Sweet Revenge

Hi everybody! It has been a few weeks since my last post and for that I am sorry. Today I am back at it and I have a great story to boot.

I was riding home from work today and had another unbelievable event. This is right up there with getting hit by a tree, only this time it was a "slushie."

My route home from work takes me down a relatively crowded two lane road that is heavily trafficked during rush hour. Almost all of this traffic is Marines, and of course most of these are pretty young Marines.

So I am riding this route home, and I am completely in the designated bike lane mind you, when all of a sudden I am hit with a large styrofoam cup full of some kind of red drink! Yes, someone threw their drink at me! At first I could not believe it. I had no trouble staying on the bike and did not even have to slow down, but I was very angry. I saw the car that did it and caught a glimpse of three young men in the vehicle. The speed limit on that road at that spot is 50mph, so I thought that would be the last I saw of them.

Now, this particular road has a stoplight about every quarter mile and in the morning rush hour I can almost keep up with the cars as they have to stop at each one and I catch up before the light turns green. Today I got lucky in this regard again.

As I looked up the road I saw that the guilty bastard was slowing for a red light. I poured on the speed and almost caught up when the light turned green and off he went. Dammit! Then I caught a break. He pulled into a convienence store parking lot. I came into the lot just as the three of them were getting out of the car.

Needless to say I gave them a good scare. I am trying to keep this a family friendly blog so I can't tell you verbatim what I said, but judging by the look on his face when I told him I was a LtCol, he will need to change his pants at the earliest opportunity. Needless to say this young Marine will definitely think twice before he does anything like that again. I will probably send a quick note to his SgtMaj tomorrow as well.

In other news, a recent donation has put me over $1000 raised for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund! I can hardly believe the outpouring of support from everyone. THANK YOU!!

If you haven't had a chance yet, check out www.ride430.com and see what it's all about. And please, dig deep and help me support this truly remarkable cause. Click on the link at the left side of this page to donate!

The Toughest Climb in the West

I DID IT!!

So this past weekend I finally tackled one of the most difficult climbs in the country. Palomar Mtn is a famous destination for serious cyclists everywhere. Here is a link to the ride; be sure to look at the 3D flyover of the route. This will give you a good appreciation for the 21 or so switchbacks on the climb. Notice also that the total time to get up and down the mountain was 2hrs 28 min; but it only took us about 15min to get down. Do the math and that is a LONG climb.

This climb is often referred to as the "Alpe d'Huez" of the West for its similarity to that most famous climb in all of cycling. You can see a profile of the climb and a comparison of the two mountains here. In 2009 the Tour of California used this mountain for a decisive mountain top stage finish and it ended up behind the most critical stage of the race.

I have always wanted to tackle a climb of this type. These mountains are officially rated as "Beyond Category," meaning that they are so difficult they do not fit into the regular classification system used in professional cycling. The toughest stages of the Tour de France often have one or more of these climbs in a total distance of over 100 miles in a day! I was able to make it to the top, with a couple short rest stops, with an average speed of around 6mph. the pros zip up these things at around 12-15mph! Incredible!

I actually feel a lot better the day after than I thought I would. It was instills a lot of confidence to a climb like this as well. I now know that what ever hill I come across I can make it since I made it up this one. Although I don't know if I will be riding this climb again anytime soon.

In other news, my new mountain bike frame is in and the bike is all set for pick up! Just in time too. We are going to Mammoth Lakes, CA for a vacation after the 4th of July and I am hoping to get a day to ride in the mountain bike park at Mammoth Mtn!

The fundraising goes well too. I am about to break the $1000 threshold so I am well on my way. Thanks to all who have donated and please don't hesitate to tell all your friends and anyone else who might be interested.

Back on the Bike

Well, where to start......

First, news of my mountain bike. I was able to get the receipt for my original Gary Fisher from The Bike Lane in Springfield, VA. I gave that to the Trek store out here and I am hopeful that they will process my warranty claim on the bike without too much trouble. I'll keep you posted.

Second, I am finally done with all the parade stuff at work. We had a Change of Command ceremony last Friday; in the Marine Corps this means we have a parade. I was chosen to be the Commander of Troops for this parade. This is sort of cool since parades are always nice to see, but it is a lot of work. I was having to show up for work an hour and a half early everyday to practice the entire ceremony. On top of that I lost my voice because I was having to scream the various commands all week as well. But the big day came and the parade went off perfectly, if I don't say so myself.

So now we get a four-day weekend for Memorial Day! WooHoo, four days to hang out with the kids! Oh God, four whole days to hang with the kids? Seriously, it's not that bad. We were actually able to convince them to help us re-arrange the garage. This included a new contraption for hanging the bikes which is awesome and saves a ton of space. It is basically an extension pole that wedges in between the floor and the ceiling and has bars sticking out that you hang two bikes on, one of top of the other. So now the kids don't have to worry about knocking the bikes over when they come and go, which is nice.

I finally got out for a ride yesterday too; but the news is not so good there. I set out for about 50 miles but right away I knew I was not going to be able to make it that far. There was a vicious head wind along the beach and that just sapped the energy right out of me. I also had not eaten alot prior to starting so that did not help. But I suffered through and made it home without any mechanical problems, so that is good.

I think today I will take my youngest on that bike ride I have been promising her.....

A Mighty Steed Down

So another good day/bad day for the kid this weekend.

I finally got the old Mtn Bike out of the garage and back on the trail, and it looks like this might be it for her. After a great ride at Daley Ranch in Escondido I brought her home and started cleaning her up. Wouldn't you know it I found a crack in the frame! Looks like a spot has worn through the paint where the seat tube and top tube meet and has started to rust, and now there is some cracking in the rust. It was obviously fine to go almost 12 miles today, but I don't think it is going to make it for many more rides.

So this got me thinking. The wheels, fork, handlebars, and drive train on this bike are all fine; and I have always wanted to build a bike from the frame up. Here's my chance! If any of you (Brent T.) have any experience with this PLEASE get in touch with me. I am going to need all the help I can get for this project. It will be fun to tinker with it though!

Anyway, that's it for today. Don't forget to click the link over on the left and support my Ride or injured service members. Thanks for your support!

Back on the Dirt!!

So I had one of those good news, bad news type of rides the other day. Now that the sun is setting later in the day, I am able to go for a ride after work sometimes. The other day I was so excited to get out on the bike when I got home. But, I had to do some quick maintenance on the handlebars. I discovered last time I rode that one of the four bolts that holds the handlebars in position had come loose (perhaps in the crash a few rides ago?). When I tried to tighten the other three down I could not get the bars to stay in position. I got is as tight as I could and headed out.

I only got about 10 miles down the road and I knew it was not going to work. Any pressure at all on the bars and they would slip out of position. This is not particularly safe since I could not apply pressure to the brakes quickly; not good for riding on the streets. So I headed home disappointed.

When I got back home and put the bike in the garage, I realized that my trusty mountain bike was all ready to go. I had been fiddling with it the previous weekend and tuned it up. So the good news part of the story is I was able to go from road bike to mountain bike without even cooling down at all! There is a small city park near the house that has a few trails and I was able to head over there and get another 12 miles or so in! Workout saved!!

I had forgotten how much fun riding on the dirt is. The next few days at work I was able to round up some guys to go for a dirt ride this weekend. Can't wait for that!

If It Wasn't For Bad Days....

If it wasn't for bad days, there wouldn't be good ones. Or so the saying goes. Recently I have been proving that addage true. First I had the crash last Saturday, then yesterday I was having a great ride and had a mechanical.

I set out to do a 30 mile Time Trial in less than 1.5 hours. I knew this would be tough as it would require me to maintain a better than 20 mph pace. I got to the half-way point in 42 mins, right on schedule. About a mile after turning around though I got a flat tire. Darn it all! Why do things like that only happen when one is having a really great ride?! Oh well, I thought. I can change a tire pretty quick and this will give me some time to reflect.

So I whip out my fresh tube, tool kit, and CO2 cartridge. I get the old tube off no problem, but I had a devil of a time getting the tire back on the rim with the new tube inside. When I finally get it on I blast the CO2 air into the tire and go to put the wheel back on the bike. That's when I notice that the tire has "burped" off the rim! This is bad. It means I have to let the air out of the tire, put the tire back on the rim, and re-inflate the tire. Only problem is I have no more air. The CO2 cartridges are great, but you only get one shot. Once you use it, it's done.

So now I had a flat tire, and no way to fix it. Time to call in the emergency back-up plan. My lovely wife was kind enough to pile the kids in the car and come rescue me. She has in fact been incredibly supportive of this whole endeavor and I definitely would not be able to do it without her support. Hopefully I have learned my lesson and I won't have to abuse her support like this again.

Thanks or checking in on this post, and don't forget to visit my donation page on the left if you haven't already. Thank you very much for your support!

Testing the Legs

So after the crash I had yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to get out for a ride to make sure everything was still working.

We took the kids down to the beach for some fun in the sand and my lovely wife was kind enough to let me bring the bike and take a ride from there. I did about 40 miles and the legs felt fine. Tired from the 53 miles the day before, but still fine. I guess that means I am okay! Sweet!

First Crash of the Season!!

So after not being on the bike for over a week due to being sick, I headed out this morning for a nice long ride in the beautiful California Sun. The weather this weekend is absolutely perfect! Cloudless sky and temps in the 78-82 range with low humidity. This is the type of weather that everyone dreams of when they think of living here.

So I set out to do about 40 miles nice and easy. I did not want to jump right back into where I had been because I was afraid if I push too hard I would relapse into my cold. I went about 8 miles down the San Luis Rey river trail to the beach and met a couple of friends; then we headed over to Camp Pendleton and met up with another guy before we set off on a ride north through the coastal roads of the base and along the beach to San Onofre. You can check out the entire workout at Map My Ride.

I was feeling great! I was even getting a little frustrated that I had to keep slowing up and waiting for one of the other guys whose fitness level was not quite up to the group's pace. Anyway we turned around after about 27 miles and started back south. About that point is when it happened.

As we were coming through San Onofre state beach there were some landscapers planting young trees along the roadway. Seems they did not think that the trees would blow over in the wind, so they just lined them up along the sidewalk. Well here we come, barreling down the road and finally starting to really make some good time; probably 22-24 mph. All of a sudden one of the trees falls over right into our group. I was third wheel and all I remember is the guy in front of me swerving really fast to the left. Then I hit something full speed without even time to try and get out of the way. I of course went down, hard, and slid maybe 10 feet down the pavement. Luckily I think the tree absorbed a lot of my speed other wise my road rash would have been even worse. I got a good skinning on my knee and both elbows, as well as some good road rash on my hip and my back.

Worst of all I scuffed my favorite jersey! At least my bike was okay. I would really have been bummed if that had broken. Especially since I still had 25 miles to go on the ride!

So after I dusted myself off, I got back on the bike and hammered it home. I think my friends were amazed that I still wanted to ride but sometimes it the best thing. If the bike still works and you aren't really hurt badly, continuing can actually lessen the extent of the injury by keeping the blood flowing.

All these miles trying not to get taken out by a car door and I get clobbered by a tree! Who would've thought!

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by and if you have a chance, click the link on the left and donate to my Ride For Semper Fi campaign, no amount is too small. And thank you!

Summing up this week

Well, not the best week of training this week. I hate it when I really get into a groove of training and working out, and then I get sick. Trying to maintain a strict regimen of exercise when fighting a tough cold is very hard. I did manage to get a couple of quick, short rides in to spin the legs a little bit so that was good. But then yesterday I felt like I got run over by a Mack truck! I plan to take a weekend off and not do a long training ride to try and recover a little bit. Besides, it's Easter and that should be spent with the kids!

I think I am going to have to make a couple of adjustments on the bike. I have noticed that my hamstrings get incredibly tight after a ride so I bet my seat height needs to be tweaked. I'll let you know. I am probably not stretching enough either which doesn't help.

I also need to move my little tool kit. Right now it is under the saddle and has velcro straps that attach it to the seat post. Problem is the strap on one side sticks out a little bit and rubs my leg when I am pedaling. At first I thought this was not a big deal, but I have since developed a red spot on my leg from the rubbing. Not good. Hopefully not a hard fix, we'll see.

It's Official

No backing out now. I have just completed my official registration for the 2011 Ride for Semper Fi! Suddenly, I feel a sense of impending doom.......just kidding. I can't wait to get started on the whole fundraising and training. That reminds me, check out the link on the left to visit my donation page and support my ride; and thank you!

So I am officially on my way. Now if I can just kick this cold I will feel a whole lot better. I have been sick all weekend. I went for a quick 20 miles yesterday just to make sure I still know how to ride a bike. I felt very sluggish, but I think it did me some good to get out there and shake the legs a little bit.

Typical Week's Work

So last time I mentioned that I was following the Crossfit Endurance training regimen. I guess I should explain what that is exactly. Some of you have probably heard of Crossfit. This is a very intense and varied strength and conditioning program that is quite popular with military members, as well as law enforcement and first responders. You can find more about their program at www.crossfit.com. Basically, Crossfit is a wide variety of functional movements performed at high-intensity. If that sounds like an ad that's because it is. That is the official description of the program as explained by its founder.

Functional movements are movements that you normally do everyday in your life; i.e. squats - you squat every time you sit down on the couch; or deadlifts - you deadlift every time you pick up something off the floor. The key to Crossfit is variety, no two days are the same. The other key factor that I love is the intensity. Very often the WOD (Workout of the Day) is something like this:

-Complete three rounds for time as fast as you can. Each round consists of 20 pull ups, 20 push ups, and 20 squats. Doesn't sound too hard right? Well something about being "on the clock" amps up the intensity a lot and makes it that much tougher. Now through in some pretty hefty weight on those exercises and you are starting to get the idea of Crossfit. Thank goodness the program only calls for 3-4 WODs per week. I don't think I could handle much more.

Now, Crossfit Endurance takes the Crossfit philosophy and applies it to endurance sport training. The strength and conditioning of Crossfit combined with quick, high intensity intervals and tempo rides on the bike make for a really potent combination. I have been doing this for a few weeks now and I have already started to notice an improvement in how I feel on the bike.

The workouts are tough though! Today I only did a strength and conditioning leg routine:

"The Crippler"

For time:

30 reps of back squat with 225#

1000m row

I could hardly walk!

Spring Training

Well, now that I have committed to riding the 2011 Ride for Semper Fi, I guess I better make sure I am physically and mentally ready to do it. That means training, lots of it. Miles and miles and miles and miles.

Up to now I have not done a whole lot of road cycling. I did a couple of short triathlons when I was younger, but nothing beyond the occasional road ride if the trails were too muddy for the mountain bike. While I was living in Northern Virginia I started commuting to work a little bit, but that was really just to keep my legs in shape for the mountain bike racing season.

So now I have to prepare for a long and arduous road ride. I started riding a couple times with some friends at work who are much bigger roadies than I am and that has been very enlightening. I even did a short, 26 mile, road race and finished 7th out of 27 in my age group! The whole concept of drafting is awesome, you can just sit on the wheel of someone and let him do all the hard work fighting the wind while you rest. Then you take a pull while he catches his breath. Working together the two of you can go quite a bit faster than if you were solo.

So far I have only done a few long rides, ~40 miles being the longest. One off my favorite routes is along the beach. It doesn't get much better than a beautiful day at the beach in SoCal! But this route is mainly flat, so today I did a new route with some hills. Still only 40 miles, but quite a different feeling on the legs.

I am also trying to hit the gym a few times a week to keep my strength training up. I use a modified Crossfit Endurance training regimen and it seems to be working pretty well so far. Although having to do two workouts a day can be draining sometimes. Keeps me young though, right!

Keep checking back as I will be providing updates and new routes as the training continues.

Taking on the Challenges

Greetings Friends and Family! Welcome to my blog about training, raising money, and supporting the 2011 Ride For Semper Fi.

If you have made it to this page, you are probably wondering what on Earth possessed me to take on this challenge. I mean, not everyone just wakes up one day and says, "Hmmmm, I think I will ride 430 miles this weekend!" So why would I do it?

I have been a avid cyclist for most of my adult life. I got my first mountain bike as a Sophomore in college and I entered my first race that same year. I have loved it ever since! I love being out in the woods, and being on the bike seemed like the perfect way to do it. I get to hang out outside and it keeps me in shape too. As a U.S. Marine, staying in shape is pretty much a way of life. So cycling has stayed a major part of my training regimen.

Then in September of 2001, the world changed. Out great nation went to war and I went along with it. As a helicopter pilot I deployed to Iraq twice, serving as a Casualty Evacuation Pilot. Everyday I would fly wounded servicemen and women from the battlefield to various aid stations. When I returned home, I began noticing how difficult it is for these brave young people to heal, rehabilitate and transition back to their new "normal" lives.

Often times these folks require extended stays at treatment centers or new equipment for their homes. Military medicine is the finest in the world, but it cannot cover all of these things. This often creates a financial burden on the wounded warrior and their family.

This is where The Semper Fi fund comes in. The Semper Fi Fund is a non-profit, tax exempt charity organization that raises money for wounded warriors from all branches of the military. More information about them can be found at their website. The Fund also helps these warriors with specialized equipment so they can compete in all types of athletic events, even the Para-Olympics! A few years ago, the Fund started Team Semper Fi. Wounded warriors and active duty Marines can join the team and compete as amateurs in whatever events they chose; along the way they raise money for the Fund by asking supporters to donate.

The Ride for Semper Fi is one of these events that is organized to raise money and support the Fund. I heard about it from a fellow pilot who was combat wounded in Afghanistan and the fund helped him out. He will be riding with us this year as well. The Ride is ~430 miles from Scottsdale, AZ to San Diego, CA. I know it will be long and hard, and the training will be a challenge as well. But for me, the ride is a chance to do something that I love while at the same time giving back to those brave warriors who sacrificed so much.

Stay tuned to this blog for regular updates on my training and the Ride itself!

John
For information on how to make donations, please click here. And thank you!