Retüling

This fall I've been lucky enough to have friends get upgrades, giving me the opportunity to get some used components to upgrade my bicycle.  As such, I was able to replace the OEM equipment that came with my Scott S40 (which was mostly Shimano Sora-level equipment) with a SRAM Force/Rival groupset, along with a set of OEM brakes from Pinnerello.  While it would seem like the new groupset would be the bigger focus, the brake really made a big difference in how the bike handles downhill.  I didn't realize just how poor the braking power was on that bike until I had new brakes on the exact same bicycle.  

That isn't to say that the SRAM drivetrain didn't change the feel of the bike.  Much of the feel that I got from the SRAM ride experience in late October has come through quite clearly even without a frame update.  It may be psychosematic, but the bike seems to feel better overall since the change.  It's taken several rides to get used to using double-tap for shifting instead of the thumb-shifting on the Sora, but the transition has been very smooth.  The biggest issue for me so far has been accidentally shifting to a smaller cog when I'm at the top of the cassette.  The new crank is VERY slightly longer (175mm vs 172.5mm), and after a few rides I've gotten used to the changes there as well.  

Earlier in the year I had signed up for a contest sponsored by Retül, and as a part of it I received a coupon to get a fitting.  After getting the new groupset, and realizing that it had been 18 months plus more than 6,000miles since my last bike fit, I figured now would be a good time to make sure the bike was properly adjusted to my fitness.  Bad form on the bike can relate to injuries in the long term.  Injuries that you cannot recover from with a little bit of rest.  I made an appointment to go in to Greenville Cycling Center and get a Retül fit.  It was worth every penny spent.

Even though the weather was a little bit poor, I decided to just ride down to GCC, as it is only about 3miles from work on the Swamp Rabbit Trail to their offices.  I got there a little early, so I had a little time to relax and be amazed by the CompuTrainer setup.  I made sure to wear one of my sleeveless base layers, as I was told.  

Jason and Jim started out by putting my bike onto the trainer they had set up for fittings, making sure that the bike was level.  The Retül system looked at a very basic level like a really big XBOX Kinnect sensor.  You could see multiple cameras facing the bike at a set distance, and they had the data set up on a big TV at one side of the trainer for review.  The trainer was on a platform and had a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer and a Retül device coyly named a Levül to help make sure the bike sat level.  They replaced my rear skewer with a trainer skewer that had a knob on the end to give a spot to mount a level to make sure that the bike was on level before doing any adjustments.

They asked me the standard battery of questions (height, weight, cycling goals), and then took my measurements (outseam, arms, wingspan, etc).   From there they set up a table for me to lie down on to test my flexibility and core strength (definitely not my strong suit).  Jim went through several stretches and exercises ranging from arching my back to push-ups to one legged squats.  It definitely brought home the work that I needed to focus on during the off-season, as my core definitely needs work (that plus doing push ups on a padded table isn't a whole lot of fun).  Jim also noted that my hip flexibility, especially inward, was very poor.  Time for more stretching!

After completing my fitness evaluation, it was on to getting the bike adjusted!  They started by noting the current measurements on the bike.  The saddle was (once again) pointing nose up, along with slightly left.  The nose up part was definitely an issue, and they corrected it (once again) back to level.  We chatted for a bit about a new seat post, as this one has had the "nose up" issue a bunch this year.  It's definitely a future investment on my radar.  The next step was for me to get several velcro dots applied at my joints so that the Retül camera could track my motions.  

Once dotted up and having the sensors applied, I had to ride at approximately 90rpm for 30s while the camera recorded the motion on my right side.  They then spun me around and had me spin again at 90rpm for 30s to capture the motion on my left side.  This allowed them to not just look at how the bike fit me, but also how I was tracking while pedaling without just "eyeballing it".  They found 2 issues that they wanted to correct immediately:  First was that I was sitting too low, and thus not fully extending my leg at the bottom of my stroke.  The second is that my knee wasn't tracking straight;  noteably the upstroke was curving slightly outward.  They also noted that my hips shift such that my right side is pushed slightly forward.  The hip shift didn't concern them, but the knee motion did.

The first adjustment was to raise my saddle by 10mm!  This doesn't sound major, but in bicycle fit terms, small amounts are huge adjustments.  The second was to attempt to fix the knee track by adding in spacers on my pedals.  After making the adjustments I ran the test again (30s @ 90rpm for each side) to see if the tracking was better.  The saddle height fixed most things, but the pedal spacers didn't help the knee motion

For the second adjustment they removed the pedal spacers and placed shims in my shoes.  Without seeing my street shoes, Jim could tell that I underpronate while standing;  That is to say that I walk/stand on the outside of my foot.  This is of note because even going into running stores it takes the fitters a few iterations of measurements and triple-checking the wear pattern on my shoes for them to really believe I underpronate because it is so uncommon.  He also was hopeful that the shims would also help my knee to track more evenly.  After another 30s @ 90rpm for each side (anyone else feeling like this is cooking instructions yet?) my knee tracking was slightly better on the left side, but not magically better.  Everything else was dialed in almost perfectly, so we are hopeful that if I focus on core and stretching that my knee will start tracking in where it should be.  

The end of the appointment was spent going over the report generated by the Retül software.  The detail in the report was incredible, and it really made me comfortable that my fit was really dialed in.  I was still a little concerned over my hips being shifted, along with the difference in crank length between my original OEM equipment and the new Rival crank I had just installed.  I was assured that the neither was an issue.

SRAM Ride Experience

On October 25, Greenville Cycling Center and SRAM hosted a Road Ride Experience.  This was the first time that I've really had a chance to ride a bike that wasn't my trusty Scott S40 since I seriously started riding, and I really didn't have a good idea of what expectations to have on the differences between various components.  Ride Experiences like this are designed to get you interested in the manufacture's equipment, and give you a chance to try everything out.  While it was a rather chilly lunchtime ride, I was excited to give it a shot.

I got to the ride tents around noon, when the event started, and while they transfered my pedals over to the test bike I had a chance to talk to the local SRAM sales representatives and the techs that were there.  Once they had the test bike set up, they gave me a quick overview of the components that I would be riding as a part of the experience.  I was going to be trying out the SRAM Force22 group set, along with Zipp 404 Firebrand wheels and a complete Zipp carbon cockpit (stem, handlebars and seat post).  After a few minutes of training on how SRAM double-tap functions, and a chance to try it out on a pair of shifters, they had me do a quick loop and make sure everything was set okay on the bike.  



The drive train is the real reason that I was interested in the Ride Experience - I've done the homework on SRAM, from how double-tap works to weight and function of the derailleurs, and I was really interested in trying it out.  The 22-series is designed to give a wide number of gears with a limited number of overlapping selections.  One of the features that they showed me was how the front derailleur has a trim function to allow for a wider distance from chain ring to cog, allowing for less chain rub than a traditional setup.  I had a 11-32 cassette on the rear, and a compact (50-34) crankset.  The shifting on SRAM is also unique, as they use a single lever design for shifting each derailleur.  A single slight throw moves the rear derailleur to a smaller cog, and varying longer throws move the rear derailleur between 1 and 3 cogs larger.  

 
The representatives at the booth also gave me a complete rundown on the Zipp 404 wheel set that I was going to be riding on.  I was honestly a little nervous about riding on carbon wheels, as my size typically puts me at the top end of the usual weight scales.  The other added worry is that because of my size I put a lot of stress on brakes as I attempt to slow down.  I was assured that these wheels were rated to 240lbs, which should have no issues handling me at a measly 205lbs.  They also educated me on the material and shape of the rims, and how they had spent the time to develop the rim such that it wouldn't overheat while braking, and that cross winds would not cause steering issues even given the deeper nature of the rim.  Given that it was a rather blustery day, I was sure to test out if they were accurate with the rim shape!

The last thing that they talked to me before I headed out was minor, but I really wish they had it.  SRAM earlier this year released bar mounts for the Edge 500, 510, 800 and 810 series cycling computers.  The test bike was equipped with a mount on it that I could have placed my Garmin on, if I didn't have an Edge 305 right now (which uses a different mounting system).  The SRAM guys told me about an adapter they released recently that allows my Edge 305 (or a 605 or 705) to connect to their bar mount!  Alas, they didn't have any of the adapters on them and I just placed my garmin into my jersey pocket before I headed out.  I will definitely be visiting Bike Street to get one VERY soon.

In order to give it a real shake down, I decided to ride up the Swamp Rabbit Trail and give a go on Paris Mountain.  I do this climb fairly often, so it would give me a good chance to see how the bike acted and how the shifting worked.  On the way up to Paris Mountain, I never had a reason to leave the small chainring (34 tooth).  The selection of gears that I had available to me was quite sufficient to have plenty of speed (the top speed on SRT is 20mph) with a good feeling of cadence. The shifting, while quite different from the thumb shift of my Shimano Sora shifters, was quite natural.  There were a few times where I'd accidentally shift gears the wrong direction, mostly when I was playing around in being in the largest cog and attempting to downshift further.  



Once on Paris Mountain, I wasn't attempting to necessarily get a personal record up the climb, but I wanted to see how everything worked together.  Having a super light bike, light wheels, and a high end drive train should mean that I would have little issues with climbing, right?  Well, that really isn't the whole story, but I'll say that I found that no matter where I was on the climb I always had access to a gear ratio that allowed me to climb without having to put out extra effort.  In fact, up until the last grunt, I felt more inclined to climb in the saddle than be standing and really putting power into the crank.  I attribute some of this to bike fit, but a lot of it was that I was comfortable enough in the saddle and could keep a cadence that didn't make me feel like I had to stand to keep going.   When I finally got to the top, I still had a energy to spare, meaning that I could have put more into the climb than I did, but not being completely drained when I got done was quite nice.  I noticed the power of the brakes as I attempted to turn around, making me hop a couple of times because of the angle of the road where I chose to make my U Turn.  

Descending Paris Mountain was going to end up giving me a real feel for how the Zipp 404 really handled.  The wind was blustery on the north side of the mountain, giving a good cross wind to the descent.  Also I've already been working on attempting to not bomb downhill, but rather keep control, so I'd be testing out the heating of the wheels and the feathering of the brakes.  Several times during the descent I got a good solid wind gust hit me, and I could feel the bike being pushed around.  Even during those pushes I never felt like the steering was impacted, or that I had anything but 100% control of the bike.  While I didn't attempt to go super slow on the way down, I did keep my speed in check.  A couple of times I could hear the brakes start to get noisy, but at no time did I feel like the wheels were overheating or that I was losing braking power.  Even at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill I had plenty of braking power to not be using a "Kung Fu Grip" to get the bike to stop.  The ride back to the start point was very uneventful, but I did spend more time playing around with the shifting on the way back.

After returning to the event booth and getting my pedals put back on my bike, I rode back over to work, my lunch break being over.  The last part of the experience was for me to get back on my trusted steed after being on such a high end machine.  I now had a tactile way to understand what I'd get if I upgraded to a new high-end bike.  The only way that I can explain it to non-riders would be to say it's like the differences in a Camry and a Lexus.   My Scott is very functional, shifts when I want it to (mostly) and takes just about everything I throw at it from day to day.  Getting onto the test bike I could feel that it was significantly lighter and more responsive, and that shifting was much more crisp.  It never hesitated to react when I gave it power, and overall it had a very muted and comfortable ride compared to my Sportster.  From a comfort perspective the cockpit was much easier to keep my hands in a comfortable position, and I felt that shifting was always very easy to reach no matter where my hands were on the hoods or drops.  Braking was powerful and snappy as well. 

So in the end, I had a fantastic time trying out the various pieces of SRAM equipment, and I gained some very valuable insight into these components and what to expect from SRAM when I get new components.  While a major bike upgrade for me is more than likely more than a year away, knowing what I like and how various components act and feel is going to be vital in making my next bike purchases wise ones.  I wish I had an opportunity to try out disc brakes, and maybe a power meter, what I tested was definitely in line with what I'd like to get in the nearer future.  At this point I'd put Zipp cockpit and drive train upgrades pretty high on my wish list of components, although I have to say I'm still in love with my Boyd Wheels, and riding the 404's really didn't change my opinion of that.

Two Years

September 2011 was a time of rather large changes for me.  I took a new job which meant moving, and at least for the first couple of months it meant being away from my family for an extended period of time.  I had lived in Orlando, FL for 17 years, so moving to Greenville, SC was a big change in atmosphere (and altitude), and it was time for some fresh beginnings.  One of my friends that had moved to the area years before had been telling me about the cycling scene, but I didn't really have a frame of reference on what that would really mean for me.  After my first day of work, he took me out on a bike ride, letting me borrow his mountain bike to ride in the area around where he lived.



This was the start of something new and fun.  It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed the ride.  The second night he introduced me to the Donaldson Center scene.  I borrowed a road bike from another friend of his, and we rode around the loop that the racers ride.  He also let me borrow a heart rate monitor so I could see how much effort I was exerting.  While I don't have the HR data, I do remember something about seeing 200 as being a bad thing...



That was all it took to get hooked.  That weekend I went to the local bike shop and bought my first road bike, a Scott S40.  In the 24 months that have passed I have ridden 8,693.0mi while finding a hobby that has brought me into better fitness and health.

My family has since moved up to the area, and we all are leading healthier lifestyles.  Our "new normal" has brought about changes for all of us, and for me it saw my weight go from a peak of 262lbs in 2011 down to a low of 204lbs this year.

September 2011 - seems like a lifetime ago

Assault on the Carolinas 2013

I have managed to tackle new challenges both on and off the bike, but the challenges on the bike are more quantifiable.  My first challenge was just traveling the swamp rabbit trail.  I used Strava segments to quantify my improvements.  From there I set my goals to complete the Stars and Stripes Challenge, which was a cancer fundraiser that was held as a part of the US Pro Cycling Road Championships when they were hosted in Greenville, SC.  In order to complete that challenge I had to be able to make it to the top of Paris Mountain, which was the featured climb of the route.

Notice "you made it!!!" behind me

At this point I had been selected to be a part of a local radio show weight loss competition known as "Rob's Big Losers".  Having focus on my cycling goals, as well as the competition, allowed me to set sights on lower my weight and getting my overall fitness improved on a grand scale.  In the 12 weeks of the competition I lost over 40 lbs, climbed local route known as "the watershed" and completed my first 5k.

Without a doubt, I was hooked.  Since then I've completed my first metric century (2012 Wheels for Meals), completed the Stars and Stripes Challenge, climbed Ceaser's Head Mountain, Green River Cove, Skyuka Mountain Road, Hogback Mountain, and Mt Mitchell.  I completed my first century as a part of the 2013 Assault on Mount Mitchell.  I've continually set new challenges in front of me to spur me on to reach new heights.  

Looking back at the last 2 years, I started out the ride yesterday to follow the same route that I took around Donaldson Center in September of 2011.  It was windy, and a bit chilly, but it was amazing to think back and realize how far you can go with a lot of faith and determination.



I've climbed the segment known as "the last little hill at Donaldson" 29 times prior to last night, but this ended up being a personal record, beyond efforts I've done while in a group.  Being able to look back gives me a lot of pride in how far I've come, but it also makes me realize that I'm not done yet.  There are so many other challenges out there, and so many things I hope to share with my family as we continue on our journey together.  While none of them have quite gotten bitten with the cycling bug the way I have, I hope to one day see their faces when they scale Paris Mountain.

My current goals are to continue to see fitness improvements, and get better as a climber.  I'd love to see my time on the steep side segment of Paris Mountain at about 15 minutes, and to be able to complete the Hincapie Gran Fondo route (also known as the Marquis de Sade by locals) in under 6 hours.  I have also verbally committed to riding in the 2014 Ride to Remember for Alzheimer's awareness.  This would be my first "multi-day tour", as the route spans over 250 miles from Greenville to Charleston.  I'm also hoping that I can start budgeting for more events further from home.  My long term goals are to get strong enough to be "bucket list certified" such that I could do the CTS challenge in front of the Tour of California.  All of these new challenges are cumulative  and build on the efforts I've already put out.  They won't happen overnight, but having goals, and a sport that I truly enjoy, is what keeps me going out on the road.

Cycling Darwinism

what is your role in a group?

I was introduced to cycling as a sport in late 2011.  Since then I have taken a liking to riding, individually and in group rides/events.  I've taken to following a lot of cycling blogs online to learn more about the history and lore of the sport, so I can be a better member of the peloton.  My Bike Law posted up an article titled "the lost art of the group ride".  I have gone back and read this article several times, and I always end up taking away something new from it.  The article used the phrase "Cycling Darwinism", and it has really struck a chord for me.  I think it may be multi-faceted, showing just how much cycling has changed in our society in 20 years as well as well as accurate describe the current toxic landscape.   

Growing up, the idea of a group ride to me was "riding with my friends".  I lived close to my K-6 school, and riding our bikes was the way that we commuted.  We would ride to and from school, the local "jiffy mart", the beach and/or river.  We were never introduced to endurance events back then, it was just transportation to us.   Even then, we had planned events at school where the police officers would come over and explain the rules of the road and give us "courses" to ride through to educate us on the proper way to handle ourselves on a bike.  We learned the rules of the road.  We enjoyed our freedom.  We rode our bicycles.

Over the past 20 years there has been an increased interest in the sport.  Cycling is gaining a lot of traction as a fun and accessible sport for a large number of people.  While it is not inexpensive, it's a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors and have a sense of accomplishment.  Professional athletes like Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, and George Hincapie have increased awareness of the sport.  Similar to the effect that Jack Nicholas, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods have had on golf, more people are participating.  The problem is that as the scene increases in size, the number of leaders has dwindled.  The people that would have been leaders in the past are overwhelmed and burned out, and are not actively attempting to mentor new leaders.  This has created a vacuum in what the group ride knowledge, allowing for chaos to creep in.

In today's environment, information is not held in the hands of just like ride leader.  Similar to the effect of the Gutenberg Press, the Internet has increased the amount of information available.  This should be a mostly positive impact but what it does is allows folks, similar to myself, the ability to read up on massive amounts of information to distill it into something I can attempt to implement.  It makes me into a "paper ride leader", with little experience or period of mentoring to really understand all the concepts that I have studied.  Since there is a lack of true leadership and experience by these folks, when they are asked to lead they are uncomfortable with the role and often have bad experiences early on, leading them to not want to continue to lead.

Beyond this, Internet based services like Strava, TrainingPeaks and MapMyRide have introduced professional level terms and concepts into the average ride.  No longer is it about the ride and the people you are with that particular day.  Now you have a GPS-enabled bicycle computer and you are tracking your data against how you did last month.  Typically I hear this called the "Strava effect", because of the popularity of the site along with the controversy of the "segments" that it created.  Now people can indulge themselves to get a personal and/or overall record in an unusual (or unsafe) area.  The group has started to crumble as folks continue to chase after numbers on a screen.  Now the group ride looks more like an individual race, where the goal is getting a faster time or showing how much better you are than the rest of the group.  

Ever feel like this?

At this point, group rides in my area are commonplace.  On any given day I find around a half dozen different available rides within a 30 minute drive of my home.  Each of these rides will have at least a dozen cyclists show up.  The goal is seldom about the complexities of a group ride, but rather to be in a group ride for the expectations of that is what is done.  This may be due to a mix of the different factors, but more often the rides I experience end up devolving into races and power plays;  experienced riders wanting to put pressure onto younger rides to see what they are made of.  Younger riders wanting to cut their chops, get better, or prove themselves.  People looking to get a better time on the internet-based tracking service of choice this week. 

There are also the mystical "private group" rides, that are invitation only.  We know these exist, because there are indications of their existance, but it doesn't mean that you can (or want to) participate in them.   They wish to be left to their own little clique, and work to their own ends.  Just like a professional Team doesn't let anyone come practice, you shouldn't expect to get invited to these groups

I've now stumbled my way through a vast wasteland of potential and actualized issues in the current environment of the mutated cycling scene.  Darwinism states that things evolve and adapt to their environment.  Based on the original article and my own personal experiences, it seems that there is a current toxic environment versus the "golden age" of the group ride has created a beast that is not ideal both for the experienced rider, who remembers fondly what it once was, as well as newer members looking to connect to the heritage of the sport.  The largest question in my mind comes is "where do we go from here?"  We all ride for different reasons, but it seems that the collective idea is that we should bring those reasons to a group ride today.  Chasing a personal best, crushing our cycling nemesis, and riding intervals probably don't need to be goals for someone that is riding to their local shop ride on a weekend.  Learning to be a better group-mate, or teaching a green rider the ropes, may be. 

Which road do we chose?

At this point I think each of us that is searching for the ideal group ride needs to evaluate the local situation that we ride in, and determine if we are in the right environment.  I find just this  part a bit daunting. I am comfortable with the rides that I do each week.   This one act is going to immediately make me re-evaluate the very core of my cycling self.  What role do I want to be in a group?  Am I doing the things I should be in order to improve myself to handle that role?  Do I even know all the roles that need to be handled?  There's a lot to deal with.  I already know that I am not experienced enough to be an actual ride leader.  My cycling journey is young;  what I should be doing is looking to mentor with established leaders: understand the roles, learn the ropes, get stronger.  If I ever get strong enough to be an effective leader, then I should be actively seeking out future leaders to grow into the leadership roles.  

As it stands now I don't feel that the art of idealistic group ride is lost, but it's definitely endangered.  It will take a lot of effort by people that truly love the sport, and remember what these rides were about, to bring it back to life.  It will also take getting a new generation interested in more than just their suffer score, but how much greater of an experience they can enjoy if they work together for something greater.

Dread (aka the Week Before...)

After two disappointing weeks in a row due to knee soreness and bad weekend weather, I'm now fully facing the intersection of "need to taper" and "not losing fitness".  After spending over 5 months preparing for the Assault, I know that I'm as ready as I'm going to be for the event.  I believe that I can manage my efforts and be ready for almost 4 hours of climbing when I get to Marion.  I brought the bike in last week for a check up, although there is still a ticking noise I'd like to clear up before Thursday if I can figure out what it is.  The last time I had this symptom it was as simple as my bottom bracket getting a little loose, so hopefully it's another simple fix.  

Due to timing, Mitchell is going to end up being my very first Century.  I've done 80mi rides already, and I've done an insane amount of climbing.  Still nothing is really going to prepare me for exactly what Mitchell is going to be.  The current long range forecast shows a high in the low 80's for next Monday, without a significant chance of rain at least for the ride to Marion.  It is comforting to know that the weather conditions shouldn't be too extreme.  

This is the first time since I got on the bike in September 2011 that I've had to seriously plan "tapering" prior to an event as well.  Up until now I've been focusing on "push harder", "ride more" and "get stronger".  The events that I've done haven't been to the level of endurance training that I couldn't just dig deep down and get through it.  The events haven't been about time for me, they were about completing the course.  I'm not focused on time for Mitchell, but I know that there is a timer going from 6:30am that I have to be done before a certain time or risk not completing the course.

The biggest thing that I have to work through is the big event jitters.  Right now I'm dealing with waves of absolute dread at the scope of the challenge I have in front of me. The fact that I'm taking on this challenge seems daunting.  Various folks have asked me "am I ready" for the event.  I haven't found the best way to say that I don't ever feel like I'm truly going to be "ready".  To me, being ready places an amount of confidence in myself and my ability to master the situation.  I've prepared myself for the challenge.  I've gotten myself as ready as I'm going to be.  I stared down the Hincapie Gran Fondo last year and blinked.  I believe I could have finished the course, but I was worried about how long it could take me to get back and missing out on the festivities.  

There is no blinking on Mitchell, and I have no doubts that I can finish the course.  But there will always be that lingering doubt about taking on challenges like this.  The difference is listening to the doubt, or continuing to the mountain.

Bring on the Mountain.

Not the typical "High" for 4/20

When most people think of getting high on 4/20, the end result is not to think about a bicycle ride.  No water purifiers or rolling paper was utilized as a part of the experience!  That said, this year I was invited on a ride to scout the final 30 miles of the Assault on Mount Mitchell, which is where it all starts to become uphill.  

As a recap, the Assault on Mount Mitchell is a cycling event out of Spartanburg, SC.  After riding approximately 75 miles, you reach the base of the Blue Ride Mountains, and start climbing up to the top of Mt Mitchell.  Mitchell happens to be the highest point in the eastern United States, located just outside of Asheville, NC.  The goal is not just to conquer the Beast of the East, but to do it after riding through the foothills for several hours.  

For the sake of this ride, I got to experience the trip starting with semi-fresh legs.  I say semi-fresh, because I had gone out Thursday during lunchtime and worked on some climbing on Paris Mountain outside of Greenville, SC, not intending to do any serious climbing for the weekend.  Originally I wanted to do repeats after work, but when the weather looked transitional, I squeezed as much of a ride as possible into my lunch.  Thus I pushed hard up the mountain.  I was then invited by a few folks I had met during the AOMM training series to ride up Mitchell to get a feel for what I'd need for effort after making it to Marion.  

We set out early Saturday morning, and parked just off of Highway 80 in Marion, NC.  After getting the bikes set up, we started up highway 80 towards the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This ended up being a good warm up section, and we kept the pace reasonable.  The obvious goals today for me were to keep my efforts in check, and to get an idea for the pacing and total effort required to enter the chute during the actual event.  I wasn't out to set any personal records at max efforts.

The final 5 miles of Highway 80 contain a decent amount of climbing to them.  Strava rates this segment as a Category 2 level climb, similar in effort to Ceaser's Head.  The overall grade was reasonable, and I didn't really notice any major double digit gradings on my bike computer as we climbed to the top.  There are 2 switchbacks to deal near the end of the climb, but they were very manageable.  The views at this point were pretty, I noticed a really awesome dam as well as a reservoir and fishing communities on the way up.  

At the top is the junction with the BRP, and we took a real short break.  We made the turn onto the parkway, which to me marked the second segment of the ride.  You spend approximately 11 miles riding along the majestic roadway.  I was captivated by the constant view of the surrounding area.  It made the climb go by quickly.   This section has 3 segments of climbing, and 2 small descents.  Again there were no double digit grades to deal with, and here there were no switchbacks.  There are also plenty of pulloffs to stop at to admire the scenery or just catch your breath if needed.

Fantastic views, and a couple of tunnels to ride through

More fantastic views

At last we reached the first major sign of the goal:  The turn off from the parkway to the Mount Mitchell State Park.  

Turning off the Parkway

To me, this is really when the ride started to take a toll.  The hardest part was keeping the goal in mind mentally, and not getting ahead of myself or my intended pace.  Also, at this point I wasn't thinking about the efforts needed at higher altitudes, and we were almost a mile up from sea level.  Strava states that it is approximately 3 miles from the turn off of the parkway to the actual front gate of the state park.  The climb is considered category 3 by Strava, which is similar in effort to Paris Mountain.  The average grade is slightly steeper than the previous efforts, but again no major double digit grunts to deal with.

Are we there yet?

As we entered the gates, the temperature difference from the bottom was getting to be noticeable.  Several folks that we rode past asked "aren't you cold?", to which we shruged and said "not really."  By this point I had unintentionally created a gap between myself and my riding companions, as I was just attempting to keep a steady pace going.  The downside to this was the mental aspect of not quite knowing how much further I had to go, and what efforts I was going to need.  I made the decision to just keep on the main road to the end, as there were no additional markers stating that the summit was on any of the turn offs.  I also decided to not surge or try to push myself as I climbed.  This definitely was a wise choice.

The Summit was in view!

During the trip up, I had noticed that we had seen ice in the shady parts of the parkway, and that the temperatures were definitely chilly.  It wasn't until about halfway up the summit road that I really took notice of the conditions, though.  The smells and sights climbing the summit were outstanding.  The smell of fresh pine, the crisp  air, being able to see out for hundreds of miles, the sky that was so blue that you'd swear God was using PhotoShop that day.  It absolutely took my breath away.  The pine trees also looked different, to which I noticed that they were dusted with frost/snow on the tips.   The difference in climate was definitely something to take note of, as I would have to accommodate for that as a part of my packing for the trip.

I reached the top with no major incidents, although I did end up having a gentleman have words to me.  He attempted to pass me in a blind curve (on the road to the summit, 6700' above sea level) and was unhappy that I wasn't all the way over hugging the shoulder stripe.  I apologized for being in his way, and offered that passing someone in a blind curve is not the best concept on a mountain road.  Shortly after reaching the top the others in my group arrived, and we took a few minutes to admire the scenery and take some pictures.

I wish we could have spent more time up at the Summit, but we were not prepared for the chilly conditions that we encountered.  I quickly pulled the wind vest out of my back pocket that I brought for the descent, and we headed back to the car.  

The trip down was mostly uneventful, and very speedy.  I did learn a few valuable lessons on the way back, though.  The few places where we had small descents on the way up became small climbs on the way back.  After resting on the descents (we were already going speeds fast enough to need to ride our breaks on the way down, so there was absolutely no reason to pedal), putting effort into the climbs was a little tricky.  My stomach wasn't ready to go from zero effort to climbing like that, especially after a long duration climb that I had gone through previously.  The rapid change in altitude I'm sure didn't help that much, either.   Luckily I was keeping this in mind as we went, and I made sure to continue to eat and drink along the way, and take stops every so often.  Likewise I learned that the 3.5 hour grind to the top was near the limit of what my knee was willing to take, and that I need to be careful with it on the actual Assault.  The last thing I want is tendinitis now, or a flare up during the actual event.  I also had to ride my brakes a bit more than I probably should have along the way down as well, and as such I need to spend more time working on my slow descent skills for future events.  This part isn't going to be as big of a deal for the Assault on Mount Mitchell, as once we get to the Summit they truck us and our bikes down separately.  

I'm glad that I got to opportunity to take on Mitchell before heading up there on the Assault.  Knowing what level of effort is going to be required, and keeping that in mind as I'm keeping pace on the way to Marion will be critical during the event.  I don't think we could have picked a better day to do the run, either.  With or without the Assault, Mt Mitchell is on my "must ride" list for anyone that is serious about riding picturesque landscapes.  The efforts are not as demanding as some of the other hard climbs I've done in the past year, but the long term demand of climbing for over 3 hours will definitely take it's toll.  The view was totally worth the effort.

Stages of Desire: Acquisition

This is a series of posts about getting new wheels.  As I stated in a previous post, I had selected the Boyd Vitesse wheelset as my upgrade to the stock wheels on my Scott S40. After waiting for them to restock the high spoke count wheels I was able to pick them up last week, just in time for the Assault on the Carolinas.  I've had a chance to get about 150 miles on them so far, and I definitely have some first impressions on what these specific wheels do for my rides.  Some of it I expected, although there are a few changes that I wasn't really looking for that I found interesting.

Boyd Vitesse wheels - Fresh from the Factory!

First change:  The ride quality.  I've had a chance to ride a few sections of road that I would consider less than desirable  one of them being Perimeter Road here locally.  This to me is one of the roughest patches of road that I travel pretty regularly.  What I found was that the Vitesses ate up a good amount of the vibrations, and definitely improved the overall ride quality on poor roads.  I expected this, but experiencing it was definitely something new.

Second change:  Stability.  This was not an expected change for me, at least not one that I would have written down.  In fact, it took me a couple of rides to really believe what I knew relatively quickly on the wheels:  I was more stable at higher speeds.  Looking back on it, it really makes sense.  These wheels are stiffer and more stable overall, so the fact that the bike handles and acts better at high speeds shouldn't be a big surprise.  The fastest I've gotten these wheels is about 45mph so far on a descent.  At that speed the bike was stable, but it's also well beyond any speed that I would purposefully ride.  Thus if I end up seeing a speed on my bike computer beyond 40mph, it's purely circumstantial, and nothing I'm looking to top by pedaling faster.

Third change:  Ride comfort.  This one really surprised me.  Right now I have 3 bibshorts that I use regularly, and of them I really only had 1 set that I used for longer rides where I knew I wasn't going to be sore.  For the Assualt on the Carolinas I used a pair of Voler Elite FS bibshorts that I picked up over the winter, and after over 4 hours in the saddle I felt fine and comfortable in the shorts.  This is definitely a welcome change.

Fourth change:  Active muscles used.  This one is harder for me to explain, and I'm still not entirely sure if it's because I'm looking for it actively or if it's just a psychosomatic response on my part.  What I'm finding is that I'm actually maxing out efforts well before I'm reaching my top HR.  By this I mean that I'm to a point where my body says "sit down and spin" before my heart is actually at levels I've been at on the same efforts in the past. What I'm hypothesizing is that I'm using muscle groups differently at this point because of the difference in stiffness of the wheel.  The only bike that I've used so far has been this Scott, so my body was tuned to how it reacted.  My expectation is that in the next 2-3 weeks I'll continue to see improvements on harder efforts as my body adjusts to the new experience on the bike.  

Fifth change:  Efforts required.   This one is the main expectation that I wrote down prior to getting the wheels.  The proof wasn't in the 8% incline that I originally marked, but more in the long 2-3% incline while in a group ride.  These are the sections that I would fade on previously.  What I've found early on is that I was able to keep up with the surges that the group makes on the longer false flats.  My hypothesis on this is that the effort to keep speed at an incline is less of a parabolic curve with the new wheels than it was before.  Thus when the speed creeps up on a 2% climb, I'm not having to increase the level of effort to my max (or beyond) as quickly.  I'll definitely be watching this metric carefully over the next few weeks to see if this stays the same.  I ride a specific segment regularly that has a nice long false flat.  It'll be interesting to see how my average time changes, although keeping variables to a minimum will be tough.   

Other adjustments:  The other main things I've had to work as far as adjustments have been dealing with tire pressure, brake adjustments, and skewers.  The new skewers are fantastic, but I'm working on making sure I have the rear wheel tight enough to not cause extra play in the rear wheel (and thus brake rub).  The new rims are wider than the OEM wheels, and thus I'm having to make adjustments to the brakes so they hit square and don't rub.  The main benefit of the wider rim is that I should be able to run at a lower tire pressure, and see even better ride quality.  I'm still running at 110psi for the most part, although changing to a higher performance tire, and getting them wider (700x25 instead of 700x23) may assist with this.  All of these adjustments are things that I would consider normal with any major change on the bike.  

Summary - I'd say after getting in 4 tough rides, including a metric century, on these wheels that they are a huge improvement over the stock wheels that came with my bike.  They definitely are going to be an adjustment period for me, as I only have experience with a single bike configuration since starting this journey in 2011.  Of all of the changes I could have made on the bike, I have to believe that this will be one of the biggest.  At some point I'm going to have to look at what I want in a new frame, but my current goal is to ride this bike 24,901 miles prior to making another massive change.  

Stages of Desire: Stage 1 - Anticipation

I have made no secret about the desire that I have to replace the wheels on my bike with something "better".  No matter how much I instruct my inner self that I just need to deal with Rule 5 and allow the basic equipment that I have on the bike get me stronger, and deal with upgrades when the actual need for an upgrade arises, the desire has grown.  Through all of my research and talking to folks, I've been told that the biggest upgrade I can do is going to be in getting new Wheels.  Lighter, stiffer, more aerodynamic!  If I listen to all of the hype that manufacturers put out there, I should look like Peter flippin Sagan on new wheels!  The reality is that a 38 year old network engineer that is 6'1" and weighs in around 215lbs is never going to look like Peter Sagan on the road. Well, maybe like Peter Sagan when he's 80.

There are some realities, and there are some outside expectations that I have for this upgrade, and I'm looking forward to going through the entire process and doing a write up for each segment.

After going through the investigation process, I decided on getting some Boyd Vitesse alloy wheels as my upgrade.  I had mostly made this decision late last year, but I had told myself that I needed to save up to get them this Spring, specifically for the final preparation for the Assault on Mnt Mitchell in May.  In fact, I'd have said wheels now if they hadn't had such good sales this quarter that they are waiting on a new shipment of parts. 

I chose the Boyd's based on recommendations from several friends as well as other folks here locally that are using them.  The overall opinion of the wheel has been extremely positive, and the fact that they are assembled here locally means that I have a local source to work with if I should happen to have a problem.  They also make the wheel in two varieties:  1 set for light people, and 1 set for Clydesdales like myself.  The fact that they make a wheel that is rated for someone up to 240 lbs gives me more confidence that I will have the best chance of not having wheel issues possible.  Most modern high end wheels end up having a top end recommended weight of between 200 and 220 lbs.  

As for expectations, I expect that they are going to be lighter than my existing wheels, and that they should take less energy to keep rolling.  What I want to see is how the difference in a better hub as well as a better balance of weight between the hub and the rim equates to pedaling efficiency.  My hope is that when I'm dealing with a larger incline (between 8-10%) I can keep the wheel rotating with less exertion than I do currently, either while seated or standing.  Whether it's because of flex/stiffness, weight distribution, weight of the wheelset or mystical wheel mojo can be up for debate.  This may equate to a slightly better speed while climbing, but only from a Greg LeMond "it never gets easier" standpoint.  At some point the amount of effort to climb is no longer determined by the low speed rolling resistance, and instead is a factor of the ability to climb and keep your heart rate under control.  My expectations are that at 8% incline I should be able to keep a cadence of 70 while in the 34-24 gear ratio with a lower heart rate with the new wheels.  There are always variables to deal with when setting expectations as specific as this such as temperature, time of day, fueling, and overall condition.  I have data points from earlier this year on Paris Mountain that I'm expecting to use as a baseline to compare to.  It won't be perfect, but it should work as a basic measure to get an initial comparison. 

Until the new shipment of parts comes in, all I can do is anticipate the adventure to come!