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March 22, 2008
Top Ten Wishes for the 2008 Bike Riding Season
Being a pretty frequent bike rider (I logged about 1,500 miles mainly on Butte County roads last year), I have lots of opportunities to witness the best, and worst in drivers. Here is my top ten things that I wish every car driver would do (from a bike rider's perspective):
1. Please show a little courtesy when you go by us. Contrary to popular opinion, automobiles do not have a god given right to half of the roadway. If the roadway is rough on the edges, a bike may need to move into the travel lane. If so, wait until it is clear and the move into the opposing lane and pass us. We are no different than a slow car, a tractor, or a disabled vehicle... If we are in the lane, you must go around us when safe.
2. When you go around us, please give us a little room. My bike is a little squirrelly at high speeds, especially in the wind or on rough roads. It's not unusual, in a strong wind, for my bike to be blown a foot or two sideways. If you are going by and only giving me two feet clearance, and the wind pushed me over at the same time, we are going to have a problem. I say we, because, while I will probably end up dead, you will likely be cited for manslaughter, have to deal with all that, and you will have to live with the thought that you took the life of another human being, just because it was a little inconvenient to move over across the centerline of the road a foot or two.
3. If we are going really fast (like down Neal Road) keep in mind that all the bikes have separating us from the roadway is a tire that is about ¾ of an inch wide. Unlike a car, we can not hit potholes or ruts and survive, so we have to move around the lane a little bit to avoid the problem areas. Again, a little extra room when you pass us would really, really be appreciated.
4. When you go around us, please do not “jump in the throttle” to get around, unless really necessary. We are out here trying to keep healthy, and your tail pipe points right towards us as you go around. On a calm day, a diesel pickup with an operator that “stands on the throttle” will give us diesel fumes to breath for a long, long time.
5. If you are driving a high profile vehicle (garbage truck, Semi truck/trailer, or RV) please give us some extra room when you come up behind us and pass. Your vehicle pushes a huge wall of air at 40 or 50 miles per hour, and if you pass us close, you may very well blow us right off the roadway. I’ve came close to having this experience on Neal Road, and it really was not fun.
6. I try to pay attention to the traffic, and know where the cars are at all times. However, if it is really windy, I may not be able to hear you approaching. All you have to do is move over a bit and put a tire on the dots bots near the centerline. The tire going over the little reflective things makes a very distinctive sound that is music to a bicyclist’s ears. When we hear that, we then know that you see us, you are going to pass us, and that you will give us a little room as you go by.
7. When you see us out at nighttime, remember – you really need to dim you lights for bicyclists as well as other motorists. I have had oncoming cars literally blind me for 10 or 15 seconds as they went by…. And that is downright scary, especially if you are not intimately familiar with the roadway. In fact, the new Steve Harrison Bike lane that paralles Skyway is a great example - Friday morning, the downhill Skyway traffic made it impossible to see, as I was headed up the trailway towards HoneyRun Road.
8. Lots of new people are joining this sport, for the health benefits as well as trying to reduce their ever increasing gas bill. New riders may do some unpredictable things, so again, please be sure to pay attention as you approach us.
9. As you approach a bicyclist, or group of bicyclists, ponder this thought… What would you do if you knew your son, daughter, or grandson/grandaughter was in the group of cyclists? I bet you’d slow down quite a bit, and give them a very wide berth, to make sure that there is no possible way you could hit anyone in the group. All I ask is that you give that group of spandex clad bicyclists the same compassion you would give your family members. That group more than likely includes a neighbor or two of yours, and they are all sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, with significant ties to the community.
10. Think about this – every bike you see on the roadway is one less car, that means the air we all breath is just a little cleaner, that means that one less person will become morbidly obese and a drag on the US Health care system with Diabetes, that means one less person is filling up at the corner gas station, that means less demand for gas, that means YOU save money. So see, we are all really in the together!!!!
Posted by Dennis at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 20, 2008
Bike Commuting??
Well, if you are like me, you are getting sick and tired of the stranglehold that OPEC has on each of us. A few weeks ago, we decided to do something about our personal fuel bill, which now has been averaging well over $600 per month. We found a really good clean Toyota Prius, we knew the previous owner, and we knew the mechanic that has worked on it - plus it just recently had the inverter and a bunch of the other critical parts replaced under warrantly. $9,000 later my wife is now getting 45 or 46 miles per gallon, that should fix her side of the equation rather nicely.
Now, the other part of that equation is me.... With my awesome Dodge 4x4 3/4 ton Diesel, with a Cummings 6 cylinder diesel. This was "state of the art" in 1999 when it was built, and gets "pretty good" mileage for a "hauler", usually around 16 or 17. I have it totally set up for work, with radios, lights, tools, safety gear, tire chains, tow chain, chainsaws, and everything else I could possibly need duing the snow storms, firestorms, and windstorms in Paradise. It also is the vehicle we use to tow our boat, a 21 foot SeaRay - and it does an great job of that.
However, the other 355 days a year, this is not a very effective commute car. My first thought was a motorcycle, being an old' dirt biker from way back, and having really enjoyed (thrashed) a Suzuki 550 back in my college days. Since the bikes I would be be interested in are priced well north of $6,000, and tax time is coming up, that's not going to happen quickly. So, I'm going to try commuting on my bicycle, at least one day a week. That should cut my fuel consumption by 20%, without any capital costs. Luckily, our Fridays are pretty relaxed - we are only open 8:00 to 10:00 AM, so my work hours are pretty flexible.
I've tried this before, and found that the coordination was a little tricky. My commute consists of about 40 miles total, with 2,313 feet of vertical climbing, if I go from Durham up into Chico, and up HoneyRun Road to Paradise. Once I hit Paradise, then I go up the trailway to Beyond Fitness. I have to pack everything I need for both a shower, and a full day at work, in my backpack. So my plan is to get to the gym, shower, putting my street clothes on, minus street shoes (I need to use the SIDI shoes to pedal), then switch shoes once I get to the office. Coming home, I will just take a whirlwind but bouncy trip down Neal Road, cross 99, then back home.
I spent some time working on the bike and backpack this afternoon, I now have two headlights (one really efficient, and one very bright to use as "highbeams" for idiot drivers that won't dim their lights), two red flashing tailights (one seat post mounted, one mounted on the back of my tool bag) and one flashing LED on my backpack. The backpack also has LOTS of reflective parts and pieces (it is a TYR Triathlon Transistion Bag), and I have put some extra reflective tape on my helmet and shoes. Lastly, I'll be wearing a white (Duh) long sleeved top, and sweat pants with reflective trim up the legs.
It should be a great ride, with very little traffic... I'll be leaving around 5:00 AM.
Posted by Dennis at 04:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2008
Back to Work!!!
Well, it's been 13 days since my marathon. I've finally put the cold behind me, and got almost all the soreness worked out of my legs. I've been doing some minor workouts the last 10 days or so, just trying to keep everything loosened up... This weekend I'll do a pretty good bike ride, along with another swim and a good 6 mile run or so.... Next week, I'll get ramped up to full speed, training for the upcoming racings/riding season. Here is my schedule for the rest of the summer.
April 6th, Trail less Traveled Run, Oroville
April 19th, North Forebay Triathlon, Oroville
April 27th, Wildflower Century, Chico
May 10th, City of Gold Triathlon, Oroville
July 20th, Vineman 1/2 Ironman, Gurneyville/Geyserville/Windsor
September 20th, Salmon Run, Oroville
It looks like it's going to be a great summer of racing!!!!!
Speaking of the Napa Marathon, here is the link for my marathon run...
Posted by Dennis at 06:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2008
2008 Napa Valley Marathon
Marathoner X2!!!
Well, the second marathon in my life is now history. Overall, the run went very well, considering that I was still pretty sick with a cold/flu thing that is now going on 19 days... The day after the race, I was back in the Doc's office, with a 101 temperature, and a cough that was driving me (and my family) crazy!!!
NAPA VALLEY MARATHON RACE REPORT
Run - Marathon
Total Time = 4h 23m 55s
Overall Rank = 1006/2000
Age Group = 45-50
Age Group Rank = 101/138
Pre-race routine:
We left for Calistoga on Saturday, and arrived in Calistoga around noon. Bought sandwiches at the local market, and then headed up the Silverado trail to find a spot to eat them. Stopped at a little winery with a picnic area, had lunch, and then did a little wine tasting there (I just had a "sip" of my wife's tastings.
Drove the rest of the race course on our way to Napa, and stopped at a couple of other winerys along the way. Found the Marriott, and sign in was a breeze - probably took less than 15 minutes total. For some reason, the expo did not interest me much this year.
After signing in, headed back to Calistoga, did some shopping, checked in to our hotel, and headed out to Bosko's for dinner. Had a great dinner, and called it an early night, went to bed around 9:00.
I've been fighting a cold for the last 3 weeks - now it has turned into a pretty constant cough. This night was no exception, as I fought a cough all night long. Ended getting 4 or 5 hours of very restless sleep, woke up before the 4:30 wake up call.
Got up, took a shower, had a bagel with peanut butter and grape jelly, a cup of gatorade and a cup of coffee. Gave all that a couple of hours to digest, and then headed out the door. The sweet thing about staying in Calistoga is the race start is less than a 1/4 mile away - so you literally walk from your room to the starting line.
Event warmup:
No real warm-up other than walking over. Stripped off my sweats and jacket about five minutes before the start. They had a mickey mouse PA system, that no body could hear unless you were in front of the speaker - then an awfull rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, and the Candian Anthem. My only bitch about this race is that they really need a "real" PA system if they are going to try to talk/sing to the runners.
This was a very interesting run for me. The first mile was really, really slow, as it took me almost 30 seconds to get thru the starting line, once the gun went off (no chip timing). Then the roadway was packed with runners, and they all seemed to be content with a 10 min plus mile pace. My first mile was 10'37", and I knew that I was going to have to do much better than that if I was going to hold my goal pace of 9'45" per mile.
Once the field finally opened up a little, it was much easier to pick up the pace. There is a 15 to 20 mph tailwind, sometimes coming at an angle, but almost always helping to push us along. This made a huge difference, and I was able to drop my mile times down into the 9'30" range for miles 2 & 3. Miles 4 and 5 I picked up the pace a bit, dropping the time into the 9' 10" range.
At this point I was feeling really good. I had gotten myself back on pace, I was fueling well, with a GU every 30 minutes, and some peanut butter crackers and a mandarin about the hour point. I was carrying my own gatorade bottle that I had frozen in the hotel, so at the aid stations I was just getting water, to wash down the GU's.
I held a really good pace up until mile 12, then my mile times started to slip a bit. I averaged around 10'30" miles from mile 12 to 18. At mile 18, I met up with my wife, exchaged water bottles, got a red bull and a sweaty hug from her, then continued on my way. All was good and uneventful thru mile 20, then mile 21 was a killer - a long, gradual uphill, followed by a long steep downhill. That downhill trashed my legs the last time I ran this course, so I was very conservative, and even walked some of the steeper portions.
Once I passed the 21 mile marker, I knew that this was going to be a good race - my legs still felt pretty fresh. I needed something to help me pick up my pace, so I decided to see how many people I could pass between mile 21 and the finish. This worked pretty well, as it helped me drop my mile times back into the 9's for miles 22 and 23. Lots of people were doing the marathon shuffle at this point, and it felt really awesome to blow past them, mentally keeping track of how many I had passed. I was up to around 85 or 90 runners I had passed at mile 24, when it starting getting harder to get around people - meaning my pace was slipping again. By mile 25 it was a real struggle to keep moving, as my legs were telling me it was time to be finished.
Finally passed the 26 mile marker, the streets from here on in were lined with lots of people yelling their support, then went past my wife and her group of new friends, they all yelled and screamed at me as I went thru the chute. Made it past the finish line, and a nice lady took my arm and walked with me, making sure I was alright. I guess I didn't look too good, cause they brought a wheelchair over and asked if I needed medical help - I told them no, just needed to walk a bit. The trouble was that my knees really hurt once I stopped, and walking was quite a challenge. Finally got up to the medal girls, they put the medal around my neck, gave me a bottle of water and headed me to the finish line photo spot. Got my picture taken, then very carefully shuffled over to meet up with my wife.
As with my first marathon, the finish is very emotional for me. I gave my wife a great big sweaty hug when I saw her, and really couldn't talk for the first minute or two. I finally calmed down, and we shuffled over to the soup line for a cup of soup and a sourdough roll.
I lost some time starting out behind the pack at mile one. Probably spend a little too much time walking the aid stations, but then again, that may have been what helped me pick up the pace on the back half.
I did almost all of my training in the hills, and that helped a lot!!!
I was able to trim 16 minutes off my previous marathon time on this course, to a new Personal Best of 4 hours, 23 minutes and 55 seconds. I had really been hoping to come in under 4 hours 15 minutes, but I guess that will have to wait for another day.
Walked over to the soup line, then headed to the gym for a much deserved shower. Walked back to the car, loaded up and hit the road, destination Jamba Juice, Vallejo. Once we did that, I settled into a warm blanket and soft pillow, and cat-napped the rest of the way home.
This is a great race, well run, with lots and lots of smiling volunteers. The hills make it a little more challenging than your "run of the mill" 26.2 miler, but the scenery makes it all worthwhile.
Mile splits and other details:
04:23:55 | 26.2 miles | 10m 04s min/mile
Age Group: 101/138
Overall: 1006/2000
Performance: Good
Splits: 1 - 10'37" 2 - 9'26" 3 - 9'30" 4 - 9'09" 5 - 9'10" 6 - 9'26" 7 - 9'27" 8 - 9'12" 9 - 9'27" 10 - 9'49" 11 - 9'42" 12 - 10'18" 13 - 9'27" 14 - 10'42" 15 - 10'03" 16 - 10'30" 17 - 11'31" 18 - 10'03" 19 - 10'43" 20 - 10'35" 21 - 11'35" 22 - 9'33 23 - 9'56 24 - 10'20" 25 - 10'20" 26 - 10'48" - 2'16"
Course: Up the Siverado Trail, from Calistoga to Napa, ending at the High School
Posted by Dennis at 08:16 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack