Lantern Rouge

In the Tour de France the Lantern Rouge is the title bestowed on the person in last place. It refers to the red lantern hung on the end of a caboose. It is an honor (I think) to be given this title and I have read that some compete for this position, just like they would for the Maillot Jaune. Well, I can't imagine anyone wanting to spend extra time in the saddle, but I guess if you are second to last you might as well try and win the prize for being dead last.

Yesterday, I had no desire to spend any more time in the saddle than I had to. The forecast was for stinkin' hot and humid and the challenge of 100 miles on the Harpeth River ride lay before me. I had yet to ride the full 100 in the last two years and it was time once again to clip in.

The alarm went off at 4:30am. I joined up with the Harpeth Bicycles Team to help with parking at the event, so we got there early. My ambitions last fall had been different. I thought my weight would have continued to drop (instead of coming back up), and I thought that I would have more time to train and time to connect with this group of athletes. But life ends up different than we intend and it would be my first ride with the team.

We rolled out, 14 in all, @7:49am, after most of the riders had already left. In the pack of riders that were doing the shorter routes we missed the early split for the longer routes and had to double back. How amazing it was to be in a pack of riders cruising at over 20mph. With the early heat and fast pace (even while drafting) my heart rate was already in the 160's and 170's. About twenty miles out I found a new max HR going up a hill (185) and watched the team roll off into the distance while I recovered at the top.

I caught up with them later as one of them had flatted, but as soon as we went up again (this time @ Theta, around 40 miles) I took my time and regrouped with them at the rest stop. On the descent I hit 55mph, a new record for me.

Jenni and the kids met me at Thompson's Station Baptist, 51 miles into the ride. The last of the team said farewell at that point and after some nice time with the fam I headed down the road. Did I already say it was stinkin hot? I was very tempted to ride 4 miles to home instead of continuing on the route. I wasn't sure how much longer I would make it. The heat was already taking it's toll.

I had been eating Hammer Nutrition's Endurolites pretty regularly. It is a product specifically designed to replenish many of the nutrients you loose through sweat & on hot days (like this one) particularly important to ward off cramps and the like. I'm not sure, though, as much as I had been drinking, that it had been enough. I hadn't pee'd once yet that morning. One thing we had talked about when I did the Whitney Classic in '97 was that we needed to be urinating regularly to avoid issues with the heat of Death Valley. Clear and copious was the mantra and we were downing a water bottle ever few miles. That was then. This was now.

Somewhere after the 60 mile mark I was riding with David from Hendersonville, when he got a series of cramps and had to slow down. At mile marker 66 it was my turn. My right hamstring balled up so tight I couldn't keep pedaling, in fact I wasn't sure what to do with it. A couple riders passed me and said there was a rest stop less than a 1/4 mile up the road. Praise the Lord for that. I was already off the bike and trying to walk. Each step got a little better and I plopped down next to David (he had passed me while I was walking) beneath the pavilion at the Flat Creek Community Park. I spent a good amount of time here, eating, drinking, stretching and finally took my first trip to the bathroom.

At some point David decided to roll on and I bid him farewell, not sure if I should continue or catch the next SAG back to the ride start at Nissan. It was probably another 10 minutes when I decided to go see what I can do. Pulltight Hill (what a name) was next on the agenda in just about 3 miles. I started out nice and easy. My hamstring was talking to me a little, so I didn't push it.

Halfway up Pulltight Hill I met David again, he was cramping and a SAG was coming back for him. I made it up the climb ok but still was feeling it. The next stop was at 80 miles. I ate some salted potatoes and filled up my water. As I was leaving David rolled in. I was surprised to see him because I had pretty much decided that if I cramped that I was done and catching the SAG.

The skies had been getting cloudy and it was such a relief to have some cloud cover. The heat was still oppressive. When I left the rest stop it started to rain. What a relief it was and a blessing from God. It didn't continue, but the miles rolled by a little easier and I stepped at the next stop @ 91 miles. 12 miles to go.

As I rolled from that stop, the sky opened up like someone had turned the faucet on full. Lightening hit the ground about a mile in front of me and I started to worry about getting hit by a car that couldn't see me or getting washed off the road. As quickly as it started, it stopped, and two miles later I was rolling on dry roads. I blew through the last rest stop at 97 miles. At this point I wasn't sure if I was going to get lunch. They closed at 4pm and I knew I as pushing it even though I wasn't certain what time it was. (The battery on my Garmin died before the advertised 11 hours, and I recorded only 77 miles of the ride.)

The Nissan HQ was a welcome sight, and I rolled in at 3:52pm, just barely in time for lunch. 103.2 miles down, as best as I can figure it was around 6:45 min in the saddle, and 8:03 total time, averaging about 16mph with a max speed of 55mph! My heart rate max out at 185 and averaged 158 bpm over the time that I was able to record it.

I passed a few cyclists in the final few miles, so I wasn't truly the lantern rouge, but I sure felt like it. My team was long gone, and 80-90% of the cars had already left the parking lot. I still have a headache and some nausea today. Even so, It's nice to be able to check this one off the list.

3 State Ride Report

The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain. "It wouldn't be 3 State without it", I thought, but I was wrong. The only rain that fell was a few spits from the mostly overcast skies. And even without the rain, the ride went on.



We camped, again, at the Lookout Mtn KOA. It's about 15-20 min outside of Chattanooga in Georgia, a place that the kids love and one that is becoming a tradition. It isn't on Lookout Mtn, but on the side of Sand Mtn (west of Lookout) near Trenton, GA.

With a 7:30am start it meant I woke up Jenni at 6:20am and we started getting the kids into the car around 6:30am. We pulled into the parking lot at Findley at 7:00am. As I got the bike ready I was nervous. With less than 450 miles on my legs since the beginning of the year and a longest ride of only 41 miles, I wasn't sure I was going to survive the day.

Off we rolled @ 7:30am sharp. I wasn't sure who I was going to ride with. Brian Carter, Mike Koch and some of their friends came down from Indiana, but I failed to connect with them at the start. We had dinner with them the night before in downtown Chattanooga. It was nice to connect then. Brian and I texted each other when we reached various rest stops, but we never saw each other till the end.

Suck Creek
Suck Creek is the first and longest of the climbs. The grade averages 4-6% and goes on for 5 miles. It was how I remembered and I didn't try to think about when it would end because I knew it would be longer than I wanted. On my way up Suck Creek I came up to an ICCC jersey. I was a member of the ICCC (International Christian Cycling Club) when I lived in Indiana. I made some comment about ICCC and struck up a conversation with the rider. Turns out it was, Pete Griffin, an old college classmate from Taylor University.

My pace was a little quicker than Pete's and I crested Suck Creek before he did. The descent was a blast! The first part of the descent isn't too bad but the second half is a little more technical. My speed topped out over 40mph. The bike felt nice and solid.

Between the bottom of Suck Creek and the ascent of Sand Mtn is about 30 miles of relatively flat miles. (If you look at the elevation profile @ http://ridewithgps.com/trips/37429 you will realize it isn't flat.) The first rest stop is at the bottom of Suck Creek and I reconnected with Pete there. We rode together for a good portion of that section but when the road went up, I lost him again for good.

Metric riders (Metric Century: 100km = 62 miles), split off shortly after the 2nd rest stop (roughly 40 miles). At mile 44, there is a "non" hill called Ladd Mtn the organizers throw in for fun. It's about a mile of climbing and half way up they remind you that the split for the metric route wasn't too far back and you could change your mind if you wanted to. (Thanks for the encouragement.)

Sand Mountain
At 50(ish) miles the route crosses into Alabama and shortly thereafter makes a left hand turn and heads up Sand Mtn. Sand is shorter than Suck Creek, but it is also steeper. It's 2.5 miles @ 6-7% on more of a backroad (narrrower, somewhat rough with a few potholes) than the earlier climb. It was at the top of this climb last year that my legs told me they were thinking about cramping. I'd been consuming Hammer Nutrition's Endurolites regularly during the ride to help prevent cramping. By the time I got to the top of Sand, I was pretty spent. The wind was stronger at the top and felt cooler than the 80's predicted. My legs were tired and 5 miles after cresting the 3rd rest stop was a welcome sight!

At this point I was 10 miles from the descent of Sand and 15 miles from the entrance the KOA. Yes, the route went right by the KOA!! I called Jenni to let her know where I was. She and the kids had spent the morning at the campground and met me as I rode by. A few quick hugs from the kids and I was back on the bike.

Somewhere in there my nose had started to bleed. I didn't know why, but afterwards someone had suggested either that I was dehydrated or that I had a spike in blood pressure. On a ride like this both seemed plausible if not quite probable.

Right before the final climb there is a rest stop. I stopped for a kleenex a little water and a potty break. (When you have four kids 8 and under you still call it a potty break.) As I was pulling away to head up Burkhalter Gap toward lookout Mtn Jenni and the kids passed me.

Burkhalter Gap/Lookout Mountain
The climb up Burkhalter is brutal. 2.4 miles @ 8-10% grade, but the kicker is that the last few hundred meters pushes to 17%. It was here that Jenni and the kids cheered me on last year and their intent this year. I tried to keep my heart rate about 160 bpm and not push it to 170. If I got it to 170 or higher I wouldn't be able to recover (there is no place to recover). That and I had 82 miles on my legs and not much left anyway.



A mile up the climb I saw Jenni pulled off to the side of the road and Joshua trotting toward me. When he got to me he told me the car had overheated and wouldn't run. ughhhhh. I stopped at the car uncertain about what to do and Jenni told me to keep going.

So I got back on the bike and started thinking/worrying about all the different scenarios. Is the car dead? Will we need a rental to get home? What about the stuff in the car? What about the stuff at the campsite? Will we get the car fixed in Chattanooga? Will we need a new engine? Should we just sell it? Maybe this is our opportunity to get a bigger vehicle if we do adopt. And on and on it went.

This process of thought didn't help me as I tried to climb. I stopped once, but was determined not to walk. The last section, the steepest, was longer than I thought and I remember looking down at my computer and seeing 28% grade. Ooooof! But I made it. At the top I wasn't sure I cared if I rode the last 16 miles to Chattanooga. I walked over to a police officer and told her about Jenni and our van. She found out that a wrecker had already been called.

With that information and a little refreshment from the rest stop I rode off. My pace, other than when aided by gravity, felt slow. The problem is that the top of lookout mountain isn't flat. In fact after a little descent there is another climb before heading down the mountain. I was pretty much alone now, other than for the occasional couple of riders that would pass me. My legs were in survival mode now. I had hoped to break 7 hours for the ride but those hopes were now dashed. I only needed to finish.

Finally, I made it to the turn onto Red Riding Hood Trail (yes, that is what it is called) signifying the start of the descent off of Lookout Mtn. About a mile down Jenni called me and I learned that with the help of the wrecker and a police officer, they got enough fluid back in the radiator to get the van running again. (Praise God!) They followed her down the mountain to a gas station where she was able to top it off completely. I guess I wasn't the only one who was dehydrated.

The run down Lookout Mtn made me a little nervous. I wanted to go a little faster, but other vehicles on the road kept me on my brakes. I started to get paranoid about heating up my rims to much and possibly blowing a tire. At the bottom of the descent is a stop light and a left turn onto the main drag in St Elmo. A police officer was at that intersection directing traffic and waived me through. Both last year and this the police in St Elmo and Chattanooga have been amazing. Once you get off the Mtn, you feel like the red carpet had been laid out for last few miles back to Findley. Here my legs stopped hurting and the relief of nearly being done carried me to the finish. (It also helped that I had a few miles on the descent to recover.)

Jenni and the kids met me a few minutes later and I was able to shower and change. We chatted with Brian and Mike and their friends once they rolled across the line. I missed my 7 hour goal by 20 minutes. Total time was 7 hours 20 min, time on the bike was 6 hours 40 min. I logged around 8000 ft of climbing.

Family Fun
I had a blast with the family too. The afternoon before the ride we had fun hiking around Rock City. It was a hit for everyone, though whiny before we got there, the kids quickly changed their tune. One of Joanna's favorite lines now is "This is the best day EVER!" and we got to hear it a couple times this weekend, along with Daddy/Mommy, you're the BEST!"

We went to the Adventure Science Museum in Chattanooga a couple times. Once after the ride on Saturday and again on Sunday before heading home. There is so much for the kids to do there. They always love it. We saw a science show and the three girls got to go on stage and shoot off backing soda and vinegar rockets made from film cans. I think Joanna will be talking about that one for a while. I can hear her now. She starts her stories with "A long time ago I/we..." even if the event was yesterday.

There are more varieties of inch worms than you realize. Inch worms love to find their way into KOA cabins and are very juicy (when squished). Corn snakes aren't poisonous (Julia found one). Joshua learned that sticks used for roasting marshmallows are quite hot. He accidentally burnt his hand.

Sober Return Home
We had a very dry weekend in spite of expecting rain like last year. The report from home, however, was very different. The aftermath of the deluge that hit the Nashville area is still unfolding. We made it home safely (didn't have to deal w/flooding or an overheating car) and our house wasn't affected. But there is so much flooding in the area and so many displaced people. Millions of dollars of damage. People have died. It's surreal. We've been watching the news coverage pretty much since we got home. I am not sure the Cumberland river has crested, but it is already 2 feet above the expected crest @ 50 ft (40ft is considered a flood). We've hit the highest rainfall for one day ever in this area, over 7 inches. Yesterday is now the 3rd highest on record.

KB Workout

Ok Dan, this is for you. I finally got in a decent KB workout today while everyone is napping (mostly).

3 rounds of:
10x 15-15 KB swings (15 sec on - 15 sec off)
10 KB traveling push ups
10 goblet squats
3-2-1 presses
Hip Flexor Stretch

By the end I felt like I was about to lose my grip during the swings. I was wiping my hands after each interval before loading up for the next. The swings really wear you out. Barely made the very last press on the left arm. Could have made it better by doing get-ups, but need to work on my left shoulder strength before I incorporate them into a routine like this.

Logest Ride this year, broke 200 for March

Yesterday I did my longest ride of the year so far. It was smidge over 34 miles with nearly 3000 ft of climbing (max grade shows 21%). It was a brutal ride mainly due to the intense winds from the South. I spent most of the time in zone 4 (avg HR was 158) and averaged over 16mph for the first time this year (it seems last year this was where I started – I guess 40 is catching up with me). I keep thinking about 3 State and how close it seems and how far away I am from being ready for it. I hit my max HR (181) turning around and chasing down Jim Matheu after we passed each other on my way out. I figure I can make this ride about 39 miles by heading up to Theta on Gravel Hill Rd, then back up Carters Creek through Burwood. The route up to Theta on Gravel hill will add some more climbing feet too with a couple places where the grades are 17-20+%.

The route is here: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/25794

Moving Forward

I never seem to be able to accomplish all that I want to. For instance, last year I had 600 miles before I rode 3 State. This year I hoped to get 1000 miles in before the ride and set a PR on the time. So far, things aren't looking good.

January 24.1 miles
February 91.0 miles
March 124.2 miles (so far)

I'm heading out in the morning for 20+ before everybody gets up. April is going to have to be a good month if I am going to get 600 in before 3 State on May 1st. Plus I am going to need to get a couple 50 milers in.

You know I find this to be true in other areas of life as well. The plans and hopes and anticipation always seems to be different in reality. The books don't get read, friends don't get followed up with, scripture doesn't get memorized, house projects don't get done, the yard doesn't get mowed, and on and on.

But I am reminded of something I learned in the last year. It's about progress, not perfection. You keep moving forward, you don't give up. Like Edison, you keep going forward even though you figure out 1000 ways to not make the light bulb.

This week moving forward has been made a lot easier by spending time in the Word, in prayer alone and in prayer with my wife.

New Climbing Route

I'm one who gets stuck in a rut likes routine. But, I've been learning that routine isn't always good. Just ask any CrossFit or P90x guy about muscle confusion and you will learn how changing it up on a regular basis can actually be good. I've been trying to incorporate some of those elements when I work out, but my default is to go back to what I know.

I did a different morning route this morning. I didn't stop and do burpees or jumping squats every 3 miles. I didn't do a 20 min Kettlebell workout after the ride. It's just a new route. But Wow! I think this one will help me get ready for 3 State. I ended up at almost 22 miles with 1700 feet of climbing and grades topping 18%. Ooooff! My average speed dropped considerably from yesterday.

The software I linked to below guesstimated that I averaged 275 watts. That has got to be off. Everything else I have done tells me I can't generate that kind of power for an hour and a half.

When I looked out my window at 5:15am the roads were dry. It was 36 degrees and it was my last chance to ride this month as temps in the mornings are going to drop into the mid to low 20's for the rest of the week.

A light rain, more of a drizzle really, started to fall after just a few miles. It wasn't bad though, I didn't get soaked. No skunks, coyote's or chickens today, just a bunch of dogs. It was a good solid ride...

Might even become my new routine.

Wildlife

I had a close encounter with a skunk on my morning ride. He ran out in front of me and I skidded to a stop. My back wheel slid out to the right a little bit and my headlights illuminated the little bugger. We stared at each other for a couple seconds and then he hid behind a mail box post. Phew! It could have been a smelly ride home.

A half mile later I saw a coyote running through a field. (I wonder if the cows in the next field knew he was there).

The funniest thing I saw was riding by a house and seeing 20 chickens roosting in a tree. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it made me laugh.

View the Route