Enjoy
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Bike Butterfly
You say what?!?!?! Yes I said Bike Buttery. It is a unique solution for pedestrians who do not see you riding. I saw this on bikerumor.com and youtube.
Enjoy
Enjoy
My Love Hate Relationship
Everyone has a relationship like this...for me it is training. As an avid cyclist it is obvious to say that I like to ride. You could also say I like to ride FAST and FASTER. That does not mean that I do not take time to enjoy the occasional slow scenic ride, but I love FAST and FASTER. The problem with FAST and FASTER is that it does not come easily. You have to work HARD and HARDER, and that means not just riding hard but training.
If you have ever ridden an indoor trainer, you know you are going to experience ____ minutes of hell. You work your butt off, go nowhere very fast, feel lots of burn in your lungs and legs, and must deal with the constant knowledge that the suffer-fest can easily end by simply stopping and getting off the bike. However, there are tricks to making the time more bearable.
1 - Have a fan blowing on you
2 - Put some races on TV that can provide some entertainment and white noise
3 - Open a window so Bella does not comment on the stink (ok that pertains to just me, unless you have a Bella in your life too)
4 - Depending on the amount of time, two very cold bottles of water
5 - Did I mention a fan?
Even using all the above, you know you are about to do hard time. To keep working I use a statement, as a mantra, I read somewhere..."You can do anything for one minute." Each time I feel as if I am about to crack I start to repeat my mantra in my head.
Most of my indoor training workouts are about 90 minutes. By the time I am done (yes I chose done as in cooked like a turkey instead of finished) I am drenched in sweat, my headband is soaked, my shirt is soaked, my hand towel is soaked, my water is gone, and I am a brilliant shade of red. The room also has a pleasant BO aroma that I am considering bottling and calling "Essence du Rod".
What I am really saying is that I love to hate training, hate to feel sluggish, and love to crush a local hill or climb. In the end, I need this relationship to be more successful on each ride. The relationship also allows me to better appreciate the long, slow, scenic rides in the mountains.
If you have ever ridden an indoor trainer, you know you are going to experience ____ minutes of hell. You work your butt off, go nowhere very fast, feel lots of burn in your lungs and legs, and must deal with the constant knowledge that the suffer-fest can easily end by simply stopping and getting off the bike. However, there are tricks to making the time more bearable.
1 - Have a fan blowing on you
2 - Put some races on TV that can provide some entertainment and white noise
3 - Open a window so Bella does not comment on the stink (ok that pertains to just me, unless you have a Bella in your life too)
4 - Depending on the amount of time, two very cold bottles of water
5 - Did I mention a fan?
Even using all the above, you know you are about to do hard time. To keep working I use a statement, as a mantra, I read somewhere..."You can do anything for one minute." Each time I feel as if I am about to crack I start to repeat my mantra in my head.
Most of my indoor training workouts are about 90 minutes. By the time I am done (yes I chose done as in cooked like a turkey instead of finished) I am drenched in sweat, my headband is soaked, my shirt is soaked, my hand towel is soaked, my water is gone, and I am a brilliant shade of red. The room also has a pleasant BO aroma that I am considering bottling and calling "Essence du Rod".
What I am really saying is that I love to hate training, hate to feel sluggish, and love to crush a local hill or climb. In the end, I need this relationship to be more successful on each ride. The relationship also allows me to better appreciate the long, slow, scenic rides in the mountains.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Background Part 2
In January of 2011, I was lucky enough to go on a few rides with Joe. Joe worked at my local bike shop and was also organizing a race team. Joe might be one of the biggest reasons I did not quit riding...Like I said in the previous post, I was in a lot of pain.
Joe saw that I was dedicated, working through my injuries and wanting to improve. After a couple of rides he asked me to join the team. Initially I was uncertain, I did not believe I was strong enough, fast enough or even experienced enough. However, my wife thought it would be better if I rode with people rather than riding solo, so I joined the team.
Shortly after joining the team, I began to train as I had before the accident. I was feeling good going into my first race, Independence Valley Road Race, and very excited. I believed I had been working hard and thus I would be able to earn a good result...Well, that did not happen.
If you have ever raced, I am sure you know there is a major difference between riding hard and training to race. I had done lots of hard riding, thinking I was training. After about 3 miles I was dropped on the first climb. There is nothing worse than having to race in the cold, wind and rain, all by yourself. In the back of my mind I wanted to abandon the race, but I made a commitment and knew I had to finish. My wife was there waiting for me, and it was a GREAT feeling when she reacted as if I had won the Tour de France. Somehow I managed not to finish last, but was way behind the winners.
My second and third races had the same results, and I was really beginning to wonder if I should just stop racing. I finally had a confidence building breakthrough at the Ravensdale Road Race...I finished with the lead group, in 18th position. It was at that moment I knew I had been bitten by the bug. Over the remainder of the season, I only had one other good result, I finished in 9th place at the Mutual of Enumclaw Criterium.
I am now in my second season of racing, but I am still a Cat 5 racer. I have yet to meet the minimum race requirements in order to move up to Cat 4. I have already done the Independence Valley Road Race, and have seen vast improvement. Check out the race recap at: http://teambonney.blogspot.com/
Joe saw that I was dedicated, working through my injuries and wanting to improve. After a couple of rides he asked me to join the team. Initially I was uncertain, I did not believe I was strong enough, fast enough or even experienced enough. However, my wife thought it would be better if I rode with people rather than riding solo, so I joined the team.
Shortly after joining the team, I began to train as I had before the accident. I was feeling good going into my first race, Independence Valley Road Race, and very excited. I believed I had been working hard and thus I would be able to earn a good result...Well, that did not happen.
If you have ever raced, I am sure you know there is a major difference between riding hard and training to race. I had done lots of hard riding, thinking I was training. After about 3 miles I was dropped on the first climb. There is nothing worse than having to race in the cold, wind and rain, all by yourself. In the back of my mind I wanted to abandon the race, but I made a commitment and knew I had to finish. My wife was there waiting for me, and it was a GREAT feeling when she reacted as if I had won the Tour de France. Somehow I managed not to finish last, but was way behind the winners.
My second and third races had the same results, and I was really beginning to wonder if I should just stop racing. I finally had a confidence building breakthrough at the Ravensdale Road Race...I finished with the lead group, in 18th position. It was at that moment I knew I had been bitten by the bug. Over the remainder of the season, I only had one other good result, I finished in 9th place at the Mutual of Enumclaw Criterium.
I am now in my second season of racing, but I am still a Cat 5 racer. I have yet to meet the minimum race requirements in order to move up to Cat 4. I have already done the Independence Valley Road Race, and have seen vast improvement. Check out the race recap at: http://teambonney.blogspot.com/
Background Part 1
Today I made the BIG decision to blog. Not really sure why or what I will ultimately include, but this is going to be an interesting experience for me and whomever chooses to read.
I have always been an active and athletic person. I have played soccer, volleyball and done some Taekwondo. Due to injuries and pain, I slowly had to give up each sport. With that I noticed my enjoyment of food and beverage caused me to gain some weight...not a lot, but more than I definitely wanted.
I found that I really enjoyed watching cycling and thought "really how hard can this sport be?" So I bought my first bike, a Specialized Allez Elite. Oscar was beautiful and fast! In my mind I was riding often and far. Turns out a 12 mile ride is not considered far, and three days a week is not considered often. However, it was a start and I quickly progressed.
After a year of riding, I decided to set a monumental goal. I was going to do my first century ride. I started to train in earnest and after a couple of months decided my goal would be to finish in under 5 hours and 45 minutes. I guess I did well with my training, and I finished in 5 hours and 28 minutes. Between my wife's encouragement and the result, I decided to work harder to continue my improvement.
I started to ride further and faster each month, and soon I was completing 40 - 60 mile rides. Two years ago a friend asked me to do the STP, Seattle to Portland, in one day. I decided why not and began to train for it. Then the unthinkable occurred while out for a training ride, I was hit by a car!
My bike broke in half, the gears were bent, and the cranks were bent along with an assortment of other issues. That said, I had it worse...I flew into the car, over the car and into the road. My clothing was torn, I had road rash, a cut on my head and an ambulance was called. When I arrived at the hospital they discovered those were the least of my worries...I had also broken my neck and had a severe concussion.
I was flown from the small hospital to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I spent the next 5 months recovering and seeing doctors. I was eventually cleared to work and ride again at the end of August. I am not sure how I did it, but with encouragement from my wife, again, I bought a new bike and started to ride.
The next 10 months, on the bike, were not the most pleasant. At first, any ride more than 15 minutes caused severe pain in my neck, shoulders and back. However, each ride was a little better and longer. Soon I was back up to 20, 25, 30 and 40 miles. My fear slowly started to dissipate and I began to meet people at a local bike shop.
With the encouragement of my friends and family I rediscovered why I loved to ride. The feeling of going fast, pushing hard, the wind in my hair, the burn in my lungs and legs, and mostly the satisfaction of setting a new personal best for a given route.
I have always been an active and athletic person. I have played soccer, volleyball and done some Taekwondo. Due to injuries and pain, I slowly had to give up each sport. With that I noticed my enjoyment of food and beverage caused me to gain some weight...not a lot, but more than I definitely wanted.
I found that I really enjoyed watching cycling and thought "really how hard can this sport be?" So I bought my first bike, a Specialized Allez Elite. Oscar was beautiful and fast! In my mind I was riding often and far. Turns out a 12 mile ride is not considered far, and three days a week is not considered often. However, it was a start and I quickly progressed.
After a year of riding, I decided to set a monumental goal. I was going to do my first century ride. I started to train in earnest and after a couple of months decided my goal would be to finish in under 5 hours and 45 minutes. I guess I did well with my training, and I finished in 5 hours and 28 minutes. Between my wife's encouragement and the result, I decided to work harder to continue my improvement.
I started to ride further and faster each month, and soon I was completing 40 - 60 mile rides. Two years ago a friend asked me to do the STP, Seattle to Portland, in one day. I decided why not and began to train for it. Then the unthinkable occurred while out for a training ride, I was hit by a car!
My bike broke in half, the gears were bent, and the cranks were bent along with an assortment of other issues. That said, I had it worse...I flew into the car, over the car and into the road. My clothing was torn, I had road rash, a cut on my head and an ambulance was called. When I arrived at the hospital they discovered those were the least of my worries...I had also broken my neck and had a severe concussion.
I was flown from the small hospital to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I spent the next 5 months recovering and seeing doctors. I was eventually cleared to work and ride again at the end of August. I am not sure how I did it, but with encouragement from my wife, again, I bought a new bike and started to ride.
The next 10 months, on the bike, were not the most pleasant. At first, any ride more than 15 minutes caused severe pain in my neck, shoulders and back. However, each ride was a little better and longer. Soon I was back up to 20, 25, 30 and 40 miles. My fear slowly started to dissipate and I began to meet people at a local bike shop.
With the encouragement of my friends and family I rediscovered why I loved to ride. The feeling of going fast, pushing hard, the wind in my hair, the burn in my lungs and legs, and mostly the satisfaction of setting a new personal best for a given route.
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