30 June 2007

Christmas Tree Trim Ride

Ice Cream Grade This would be my first club ride since my injury. It would be a very short ride, and it started close to home. A nice way to ease back into riding with the club. Since there would be a potluck lunch in Bonny Doon, I took a bunch of grapes and cautiously descended Western to the start by Natural Bridges. It was another warm, sunny day, ideal for a long ride.

At the start I got signed in and whatnot. We then headed up Western, then up Empire Grade. I could stand pretty comfortably for extended periods, but still couldn't crank very hard with my right leg. I could also feel the loss of fitness in my lungs, which also was still limiting my ability to ride hard. I stayed in the middle ring for the entire climb, though I would have been better off downshifting to the small ring, as I was pedaling very slowly at times. The routesheet had the turn at Ice Cream Grade, but I continued up to Pine Flat, then headed down to the other end of Ice Cream Grade, then up to the home of our host. There was a spread out group of riders headed up Pine Flat.

There were claiming and pruning of Christmas trees, swimming, food, and stories of recent trips to Germany and Turkey.

Afterwards, I headed down Martin and Bonny Doon. There were a few riders, probably in a slightly spread out group, headed up Bonny Doon. I was pretty cautious on the descent. On Hwy 1 back to Santa Cruz, though, I had a tailwind and pretty fresh legs, so I unexpectedly set a new personal best from the bottom of Bonny Doon to Western of 19:40. My previous best was 19:54. I did not expect to set any personal bests until I was at least close to being fully recovered. However, this was a flat segment, and I'm still slow on the climbs and descents.

After getting home, I had a message from the bike shop saying my bike was ready, so I went out and got it. And walked home with two bikes. I wouldn't be able to get on or off a bike while holding another bike, so I couldn't ride back, which I would have, had I been fully recovered. So, next time, I'll probably be riding my new bike.

24 June 2007

Jamison Creek

Lower Jamison Creek Rd It was another great day for a long bike ride. I went on another short bike ride. It was sunny and warm, though a little cooler than the day before, and a little windier at times. Since I felt I could take on Jamison Creek, I decided to try it, and headed straight up Hwy 9 to Boulder Creek.

The little climbs between Felton and Boulder Creek, which I previously hardly noticed, slowed me considerably. It took my about 6 minutes longer than my typical time, and over 10 minutes longer than my previous time (with a group), to ride this stretch. I had the same experience with the little climbs on Hwy 236 between Boulder Creek and the bottom of Jamison Creek.

It was 12:17 when I started at the bottom of Jamison Creek. I took a picture of the lower part. I guess the lens was fogged up. At the bridge, I downshifted to 30/21. I knew I couldn't push as hard a gear as I could before. At the left switchback where the steep parts start, I downshifted to 30/25. After the right curve after the "LET THE PAIN BEGIN" painted on the road, just before the 1.66 sign, a cyclist in a yellow jersey overtook me and soon disappeared ahead. I managed the steep bit just before the 1.33 sign by standing, and barely made it, smelling skunk. Someone had stuck a dead skunk on the 1.33 sign. Somewhere around a quarter mile to the top, a descending cyclist zipped by. It was 12:55 when I made it to the top. My GPS data gave a time of 38:15.

After that was an enjoyable, though slower than usual, ride along Empire Grade back home on a warm summer day.

23 June 2007

Felton-Empire again

Felton It was a warm, sunny day. Perfect for a long bike ride. So I went for a short ride. To gauge my recovery, I decided to ride the route I rode last week. I had hardly ridden at all since then, having to work late and walking to and from work.

My leg felt a little better than last week. I could stand quite a bit more comfortably, but I was still definitely favoring one leg, though. More significantly, I could push to where I was working my heart and lungs, and I could tell that my fitness in that area had deteriorated quite a bit. I still used 30/25, where, prior to my injury, I would have used 30/21 or 30/19 on Felton-Empire.

After today's ride, I feel that I've recovered enough to try climbing Jamison Creek. Before the ride, I wasn't sure if I could handle the steepest bits.

My new bike, which I tried riding briefly this week for the first time since my injury, has a front wheel slightly out of true, causing a slight brake rub, and, more significantly, a rear derailleur out of whack. The chain would constantly skip in 34/26, the lowest gear, and grind in all other gears. I'll have to get it fixed soon. In the meantime, I've been riding my old bike.

16 June 2007

First ride after injury

Empire Grade For my first ride to gauge where I am, I decided on an otherwise short loop with one otherwise moderately challenging climb, Felton-Empire. So, the route would go up Hwy 9 to Felton, up Felton-Empire, then down Empire Grade. Based on times from previous rides, I would have ridden this 20 mile loop in about 90 minutes before my injury. This time, it took almost 2 hours.

When I started, it was cool and overcast. There was a spot on Hwy 9 with signs warning of runners on the road, but I never saw any. There were a number of mountain bikers, though. By the time I started climbing Felton-Empire, the sun came out, but it remained cool. There were also fractured groups of cyclists descending Felton-Empire.

The climb of Felton-Empire was quite different than my usual experiences. Usually, my heart and lungs would be near their limits. In April, I did the climb in 30:14, using 34/23 or 34/21. In December, I did the climb in 28:36, using 30/19. I was breathing hard both of those times. This time, I did the climb in 45:17, using 30/25. My right leg was the limiting factor, being too weak to be able to push my heart and lungs much at all. The steeper sections were the most challenging, as I had to push hard with my left leg to keep going, and my right leg was still too weak to stand for more than a few strokes.

At least it wasn't anywhere near being too much of a challenge. I wonder what my doctor or physical therapist would say about it, though. Anyhow, it was good to be able to ride again after two and half months.