Today is the day after Christmas and as Sarah and I were eager to enjoy some of the day after Christmas sales. Well we didn't yield much in terms of the sales but there also wasn't much to yield - in my opinion. However, after not being able to get out on a run yesterday I told her that I'd really like to either take a 3 mile run or get some time on the rollers. We got home, she, being the incredible wife she is, told me to get out and do something before I settled into other projects while she took care of the dishes from last night (that's right, I'm a lucky guy!). Out to the garage I went. 1.67 miles into it, I remembered that even with the garage door open I dont get much of a breeze so I moved the rollers to the edge of the garage (still under the overhang of the roof) and got back to pedaling.
I enjoyed (though complained to myself at times) a great 20 miles in a rather brisk breeze. Though I didn't receive a specific request those 20 miles were broken down for a few different reasons. Firstly, I rode for Sarah Leopold (my wife was named after her late grandmother). My wife never had the chance to meet her grandmother because she struggled with various health issues throughout her life, and was ultimately stolen from the family by the evil cancer. Though it is never easy to say goodbye to a family member, grandma's passing happened at the same time that my wife's parents found out they were pregnant. Being the first female born in over 70 years, my wife was given the name Sarah. I'm sure she was an amazing woman, and she fought so much more than cancer in her life. I'm sure she was an amazing woman and I was happy to ride in her honor.
The reason I chose to ride for Grandma Sarah is because one of the gifts I received for Christmas was a donation from my father-in-law toward my fundraising. The donation was given in my honor because the whole family has really enjoyed to see how Sarah and I have embraced the Livestrong movement. It was a great Christmas present to receive. Yes, it gets me $100 closer to my ultimate goal, but most importantly it provides added funds to help those who need it most as they battle the beast. We need all the help and funds we can get to support those who are fighting cancer now, will tomorrow, and continue to live life after cancer.
Another reason that I moved the rollers out of the garage (besides the wonderful benefit of keeping my body temperature down) is that in riding in honor of my father-in-law, I know how much he REALLY loves and embraces the outdoors. In fact, as I was riding, he was skiing Stevens Pass (I just hope it wasn't as winding at the mountain because it had a miserable potential). Shortly before my diagnosis, Dad really wanted to improve his health. He began focusing more on what he was eating, started doing more hiking, and became a fanatic on rowing like I have with cycling. We all need to find the hobby that best suits us and get out and keep the body moving, and stay healthy before it's too late.
On a side note about the rollers. Riding the rollers isn't much fun. I mean, it is because I love biking, but it is SO MUCH more enjoyable when you are actually moving. There were various times when I would look down at my distance and say, "meh, that could be good enough," but then I would remind myself why I was out riding and my promise to those who donate to my support of Livestrong. So I kept riding. But while I was out there, I saw a total of 4 cyclists all bundled up, fighting the wind on the road. As much as I don't like the rollers at times, cycling with 30+ mph gusts just doesn't seem very enjoyable either.
LIVESTRONG!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Aluminum v. Carbon
Recently I've read a few different blogs, discussions, and one research paper on carbon vs. steel or aluminum. Now first let me start off by saying that my aluminum was originally purchased as a "I'd like to have a bike, have a mountain bike in WI, no need to spend too much on it" bike. In other words, I didn't know nearly the amount that I know now (which still can be expanded) about bikes, cycling, technique, components, etc. It is a Redline 740 (I think) with a mix of Tektro and Sora components, a triple, and pedals that had clips on them (which I guess it still a step up from just plastic pedals - but you get the drift).
As I believe I've mentioned before, at the end of this summer I found a really nice deal on a Fuji Team that was sitting in the warehouse and listed at clearance. It is the same model as my friend Patrick (though his is a year or two older). I did some convincing, multiple pats of the eye, the "what would you like me to cook you for dinner tonight my love" and lo and behold, I was given permission to make the purchase.
As winter has come upon us, I've got the fenders on my aluminum for winter commuting and typically am only on my carbon when on my rollers in the garage. Friday the roads were clear and the weather was looking nice so I felt comfortable taking the newer ride. I've got a mix of 105 and Ultegra components on it (so still nothing to brag about), and I also know that my Redline could use some maintenance and new items (chain, cables and housings, brake pads soon, etc.). That being said, the Fuji is so much more responsive. It's stiffer, shifts easier, I feel like there is more torque off the line, and really just overall stiffer. Maybe I'm not the best to describe it, but then again, if you've been on both, you know what I mean. It's a different, smoother ride. I can't argue the points that the actual research paper stated which was that for a short commute (like I have - 12.5 miles) there isn't a significant time savings by being on a carbon compared to aluminum or steel. But I can argue that of my 2 rides, it is the preferred ride. And maybe it puts me in a better mood and I get into more of a rhythm when sensing the stiff responsiveness and smooth rolling, but it does shave a few minutes off my commute. I'm not sure if it's as an analyst or a cyclist but I track stuff like that. It also nearly guarantees interesting looks when people ask how long of a ride it is and I can tell them 37 minutes to get into work and 42 going home - we track precision. My father-in-law does the same thing going around the lake on his rowing scull. Keeps our competitive edge right?
LIVESTRONG
As I believe I've mentioned before, at the end of this summer I found a really nice deal on a Fuji Team that was sitting in the warehouse and listed at clearance. It is the same model as my friend Patrick (though his is a year or two older). I did some convincing, multiple pats of the eye, the "what would you like me to cook you for dinner tonight my love" and lo and behold, I was given permission to make the purchase.
As winter has come upon us, I've got the fenders on my aluminum for winter commuting and typically am only on my carbon when on my rollers in the garage. Friday the roads were clear and the weather was looking nice so I felt comfortable taking the newer ride. I've got a mix of 105 and Ultegra components on it (so still nothing to brag about), and I also know that my Redline could use some maintenance and new items (chain, cables and housings, brake pads soon, etc.). That being said, the Fuji is so much more responsive. It's stiffer, shifts easier, I feel like there is more torque off the line, and really just overall stiffer. Maybe I'm not the best to describe it, but then again, if you've been on both, you know what I mean. It's a different, smoother ride. I can't argue the points that the actual research paper stated which was that for a short commute (like I have - 12.5 miles) there isn't a significant time savings by being on a carbon compared to aluminum or steel. But I can argue that of my 2 rides, it is the preferred ride. And maybe it puts me in a better mood and I get into more of a rhythm when sensing the stiff responsiveness and smooth rolling, but it does shave a few minutes off my commute. I'm not sure if it's as an analyst or a cyclist but I track stuff like that. It also nearly guarantees interesting looks when people ask how long of a ride it is and I can tell them 37 minutes to get into work and 42 going home - we track precision. My father-in-law does the same thing going around the lake on his rowing scull. Keeps our competitive edge right?
LIVESTRONG
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Warmers, Wind, and Rain
Over the past week the Greater Puget Sound region has gotten buckets of rain. Yes, that is a very technical metric that is used by most amateur meteorologists - buckets o' rain. This doesn't show you everything that has happened (and dont get me wrong, this is nothing like the floods of 2008), but still, it was a lot of rain.
Over a 5 day period we got just over 3 inches of rain. Our backyard was flooded, which our golden retriever loved splashing around, and then I started to keep a closer eye on the forecast. BREAK IN THE WEATHER. That is right folks, a time to celebrate and a time to ride. Unfortunately Monday I woke up and it was still raining - buckets. Question my dedication to cycling if you wish, but I wasn't planning on cycling through buckets. Tuesday came around with some rain in the morning but a break in the weather for the afternoon. Unfortunately, my morning routine/twitter check found that there were several local cyclists and CascadeBicycle were tweeting about landslides and flooding that took over various local bike paths. The main path that I was curious about, due to the route of my commute is the Sammamish River Trail. Today the weather was looking was too tolerable and my sanity needed a bike. So off I went.
There wasn't too many remnants of flooding along the trail so I probably could have/should have biked in yesterday (nothing like shooting yourself in the foot, right?). It was a glorious, but windy ride in as I was being battered by 11 mph winds. The ride home should be a breeze though - just what you need after a long day in the office.
I'm the first one to admit that I'm actually still in my youth when it comes to life as a cyclist. However, I love every bit of it and I've done a fair bit of studying. Typically when the weather gets cooler I've been wearing a long sleeve base layer under my jersey, I upgraded this year from some tights to bib tights (always recommend bibs over anything else). Just recently LIVESTRONG was honoring the 28 million with cancer and offered 28% off all of their items. It is fair to say that my wife has been amazing over the last year and I've spent my fair share on cycling (don't worry she will be rewarded by Santa). I should have purchased more at such a discount, but instead I just got a pair of arm warmers. They are so much better than my typical attire. A sleeveless baselayer under my jersey and armwarmers and I was set. A windfront vest would have been ideal, but I had the rain coat with me. Being just as "windfront" (sometimes too resistant), I knew I would be fine. I read on the CyclingForum the other week a person who was complaining about getting too warm while riding. The recommendation (which some responders said they never thought of) = pull up the sleeves of your jacket. You would not believe how much that really helps. You get warmed up, pull those sleeves up, and there were a few times I was still thinking that a vest could have been better, but with a 60% chance of rain, I'd rather make sure I'm dry on the way home. Plus, pulling up the sleeves allowed the few other cyclists to see the LIVESTRONG arm warmers (the note of the few other cyclists means, c'mon people, get out and ride - its 45 degrees in December!!)
LIVESTRONG
Over a 5 day period we got just over 3 inches of rain. Our backyard was flooded, which our golden retriever loved splashing around, and then I started to keep a closer eye on the forecast. BREAK IN THE WEATHER. That is right folks, a time to celebrate and a time to ride. Unfortunately Monday I woke up and it was still raining - buckets. Question my dedication to cycling if you wish, but I wasn't planning on cycling through buckets. Tuesday came around with some rain in the morning but a break in the weather for the afternoon. Unfortunately, my morning routine/twitter check found that there were several local cyclists and CascadeBicycle were tweeting about landslides and flooding that took over various local bike paths. The main path that I was curious about, due to the route of my commute is the Sammamish River Trail. Today the weather was looking was too tolerable and my sanity needed a bike. So off I went.
There wasn't too many remnants of flooding along the trail so I probably could have/should have biked in yesterday (nothing like shooting yourself in the foot, right?). It was a glorious, but windy ride in as I was being battered by 11 mph winds. The ride home should be a breeze though - just what you need after a long day in the office.
I'm the first one to admit that I'm actually still in my youth when it comes to life as a cyclist. However, I love every bit of it and I've done a fair bit of studying. Typically when the weather gets cooler I've been wearing a long sleeve base layer under my jersey, I upgraded this year from some tights to bib tights (always recommend bibs over anything else). Just recently LIVESTRONG was honoring the 28 million with cancer and offered 28% off all of their items. It is fair to say that my wife has been amazing over the last year and I've spent my fair share on cycling (don't worry she will be rewarded by Santa). I should have purchased more at such a discount, but instead I just got a pair of arm warmers. They are so much better than my typical attire. A sleeveless baselayer under my jersey and armwarmers and I was set. A windfront vest would have been ideal, but I had the rain coat with me. Being just as "windfront" (sometimes too resistant), I knew I would be fine. I read on the CyclingForum the other week a person who was complaining about getting too warm while riding. The recommendation (which some responders said they never thought of) = pull up the sleeves of your jacket. You would not believe how much that really helps. You get warmed up, pull those sleeves up, and there were a few times I was still thinking that a vest could have been better, but with a 60% chance of rain, I'd rather make sure I'm dry on the way home. Plus, pulling up the sleeves allowed the few other cyclists to see the LIVESTRONG arm warmers (the note of the few other cyclists means, c'mon people, get out and ride - its 45 degrees in December!!)
LIVESTRONG
Monday, December 13, 2010
Essential Work Stand Review
Over the past summer I'd been looking to get a work stand. However, the good ones that I wanted were too high in price and I just couldn't justify it for the work I was doing (basic maintenance). Then, about 2 months ago I went into Performance and saw the Spin Doctors Essential Work Stand on sale for $59.00. I asked them for an honest review of it based on the basic maintenance that I've been doing and decided to get it. It has worked wonderfully for me, with one big hitch - the weather has turned rainy around here, but not so horrible that it's kept me off the road. Nevertheless, my carbon fiber bike hung on the wall in the garage while I was out riding my old aluminum with fenders. Each day I would get home, grab the stand, clamp in my bike, and spray it down before getting lube back onto the chain and necessary parts.
This weekend 5 stars went down to 2 for my purposes, and I'll be returning the stand on Tuesday (thank you Performance Bike for your 90-day guarantee policy). Just Saturday I was on my rollers in the garage, and when I got off thought that I'd give my ride a nice shine. Due to the rounded,wider structure of the bottom bracket on the Fuji Team bikes, it doesn't fit snuggly in the hold for the BB. I had also been really nervous about putting that bike in any stand because I've heard that you need to be extremely careful so you don't crack the frame. Lo and behold I've found reviews about the use of the hard plastic on the clamp rather than hard rubber.
All in all, if you are looking for a budget stand and you don't have (or plan to get) a carbon frame, this is the stand for you. It makes it challenging to do work on the BB, but it isn't impossible. If you have or plan to get a carbon frame, save some added pennies and I'll let you know what I get instead.
This weekend 5 stars went down to 2 for my purposes, and I'll be returning the stand on Tuesday (thank you Performance Bike for your 90-day guarantee policy). Just Saturday I was on my rollers in the garage, and when I got off thought that I'd give my ride a nice shine. Due to the rounded,wider structure of the bottom bracket on the Fuji Team bikes, it doesn't fit snuggly in the hold for the BB. I had also been really nervous about putting that bike in any stand because I've heard that you need to be extremely careful so you don't crack the frame. Lo and behold I've found reviews about the use of the hard plastic on the clamp rather than hard rubber.
All in all, if you are looking for a budget stand and you don't have (or plan to get) a carbon frame, this is the stand for you. It makes it challenging to do work on the BB, but it isn't impossible. If you have or plan to get a carbon frame, save some added pennies and I'll let you know what I get instead.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My Commitment to You
It has been a challenge to get out on the rollers as the weather has turned rainy. I'm still trying to commute to work when I can, but also it really depends on my meeting schedule since it requires me to leave a little later and try and get home earlier (even with lights, you really gotta watch out for drivers). Also, now that I'm a dad, it is definitely a bigger adjustment to find "me" time (read: biking time). You really need to be intentional about things - and I'm not a morning person. So instead my day typically is something like this: get up and get Gabriella and Sarah out the door, go to work, head home and take Nikki for a walk, get dinner cooked, bathtime, bedtime, and then we have some time to decompress. By that time, it is more appealing to spend some time with my wife instead of riding to nowhere in the garage. Nevertheless, I know I need to be riding (it keeps me sane - and some pound off), and I know I'm going to need to stick to training for all the riding I'm committing to.
Therefore, as I was on the rollers yesterday afternoon, I decided what I'm going to do to stay motivated and make sure that not one donation is ignored. I WILL MEET MY FUNDRAISING GOAL, but I also need your help!! For every 5 dollars that is donated I will ride 1 mile in honor of whoever you know with cancer or in memory of someone you lost. For every 20 dollars that is donated by a business sponsorship I'll ride for 1 mile. I will use this blog to document these rides since throughout the winter many of them will be on the rollers. Look for some videos coming in the future.
Yesterday I rode for my friends Deb and Ben, and the intentions that they have.
Ride hard and LIVESTRONG!
Therefore, as I was on the rollers yesterday afternoon, I decided what I'm going to do to stay motivated and make sure that not one donation is ignored. I WILL MEET MY FUNDRAISING GOAL, but I also need your help!! For every 5 dollars that is donated I will ride 1 mile in honor of whoever you know with cancer or in memory of someone you lost. For every 20 dollars that is donated by a business sponsorship I'll ride for 1 mile. I will use this blog to document these rides since throughout the winter many of them will be on the rollers. Look for some videos coming in the future.
Yesterday I rode for my friends Deb and Ben, and the intentions that they have.
Ride hard and LIVESTRONG!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
I RIDE FOR LIVESTRONG
The inaugural post to a blog is always an interesting thing. Where does one start? Primacy/recency theory - people will remember the first thing and the last thing - so it needs to catch attention (even if not publicized just yet).
As the description says, this blog is primarily about cycling - my adventures, my training, any dreams/rides/aspirations I have, I'd love to say that it would someday become a "Sheldon Brown" type of blog, but I'm a realist and know I don't have that expertise or wisdom. However, I can tell you what I do have, because of what I don't have.
I have a passion for cycling and an enormous passion for LIVESTRONG because of what I don't have anymore - Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Some of my story will make it's way throughout this blog, but here are the basics:
As the description says, this blog is primarily about cycling - my adventures, my training, any dreams/rides/aspirations I have, I'd love to say that it would someday become a "Sheldon Brown" type of blog, but I'm a realist and know I don't have that expertise or wisdom. However, I can tell you what I do have, because of what I don't have.
I have a passion for cycling and an enormous passion for LIVESTRONG because of what I don't have anymore - Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Some of my story will make it's way throughout this blog, but here are the basics:
- Moved to Seattle from the Midwest in the fall of 2006
- Never had a chance to transport my mountain bike so I purchased a low-end road bike summer of 2008
- It sat in the apartment other than a few rides
- Summer of '09 my wife and I bought a home and I started riding more - this led to commuting to work
- Spring/Summer of '09 I also struggled with a chronic cough. My mother-in-law was always amazed but I felt best when I was cycling - no coughing
- Fall '09 I was feeling healthiest I had since college
- Halloween '09 I got hit with a ton of bricks - also known as Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma
- I bought rollers to keep riding in doors - more to come on those experiences
- February '10 I found LIVESTRONG and the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge series
- I've been riding in celebration of my battle, for those who can't, and for funds to end cancer ever since
- April 20, 2010 was my last chemo
- June 20, 2010 was my first organized ride - LIVESTRONG Challenge Seattle - 70 miles
- I raised over $3,000 after setting an initial goal of $750
The LIVESTRONG Challenge Series has pulled out of Seattle, but we will never pull away from the fight. We have some grassroots things in the works for 2011 and I'll be traveling to Austin for the Challenge and hopefully the Ride for the Roses event on October 15-16. I'm committing to raise $10,000 and hope that through this blog people see my passion, hear my story, think of those in your life who are affected by cancer and donate to the cause.
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