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Post by triitout on Sept 29, 2023 1:34:39 GMT
The 2023 triathlon season has come and gone with cancellations, bad race choices and horrendous weather. It's also my last year in the 65-69 age group so I would find myself up against guys who would not even turn 65 until later in the "calendar" year. The season opener, an April super sprint was a harbinger of things to come. The day brought a steady rain with colder than average temps and larger than average potholes disguised as small ponds. Caution on the bike resulted in my slowest split in years. Wearing my lucky Viscount jersey, I managed to keep my podium streak alive with a 2nd place age group finish. Things did not align well for June. Two races that are aways a week apart were now scheduled for the same day. I went with the geographically more convenient event. Two weeks before race day, the event was cancelled. No problem I thought. I'll just sign up for the other race. One problem. It was sold out with no waiting list. Having signed up in January for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 NY, Jones Beach for Sept 23rd along with a record 3700 others, I wanted a light schedule during the summer heat. My eggs were going mostly into one big basket for my 6th IM 70.3 for better or worse. Next up, my 30th Oyster Bay sprint tri, the end of August would be my tuneup race. This race attracts Long Island's best and they go 5 deep on awards......until this year. The lucky jersey was only good enough for a solid 4th. The streak is over.  I decided to skip 2 of my favorite September sprints so I could focus on the half ironman distance prep. Even with a mid July case of pneumonia, I felt psyched and ready. Nutrition and taper were all going according to plan. About 5 or 6 days out, the weather report started to look like problems were brewing from a tropical storm forming along the SE coast. By Thursday reality was setting in with a forecast of 20-40mph winds with gusts up to 50mph along with heavy rain. At race checkin Friday, I took a look at the churning water in the normally calm bay along with the already howling winds and decided no race for me the next day. Only 60% turned up and completed the course under horrendous conditions even with a shortened swim. At least I was not alone in choosing to sit it out. It was a day to live to race another day. I struggled with the emotional letdown of the race coming and going without me. Neighbors and friends did give me kudos for making the "intelligent" choice even if it was emotionally difficult after putting in all those training hours. It did ease the pain.....slightly. What has been the best post season therapy has been the last 3 days of quality rides on my Viscount fleet. They were unusually ignored since the training ramp up on my modern racing bikes began in June. Yes, they are heavier, creakier, and more primitive than my racers but there is still that comfort and joy they bring to be just out and about on. Riding is now back to being the simple pleasure that I first discovered way back with that first wonderful baby blue 1976 Viscount Gran Touring. Cycling life really is a circle game. On to whatever next shows up with the spin of the wheel. |
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Post by whippet on Sept 30, 2023 7:35:43 GMT
Bad luck with the weather Michael, we have had a very poor summer too. I guess it will be your turn to be the youngster in the age category next year. I have to agree, just cycling for the sheer joy of it is the way to go. Today I am going out with friends, all on old Steelie’s ( I am on my Sport ), and we will have a very long lunch in the pub.
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Post by wheelson on Oct 1, 2023 16:01:44 GMT
As I’m watching the leaves fall, I’m reminding myself that many of my long and short term goals have been met. Age and health issues aside, I guess it’s still in my DNA to push on to do things I’ve left on the table.
I’ve yet to do a century (miles, not km). I still have a fully kitted road touring bike, is a multiple day or week road tour still in my future? There’s still literally dozens of rail trails within an overnight from home. I still haven’t repeated the Great Allegheny Passage/ C&O trip from 2009.
This year has been a pretty good one. I’m walking a lot, bike commuting to the shop (ebike less needed now), lost a lot of weight, and gotten my meds in order. So now it a matter of deciding “do-ables” for the rest of the season as well as figuring out how to maintain over the winter. Any suggestions on the latter?
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390 
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Post by Jem on Oct 1, 2023 18:54:31 GMT
Very interesting season write up Michael. Sounds like you used your sound judgement there.
Isn't it just the way when you had a choice of 2 and then find you end up locked out of both!?
Sounds like you has the same kind of 'summer' weather that we had in the UK - the water filled huge potholes around here were a constant worry on my occasional wet day rides.
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 2, 2023 11:44:23 GMT
As I’m watching the leaves fall, I’m reminding myself that many of my long and short term goals have been met. Age and health issues aside, I guess it’s still in my DNA to push on to do things I’ve left on the table. I’ve yet to do a century (miles, not km). I still have a fully kitted road touring bike, is a multiple day or week road tour still in my future? There’s still literally dozens of rail trails within an overnight from home. I still haven’t repeated the Great Allegheny Passage/ C&O trip from 2009. This year has been a pretty good one. I’m walking a lot, bike commuting to the shop (ebike less needed now), lost a lot of weight, and gotten my meds in order. So now it a matter of deciding “do-ables” for the rest of the season as well as figuring out how to maintain over the winter. Any suggestions on the latter? Best, John “wheelson” John, I think the best way to handle winter is to ignore it as much as possible. The two big problems, obviously, are cold and snow. Over the years I have figured out a set of clothing layers and shoes that are good down to about 20F and still provide adequate flexibility. During winter, mileages are shorter and rides are closer to home in case mechanical problems dictate a "call of shame." Snow on rail trails is a big problem because it is not removed and gets trampled into a pocked icy surface fairly quickly. Snow on roads is not much of a problem around here. It gets plowed immediately and treated with chemicals so there is usually dry pavement within 24 hours of even a substantial snowfall. The road treatment is quite corrosive and there are usually wet areas of "salt water." Last winter I used an old Dawes Galaxy that cost $20, fixed it up as a single speed and outfitted it with mudguards. Maintenance was minimal and I overhauled it at the end of the season. Last year I did about 1400 miles between December and March, the year before was about 2900 for the same period. The difference was due to weather and maybe some lingering effects of COVID last year.
Your to-do list looks a lot like mine. There are many rides/tours I would like to do but inertia is a big problem. It is always easier to do an out-and-back on the local rail trail than to pack up and hit the road. But... I am intrigued by many of the trails in Pennsylvania and the entire state is within driving distance, so keep that in mind and maybe we can put something together.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Oct 2, 2023 16:24:05 GMT
Some good ideas there. Unfortunately most of my riding is on rail trails and the foot traffic makes for some pretty rough riding during the freeze/thaw cycles. I have an indoor exerciser bike and also a wind trainer so perhaps that will help. Plus Mrs.W is a fanatic for walking in any weather.
Michael, as a triathlete what do you do to keep fit over the winter months?
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390
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Post by Jem on Oct 2, 2023 17:16:02 GMT
Embarrassed to admit .I had to do a 'call of shame' once when out on a very long walk on a very hot day, and got a bit lost.  |
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 2, 2023 20:11:42 GMT
Embarrassed to admit .I had to do a 'call of shame' once when out on a very long walk on a very hot day, and got a bit lost. Hahaha. If you didn't know where you were, how did you summon help with a phone? Smoke signals might have been in order.
Brian
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390
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Post by Jem on Oct 3, 2023 20:04:25 GMT
Embarrassed to admit .I had to do a 'call of shame' once when out on a very long walk on a very hot day, and got a bit lost. Hahaha. If you didn't know where you were, how did you summon help with a phone? Smoke signals might have been in order.
Brian
Called from my mobile once we got to a village store. I knew vaguely where we were , but not how to get back from there. Still get reminded about it from the 'rescue team'..haha |
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Post by triitout on Oct 4, 2023 1:36:05 GMT
Kev, I'm glad that you and I got to enjoy part of the race course on a beautiful day. How many years ago was that??? Time flies. Seems that the race director has a fairly cursed streak of crap weather at his events. It is now referred to as "Corey's Curse". Probably the hardest working RD I've ever seen. If he doesn't cave, we can't cave. FYI, there were requests for Ralph's Ices to be a finish line treat. Rum raisin of course! John, let Mrs W drag you out for those walks! My wife has made me an aficionado of "the walk" as well. I really think that it has given me fresher legs for race days. As I'm aging up, it's all about self preservation. As for the winter, one of the best investments I made was a smart trainer. I signed up for the Fulgaz app. It's a great way to cycle the world along with race courses I would never experience. Hawaii is loverly from the comfort of my basement! Great video format on a big screen TV. As long as the motivation is there for another season, I have no problem switching to the indoor pool, treadmill and trainer. The winter is the time to dream. Jem, it was like flipping a coin, always calling heads and still losing 9 out of 10 times, lol. I really can't complain as overall for 30+ years, I've been very lucky. Being retired and volunteering for www.rewiringamerica.org, it gave me time to reflect on how many races were upended by climate change induced extreme weather. I pushed my public comfort zone and did a podcast with a local blogger/triathlete about actions we can take to at least start the ball rolling on limiting/eliminating our household use of fossil fuels. Something good can come out of adversity I guess. Finally, Brian I'm very impressed that you go out in all the elements that winter throws at you. Reminds me of my youth! Keep going! I'm committed to the "pain cave" at this point again aiming for longevity and self preservation. The 70-74 age group truly looks like a who's who of those who have survived the first 69 years with the least damage! Be safe out there. |
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 5, 2023 5:39:20 GMT
I also am a member of the poor navigation club. In the late 1980s, myself, a couple of members of our local cycling club, along with my two brothers in law, signed up for a Halloween themed century ride. We arrived in Bakersfield in our brand-new white club jerseys. At the start It was misting rain and being California boys, we were not prepared. We each carried two water bottles, a couple of bananas and a couple of Snickers bars. Plenty to last until the feeding station at the halfway point. Most of the route was through a maze of roads winding through the foothills north east of Bakersfield. As we progressed into the foothills, the rain increased and after a quick discussion we decided to ride direct to the feeding station and join up with the metric century route, and then call it a day. Sadly, we were not familiar with the roads which led us into a most miserable day. The rain became harder and our route instructions (on bare paper) became soggy and fell apart. We knew the feeding station was on Famoso Road just west of Highway 65. We worked our way to Famoso Road but took a wrong turn at a Y. We found ourselves at a junction with Highway 65 a few miles north of Famoso Road. Thinking we were south of Famoso Road, we headed north (which was the wrong way). Highway 65 is very busy and the spray from the traffic (especially the trucks) was awful. We put our heads down and made a paceline mostly led by our strongest riders (one a Cat 2 racer, the other a Cat 4 racer). I mostly hung on the back taking short pulls when my turn came. As we continued north I felt something was wrong, but stuck to the wheel of the rider ahead of me; his spray covered my eye glasses. After some 24 miles we reached the little town of Ducor and suddenly realized our error; we were miles and miles off course. We made a U-turn and switched to survival mode. We still had water but our bananas and Snickers bars were long gone; we were cold and our energy waning. We arrived at the feeding station as it was closing. We were told we were the last riders, which came as no surprise. The only food left was Peanut butter and bread; we though it a feast. We filled our water bottles and headed to the finish. At the finish we were quite the sight. Our nice white jerseys were soaked with muddy water, our bikes were filthy and we wore a look usually only found on refuges; we covered maybe 120-130 miles. Hot soup at a coffee shop lifted our spirits despite the many stares (we did not have a change of clothes) from other customers.
In hindsight I cannot understand why we continued so far in the wrong direction. I know we kept thinking "It is just ahead, just ahead." I do not remember the actual route; just our blunder. The map shown is only partially correct.
What more can I say. Jim
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Post by wheelson on Oct 5, 2023 22:17:23 GMT
Great reads, not so much fun real-time, of course. My closest call for help happened about 15-20 years back. I was riding on a local rail trail, unfinished at that time. Work had been progressing so there I go, zipping along, near dusk. There are two short bridges about 50 yards apart, the first one has no construction tape, great they’re done! Second bridge, no tape so here I go. That bridge is at a dogleg in the trail so the end is not visible till you’re on it. Exit looks funny, oops, 2 foot drop to black railroad gravel. So I do a face plant at near full speed. Fortunately I didn’t loose consciousness (thanks, helmet!) and was somehow able to stumble a good 100 yards to an off-road, find a house, bleed on the front porch while scaring the lady of the house silly. Since she couldn’t understand a word from my seriously damaged mouth, I managed to write my wife’s number. So a trip to the ER, 40 odd stitches, mostly inside my lower lip, a broken nose, various facial cuts from broken glasses, and cervical damage (showing up some time later). All-in-all very lucky and blessed to have survived that one. Of course, all that prior to cellphones and Road Id.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 6, 2023 1:03:02 GMT
Great reads, not so much fun real-time, of course. My closest call for help happened about 15-20 years back. I was riding on a local rail trail, unfinished at that time. Work had been progressing so there I go, zipping along, near dusk. There are two short bridges about 50 yards apart, the first one has no construction tape, great they’re done! Second bridge, no tape so here I go. That bridge is at a dogleg in the trail so the end is not visible till you’re on it. Exit looks funny, oops, 2 foot drop to black railroad gravel. So I do a face plant at near full speed. Fortunately I didn’t loose consciousness (thanks, helmet!) and was somehow able to stumble a good 100 yards to an off-road, find a house, bleed on the front porch while scaring the lady of the house silly. Since she couldn’t understand a word from my seriously damaged mouth, I managed to write my wife’s number. So a trip to the ER, 40 odd stitches, mostly inside my lower lip, a broken nose, various facial cuts from broken glasses, and cervical damage (showing up some time later). All-in-all very lucky and blessed to have survived that one. Of course, all that prior to cellphones and Road Id. Best, John “wheelson” Hopefully you now own that bike trail.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 6, 2023 4:44:37 GMT
Great reads, not so much fun real-time, of course. My closest call for help happened about 15-20 years back. I was riding on a local rail trail, unfinished at that time. Work had been progressing so there I go, zipping along, near dusk. There are two short bridges about 50 yards apart, the first one has no construction tape, great they’re done! Second bridge, no tape so here I go. That bridge is at a dogleg in the trail so the end is not visible till you’re on it. Exit looks funny, oops, 2 foot drop to black railroad gravel. So I do a face plant at near full speed. Fortunately I didn’t loose consciousness (thanks, helmet!) and was somehow able to stumble a good 100 yards to an off-road, find a house, bleed on the front porch while scaring the lady of the house silly. Since she couldn’t understand a word from my seriously damaged mouth, I managed to write my wife’s number. So a trip to the ER, 40 odd stitches, mostly inside my lower lip, a broken nose, various facial cuts from broken glasses, and cervical damage (showing up some time later). All-in-all very lucky and blessed to have survived that one. Of course, all that prior to cellphones and Road Id. Best, John “wheelson” OUCH OUCH OUCH! John, I have suffered face plants but nothing like yours!
Al the Best Jim
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Post by wheelson on Oct 6, 2023 19:30:02 GMT
Brian, I might as well “own” that trail as it’s the one I commute on to the shop several times a week, always passing the point of the mishap twice per trip. Then as now I’m always thankful to be alive and able to ride. I was advised to sue but I couldn’t see into that since at the time I was gainfully employed with excellent insurance. The trail completion might have never happened and although it’s not the most scenic, it’s been quite handy and always there for a quick ride.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 6, 2023 22:36:25 GMT
Brian, I might as well “own” that trail as it’s the one I commute on to the shop several times a week, always passing the point of the mishap twice per trip. Then as now I’m always thankful to be alive and able to ride. I was advised to sue but I couldn’t see into that since at the time I was gainfully employed with excellent insurance. The trail completion might have never happened and although it’s not the most scenic, it’s been quite handy and always there for a quick ride. Best, John “wheelson” Agreed.
Brian
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Post by triitout on Oct 7, 2023 0:26:01 GMT
Brian, I might as well “own” that trail as it’s the one I commute on to the shop several times a week, always passing the point of the mishap twice per trip. Then as now I’m always thankful to be alive and able to ride. I was advised to sue but I couldn’t see into that since at the time I was gainfully employed with excellent insurance. The trail completion might have never happened and although it’s not the most scenic, it’s been quite handy and always there for a quick ride. Best, John “wheelson” John, you're way braver than I. I simply avoid the scene of the crime spot where I had my seat post snap and was out cold in the middle of the road. Alternate routes are preferable so as to not trigger PTSD. I guess I'd think different if it was a nice trail.  |
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 7, 2023 1:55:24 GMT
Ah yes, location-related PTSD. Warning, I'm going to tell a story that has nothing to do with cycling.
Until my 40's, I felt uneasy every time I sat at my grandmother's kitchen table. One time I said something about it and mentioned that, oddly enough, the exhaust fan in the ceiling bothered me particularly. She looked very surprised, laughed, and told me that when I was a year or two old I was sitting in a high chair in that kitchen while my grandfather was installing that fan from above the ceiling. At some point he needed a tool and called out "Polly, can you hand me that screwdriver?" while reaching down through the hole. Apparently I freaked out about the arm crawling out of the ceiling. I had completely forgotten the details but the fear of that room (and especially that fan) stuck with me for over 40 years.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 7, 2023 4:32:09 GMT
John, if I were in your shoes, each time when passing the scene of the accident, I would say a little prayer of thankfulness for your complete recovery. Years ago, we had the most wonderful bike path that followed the California Aqueduct for 107 miles. The path was closed (only to bicycles) as a fellow crashed into a gate and sued; the state would no longer accept the liability. Currently, a local cycling club in the Antelope Valley jumps the gate to ride it on a regular basis, so I suppose it is only legally closed. My point is, had you sued, perhaps your bike path would have been closed. It sounds to me like your bike path is something to be thankful for.
I really miss that bike path.
Cheers Jim
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Post by wheelson on Oct 7, 2023 16:32:12 GMT
Jim, I never pass that bridge without a little prayer of thanksgiving. I’ve had many close calls, some on a bike, some in a car, most involving incidents with my head. Brian, my neurologist says that I do have a form of PTSD. I’m at a good place right now and I’m gradually getting some riding form back. God willing I have a few more years of riding in me.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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I decided to skip 2 of my favorite September sprints so I could focus on the half ironman distance prep. Even with a mid July case of pneumonia, I felt psyched and ready. Nutrition and taper were all going according to plan. About 5 or 6 days out, the weather report started to look like problems were brewing from a tropical storm forming along the SE coast. By Thursday reality was setting in with a forecast of 20-40mph winds with gusts up to 50mph along with heavy rain. At race checkin Friday, I took a look at the churning water in the normally calm bay along with the already howling winds and decided no race for me the next day. Only 60% turned up and completed the course under horrendous conditions even with a shortened swim. At least I was not alone in choosing to sit it out. It was a day to live to race another day. I struggled with the emotional letdown of the race coming and going without me. Neighbors and friends did give me kudos for making the "intelligent" choice even if it was emotionally difficult after putting in all those training hours. It did ease the pain.....slightly. What has been the best post season therapy has been the last 3 days of quality rides on my Viscount fleet. They were unusually ignored since the training ramp up on my modern racing bikes began in June. Yes, they are heavier, creakier, and more primitive than my racers but there is still that comfort and joy they bring to be just out and about on. Riding is now back to being the simple pleasure that I first discovered way back with that first wonderful baby blue 1976 Viscount Gran Touring. Cycling life really is a circle game. On to whatever next shows up with the spin of the wheel.
