Well today was a very tough day in and out of the saddle. We started in Pine Valley and rode straight up to Mount Laguna and then to Lake Cuyamaca and then back to Pine Valley. It was about 52 miles and seemed we never spent more then 15 minutes before there was a giant hill right in front of us. The ride up to Mount Laguna was about 10 miles and brutally tough as it was on a fire road with little shade if any.
The air out there was hot, maybe mid 80's and super dry. Trying to keep your mouth moist was tough to do even with constant drinking. The uphills were steep and long and since it was my first time out there I had no idea what lay ahead and how long some of these hills were so hard to know just how hard to push. Group 3 was the perfect pace today as I was out on the lead for almost all the way when I was not chatting it up with Danielle to see how the XX1090 team fundraising was coming along.
Going to try and get in another 50 miles in tomorrow morning up the coast where is will be much cooler then today. Some of the views from todays ride was really nice from the sunrise as I drove in to some of the mountain valleys we saw from atop of Mt Laguna. All in all it was a great hill climbing day but don't think I want to repeat another one of those for a while.
On another great note, today the XX1090 Scott & BR Cycling Team held another immunity challenge. With 8 riders left getting the immunity is huge as it keeps you safe from the Wednesday single rider cut. Today we needed to figure out how many calories were in a plastic jar containing a bunch of gels and like product. After some quick math calculations I came up with about an average of 125 calories per item and guessed there were 27 packets in the jar, for a total of 3175 calories. After talking to everyone I felt like I was way low since everyone said about 4 or 5K calories. Well as it turned out the number was 3180 and I missed by just 5 and won the immunity for another week. So gotta keep going and log some miles and figure out what I am going to do with the immunity helmet.
CAF Homepage
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Great weekend!!
Well after a very slow start to the weekend with what seems like a mild case of food poisoning from some bad tuna fish that kept me off the bike on Friday and Saturday it ended up very nicely. I used the time off the bike to do a little studying up on the MDC and the CAF as well as some time on the XX1090 Scott & BR website just in case the immunity challenge was going to be on these topics sooner then later.
Well as it turned out Sunday was the challenge that had to do with all 3 and I felt pretty good when I saw the test, but as usual once I got the test and started to write down the answers my mind went totally blank. Now I remember why I did so poorly in school, all that studying and then forget everything when the test arrives. But lucky me I got just enough right answers correct to win the immunity for the week and this was a critical week to get it as there were 2 guys cut from the team today to take us down to 8 riders. The 2 Jesse's who won the immunity last week with the Internet voting are the 2 guys who were cut today. I hope this is not the trend this coming week since I have immunity now.
After a nice 48 mile ride during our recovery week we were lucky enough to have CAF line us up with breakfast at the La Valencia Ranch Santa Fe Spa which is one top notch place to hang out. We as radio contestants got to hang out with all the other CAF riders on what was a beautiful day in San Diego. That is where we learned who won the immunity and my breakfast tasted a little bit better. Now I need to figure out how I am going to decorate the immunity helmet.
This was the 2nd time in a week the CAF group got together as we also got together at Dean Roepers house in RSF which is one of the nicest houses I have been in. The radio group got together each time to discuss what we will be doing as far as fundraising and mapping out a nice game plan for raising funds for CAF.
After leaving the Rancho Valencia I headed to the Del Mar Race Track to meet up with Sayaji and the girls as well as another 5 families for some fun in the sun with great friends. As it turned out the last race we stayed for I hit a $433 exacta which made our weekend just a little more special.
Well going to try and get in some much needed mileage this week as our Sunday rides will be getting longer with more climbing and the heat is on its way which will make for some long days in the saddle. Feeling good about where I am as far as fundraising just need to get one more decent sum from that one special person to get me over the top. So far I am on track with funds raised and also fitness. Today weight is 185.5 with my goal to be at 180 come October 16th.
Well as it turned out Sunday was the challenge that had to do with all 3 and I felt pretty good when I saw the test, but as usual once I got the test and started to write down the answers my mind went totally blank. Now I remember why I did so poorly in school, all that studying and then forget everything when the test arrives. But lucky me I got just enough right answers correct to win the immunity for the week and this was a critical week to get it as there were 2 guys cut from the team today to take us down to 8 riders. The 2 Jesse's who won the immunity last week with the Internet voting are the 2 guys who were cut today. I hope this is not the trend this coming week since I have immunity now.
After a nice 48 mile ride during our recovery week we were lucky enough to have CAF line us up with breakfast at the La Valencia Ranch Santa Fe Spa which is one top notch place to hang out. We as radio contestants got to hang out with all the other CAF riders on what was a beautiful day in San Diego. That is where we learned who won the immunity and my breakfast tasted a little bit better. Now I need to figure out how I am going to decorate the immunity helmet.
This was the 2nd time in a week the CAF group got together as we also got together at Dean Roepers house in RSF which is one of the nicest houses I have been in. The radio group got together each time to discuss what we will be doing as far as fundraising and mapping out a nice game plan for raising funds for CAF.
After leaving the Rancho Valencia I headed to the Del Mar Race Track to meet up with Sayaji and the girls as well as another 5 families for some fun in the sun with great friends. As it turned out the last race we stayed for I hit a $433 exacta which made our weekend just a little more special.
Well going to try and get in some much needed mileage this week as our Sunday rides will be getting longer with more climbing and the heat is on its way which will make for some long days in the saddle. Feeling good about where I am as far as fundraising just need to get one more decent sum from that one special person to get me over the top. So far I am on track with funds raised and also fitness. Today weight is 185.5 with my goal to be at 180 come October 16th.
Friday, August 6, 2010
recovery week
Well we were told to use the recovery weeks as a time to rest and let the body recover from 3 weeks of intense riding. So that is just what I did not touching the bike since the long tough ride last Sunday. However the time has come to get back on the bike first thing tomorrow morning and do a light and easy 2 hours. Just want to loosen up the legs a bit and then if I feel up to it I will make my first journey to Group 2 on Sunday for the 48 miler with the CAF/MDC riders.
I am battling a bit of the stomach bug I got from what I believe was some bad tuna. My stomach has been in knots all day and I have not eaten since 1pm and it is now 11pm. So the ride tomorrow will depend on how the stomach feels in the morning.
Well if all goes well and I can get some time with the bike I am hoping to have a big week riding on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday most likely getting in about 200 miles or so those 4 days if all goes well. But we will have to wait and see what the plans are for getting the girls from YMCA camp.
Ok short and sweet today as a kind of busy Saturday is planned.
I am battling a bit of the stomach bug I got from what I believe was some bad tuna. My stomach has been in knots all day and I have not eaten since 1pm and it is now 11pm. So the ride tomorrow will depend on how the stomach feels in the morning.
Well if all goes well and I can get some time with the bike I am hoping to have a big week riding on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday most likely getting in about 200 miles or so those 4 days if all goes well. But we will have to wait and see what the plans are for getting the girls from YMCA camp.
Ok short and sweet today as a kind of busy Saturday is planned.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ramona ride
Well here it is Sunday night and relaxing after a very hilly and warm day on the bike. I believe it was a bout 75 miles with about 3900 feet of climbing and it started from early on and seemed we were never far from another uphill climb. I can't remember the last time I rode my bike in that much sunshine for that long a period of time. It got pretty warm and with all the climbing it was a pretty tough day in the saddle as I am still feeling the pain in my quads from today's efforts.
Had a good chat with many of the XX1090 Scott & BR Cycling Team riders today getting to hear what went on during the Thursday meeting that I missed due to a late YMCA bus pickup. It seems that we will be meeting again this Thursday at one of the MDC co-chairman's house for a social and some fundraising idea help. As the clock ticks on fundraising our window on team fundraising is getting smaller by the week. Seemed one of our fearless leaders Mr Scott Kaplan from the XX1090 morning show was there after getting an epidural shot to help with his bulging disc which is causing some sciatica issues. Good to see him back on the bike and with the group.
Well seems I will have a tough week trying to find time to ride this week. As we get further along in the Sunday rides we need to up our weekly mileage and this week might be a bit tough to do so with so many things going on around the house. As much as I hate it I may be forced to jump on the trainer for a few hours late at night....ugh!!!
Well back to today's ride, we all pretty much stayed together for the 1st 22 miles which is where the 1st SAG was at. After that it was into Ramona and up some pretty good hills so with about 10 miles to go before the 2nd SAG I decided the guys were going a bit slow up a hill so I took off and worked the hill pretty good taking Dave and John along with me for the next 10 miles as we worked together and got to the SAG about 5 minutes before the rest of the group. Then again after the 2nd SAG we were all together and when we went up a hill about 3 miles past the SAG the group which was in mile 58 just seemed tired so I stepped it up a bit and this time I dragged 4 others with me, Dave, John, and 2 other guys and we all worked pretty good together all the way to Solana Beach finishing about 10 minutes before the rest of group 3.
Next week I will give group 2 a try to see how it goes since it is the beginning of a new cycle and we are going just 40 miles so I should be able to handle the shorter distance with the higher speeds. Since I will be on the lower end of training mileage this week it will be a good time for a short ride. Looking forward to a new challenge and some higher speeds, just hope I am up to the challenge.
Had a good chat with many of the XX1090 Scott & BR Cycling Team riders today getting to hear what went on during the Thursday meeting that I missed due to a late YMCA bus pickup. It seems that we will be meeting again this Thursday at one of the MDC co-chairman's house for a social and some fundraising idea help. As the clock ticks on fundraising our window on team fundraising is getting smaller by the week. Seemed one of our fearless leaders Mr Scott Kaplan from the XX1090 morning show was there after getting an epidural shot to help with his bulging disc which is causing some sciatica issues. Good to see him back on the bike and with the group.
Well seems I will have a tough week trying to find time to ride this week. As we get further along in the Sunday rides we need to up our weekly mileage and this week might be a bit tough to do so with so many things going on around the house. As much as I hate it I may be forced to jump on the trainer for a few hours late at night....ugh!!!
Well back to today's ride, we all pretty much stayed together for the 1st 22 miles which is where the 1st SAG was at. After that it was into Ramona and up some pretty good hills so with about 10 miles to go before the 2nd SAG I decided the guys were going a bit slow up a hill so I took off and worked the hill pretty good taking Dave and John along with me for the next 10 miles as we worked together and got to the SAG about 5 minutes before the rest of the group. Then again after the 2nd SAG we were all together and when we went up a hill about 3 miles past the SAG the group which was in mile 58 just seemed tired so I stepped it up a bit and this time I dragged 4 others with me, Dave, John, and 2 other guys and we all worked pretty good together all the way to Solana Beach finishing about 10 minutes before the rest of group 3.
Next week I will give group 2 a try to see how it goes since it is the beginning of a new cycle and we are going just 40 miles so I should be able to handle the shorter distance with the higher speeds. Since I will be on the lower end of training mileage this week it will be a good time for a short ride. Looking forward to a new challenge and some higher speeds, just hope I am up to the challenge.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
2 days in the saddle
Well as the girls start daily YMCA it is going to be a bit tougher to try and figure out what days I can ride and what days I have to pick them up at Toby Wells YMCA which would mean no riding that day. This week my ride days were Monday and Tuesday so I took advantage of it and headed out on my Chino Farms ride on MOnday which was about an hour and forty minutes and 30 miles round trip. A nice little spin after 68 miles on Sunday and a few little rollers to get me out of the saddle. It would have been a bit longer but got I got a late start chatting with the girls prior to them all going to the driving range.
Today I wanted to do a little hammering down at Fiesta Island and I invited the XX1090 radio group but it might have ben a bit late when I let them know as no one wanted to circle the island with me. So I headed out as a solo rider promply at 5pm and planned on doing 2 hours and 40 miles. Well the wind was howling more then I had seen before and it was a tough ride but I wanted to get some miles in so I put the head down and set out.
I noticed a gathering of other riders during the 5 o'clock hour and it seemed there was going to be more riders sharing the island with me. As it turned out there was a very large group of about 50 riders who all started around 6pm and were doing the small loop as I was doing the larger loop. They were all roadies and much faster then I was but not as fast as the Thursday night "world championship" ride which is usually about 80 riders and just blazing around the island. If the guys on Thursday are doing 27-28 then these guys were doing 24-25. I wanted to try and joing in for one lap to see if I could hang but we never seemed to meet in the right spot, oh well.
Well today my goal was to do 4 laps each harder then the previous and ending with the 4th just balls out all on the big loop. Followed by a 1/2 speed cool down lap on the smaller loop then repeat the 4 large laps again hopefully faster then the 1st set. Well to get loose I did the 1st lap in 14 minutes and finished the 4 laps in 50:30, which means the final 3 laps were in 36:30. Not sure if that is good or what but it seemed pretty fast considering the wind.
During my small loop cool down I was trying to figure out what I was going to do time wise for the next 4 laps. I picked 12:30 for the first 3 laps and then let it all go on the final lap to see if I could make it under 49 minutes. Well the first 2 were right on the money and the 3rd was a at 12 even and the final lap was at 11 minutes for a 48 minute total. The final 4 laps were very consistent and I could really feel it in my legs the final 2 laps. After some quick calculations it seems I was about 21mph in the windy conditions and all alone with no drafting, so mission accomplished for the day.
Final #'s were:
Watts average; 196
1st 4 laps: 50:30 with a 14:00 warm up 1st lap
2nd 4 laps 48:00 with an 11:00 final lap
Total miles riden: 36
Total ride time: 1:48 with a small loop cool down between sets
Today I wanted to do a little hammering down at Fiesta Island and I invited the XX1090 radio group but it might have ben a bit late when I let them know as no one wanted to circle the island with me. So I headed out as a solo rider promply at 5pm and planned on doing 2 hours and 40 miles. Well the wind was howling more then I had seen before and it was a tough ride but I wanted to get some miles in so I put the head down and set out.
I noticed a gathering of other riders during the 5 o'clock hour and it seemed there was going to be more riders sharing the island with me. As it turned out there was a very large group of about 50 riders who all started around 6pm and were doing the small loop as I was doing the larger loop. They were all roadies and much faster then I was but not as fast as the Thursday night "world championship" ride which is usually about 80 riders and just blazing around the island. If the guys on Thursday are doing 27-28 then these guys were doing 24-25. I wanted to try and joing in for one lap to see if I could hang but we never seemed to meet in the right spot, oh well.
Well today my goal was to do 4 laps each harder then the previous and ending with the 4th just balls out all on the big loop. Followed by a 1/2 speed cool down lap on the smaller loop then repeat the 4 large laps again hopefully faster then the 1st set. Well to get loose I did the 1st lap in 14 minutes and finished the 4 laps in 50:30, which means the final 3 laps were in 36:30. Not sure if that is good or what but it seemed pretty fast considering the wind.
During my small loop cool down I was trying to figure out what I was going to do time wise for the next 4 laps. I picked 12:30 for the first 3 laps and then let it all go on the final lap to see if I could make it under 49 minutes. Well the first 2 were right on the money and the 3rd was a at 12 even and the final lap was at 11 minutes for a 48 minute total. The final 4 laps were very consistent and I could really feel it in my legs the final 2 laps. After some quick calculations it seems I was about 21mph in the windy conditions and all alone with no drafting, so mission accomplished for the day.
Final #'s were:
Watts average; 196
1st 4 laps: 50:30 with a 14:00 warm up 1st lap
2nd 4 laps 48:00 with an 11:00 final lap
Total miles riden: 36
Total ride time: 1:48 with a small loop cool down between sets
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Back on the road again...
Well here it is July 25th and my first day back with the CAF MDC group after a 4 week absence for our 3 week trip to Japan. I know I had lost a lot of fitness and gained about 8 pounds during that 3 weeks away from the bike and had originally decided to join group 4 today. But after seeing about 6-7 radio contestants in group 3 this morning I felt that was where I needed to be and jumped in with them. I am glad I did as it was a good pace and actually I felt pretty good during and now 3 hours after the 68 mile bike ride.
Today's weather I am sure had a lot to do with it as the cloud cover was great most of the way as we covered the 68 miles in 4 hours heading from Del Mar out to Bonsil and then to the 76 bike path to the coast and down the coast back to Del Mar. I will be doing 1 more week with group 3 and then giving group 2 a try as I am guessing once I get back into better shape that is the right group for me. And who knows maybe one week during one of the 40 mile weeks I may even give group 1 a try, but that might be a few months away.
The radio contestants had a chance to chat during and after the ride to discuss fundraising and if there is something we can all do as a group. We got a few ideas and will meet either this week or next week locally here to discuss what, when and where we will be doing something. This seems like a very ambitious group this year and all I can hope for is to make it as far as possible in the radio contest before having to switch jerseys to my CAF Alumni jersey. This week the radio vote will be announced on Wednesday morning during the XX1090 Scott & BR radio show between the hours of 5am and 9am pst. I am hoping to get enough votes to get the 2 week immunity that comes along with the person who gets the most votes, but not sure if I can get it or not.
Okay that may be it for now. Going to try and get in 3-4 days of riding this week prior to Sunday which I believe will be about 75 miles but with lots of hills.
Today's weather I am sure had a lot to do with it as the cloud cover was great most of the way as we covered the 68 miles in 4 hours heading from Del Mar out to Bonsil and then to the 76 bike path to the coast and down the coast back to Del Mar. I will be doing 1 more week with group 3 and then giving group 2 a try as I am guessing once I get back into better shape that is the right group for me. And who knows maybe one week during one of the 40 mile weeks I may even give group 1 a try, but that might be a few months away.
The radio contestants had a chance to chat during and after the ride to discuss fundraising and if there is something we can all do as a group. We got a few ideas and will meet either this week or next week locally here to discuss what, when and where we will be doing something. This seems like a very ambitious group this year and all I can hope for is to make it as far as possible in the radio contest before having to switch jerseys to my CAF Alumni jersey. This week the radio vote will be announced on Wednesday morning during the XX1090 Scott & BR radio show between the hours of 5am and 9am pst. I am hoping to get enough votes to get the 2 week immunity that comes along with the person who gets the most votes, but not sure if I can get it or not.
Okay that may be it for now. Going to try and get in 3-4 days of riding this week prior to Sunday which I believe will be about 75 miles but with lots of hills.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Well here we are July 22nd and my 1st week back from 3 wonderful weeks in Japan with my family. As I thought there was very little riding or physical activity as the temps and humidity were way up there and just a lot of walking and eating. So 7 pounds later here I am trying to get this body and these legs and this ass back into some form of riding shape for this Sunday's CAF ride.
This week I have ridden 3X, Monday was a "get to know your bike" day around Fiesta Island, slow and easy averaging about 17mph. Wednesday was a bit more as I went a full 2 hours around Fiesta Island with 2 laps pushing real hard going 11:12 and 10:51 on laps 4 and 8. Felt a bit better but a long way to go to bet back the form I had prior to leaving for Japan. Then today was a hill interval day between Sorrento Valley and Fairbanks Ranch doing that loop 2X for about 26 miles and little flats, just up and down the hills so it was good to actually get out of the saddle.
While coming home I heard my rear tire losing air and will take the bike to TREK tomorrow to have them replace the wheel tape and give me a new tube. Also I need to get a few things for this coming summers rides while I am there. I will be joining Group 4 this Sunday which is the slowest of the 4 groups so I can get back into some decent shape and also to mingle with a different set of people since we are not sure who gets to vote on who stays and who goes with each weeks eliminations, so better to suck up and meet everyone.
My Pepsi CAF donation/raffle is coming to an end with the final drawing to be held on July 29 where I will be giving away 11 great prizes that were donated. I am not sure how much has been raised so far but I am guessing maybe $1,000 which is great cause Pepsi will match that $1,000 and turn the total donation to CAF at $2,000+. That will put me right around $5,400 which is just over 1/2 way there to my final goal of a lofty $10,000. Not sure just how I am going to get the rest but hoping for good things to happen somewhere.
Well it is late and Napua is having her 8th birthday party tomorrow so I better get some rest as it will be a long day. Hope to get my bike back the same day so I can do a little ride on Saturday before the big ride of 63 miles on Sunday.
This week I have ridden 3X, Monday was a "get to know your bike" day around Fiesta Island, slow and easy averaging about 17mph. Wednesday was a bit more as I went a full 2 hours around Fiesta Island with 2 laps pushing real hard going 11:12 and 10:51 on laps 4 and 8. Felt a bit better but a long way to go to bet back the form I had prior to leaving for Japan. Then today was a hill interval day between Sorrento Valley and Fairbanks Ranch doing that loop 2X for about 26 miles and little flats, just up and down the hills so it was good to actually get out of the saddle.
While coming home I heard my rear tire losing air and will take the bike to TREK tomorrow to have them replace the wheel tape and give me a new tube. Also I need to get a few things for this coming summers rides while I am there. I will be joining Group 4 this Sunday which is the slowest of the 4 groups so I can get back into some decent shape and also to mingle with a different set of people since we are not sure who gets to vote on who stays and who goes with each weeks eliminations, so better to suck up and meet everyone.
My Pepsi CAF donation/raffle is coming to an end with the final drawing to be held on July 29 where I will be giving away 11 great prizes that were donated. I am not sure how much has been raised so far but I am guessing maybe $1,000 which is great cause Pepsi will match that $1,000 and turn the total donation to CAF at $2,000+. That will put me right around $5,400 which is just over 1/2 way there to my final goal of a lofty $10,000. Not sure just how I am going to get the rest but hoping for good things to happen somewhere.
Well it is late and Napua is having her 8th birthday party tomorrow so I better get some rest as it will be a long day. Hope to get my bike back the same day so I can do a little ride on Saturday before the big ride of 63 miles on Sunday.
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