I've toyed with this idea for a while. What if I rode from Appleton to Madison? A one way ride? Just to say I did it? My wife could drive down separately and bring a change of clothes and meet me at the hotel. Me, I'd get in a full day of riding, a long day (130 miles) of riding, and a true randonneur experience. If all went well, I could event submit the route to RUSA to be a permanent. It is an idea that has been swimming around in my head since last fall.
On Saturday, I finally made that idea a reality. I had booked a hotel and packed the car with all bag for a change of clothes in Madison. I'd finalized my route and printed up my cue sheet. So at 7:15 AM Saturday morning when I rolled out of my driveway, there would be no coming back. This was a one way trip.
I used the fairly conventional route to get out of Appleton--Prospect Avenue to American Drive to Shady Lane. Then Clayton Road to Larson Road to County G and on and on into Winneconne. I've been on these roads lots of times before, so this was all very familiar. What I could tell, even early in the morning, was that today was going to be hot and muggy. So I was trying to make sure I consumed enough fluids, even early on in the ride. I did a minimalist stop in Winneconne at the Kwik Trip, refilling on Gatorade. And then back on the bike.
From Winneconne, you are on Highway 116 for a brief bit, then Quigley road and O'Reilly Road. O'Reilly Road is really nice for about a mile. Tall trees on each side form a virtual canopy. I was thinking to myself it would be nice to ride on roads like this all day. Quickly though, you are out of that and down to Edgewater Road. The surface on Edwater Road is pretty tore up. It is what one of my friends would call slow pavement and you need to watch out for the rougher spots. But you are up on a ridge, so you get a nice view of the valleys to the south and east. Lots of green fields and trees below.
After Edgewater Road, it is County Road E, through Eureka and into Ripon. About the only thing notable on County E is that in most places, the pavement is in good shape. Then it is into Ripon. I stopped at the BP, refilled fluids and had an energy bar and was off again. I tried to keep my stops short today.
I have been to Ripon before on the bike, but after Ripon, this was all new. And seeing as Ripon was at the 51 mile mark, it truly was the point of no return. I saw another rider in Ripon coming back from his ride, so we chatted for a couple minutes until he turned off and I continued on. I was pretty much heading due south now on County Road A and then County Road N. County Road N was some more of that slow, rough pavement. I hate that stuff. But it is also what we ride on a lot in our brevets, so it is suitable training. On County N, there are 3 or 4 good rolling hills, probably about 150-200 feet in elevation each. The last one comes just east or Markeson. It isn't overly difficult, but you get to look at it for a while before you go up it, so it plays on your mind a little.
The next stop was Randolph, so after skirting Fox Lake, it was a quick couple miles into Randolph. I stopped at the Shell station in town. It would have been better to stop at the one south of town as it is larger and probably has more of a selection. But the Shell in town met all my needs. By now, it was about 12:30, and it was really getting hot. So more fluids were in order before setting off for Columbus.
Soutrh of Randolph, I got onto County Road G and then County road DG. I really liked County DG. Curvy so it had some visual interest, and a few small hills to climb too. The hills were not bad, but now I was feeling them. It was hot, and I had 85 miles in my legs. I got through the small town of Fall River (no services) and turned off to head into Columbus. I remember just south of town, there was this nice Creek, very pretty and all wooded. I especially enjoyed the shade. The temp was in the mid 80's by now, humid, and sunny skies, no clouds at all. The shade felt nice, and I kept hoping a cloud or two would roll in, but no luck on that all day.
At the north end of Columbus, they have a statue of who else but Christopher Columbus, so I stopped to snap a picture. Getting into town, I stopped at the Kwik Trip. This Kwik Trip is the same one that was one of our controls on the GLR 400 km brevet last year. And across the street, the same Burger King where we all chowed down dinner. No Burger King for me this time, but heading into the Kwik Trip, I did plan to stop a little longer and eat something more substantial. I did not have much of an appetite at this point because of the heat, but I knew I had to eat something. I did down a soda, have a Chicken-Monterey Jack Tornado (rolled Chicken and cheese thing) and a yogurt smoothie. It would have been good to eat more, but in such hot conditions, it is hard to eat more.
Leaving Columbus, I was now on my last leg into Madison, about 33 miles. This is when the ride got really tough. Up to Columbus, my average speed had been 18.2 mph. When I got to Madison, it was 17.7 mph. Maybe a little bit of that was due to stop and go in Madison, but some of that was I was just plain tired. The heat and distance were starting to take a toll on me. My legs didn't have the same zip. For whatever reason, the terrain just seemed more desolate too. Maybe because I was struggling for about 10 miles and it was hot. Just everwhere it seemed like I was in the middle of a cornfield. And, the wind had come up from the southeast, so I had a it of a headwind to go into.
At mile 117, I crested a small hill that had some trees at the top and stopped to take a 5 minute rest. This helped a lot. Sure, my legs were still tired, but I was able to catch my breath and regroup a little. What really helped too was that in about 6 more miles, I was on the outskirts of Madison. It was great. I was here. I was on this 4 line boulevard that had nice wide bike lanes on either side. Hooray, hooray. Sure, there would be Madison traffic, but a bike lane, I am happy. I worked my way over to Monona Road and started to head south to the hotel. No bike lane here, but cars seemed to be fine with me there. Madison is used to bikers after all. And sure enough, at mile 130.5, the hotel. I had made it.
I checked in, called my wife to let here know I was there (she was shopping at the mall) and got a drink to try to cool off. A shower felt good. So did some good Thai food. As did a swim in the pool later that night.
A ride of 130 miles is always a big effort. On a ride that long, you are going to have some rough spots. I did, between Columbus and Madison. What I think people also fail to realize is that you aren't just battling the distance on these. There is always something else that makes things hard. Often that something is the weather. Today it was heat and humidity. It wasn't Texas or Virginia hot, but it was up there. And after being in it all day, the heat will take the energy out of you. I did a good job of drinking and staying hydrated. Still though, I probably could have done even better. Having some water to douse on my head during the ride would have been nice too. Hate to devote a whole bottle to just water to douse on myself, but it may be something to figure out how to do.
The final stats were 130.5 miles, 17.7 mph avg speed, 8 hours, 30 minutes of total time, 6 hours 20 minutes of ride time. Overall, I think that is excellent. Some of those roads are pretty rough, so they really slow you down. Under 9 hours of total time is very good. I'll try to improve next time, but today, I am happy to say I have actually done it. I've rode from Appleton to Madison.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
De Pere Hill Route
Just east of De Pere, there is a ridge that sits above the valley. Quite a few rural roads go up the ridge, so I put together a route where I can climb up one road, descend another and then climb up the ridge again. Since we don't have any real big climbs in the area, this is what one has to do in order to get some vertical in. The other option is just to do hill repeats, but it is a little more interesting to go up and down different roads.
I started the route in West De Pere from my employer. After crossing the river, I hopped on the bike trail to get down to Rockland Road. From there, I took Rockland out to County PP. County PP does not have a shoulder and there is a little bit of fast traffic on it, so in the future I might use Ryan Road to get down to Old Martin first.
The first climb is up County Road W. At first is just a grinding climb. You are going up gradually. Then at the end, it ramps up for probably an eighth of a mile. All told, it is about 250 feet of elevation gain.
Turning left onto Ledge Crest Drive, you pedal on the top of the ridge for a while. This section of the ride is beautiful. The roads are very quiet and forested on either side. You are only a few miles from Green Bay, but it feels like you are in Door County.
You drop down through more forested terrain onto Sportman's Drive. When you get to County X, you turn right and start climbing again. This is another climb totaling about 250 feet. It really has three main sections where it ramps up, then flattens out, and then ramps up again. After getting to the top of the ridge, you take a left on Morrison and ride past an active quarry to get to Scray's hill.
You actually start on top of Scray's hill, and need to get over to Chicago street first. After descending, you turn left at the Golf Course to start coming back up Scray's Hill Road. There is about 200 feet of total climbing here, though it comes in about 0.8 miles. The first part of the climb is a grind that will send you into your small chain ring. But it is the last part, as the road turns to the left that is the killer. The grade really kicks up here, probably 12% or so. You better already be in the easiest gear you have. The steep section isn't that long, maybe 100-150 meters, but it seems to take forever when you are only going 5 mph.
Once back on top of Scray's, a left hand turn will take you back to Chicago street and descending back towards De Pere again. After passing the golf course on my way down again, I took the next left onto Oak Cliff Circle. There are a number of very well to do homes in this area, and most of the lots are wooded. There is also a little roll to the road, so another hill or too. Nothing like the three above, but you will know these are there. This road is also nice because it gets you back into De Pere with much less traffic than Chicago Street.
According to bikely.com, I got about 1200 feet of climbing in today. Not bad for this area. This is really a cool route too because a lot of it is on very quiet country roads that are very scenic. Maybe in the future I can even find a couple more hills to add to it.
I started the route in West De Pere from my employer. After crossing the river, I hopped on the bike trail to get down to Rockland Road. From there, I took Rockland out to County PP. County PP does not have a shoulder and there is a little bit of fast traffic on it, so in the future I might use Ryan Road to get down to Old Martin first.
The first climb is up County Road W. At first is just a grinding climb. You are going up gradually. Then at the end, it ramps up for probably an eighth of a mile. All told, it is about 250 feet of elevation gain.
Turning left onto Ledge Crest Drive, you pedal on the top of the ridge for a while. This section of the ride is beautiful. The roads are very quiet and forested on either side. You are only a few miles from Green Bay, but it feels like you are in Door County.
You drop down through more forested terrain onto Sportman's Drive. When you get to County X, you turn right and start climbing again. This is another climb totaling about 250 feet. It really has three main sections where it ramps up, then flattens out, and then ramps up again. After getting to the top of the ridge, you take a left on Morrison and ride past an active quarry to get to Scray's hill.
You actually start on top of Scray's hill, and need to get over to Chicago street first. After descending, you turn left at the Golf Course to start coming back up Scray's Hill Road. There is about 200 feet of total climbing here, though it comes in about 0.8 miles. The first part of the climb is a grind that will send you into your small chain ring. But it is the last part, as the road turns to the left that is the killer. The grade really kicks up here, probably 12% or so. You better already be in the easiest gear you have. The steep section isn't that long, maybe 100-150 meters, but it seems to take forever when you are only going 5 mph.
Once back on top of Scray's, a left hand turn will take you back to Chicago street and descending back towards De Pere again. After passing the golf course on my way down again, I took the next left onto Oak Cliff Circle. There are a number of very well to do homes in this area, and most of the lots are wooded. There is also a little roll to the road, so another hill or too. Nothing like the three above, but you will know these are there. This road is also nice because it gets you back into De Pere with much less traffic than Chicago Street.
According to bikely.com, I got about 1200 feet of climbing in today. Not bad for this area. This is really a cool route too because a lot of it is on very quiet country roads that are very scenic. Maybe in the future I can even find a couple more hills to add to it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
First Day Commuting to Work this Season
I commuted by bike for the first time this season today. Actually, my commute was a split commute. I left my car at work last night and rode home. Then this morning, I rode into work on the bike. The reason for doing this is because we are still working out a plan at my employer for secure bike parking. So, leaving my vehicle at work allowed me to keep the bike in the car once I got to work.
Last night's ride home was uneventful. I did a few extra miles, so it was around 25 miles in difference. But it was really just like going for a ride after work.
This morning's ride was a little different. I live about 21 miles away from the office, so it will take over an hour to get into the office. Therefore, this morning I was up at 6:00 AM and one the bike headed in at 6:30 AM. When I got on the bike this morning, it was cold--37 degrees cold. Plus, there was a decent wind out of the northeast at 12-15 mph. So the windchill was down around 30 degrees. The first half mile was cold. Then your body seems to adjust. I was OK until about mile 16. Then my hands started to get cold. I was happy to get to the office, because I just couldn't get my hands warmed up again. It was just a little chilly for that.
The other factor that made the ride hard was that wind. For me, it was a headwind the whole way in this morning. So the whole ride was just a grind. It wound up taking me one hour, 22 minutes to get from home to the office. That is an average speed of only 15.6 mph A lot of that was going into that stiff breeze the whole way. Part of it was probably due to the cold, and I was burning a lot of energy to stay warm. Finally, at 6:30 AM, I just have a problem getting the body all cranked up and going fast. I started in a grind it out mode and stayed there the whole ride. That is actually a good description of the ride--a grind. It wasn't fun, it was work. Just a grind.
I got into the office, got showered and changed and then it felt like any other day. I was hungrier than normal, probably from burning all that energy first thing in the morning. But after lunch, that went away too.
I was happy that I did this. It forced me to get out and get a little cold weather training. It also converted an hour of car commute time into bike/training time. It saved me probably 2 gallons of gas. And while it was a grind getting in this morning, there was a certain sense of accomplishment after I got in. Yes, it was cold and much less than ideal conditions, but I overcame those anyway and completed my goal of getting a commute in. There is a certain satisfaction that.
The next couple of mornings are supposed to have overnight lows of 32 degrees, so I think commute #2 will probably wait until next week though.
Last night's ride home was uneventful. I did a few extra miles, so it was around 25 miles in difference. But it was really just like going for a ride after work.
This morning's ride was a little different. I live about 21 miles away from the office, so it will take over an hour to get into the office. Therefore, this morning I was up at 6:00 AM and one the bike headed in at 6:30 AM. When I got on the bike this morning, it was cold--37 degrees cold. Plus, there was a decent wind out of the northeast at 12-15 mph. So the windchill was down around 30 degrees. The first half mile was cold. Then your body seems to adjust. I was OK until about mile 16. Then my hands started to get cold. I was happy to get to the office, because I just couldn't get my hands warmed up again. It was just a little chilly for that.
The other factor that made the ride hard was that wind. For me, it was a headwind the whole way in this morning. So the whole ride was just a grind. It wound up taking me one hour, 22 minutes to get from home to the office. That is an average speed of only 15.6 mph A lot of that was going into that stiff breeze the whole way. Part of it was probably due to the cold, and I was burning a lot of energy to stay warm. Finally, at 6:30 AM, I just have a problem getting the body all cranked up and going fast. I started in a grind it out mode and stayed there the whole ride. That is actually a good description of the ride--a grind. It wasn't fun, it was work. Just a grind.
I got into the office, got showered and changed and then it felt like any other day. I was hungrier than normal, probably from burning all that energy first thing in the morning. But after lunch, that went away too.
I was happy that I did this. It forced me to get out and get a little cold weather training. It also converted an hour of car commute time into bike/training time. It saved me probably 2 gallons of gas. And while it was a grind getting in this morning, there was a certain sense of accomplishment after I got in. Yes, it was cold and much less than ideal conditions, but I overcame those anyway and completed my goal of getting a commute in. There is a certain satisfaction that.
The next couple of mornings are supposed to have overnight lows of 32 degrees, so I think commute #2 will probably wait until next week though.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Luxemburg - Brussels - Luxemburg -- A Wisconsin Spring Classic
A large part of Wisconsin was originally settled by Northern Europeans. Consequently, many towns bear the names of cities or countries in Europe. Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Luxemburg, Brussels and Kiel come to mind. In honor of the Cycling Spring Classics every year held in the northern European countries like Belgium and Holland, some folks around here decided to put on our own spring classics ride, riding from two appropriately named towns (Luxemburg and Brussels) one day over Easter weekend. Usually the weather is pretty iffy in Wisconsin this time of year, making it a perfect tribute to the races in Europe.
The route was 60 miles. It first wound west and north out of the small town of Luxemburg. In the first 10 miles were two sections on pave' (in honor of riding on the cobbles of Europe). Our sections of pave' were not real cobbles, but instead the crushed limestone of the Ahnapee State Trail. That stuff is hard to ride on, especially on the 700x23 tires on my road bike. What also made it hard was that almost everyone else on the ride was either a racer or ex-racer. So we weren't touring down this sandy gravelish path. We were doing 19 or 20 mph.
The other thing that is always a big factor in Europe during these races is weather, and Wisconsin did not disappoint on this day. Temp was in the low 50's, which wasn't bad. But it did rain, never too heavy, but enough to make things a mess and pick up a lot of road splatter. What was nasty though was the wind at 20 mph gusting to 30 mph coming out of the west. And it never let up all day.
The first half of the ride flew by and we were soon into Brussels. I was nowhere close to contesting the hill climb into Brussels. I was just trying to hang onto the lead group. Like I said, a lot of these other guys raced. A few riders did fall off the back, and caught us in Brussels. They decided to take the shorter route back. But as we found out later, they got lost on the way back and actually ended up doing more miles than us.
After refueling in Brussels, about 10 of us took off again in the lead group. Now we are heading south and west, so the wind is just brutal. About 5 miles out, another rider and I were dropped off the back about 100 meters. For a while, all I could do was maintain a pace to keep the gap the same. But finally, on one of the legs due west into the wind, I summoned the strength to pull both of us back into the lead group. It was pretty cool to have those guys acknowledge us for getting back in the lead group, because they weren't slowing down for us, and I had to fight for every meter to pull us back.
Half way back to Luxemburg, three riders took off and gapped us off the front. Another rider would later try to bridge up. For those of us remaining, we were just trying to maintain a steady pace. The guys off the front were young guys who raced. We weren't going to catch them. But we just kept gutting it out to the finish. Heading directly into the wind, we were doing 15 mph. Going south with a cross wind it was 18-20. It was hard the whole way.
We finally got to Champion, turned south and then back east. A tailwind at last. At this point though, the rest of the group gapped me about 50 meters. After all the hard riding, my legs just couldn't spin faster than 25-26 mph, and they were going faster than that. I closed the gap down once, but then would get gapped again. I finished about 100 meters back of my group, but not bad at all. It was a hard day. I know I went into the red-zone multiple times and I could just feel my legs burning in anguish a lot of those times. The weather was hard too. I had the right gear for the rain (booties, rain jacket, waterproof gloves), but there was no hiding from that wind.
Getting back to the parking lot, one of the guys who organized the ride had a souvenir for all of us who had finished. It was a small Belgian flag. How cool is that. If the (simulated) pave', weather and hills didn't make this a true spring classic, then certainly this did.
All in all, this ride was tons of fun. If I would have stayed home, I probably would not have even rode as the weather was so bad, or if I did ride, I would have done 20 complaining filled miles. But I was out there on new roads with a bunch of guys doing the same thing that I enjoy doing. I stayed with a lot of guys who a faster riders than me until the very end. I pushed myself in ways I haven't in a couple years. And I have a Belgian flag. What could be better for Easter Weekend than that.
The route was 60 miles. It first wound west and north out of the small town of Luxemburg. In the first 10 miles were two sections on pave' (in honor of riding on the cobbles of Europe). Our sections of pave' were not real cobbles, but instead the crushed limestone of the Ahnapee State Trail. That stuff is hard to ride on, especially on the 700x23 tires on my road bike. What also made it hard was that almost everyone else on the ride was either a racer or ex-racer. So we weren't touring down this sandy gravelish path. We were doing 19 or 20 mph.
The other thing that is always a big factor in Europe during these races is weather, and Wisconsin did not disappoint on this day. Temp was in the low 50's, which wasn't bad. But it did rain, never too heavy, but enough to make things a mess and pick up a lot of road splatter. What was nasty though was the wind at 20 mph gusting to 30 mph coming out of the west. And it never let up all day.
The first half of the ride flew by and we were soon into Brussels. I was nowhere close to contesting the hill climb into Brussels. I was just trying to hang onto the lead group. Like I said, a lot of these other guys raced. A few riders did fall off the back, and caught us in Brussels. They decided to take the shorter route back. But as we found out later, they got lost on the way back and actually ended up doing more miles than us.
After refueling in Brussels, about 10 of us took off again in the lead group. Now we are heading south and west, so the wind is just brutal. About 5 miles out, another rider and I were dropped off the back about 100 meters. For a while, all I could do was maintain a pace to keep the gap the same. But finally, on one of the legs due west into the wind, I summoned the strength to pull both of us back into the lead group. It was pretty cool to have those guys acknowledge us for getting back in the lead group, because they weren't slowing down for us, and I had to fight for every meter to pull us back.
Half way back to Luxemburg, three riders took off and gapped us off the front. Another rider would later try to bridge up. For those of us remaining, we were just trying to maintain a steady pace. The guys off the front were young guys who raced. We weren't going to catch them. But we just kept gutting it out to the finish. Heading directly into the wind, we were doing 15 mph. Going south with a cross wind it was 18-20. It was hard the whole way.
We finally got to Champion, turned south and then back east. A tailwind at last. At this point though, the rest of the group gapped me about 50 meters. After all the hard riding, my legs just couldn't spin faster than 25-26 mph, and they were going faster than that. I closed the gap down once, but then would get gapped again. I finished about 100 meters back of my group, but not bad at all. It was a hard day. I know I went into the red-zone multiple times and I could just feel my legs burning in anguish a lot of those times. The weather was hard too. I had the right gear for the rain (booties, rain jacket, waterproof gloves), but there was no hiding from that wind.
Getting back to the parking lot, one of the guys who organized the ride had a souvenir for all of us who had finished. It was a small Belgian flag. How cool is that. If the (simulated) pave', weather and hills didn't make this a true spring classic, then certainly this did.
All in all, this ride was tons of fun. If I would have stayed home, I probably would not have even rode as the weather was so bad, or if I did ride, I would have done 20 complaining filled miles. But I was out there on new roads with a bunch of guys doing the same thing that I enjoy doing. I stayed with a lot of guys who a faster riders than me until the very end. I pushed myself in ways I haven't in a couple years. And I have a Belgian flag. What could be better for Easter Weekend than that.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Cleat Fitting
Late last season, I had some knee pain in my right knee. Perhaps pain is too strong of a word, more of a feeling of looseness, then tightness after riding a while. I had fiddled with my cleat position, but never really been able to get things right. But things like a knee you don't want to mess around with.
I saw that the high-end bike shop in Madison Crono Metro had a cleat fitting session available. So I made an appointment and headed down to Madison.
The shop did not disappoint. These were guys who not just knew bikes, but loved cycling. Graham Watson photographs signed by cycling's superstars hung throughout the shop. One of my favorite pieces was the 3D relief map of the Pyrenees. And in two rooms that they use for fitting, jerseys from around the world adorned the walls. There was cycling in the air in this shop.
I met with Craig as he would be doing my fitting. We mounted my Serotta up on a CompuTrainer which was located on a platform raised about 8 inches off the floor of the room. The room was large enough so Craig could move around and observe me as I pedaled against the resistance on the CompuTrainer.
Before getting on the bike, Craig spent a few minutes discussing with me what problems I was having and basically where things hurt. We also talked about what I had tried and I filled him in on my history of hotfoot. Then, I got up on my bike and just pedaled, still with the old cleats (which I knew to be worn out). One of the things that he immediately noticed was that my right foot should move further out, away from the crank. I had long suspected this, but it is impossible to see being on the bike. But from Craig's view off the bike, he could clearly see where the adjustment needed to be made. He also observed that my cleats needed to come back slightly.
We made these adjustments and I continued riding. Though I had rode only about 5 minutes, I could already feel the "looseness" in the outside part of my knee starting, that would turn to pain if I rode long enough. So I described what I was feeling to Craig so we could determine a fix to this problem. Another observation he made was that I was sitting far back in the saddle. I have always sat far back in the saddle, but he reasoned this may be making me "reach" with the right leg, causing some of the unnatural stretching in my knee. But before we addressed this problem, we decided to put on a new set of cleats to rule out any problems caused by "wear and tear" on the old, worn out cleats.
While Craig was putting on the new cleats, I looked at the old ones. We immediately noticed not only how worn they were, but also how uneven the wear was. The cleats where much more worn down on the outside part of the cleat than the inside. This was causing the angle of contact with the pedal to change and probably causing part of my problem.
Putting the new cleats on helped immediately. I felt less like I was reaching on my right leg. and much of the "looseness" went away. Craig theorized that I was probably bouncing a little bit in the worn cleat. Not enough to feel at the foot, but it would show up in my knee. But clearly, I need to replace my cleats more often to avoid these types of issues.
After this, we addressed the angle of the right cleat (my heel felt a little too far out, so we changed the angle to move it back towards the bike. And then we addressed the saddle issue. We moved the saddle 5 mm forward. I wasn't sure I would like this. I have had the same saddle position for a long time and always sat way back. But if there is a time to make a change, it is now, when I have zero miles for the season in, so my body can adapt to it.
Surprisingly to me, the saddle change helped my knee as well. My pedal stroke felt compact and tight, with none of the looseness that I had felt before. In fact, my right leg felt so good, that now my left leg felt a little off. I pedaled for about another 5 minutes, and was satisfied that we had done all we could do, so we called it a session. Of course, the true test comes out on the road in a couple weeks when the snow melts, but I think we have done all the work we can in the lab to give me the best chance at feeling good out on the road.
So what I learned was the following:
Anyone who is buying a high end road bike or who has issues with their fit should call Crono Metro and make an appointment. Even if you don't plan to buy a Serotta or a Seven, find out how your bike is supposed to fit. These individuals are professionals and intellectuals about how a bike should fit. It is well worth a few hundred dollars to get your bike to fit exactly. My cleat fitting was well worth the time I spent driving to Madison. It is one of those things that now I ask myself, why didn't I do this much sooner.
I saw that the high-end bike shop in Madison Crono Metro had a cleat fitting session available. So I made an appointment and headed down to Madison.
The shop did not disappoint. These were guys who not just knew bikes, but loved cycling. Graham Watson photographs signed by cycling's superstars hung throughout the shop. One of my favorite pieces was the 3D relief map of the Pyrenees. And in two rooms that they use for fitting, jerseys from around the world adorned the walls. There was cycling in the air in this shop.
I met with Craig as he would be doing my fitting. We mounted my Serotta up on a CompuTrainer which was located on a platform raised about 8 inches off the floor of the room. The room was large enough so Craig could move around and observe me as I pedaled against the resistance on the CompuTrainer.
Before getting on the bike, Craig spent a few minutes discussing with me what problems I was having and basically where things hurt. We also talked about what I had tried and I filled him in on my history of hotfoot. Then, I got up on my bike and just pedaled, still with the old cleats (which I knew to be worn out). One of the things that he immediately noticed was that my right foot should move further out, away from the crank. I had long suspected this, but it is impossible to see being on the bike. But from Craig's view off the bike, he could clearly see where the adjustment needed to be made. He also observed that my cleats needed to come back slightly.
We made these adjustments and I continued riding. Though I had rode only about 5 minutes, I could already feel the "looseness" in the outside part of my knee starting, that would turn to pain if I rode long enough. So I described what I was feeling to Craig so we could determine a fix to this problem. Another observation he made was that I was sitting far back in the saddle. I have always sat far back in the saddle, but he reasoned this may be making me "reach" with the right leg, causing some of the unnatural stretching in my knee. But before we addressed this problem, we decided to put on a new set of cleats to rule out any problems caused by "wear and tear" on the old, worn out cleats.
While Craig was putting on the new cleats, I looked at the old ones. We immediately noticed not only how worn they were, but also how uneven the wear was. The cleats where much more worn down on the outside part of the cleat than the inside. This was causing the angle of contact with the pedal to change and probably causing part of my problem.
Putting the new cleats on helped immediately. I felt less like I was reaching on my right leg. and much of the "looseness" went away. Craig theorized that I was probably bouncing a little bit in the worn cleat. Not enough to feel at the foot, but it would show up in my knee. But clearly, I need to replace my cleats more often to avoid these types of issues.
After this, we addressed the angle of the right cleat (my heel felt a little too far out, so we changed the angle to move it back towards the bike. And then we addressed the saddle issue. We moved the saddle 5 mm forward. I wasn't sure I would like this. I have had the same saddle position for a long time and always sat way back. But if there is a time to make a change, it is now, when I have zero miles for the season in, so my body can adapt to it.
Surprisingly to me, the saddle change helped my knee as well. My pedal stroke felt compact and tight, with none of the looseness that I had felt before. In fact, my right leg felt so good, that now my left leg felt a little off. I pedaled for about another 5 minutes, and was satisfied that we had done all we could do, so we called it a session. Of course, the true test comes out on the road in a couple weeks when the snow melts, but I think we have done all the work we can in the lab to give me the best chance at feeling good out on the road.
So what I learned was the following:
- I need to be much more proactive about changing cleats because I wear them out and I wear them out in an uneven fashion. I probably need to be changing them every 2000 miles, so 3 times a year for me. This will keep my position on the pedal consistent throughout the year.
- We addressed some lateral position and rotational position issues I had. It was much easier for Craig to see what needed to be done with his trained eye off the bike rather than me trying to look down through the bike. Someone who knows what to look for and can watch your pedal from the front and the side is critical to helping make the right adjustments.
- My saddle probably did need to come forward. I was probably reaching with my right leg without knowing it. I think this new pedal stroke will work better for me.
Anyone who is buying a high end road bike or who has issues with their fit should call Crono Metro and make an appointment. Even if you don't plan to buy a Serotta or a Seven, find out how your bike is supposed to fit. These individuals are professionals and intellectuals about how a bike should fit. It is well worth a few hundred dollars to get your bike to fit exactly. My cleat fitting was well worth the time I spent driving to Madison. It is one of those things that now I ask myself, why didn't I do this much sooner.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Late Season Push
My goal every year is to ride 6000 miles. 6000 miles is a lot of miles, and a lot of things have to go right to be able to get that many miles in. Some of those things are under your control--fitness, discipline, dedication and consistency. Some are not like weather, health and work and life commitments. I've cleared 6000 miles 4 times before, one time ending the year at an incredible 7150 miles. Some years, I don't quite make it, finishing somewhere in the 5000's. Its not that 5500 miles is a bad year--its not. It is more than a lot of people ride. But I set the bar high at 6000 miles to give me self a goal for each year.
One of the hardest things about logging that many miles is being consistent. There comes a point, typically in late July or August when you are just a little burned out from riding. It is hard to find the time every weekend to go out and log 100+ miles. By this time, many of your other season goals have been accomplished, so it just gets hard to go sit on your bike for 5 or 6 hours. Its not that I don't enjoy it, but when you've been riding 800-900 miles a month for 4 months, you are just a little tired of it. So for me, I always seem to have this dip in my miles in late summer. And that makes it hard to get to 6000.
Weather and health are both big factors too. Catch a cold or the flu, it wipes out riding for a week. That happened to me twice this summer. I look back and wish I had those miles now. And in Wisconsin, there are months you simply cannot ride. Cold and snow don't make good riding conditions. I got one ride (10 miles) in during February, but otherwise we couldn't ride until mid-March. And typically in November, the weather deteriorates enough that riding just isn't pleasant. In 2008, I rode only 4 times after November 3rd.
That is where this year has been different. October was poor for riding, with the Appleton area receiving double its normal precipitation. But November has been fantastic. The daily highs have been around 50-55 degrees. Last weekend, both days were in the 60's. And for the most part, things have been dry. So you can get in a 50 or 60 mile ride on both days of the weekend without feeling like an icicle.
Warmer temperatures also mean warmer temperatures in the evening. Typically, it has been in the 40's during the evenings. If you have arm and leg warmers, full finger gloves and a cycling jacket, riding is very comfortable. I have set up the Serotta with two headlights and two taillights, so riding at night is no problem. I've got in about 7 additional rides I otherwise wouldn't have by riding after dark.
As of today, I sit at 5588 miles. Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll get about another 50. And then it will be up to the weather. If I can get a couple more decent weekends and fit in a few more rides at night, I'll be able to get close. The forecast for the next week calls for highs in the upper 40's to low 50's, so I am hoping that holds.
With a little luck, I'll sneak over 6000 before the weather forces me onto the CompuTrainer, because in my book, indoor miles don't count towards this goal.
One of the hardest things about logging that many miles is being consistent. There comes a point, typically in late July or August when you are just a little burned out from riding. It is hard to find the time every weekend to go out and log 100+ miles. By this time, many of your other season goals have been accomplished, so it just gets hard to go sit on your bike for 5 or 6 hours. Its not that I don't enjoy it, but when you've been riding 800-900 miles a month for 4 months, you are just a little tired of it. So for me, I always seem to have this dip in my miles in late summer. And that makes it hard to get to 6000.
Weather and health are both big factors too. Catch a cold or the flu, it wipes out riding for a week. That happened to me twice this summer. I look back and wish I had those miles now. And in Wisconsin, there are months you simply cannot ride. Cold and snow don't make good riding conditions. I got one ride (10 miles) in during February, but otherwise we couldn't ride until mid-March. And typically in November, the weather deteriorates enough that riding just isn't pleasant. In 2008, I rode only 4 times after November 3rd.
That is where this year has been different. October was poor for riding, with the Appleton area receiving double its normal precipitation. But November has been fantastic. The daily highs have been around 50-55 degrees. Last weekend, both days were in the 60's. And for the most part, things have been dry. So you can get in a 50 or 60 mile ride on both days of the weekend without feeling like an icicle.
Warmer temperatures also mean warmer temperatures in the evening. Typically, it has been in the 40's during the evenings. If you have arm and leg warmers, full finger gloves and a cycling jacket, riding is very comfortable. I have set up the Serotta with two headlights and two taillights, so riding at night is no problem. I've got in about 7 additional rides I otherwise wouldn't have by riding after dark.
As of today, I sit at 5588 miles. Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll get about another 50. And then it will be up to the weather. If I can get a couple more decent weekends and fit in a few more rides at night, I'll be able to get close. The forecast for the next week calls for highs in the upper 40's to low 50's, so I am hoping that holds.
With a little luck, I'll sneak over 6000 before the weather forces me onto the CompuTrainer, because in my book, indoor miles don't count towards this goal.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Late Summer Riding
There isn't much left to summer. Some od the leaves have already started turning yellow this week. Weather-wise though it has been about one of the nicest weeks we have had all summer. Highs about 80 degrees and very little wind. I wish I could have got out more, but three days is all I have been able to get in this week.
Today was just perfect. 80 degrees and light winds. A few trees with leaves changing colors and a few crops still in the field with their leaves changing to yellow as well. A couple of photos from the camera phone.
This is on County Road MM Between County T and Steeple Hill Road looking Northwest. Note the horses in the field and the steeple of the church in Winchester in the background atop the ridge.
This is on County Road T just north of where you cross Highway 10. Its a little retention pong, but with some nice colors in the fields.
Today was just perfect. 80 degrees and light winds. A few trees with leaves changing colors and a few crops still in the field with their leaves changing to yellow as well. A couple of photos from the camera phone.
This is on County Road MM Between County T and Steeple Hill Road looking Northwest. Note the horses in the field and the steeple of the church in Winchester in the background atop the ridge.
This is on County Road T just north of where you cross Highway 10. Its a little retention pong, but with some nice colors in the fields.
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