The BEEFMAN Bloggeth

New Ride the Rockies Director Announces Major Changes for 2018 Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 03:07:00 +0000

Just six weeks into her new job, the new ride director for Ride the Rockies, Deirdre Moynihan (the second new ride director in as many years) announced major changes for the 2018 tour (June 9-15). In an email sent today to previous RTR participants, Moynihan dropped a couple of big bombshells:

First, the LOTTERY IS DEAD! Ride registration will be FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE, beginning as soon as the route is announced on Saturday, February 3, at approximately 8:30 PM Mountain Time. The route will be announced live on Facebook for anyone who is unable to attend.

Second, registration FEES are going up. There will be three tiers of pricing: $525 for the first 500 registrants, $575 for the next 500, and $625 for the rest. That's a $25 increase for early registrants and $125 more than last year if you aren't in the first 1,000 people to sign up!

Third, reading between the lines, according to the email, the new director spent her first day on the job -- November 15 -- on the road planning the 2018 route. I have no idea when the previous director left or what has been going on with staff but planning a route in November for a ride in June seems like a potential problem.

That's a lot to absorb. We're being asked to sign up, on the spot, for a route that may not even be set at this point. I'm trying to keep an open mind but am thinking 2018 may be a good year to take a pass on Ride the Rockies and check out another ride.

Any suggestions? What do you think, Jonny Rocker?

Ride on,

Daren

Cycle Oregon 2017 Cancelled Due to Wildfires

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 14:44:00 +0000

Forecasts call for more hot, dry, windy weather and an increase in smoke from new and existing fires along the Cycle Oregon 2017 route.

With all the media attention focused on Houston this week I completely missed the fact that Oregon is on fire. That is until I received an email announcing the cancellation of Cycle Oregon 2017, set to begin one week from today. "Oregon is in crisis," began Cycle Oregon Executive Director Steve Schultz in the email, citing these alarmng facts:

44% of the acres burning nationally are in Oregon,
50% of the firefighters nationally are in Oregon and Washington, and
8 of the highest trained wildfire teams in the U.S. are in Oregon.

According to the email, the heaviest fires are in South Central Oregon, essentially encompassing the 2017 route. At this five of the seven days are impacted by fires and smoke with air quality levels ranging from unhealthy to hazardous. As a result, Steve and his team, along with the Oregon Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service, and others, were forced to cancel the ride.

I can't image the disappointment Steve and his team must be feeling. The years of planning, all the moving parts coming into place, hundreds of volunteers, food vendors, port-a-potty purveyors, etc., seemingly all for naught. But clearly they were left no choice.

I also sympathize with the riders who have been training for months, many planning to travel from around the world next week to Oregon. I am not one of them, choosing to do Ride the Rockies as my big ride this year, but I know the feeling of anticipation leading up the the big event of the year. Hard to imagine getting the news one week out. But the decision was made with everyone's safety in mind, especially the riders.

Smoke from a small fire near Glenwood Springs on RTR 2007.

I have experienced much less severe conditions on Ride the Rockies, encountering a small fire on my first RTR in 2007 and circumventing the Royal Gorge fire on the 2013 ride (making it the longest in RTR history)!

Smoke from the Royal Gorge fire in 2013, seen from Canon City.

But neither of those situations threatened the safety of the riders. They were able to reroute us around the Royal Gorge fire. But in this case, even alternate routes are affected, according to Schultz.

I hope the disappoint fades quickly and look forward to next year's route announcement!

Ride on...

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Days 6-7: Montrose to Gunnison to Salida and the finish line!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 15:05:00 +0000

The final two days of Ride the Rockies 2017 were a mix of easy cruising and tough climbing. The final day's climb over Monarch Pass (elev. 11,312') was the longest (and highest) of the ride, climbing nearly 3,000 feet in nine miles, but the 23 mile descent into Salida was truly all downhill and flew by. Just like that, my 10th RTR was over.

From left: me, Hankster, Jonny Rocker and Flip Flop Jenny.

Crossing the finish line is always bittersweet. The feeling of accomplishment is fulfilling. Then suddenly it sinks in. The ride is over. No more pain and suffering through long climbs. No more adrenaline rush screaming down the backside of a mountain pass at 45 mph. No more sitting at the local brewery telling tall tales of the day's ride. I will miss it all.

No more camp to set up or tear down, backpacks to carry to the truck, smelly port-a-potties or shower trucks. OK, some things I won't miss!

I met this guy on RTR a few years back and always look forward to seeing his smiling face. Somehow I managed to catch him here looking serious but you can still see the famous Hankster grin trying to some out!

Day 6: Montrose to Gunnison

The ride out of Montrose towards Cerro and Blue Mesa Summits was very typical. I have ridden this stretch of road three times and all I remember is the headwind blowing down the mountain. But my legs felt fresh from the recovery day ride from Ridgeway to Montrose and after we dropped into the Curecanti National Recreation Area we were greeted by a nice tailwind that blew us around Blue Mesa and up the Gunnison River to our destination.

At Blue Mesa Summit. From left: me, Jenny, Woody and Jonny.

Woody and I at the Bay of Chickens on Blue Mesa Reservoir -- an RTR tradition!

At an aid station. From left: Jenny, Kevin, Lea Anne, Jon, Julia, Don, Woody and me.

Enjoying some local brews at High Alpine Brewing Company. From left: Dennis, Lea Anne, Hankster, Woody and Jonny.

The Hankster at High Alpine Brewery. Best sign on the ride!

Jonny Rocker pours from the growler at the final campdown.

We met up with Team Bar2Bar members at High Alpine Brewing Company and enjoyed some artisanal pizza and local brews before heading to the school to set up camp. After cleaning up we headed back into town for dinner and ended up the night drinking buckets of PBR tall boys playing corn hole on the patio at Timbers (with a private band all to ourselves!).

Day 7: Gunnison to the Salida (and the finish line!)

The final day began with a nice, steady 1-2% grade climb up Tomichi Creek for 34 miles before beginning the climb over Monarch Pass. I did this climb on my first RTR in 2005. I remember being terrified by the elevation profile of this day. The climb is a steady, relentless 4-7% grade for nine miles. I struggled a little on the steepest parts. At 40+ pounds fully loaded, the Beef Bike is a beast!

Team Beef at the first aid station on the final day! From left: Kevin, Jonny, Dennis, Lea Anne and me.

At the summit on the final day. It's all downhill from here! From left: me, Woody, Jonny and Jenny.

This speed and elevation profile overlay tells the story of the final day's ride!

Dropping into my granny gear for tough sections I spun my way up the mountain. Reaching the summit of Monarch Pass marked the end of the climbing. Though we often say "it's downhill from here," I truly think we could have coasted without peddling the entire way. But peddling along at 30+ mph isn't hard work!

We made our final unofficial pit stop at Elevation Brewery in Poncha Springs, about 4 miles from the finish line. Grouping up there, our team coasted across the finish line. We hung around for the closing ceremony to thank the volunteers, staff and Colorado State Police for keeping us safe throughout the ride and making it possible to tour the rugged Rocky Mountains on a bicycle.

Then came the hugs and goodbyes and the end of another adventure. So now the inevitable question. What's next? Jonny Rocker and I plan to check out other weeklong rides around the country. Please leave a comment with your favorites!

With that, I will leave you with our team motto: Ride fast and take chances!

Daren

Rides the Rockies 2017 Days 4-5: Durango to Ridgeway to Montrose

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 12:27:00 +0000

We are waking up in Montrose, Colorado, after a great afternoon/evening street party. The ride yesterday -- Day 5 of Ride the Rockies 2017 and day six of riding for Team Beef/Bar2Bar -- was a short, 34-mile, mostly downhill cruise. It felt great and my legs definitely needed the opportunity to recover the epic Day 4 ride over three mountain passes covering 84 miles and more than 8,000 feet of elevation gain!

The official Team Bar2Bar stop in Montrose.

The locals were out in force at the street party in Montrose -- including my long time friend Jeri!

The Day 4 ride from Durango to Ridgeway was one of the toughest and most beautiful rides I have done in Colorado. The scenery was as breathtaking as the altitude!

Climbing three passes on one day, two over 10,000 feet and one over 11,000, took it out of me. Actually, I don't think I ever had it. Starting out in the morning it was freezing cold and I feel like my legs simply never warmed up.

45 Miles of winding roads, steep drop-offs and three passes!

The summit of Coal Bank Pass (1 of 3)

The summit of Molars Pass (2 of 3)

Overlooking Silverton, Colorado.

From whence we came!

Too many times on the climbs over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain Passes I had to drop into the ultra granny gear I had the guys at YAWP Cyclery put on the Beef Bike for long, steep climbs. That made for a very long day. But I was able to slowly make my way over all three passes and enjoy the ultimate payoff, the descent down Red Mountain Pass into Ouray (you-ray), Colorado. It was so worth it!

Finally! After hours of climbing we reached the summit of Red Mountain Pass (3 of 3)

Glad we stopped at the Bear Creek Falls overlook on the descent of Red Mountain!

This is a screen grab of the video I took on the descent. I will post it when I have more bandwidth!

My assumption is this is why it is called Red Mountain Pass :)

It pays to remember to look back every once in a while on RTR! According to my friend Jeri this is Mt. Abrams.

Today's ride also features three climbs, although must less imposing nature, reaching a max altitude of 8,717 feet on Blue Mesa Summit before a long flat stretch around Blue Mesa Reservoir into Gunnison.

Hard to believe tonight will be the final night of the ride. First it feels like RTR will never get here. At times on the ride it feels like it will never end. Then suddenly it's over. But not yet! TIme to saddle up.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Days 2-3: Pagosa Springs to Durango and Durango Loop

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 12:09:00 +0000

Day Three of Ride the Rockies (the fourth day of riding for Team Beef/Bar2Bar) was a 38-mile roller coaster ride. The first 14 miles were the chug chug chug up the first big climb on the coaster? You know the feeling that it will never end? Yeah, it felt like that. It took two hours.

Remember the feeling of cresting that big climb? Yeah, it felt like that. For the rest of the ride we were either flying down a steep hill or cruising over hills roller coaster style. At times we had to kick it into chug chug gear but it always led to a nice downhill.

Riding with Rocker!

Sporting a USDA CHOICE temporary tattoo on my right calf!

I loved today's route. We rolled back into Durango, stopped at Steamworks to reload the growlers before heading back to out hotel. After a nice shower we headed into town to meet the rest of the team (most of whom skipped the loop day).

Day Two was also a nice ride -- 68 miles from Pagosa Springs to Durango. The wind backed off a bit from our first two days of riding and the three climbs were mild compared to Wolf Creek Pass. We booked a hotel room in Durango and have enjoyed he luxury of sleeping in a bed, showering in private and not having to wait in line to use the bathroom!

Oh yeah, and no sprinklers going off in the middle of the night! Our campground in Pagosa Springs was strafed by sprinklers on the baseball field at 2:00 a.m. Monday morning and we woke to ice crystals on our tent and frozen towels hanging from the fence, as temps dropped below freezing during the night! We had to wait for the sun come up to that the ice and dry off our tents before packing up, which made for a late start, but we survived!

Last night's rider party was just a couple of blocks from our hotel. It was a beautiful evening of music, beer and hanging out with friends. Maybe a few too many beers judging my the way I feel this morning! No worries, though, today is an easy 84 miles with a meager 7,792 feet of elevation gain!

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Day 1: Wolf Creek Pass (C.W. McCall Got It All Wrong)

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 14:41:00 +0000

I am writing this morning from Durango, Colorado. It's Day Three of Ride the Rockies 2017. Last we checked in Jonny Rocker and I were in Salida getting ready to ride to the start in Alamosa, an idea that sounded good on paper but, in reality, was painful.

After a short climb over Poncha Pass out of Salida we dropped into the San Luis Valley to settle in for the cruise down the valley into Alamosa. That's when we encountered The Wind. Even coming down the pass was work as we headed straight into gusty winds blowing up the valley. On the flat, straight 50-mile stretch on Hwy 17 to Alamosa we struggled to maintain 15 mph, often dropping below 10 mph during a big gust.

At our lunch stop in Hooper, Colorado. Sandwiches at a gas station!

Team Beef does not chicken out when faced with adversity!

We made the best of a bad situation, stopping at a little roadside general store and café in Willow Spring for a piece of homemade cherry pie and bough buns, meat and cheese at the gas station in Hooper. By the time we arrived in Alamosa for the start of the next day -- a 92-mile ride across the valley and over Wolf Creek Pass -- we were wiped out and wondering if we had made a big mistake.

Rejuvenating at San Luis Valley Brewing Co.

Relaxing back at camp.

Woody rolled in from the bar just in time for sunset!

After a few beers and some good food (I had the steak quesadilla -- yum!) at San Luis Valley Brewing Co. things were looking up. A number of fellow riders came up to us and asked about Team Beef. Turns out all of the buses (and many cars) transporting riders to the start passed us along our route. Team Beef got a lot of free publicity (making it worth our while in my book!).

Jonny Rocker leads the way out of Alamosa.

Woody heads up the pass, Hawaiian shirt flapping in the wind.

On the official first day of riding (Sunday) we headed northwest toward Monte Vista on Hwy 50 across the San Luis Valley. The wind cooperated for the first 40-miles but turned against us at Del Norte and intensified at South Fork as we headed up Wolf Creek Pass.

Beginning a tough climb like Wolf Creek Pass at mile 50 is tough on the legs. Climbing into a headwind is a mental challenge. There were times I thought about chucking the beef bike in the south fork of the Rio Grande River and giving up. The devil on my shoulder can be very convincing!

Team Beef/Bar2Bar at the Summit of Wolf Creek Pass (way up on the Great Divide).

But Team Beef/Bar2Bar does not quit (Death Before SAG!). As we headed up the pass I queued up C.W. McCall's famous ditty about Wolf Creek Pass on my iPhone (Bluetoothed to my Ivation bike speaker). As I listened to the song I began to question whether McCall had ever driven this stretch of road before he wrote it.

Watch this video then come back for the rest of the story!

McCall says he and Earl were "hauling chickens on a flat bed outta Wiggins" and had "spent all night on the uphill side of 37 miles of hell called Wolf Creek Pass (which is way up on the Great Divide)." First of all, Wiggins, Colorado, is northeast of Denver, 300 mile away. I'm also not sure why it took them all night to drive 37 miles, but I'll let that slide because he got the "37 miles of hell" part right!

But here is where it gets sketchy. As McCall describes careening down the western side of the pass towards Pagoda Springs with no brakes, he mentions counting phone poles as they whizzed by. Problem is there are no phone poles on this stretch of road. He then describes hitting a tunnel that "took that top row of chickens off slicker than scum off a Louisiana swamp." Problem is there is no tunnel on the western side of the pass!

But the biggest issue I have with McCall's narrative is that he and Earl were unable to stop the truck before ending up crashing into the feed store in downtown Pagosa Springs. The reality is you cannot coast from the summit to downtown Pagosa. Even though we often say "it's all downhill from here" when we sit atop the big climb of the day, the fact is it rarely is. I counted at least for hills we had to climb after the descent that would have easily stopped their truck.

So, yes, this is what I think about when climbing and descending mountain passes. Anything to take my mind off the pain! Ride the Rockies is an endurance event. There is a lot of pain to endure. As Jonny Rocker and I suit up for Day Three there is much moaning and groaning. But today is a short 38-mile loop back to Durango so no packing up our gear today and we should have plenty of time to recover for tomorrow's epic ride over three passes!

Ride on!

Daren

Today, we ride. Why? Because we can!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 10 Jun 2017 12:11:00 +0000

Today is Day Zero of Ride the Rockies 2017. This is the day 2,000 riders show up in Alamosa, Colorado, to register and get ready for tomorrow's 92-mile ride from Alamosa to Pagosa Springs. Most people will arrive by car or bus and spend the day getting their gear ready to go. But for Team Beef/Bar2Bar, this will be our first day of riding. You see, we are starting out in Salida, Colorado, where the ride ends next Saturday, and riding 80 miles to the start in Alamosa. Why? Because we can!

Jonny Rocker loads up the bikes for the big ride.

Before heading to Saluda we stopped at YAWP Cyclery for a quick tune up of the BEEFMAN bike that included the addition of a new rear rack! :)

Searching for the perfect trunk bag for the rack proved more challenging than expected. After stopping at 10 bike shops in Denver and Buena Vista, I found the perfect bag at Absolute Bikes in Saluda!

When the RTR route was announced back in February we immediately noticed that the ride ended in Salida, a frequent overnight stop on Ride the Rockies and home of five of our nine team members. It is also home to the Victoria Bar, a popular hangout for locals and tourists visiting this iconic mountain town at the headwaters of the Arkansas River. Soon after somebody floated the idea of starting in Salida and making the ride an 8-day, 520 mile loop. The idea of starting and ending the ride at the Vic was just too tempting to pass up!

Jonny and I hit our first brewpub -- Joyride Brewing -- for a quick beer before our journey.

At our hotel in Saluda -- the last bed until Durango (camping the next two nights).

Jonny Rocker and I drove from Denver yesterday and met up with the rest of the team at the Vic last night. After loading up on some liquid carbs we went out to dinner and began the feeding frenzy that is RTR, Burning around 4,000 calories a day on the bike requires constant refueling! We turned in relatively early and I woke this morning grateful that we made a good choice and avoided the typical first night syndrome (overindulging due to the excitement of seeing each other and anticipation of the week to come).

The Hankster (left) and Jonny Rocker (center) meet for the first time at the Vic in Salida.

Team Beef/Bar2Bar outside the Vic.

Jonny and I are packing up our gear and will meet up with the rest of group and head out around 7:00. We should arrive in Alamosa in the early afternoon, hopefully before the heat and wind pick up. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.

Ride on!

Daren

Team Bar2Bar (or is it Beef?) Rides Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 00:38:00 +0000

In one week Jonny Rocker and I will head to Salida, Colorado, for the start of Ride the Rockies 2017. Although the ride officially starts in Alamosa and ends in Salida, we are meeting up with our teammates in Salida on Friday and will ride 80 miles to Alamosa on Saturday. That way when we roll into Salida on the following Sunday, roughly 520 miles later, we will be back at the start!

In true Team Bar2Bar tradition, The Hankster had T-Shirts made with the official team bars in each of the overnight destinations and the official team motto, "drinkers with a cycling problem."

So, you may have noticed that various times I will talk about riding with Team Beef and Team Bar2Bar and maybe even Team DFL. So which is it? Well, it's complicated!

After a one-year hiatus, Team Bar2Bar returns to RTR for the Reunion Tour 2017!

On my first RTR in 2005 I registered as a team of two with my friend David from Kansas City who had recently moved to Colorado (I still lived in KC at the time). On the evening of Day Zero (the day everyone arrives and registers) we met two amazing women who called themselves Team DFL

"What does DFL stand for," I asked innocently.

"Dead 'Something' Last," was their reply.

I met Patty (left) and Kris (right) on my first RTR in 2005.

I got the point. DFL is the moniker given to the last rider on the route. Imagine 2,000 cyclists trekking around the Colorado Rockies and the significant logistical challenge of keeping track of them all. The organizers and volunteers can't pack up an aid station until the last rider comes through. Imagine being that rider. Kris took pride in it!

Team DFL President Kris with Team Bar2Bar legacies Lora and Robert "Woody" Woodworth.

Don't get me wrong, Kris is a strong rider. She is also one of the most social people I have ever met. She can (and will) talk to anybody who will listen. Kris and Patty would set up temporary tattoo parlors at every aid station, apply Team DFL tattoos, and make friends with the other riders. The end result is they were often among the final riders on the route -- occasionally dead something last. We became fast (slow) friends. I rode with them for several years after that as an official member of Team DFL.

Kris applies a Team DFL on the Mayor of Chama, NM, on RTR 2006 (the only time Ride the Rockies has left the state of Colorado).

Sometime during that first RTR Kris and Patty introduced me to a group of riders that call themselves Team Bar2Bar. The name is derived from their habit of riding directly to a bar (the first on one the left, unless it's on the right) in the overnight destination town. We became fast (drinking) friends.

Team DFL and Bar2Bar reunion at the start of RTR 2006 in Cortez, CO.

Seriously, though, these guys had the plan. Ride straight into town and to a bar. While everyone else rides straight to the campsite (typically a school) and sweats in the midday sun they were sitting (usually a local brewpub or dive bar) eating and drinking -- refueling for the next day. I have been a member of Team Bar2Bar ever since, whether I registered as part of the team or not.

The official T-shirt is a Team Bar2Bar tradition.

So where does Team Beef come in? Just prior to my second RTR in 2006 I interviewed for a position at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver. I have always loved beef, grew up visiting my grandparents in Colorado, and was hooked on riding over 12,000 foot mountain passes after my first RTR. This was my chance to combine all three. They offered me the job and I took a week to think it over -- while riding on RTR 2006. I made my decision about halfway through the first day.

The first official Team Beef was just me and my friend Shawn.

After joining NCBA we came up with the idea for Team Beef when several of my colleagues signed up for a 10K run in Denver, sponsored by Arby's. At the end of the run Arby's employees were handing out coupons for a free meal. I eagerly took one anticipating an Arby's roast beef sandwich. The coupon was for a grilled chicken sandwich. "What the something?" I asked. "We figured runners would want something healthy," was their reply. Wrong answer.

I have been promoting beef on Ride the Rockies since 2007!

Thus the impetus for Team Beef -- now numbering thousands of beef-loving athletes around the country demonstrating that beef is powerful fuel for physical activity and an essential part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

From left: The Hankster, Woody and I rode as Team Beef one day on RTR 2013.

Team Beef registered an official team for the first (and only) time in 2014 but, just like Team Bar2Bar, many people consider themselves part of Team Beef and sport Team Beef jerseys on the ride. This year is no different. Seven of us registered as Team Bar2Bar but on any given day 10 of us could be wearing Team Beef jerseys. Either way we will be enjoying plenty of beef and beer. That's just the way we roll.

Ride on...

Daren

Just in time for Ride the Rockies. It's the BEEF Bike!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 28 May 2017 14:44:00 +0000

The BEEF Bike visits a cattle ranch on its maiden voyage.

You guys. I did something crazy this week. I got a new bike and plan to ride it on Ride the Rockies -- in two weeks! Actually, this bike has been a work in progress. It started with my daughter Haley giving me a Brooks B17 Standard Saddle for my birthday last year after I told her about my dream to build a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I guess she called my bluff!

The Brooks B17 Standard Saddle is a key component of the BEEF bike. Just like a regular saddle, it has to be broken in and molds to the shape of its rider!

My dream was to build the BEEF bike. A one-of-its-kind bike built for multi-day rides like Ride the Rockies and Cycle Oregon. A bike that maybe, someday, I will ride cross country. As I researched bike shops in the Denver area it became clear that Yawp Cyclery in Edgewater was the only choice to build a custom Surly. Their gallery of custom Surly builds (which now features the BEEF bike!) sealed the deal.

The first two pics on the Yawp Cyclery Custom Surly Builds page are the BEEF bike!

On my first trip to Yawp I explained my vision to Levi "To Kill a YawpingBird" and Brian "The Lord of the ChainRings" I knew I had found the right shop. My vision for the BEEF bike was a cross between a road and a mountain bike but not a traditional hybrid. I wanted Shimano Total Integration> (STI) road shifters with mountain bike gearing for long, steep climbs.

The combination of the Tanpan with clutch-equipped Shimano Shadow+ rear derailleur

The solution they recommended was going with an 11-speed mountain rear derailleur paired with a road compact double crankset. As Levi explained, "you'll end up with the widest possible gear range if we go with an 11-speed mountain rear derailleur paired with a road compact double crankset. The alternative would be using a road triple crankset, but that would mean using a road rear derailleur as well, which would leave you with a more difficult "granny gear." Thanks to a cool little gizmo called a Tanpan, we can use a Shimano road shifter with a mountain derailleur. Neat!"

Up close shot of the Wolf Tooth Components Tanpan for Shimano 11-speed, which "amplifies road shifter cable pull to allow for seamless communication with mountain derailleurs."

I bought the frame in powder blue, had it stripped and powder-coated BEEF red. Pristine Powder Coating did a great job matching the color. It is exactly what I wanted! For several months I contemplating building this beast myself. I put the big ticket components on my Christmas list and got the shifters from my mom and crankset from my siblings. I also got an awesome hamburger saddle bag and a leather six-pack carrier!

But perhaps the coolest gift was the DLC 11 red and black bike chain> from Leslie. It was like getting jewelry. Unfortunately, it is not long enough for the 11-speed mountain rear derailleur paired with a road compact double crankset.

I found a hamburger bike bell at a bike shop in San Diego while shopping with birthday money from my mom!

As Ride the Rockies approached and the frame and Christmas gifts sat in the garage, untouched, it became apparent I was not going to find time to build it myself. So, Haley and I loaded up the parts this past Sunday and took them back to the boys at Yawp. Five days later I picked up my new ride and yesterday I took it out for a 50-mile ride (my longest of the year).
I love the ride of this bike. I'd compare to driving a Cadillac versus a sports car (like my Cannondale Synapse Carbon 3). The ride is so smooth and comfortable. It's luxurious!

Time to head out for another ride. Have to break in that saddle!

Ride on...

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Training Update: Three Weeks to Go and We Still Have Snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 20 May 2017 15:41:00 +0000

Egad. There are only three weeks remaining until the start of Ride the Rockies 2017. How did that happen? It still feels like winter in Colorado. Maybe that's because a late May snowstorm hit us this week dropping more than a foot of snow the Denver area. Fortunately this year's route is in the Southern Rockies!

Spring snowstorms in Colorado are not unusual and quite beautiful.

The late spring on the Front Range continues to make it difficult to get in some long rides on the road. I've only been out four times so far in May. Normally I would be logging some serious miles riding two/from work by this time. However, I have been hitting the trainer hard and am feeling pretty good about my training to date.

Rocker and I riding along the coast in LaJolla, California.

This past weekend my family gathered in San Diego for my nephew's graduation from San Diego State, Mother's Day and birthday celebrations. Brother Jon (Jonny Rocker) brought his bike so I rented a nice ride from The Bike Revolution and we went on a couple of short morning rides (32 and 20 miles). Rocker said he is finally feeling excited about RTR and could "do it today." I agreed but am still glad we have a couple of weeks to reach the peak of our conditioning. I don't want to just ride the Rockies; I want to rock it!

The view from the Mt. Soledad National Veteran's Memorial is well worth the ride up!

I've recorded 1,469 miles in the saddle since January 1 in 96 workouts burning a whopping 129,354 calories (according to my Garmin 810, which notoriously overestimates calories). My goal is to ride 2,000 before the start of RTR. I'd have to ride 183 miles per week in the final three weeks to get there. That's still possible but factoring in tapering it's not likely. Besides, I haven't ridden that many miles in a week yet this year!

My goal at this point is to pack on as many miles as I can in the next two weeks then scale back the final week. The sun is out today and the streets are fairly dry so I am going to venture out.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Route Includes Three of the Ten Steepest Passes in Colorado!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 17:24:00 +0000

I saw this post from a friend of mine on Facebook this morning and just had to click and see how many of them I have ridden on my bike. As I scanned the list I realized that we will ride three of them on Ride the Rockies 2017, including #9 Wolf Creek Pass (6.8% at 10,850 feet above sea level), #6 Molas Pass (7% at 10,910 feet), and #3 Red Mountain Pass (8% at 11,018 feet). Oh, by the way, we do those last two on the same day!

Time to shift training into high gear! Actually, I did that this past week, riding 17 miles on Monday (the 17th), 18 on Tuesday (the 18th), 19 on Wednesday, and so on, for a total of 117 miles in six days (all on my CycleOps Fluid2 indoor trainer).

Jonny Rocker is quickly catching up to me in miles now that he is training in earnest. I'm only 110 ahead of him at 1,151 for the year. According to his text yesterday he is at 1,040 with 400 of that in the past week! At this rate he will pass me next Saturday sometime during his century ride (let us know how it goes, brother, and send some pics for me to post). It's decent riding weather today so I'm headed outside for a quick 23 miler (keeping with the theme of riding the number of miles that corresponds with the date that I began with a 10-mile ride on April 10.)

Ride on...

Daren

Food is a Terrible Thing to Waste

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 19:55:00 +0000

Saturday, April 22. Earth Day 2017. We woke to snow falling in Colorado this morning. Big flakes melting as they hit the ground, nourishing the grass and flowers that have sprung up in recent weeks. It was a beautiful sight but I really need to start getting outside to ride sometime soon. Ride the Rockies is only seven weeks away!

I'm not complaining. If you complain about snow or rain around here people will quickly remind you, "We need the moisture," especially the farmers and I ranchers I work for who need it to grow our food. Precipitation is a pretty common topic of conversation in the agriculture community.

Water availability is also one of the key issues in sustainable food production. No water, no food! From the time my great great grandfather Americus Vespucious Angell settled in western Kansas in 1886 farmers have been hard at work finding ways to produce food with less water and returning it cleanly to the environment. My great-grandfather Charlie John Angell invented the one-way disc plow in the early 1920s to preserve precious moisture and reduce soil erosion.

My great-grandfather C.J. Angell even has his own Kansas Historical Society Trading Card!

Farmers and ranchers today continue to reduce water usage with improvements in irrigation techniques, no-till, and, yes, even GMO crops (gasp!). To learn more about what cattle farmers and ranchers today are doing to reduce beef's water footprint, check out FactsAboutBeef.com.

One thing that is often overlooked in the discussion about water and sustainable food production is food waste. Food waste has a huge impact on on water use. Think about it. If food is wasted, all of the water that was required to produce it is also wasted. With beef, if we could cut waste in half it would improve the sustainability of beef production 10 percent

Plannedover beef roast and broccoli, tomato and egg scramble.

I have personally been working to reduce food waste by making sure we eat the leftovers from dinner before they go bad. Throwing food away is like throwing cash in the trash! The average American family tosses $2,500 in food in the garbage, which then ends up in a landfill, the third largest source of methane emissions.

Plannedover Flatiron steak, broccoli, squash, red pepper and egg scramble with avocado.

This morning after my 22-mile workout on my indoor trainer I enjoyed a #plannedover power breakfast scramble with two eggs, steak, broccoli, squash, red pepper, and avocado. Not only was it delicious but it was all food sitting in the fridge waiting to go bad -- all but the eggs and avocado leftover from our evening meals this past week.

To join the fight in reducing food waste, sign up for the 30-day Food Waste Challenge to get lots of great ideas for simple changes that will make a big impact!

Ride on...

Daren

My RTR Gear is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 02:18:00 +0000

This just got real! My official Ride the Rockies 2017 hat, sticker and $25 gift certificate to the RTR merchandise store arrived in the mail today. I love the gift certificate idea. Instead of sending the traditional commemorative route shirt to everyone, you get $25 to shop for whatever gear you want. I went with the traditional route shirt for $25. ☺

The arrival of the care package always signifies that the start of the ride is near at hand. In fact, there fewer than eight weeks left to train. That's a little scary. I feel good about the miles I have put in since January 1 (1,051) but I haven't really gotten out and tested my legs on the hills yet. The weather looks promising this weekend. Wish me luck!

Ride on...

Daren

1,000 Miles in 100 (and one) Days!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 04:00:00 +0000

This morning I rode 11 miles on my CycleOps Fluid2* indoor trainer. It may not seem like much but it was significant. This is the first time, since I began recording my mileage on my Garmin Edge* cycling computer, that I have reached 1,000 miles in the first 100 days of the year! OK, so it was actually 1,002 miles in 101 days, but the record still stands. I am on track to hit 2,000 miles between January 1 and the start of Ride the Rockies for the first time -- and this will be my 10th RTR.

*I do not receive any compensation from CycleOps, Garmin or any other brand I mention on my blog. If I mention a brand it's because I am a true fan of the product!

RTR starts on June 10, the 161st day of the year. If I maintain my current average of 10 miles per day I'd hit 1,600 miles before the start, but nearly all my miles to date have been on my indoor trainer in chunks of 10-20 miles per ride. I typically increase my mileage significantly when I am able to get out on the road and put in some long, slow distance (LSD) rides (not to be confused with riding on LSD).

I have racked up 1,002 miles over 70 different workouts totaling 50 hours and 33 minutes to date in 2017.

I'm hoping those days come soon. This past weekend was ideal riding weather but I took the opportunity to sand and stain my redwood deck with Penofin Brazilian Rosewood Oil.*

*Nope. No sponsorship. 😊

Yesterday I noticed I rode 10 miles on the 10th and 11 miles on the 11th, so figure I'll do 12 on the 12th, and so on. In fact, I may try and keep this up for the rest of the month. By my calculations that would put me well over 400 miles in April. In May I will begin riding to/from work and should have no trouble hitting more than 500. That should put me in striking distance of 2,000 (factor in travel days and it will be close).

In an earlier post I talked about riding 2017 miles in 2017. I now think that it's possible to reach that goal before Ride the Rockies.

Ride on!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Training Update: March Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 17:08:00 +0000

What do you do when your team loses in the Elite 8? Shred your bracket and focus on your next big goal! For me, that is Ride the Rockies 2017, starting 11 weeks from today. My March Madness ended last night with the Jayhawks' loss so its nice to have something to look forward to. Having a goal to keep me motivated is one of the reasons I sign up for these challenging multiple day cycling events.

The other part of March Madness in Colorado is the spring weather. March is Colorado's snowiest month along the Front Range. This past week we went from 75F during the day to a blizzard that night. I was able to get outside this past weekend but the rest of my 300 miles so far this month have been on the indoor trainer.

I've been continuing to throw in sets of Flying 40s and Ten Speeds during my workouts, as well as gradually increasing mileage. To date, I have logged more miles in 2017 -- 865 -- than in any of the previous three years through March (and I still have several days to ride). I'm averaging right around 75 miles per week/300 miles per month.

Jonny Rocker texted me this past week. Apparently he's having trouble getting motivated to ride while sitting on the beach in Hawaii (everybody say, "awwww") and has only recorded 560 miles to date. I'm not worried about him. He will catch up quick once he gets back to retired life in California :)

I'm ready to move on from March Madness to April showers and May flowers. Come on, Mother Nature, let's do this!

Ride on...

Daren

2017 RTR Lottery Accepted!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 13:30:00 +0000

It began with a text from Rocker on Friday morning. The charges had hit his card. So I checked my credit card and sure enough, there it was, a charge from RaceIt-Ride the Rockies. Seeing the charge go through is a sure sign that you're in -- RTR doesn't charge your card unless you are selected in the lottery -- but it was still good to receive the e-mail confirmation later that day:

Getting selected in the RTR lottery isn't exactly like winning the lottery. I wish it was because I have been selected 10 out of 10 times I have applied! My luck with playing the lottery is not nearly as good (RTR is capped at 2,000 riders -- it makes me wonder how many people actually apply for the 2,000 spots).

I have ridden three of my nine Ride the Rockies as a member of Team Bar2Bar. Several of us got together to do some skiing this past weekend and all we could talk about was RTR! Pictured (from left): Woody and Paul the Pilot.

Anyway, as I suggested to Rocker, it's time to get motivated. There's nothing like knowing you have to be ready to ride 447 miles while ascending more than 32,000 vertical feet over the span of seven days to wake you up in the morning (and a lot more than that if we decide to meet up with Team Bar2Bar in Salida and ride to the start in Alamosa).

On that note, it's time to hit the trainer (my CycleOps Fluid2 trainer, not my personal trainer).

Ride on...

Daren

Are You Ready to Rock? Jonny Rocker and I Just Registered for Ride the Rockies!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 20:36:00 +0000

UPDATE 3/4/17: WE'RE IN!

Are you Ready to Rock? My brother Jonny Rocker and I just registered for Ride the Rockies 2017! Now the waiting begins. We will find out March 3rd whether we are chosen in the lottery. RTR is capped at 2,000 riders but I have gotten in every time I have registered (knock on wood).

I've been following several of the Quick Cycling Workouts for Power and Endurance from Bicycling.com:

"This is gonna hurt. But it'll be worth it. These innovative interval workouts will make you faster and stronger--by next month."

Well, I've been integrating the Flying 40s and Ten Speeds into my workouts on my CycleOps Fluid2 indoor trainer for about five weeks now. Am I faster and stronger? Well, I rode 15 miles on my trainer in under 40 minutes (average 22.5 mph) for the first time ever about a week after introducing these workouts into my training! So yeah, it seems to be working.

Here is the workout I did today:

5 mins warm up
10 x Flying 40s (40 seconds at 80-90 RPM, 20 second recovery)
5 mins recovery
10 x Flying 40s (40 seconds at 80-90 RPM, 20 second recovery)
5 mins recovery
10 x Flying 40s (40 seconds at 80-90 RPM, 20 second recovery)
5 mins recovery
10 x Ten Speeds (10 seconds at 100+ RPM, 20 second recovery)
5 mins cool down

60 mins total, averaging 20.5 mph

And they're right. It hurts, but it'll be so worth it when Ride the Rockies rolls around in June.

Ride On!

Daren

So Far, So Good Knock on Wood

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 03:00:00 +0000

My winter training is going well. **knock on wood** Following Cycle Oregon in September, I maintained a good base of around 200 miles per month in October and November. I kicked it up to 300 per month in December and January (all but 22 miles of which were on my indoor trainer) and am on a pace to hit 250 in February.

Click to Enlarge

My body seems to be holding up well. I have kept the winter weight off. So far, so good. **knock on wood**

Beef provides 38% of your daily value of zinc, a nutrient that helps build a healthy immune system.

Somehow I have avoided getting sick when everyone around me has been sick -- even after spending a week with more than 9,000 of my closest friends from around the country in the biodome that is Opryland. **knock on wood**

One of my closest friends in the beef community -- the one and only Suzy Sirloin!

For some reason I have been using that phrase a lot these days. That's a good sign. It means things are going well. As I have learned in writing this post, the reason you "knock on wood" is to summon positive spirits from the trees. Works for me!

Right now I need the positive spirits to be with me and Jonny Rocker -- that we get picked in the Ride the Rockies lottery! Our plan is to register with my good friends from Team Bar2Bar -- Hankster, Peanut, Woody, and Flip Flop Jenny -- meet up in Salida (the end city) and ride to the start in Alamosa (an 80-mile day).

Of course, we have to register first, but we have until Sunday, February 26, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Until then...

Ride On!

Daren

Ride the Rockies 2017 Route Announced; Welcome New Ride Director Renee Wheelock!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 14:15:00 +0000

The annual Denver Post Ride the Rockies cycling
tour will visit the southwest part of Colorado for
the first time since 2013 (click to enlarge).

The 2017 Ride the Rockies route was announced Saturday night at a party in downtown Denver. Registration for the lottery is open until Sunday, February 26 at 5:00 p.m. MST.

I wasn't able to attend in person this year as I was coming off a five day trip to Nashville that left me feeling as sore and exhausted as if I had just finished a week-long ride (It's no wonder, considering I took 51,608 steps covering 20.7 miles in five days at the Annual Cattle Industry Convention!). Actually, I could have gone straight from the airport to the party but the call of my own bed was strong and I went straight home and was sleeping soundly before the party ended.

I woke up thinking about the route announcement and checked my phone. As I was hoping (and predicted in a blog post I wrote on the plane to Nashville, but forgot to post!) the route is returning to the southwestern part of the state. I was also hoping for a kinder, gentler route than the Chandler Smith-era RTRs (Smith announced his departure last July following his 10th Ride the Rockies).

When Smith took over as Ride Director in 2007 the routes got exponentially tougher, punctuated by ridiculously long days with massive elevation gain -- like the time in 2014 he took us 88 miles and 8,800 ft. from Boulder to Winter Park (followed by a 95-mile day) or in 2015 when we rode 96 miles with 7,631 feet of gain from Grand Junction over Grand Mesa to Hotchkiss.

The 2017 route will provide me with another photo opportunity at the Bay of Chickens on Blue Mesa Reservoir in the Curecanti National Recreation Area:)

Chandler seemed to be trying to weed out recreational riders like me (who only put in 3,000-4,000 miles a year!). He put riders in dangerous situations -- like summiting 12,000 ft. Berthoud Pass after noon in a thundersnow storm -- and a 15-mile stretch of deep gravel in the middle of an 85-mile day. I’m glad he moved on. Time for a change. As I said in the post I failed to post:

"It’s time to return to the good ol’ days of tough but reasonable routes, recovery days following the brutal ones, days that don’t leave you so wiped out that you don't have enough energy to get out and party it up with the locals. Come on, RTR, you can do this. I’m counting on you!"

I think the new Ride Director, Renee Wheelock, has delivered! Advertised at 477 miles with more than 32,000 feet of gain the 2017 route is no Sunday afternoon ride in the park, but it includes a nice mix of long, tough days and shorter "recovery days" including a 39-mile "loop day" in Durango. As Wheeler said in today's Denver Post:

"We get quite a bit of feedback that participants enjoy a loop day, and some people enjoy taking that day off. Durango has a lot to offer in the way of stuff to do. The miles are short enough that people can get out and ride and enjoy."

I also prophetically hoped the route would include Ouray, saying in my unpublished post, "I've never ridden through Ouray. It would be cool to see a new town on the map."

An amazing shot of the spectacular
and dangerous Red Mountain Pass.

Sure enough, the route includes the stretch of road known as the Million Dollar Highway from Silverton to Ouray through the San Juan National Forest. This day features three mountain passes, including Red Mountain Pass (elevation 11,017), known as one of the world's most spectacular and dangerous roads!

The opportunity to ride the Million Dollar Highway pretty much seals the deal for me. Throw in Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs, Monarch Pass (the highest point of the ride at 11,312 ft. above sea level) and the finish line in Salida and this looks to be an awesome ride.

Sold. I'm planning to register for the lottery. Who else is in?

Ride on!

Daren

Team BEEF Cycling and Running Jerseys NOW AVAILABLE for Purchase

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 21:57:00 +0000

By now you've probably noticed that I wear a Team BEEF cycling jersey on group rides like Ride the Rockies and Cycle Oregon. I love showing other riders that healthy, active people can enjoy beef as part of their diet every day (like I do), along with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products. On every ride at least one person asks me where they can get a jersey with an awesome steak on it, like mine! Finally, I have a good answer!

If you are also a beef-loving athlete, head on over to Facebook and "like" Team BEEF USA. This will connect you with other beef-loving athletes from around the country. Then go the National Team BEEF store and purchase a jersey. It's just that simple!

Why did the chicken cross the road? To hang out with the guys on Team BEEF, of course!

What is your favorite jersey and what does it say about you?

Ride on!

Daren

2017 Cycle Oregon and Ride the Rockies Route Announcements Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 00:28:00 +0000

UPDATE (1/25/17): The Cycle Oregon route is out! And it looks AWESOME. The Crater Lake Adventure was announced yesterday. The Central Oregon Route features the mountains of the Cascade Range and picturesque Crater Lake, with options ranging from 430-490 miles and 24,186 to 30,656 feet of elevation gain. WOW. Anxious to see what Ride the Rockies comes up with to compare to that! Stay tuned for details.

Original Post
Both Cycle Oregon and Ride the Rockies will announce their 2017 routes in the next two weeks! I'm giddy with anticipation.

Cycle Oregon celebrates 30 years in 2017.

The Cycle Oregon route announcement party will take place at the Portland Art Museum on Tuesday, January 24. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the route will be announced at 7 p.m. If you don't live in Portland (or even Oregon, for that matter), you can also stream it live online!

According an an e-mail I received as a previous participant (see above), the first 500 guests will receive early registration codes for the Week Ride and the Oregonian/oregonlive will be giving away one free Week Ride entry (enter the raffle in the Sunken Ballroom by 7 p.m.). Cycle Oregon registration opens January 25, at noon Pacific time and stays open until the ride fills up (which never happened last year).

Ride the Rockies will be holding it's 32nd annual ride this year.

The Ride the Rockies route announcement party will be Saturday evening, February 4, from 6-10 p.m., at the McNichols Civic Center Building, 3rd Floor, 144 West Colfax Avenue, in Denver. I have attended this party in that past but will not be able to go this year. It is a fun event with lots of entertainment, beer from Colorado's own Odell Brewing Co., and a dramatic unveiling of the route. There are also opportunities to win free and/or guaranteed tour entries (Ride the Rockies is limited to 2,000 riders determined by a lottery). Registration opens February 5 and typically closes one month later.

If you are wondering what is the difference between CO and RTR, other than the route, here is my comparison of the two events.

My plan is to wait until both routes are announced, discuss with Jonny Rocker, then decide whether to do my 10th Ride the Rockies, my 2nd Cycle Oregon, or branch out and try something new.

Anticipation. Is keepin' me waitin'!

Ride on!

Daren

A Break in Training Retrospective

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 03:15:00 +0000

I was scrolling through my Twitter feed early this morning when a particular headline caught my eye. "Yes, they do," I thought, "and I did." So I clicked on the article and as I read the memories came flooding back.

“It has to do with the way cyclists tend to fall," says Dr. Brian Cunningham, MD, a Minnesota-based orthopedic trauma specialist. "When you fall directly onto your shoulder, your clavicle [or collarbone]—which has an s-shape—compresses and is prone to breaking.”

Yep, that's exactly what happened, shortly after a car passed me on the left (as I flew downhill at 35 mph), turned right in front of me (causing me to slam on my brakes and start fishtailing), and I slammed into the passenger side door (taking the rearview mirror off with my left knee), flew over the hood and landed on the pavement in the middle of the intersection.

You’ll know you’ve broken your collarbone almost immediately, says Dr. Subir Jossan, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with the DC-area Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. It’s not a subtle injury—moving your arm will be agonizing, and you may hear an audible crack as you hit the ground.

Well, I don't remember hearing a crack. I don't even remember hitting the ground, but when I tried to sit up the pain in my right shoulder was agonizing. I knew I had broken my collarbone even though the paramedic wouldn't confirm it. He told me later that they don't want to freak people out. I hated to break it to him, but I was already freaked out as I rode in the back of an ambulance for the first time in my life!

The big issue with this break is that when it heals right, it won't impair your long-term function—but that doesn't always happen, and the repercussions extend beyond your collarbone. The collarbone acts as a strut connecting your arm to your chest; any kink in that system could mean you’ll have prolonged problems.

Tell me about it. I had no idea how important the collarbone is to the rest of the body. My doctor explained that there were two treatments options, as outlined in the article:

A sling: A tiny, hairline fracture is a pretty simple fix. Usually the doctor will put your corresponding arm in a sling and tell you to come back in six weeks.

As my x-ray shows, I had more than a tiny, hairline fracture!

The surgical option: If there’s any sort of displacement—meaning part of the bone has shifted—things get more complicated.

Well, even though I had significant "displacement" my doc recommended putting me in a sling and giving it an opportunity to heal on it's own. He explained that even though he is a surgeon he prefers to avoid the inherent risks of surgery, if at all possible. I agreed.

“If you don’t have surgery, there’s a zero percent chance you’ll get an infection and a zero percent chance of needing to have hardware taken out," Cunningham says. If you skip surgery but the break isn't healing properly, you may endure six to eight weeks of mild discomfort only to find out that you have to have surgery anyway.

Unfortunately it didn't work and I began having issues with the nerves in my right arm affecting my ability to grip with my thumb. Not cool. So after six months I went under the knife to put the pieces back together.

Collarbone surgery entails placing a small plate over the fracture. In about 10 percent of cases, the plate may have to be taken out later; this is especially common in women who report irritation with purse or bra straps rubbing over the area above the plate.

I can feel all seven of the screw holes through the skin over my plate.

I did not have the hardware taken out. For the most part I don't have any issues with it (it doesn't even set off metal detectors) but I do experience some irritation when my computer bag or backpack strap rubs on the area above the plate.

I also think the nerves never healed completely because I get some tingling on my forearm from the crux of my elbow to my thumb. But I can live with that, given things could have been much worse, and ten years later I am riding more than ever. Looking back, it really was just a break in training.

Ride on!

Daren

Next up: the long, sordid story of the legal battle over "Whose Fault is it, Anyway?"

Winter Training

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 01:10:00 +0000

Colorado winters drive me indoors to
our library/workout room.

My number one fitness goal this winter is to avoid the winter weight gain that hit me hard last year. I stuck with my maintenance miles goal after Cycle Oregon and ramped up my miles on my CycleOps Fluid2 indoor trainer in December to account for the extra calorie consumption I knew would come with the holiday celebrations.

So far, so good. I gained a few pounds between Christmas and New Years but have already dropped back below 220, which is about 15 pounds lighter than I was at this time last year. I didn't get below 220 until July! I'm looking forward to NOT hauling that extra 15 pounds around when I get back out on the road.

My CycleOps Fluid2 indoor trainer.

In the meantime, I am working on building my aerobic and endurance base with my indoor training. My biggest battle with winter training is boredom so I have several routines I follow on the trainer to vary my workouts and keep it interesting. Some days I will do intervals for 30 minutes while others I will keep it at a pace I can maintain for 60, adjusting the resistance up and down gradually.

One of my "go to" routines is a take on a workout I remember from high school track called ladders. My version looks like this:

1 minute at my "flat road" gear (~90 RPM)

1 minute at a moderate climbing gear (~80 RPM)

1 minute at a steep climb (~70 RPM)

1 minute at a moderate climbing gear (~80 RPM)

1 minute at my "flat road" gear (~90 RPM)

For a 30 minute workout I will warm up for five minutes spinning at 10 RPM then do 4 sets of ladders (20 minutes) then cool down for five minutes.

Another simple interval workout is to spin at >100 RPM for one minute, then drop back to ~80 RPM for one minute, adjusting resistance up and down every two minutes.

Check out these five Quick Cycling Workouts for Power and Endurance from Bicyling.com.

My goal for January is to ride a minimum of 50 miles a week (30 mins a day for five days) to maintain my current fitness level. I will bump that up to 75/week in February and March. By April I hope to be getting back out on the road for longer rides on weekends and in May I will start riding to work (25 miles each way) when possible (depending on work and weather).

What is your winter workout routine? Please share your secrets!

Ride on,

Daren

2015 vs. 2016: What a Difference a Year (without injury) Makes

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 02:02:00 +0000

2015 was the year I learned that the IT Band is not a nerdy rock group.

I've seen a lot of posts this week about how many miles people ran in 2016 and people setting a goal to "run the year" (2,017 miles in 2017). I don't run much these days (if at all, for fear of inflaming my IT band, as I did in 2015) but this made me wonder how many miles I had ridden in 2016 and what my goal should be for 2017. I jokingly told one Facebook friend I would match her 2017 goal to run 2,017 miles -- on my bike -- but knew that would be far less than I had ridden this year so I need a better goal than that (like resolving to BEEFit)!

So how many miles did I ride this year? Of course I tracked all my rides on my Garmin Edge 810 so was able to quickly look up my total miles for 2016 on Garmin Connect. I was actually surprised to see that I rode 3,737 miles this past year.

This screenshot of my 2016 rides from May to December shows the lead up to Cycle Oregon (Sept. 11-17) and maintenance rides through the end of November.

Without even going back and looking up past records I know that is the most I have ridden in one year. Given that I was close to 4,000, my daughter suggested I could set a goal to ride 4,034 miles (doubling up on 2017). I kind of like that idea but I spent a LOT of time on the bike this year (219 hours, 15 minutes and 52 seconds, to be exact) and am not sure how much more time I want to spend in the saddle!

By comparison I decided to look up 2015 miles. This time I was surprised how low they were. I only rode 1,779 miles in a year? How could that be? I didn't think I'd ridden fewer than 2,000 miles in a year since my first Ride the Rockies in 2005.

This screensot of my rides from May to December 2016 paints a very different picture. My IT band injury put me out of commission for nearly five whole months!

So I looked at the calendar more closely and the answer was clear. I only rode NINE times between July 1 and December 1. Remember that IT band injury? Probably not, since I never wrote about it. So here goes...

All along the Water Tower in Chicago

One week after Ride the Rockies 2015 I was running in downtown Chicago. I love to run along the Miracle Mile and the trail along Lake Michigan. I was cruising along and stepped off a curb and felt something pull in my right hip. I limped along the remaining miles and could barely walk the next day.

The run along Lake Michigan can be a little uneven in spots, which is one cause of IT band injuries (running on an uneven surface)

I tried riding a few times after but had knee pain that was unbearable. The IT band can wreak a lot of havoc when it is not happy! After reading up on it I decided rest was the best road to recovery and literally sat out most of July, August and September. The good news it worked! The bad news is I gained about 20 lbs. during all that sitting, and holiday eating. As a result it took me a lot longer than normal to lose my winter weight this past year.

I wrote about why old guys get fat in winter several years ago, focusing on the hibernation theory. This year I think the answer is pretty obvious. I burned 170,310 fewer calories in 2015 (153,160) than 2016 (323,470).

Getting out of bed to ride in winter is hard!

Fortunately I had more time to get into fighting weight before Cycle Oregon in September than I normally do for Ride the Rockies in June. I would have had a hard time hauling my ass over the mountains weighing 235 than I would at my normal 215!

Training for a ride in September meant that I stayed motivated throughout the summer and early fall. Typically I have a hard time getting back on the bike after my big event. This year I was determined not to let that happen and set a goal to ride at least 50 miles per week in October and November, which I did. I stepped that up to 75/week in December.

I like to set up my CycleOps trainer in front of the TV and watch the AFC West Champion Kansas City Chiefs!

A lot of these miles were ridden on my CycleOps Fluid 2 indoor trainer, which involves constant peddling (riding outdoors it's normal to coast 10, 20, even 30 percent of the time and provides a great workout.

So here I sit on January 2, 107, weighing in at 223 lbs., ten pounds less than last year at this time and around my normal for this time of year. I want to get that back under 220 ASAP and hold it there until warmer weather returns and we emerge from hibernation!

The question is: which big ride am I going to do this year: Ride the Rockies or Cycle Oregon? Another possibility Jonny Rocker and I have discussed is doing our own ride, either self-supported or supported by our wives. Let me know if you have any suggestions for other week-long rides or planning your own route.

Ride on!

Daren

A Tale of Two Rides: Cycle Oregon and Ride the Rockies

noreply@blogger.com (Daren Williams) — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 20:53:00 +0000

After completing nine of the past 12 Ride the Rockies cycling events I decided to explore new terrain this year and headed west to Go for Gold on Cycle Oregon. As my brother and I researched various rides around the country I often wondered how each ride would compare to Ride the Rockies. If you are looking for a life-changing adventure, both Ride the Rockies and Cycle Oregon are great events, well supported by amazing staff and volunteers who pull off the logistics of moving 2,000 riders from stop to stop, providing aid stations along the route, Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles, bike maintenance, medical support, and accommodations, but if you are trying to decide between the two there are some key differences to consider.

Looking for epic climbs? Ride the Rockies has them! Hint: so does Cycle Oregon.

One thing both Ride the Rockies and Cycle Oregon offer is beautiful scenery. Over the course of nine RTRs I have witnessed the depth and breadth of the Colorado Rockies from Rocky Mountain National Park up north to the San Juan National Forest in the south. I've ridden over most of Colorado's iconic mountain passes including Wolf Creek, Cottonwood, Monarch, Independence, Loveland, Vail, Trail Ridge Road (in both directions) and Grand Mesa from the north (ranked the 3rd toughest climb in Colorado and 24th in the U.S.!). To say the scenery is stunning is an understatement.

Ride the Rockies features stops in popular Colorado mountain towns like Telluride (Leslie and I at the start of RTR 2013).

The Rocky Mountains make a nice backdrop for the music stage at the overnight stops on RTR.

I have only done Cycle Oregon once but the 2016 ride ride did not disappoint in the scenery department. From the rugged Pacific coast up the Rogue Rover Valley into the remote Klamath Mountains, the views were jaw-dropping at every turn. This video from Cycle Oregon 2016 offers a bird's eye view of the amazing diversity of the landscape along the coast and coastal range of southwestern Oregon.

In talking with other riders who have done Cycle Oregon in the past, I'm certain it delivers in the scenery department whether riding around Mt. Hood, the Willamette Valley or pretty much anywhere along the coast! So, if you are looking for a scenic ride, you can't go wrong with either Ride the Rockies or Cycle Oregon. But there are several key differences between the two rides. In general, Cycle Oregon provides more of an "all-inclusive" model while Ride the Rockies is more of an a la carte experience. As Cycle Oregon Ride Director Steve Schulz said, "All you have to do is show up and ride. We take care of everything else."

For the most part, that is accurate. You also pay for it. The fee for Cycle Oregon 2016 was $985. The fee for Ride the Rockies 2016 was $495, almost half the price. What makes Cycle Oregon so much more expensive?

Food

Food is one of the biggest differences between the two rides and likely accounts for the majority of the difference in the registration fee. Cycle Oregon provides all the meals -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- as well as snacks and water stops along the route. RTR also provides snacks (fruit, chips/pretzels, etc. along the route but food at the designated lunch stop is provided by vendors who travel along with the ride selling everything from burritos to burgers. While this provides more options there can also be long lines for food during peak times. RTR also works with local charitable organizations to provide a community dinner but there is a charge for that as well (with proceeds going to the charity). I typically go out to eat on RTR, preferring a good steak or burger to the typical pasta and poultry offered at the community dinners.

I was concerned that the meals provided on Cycle Oregon might not measure up to my expectations. After all, the options on the registration form said "Vegetarian" and "Non-vegetarian." :) But the food was actually pretty good and included plenty of animal protein (there was one line for vegetarians that was never full and several lines for "non-vegetarians" that were always full but not long). Let's just say that it provided sufficient sustenance and was convenient. The bottom-line is that eating out is not an option on Cycle Oregon, at least not this year, given the remote location of most of the overnight stops, but I'd prefer more food options if given the choice.

Accommodations
Both RTR and Cycle Oregon provide a designated overnight location with spots for camping, shower trucks, and port-a-potties. On RTR this is usually a school, which is also open for "indoor camping" (in hallways, doorways or packed in the gym like sardines). I tried this one night on my first RTR and hated it. It's noisy, cramped and there is zero privacy. I much prefer to sleep in a tent. The other option is to pay for hotels, which many people do on RTR, where most of the overnight locations are resort towns with lots of hotel options. Hotel options were very limited on Cycle Oregon this year -- two of the nights there were no hotel options anywhere near the overnight location.

Several of the overnight stops on Cycle Oregon were nowhere near hotels or restaurants, like this overnight in Camas Valley.

Our campsite at Bandon-by-the-Sea on Cycle Oregon 2016

My brother and I booked a room overlooking the ocean in Gold Beach (where we spent two nights in the middle of the week) but camped out the other five nights in our own tents. I used to camp every night on these rides but putting up and taking down your own tent every day takes a lot of extra energy so it's nice to take a break from the routine and sleep in a bed with your own bathroom, shower, etc. Another option is the tent and porter service (aka "valet camping") offered on both rides if you want to shell out several hundred dollars ($450 this year on Cycle Oregon) to have a tent ready and waiting with your luggage (both rides carry one bag per rider from stop to stop).

Camping within site of the beer, food and music tents is a bonus. No busses!

One thing I loved about the accommodations on Cycle Oregon is that the beer tent and entertainment were always located at the campsite (and were open from 12 noon to 10 p.m.). On RTR they are often at a separate location requiring riders to either ride on a shuttle bus or walk -- neither of which are ideal, especially late a night after numerous adult beverages! It was really nice to be able to stumble back to our tents when the music stopped and the beer tent shut down.

Shower trucks and Port-a-potties

Cycle Oregon scores a win in this category with superior port-a-potty and shower truck logistics. Whether it was simply having more shower and potty space per rider or the way they were spaced out around the camp, we rarely encountered a line for either.

Port-a-potty logistics on these rides are amazing. I like the way Cycle Oregon spread them around the campsites rather than lining them all up in one or two locations like Ride the Rockies.

Mileage and Elevation Gain

We rode 431 total miles in seven days on Cycle Oregon, an average of 61.5 miles per day. This is pretty similar to the RTRs I have done, which usually average around 65/day. I was on the longest RTR in history in 2013, which totaled 545 miles in seven days (~78 miles per day). Frankly, that's too much time in the saddle for me to be able to fully enjoy the ride. I've also done an RTR that featured more than 30,000 feet of elevation gain, which is too much climbing for me. By contrast, Cycle Oregon 2016 was around 26,000, which is closer to the average for the RTRs I have done and is much more doable.

The thing that caught me off guard on Cycle Oregon was the steepness of the climbs. These two videos offer a glimpse of the steep Forest Service roads we traversed on Day 2 and Day 5.

The climb up Weaver Creek Road featured grades of more than 15% for two miles. It is the toughest stretch of road I have ever ridden (yes, even in the Colorado Rockies).

The descent from Bear Camp on Forest Road 23 made the 15-mile climb to the top worthwhile! Sorry for the shaky video. Blame the Forest Service.

Suffice it to say Cycle Oregon provided every bit as much of a climbing challenge as most of the RTRs I have been on. But the one thing Cycle Oregon can't compete with RTR on is ALTITUDE!

Check out this climb up Loveland Pass (elev. 11,990) on RTR 2014...

And just for fun, here is the descent on Lookout Mountain into Golden, Colorado, later the same day...

Scenery

As you can see, both Cycle Oregon and Ride the Rockies offer amazing views of some of the most beautiful areas of our country. I definitely enjoyed the views along the coast during Cycle Oregon, which is something the Colorado Rockies don't have to offer.

On the other hand, the Rocky Mountains offer simply stunning views...

The bottom-line is that if you are considering a weeklong cycling adventure this summer, you can't go wrong with either Ride the Rockies or Cycle Oregon. My plan is to check out the RTR 2017 route when it is announced on February 4 and decide whether to register, but I'd love to come back to my home state this year and complete my 10th Ride the Rockies.

Ride on!

Daren

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