Worlds, Le Tour, Kudos, Revo

Worlds

The worlds ride last night was rough. Everyone is getting faster and I have an invisible 200 pound gorilla on my back. I've been getting whipped pretty good lately. Not much has changed except the temperature and my shoes. My routine has been the same since January. According to Strava I've been averaging 5 rides, 170 miles, 10 hours per week. That's not a lot and not a little. Somewhere in the middle for a working stiff with no kids. I take two days off (Monday & Friday) and ride no more than 3 days in a row. Usually the Tuesday and Saturday rides are where I get my intensity and mileage the rest is from commuting. Weight has been the same for the past two years. Could I be lighter? Sure. Do I want to eat salads to achieve that? Nope. I think the summer heat is where you really feel those extra pounds though. Specifically fat. Last night I had to split off the group because I couldn't hold the wheels. Kind of a bummer but the ride in was pleasant and super scenic so not really. That's what is so great about the bicycle. You can ride alone or with a group and there are good things in both settings. What I find most disturbing is the lack of power. The gears I normally turn are no longer an option. It didn't seem too hot yesterday even though we cracked the 90's. I think the crazy strong wind helped with that. Still lost 4lbs of water weight in a 2 hour 40 minute ride. You would think the 3 bottles I consumed would help but my sweat rate is off the charts. Anyways the usual suspects were crushing it last night. Kudos to them. I'm going to listen to that inner voice that is saying 'when in doubt..rest'. Time for some long-slow-distance until the power comes back. Maybe I should go old school and ride with no water and force the body to adapt.

The 100th running of Le Tour 

I'm having a hard time getting excited about the tour this year. Partly because the first two weeks of the Giro satisfied my deepest desire to see exceptional, passionate bicycle racing. The Giro was everything I'd hoped it would be. About the only thing keeping my attention is that the race is running for the 100th edition. That's pretty cool. I've been enjoying the historic photos and write ups floating around on the web. Can anyone derail the Sky train? I hope so. I'm quietly hanging my hat on Cuddles and TJ but it is clearly Froome's race to lose. So much can happen over three weeks.

Kudos

Kudos to Strava for effectively bringing the word Kudos into my vocabulary repertoire. I find myself using this word way too much. It's funny how that happens. I NEVER used this word before. Kudos might be the new epic. Isn't there a candy bar called Kudos? I thought Strava was another cycling fad but must now admit it is totally legit, useful and fun. Pretty brilliant actually. I'm only using the free app on my phone. Can anyone out there tell me if the premium membership is worth the coin? Whoa that would be a big deal.



Revo

Jay over at TBR gave me a bottle of Continental Revo Sealant to try out. So far so good. Supposedly it doesn't clump up like Stan's and doesn't dry out as quickly. I haven't pulled the tire yet to test the clumping but everything else is a thumbs up. The most notable things for me are as follows #1 it does the main job. Seals the tire. The tire is holding air just like Stan's. I haven't had any flats or burping.

#2 easy to measure with a clear numbered scale located on the bottle. Also comes with a chart on the bottle with how many ounces to use per tire size. 

#3 my favorite. Super easy application with this small tip. Just remove the valve core and squeeze. No more breaking the bead and needing an air compressor to apply. I never had much luck with the valve hose adapter thing from Stan's. It still made a mess. I've heard Stan's has a similar tip on their smaller bottles. Correct me if I'm wrong.

#4 no clumping. Not yet tested but this will be a nice bonus. 

Probably not enough to get me to convert from an American made product like Stan's sealant but I must say I'm impressed so far. Seems like everyone is getting into the sealant game these days. 

The Saturday Ride 6-22

Lincoln Loop

The wheels rolled hot at 7:01. The body was hot at 7:16. It's not the temperature. It's the super humid air. I'm not complaining. Just trying to get on with it all. Here is what I consumed in a 3 hour 50 miler.

I probably should have taken down two more bottles.

The kicker is I still lost nearly 5lbs of water weight. Steve said he thought a bird pooped on him then he realized it was just my sweat getting blown back into the bunch. Not sure which is better. Any WHF followers that live in extreme humid places please share any wisdom you might have with getting on in these conditions in the comments section below. I would be much obliged. This is not a rule #5 deal for me it won't stop me from riding. The good news is that the conditions did not feel miserable because of the early start and cooler actual temperature. But the bad news is the real summer temps begin this week breaking into the 90's. Do I need to rock the Camelbak on the road? Do I need to get an all white kit? Ice socks?

Getty up it's summer! Time to suffer.

I do like starting earlier. The light is perfect for photoging.

Even with the races going on in KC and NLR we still had a solid group. 

Free and easy....

The light looking back into the sun is totally different.

The climb before the climb.

Gem Rd. climb is .6 miles with 257 feet of gain.

The road is straight up and down.

The next stretch of road is great. With super views looking southwest. 

Not a single car until we got close to Lincoln.

Not sure how many miles you can see at this point but it is pretty spectacular.

This is a Arkie sidewalk cafe. The shortened version of the word quik even helps to make your departure more speedy. Be sure to grab a handful of bacon on the way out. I love the facial expressions on the old timers when the lycra gang rolls up and takes over. 

Easily $15,000 dollars in man powered machinery.

Arkie sidewalk cafe seating looks like this. It's dual purpose of course. The drink of choice Coke heavy.

Summer haze.

The boys of summer wind up for the city limit sign.

Agua.

Who knew you could go 60 mph on the descent out of Lincoln. Good times. Don't tell Paige.

Searching for 'dirty air' in the wind tunnel of real life. Looks very much like my living room.

Tuesday Nighter

Some pics from the Tuesday Worlds ride this week. 

A storm's a brewin'.

I often wonder what folks think when 20+, lycra clad, über colorful types come barreling down College Ave.

 

The classic thumbs up from Luis. Well played sir, earned you a spot on the post. The thumbs up is kind of a retro hand gesture in world ruled by...

and...

and...

the all time classic.

????

Doh!

Make it cool again. The simple, clean, classic thumbs up.

Finally some relief from the amazonian heat wave. Thank you north wind.

Good times. 

The Saturday Ride 6-15

Black Oak-Crawl Hill Extension

Black Oak is probably the most popular loop around Fayetteville. In a matter of minutes you can be out on lightly traveled roads with super views of Ozark landscapes. The standard route has only two somewhat challenging climbs. I decided to add the Crawl Hill extension to get some extra miles in. I'm not sure who gets credit for naming Crawl Hill but it is appropriate. We started earlier then normal because of the heat. There has been no easing into summer this year. I've been trying hard not to complain about the humidity but yesterday while riding the MTB I might as well have been riding in the Amazon.

The farmers have been harvesting hay the last couple weeks. Rolled up bales are everywhere.

About to drop into the valley.

I love this view no matter what time of year it is.

Ozarkia.

This is the beginning of the Crawl Hill extension. By this point we've already been climbing for a bit then we hang a left onto CR108. Somehow we convinced Josh to stick it out. He dropped a few bombs. I'm bringing the bar of soap next time. 

Not done yet.

You round this corner only to see...

this. 22% then round the next corner to 24%. Only way to go..crawl.

This view and the 8 mile descent into Winslow is well worth it.

Sunday I road sweated over to Lake Fayetteville. Water art. 

Prepare to ride alone..

Worlds.

which way is the wind blowing

system check 1-2 1-2 check 1-2

it's hot
drink

turn red
up
bridge it

one match gone
left turn
flying now
wait wait..bridge it
two matches gone
idiot driver split the group..couldn't wait

three matches gone

back in the wheels

no idea what's happening behind

what route is this again

right turn...we going to wa..nope

close the gap

match number four

it's hot
drink

dammit MG moved to the front again

you gotsta hold on...damage control

captain to engine room...sorry sir...your ******

praise the Lord for stop signs
get out of the road
shade

where is everybody

damn the little ring..no choice
that was okay..what a view

hot
drink

praise the Lord for gas stations
I'm not going to steal your soda lady

uh-oh goosebumps

short way home or stay with group

group

in the wheels 

good pull Josh

chip seal blah blah blah...

one more wrinkle

find your own rhythm

drink

alone nothing left

so close

this is a nice pace

every wrinkle now
slow down Tim

hunger knock

legs empty

hope there are leftovers in the fridge
The Pedaling Dead
sorry Jake can't stop now

cold Peroni 

cold shower

upload Strava

stupid hard
safe & sound

The Saturday Ride 6-8

Several new faces on the ride last Saturday which is always good. With a lot of folks racing in T-town it was great to still have a solid group show up. I wanted to get on some roads we haven't ridden in awhile so we headed west cutting across the Spring Classic & Lincoln road race courses. It's starting to get warm now and the route didn't have any options for water. I think if it had been any warmer we might have gotten into some hydration troubles.

We will end up on that ridge in the distance with super views east & west. They say you can see to Oklahoma once on top.

The major obstacle of the day is an unnamed (I think)1.5 mile climb that goes up about 450 feet.

It's about time! If anyone deserved a new bike it's Ali. That old Litespeed was tired.

The view at the top is worth some temporary pain.

All kinds of strung out. 

Gustavo is a regular on the Saturday ride. He gets gaped on climbs but I've noticed that gap shrinking over the months. Props to him for keeping those pedals turning. 

Like cattle we find the shade and eat grass.

Sean (black/grey kit) is riding my first road bike I purchased it back in 2004 at the High Roller Cyclery. I sold it to my boss' kid who sold it to Sean. It's great to see the CAAD7 is in good hands and still being raced. That was when they were still made right here in the USA. Long live aluminum!

The bicycle makes me feel like a kid again. So do these little chocolate milk boxes. Thanks Paige.