The Commuter

There was a time, before the Nishiki, when Greg had an aluminum bike that was too big for him.  I wasn't ridding my Raleigh, so he stole it from me.  That wasn't a big deal to me at the time because I was out of shape and didn't want to ride the thing anyway.  Still, one must have a bike just incase, so we picked up a 1984 Club Fuji for me.  I never rode the Fuji either because it had down tube friction shifters and wasn't pretty.  Some crazy person at one point had wrapped all the cable housing in electrical tape, which became all sticky and gross looking.

In the end, Greg got his Nishiki and I went back to the Raleigh and the Fuji was looking like just a waste of money...until BTE.  Now all I can think about are bikes.  If my advisor ever found this site and saw how much time I was spending on this new passion...eh he probably wouldn't care too much.

Now that I'm crazy into cycling, I need two bikes, one for races and weekend rides (the Thoroughbred) and another for hauling things to and from work and shopping (the Clydesdale).  Enter the neglected Fuji.  We picked up some sora components on ebay, new cables and housing, awesome yellow handlebar tape, a pannier, and here she is.

My first grocery run on the Fuji.  Chicken breasts, cereal, milk, pasta, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and mushrooms

Are four bikes a bit excessive for two people? Maybe, but I think we're making some really positive lifestyle changes.  And we are thinking very seriously about selling the CR-V and going back to being a one car family.  Stay tuned.

BTE yard sale success

We are half way to our fundraising goal!  Big thanks to everyone who sent us their treasures (a.k.a. useless crap) to sell at the yard sale today.  People ate it up.  We started the day with two tables overflowing with nicknacks and a full row of boxes of books underneath.  By the end of the day, we only had three printer boxes of stuff left.  I wish I'd taken before and after photos for the blog...I'm sure it would have been riveting for you all.

If I could use the ongoing currency war as an analogy for the day's yard sale prices...it was Greg and me as China versus everyone else as the world.  What can I say?  I'm from the W. R. Hughes school of yard sale prices...just get rid of it fast.

In the end we raised (drumroll please) $136

Score!

Oro Valley to Oracle

It's getting chilly out there!  Well, chilly for Tucson.  We sported long sleeves for this 42 mile Saturday ride with Tami and Nancy.  The BTE yard sale is this weekend.  So the four of us headed out a day early in order to make big fundraising bucks tomorrow morning.  We started at the Home Depot up in Oro Valley.  A lot of other groups were meeting up there as well.

Look at that 20 mile climb!  So much fun.

The ride out was a steady uphill schlog with no places to rest out of the saddle while coasting in order to rest one's backside.  However, I am probably a little too pleased to announce that I FINALLY figured out how to comfortably stand and pedal while standing.  I rock!  See, I told you I was too pleased.  It may sound like no big deal to you, but seriously folks, before, I would try to stand and climb, take two wobbly and weak pedal strokes, and pretty much fall back down into the saddle...pathetic.  But not anymore.  The trick for me was shifting into a higher chain ring in the front to increase resistance...oh and going to all those spin classes to build up my leg muscles.

The ride back was crazy fast.  I think Greg and I were coasting at about 25 mph most of the way.  We both felt like we could have ridden another 20 miles easy.  Bring on the Tour!

Old Spanish to Colossal Cave

Greg here. Today's training ride was the longest ride either of us has ever been on. Forty-three miles. It was a blast. The BTE group headed out with Mac from his shop Sabino Cycles at 7 AM. I think the email the BTE cyclists received last week from Mac served as a warning because there ended up being only 10 riders in the group. We took the same route as a few of our previous training rides, riding along Old Spanish Trail, but continued all the way up Pistol Hill out at Colossal Cave Mountain Park.

I also rode my new bike on this ride... Wait, did I say new bike? Yes I did. You might remember the multiple posts before about the improvements to my beloved Nishiki Cresta. Well that bike is still awesome, but Jen and I want to set up a couple bikes as commuters/utility bikes to get groceries and such. The Cresta has rack mounts and long chainstays making it ideal for this use. Plus, the number of bikes a person needs is equal to n + 1, where n is the number of bikes the person currently owns. So on Friday night we went on a little drive to Phoenix and picked up a 1999 Cannondale R500 that is virtually in brand new condition.

Jen here now:  Greg didn't tell you half of the exciting things that happened on this ride.  First, he's smoking fast on his new bike.  When we were first dating, I would get a little competitive/hurt when it was obvious he was better than me...glad I'm over that!  He slows down and waits for me sometimes, which is sweet.  I enjoyed cruising along out to Saguaro East, chatting with Greg, taking in the views, along a route that kicked my ass a month ago.

The ride out to Pistol Hill was described by a fellow rider as a false flat, meaning the road appears nearly flat, but you're climbing.  She wasn't kidding.  I think I was averaging only 9 mph.  On the way back we helped another rider fix a flat, which gave me confidence for fixing my own flat someday.  Back at Sabino Cycles, Mac worked on the new bike for Greg.  A decade of dried/crusty grease can really mess with your shifting.  Thanks Mac!

We had to deal with quite a few angry drivers today, which was disconcerting considering we rode past a ghost bike (a memorial for a fallen cyclist).  The motorists were mostly upset about cyclists riding two abreast, even when there was plenty of room for the car to pass.  They'd yell or honk or drive as close as they could to the white edge line.  That's how people die...  Anyway, it was sad and frustrating because, apparently unbeknownst to many Tucsonan rednecks, cyclists can lawfully ride two abreast ARS 28-815.  So the next time you pass a cyclist, show them some love and give them the 5ft of clearance they deserve...oops, not that you're a redneck...whoever you are.  You know what I mean.

I'm stepping off my soap box now.  Jen out.

Oro Valley loop

There are a couple of places on El Tour route that scare me a little bit.  Oracle road up through Oro Valley is one of them.  It's about a quarter of the way into the ride, it's uphill, and I know there is a long downhill section ahead.  I tell myself that if I can make it through Oro Valley, I have the tour in the bag.

Today we rode that scary section...in reverse, so the hills were more in our favor.  There was still quite a bit of climbing...the most climbing I've ever done actually.

This is a route I like to call Up and Around in Oro Valley.

I had my new 155mm shorty crank arms to test out.  They are supposed to make it a bit easier for vertically challenged people like me to keep a higher cadence and put less strain on the knees.  I think they worked beautifully, and I love them.  I can really feel myself improving every week.  I'm using parts of my lungs I didn't even know I had!

We took in some amazing views around the 14 mile mark.  I made Greg stop and take a picture.

Tucson is way off in the distance behind me.  What do you think of my fancy new cycling shorts?  Remember my pretty-in-pink-first-group-ride outfit?  I think I look awesome now :)

We averaged 14.5 mph and went 29.5 miles.  I just want to give a shout out to my fantastic husband.  Greg, I can't believe we're doing this, and I feel so lucky to be sharing these rides with you.

Posture makes perfect

We all met up at O2 modern fitness for a bike fit clinic.  Kurt mostly talked about how to sit correctly rather than look at everyone individually and tell them what's wrong with their bike. Greg and I had already been working at getting our bikes set up properly, so I welcomed the advice on proper posture.  Here are the two most important things I learned from the bike fit clinic:

1) Having a flat back does not mean holding your back like you're sitting up straight.  You want your lower back to be flat on the bike.  Slump a little on the bike and engage your abs...perfect.

2) Keeping your knees as close to the bike as possible makes you use more of your upper leg muscles and makes climbing more bearable.  After the clinic we went for a ride.

Downtown to Camino de Oeste and back

Wow what a difference a little change in position makes!  I felt one with the bike.  Kurt, the bike fit expert, had nothing for me except, "You have perfect cycling posture."  I was so proud.  There was a gradual uphill bit from mile 12 to the end.  I was fighting a headwind, but managed to catch up to another rider.  We talked about the tour, all the while fighting a headwind going up and up.  She started to sound a little winded, and I realized I wasn't...I just kept going.  I wanted to shout, "Hey everybody! Look at this! I'm not winded!"  I kept it all inside but picked up the pace so I could catch up with Greg and tell him how great I was feeling.  He was happy for me, obviously.  We finished the route front of the pack.

The lethargic week

I think I over trained...

I started to feel pretty worn down during my Saturday spin class.  By the end of our group ride on Sunday, I was positively wiped.  Breakfast club spinning on Saturday was still awesome, don't get me wrong.  I got a free O2 water bottle, and, as the class name would suggest, a free breakfast.

The group ride was my longest ride ever! 29 miles!  We went out to some market between Saguaro East and Colossal Cave, fighting a 20 mph headwind the whole way.  I started to get grouchy when my bike computer read 13+ miles and we still hadn't turned around yet. "Mac said 25 miles today, this is going to be more like 30, I'm tired, I'm sore, I already rode a lot this week, grumble, grumble, grumble"

Food and water at the break really turned my spirits around.  I joking complained to the group about the extra miles.  Mac just laughed and said sometimes the group leader has to lie about the ride.  What a little trickster!  On the ride back I had to tackle my first real hill.  I attacked it with gusto, even trying to stand up, but immediately sat back down after about two pedal strokes.  By the time I was almost to the top, I was in my granniest of gears going about 5 mph, but I made it.

Oh and a bug flew in Greg's mouth and bit/stung his tongue multiple times.  He laughed it off, so I can laugh too...Ha!

My rest day turned into a rest week, which is really lame.  More rides planned for this weekend, so hopefully that will get me moving again.