Getting Stronger...40 Days to Go until the Race Across America

The clock is definitely ticking down with only 40 days left before the start of our epic adventure - 3000 miles as a team across the United States, from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD - which we will accomplish, Lord willing in about 7 days.

Each team member has ramped up the training efforts as the reality of this task comes into focus.  I know for me personally (Tony Wilcox), I've raised my weekly mileage on the bike to 100 - 125 miles which includes time on the stationary bike at the gym during the week, dawn patrol and evening climbs around the Sunset loop and giant 60+ mile rides on the weekends.  This increase in mileage was done mainly out of the FEAR of the RAAM closing in, the reality of having to climb the Rockies and the Appalachian mountains, dealing with sleep deprivation, inclement weather, having to be on the bike for 7 days in a row and KNOWING all of that is going to be BRUTAL.

The good news is that I can tell I'm getting stronger because I used to have to drop into my "granny" gear to complete the climb up Sunset, but recently, I've been able to accomplish the entire 20 mile loop in my middle gear the last several times I've ridden it.  That was a big milestone for me in my personal training.

And I can tell my teammates are getting stronger as well.  Rick and Scott recently pounded out the Sunset loop and then added brutal climbs up Ford street, Wabash, Puesta del Sol and finished off with Rossmont (maybe Redlands steepest hill!) - GREAT JOB!  Dave Roadruck, Bob and Craig Roach and Randy Sperling recently climbed from Loma Linda all the way to the top of Forest Falls - EPIC!  And Carl Gregory joined the guys a couple of weeks back to crest Oak Glen, another formidable climb.  All in all, I can see the team getting to the point the we don't fear the hills any more; we embrace them.  That's a good place for all of us to be just before the gun goes off at the starting line on June 18th!

Kicking The Old Lady's Butt, Exploding Cranks and a Black Eye 3-26-11

There is a section of hills just North of Banning calledthe "Banning Bench" with a brutal route to the top that has been affectionately dubbed "The Old Lady" - probably because riders are forced to use their "granny gear" most of the way to the top of the climb to the top of a 3000 foot elevation gain.   9 of us kicked the "Old Lady's" butt today during a cold, windy trek to the top.  This short video is our pow-wow at the top of the hill, but the ride down was even more treacherous.  An extremely gusty cross-wind blew hard from west to east all the way down the mountain and at times felt like it was going to blow us right off of our bikes.



The only problem that was experienced was when Carl Gregory's front sprocket literally exploded from the crank and came apart as he was pedaling downhill near the end of the descent. 

I didn't get the full story, but somewhere along the way during this epic, Carl ended up with a black eye.  How that happened due to a broken crank?   Your guess is as good as mine! 

2011 Tour De Palm Springs

Several of our riders participated in this past weekend's 2011 Tour de Palm Springs on Saturday, February 12th in preparation for the upcoming RAAM event in June.  The Tour de Palm Springs hosted almost 10,000 riders and raised over $180,000 for local desert charities.  It consisted of a 10 mile, 50 mile, 65 mile and 104 mile routes.  Rick Nichols and his wife, Cheralyn rode the 65 mile ride while Tony Wilcox and his wife Celeste rode the 104 mile route.  Rick and Cheralyn completed the ride in about 3 1/2 hours while Tony and Celeste spent over 8 hours on the bikes to complete the Century course.

Weather was warm and sunny with a mild breeze all morning long which contributed to dehydration and sun/wind burn for the riders on the longer routes.  There were also multiple cyclist crashes; some minor, some not so minor requiring ambulance trips to the hospital.  Rider hazards included rough roads, pot holes, tangles with other riders, traffic and simple weariness.  With almost 10,000 riders, there are bound to be some accidents - hopefully no one was hurt seriously, although we did hear reports of several broken collar bones and stitches. 

 

 The 65 and 104 mile course routes converged for most of the tour, starting from downtown Palm Springs near the Spa Hotel and Casino and traveling north out towards the windmills along the 1-10, then back down most of the valley.  The 65 mile course veered off and returned towards Palm Springs somewhere out near Indio, while the 104 mile route continued on out to the city of Coachella, before turning around and heading back to the west.  Overall, a great day to be on a bike a certainly great training for the 2011 RAAM.

Weekend Workouts 1/16 & 1/17, 2011

Rick Nichols joined the "Ride Yourself Fit" group for a 60 mile ride in Palm Springs this weekend.  Very windy and he said he started cramping up at mile 55 - tough ride in preparation for the Tour de Palm Springs in mid-Feb.

Tony Wilcox completed a 36 mile solo ride from Redlands to Calimesa and back.  Had the rear tire blow out at mile 21 and had to change a tube and limp back.

Training Ride - January 8, 2011

Had an EPIC training ride today - 60 miles round trip from Loma Linda to Cabazon and back.  Weather was cold, damp and windy.  Highlights:  Brad Mason breaks carbon fiber seat post OFF of his new bike, Carl Gregory has a double blowout and is forced to head home and we ran into a giant Vietnamese pot-bellied pig named "$#*+head" out in Cherry Valley.  No lie!