Category: Uncategorized

BRIANÇON, FRANCE

I will be joining other passionate cyclists and riding Cykelnerven in June. It is one of Europe’s most challenging events and raises money for the MS International Federation (MSIF). Over four days in June we will tackle some of the toughest mountains that will be used in this year’s Tour de France.

There will be more added to this post but I will direct readers to my official page at Cykelnerven.

MS is very personal to me as it directly affects my family. I would like nothing more than to see a cure in my lifetime.

It is my hope that my participation in this event and by raising funds will be a beacon of hope for anyone affected by MS.

CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, VIRGINIA

In 2019 this ride was Ride Home Roads, a local ride sponsored by Ben King. In 2020 the Covid monster took it so it was virtual. I won something for a post about riding my home roads but did not collect a prize.

The ride did not exist in 2021 or 2022 but came back this year. And it was also billed as Ben King’s retirement ride. Ben was retiring from being a pro cyclist, most recently with Human Powered Health.

But when it came out this year, it had a new name. It was now benefiting Olivia’s Light. Ben and Jenna started Olivia’s Light to raise awareness of rare genetic disorder and to assist parents who find themselves in a similar situation. Olivia, this ride is for you. 

Olivia King was Ben and Jenna King’s second child, their first daughter. Jenna had a normal pregnancy but there was a problem when she was born. This blog cannot properly describe Olivia’s short life and you are encouraged to read Olivia’s Story.

I had parked at a lumber yard about 1/4 mile away. I rode to registration. I picked up my bib number and a swag bag (nice bag) and took it back to the car and attached my number. 

I rode back to the start and waited for the mass start at 9:15 am. Before “wheels down” (the start of the ride) Ben was presented with a signed jersey for his 2015 UCI Championships. Teammates, Brent Bookwalter, and two other teammates had signed the jersey. Probably two of these three, Tyler Farrar, Alex Howes, Taylor Phinney, but I couldn’t hear the names.

My plan today was to ride the Metric distance (100 km or 62.1 miles). But there would be 4-5 miles shaved off because yesterday the department of public works in Caroline Co. (or maybe VDOT) put down fresh chip and seal on one of the roads. No one wanted to ride on fresh tar. No one.

Ben and his friends, including Jeremiah Bishop and USA Women’s Road Race Champion, Emma Langley, were at the front and eventually would want to hammer it. Maybe not by there standards but certainly by mine. But first there was a police escort for two miles in a neutral rollout (no racing).

I didn’t want to try and stay with the big group. My goal was to finish safely. I am leaving for Europe tomorrow and I didn’t want to take fresh road rash or a broken collarbone. Or a broken bike. And besides, there was no way I could ride at 23-24 mph at that distance even sitting in the group. 

I decided that I wanted to be near the rear of the 100 km group. There was also a 70 km group. In a race this would be the grupetto or autobus. We would all ride and finish together and make the time cut for the day (even though this ride did not have a time cut).

Even in the neutral rollout there were riders anxious to pass me and others trying to get to the front. And if your goal was to ride with the front group you would miss that being with me in the back. 

Eventually I could see a split up ahead. And then two. And I was perfectly positioned. I was behind two riders, a man and a woman, perhaps husband and wife, and he was doing all the pulling. If he ever moved over and let her go to the front I would have followed and did my turn in the wind. But he never moved and after a couple joined us we probably had 5-6 riders in our small grupetto. 

Eventually on a small climb they pulled over to check a mechanical, I think. I kept going and joined up with some others. We all pulled into Rest 1 which was probably at 20 miles. 

I did not stay long, grabbed one strawberry pop tart (not one package but one) and took off down the road. I should have waited and jumped in with a group but I would ride the next 20 miles solo. No one passed me (where were the groups?) and I passed one rider. 

At the second rest I timed it to leave when 8-10 others did. Actually I had to chase to catch them and then joined in.  Whereas the second portion was a solo ride, the third portion was in a group. It probably wasn’t the grupetto, in fact I was way ahead of the stragglers, but was something in between Ben’s group and the last riders. 

The only thing frustrating for this rider is with one exception, I’ve never been on a group ride where people really know how to ride a pace line. This was more of the same.  We may have had 10 riders and at no time were we rotating pulls. One or two people stayed at the front and the rest followed. We simply rode in a line all wheel suckers. I shouldn’t feel bad that I rarely contributed. Learn to ride a pace line.

I didn’t feel like I went deep at any point in the ride. That part was good. At the end I averaged 18.0 mph which may be my high for 2023. It was a very good ride. 

Lunch was too-heavy burritos. An auction followed. Four items were auctioned off – a signed USA team jersey, a private bike ride with Ben (and lunch), a private fishing trip at Smith Mountain Lake with Ben and his dad, and Ben’s 2015 MTB.

My estimate was it brought in $600, $600, $2500, and $3300. In addition Alliance presented Olivia’s Light with a $10,000 check. The second part of the auction was the solicitation of donations. It started with $1000 and one or two people raised their hands. Then $500. I was able to put my hand up for $100. In all the event raised $40,000.

Ben and Jenna are two wonderful people. I had met Ben before but this was the first time meeting Jenna. Very pregnant I asked her how scars she was and she said not at all because she knows God is in control. Wonderful people. 

It will soon be 40 years since we lost Lindsay. The pain is always there at her birthday and death anniversary. It is there because we loved and we love. Ben and Jenna loved and it will always be there for them as well. 

But for a day they could celebrate the difference in people’s lives because of Olivia. Sometimes the smallest among us make the biggest impact. 

---

---

EPILOGUE – Ben and Jenna had a healthy baby in October.

RESTON, VIRGINIA

It’s new bike day. To be honest, I wish it hadn’t come to this but Trek would warranty my 2014 Trek Domane due to bottom bracket issues.

So, let’s make the best of it. The new bike arrived. The setup is pretty much the same as the bike I gave up.

New Bike

Domane SL 7 is a high-performance endurance road bike with an electronic Ultegra Di2 drivetrain for precision shifting in any conditions. A lightweight OCLV Carbon frame with Front and Rear IsoSpeed, carbon wheels, and hydraulic disc brakes keep it smooth and fast on long rides. Plus, it has an easy-access storage compartment for stowing ride essentials.

Frame	500 Series OCLV Carbon, front & rear IsoSpeed, internal storage, tapered head tube, internal cable routing, 3S chain keeper, DuoTrap S compatible, fender mounts, flat mount disc, 142x12mm thru axle
*Fork	Size: 56 Domane SL carbon, tapered carbon steerer, internal brake routing, fender mounts, flat mount disc, 12x100mm thru axle
Frame fit	Endurance

Wheel front	Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 25mm rim width, 100x12mm thru axle
Wheel rear	Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V, OCLV Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 25mm rim width, Shimano 11-speed freehub, 142x12mm thru axle
Skewer front	Bontrager Switch thru axle, removable lever
Skewer rear	Bontrager Switch thru axle, removable lever
Tire	Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite, aramid bead, 60 tpi, 700x32c
Max tire size	38c

Shifter	Shimano Ultegra Di2, R8070, 11-speed
Front derailleur	Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2, braze-on
Rear derailleur	Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2, mid cage 34T max cog
*Crank	Size: 56 Shimano Ultegra R8000, 50/34 (compact), 175mm length
Bottom bracket	Praxis, T47 threaded, internal bearing
Cassette	Shimano Ultegra HG800-11, 11-34, 11 speed
Chain	Shimano Ultegra HG701, 11-speed

Saddle	Bontrager Arvada Comp, steel rails, 138mm width
*Seatpost	Size: 44, 47, 50, 52, 54, 56 Bontrager carbon internal seatmast cap, integrated light mount, 20mm offset, short length
*Handlebar	Size: 56 Bontrager Elite IsoZone VR-CF, alloy, 31.8mm, internal Di2 routing, 93mm reach, 123mm drop, 42cm width
Handlebar tape	Bontrager Supertack Perf tape
*Stem	Size: 56 Bontrager Pro, 31.8mm, Blendr compatible, 7 degree, 100mm length
Brake	Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc, flat mount
Brake rotor	Shimano RT800, centerlock, 160mm

Weight	56 – 8.84 kg / 19.49 lbs
Weight limit	This bike has a maximum total weight limit (combined weight of bicycle, rider, and cargo) of 275 pounds (125 kg).

RESTON, VIRGINIA

I loved my bike. I thought my 2006 Trek Pilot was feeling its age back in 2013, although it was only seven years old. I would buy it again but Trek had retired the model and made the Domane its endurance bike.

I had crashed and broke my collarbone on July 3, 2013. I was on pain killers when just a few days later I was at The Bike Lane in Reston, Va., ordering a Trek Domane. Although they had paint samples at the front of the store, I never saw those. We sat in a dark office looking at a computer screen. I ordered a red and white bike to match my Pilot.

 

When it arrived it looked nothing like I thought I ordered. I was sick. It was an expensive bike and I just felt like I could not accept it. I declined the purchase but promised to buy another when the time was right.

 

In the middle of the year, 2014, I sat down and we built a Project One Trek Domane 6. I wasn’t happy with the color schemes offered so I paid more for a custom paint job. It would be gloss/metallic black with gloss/metallic “tour yellow.” It may have been the only one they ever made.

The color scheme was me. Period. The Black and Tour Yellow represented three things in my life:

• Livestrong
• The Tour de France
• The Steelers and Penguins

 

Above all, this would be my cancer bike. Black and Yellow representing Livestrong. When I rode, my mind was never far away from someone battling. I put stickers on it to remember Alex Shepherd, 13, and Jacob Grecco, 8, both of whom lost their battles to brain cancer.

I love the Tour (de France). I’ve seen numerous stages and this bike could be a TdF bike. Or a Pittsburgh bike. But it was definitely me.

The bike rode well. It was very comfortable. But it had its problems.

Just one year old, on October 27, 2015, I shifted gears and the rear derailleur broke off. That wouldn’t be too bad but it got caught in the wheel. It went one revolution and then smashed into the frame. The frame was cracked and the repair would cost me $1800.

I was disappointed. Furious, actually. I was “JRA” (just riding along) when the derailleur came loose. Trek offered a new frame at 50% off, or about $2000.

 

I got it fixed at Calfee in California.

After only three years the rear wheel began to fail. I had three spokes break (metal fatigue) in the rear wheel. The Bike Lane rebuilt the wheel and built me a new one that kept failing.

 

In 2016 we tried repeatedly to set the bike up with tubeless. But it would never set. At Ride the Rockies the air pressure would be as low as 20 psi n the morning. Basically I rode flat until getting to rest stop one where I could get a tire pump.

But in 2018, just four years’ of riding, the bike started to creak, especially when under duress. It was at The Bike Lane in Springfield four or five times before taking it to Reston. We got it to quiet down for a few weeks but it was back for all of 2019.

 

In September 2019, it was sent back to the “Trek Hospital” in Wisconsin where they resurfaced the bottom bracket (BB90). I got the bike back in October and it ran quiet and smooth. I thought I was out of the woods. But a couple of months later, and maybe sooner, it was creaking again.

 

Earlier last month Tom asked me how the bike was running. I told him honestly and he said “I was afraid of that.”

Tom began the process of having the bike frame warrantied. Trek said they would replace the frame and paint it to match. But the problem with this bike lies in the bottom bracket – the BB90. And a new frame would still have the BB90.

 

The rim brakes on the two frames are different and I would have to purchase two new brakes at $275 ea. With a Trek discount of 25% for the brakes, it would cost me $413. The labor for the teardown and rebuild would be $400+. So for the same bike I currently own, but with a new frame, I would pay around $900.

 

Trek also offered me a credit towards a new bike. After considering my options, I decided to get a new bike. It would be a Domane but not the top-of-the-line Domane Project One. That would mean a custom paint job would be off the table.

 

The black and yellow Domane was me. But it’s time for a new chapter. I want to say it was a good bike that lasted 5 1/2 years but actually, I had problems with it all along. I told Bill Hellwig at The Bike Lane in July that I was riding the Pilot because the Domane was the worst purchase I ever made. And I meant it. So it was time to retire it.

 

I’ve done a number of cancer events with it including the Livestrong Challenges. I’ve ridden in eight countries. The bike popped (got your attention), especially with yellow bar tape. But it was time for retirement. And I’m looking forward to a new chapter.

 

We did a lot together. One might expect that riding more than 30,000 miles we would have plenty of memories. We traveled to Europe a couple of times including a solo trip across the Swiss Alps and with Rooster Racing in Luxembourg. In all the Domane had miles in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. And, of course, the U.S. where we had trips to California, Texas, Colorado, and Florida. And even to the top of the highest paved road in North America – Mount Evans, Colorado.

 

Age: Five years, six months
Miles: 30,880

CLERMONT, FLORIDA

The Horrible Hundred occurs over two days if you include the Saturday orientation rides. Those are delightful and, like group rides, occur under adult supervision. Not so the Sunday ride.

I stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Clermont, a four-mile ride from the hotel to start. With chilly temperatures (low 50s) I was unsure what to wear. I was also checking out of the hotel so I was a few minutes later leaving than I had planned to meet John Dockins at the start.

This would also be a test of the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, a new bike computer I bought in Jacksonville on Friday. I decided to mount both computers as a test.

I downloaded directions to the start on my Garmin and followed those yesterday. I didn’t load the route today thinking I would retrace yesterday’s route by memory. I was wrong. Normally with a keen sense of direction, the fully gray skies gave me no directional bearing. I had gone three miles and was literally, just feet from the hotel where I started and never noticed that until viewing my route hours later.

I wasn’t getting closer to Waterfront Park. A message appeared on the Bolt. “Where are you?” It was from John Dockins. Messages on my bike computer, pretty cool.

I called him and told him I messed up. I was two miles away and would be there in eight minutes but he was raring to go. I realized I was on course and told him I’d ride back to meet him.

There was one problem with my plan. Although I was two miles from the start, the route would circumvent the lake first before climbing up the hill to our meeting location. I rode back. I waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Eventually, I was convinced John had ridden by and we missed one another. John had suggested meeting at Rest Stop One. At this point, I figured I had missed him so I rode ahead to Rest Stop One.

As I approached the rest stop I thought back to the map I had looked at before the ride. Only then was I pretty sure they went around the lake. I had cut off eight miles. But it’s a ride, not a race, and I was adding four to and from the hotel to get the same mileage.

At the rest stop, I called John. He was five miles behind me. I told him I’d ride back for sure this time. And I did.

The first segment to Rest One was not fun. This is a big event and mob mentality takes over. At two red lights, I was the only cyclist to stop. Even with cross-traffic tens of cyclists went by me, sometimes flew by me, through the intersections. I thought I might be hit by someone flying by.

Another time I was on the shoulder – to the right of the lane line and a cyclist flew up the gutter passing me. This was unsafe and not fun. And another group came by so fast and so close I jumped on the parallel bike path to avoid them. I hadn’t remembered such aggression before but will now consider this my last Horrible Hundred.

John and I stopped at Rest One. The stops were well stocked with food and big lines. Not a complaint, just an observation. And great volunteers.

John and I stayed together mostly. I let him go ahead on Sugarloaf Road but caught him on the climb. I set a PR on Sugarloaf on a day I was determined not to try. And sometimes when we try we go into the red and blow up. Slow and steady set my PR. (And now am in 5200th place.) This was ironic because I was thinking this was my last hill climb of 2019 and to enjoy it, not go out to set a PR.

As we came back into town we were on the last hill. It had probably a 12% grade. A few feet in front of me I thought a rider was doing a track stand (balancing the bike while stopped). I wondered, briefly, why he was showing off this skill. Then he stopped and fell over very hard. And yelled. Very loudly.

He had cramped badly and could not pedal nor could he unclip from his pedals. I stopped along with a woman. We tried to get him help and a SAG ride for the final two miles but he said: “I must finish this.” It’s a man thing. I understand. After five minutes I helped him to his feet then rolled on. The Bolt had a message from John: “Are you OK?” If it can respond I don’t know how to do that so I ignored it. (Note: It can’t.)

It was a chilly day. We had some very light rain in the beginning but mostly it was cold (low 50s) and windy. The phone was in a jersey pocket under my vest. Using it meant stopping and unzipping the vest. Maybe removing a glove too. So I didn’t take pictures on the road or try to call or text John (using Siri).

We went to lunch then said goodbye. I had to find my way back to the hotel. I noticed the mileage was different between the two computers: 73.0 and 72.9. I thought they would be perfectly equal. I have more testing to do.