park (till it was flooded) and headed back. This netted us a simple 31 mile ride that we both felt great having completed.

I also passed 500 miles for the year and considering I haven't been able to ride both days a week this year, it's not a bad thing.

Ride Stats and Maps:

Started: Apr 3, 2011 8:12:57 AM
Ride Time: 1:50:23
Distance: 31.65 miles
Average Speed: 17.20 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 27.09 miles/h
Ascent: 33 feet
Descent: 125 feet
Calories: 1919

View Larger Map

2011 Ride #24 Friday Afternoon ride

I had taken today off to get our cabinets installed and have some new fence installed in the back yard. I got a call on Wednesday saying that the cabinets would be late coming in and that they needed to install it on Saturday. Great. Too bad I had scheduled the fence work, else I could have had one of the most beautiful days all to myself.

Alex and I had planned on riding on Wednesday, only to find out that one of the worst storms to hit our area planned on coming in early. I metioned that I was going to be off Friday as well and we planned on going riding up at the Suncoast trail because Flatwoods would have been underwater (it always is in places during the summer).

So we met up at around 3:30, I decided not to bother with the ipod tracking today and soley go by the bike computer. Unfortunately, this would be the first of many little grrr moments during our ride. We got rolling only to see my speed was not registering. I look down and see that my speed sensor had slid down the spokes. I readjusted it a bit, and speed was registering...but now it was rubbing on the staps that hold the sensor to the bike frame. At this point I moved it out of the way, but it wasn't close enough to register speed. I finally said the hell with it so we could get on our way.

The weather today was spectacular, 80F, slight north wind - perfectly blue skies. We rode up about 7 miles and Alex asked if he could swap bikes so he could decide if there really was a difference over the other bike. Of course he immediately noticed the difference. We got about a mile down the road and then his bike started to feel wobbly, I looked down - the tire had flatted out. This is the second time this had happened to him since we had been riding out there. I flipped it over and changed the tire.

We continued to head up to 52 and then turned around. At that point we put a little more air in his rear tire and continued on. All in all it was a good ride, we did approximately 20 miles give or take 1/2 mile.

Since the speed sensor and all were not working quite right, I dont have the specs today...

2011 Ride #23 Mileage and towing Alana

Today I headed out to Flatwoods to get some miles in but took the bike trailer and Ana's bike so they could meet me up later in the morning. I got in just shy of 22 miles by myself, and then another 15 while towing Alana behind me. It was a stellar day and getting out before the wind picked up was a Godsend. The freaky part was the temperature variations around the loop. In some sections it was around 55F, in others about 70. Normally you can tell the swing a little but this shift was so great that my glasses and the bike computer fogged up for a minute or two. I have succeeded in raising my average 20 mile speed by almost 3 miles per hour since I got the new bike.

Amazingly, I really couldnt feel Alana behind me until I caught the windy side of the loop. Ana learned about drafting today and enjoyed riding at a faster pace behind Alana and I.

Ride Stats:

Without Alana:
Started: Mar 27, 2011 8:11:51 AM
Ride Time: 1:13:32
Distance: 21.88 miles
Average Speed: 17.86 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 23.01 miles/h
Ascent: 450 feet
Descent: 405 feet
Calories: 1387

With Alana:
Started: Mar 27, 2011 9:47:59 AM
Ride Time: 1:12:13
Stopped Time: 6:40
Distance: 15.02 miles
Average Speed: 12.48 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.56 miles/h
Ascent: 140 feet
Descent: 132 feet
Calories: 946

2011 Ride #22 Flatwoods...still sick!

After work Wednesday night I headed over to Flatwoods, still sick but wanting to ride in the worst of ways. Made sure the tires were up at 115psi, and went to work. I hate to bitch about the wind, but seriously, it has been nuts lately. Today I saw WNW winds at 15mph. Most of Flatwoods seems to face this direction (especially the side with the least trees to block any of it). I have established that I will no longer drink HEED, so far it is the only Hammer product I can't stomache. I love perpetum, their bars, and most the other stuff they sell (and it works well!).

On my first pass around the track, my fastest time was on the SE side, where I posted several 20+ mph averages. I am happy that since I got my bike, my mph average has gone up almost 2mph.

By the time I was wrapping up my second lap, I was feeling the effects of being sick. At 23 miles I wasn't too upset.

Ride Stats and Map:
Started: Mar 23, 2011 5:35:51 PM
Ride Time: 1:17:08
Stopped Time: 8:22
Distance: 23.17 miles
Average Speed: 18.02 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 23.77 miles/h
Ascent: 99 feet
Descent: 141 feet
Calories: 1500


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #21 - Trainer Ride

5:30 am, 6.01 miles, 25:04 minutes....5:30am....

2011 Ride #20 Sick Ride at Flatwoods

Being sick sucks! I was supposed to go with Suncoast Cycling and do the Suncoast Trail Head to Toe today - that didn't happen. I did find out though that I had misread the recommended PSI inflation pressure...now I am riding on about 115 PSI and it rolls sooo much better.

Being sick I didnt push too hard, but between improving my pedaling technique, dropping a gear to work towards raising my cadence, I managed to up my average speed to 17.51mph, which is .12mph faster than my previous best average.

Ride Stats:
Started: Mar 20, 2011 9:13:41 AM
Ride Time: 1:00:55
Stopped Time: 11:21
Distance: 17.78 miles
Average Speed: 17.51 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 22.70 miles/h
Ascent: 651 feet
Descent: 587 feet
Calories: 1068


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #19 First ride on the trainer

So I picked up a Blackburn fluid trainer this past Friday so that I can get my mileage up without riding on the death highways that surround the condo. Trying to find a fluid trainer locally was a pain. I finally stopped by another one of our good LBS and found this one. The best part is they give discounts to SWAMP club members, so I ended up with a stellar price on it.

I have been sick, so I just did a quick 20 minutes on it just to get a feel for it. Definitly will take some adjusting to.

2011 Ride #18 Aiming for 50

And got 55! I started around 9am, up at SR 52 and the suncoast parkway. I headed toward Alex who was headed to the SR 54 parking area. I met up with him around 9:45, and hit the trails. It was a gorgeous day, with the exception of it being 50F. I knew sooner than later that it would heat up, so I just had to deal with it being cold for a bit. We road up towards SR 52 and got about 3/4 the way when Alex had a blowout.

20 minutes later and we were back on our way...

My goal today was to log 50 miles - the furthest I would have ridden so far. I managed to get in 55, which ended up being SR52 to SR54, SR54 to SR52, SR52 back to SR 54, on the return trip I rode all the way to the end of Starkey park, back to the trail and back to the car. I did push up the pace a bit after I left Alex at the parking lot which ended up hurting my endurance around the 48 mile mark. Note to self, don't do that again!

Ride Stats and Map:

Ride Time: 3:20:00
Distance: 55.57 miles
Average: 16.67 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 27.6 miles/h
Ascent: 717 feet
Calories: 3102
Cadence: 65 162
Heart Rate: 155 182


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #17 - Fitting and Moving ride

Well, I have since moved to Temple Terrace from Riverview. One big benefit of this is that Flatwoods paved loop is just 8 miles away. This also means the wilderness trails are just 5 miles away.

Since I have had my bike now for a week, and was able to get one ride in, it was time for my proper fitting. Since I bought my bike at AJ's they offered a free fitting with the purchase. I hadn't done this previously with my mountain bike, but this time, I wanted to get it right. Erik put Ruby up on the trainer and leveled her out. Then he had me get on with my cleats and do a few minutes of warm up. After I was warmed up, he took several measurments using oversized protractors a plumb bob and took several measurements that were based on the bikes dimensions. He also gave me some tips about keeping my knees pointing inward, making sure I was keeping my back and arms at 90 degree angles. He also verfied my cleats were in proper alignment and had me pedal some more. It really felt leagues better.

Since we have moved, my boss let me change my hours up a little to help with baby pickup and traffic. 30 minutes here makes a huge difference. Today I left work but Ana had baby duty. Since I had my bike with me anyway, I just headed right to Flatwoods.

The ride:

Ok so this bike rocks, my average speed is already up almost 2 mph. I just have to wonder how much faster it would have been if the 20 mph headwind wasn't in the picture. I really made an effort to pedal like erik mentioned and when I did, it really paid off. I noticed my last mile before the cooldown mile was over 20mph average! Sweet!

Ride stats and maps:
Started: Mar 9, 2011 5:18:11 PM
Ride Time: 1:06:02
Stopped Time: 2:31
Distance: 19.14 miles
Average: 17.39 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 26.80 miles/h
Climb: 43 feet
Calories: 1345

Almost the same as bike computer:
Avg / Max:
Speed: 17.3 26.8
Cadence: 68 100
Heart 164 181
Distance 19.14


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #16 First ride on the Roubaix

So, I made some time tonight to finally get a leg over the new bike,

All I can say is WOW! This bike is freaking amazing. It soaks up the bumps and undulations in the road like nothing I have ever felt before. It took a few adjustments of the seat post to get it to what feels like is optimal but now feels amazing. The angle of the drops feels absolutely spot on. I cannot wait for this Sunday to really get some ride time in.

Tonights "ride" if you want to call it that since mostly it was just making adjustments and getting used to it stats:

Time: 28:04
Distance: 7.78 miles
Average: 16.6 mph
Max 22.1 mph
Cadence: 66/168 (avg/max)
Calories 239
Heart Rate: 160/176 bpm (avg/max)

2011 Ride #15 Clipped in at Boyette

This ride actually took place on 2/27, I just forgot to enter the details. It was a fantastic day out weatherwise - in another few weeks we are going to wish we still had this weather.

At any rate - this was the first time riding clipped in at Boyette. I had my reservations about doing this out there - but today I just put the pedals on and brought my shoes out and rode. There was only one corner I unclipped and walked (the same one twice) but it was so different being coupled to the bike out there. I have built up enough strenght now that even if I was a little over zealous with the brakes on the decent, I could lean forward and power through the climbs. Being clipped in certainly helps get back lost energy (and you can pull up as well as push down).

At any rate, ride stats and map:

Started: Feb 27, 2011 9:05:02 AM
Ride Time: 1:02:50
Distance: 11.01 miles
Average: 10.51 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.86 miles/h
Climb: 274 feet
Calories: 676


View Larger Map

New ride has arrived!

Too bad I won't be able to ride it till Sunday!

2010 Specialized Roubaix Elite - outfitted with Ultegra pedals and a Cateye V3 Pro.

In my quick jaunt around the parking lot at the bike shop, I could tell the ride quality was immensely better. This Sunday cannot get here fast enough!

Weight Goal #1 Reached

My goal was to be down to 200lbs by 3/1 - I am sitting right at 199.5 today woot!

New ride coming!

Finally our tax returns are in progress. With that I can finally afford to buy my own road bike and with the upcoming MS150 ride, a good comfortable road bike was what I was looking for. Enter the Specialized Roubaix - it is the distance bike of choice. The Roubaix takes its name for the Paris - Roubaix race held every spring. This race is notorious for its riding over cobblestones - which is very punishing on most road bikes.

At any rate I had been looking at a 2011 Specialized Roubaix Comp, but happened to stop by AJ's and saw they had a 2010 Roubaix elite - which is aside from a slight change in frame material, is the exact same bike but for almost $1000 less.

Here are some pictures of it:

2011 Ride #14 - Training Ride

Alex and I headed out to Flatwoods since we were both off today. He was on the TREK and me on the Specialized with road wheels on it. It started off nice and cool but the wind got progressively worse with each lap (or we got progressively more tired). It warmed up slightly as the morning wore on, but nothing too bad. I had initially wanted to get in about 30+ miles, but I am dieting so I was running a little too calorie depleted to make that a reality. We did 3 laps which is right at 22 miles. Not bad considering I did most of the pulls (Alex is still getting his legs back under him after not riding for a long period of time).

We did get a couple of crazy looks when Alex was drafting me - it isn't every day that someone on a road bike is drafting someone on a mountain bike, and since I was wearing my SWAMP jersey, that made it that much more entertaining.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Started: Feb 21, 2011 9:27:01 AM
Ride Time: 1:23:59
Stopped Time: 15:15
Distance: 21.93 miles
Average: 15.66 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.18 miles/h
Climb: 174 feet
Calories: 1567


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #13 Alana's first trailer bike ride

Today was absolutely spectacular outside. 76F, light breeze, and not a single cloud in the sky. Today was the first time we were able to get Alana into the bike trailer a friend of ours from work lent us to see if Alana would do OK with it before we took the plunge and bought one.


I don't know, this is her after the ride:

I think she liked it! She just talked and talked the whole way.

Most of the ride was pretty uneventful except for having to stop and wait for a 5-6 foot rattlesnake to cross the road. Since this was a first for both of us, I took it easy, with a few exceptions...When we passed the rattlesnake I put the hammers down and took us up to about 20mph...Alana started laughing and going weeeeee. So a few other times I did the same thing and she loved it. I tried to keep that to a minimum though so Ana could ride next to us and see her. We stopped once in the shade in the parking area at Bruce B Downs Blvd so we could make sure she wasn't getting a sunburn and wasn't getting overheated. We'll have to do this early in the morning once summer gets here.

Ride Stats and Maps:

Started: Feb 19, 2011 12:16:21 PM
Ride Time: 1:02:03
Distance: 12.20 miles
Average: 11.80 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.58 miles/h
Climb: 145 feet
Calories: 543


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #12 - Dirt Roadie Ride

Alex and I talked about going up and riding the Suncoast Trail since the access point off SR54 was just a mile or so down the road from his house. Since we were going to ride road, and only had one road bike, I put my new pedals on my mountain bike and mounted up the commuter wheels I had on it.

Now it was about 10am, 55F with a 10mph headwind. Sheesh. I just got my new Ultegra road pedals and Specialized comp road shoes. It is funny to me that my first ride on my mountain clips and shoes were on a road bike, my first ride on my road shoes and pedals were on a mountain bike.

We headed north on the suncoast trail and rode up to SR52, which was about 10 miles. We turned around and headed back south, which was great because we were riding with the wind. On the way back we rode into Starkey wilderness park, which has a 6.5 mile bike trail. We took a break at the far end of the trail recounting how beautiful the day was.

After our break we headed back to the Suncoast trail and then back to the car. 33.55 miles on a mountain bike, even with road tires is a long ride. I cannot wait to get my Roubaix.



Ride Stats and Map:

Started: Feb 13, 2011 10:09:45 AM
Ride Time: 2:17:16
Distance: 33.55 miles
Average: 14.66 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 20.94 miles/h
Climb: 362 feet
Calories: 2073


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #11 Second Dirt Ride of the year

So we are working on getting Alex back into riding shape since he hasn't ridden since football season started. Naturally since it is the weekend, it was sprinkling a bit and about 58F when we started out. If it was just not wet, it would have been outstanding.

At any rate we did the typical 14ish mile loop around the park. I also am evaluating a new app for the Android OS, this one was called Sports Tracker. While it is nowhere near as polished as Cyclemeter, it did a good job. What is odd to me is that the HTC's sports tracker said we had went 14.3 miles, the iPhone app said we did 13.8. Both using GPS. The HTC was more realistic based on top speed, putting us in a 21.99 mph for the top end (we really hauled butt on the speedway portion of the trail).

According to Google:
Ride Time: 1:29:12
Stopped Time: 32:54
Distance: 13.33 miles
Average: 8.96 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 18.48 miles/h
Climb: 725 feet
Calories: 896

2011 Ride #10 Lunchtime Ride

As I normally do on my work from home days, I hit the road at lunchtime. Today was probably THE BEST weather day I have seen on a bike. Not cold, not hot. If there was no wind - it would have been perfect.

One interesting note was that the workouts I have been following have been working. I felt so much stronger riding today. My splits show some really good hammer times...

Avg Max
12.35 15.95
14.07 16.64
14.85 19.7
15.22 19.18
14.5 20.39
13.76 25.31
19.91 25.14 Cookin!
21.21 23.67 Really Cookin!
18.1 21.12 Still going strong.
14.1 21.12 Got caught in the school zone...
16.55 20.8

January Stats

January Totals 185.73 Miles, 14.7 mph average 33.4mph max, 12:34:21 Hours, 13142 Calories, 182 heart rate max (average) 165 heart rate overall average.

I am well on my way to my goal of 1500 miles this year.

2011 Ride #9 - Finish January Strong ride

Today's goal was to ride 36 miles, and I mustered 36.1 according to the bike computer. Today's ride took me from Main Street in Dunedin to 22nd Avenue north in St. Pete. This equates to right at 18 miles each way. Today was warm, the sun was out, and the wind was nowhere nearly as bad as they had been.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Started: Jan 30, 2011 11:49:58 AM
Ride Time: 2:19:42
Distance: 35.28 miles
Distance bike computer: 36.1 miles
Average: 15.15 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 25.47 miles/h
Fastest Speed (bike computer): 33.4mph
Climb: 348 feet
Calories: 2435



View Larger Map

2011 Ride #8 - Day Off Swap Ride

Well, I have to work Saturday so the bossman said I could swap a day during the week. I chose today because it was going to be the warmest it would be all week, even though there was a huge chance of severe weather. It was windy as hell, but the temperature was good and the park was a ghost town. While there was a threat of rain in the afternoon, I didn't see anything but clearing skies while I was out there.

You always worry about deer running out in front of you in more rural areas when driving. I never really worried about it while riding until today. I had about 3 deer dart out in front of me on the southern loop, which since it was so windy I wasn't going terribly fast on anyway. I again came across another group a little further down the trail that was foraging near the side of the trail.

I was hoping to do more, but the winds and my ride on Sunday were working against me. I did manage to post my highest average speed, which was 16.11 overall and I am 1/4 mile short of doing 150 miles this month.

Ride Stats and Map:

Ride Time: 1:37:06
Stopped Time: 17:10
Distance: 26.07 miles
Average: 16.11 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 21.86 miles/h
Climb: 99 feet
Calories: 1800


View Larger Map

2011 Ride #7 - First dirt ride of 2011

Finally got a chance to ride my mountain bike on the dirt, it seems like it's been ages since I have. I almost forgot what have some suspension and tires with any sort of volume felt like. Riding the road bike you learn really quickly to adapt to a stiff ride and stiff elbows. As crappy as the fork on my bike is, it does at least absorb roots and bumps, and with the 29x2.2's with about 30psi in them, absorb way more than the little 700c x 23mm tires on the roadie.

At any rate, this was my first experience riding with my mtb pedals on my mtb (took almost a month!) I can say that it was an awesome ride and I feel like if you are already a decent rider, going clipless offroad will make you an even better (and probably faster) rider.

The weather, while much cooler was actually pretty refreshing since I had the right attire and we occaisionally got out into stretches of sun. This worked out great because you didn't feel like you were going to die as a result of being out in the heat.

The distance we rode today was short compared to some of my other rides, but felt as invigorating because of the effort required to climb up and over things and the inefficiancy of the bigger tires and heavier bike. Being a mountain biker and a road biker is very complimentary in my opinion. The amount of effort is different though - on the road you push constantly, stopping only for red lights or other similar kinds of things, on the mountain bike you are slowing to prevent sliding out in leaf filled loose pack corner, tight confines or other perils of the trail.

I also tried out Gatorade G1 Pro today, I drank 1/2 before the ride and the other at the halfway point. I also supplimented with Endurolytes which prevents cramping, that which it did very well. The G1 Pro tastes nearly identical to G1 Prime that you get at the grocery store, except that it's almost twice as expensive, has 33% more calories and 4 times the carbs per serving. For me, that means I can split it in half since I don't believe you need to preload that much, and from the reading I have done, there is only so much you can replenish or add before you exercise.

At any rate, another stellar ride!

Ride Stats and Maps:

Started: Jan 23, 2011 1:51:45 PM
Ride Time: 1:27:33
Distance: 14.21 miles
Average: 9.74 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 19.88 miles/h
Climb: 243 feet
Calories: 1600


View Larger Map

2011 MS 150 "Citrus Tour"

Last night I signed up to ride the 2011 MS Citrus Tour, a two day even in Central Florida in May that raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. MS is an awful condition, causing blurred vision, muscle loss, memory loss, and in a lot of cases, death. I am also charged to raise $250 for the cause, and you can donate to the cause here.

The route runs from Bok Tower to the Hotel Carribe in Orlando, on a wonderfully hilly and (very green) during the month of May. I am a bit concerned with the building heat that time of year, but I hope to be aclimitized by the time the race comes.

Stay tuned for more!

2011 Ride #6 - Evening Ride before !@!@# weather!

Well, I have wanted to get into a Sun, Tue, Thurs, Sat, ride pattern and it worked out well that crappy weather will be here tomorrow. After we put Alana down to bed, I kitted up and headed out. This loop has proved to be great for an under hour route that has ups, downs, headwinds, tailwinds, and apparantly, due to cold water near parts of the trail, hot and cold zones. Tonight I added on another 2 miles to the loop just to get some saddle time in.

At any rate another great ride.

Ride Stats:
Started: Jan 20, 2011 8:36:26 PM
Ride Time: 52:19
Stopped Time: 4:36
Distance: 13.29 miles
Average: 15.24 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 21.93 miles/h
Average Heart Rate: 153
Max Heart Rate: 185

2011 Ride #5 Lunchtime Ride

Another beautiful day, nice and warm but WIIIINNNNDDDY!!! My splits show how I was riding against the wind until about mile 5, then I turned East and I was blessed with dead air. Of course I had to turn around which meant I had to ride back through it so mile 6 slowed me down, but on the way back North and then East - hammerfest!

Splits:
Distance (miles)/Average Speed (miles/h)
1 - 13.63
2 - 13.46
3 - 12.99
4 - 13.9
5 - 14.12
6 - 13.35
7 - 18.11
8 - 19.96
9 - 18.03
10 - 20.86
10.63 - 15.75

Ride Stats:
Started: Jan 18, 2011 1:23:42 PM
Ride Time: 41:27
Distance: 10.63 miles
Average: 15.38 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 26.7 miles/h
Calories: 727

2011 Ride #4 - Largo to Pasadena

Today started out gorgeous - temp was around 70F, nothing but blue skies. After dropping Alana of at Ana's parents, we decided to park at a different spot then normal (Ana had never ridden south of Clearwater) so we parked at Taylor Park, which is off 8th Avenue in Largo. This is in a pretty decent location and has easy access to the trail. Unfortunately, we had a few things working against us today. For one, I was hungry, I ate a zone bar and drank a G1. Two, I was feeling the effects of the antibiotic that I have been takingm which cramped me up around mile 10, which was about Tyrone Square Mall. At that point do I suck it up and finish going the next 2.5 miles, or do I just turn around. Hell NO I kept going! Three, I had worked on our condo for about 8 hours and then working on Shawn's bike replacing all his major components, till about 2am and woke up around 7:30, so I was tired. Despite these minor annoyances, I had a great ride. On the way down, there was a crosswind which fought me, but it was sunny and warm. Heading south from Largo really maximizes the amount of overpasses that you ride, some of them are pretty challenging (the one over Park St is one of the longest climbs in the system, and it is followed by another climb less than 1/10 of a mile away.

When I reached the 12.5 mile point, I did get to witness the first drug deal I had seen on the trail, followed by watching the purchasers begin to use their goods. All from the comfort of a nice park bench that let me rest a few minutes, pop some sports beans and a G1.

I got back on the bike and headed North. It only took about 5 cranks to discover that the north wind had cooled significantly and suddenly clouds rolled in and the temperature cooled off almost 15F from where it was when I started. Oye.

I finally made it back to the car, hungry and tired. I felt great and Ana and I headed off O'Keefe's for some tasty burgers.

Ride Stats and Map:
Started: Jan 15, 2011 12:20:24 PM
Ride Time: 1:35:43
Stopped Time: 11:53
Distance: 24.83 miles
Distance Bike Computer: 25.12 miles
Average: 15.56 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 22.76 miles/h
Fastest Speed Bike Computer: 26.5 mph
Climb: 99 feet (this number is a joke, Ulmerton's overpass alone is nearly 60 feet high)
Calories: 1714
Average Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate: 185 bpm


View Larger Map

2011 - Fitness Goals

Well, I haven't had a chance to put finger to keys and actually memorialize my goals for this year, so since it was a sleepy Saturday evening and Ana and Alana were asleep, what better time than now...

For 2011:

Biking:
Average 30 miles a week, so that by year end, I hit at least 1500 miles
Ride a Century (100 miles) by the end of summer.
Ride in the MS150

Running:
Since I am really getting away from running, but still want to keep in shape, I plan on at least 5 5K's in 2011. At least one of these should be dualthon (1/2 bike 1/2 run)

Health-wise:
Get back into my 32/32s comfortably (plus if I can get into my 30/32
Weight down to 190 again (Currently 204) under 200 by March, under 195 by June

2011 Ride #3 - Lunchtime ride

Well, my boss offered to let me work from home one day a week, which works out great since that means I can throw a leg over and get out for an hour or so.

Today's ride was perfect in terms of temp, but the Northwest wind really sucked. At any rate, I have ridden this same course on my mountain bike and it took 58 minutes. On the road bike it took 43. What a difference, and I can tell you that fast time on the mtb, was on a non windy summer day. It is of course mixed blessings that I long for our spring weather (because our spring is just summer "lite").

Ride Stats:
Started: Jan 11, 2011 12:46:27 PM
Ride Time: 43:05
Distance: 10.96 miles
Average: 15.26 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 20.64 miles/h
Fastest Speed Bike Computer: 24.6 miles/h
Climb: 110 feet
Calories: 890
Calories HRM: 763
Max Heart Rate: 181 bpm
Average Heart Rate: 155 bpm

2011 Ride #2

So off to the Pinellas Trails again this week, but it wasn't with out it's pain points. For starters, it was 53F in Dunedin when we got on the bikes. It was also very windy with an 18mph ENE wind, which meant we'd catch a headwind on the way up, and a solid crosswind on the way back.

Again I was on the TREK, which still helped me fly along even in the wind. Ana was on her mountain bike, and was hating life because of the wind and the cold. My goal today was to ride the Pinellas trail from Curlew to the northern terminus. I had never ridden the section from Safford Avenue, to what I thought was the northern terminus. I found out when I pulled the maps up, that the trail actually turned right at US19 and went down a few more side streets until it ends at Keystone Road. Sadly, the trail is VERY POORLY marked and looks to dead end right under the US19 overpass. Quite honestly, the trail runs through some sketchy looking areas in Tarpon Springs (not that I felt worried about my security, but I certainly wouldn't be caught there after hours for sure!). Probably the scariest sections as far as physical safety concerns (i.e. cars crossing the trail) was to be found in this section too. In the section between Safford avenue and the other side of downtown Tarpon Springs it is bordered by one way traffic on each side. When you come to a cross street this becomes very scary, with the most frightening section at Tarpon avenue because it is very poorly labeled for all sides. At least the other sections have flashing lights (or even stoplights for that matter). The other fun factor is that after you get past the sketchy 'hood and dangerous intersections, you get to pass the sewage treatment plant. What a nice touch in the winter, I can only imagine what this will be like in the summer. Needless to say, I plan on avoiding the section north of Safford in the future, as it really wasn't a fun section.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Started: Jan 9, 2011 11:35:47 AM
Ride Time: 1:13:42
Stopped Time: 16:02
Distance: 17.97 miles (bike computer said 18.02)
Average: 14.63 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 23.40 miles/h
Fastest Speed according to Bike computer: 26.2mph
Climb: 16 feet
Calories: 452
Calories according to HRM: 1162
Max Heart Rate: 212bpm (this has got to be a sensor error)
Avg Heart Rate: 176bpm



View Larger Map

New Years Road Ride

So I am about a week late posting this, but at any rate, Alex let me borrow his TREK road bike, a 1994 2200 Carbon/Aluminum with Campagnello components. To say this bike is light is an understatement - my scale says its about 17lbs. Alex lent me the bike so I could decide if I could adjust to riding a road bike, having ridden only mountain bikes before. This also gave me the opportunity to get some miles in riding with clipless pedals (these have cleats that attach your shoe to the pedal). My goals for today were to ride from Dunedin (just south of Main Street) to the end of the bridge over Bay Pines causeway.

I loaded up the bike, camelbak, and put some gatorade in the frame bottle. The weather was pretty steller today except for the 15mph wind out of the south (which was due to a cold front that was to come through later that night). I stretched out a bit in the parking lot, downed a Gatorade G1 and clipped in. I headed south on the Pinellas trail, adjusting to using the brakes and shifters, and trying to remember to unclip before I stop. The headwind/crosswind absolutely sucked, I couldn't beat 20mph even pedaling hard in top gear. This left me wondering if I was missing something, since Alex and his dad mentioned being able to sprint to nearly 30mph and ride at or near 20 mph.

While riding I remember why I like riding the Pinellas trail so much - rarely having to worry about cars, going over the bars on some drop or wrecking out in the middle of nowhere. I put on some tunes and just blast down the trail.

The trail:
After having ridden the norther section quite a bit, I did long to ride the southern end. I haven't ridden the section from 38th Ave North past Seminole Blvd since I was about 23, and have never ridden the section between Seminole Blvd and the south end of Clearwater. That being said, the section that winds through downtown Clearwater had been under construction for quite some time, but I was happy to find that it was finally completed when I rolled through. One thing you won't find a lot of north of Dunedin is overpasses - there is only one just north of Curlew. It's an entirely different story south of Clearwater. There are overpasses at East Bay, Ulmerton, 113th, Park Blvd, Seminole Blvd and several more south of Park Street. This makes for some fun times as some of the grades you must climb are a bit steep, and the gear set on this bike aren't nearly as low as that you find on the mountain bike (and thankfully so...) so you really need to be moving your feet to get up, with the upshot of hitting the gears hard on the way down, resulting in 25-30mph downhill blasts (even when the wind is blowing pretty solidly)...

There really wasn't much traffic this day, probably because it was January 1st. That being said when I got down to the St. Pete side, I did see an uptick in the number of people out and about.

The Midpoint:
I finally reached my goal which was just a bit more than 15 miles down from where I started. I was thankful to take a break, as the wind was just crazy. I took some pictures and found I had to wedge my helmet under the front wheel to keep the wind from blowing it backwards down the trail. I rested my feet and downed a G1, and lamented that I forgot an additional food source. You really do need energy when you ride like this.



The ride back:

Ok, so I was worried I just didn't have the legs to see 25+ on this bike, and I was happy that as soon as I was pedalling with the wind to my back, that I could with effort reach those speeds. My personal best according to the bike computer was about 31.4mph (GPS says it was about 25.92mph so perhaps I just didnt pedal that fast for long enough). At any rate, I started to run out of gas around mile 26 (you can see my speed drop for a bit before I got my second wind).

Overall I was very happy with this ride, and have decided that instead of buying a new mountain bike, I am going to be looking at a new road bike hopefully after taxes are done for 2010.

Ride Stats and Maps:
Started: Jan 1, 2011 9:09:17 AM
Ride Time: 2:03:54
Stopped Time: 16:40
Distance: 30.84 miles
Average: 14.93 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 25.92 miles/h
Fastest Speed according to bike computer: 30.3 mph
Climb: 241 feet
Calories: 1722
Calories according to HRM: 2116
Max Heart Rate: 199bpm
Average Heart Rate: 168bpm


View Larger Map

2010 Year in Review

In 2010 I found that I preferred biking to running - in our climate it is much easier on the body and my knees don't hate me (as long as I don't fall off the bike!)

I am finding that I am much more in tune with riding on the road than on the dirt - but I like doing both. A month ago I was considering buying a full suspension mountain bike, but now I am thinking about the Specialized Roubaix road bike. With a road bike, I can still ride no matter the weather or the time of day, where as a trail bike is pretty much relagated to that duty.

Distance:
I got my mountain bike in May of 2009 and split my riding between road and dirt as follows:
Road: 315.99 miles
Dirt: 263.90 mile (although, admittedly I would suspect there is about 30 miles missing because I did not keep accurate stats until late August)

5K Races run: 8
Gasparilla 5K, Race for Sight 5K, Picnic Island Adventure Race #1, Secret Service 5K, Picnic Island #2, Breast Cancer 5K, Tampa Police 5K, Fishhawk Ranch Turkey Trot.

Races missed due to illness or it being too cold: Race for Homes (sick), Picnic Island #3 (sick), Richard's Run for Life (hurt), Bell Creek Preserve Jingle Bell Run (too cold)