Bikes, Beer, and Broken Bones

Six Hours of Cramps Race

2011-04-23T23:32:00.003-05:00

I'm exhausted. Raced in the six hour "Outwit, Outlast, and Outride" mountain bike race in Brownsville today. Solo. I almost didn't get to race as I stripped my seatpost collar clamp five minutes before the race while adjusting my seat. Frantically, I asked around, and fortunately another rider loaned me a spare. I installed in on the start line just before the race started. That was a sign of things to come. On the second lap my rear tire started to give on the turns as it slowly leaked out precious air. Stopped and blasted it with a CO2 cartridge and was back in the race. It held for another lap and started to go flat again. Pitted and aired it up again. Bonked on the fourth lap as my heart rate got too high. Several riders passed me as I slowed to what seemed like a crawl to catch my breath. Lost a lot of time. I recovered over the next few laps until lap seven when I started to cramp in my legs. I popped Sport Legs, drank Gatorade, ate banannas, but nothing helped. I struggled for the rest of the race fighting cramps and had to stop every lap to stretch. When I finished my 10th and final lap, my legs seized up like 2x4s. Two guys had to lift me off my bike as I yelled out in pain. They laid me down in a seat and I gingerly laid there for several minutes until my cramps subsided. I came in 4th place in the 40 and over solo category, missing out on a medal by one spot. With everything that happened in the race, I was happy to have finished my "Six Hours of Cramps" race. Until next year.

2011-03-14T15:54:00.006-05:00

Feel better today. First day since surgery that I am able to walk without using my cane. My hip is still sore. I am trying not to do too much to avoid opening the stiches. I pass the day watching tv and movies. One of the movies I watch is "127 Hours". Watching the movie makes me feel like a real wimp. Here is a guy who amputates his arm to escape from being trapped by a boulder after five days. Talk about cojones. I don't think I would have the mental strength to do that. I couldn't even watch the part of the movie when he amputates his arm with a small pocket knife. Could you?

I'm No Longer Screwed

2011-03-10T21:32:00.011-06:00

Had surgery this morning to remove the four inch lag screw they screwed into my femur head two years ago to repair my broken hip. Arrived at the outpatient surgery department at Mission Regional Hospital bright and early at 6 a.m. Nurses came in and asked me a bunch of questions to make sure they had the right patient. Changed into the standard hospital gown. Why can't they give men something more masculine than a gown? They put in an iv and wheeled me off to surgery. Last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist giving me a shot and I blacked out. Next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery room two hours later. After the effects of my anesthia had wore off I was discharged. The doctor prescribed Vicoden for the pain. Yes! I was able to walk with a cane out of the hospital, which gave me hope for a speedy recovery.

Can You Say Faceplant?

2010-11-23T22:48:00.005-06:00

Finally I have something exciting to blog about. Went out for a Tuesday night ride with a group. Since it was a "no drop" ride I thought it was going to be a slow and easy ride, so I brought my singlespeed and my 10 watt helmet light. A group of 12 riders showed up for the night ride. We started the ride with Jesus in the lead. Just as I expected, we rode at a slow pace for most of the ride, having fun, talking, stopping to shoe an armadillo off the trail and to look at a spiderweb. It was a nice, leisurely ride until Champain Run, when Marcos and Nico, two fast riders, took off like race horses exploding out of a starting gate. I stood up and mashed my pedals in a sprint to try catch them. Because I was running only one light, I couldn't see that well and I misjudged a roller which threw me off balance. I narrowedly missed hitting a cactus at full speed and went flying OTB (over the bars). I smacked the ground hard with top of my helmet first and then my face. Ouch. Can you say faceplant? The impact knocked my helmet visor off. After lying on the ground for a few seconds, I slowly got up and checked my face, feeling for blood. To my amazement I wasn't bleeding. My top lip was a little swollen, and my face felt like I had taken a hard right from Mike Tyson, but for the most part I was ok. Shaken from the fall, I finished my ride on the Hike and Bike, carry my broken off visor in my pocket. So much for my leisurely nightride.

Cat Scratch Fever!

2010-10-09T20:28:00.006-05:00

Rode Sullivan City in the morning. Got out of bed early and picked up Nico. Met Jacobo at the parking lot. Jumped in Jacobo's truck and off we went. Nick, McFly, Richard, Don, Kelly, Sergio, and Marty were out there when we arrived. We did a warm-up lap with Don leading the way. With loose rock and dirt, Sullivan City can be tricky to ride. Two riders went down early in the lap. A couple of mean thorn bushes out there. Nico brushed one and his right arm looked like he was a victim of cat scratch fever. No one else escaped. I left with some good scratches on my lower right leg. We completed a two more laps. I was thrilled that I didn't wreck and I was able to make most of the grueling climbs. It was a good training ride for the 24 Hours of Rocky Hill. :)

Those Little Bloodsuckers

2010-10-07T22:38:00.004-05:00

Got in training ride with Grape, Nico. We met at the trails and put in a hard ride. As the sun was going down we decide to put ride the Hike and Bike to Bensten. Another 30 minutes later and it is dark. Nobody has lights, except for Brian, who as a blinking, red taillight, which is not much help. I had taken off my sunglasses, and the mosquitos and bugs were hitting me in the face. We are speeding down the Hike and Bike, when Nico averts disaster when he nearly runs over an armadillo. In the dark of the night I heard the armadillo's feet scurrying to get out of Nico's way. We keep riding until suddenly my front tire starts goes flat. We have to stop and change my tire. Without a flashlight, we use our cell phone displays. To make matters worse, the mosquitos attack us. We finally manage to get the tire changed after 15 minutes and finish out our ride. We roll into the parking lot tired and with a little less blood from those little bloodsuckers.

Save A Prayer

2010-10-03T16:43:00.002-05:00

Save A Prayer is one of my favorite songs from the 80s band Duran Duran. They were the bomb back in the 80s. Lots of hits like Hungry from the Wolf, Rio, that you most likely remember if you are my age. The song played in my head after I took a ride on my mountain bike out to La Lomita Chapel in Mission. I rode out there to say a prayer. I say a prayer for the Mission Nature Park and trails. I snap a couple of photographs of the religious items inside and outside the chapel. I saddle up and hit the road back, take a left a Military Road, and catch the Hike and Bike back to the parking lot, and then back to my house. Here is a link to the Save A Prayer video on Youtube. Enjoy!

911. My Mouth is on Fire!

2010-09-30T23:52:00.004-05:00

Went to eat some wings and drink some frosties at Buffalo's Wings and Rings with Grape and Nico after a ride at the trails. When in came time to order, I jokingly tell Nico to order a couple of the "Atomic" sauce wings, which are the hottest ones they make. Suprisingly, he calls my bluff and orders 5 with the order. Hungry from our ride, we tear into the various wings when the waitress sets down our order on the table. I down a couple, staying away from the "atomics". I finally get up the courage to try one after watching Nico down four. A picture tells a thousand words. In this picture, Nico is screaming, "these fricken' wings are hot! Call 911. My mouth is on fire!!". After a few frosties, I get up the courage to try one. I take a bite. Mistake. My mouth ignites like a gasoline fire started by a match. For the next few minutes I rub ice cubes on my lips to cool the hottness from the "atomic" wings. Woah! The wings are hot!

Day 443 - Surf and Turf

2010-08-14T22:30:00.021-05:00

Did the Surf and Turf Adventure Race today at South Padre Island. The race started at 7:30 a.m. with a 2 mile run to Schlitterbaun. At Schlitterbaun we jumped into the water and pushed a tube around the park. After a quick lap we hopped out of the water, picked up a map, and ran to the first of five stations on the map to perform an activity to get a token. At the first stop we walked up a flight of 8 stairs to get our first token. We ran to the next stop where we sorted a stack of shorts by sizes. Finished up the run back to Louie's and grabbed our bikes and hit the remaining 3 stations. Rode our bikes down to a horse stable on the north side of the island to throw a horsehoe around a ring. Then to beach access point four where we bounced 50 yards in the sand on a big rubber ball. Jumped back on our bikes and rode to the south side of the island and beach access point six where we filled up a sandbag and carried it 100 yards. Finally, we rode back to Louie's where we jumped into the bay and swam 100 yards out in the bay and back while pushing a big inner tube. Using the tokens we had collected we decoded a three word phase and raced to the finish line where we collasped, exhausted, two hours after we had started. We finished 3rd in our category and took home a nice plaque for our efforts. Here's a pic.

Day 429 - Riding the Border Wall

2010-07-29T23:29:00.006-05:00

Here's Nico climbing the side of the levy of the Border Wall near Chimney Park in Mission. The drops are about 30 feet long and a 40 degree angle and are fast. The climbs are the opposite. It is a great leg workout. Brought along my pocket cam and took some footage of the fun before my pocket cam slipped out of my shorts pocket and crashed on the concrete and my batteries bounced into the grass! I hope I didn't break it. Lost a battery. So I had to rely on my trusty digital camera. Snapped a couple of shots of Brian and Nico descending and climbing the wall. We had a lot of fun riding the side of the Border Wall and got in a good training ride for the adventure race at SPI in two weeks.

Day 423 - I'm Pissed!

2010-07-22T22:38:00.006-05:00

I'm pissed! I dinged my mountain bike today after my group ride at the trails with Nick, Chuy, and Nico. It wasn't even on the trails. I did it after the ride. Nico and I met up at the convenience store after the ride for a frosty. Was backing my truck backward into a parking spot at the convenience and didn't see a big ass steel lamp post hiding behind my truck. Hit my mountain bike and pushed it off several spaces on my bike rack. Slammed on my brakes when I realized what was happening. Jumped out of the car and ran back to check out my mountain bike. To my dismay it had a 1/2" dent on the side of the top tube 5 inches from the seat tube. Fortunately, the protective film that I had put on the top tube protected the frame from being scratched or the damage would have been worse. However, it coudn't stop the dent. I take good care of my bikes, so I was upset for the rest of the night. :( I drowned my sorrow with a few frosties when I got home.

Day 419 - Miles to Go Before I Sleep

2010-07-18T19:59:00.000-05:00

Been putting in the miles the past few days. Rode for four days straight. Thursday did 15 miles on a group ride with the club. Friday did 25 miles solo. Saturday did 25 miles with Nico out to Bentsen, and Sunday did 10 miles solo at the trails. For a grand total of 75 miles. Wow! I think this is the most miles I have ridden in a week for a long time. These miles should help me since I have decided to do the Surf and Turf Adventure Race--a run, bike, paddle event at South Padre Island in August. So my training has begun. Running, weight lifting, and mountain biking. It reminds me of a verse from Robert Frost's famous poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening".

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Day 418 - Beer Memories

2010-07-17T19:54:00.001-05:00

Stopped by the grocery store Saturday night to pick up some brew. Bought a sampler pack from Breckenridge Brewery. It is a brewery in Breckenridge, Colorado, that brews some tasty microbrews. I've been to Breckenridge a couple of times to ski and snowboard. Stopped by the brewery too. The sampler pack has one brew, a vanilla porter that brings back a special memory. FLASHBACK. We were driving back one year from Breck and we almost ran out of gas. It was like 2 a.m. in the morning, and I couldn't find a gas station so we parked at a closed convenience store. My wife and two sons were in the car. It was like 30 degress outside. Fortunately, I had a six pack of Vanilla Porter that I had bought at the brewery in the car. We all sat shivering in the car and drinking Vanilla Porters and watching Austin Powers "Goldmember" on a dvd player, until we fell asleep. A cop pulled up at 6 a.m. and escorted us to a gas station where we were able to get gas and get back on the road. It turned out the gas station was less than a mile away! Argh!

Day 417 - 25 Miles

2010-07-16T18:24:00.009-05:00

Took off the day from work so I could take my wife's car in to be fixed. After I dropped the car off at the dealer, I came home and put on my cycling clothes and went out for a ride. I rode the same route we did yesterday, out to Anzauldua Park. I rode past the Anzauldua Bridge and followed the road all the way down to 23rd Street in McAllen. I couldn't go any further because the underpass was flooded (that was my excuse) so I turned around. The ride back was easier as I had the wind to my back. However, it was close to noon and it was hot. The heat sapped my energy and sweat out of me. I dropped my pace and it became less of a training ride and more of I-just-want-to-make-it-home-ride. I stopped at a convenience store on the way back, bought a Powerade, and chunged it down. It helped. I got back on my bike and made it home, 25 miles after I had started.

Day 416 - Crossfit Crazy!

2010-07-15T22:56:00.000-05:00

Nico, Roland, Jaime, Sergio, Dante, and I did a group ride down to Anzauldua Park to check out the flooding from Hurricane Alex. We rode down to the park at a nice, easy pace. The park, as well as a few of the bars down by the river were several feet underwater. We stopped and took photos of the flooded park. The water is rushing over the park road in the picture. On the ride back, Nico, who is doing Crossfit, a high intensity core strength and conditioning program that combines weightlighting, sprinting, and gymnastics, goes Crossfit crazy! He shifts into the big ring and takes off full speed, dropping us like flies. We chase him for several minutes, hitting 20 mph. We finally catch him. This happens several more times during the ride, until we finally reach the parking lot. So much for the easy pace ride!

Day 412 - A Real Bunny Hop!

2010-07-11T22:09:00.014-05:00

In mountain biking there is a term called a "bunny hop" which describes a move on our bicycle to launch your bike into the air and off the ground. It is a useful move to clear obstacles that you encounter on the trail such as logs, ditches, rocks, etc. I learned it after riding a few months and can bunny hop a good 6 to 8 inches off the ground when needed. That's nothing compared to some riders. The world record the bunny hop is 4 feet 8 inches by Benito Ros of Spain: Highest Bicycle Bunny Hop - Guinness World Records Video. Anyway, we decided to do a little bunny hoping at our bicycle club's pool party and club meeting after a couple of frosties. Check out Grape as he demonstrates how to do a real bunny hop!

Day 411 -- Round Three. Ding. Ding.

2010-07-10T22:06:00.017-05:00

It seems like an eternity since I've ridden the trails. In reality, it's been two weeks. The last trail ride I got in was the pre-hurricane Alex ride. Yeah! So with apprehension, I drove to the trails not sure if they would be dry or completely covered in grass. I got on my mountain bike and rode completing the new lap. The ground was soft and robbed the momentum from my tires. It felt like I was riding in quicksand throughout the ride. The good news was the trails were for the most part dry. The bad news was the grass was beginning to overgrow sections of the trail. Looks like round three of trail maintenance is about to begin. We have aleadry taken two big punches from rains in April and May. And now Hurricane Alex. It's been a tough fight. Ding. Ding. I hope we don't get knocked out. I finished up my ride into the parking lot, my arms covered with grass seeds stuck to the sweat on my arms. Between the grass and the soft trail it was a lackluster ride for my first ride time back on the trails.

Day 404 - Frickin Nature Watch

2010-07-03T18:11:00.016-05:00

Got up at 6 a.m. Was suppose to ride Sullivan City with one of my riding buddies. Turned on my phone. Text message from my friend that he couldn't make it. I had a hutch that is was something to do with him texting me the night before that we was planning to drink tequila with a couple of his friends. Can you say "hangover"? Since I had my bike and gear loaded from the night before, I decided to head over to the trails anyway for a ride on the Hike and Bike. Got on the Hike and Bike and rode to Bentsen and the World Birding Center. Half way around the park, it started to rain. I quickly ducked into a covered bird watching hut to escape from the rain. While waiting for the rain to stop, I listened to rain fall, and the birds call, and watched the javelinas roam around. My ride had turned into a frickin nature watch. Sigh. Finally, the rain stopped 20 minutes later and I got back on my bike and finished up my ride around the park and and rode back to the parking lot.

Day 402 - Not a Happy Camper

2010-07-01T23:22:00.004-05:00

Woke up Thursday morning, expecting it would be raining. To my surprise its not. It turns out that Hurricane Alex made landfall further south in northern Mexico and we escaped the high winds. However, we didn't escape the rain. We got at least 6 inches of rain throughout Wednesday, flooding the trails. It will be at least a few days before we will be able to ride. Mother Nature is cruel. I'm off of work for the next four days and I can't ride. And the rain is going to cause the grass at the trails to grow everywhere again. Just as we were finally getting caught up with trail maintenance. I'm not a happy camper thinking about it. Maybe it's time to take up road biking. No more trail maintenance. No more getting dirty. No more wrecks. Get me a road bike. Just riding on the road in a straight line...On second throught, I'll take trail maintenance and tight, twisty singletrack over the straight road on any day.

Day 400 - Pre-Hurricane Ride

2010-06-29T18:29:00.004-05:00

The first hurricane of the season, named Alex, is headed for the Rio Grande Valley. It was projected to make landfall Wednesday night in northern Mexico about 100 miles south of Brownsville. Instead of making hurricane precautions at my house, I called for pre-hurricane ride. Got to have your priorities straight. Bike first, hurricane second. LOL. The National Weather Service was projecting hurricane Alex to dump 6 to 12 inches of rain on us. That meant the trails would be flooded for a few days to a week. Headed out to the trailhead and met up with Nick, Grape, Marty, Marcos, Tweezer, and Ridehard. We took turns leading the group and putting in a good, fast pace. You know it is a good ride when people hit the dirt. Tweezer went down on one of the loose Berms. Ridehard also hit the dirt. We ended up doing at 10 to 12 miles. Satisfied I went home to get ready for the hurricane.

Day 395 - No Fear Grape

2010-06-24T22:33:00.009-05:00

Rode with Grape today at the trails. Grape is one of the best mountain bike riders in the club. He's fast and has no fear when it comes to riding, especially technical stuff that no one else would dare ride. I remember on a ride at Sullivan City back in 2008, when he did a gnarly, 20 foot, descent down a steep, rocky drop that was scary just looking at it. That's the picture I took of him riding it. What made it more impressive is that he rode it on my old Trek Fuel since his bike was messed up. He just hoped on it and rode it like it was nothing. Anyway, back to our ride. Since it was just him and me, I was expecting it to be a fast ride, since there would be no one to slow us down. I was wrong. His back was wack. He rode slow and gingerly, not wanting to aggrevate his back. He managed to finish the new lap and we finished up our ride. I hope his back gets better. I don't like riding slow. I like the No Fear Grape.

Day 391 - That's Why Its Called Tweezer

2010-06-19T12:04:00.005-05:00

Nico and I rode our singlespeeds on Saturday morning at the trails. I had brought him his fixed bike and he was looking forward to trying it out. We hit the trails with him in the lead. He put in a fast pace. I was impressed. We were flying on the Upper Levy Run. He kept up the pace until Jackhammer when we slowed down for a while. He enjoyed riding his singlespeed. I took this picture of him as he came blazing around a turn. His singlespeed is fun to ride, since he has a high rise stem. His handlebar position almost feels like you are riding a chopper. We were riding along fine on Tweezer when he came too fast in a turn and I heard a loud crash. He went down after losing his front wheel in the loose dirt. Luckily, he fell next to and not into a cactus. He did pick up a few cactus thorns, which he pulled out with a tweezer. That's why it is called Tweezer. We mounted our bikes and rode, finishing up where we started on the Upper Levy Run. He made all the climbs. It was a fun ride.

Day 389 - Grass in My Shorts!

2010-06-17T22:33:00.012-05:00

Ate a bunch of my mom's chicken salad - yummy! - before I headed out for a bike ride with Ridehard. Bad idea. Ridehard said we were going to take it easy. He must of meant in the parking lot, cause he took off like a rabbit as soon as we hit the trails. We completed half of the new lap up to El Gato climb and I had to stop because my stomach hurt. Stood still for a a minute or two hoping my stomach, which was turning summersaults, would settle down. It didn't help. Something wanted to come out. Hastily, I bummed a small roll of toilet paper from Ridehard and went off to find a secluded spot in the tall grass. I dropped trou and squatted, trying not to poop on myself. Quickly it came out. It was mushy. I wiped, pulled up my shorts and started walking back to Ridehard. As I walked back, I kept feeling something poking me. I stuck my hand into the back of my shorts and felt around and pulled out a few long strands of Johnson grass. I has grass in my shorts! It must of gotten stuck in there while I was pulling up my shorts. It was comical, like the scene in a movie where the roll of toilet paper gets stuck in someone's pants and trails behind them as they unknowingly walk around as everyone laughs. We shared a good laugh, got back on our bikes, and finished up our ride. Mountain biking tip: always carry tp in your camelback, and always check your shorts before you pull them up! LOL.

Day 387 - Tired of Being a Skinny Scarecrow

2010-06-15T21:55:00.008-05:00

After months of procrastination, I finally began weight training. I'm tired of getting pushed around and being called a "bag of bones". Ha, if you remember those print ads you're old, like me. The real reason is I wanted to strengthen my core. Mountain biking works the legs, but not the upper body. I purchased an e-book online on a MTB-specific workout with dumbells. Took some exercises from it and added my own. My workout consists: situps, pushups, plank, curls, overhead press, reverse lunges, and squat. I started with 10 lb. dumbells for the curls, press, lunges, and squat. I do three sets of repetitions of each exercise, except for pushups. I could only do 5 pushups. How pathetic! I'm hoping that increasing my core strength will lessen the back soreness that has been lingering with me for the past 6 months. Will see if it works. I don't like lifting weights. It feels like a chore. It is not as exciting as riding my mountain bike. Will see how long it lasts.

Day 386 - Singlespeed Workout

2010-06-13T21:32:00.000-05:00

I rode Sunday afternoon. Took out my singlespeed for a spin. She was getting lonely since I had ridden her in a while. Enjoyed my singlespeed ride. It is a good leg workout. When you want to accelerate on a singlespeed you have to stand up and crank. Same goes for climbing. I think I may be too spoiled when riding my full suspension bike. It's easy to stay in the saddle and spin. You can't be lazy when riding a singlespeed. The only thing I don't like about riding my singlespeed is my body takes a beating. Been seriously thinking about moving to a 29er singlespeed to smooth out the trail. Today marked the third consectutive day that I have ridden. I rode Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I estimate I have ridden 30 miles this week. For me that is good.