Last Rides...

It's hard to believe that we are down to the last 7 days before the ride...

I have a full day tomorrow. Part of it will be a 'last ride' on my bike before I box it up and ship it out Monday morning to JAARS. I've never done that before but think I have everything that I need. Another task for tomorrow is to finish my presentation for Sunday morning at church. I'm able to have a small table up in the 'missions hallway'. It will be up for a few weeks starting this week and go for several weeks into May. I'll also get a chance to share about the ride on Sunday and after I return; and hope to be a part of raising $6,000 (only $10 / mile - and my middle daughter is going to be the first on my pledge sheet at $.01 / mile! :-)

I rode with the jersey today! It worked Great. The shot below is one that I'm going to use in my PR for this as it includes my bike and Bible (and me - but it won't be cropped due to the limits of the Blog as the one below is).


The physical phase of preparation for this ride has come to an end for me. I've had lots of encouragement, but am still a little nervous about the great physical task that it will be.

I fly out to JAARS on Thursday ... it's going to be here before I know it! Please keep praying for all who are involved in this event - I'm calling it a missions trip. It's going to be 10 days of serving God in ways that are going to challenge and stretch us. I'm certain that we will see God's hand: I'm very excited...

On today's ride, at several places, I noticed that the weeds on the side of the road were very pretty! Like I wanted to stop and take photos, but the conquer mentality wouldn't allow me to during the first notice of these 'weeds'. More beautiful weeds followed and I eventually had to stop - my conscious wouldn't let me continue. I took just one shot of a weed and it's shown here. It made me think of the scripture that talks of Solomon in all his splendor not being dressed like the grass of the field. They were just weeds, but they were striking and worth stopping to enjoy for a brief time. It was a good reminder to make time for the things going on on the sidelines.

Tomorrow should be a full day - but I'm expecting it to be nice too! Especially if I take the time to appreciate the weeds on the side of the road. Or to say the it more clearly: especially if I take the time to appreciate and notice all that God is doing around and despite my schedule. My life is more than what I do!

Another Shot @ the Midlothian Walgreens

We love it whenever there's a drug store or gas station along the way! Taking a break from the saddle is also a great way to connect with the other riders. This time was no different as Dan and I were able to unclip and take a few minutes getting to know one another. Ride on!

Sat: Not long ... but not easy.

It's been a little over a week since I first spoke with Ed on the phone - in preparation for riding together while he's here for some work related business. The hope was to get at least 1 ride in together on Saturday and we'll see what happens with the rest of the week.

Ed and I had talked about doing the 40 loop twice, but due to time and riding conditions (strong winds) we did one 46 mile loop together. It was fun being the 'host' and taking Ed on my regular route so he could experience what my route is like, what the riding conditions have been like and just to share some time together.


The ride south was into the wind: pretty tough going. We had a very brief light sprinkle, but not enough to become dangerous. We left from my house and stopped at Walgreen's at the turn around point about 1 1/2 hours later. The return trip went quicker with the aid of the wind. We saw speeds in the 20's, 30's and even 40's. There are parts of this route that have some rough road and since I'm pretty familiar with the roads it's safer for Ed to lead so he can navigate with the benefit of seeing the whole road (we also took turns leading so the other could have a rest from pulling into the wind).


It was great meeting Ed for the first time. We've communicated a couple times by email but it was nice to meet face to face, to have him in my home briefly, show him the quick family photos and head off on a ride together... both taking turns praying to our God with thanksgiving and requests.


The riding conditions were tough, but it was a Great ride!

Old Stomping Grounds

Our family went to Pennsylvania to visit family over Easter break. We left warm N.C. for 50 and 60 degree days in PA. It was a reality check for me to commit to training in cooler temps and to have peace that God had a plan for my training. It couldn't have worked out better. PTL. Here are some of the highlights. One of the highlights was a climb up King's Gap (4 miles of gradual climbing, but the view was well worth it!




A few days later, my good friend Todd and I got to ride 57 miles through some serious rolling hills of Central PA. It was really nice to have someone to share the ride.

Finally, I got my first 100 mile ride in my life. 7 hours 15 min with 30 minutes for rest stops. PTL for the energy and for friends in NC praying for me. God blessed with energy to complete the ride and to go out to dinner with my wife afterwards. Now that's a win-win!! One of the roads on this ride was Easy Rd, which was early on. After 75 miles, it really did seem easy! PTL!

Synergy

Riding with another member of the team creates great synergy. Ben drove up from North Carolina to visit family in Michigan and headed over to Holland to spend the day biking with me along the lakeshore. We had a good tailwind on the way down to South Haven (35 miles one way; actually 35.00 miles to be exact) averaging about 18 mph; we averaged about 14 on the way back but we got the 70-miler in. Temp was about 55, dropping somewhat the closer we got to that BIG body of water called Lake Michigan. We had some great views of the lake as well. To many, it looks as big as an ocean. You'll notice that we're still layered up. Ride on!

Last training Week 1 of 3 -- Over

Saturday started with a meet at the Dam for two loops on the 40 mile route. The plan was to do one loop and then eat something similar to a lunch, and then do another loop. That would give a feel for what it will be like to ride before and after lunch on the up coming ride.

Steve and I rode together today. Numbers: we rode for 79.4 miles and 4:59:48 time. Our average speed was just under 16 mph. Not bad considering the wind and the distance (and a few hills). My Garmin says I burned 5377 calories. (I use 1000 cal / hr as my normal estimate, so this is reasonably close.) My avg HR was 122 and my max was 170.

The intent for Saturday wasn't speed, but rather it was doing the distance. This was the longest ride for both of us this year. The distance for day one on May 9th is 112+ miles, through the hills. So it was good to finish the ride: for the distance, continuing to get used to eating while riding, getting used to being on a saddle for that long, mental accomplishment, ... it was good.

I've been eating a PowerBar each hour and that seems to be working for keeping some calories and fuel coming in. Today for 'lunch' I had a Peanutbutter and Jelly sandwich. We stopped for 30 minutes and about 10 minutes every 20 miles.

This last week was a record week for me on the bike. I spent an hour on the trainer and ~15 hours on the road: ~260 miles total this week. It's a lot. But it's crunch time: 3 weeks of training left before day one of the ride in just 4 weeks from yesterday. I rode 5 days in a row, with a rest day, then the long ride today. If all goes as planned, next week will be another record week. I'd like to ride 6 days in a row to simulate the 6 Day ride. I'm considering bumping the 40 mi loop to 50, and I'd like to see 100 next Sat instead of 80. But we'll see how it all shakes out.

As I've been putting in the extra time in doing what I can to be prepared for this ride, one thing I'm mindful of and thankful for is my equipment. [I have a photo of the 'twin' flashers that I use when riding-even in the daytime. I want to do what I can to be seen.] My bike has worked flawlessly, something I do not take for granted. When my tires needed to be replaced, I bought good quality tires (just as I did when I rode a motorcycle on the street). When you have a quarter of an inch (or less) connecting you with the road, and you are going 30+ miles an hour, with automobiles with in a few feet of you at times...you just can't risk saving a few dollars on a lesser tire (or so I think). I guess I'm trying to say that I'm doing what I can to be safe (in what I buy and how I ride) and am aware and thankful for God's help in this too.

I'm thankful for a safe record week this past week and hoping for another next week!

"Last Chance Work Outs..?!"

This week has been a transition for my training: off of the trainer and onto the road. With only 3 1/2 weeks remaining for training, before boxing up my bike and shipping it on ahead of me, I wanted to start getting some daily road miles in.

Yesterday was day 3 of my new routine involving riding during a long lunch. There is a ~40 mile route that I've been doing each day this week. Monday it took 2 1/2 hrs; Tuesday it was 10 minutes less; and yesterday it was 5 minutes less than Tuesday. It was one of those neat rides that had maybe 8-10 segments that dipped into that 30+mph range...where cycling becomes very intense and focused: there's a realization that the stakes just got higher and you have to focus in and give your full attention and effort to sustain that experience! I Love it! Anytime I can enjoy speeds over 25 on the flats...I do.

Now, in all humility, it is worth noting that the return leg had almost a true S wind which did aid in the higher speeds-no question about it. I am an amature cyclist with less than a year in this sport...but I seem to have developed a taste for and liking of higher sustained speeds.

Today my hope is to ride the 40 mile loop or maybe 50 and then take Friday off. Then ride again on Sat aiming to get a longer ride in (~80). And I think Steve and maybe Darryl will join me for all or some of it.

Next week I hope to ride 6 days in a row - to experience what that is like. I've only done that once before, but not with these distances; which are only a shadow of what is to come...soon.

[As you can see in the photos, the moon set yesterday was very nice. A good indication of the clear day we had. Sure there were winds, but it was nice to wear only a single layer, sunscreen and no backpack. It was a wonderful ride-even with the winds.]

The Parable of 600 Miles: Training

The last several blog entries have shown some of the training we have been doing. Ed started riding in sub-freezing weather just a few weeks ago. A couple have worked out on trainers. The four of us here in Texas have been riding up and down hills and into high winds. All of this to get our bodies ready for some long rides. We don't want limbs turning into pretzels after the first hundred miles.

Forty-five people in the Democratic Republic of Congo want to train to become translators. They need the training so they can go do the long job of translation. They don't want to turn words into linguistic pretzels. But they are limited by a lack of funds. Won't you consider helping to support them? For more information, see the sidebar at the right.

Time

Jon,

Time is always a problem. You might not want to try this for serious training, but one solution to the family is to get them on bikes. We have one family that rides with the Bee Team who has a triple bike, pulling a seatpost trailer. Yep, that's all four. Looks like a train going by. Dad on the front, kid in the middle (raised the crank up so she can reach it), Mom on the third, and Kid on the trailer (which has a crank also).
These days, time impacts my job more than family - Christian often rides with me.
Spiritually, Satan will use other distractions as well to discourage us.

Ben

In 2007, Doug got to ride about 50 miles of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Trace runs from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN, a distance of 444 miles, all of it bike friendly. But this past week, I finally got my chance at this asphalt ribbon that runs north & south. Recruitment Ministries has asked Linda (my wife) and me to make a 2-week fact-finding trip to both Nashville, TN and Birmingham, AL to determine whether or not WBT needs to put a recruiter in the Bible Belt. As we were getting ready to leave Nashville for Alabama, we spent Saturday on the Trace biking south from its northern terminus. What a ride that was! No commercial traffic, no billboards, no noise, just biking in an almost perfect setting. We got 50 miles in and declared it a winner. The 70 degree temps didn't hurt either. Meanwhile, we're getting snow in Michigan again, so it will be a challenge to get the remainder of my 1000 training miles in during the next 33 days. Just 500 miles to go! Ride on!