Applepie

Sierra to the Sea Bicycle Tour

The Seattle area has the Seattle to Portland tour, here in the Bay Area in California we have the Sierra to the Sea bike tour - "a scenic and challenging 8-day bicycle and camping tour through Northern California." This year tour will be help on June 19-26, 2010. "Starting in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the tour traverses the Sacramento and Napa Valleys, passes down the Pacific Coast, crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and concludes at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco." A total of 420 miles, with an average of 60 miles per day.

Seems to me that this is less strenuous than a one day STP ride (~206 miles). Not sure yet about elevation gains in the Sierras - which could make this a more interesting tour. One can also add a Lake Tahoe Prologue which ads 3 extra days of riding around Lake Tahoe.

Registration starts on January 19th, 2010 at 6:00pm and can fill quickly - based on past tours this can be 1h to 1 day. If you are interested, you need to be ready to sign up on the 19th at 6pm.

Garmin Edge 500 Cycle Computer

The 2010 cycling season is about to start for me and I am looking at upgrading my cycling computer. I currently use a Polar watch with cadence and speed sensors in addition to the typical heart rate data. In my new system, I am looking to adding GPS data for accurate altitude information, and for tracking my routes. I would also like to add an Power meter. I am currently considering the Garmin Edge 500 cycle computer. The basic Garmin Edge 500 setup tracks distance, speed, location and elevation with high sensitivity GPS. The Edge 500 is compatible with the Ant+ devices, making it easy to expand the system to add heart rate monitor, speed / cadence, and power meters.

Quote of the Day

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond told The Associated Press:

"When I heard it was synthetic hormone, it is almost impossible to be caused by natural events. It's kind of a downer."

I am no doctor, but last I checked, synthetic is defined as "Produced by synthesis, especially not of natural origin. Not natural or genuine; artificial or contrived. Prepared or made artificially."

Cris Pierry

Finally completed 1 week of cycling

My cycling season got off to a slow start this year, but I was finally able to complete 1 week of "training". Since I have been off the bike since March, my focus has been on rebuilding my base instead of working on any specific skill. Time on the saddle is more important now than speed. Consistency is critical, and "days off" to recuperate is crucial.

Here is my cycle log for the past week:

Fri, July 14th -- 20 miles, 1h 30m
Sat, July 15th -- 20 miles, 1h 15m
Sun, July 16th -- 31 miles, 2h
Mon, July 17th -- rest day
Tue, July 18th -- 31 miles, 1h 55m
Wed, July 19th -- 40 miles, 2h 30m
Thur, July 20th -- rest day

7 days, 142 miles, 9h 10m riding.

I plan on keeping a similar schedule for the next 4-6 weeks, maybe increasing my long ride to 50 miles instead of 40.

The World's Healthiest Foods

Along with resuming my cycling regiment comes the need to eat healthy -- check out "The World's Healthiest Foods" web site for a great list of healthy eats!

Trivia question: What fruit is this? It has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup contains only 48 calories), it delivers more nutrients per calorie - an outstanding health benefit!

.... Watermelon.

Good Luck STP Riders - I wish I were there...

Good luck to all who made it to this year's STP event. Wish I could be there...

First training ride...

I finally had a chance to ride again. After taking 3 months off the bike, I went out for an easy 20 miles ride today.

How things change, at this same time last year, I was in top form, able to complete a 200 mile event in 10.5 hours.

Today, 1 year later, all I could do was 20 miles in 1.5h. It is a long road to getting back in form, and shedding the extra pounds, but the summer is still young, and the sun rises at ~5:20 am every day!

I noticed that RSVP (ride from seattle to vancouver and party) is already sold out - bummer. But RAW is still open - 400 miles in 7 days... hummm

It is good to be back riding again.

The end of cycling season

My cycling season is over just 1 week after I started serious training. I haven't been on the bike for 2 weeks now due to an injured back. MRI results today have confirmed a re-occurance of a slipped disk S5-L1. A trip to the doctor has resulted in a scheduled operation for Monday.

I will be off the bike for at least 2 months. This will leave me with just 4 weeks to train for an STP attempt - hardly enough time. Maybe I will focus on a late summer or early fall event such as RAW on Aug 19 to 26.

But for now I will focus on getting better and I will worry about cycling after the surgery.

Bummer.

Mac OS and 3rd party compatibility

No matter how much I may want to use only Mac computers, the harsh reality is that Windows is the dominant OS and various companies continue to only support Windows and ignore all other systems. The latest example is Garmin. Garmin makes a great cycle computer, the e 305, that incorporates a GPS unit, heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, etc... The only missing feature is a power sensor.

All the data is capture in the cycle computer and it can be downloaded to your PC for analyzes and to overlay the ride data on a course map - the Garmin Training Center software is included free of charge. But alas, it requires Windows XP. No Mac version is available, and none is planned, just like my Polar Cycling Watch. If I want to use the full capabilities of the unit I need to have a Windows PC.

Cycling Training - Finally!

I finally got my cycling training under way! I did the first STP official training ride on Saturday, and I completed a loop around Lake Sammamish on Monday. 70 total miles in 2 days -- finally a real start for the season.

If only I hadn't let my form (and weight) go unchecked during the winter months... All in all, I am super pleased with how my first two "long" rides went, average speed was around 16 mph, with long cruising periods at 21 mph. Much better than at the same time last year.

STP: 16 Weeks to Go

Seattle to Portland (STP) ride is 16 weeks away. Cascade Bicycle Club has a series of organized rides that provide a great foundation for anyone planning on completing the STP event - either in the typical 2 days ride, or the more strenuous 1 day format.

My cycling training this year will consist of the following rides:

• Weekend Cascade Training Series rides - typically on a Sunday, with distances increasing each week until a century mark. The training series is a great way to get comfortable riding in a large group and meeting other STP participants looking to form your own "pace line" team for the event itself. The first ride was 30 miles in distance and it increased by about ~5 miles each week.

• Weekly Eastside Tours - Tuesday edition. 20 to 30 miles around the eastside in king-county, WA. The rides starts and ends at Marymoor Park parking lot K and mostly goes through different hills around Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Woodinville.

• Week Eastside Tours - Thursday Edition. The same format as the Tuesday series.

• One weekly ride of my own. My chance to practice my pace, work on my form, and ride w/ friends who might make up my pace line team for the STP.

I will mix these training rides with some official events, such as the Tour de Cure century in May, Seven Hills of Kirkland, and the Flying Wheels century in June.

The Tuesday and Thursday training rides are great early in the season, later on, as the STP approaches, the pace is too slow for any serious training and your time might be better spent on more strenuous rides of your own.

First Official STP Training Ride

The Cascade Bicycle Club sponsors a STP training ride every weekend 4 months before the official STP ride. I knew the training series was about to start, but I didn't remember that it would start today (they are often held on a Sunday).

Good thing that I am still in a weird time-zone schedule and got up at 4.:30 am - I now have time to prepare my bike and gear for the first official training ride - 30 miles.

If I am feeling adventurous, I will ride to the start line as well - adding about 20 miles round-trip.

Ride starts at 10:30 am from Warren G Magnuson Park.

Only caveat -- "Rain Cancels", and it is raining right now - maybe one more reason to ride to the start line. Worse case, I will do at least the 20 miles round trip.

For more ride details, visit the Cascade Club Web Site - Training Ride.

Cycling Season: Week 2 Results

Results from my second week of training for the 2006 cycling season.

Spinning: none
Miles: none

I did manage a 45 min family ride with my kids but that's all the cycling and exercise I managed to do. A business trip, preparation for an office move, and house hunting have consumed all of my free time.

With the Africa Safari coming in late May and early June, I will be hard pressed to complete a 1 day STP unless I manage to put in the miles early in the season. And yet, I will be in Dubai for the next 7 days -- spinning is the best I will be able to do for now.

Cycling Season: Week 1 Results

Here are the results of my first week of training for the 2006 cycling season.

Spinning: none
Miles: none

Beautiful weekend weather but house hunting matters consumed all of my time and energy. All I managed to do this first week was 1 hour of family riding in the trail, and reconnect the bike trailer to my car.

Not a great start to the season.

Start of Cycling Season

I am officially starting my cycling season, after having missed the "Chilly Hilly" event this past weekend.

Work intensity has been high, with an extended trip to Spain and Italy during February, which pretty much meant that I didn't get to ride my bike at all.

My "rain bike" update has been delayed as the folks at Redmond Cycle struggled to find a carbon fork that would fit my aging 1998 Softride frame. But word is that the bike will be ready for pick up before the weekend - can't wait.

This year I hope to better balance my cycling training with other personal activities; the trick will be to find enough time to train for another 1 day STP attempt.

I will start tracking in the blog my mileage, and cycle time to keep me honest and on track.

Weather Forecasting

My current hobbies, nature photography and cycling, are very much dependent on the weather - neither is much fun in the rain. Check out the weather forecast for the next 10 days. I wonder if you can get any faster by reading cycling books :-), or any better by reading camera manuals.

Seattle International Bicycle Expo

2006 Group Health Seattle International Bicycle Expo

February 18 - 19, 2006
at Warren G. Magnuson Park

More than 150 exhibits of bikes, gear, travel, health and fitness. Expo is one of the largest collections of bike businesses and organizations in the country under one roof.

Winter Cycling

My summer bike is an Orbea Orca which I love. The Orca is perfectly set for my riding style, and I took great care on fine-tuning my riding position to my body's specific measurements.

For winter and spring riding on the Pacific Northwet, it would be better to have a more accommodating ride that is more suitable for the rainy weather condition.

I have an original 1998 Softride Powerwing 700 bike. Unfortunately the softride is also not setup for winter riding - starting with its carbon fiber rims, and aluminum forks.

Here is my current plan to transform the Softride into an ideal wet road bike that can nicely complement the setup on my Orca.

In essence, I will keep the unique Powerwing 700 Frame and I will upgrade the other components.

Softride Powerwing 700 Upgrades

Group Set: Campagnolo Chorus with a compact crank
Forks: TBD
Handlebar: FSA K-Wing
Pedals: Look Keo
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium SL w/ 28" tires

Light System: Niterider Moab HID

This should give me a great all weather bike!

29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet

BellyBytes.com has a "healthy food hot list" consisting of the 29 food that will give you the biggest nutritional bang for you caloric buck, as well as decrease your risk for deadly illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Bold claim, I know, but it is a interesting list nonetheless, and provides great food for thought.

For me, I don't need to worry, I always tell my daughter (a vegetarian since the day she could distinguish animals from vegetables), that I am also a vegetarian of sorts. You see, I eat things that eat vegetables ;-)

All joking aside, and onto more practical matters, cycling season is nearly upon us, and unfortunately for me, I have taken to the Jan Ullrich winter diet program.

It is now time to start shedding the extra pounds gained over the winter and focus on regaining my form in time for another 1 day STP attempt.

2006 Cycling Season

The 2006 cycling season is fast approaching, and once again I am reminded of the challenges of mixing in two demanding hobbies with an intense start-up like work environment.

My main goal for the 2006 cycling season is to complete the RAMROD event - Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day: 154 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain over two mountain passes.

Besides RAMROD, I am hoping to participate in the following rides:

Event Miles Date
Chilly Hilly 33 Feb 26
Tour de Cure 100 May 20
Flying Wheels 100 June 17
STP 206 July 15

Whether I will be able to complete these events while also preparing for my African Safari is still to be determined. The Flying Wheels event itself is already at risk as I will be returning from Africa on June 10th.

A "Century" a month, for 12 months

My cycling hobby has taken a back seat for the past 6 weeks.  I was unable to participate in the RAW event this week due to an unexpected family emergency.  Now my goal of doing a century a month for 12 months is in jeopardy. 

So far I had done the following cycling events towards the UMCA Mileage Challenge:

• Tour de Cure century in May, 2005

• Flying Wheel century in June, 2005

• STP double century in July, 2005

I was counting on RAW to do my August 2005 century.  Not good, only 1 weekend left in August not 1 mile ridden this month.  I need to find a better routine that will enable me to accommodate a heavy work schedule, my family needs, and my photography and cycling hobbies.

Apple and the Compatibility Tax

I have run into two major issues since starting my Mac journey: system performance and software compatibility.

Add yet another application to the growing list of software packages not compatible with the Mac OS X. 

I use a Polar 725 watch for my cycling training.  The 725 records my heart rate, my speed, my altitude, my cadence, ambient temperature, and my power output.  All of this data is transfered back to my PC, where I can measure and graph my training progress.

Here is what Polar has to say regarding Mac compatibility: "Polar heart rate monitors are not compatible with Macintosh computers. ...  Polar Precision Performance 3.0 software has been designed for compatibility with Windows based operating systems only. Those with Macintosh computers should be made aware that emulating software will not resolve this incompatibility."  See Polar FAQ.

In other words, it doesn't work on a Mac - period.

The choice of using OS X comes with a heavy burden. 

Cycling Adventure: RAW - Riding Around Washington

My cycling adventure is fast approaching.  I signed up to participate in this years Cascade Bicycle Club event appropriately named R.A.W. Ride Around Washington.

In summary, we will ride 500 miles around Washington State in 5 days, from August 21st to the 26th, 2005.  When I signed up for this event little did I know, I was in the peak of my cycling training for the year.  I had just completed a 2,000 miles/10 week training cycle in preparation for a successful 1 day STP - Seattle to Portland attempt (204 miles completed in 10.5h of saddle time).

Unfortunately STP was completed 1 month ago today and I haven't been on my bike since.  1 week time off for good behavior, a busy work schedule, a business trip to Australia, and an operation all contributed from keeping me off the bike.  R.A.W. starts in 12 days.  No much time remains for me to regain my cycling legs and, I am sure, shed a few extra pounds.

Let the games begin.