June 29th (Afternoon) and June 30th (Morning)

June 29th (Afternoon)

Not much of a ride today. Mom and Dad were driving through on their way to Langley, so we met at McDonald’s just off of Hugh Allan and Pacific Way, so my ride was a short 10 minutes, pretty much 100% downhill! :) I didn’t even bother with the shorts and biking shirt... Must’ve looked funny with my fancy biking shoes, jeans and a button up dress shirt flying down Hugh Allan at 70km/h! By meeting them there, I was able to put in a couple of extra hours at work and make up for some recent missed time so that was good.

June 30th (Morning)

Another good ride this morning. The sun was bright, but it felt chilly to start. About 13° when I arrived at work, so I’m not sure what the temperature was when I left.

Looking back towards Juniper at the end of Frolek's land, just before Peterson's Creek. Great weather this morning!

I felt pretty good, and again pushed harder through the Juniper stretch and made all the hills at Rose Hill! I noticed someone broke some branches out of the way on the fallen tree so I was actually able to scamper under it which saved me a minute or two from having to ride all the way around it. Frolek’s land was decent, I’m still trying to work on smooth, fast cornering and feel like I’m starting to see some advances on these corners so that’s good.

Going down into Peterson’s Creek was uneventful. The rear brake feels a bit spongy, so I’ll have to tweak them a bit this weekend if I can.  Going up the other side was a pretty poor effort. I bailed right at the beginning before even getting to the switchbacks, not sure what was going on there. But these gulleys are just giving me fits every morning, and I cannot seem to conquer them. And now, every time I slide into one, I seem to bail right away. I’m not sure if I’m nervous about losing my balance or what. But whatever it is, I seem to be going backwards and it is a bit frustrating. I wonder if I tried fixing them over a weekend or something if they’d stay fixed? Or would the amount of bikers dragging their rear wheels down must make them worse in short order. Now if the bikers would just ride down controlled without skidding we wouldn’t be in this pickle... :(

The ride up Springhill and Hugh Allan was good. My left knee really seems to start hurting right near the top of Hugh Allan every ride. I’m not sure if it’s something with my set up, or if it’s just that it’s my “bad” knee (from my soccer days at NBI). As it happens at the same point every ride, and only on the morning rides, it is probably just pain from straining it. There is a lot of climbing on my morning rides for sure, so it does make sense that it doesn’t bother me on the afternoon rides.

June 28th (Afternoon) and June 29th (Morning)

June 28th (Afternoon)

It was a warm 20°, which, in my opinion, is perfect riding weather. Warm, yet cool enough that with a bit of speed the wind cools you down very nicely. I had a decent ride down into Peterson’s Creek. I rode the first tough switchback and up ‘till the second one with a foot out periodically. I did have to stop at the second one, though. Going up the other side was pretty good. I made good distances each stretch, and still only had 3 stops. In fact, the last stretch was good, I didn’t have the normal, sometimes internally violent argument with myself to stop, I just rode. Cool!

 

About 1/2 the way up, I met up with a lady about in her early 40’s or so as she was filling a container with Saskatoon berries. We talked for a bit, and I grabbed a couple of berries. Now, my wife might scream sacrilege about this, but I don’t really like the taste of fresh-off-the-bush Saskatoon’s. In a pie? Amazing! With ice cream? Unbeatable! But off the bush? Ugghhh... :) But, I wonder how fast the nutrients would work through my system and how many would I need to eat to feel any type of energy from them on my ride? And how many shouldn’t  I eat so I don’t get sick? I wonder if I should consider this. With the over abundance of these bushes on this trail through Peterson’s Creek, maybe I should think about this? There is one low hanging bush near the top that brushes over me as I ride by... I thought about that today, as the berry’s swished over my sweating neck and shoulder, I pity the poor person who decides to eat those specific berries! Unless it’s a bear, then whatever... :)

 

I stopped in Frolek’s land and tried cleaning up a section of the trail where they cut up a fallen tree. The branches and debris were very thick, and nearly impassable through there. So as much as I could do (or wanted to do is maybe more accurate of a statement), I kicked the majority of the debris off the road and then continued on.

 

On the pipeline section at Rose Hill, I stood in front of that fallen tree again, trying to see the best way around it, but the only passable way was up onto the bank about 10-15 feet off the trail to climb over the trunk. Oh well, hopefully I can get to work on this with someone this week/weekend?

 

I took the pipeline trail right into Juniper today. The weeds are seriously overtaking this trail! They’re about 3 feet high on average, growing upwards of 4-5 feet in places. Some sections of the trail are completely covered. The trail is still underneath then, but the weeds have grown up and over... And at speeds, they kind of hurt! Of course, now in addition to the existing yellow wild mustard, we have some purple flower/weed growing up as well. It’s like they’re trying to seduce me with their colours... It ain’t working! I do hate thee, weeds... But, hey, at least on muddy days my bike and my legs will get scrubbed clean by the time I get to Juniper... :)

 

June 29th (Morning)

A good morning, it is already 17° which means I might be in for a warm ride home this afternoon. Sunny, but overcast at the same time. Figure that one out... Anyways, the ride was really good. I felt like I had good energy, and was able to push through harder in many areas. In fact, my usual total time of 1:15 or 1:20 was only 1:10, so that was cool!

 

At the fallen tree by Rose Hill, I ported the bike up and over it, but got on right away and rode up the hill successfully. With no momentum from the usual downhill speed that I normally have there, it was tough but good to make it for sure. But, then I didn’t make the next hill, the hill I typically have trouble with anyways. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it seems like the planets have to align for me to make all these hills in one ride!

 

Going down into Peterson’s Creek was pretty good. Faster than normal, and I made the sandy switchback. Again, my foot was out, but not down. I guess just for confidence. At the bottom, I made it through the first two switchbacks up the other side, but bailed on the straight section. The gulley there is getting deeper and wider every day, and very tough to ride up. I even had trouble with it coming down yesterday... But after that I rode probably 1/2 the hill the rest of the way. I met two hikers (one with three dogs) and another biker all coming down as I was going up, so a bit of a busy morning for this trail!

 

The stretch up Springhill and Hugh Allan were both pretty good. I was burning up Hugh Allan for sure, but kept pushing regardless. I don’t feel any worse now, but I feel like I rode harder than normal today. I was thinking about muscles “plateauing”. I wonder if that’s possible (or if that’s even a word)? I mean, if I ride the same trails with the same intensity every day, wouldn’t they get into a rut? For example, if I keep stopping at the same points going up out of Peterson’s Creek every day, am I training my muscles that they only have to be good enough to get me to those points? Just some thoughts I was having, and I’m not sure what to do to mix things up other than keep trying to push that extra 20 feet every time I can. Or a bigger gear. Or whatever, just something to make sure that they don’t get relaxed, eh?

 

June 28th (Morning)

June 28th (Morning)

Well, after a full week off, I finally got on the bike again this morning. I missed it for sure! It’s funny how I often dread the ride (although once riding it’s OK), but when I don’t ride I do actually miss it for sure. Anyways, I came down with a nasty virus last week that made me miss two days of work and a full week of biking. I’m still not over it yet, although now it is just a cough. Riding this morning wasn’t great due to this virus now hanging in my chest. My breathing was tougher, and my chest felt a bit tight. My legs felt OK, but I just didn’t have the lung power to make the hills at my normal pace. Granted, I did make the one tough hill at the Rose Hill pipeline section that I have often missed, so that was good! Unfortunately, I missed the hill just before that due to a fallen tree across my path... :(

No bunny hopping over this 'log'! :) Hopefully I can get someone with a chainsaw to help me clean this up this week...

I ended up walking pretty much the entire way up Peterson’s creek, and even that was quite tough. But after that, the paved stretch up Springhill and Hugh Allan were par for the course. I felt not bad, as long as I could breathe. Funny how that works... Hopefully my ride home will be a bit better. It’s cloudy today, and I think they’re calling for a bit of rain. Of course it is! I’m riding again! It was nice and sunny all last week when I was sick, so why not bring the rain back now that I’m back on the bike??? Haha!

Derek Zoolander bike shop

Just thought I'd post a picture of a funny sign at one of my local bike shops. For those Zoolander fans out there, you will probably enjoy this!

June 18th (Afternoon) and June 21st (Morning)

June 18th (Afternoon)

Today was a warm 25°, sunny with very little wind. That combination means a bit of a hot ride coming up out of Peterson’s Creek, but the rest of the ride isn’t too bad as long as I keep moving to keep the breeze going. I decided to try the path down into Peterson’s Creek that runs along the north side of the highway instead (Brian takes this trail as he comes from TRU each morning). The trail head is right near the end of the off ramp from the highway. Actually, I guess seeing as the traffic is going the other way, it would be considered the beginning of the off-ramp. The end for me as I was riding against traffic down the shoulder. Anyways, I found the trail and too it down into Peterson’s creek for a change of scenery. It was a fun trail, way easier than the one I normally take where I have to drag my foot on the corners, and miss the switchbacks. This trail, instead, is just a constant downhill grade that rolls its way along to the bottom. The only tricky part is right at the bottom the trail drops about 10 feet down into a little gulley with a stream at the bottom. Making the trail down, across and back up was tough, but I know I could do it now that I know what to expect. This route did add about an extra 1/2 kilometre to my overall route, but it wasn’t a hard 1/2 kilometre. Nonetheless, going up the regular way I felt very tired and only made it to the bottom of the sandy switchback (where I have lately been making it right up and into the switchback before losing traction in the deep stuff. I still made it the rest of the way up in 3 stops total, so for the way I was feeling I was happy with that.

 

The section through Frolek’s land was not too bad. I still felt a bit heavy and tired, but managed to keep a decent rate of speed up overall. At the pipeline section of Rose Hill, I still missed both the final climbs. I had a decent effort on both hills, and I know it won’t be long before I’m climbing the 2nd to last hill again. I even think with better speed down, and once the trail starts smoothing out a bit more, I will be making a pretty good stab at the way up the other side.

 

I took the main trial into Juniper as my parents were due to arrive this afternoon for the weekend, so I wanted to take the fastest way in. All in all, a good ride for a Friday, but I was ready for the weekend. Strange, as I had 2 full days off this week... Well, until Monday then!

 

June 21st (Morning)

Here I thought I had beaten this cold? I felt the cold coming on early last week, and then was sure I was over it by this weekend. Friday and Thursday I felt great, with maybe the odd cough nagging me but nothing else. Last night, though, the coughing was frequent and my throat was getting sore again. This morning I for sure didn’t feel very good, but figured that maybe after a bit of riding I would feel OK (I have done this before). Unfortunately, by about 20 minutes into the ride, I knew that I wasn’t getting any better. Instead of turning around, however, I kept pushing. In fact, I made it up all the hills on the pipeline section at Rose Hill! I was thinking I would try taking it easy, but this wasn’t taking it easy. It was good, but then the ride across Frolek’s land I knew I was getting worse. If I had a toonie or spare bus tickets, I would’ve ridden down to Lansdowne from there and grabbed a bus the rest of the way. Maybe I should carry spare change with me for this very reason.

 

Anyways, I basically walked the entire way up Peterson’s Creek. Even going down, by the time I got near the bottom, I was feeling bad. I attempted a bit of climbing up through the first technical section, and then walked up all the way ‘till the final section where I usually ride. I attempted to ride it, and made it out of the canyon and half the way up the following trail to the top and then walked it again. Even with walking, I was stopping a lot just to try and breath. By now I knew I had made a poor choice in continuing to ride, but what was I going to do? Riding the rest of the way to work was better than riding back home at this point. So I kept going, slowly. I still made it the entire way with no stops for rest or puking so that was good... :) I did drop down to the granny gear at the end of the Hugh Allan hill, though.

 

And now, here I am at work waiting for Corrie to come and get me to take me back home... Oops... Not the brightest thing I’ve done I guess, but hopefully a day of rest will be all I need and I can be back in the saddle tomorrow morning again.

 

June 17th (Afternoon) and June 18th (Morning)

June 17th (Afternoon)

A pretty good ride home, actually. I guess two days off in the middle of the week will help, eh? I did pretty well going down into Peterson’s Creek. The brakes are feeling really good (still have that sticky spot on the front, but other than that they’re running pretty nicely). I made the first nasty switchback and the section from there to the second switchback with my foot out. I didn’t make the next switchback, but the rest of the way was good. Going up the other side I made a really good distance up to the sandy switchback again, and then even made a few extra feet up the next section (more than usual). I did make the final section, so I was at 3 stops again, but at the very top, just as I crested the hill, I lost focus for a second and jerked the front wheel to the right. Luckily there is a little wood post barrier there, or I may have been sliding over the edge! So, with that mess up, I had 4 stops... Arggg...

 

The pipeline section at Rosehill is getting so much better (largely in part to the work Brian did last weekend, I owe him!), and I’m enjoying it now again. I got some good speeds down, and can see myself making the 2nd to last peak again very soon (although I missed it today). I even attempted the last peak, rather than taking the bypass trail. I kind of think I actually might be able to do this hill sometime soon, so I’ll have to keep working on it! The side of the trail that Brian cleared is not too bad, except for the clumps where the weeds were make some pretty nasty bumps. But, bend those elbows and hope that RST cheapo fork soaks up the rest and let her fly! At least that was my motto today... I took the main trail into Juniper as I was trying to get home quickly and met up with Phil at the end (he came out from the pipeline trail just as I came out on the main trail). It worked, as I made it home in 43.5 minutes (normally, if I take the pipeline trail to Juniper and the bypass at Rose Hill, I’m around 47-48 minutes).

 

June 18th (Morning)

Well, I wasn’t looking forward to my ride this morning. I still enjoy it, but it is a lot of work, and I think some days I just get tired and want to rest... :) Anyways, the trails were pretty good and fast. Going through Frolek’s land these last couple of times I’m trying to focus on cornering faster with my outside foot down with pressure to keep traction as I lean the bike. This is something I really need to learn to ride better and faster, as I lose so much momentum through this section as I come down into these corners, hit the brakes, and then have to climb back up the other side. The faster I can make these corners, the less power I need to climb the other side! Seems like a good skill to master... :)

 

Going down into Peterson’s Creek was fun again, of course! If only the other side was this much fun on the way down... :(  I did make the sandy switchback, but with a foot out still. I think I’ve found the best line, though, so I shouldn’t be much longer and I will be making it with both feet still clipped in I’m sure. Going up was pretty good too. I made it up to the first nasty switchback without stopping (something I’ve not done now for about a week or so, as I kept losing control and balance on the first tricky section). I then walked about 1/4 of the hill, and then biked a good stretch up until I lost traction in the sandy section. And I mean I hit the deep stuff and my front tire stopped dead and my back tire spun like my old BMX on training wheels over a puddle... There was no fighting through this section this morning! I have been trying to really concentrate on relaxing my arms and looking further up the trail and I think it’s working, as my front tire isn’t jerking so violently from side to side like it has been doing the last few rides. There is still a section that I struggle with, as the flat part of the trail is very narrow and requires the straightest of lines. The cost of failure on the left is no big deal. On the right, however, means a long, nasty slide unless I can grab hold of a tree or something... :( And, of course, I can’t seem to NOT think about that side as I climb, so guess where I go??? Anyways, I will beat that section someday, right???

 

The final stretch on the paved streets was pretty good. I felt very tired and saddle sore today, and at the last stretch up Hugh Allan my mind was screaming at my body to give up. Thankfully, though, my body didn’t listen... :) But, hey, it’s Friday! Which means another two days off again. Yay!

 

June 17th (Morning)

June 17th (Morning)

Happy birthday, Dad!

 

My parents are in Vancouver this week, and it’s my Dad’s birthday (I really have no idea how old he is now). We will see them this weekend again, so that will be cool.

 

Due to me being sick, along with the kids, I took a day off yesterday and stayed home. Therefore, no biking either. Actually, because of my floor hockey on Monday night, I could hardly walk yesterday! I suppose had I been thinking straight, I would’ve gone out on Tuesday and done some exercise to try and avoid the muscle soreness and stiffness that resulted. It was quite painful to do anything.

 

However, this morning I jumped on the bike and I didn’t feel too bad. I could feel some stiff and sore muscles, but overall pretty good considering that I was still walking pretty bad. Obviously, this week I have learned that there are some very different muscle groups used for different activities! :) As I walk around the office, I’m still really stiff and sore but better than yesterday. However, while riding it was OK.

 

I  made all the hills at the pipeline section of Rose Hill, so that was really cool! The one hill I’ve had trouble with I stayed in the middle gear and I stayed planted on the saddle right up to the last two or three feet and crested it with no loss of traction, even in the loose sandy section. Going down into Peterson’s creek was also a success as I made it around the sandy switchback with my foot out of the pedal, but not touching the ground. With the few days of drier weather, the sandy sections are for sure getting deeper and looser, so to do this it is good for sure. However, going up the other side I messed up right away at the second switchback (which I’ve made every time so far), but then made the rest of that section up ‘till the nasty switchbacks, which I walked. I then tried again and bailed early as I was still all over the trail. I pushed a bit further, then tried again, trying to focus on relaxing my arms and fixing my attention further ahead than the front tire. I know I should do this, but I so often find myself falling into bad habits on this trail. As I concentrated on this, I made a really good stretch (which I’ve only done once before) and managed to get right up into the deep sandy section. I didn’t spin out, but just stopped out of a lack of energy! :) I should’ve kept going to see how far I could’ve gone, but my mind gave out way too quickly. That being said, I was very impressed with the new tire as it didn’t spin out pretty much the entire way up the hill. As the trails get drier, this tire’s performance seems to get better and better, so that’s encouraging. Again, I think I would be even happier with a wider version, but at least I can say now that I didn’t waste my money!

 

The last stretch on paved streets was really good. Especially as I was half way up Springhill I got a call from Corrie saying that I was a new uncle again! My brother, Rob, and his wife had their first baby. After a very long labour (over 24 hours I think in the end), the doctors had to perform a section, but this morning they are now proud parents of their first baby, a boy! So, here’s a BIG congratulations out to them from me, and I can’t wait to see them and their newest addition. So, that was excellent news as we were worrying about them for sure throughout the whole ordeal. Plus, I then was able to think about that and not the riding, and before I knew it, I was parking the bike in my office... Hah!

 

June 14th (Afternoon) and June 15th (Morning)

June 14th (Afternoon)

I had to meet Corrie at HUB insurance down in Valleyview today. Therefore, I didn’t ride any trails (had to be there in a hurry) and instead just added a bit of air to the tires and cruised down the streets. I took the usual route of Hillside down to Notre Dame over to Columbia and along Columbia to Valleyview Road. It was fun, and I kept it in the big ring pretty much the entire time. The weather was overcast, with a bit of rain drops here and there but nothing really of substance as far as moisture goes. I pushed hard along Columbia on the flat section as well as on Valleyview road. As such, I was able to average a speed of 37.8km/h, so that was good. I wasn’t too tired, but I had managed to work up a bit of a sweat by the time I got to the insurance place.

 

June 15th (Morning)

Well, no riding today... Let me explain. :)

 

First of all, Taryn had a ballet exam today which Corrie wasn’t able to take the boys along with her (turns out the exam is next week, oops). Also, all the kids are sick and coughing. Finally, I was too tired. Sam Mendes called last night around 6pm saying he really needed a spare to play for his floor hockey team, the Penquins. Well, I have turned him down twice already so I decided to go and play. I played last year, and with two games a week then I do recall being tired and sore pretty much all week! It was a short season, only about 2 months, but it took the entire two months for me to actually get into shape enough so I could play an entire game.

 

Well, last night was a different story! Yes, it was exhausting, and I am paying for it today. But the game was awesome! I was even faster and I lasted longer than I remember from last year. In fact, even Sam commented on me not missing a beat. I had fun, and felt like I was even better than last year (even Corrie thought so), which probably comes from being able to concentrate more on the game then the fact that I was dying and out of breath... :)

 

Anyways, I got home and already knew that there were a lot of muscles that I hadn’t used in a long time, even with the biking. Obviously, biking and running in a game like floor hockey definitely make use of some different muscle groups. As such, this morning I was pretty sore! So, once Corrie was done with ballet, I just took the truck to work for the afternoon. Good thing, too, as it’s raining pretty hard out now... :) Supposed to be dry tomorrow though, but we’ll see how long that prediction lasts!

June 11th (Afternoon) and June 14th (Morning)

June 11th (Afternoon)

Well, the day as sunny and warm, meaning the trail will most likely be completely dry and it was. The ride down into Peterson’s creek wasn’t too bad. I made the first nasty switchback with my foot down (something I haven’t done in a long time), and then the rest of the section to the 2nd nasty switchback I just left my foot down the whole way (still didn’t make that switchback though). The rest of the trail down was a good ride, and then back up was really good. I made it right up and into the sandy switchback, the furthest yet, before I spun out too much and had to stop. Pretty cool, though, to make it that far on a Friday ride.

 

Frolek’s land was uneventful, but a decent pace. And then the pipeline section at Rose Hill was pretty good, a bit faster than normal so that’s cool that the trails are finally getting a bit better (or I’m getting better at handling them now maybe?)

 

I met up with Brian at the last valley/peak, he was walking around kicking stones and sticks off the side of the trail where no one rides (so it is very overgrown). I stopped and talked with him a bit and he said that the side of the trail he was on was pretty good condition, really, just very overgrown. So we spent about 5-10 minutes doing some basic trail maintenance (as much as can be done with feet!) and then rode together into Juniper along the main trail. He mentioned that he might come out on the weekend with  his weed wacker, but as Taryn’s soccer tournament is on this weekend, along with Levi’s birthday and Mom, Dad and Katie visiting, I couldn’t come help. But he figured he might come out and clean things up a bit.

 

I did get a chance to ask him about the trail he takes down into Peterson’s creek, and learned that he goes into the creek on the north side of the bridge (the trailhead branch off of the off ramp). I might try to find that trail on the way home on Monday maybe to see if it is a better trail than the one I take. Maybe I’ll even take it up if it isn’t too bad?

 

June 14th (Morning)

Well, the weekend was gorgeous, hot and sunny without a drop of rain. Today looks to be about the same, which means the trails will be pretty dry by now for sure. The first stretch through from Juniper to Rose Hill was decent. I didn’t feel bad, but I just didn’t feel like pushing it this morning for some reason. Instead, I found myself spinning in a few gears easier than normal. I got new brake pads for the rear brakes and installed them this weekend, and once they broke in they felt pretty good. In fact, both brakes felt really good today. The front was still a bit grabby at the one spot, but not too terrible. And they were as quiet as they’ve ever been, which was cool!

 

I got to the pipeline section at Rose Hill and indeed Brian did come out as the unused trail to the north of our regular trail was cleaned up and the weeds knocked down. So, I took to that side and it was pretty fun and fast for sure! He even went to the next couple of hills and filled in the gulleys left by the rain, meaning I was able to really let the bike go again like I used to do through here. That was awesome! Maybe I will be back to making it up that one hill now on the way home? I did miss the same hill this morning in this section, but I was going to make it and then spun out and lost my momentum and balance. SOON!

 

Going down into Peterson’s creek was fun (this side is always fun), and I did make the sandy switchback section again with my foot out. Again, the brakes were very responsive (not too much so, just right) and very quiet so I was happy with that. On the way back up the other side I had quite a bit of trouble again with trying to keep the front wheel planted and in a straight line. As such, I ended up with 4 stops on the way up. And more than 1/2 of the trail was walking. I get on, ride about 10 feet or so, lose control, and bail... Rinse and repeat... It does frustrating, but today I tried to stay positive and just enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, whether walking or riding!

 

The rest of the ride was good, but again I still felt like I was just spinning. Which I’m not going to worry about too much, as I do want to enjoy the ride more anyways rather than just dying en route... :) Maybe my Tuesday’s rides are generally so tough because my Monday’s rides I push too much! We’ll see how the rest of the week goes, it could also be a result of too many burgers and birthday cakes this weekend! :)

 

June 10th (Afternoon) and June 11th (Morning)

June 10th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of Rye toast with peanut butter, 3 Roll Kuchens with jam

o   Afternoon: 1 regular Chicken Carbonara sub (from Quizno’s)

 

So I really have to stop eating out lately! All the gas and bus money I’m saving we’re spending on lunches... Well, not quite! Anyways, the ride home today was not too bad. Again, as I left work the brakes were very non-responsive, so I pulled over just outside of Pineview and did a quick adjustment on the rear (moved the caliper, adjusted the cable and the pads), which worked really well, actually, for a 5minute quick adjustment! The drive train, however, was VERY noisy. I had hosed the bike down last night and then re-waxed the chain, but with all the mud this morning, the noise was nasty! Nothing I could do, though, so I just kept going. I’m now also having issues with the front brake. It is either on, full power, or off, with very little modulation. When I pull the brake, I try to do so slowly because once it grabs, it just about sends me flying every time. This is crazy! If this is due to the bigger rotor, I’ll have to put the smaller one back on! I’m guessing it’s also got a lot to do with the cheap Tektro brakes. I read a lot of reviews about no modulation, so this must be what they’re talking about... :(

 

Going down into Peterson’s creek wasn’t too bad all things considered. I still am not enjoying the trail. Maybe I just need to wipe out and slide down the edge once so I can get it out of my system and then stop worrying about it so much... Hah! Yeah right, if I did that I’d probably start worrying about it more! I didn’t make the way up the other side as far as the first couple rides this week, but still made it to the top with only 3 stops again. As the sun was out most of the day today, with little to no rain, the trails were a bit better for riding (not as greasy/muddy). I took the pipeline section through to Juniper and took it pretty fast really! That section is always fun, and it doesn’t seem to get old!

 

Mom, Dad and Katie are coming tonight, so that will be cool to see them again.

 

June 11th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of Gatorade, 1 glass of Iced Tea, 1 glass of water, 2 glasses of Milk (thirsty!)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: Chicken with potatoes and corn, 1 piece of cake

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, my first full week of riding the whole way in to work is now over. It wasn’t actually that bad, really. I have noticed that I’m feeling sleepy at work again (like I did the first few weeks when I started this bike-to-work adventure). But on the trail, my rides are pretty much par for the course really. This morning I was tired for sure, and my climb up Peterson’s Creek showed that as I struggled once again to keep the bike straight and had to bail twice because I was so far off course. But, all in all, I still made it in the 63 minute mark which seems to be my magic number. No one honking today telling me to get off the road, so that was good! We did have a little bit of rain last night, but the trails were pretty good with little to no mud really.

 

Mom, Dad and Kate came last night and we went on a little hike to the top of our little lookout hill and then around it. The climb up really burned the legs, hah! But I don’t think a hike of that size really would affect my riding the next day. One more ride home this afternoon and I get another two days off, yay! And I get to fully clean and oil the bike, so that will be nice for sure to get everything back in proper running order. I hope to drop by Taboo to pick up some brake pads. If he hasn’t ordered any in yet I’ll have to go by the other shops and hopefully find some because my rear pads are basically gone for sure.

 

June 9th (Afternoon) and June 10th (Morning)

June 9th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 cup of coffee, 1 bottle of water

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of rye toast with peanut butter, 1 banana

o   Afternoon: 2 grilled chicken Ranch Snack Wraps (from McDonald’s), 2 buns with butter and peanut butter

 

Today’s ride wasn’t that great really. It had rained all day. I knew it was going to be a brute when the “walking” path that the city has built alongside the Merritt highway (around the construction) was extremely tough to climb. I was digging down about 2 inches into the mud, pushing and spinning nearly the entire way up the hill. By the time I got to the top, I was riding 3.5” tires!!! Too bad they didn’t have any grip though... So, for about 1/2 the way down Springhill I was pelted by flying mud and debris, trying to keep wide of parked cars so I didn’t leave mud splattered on them.

 

At the bottom of Springhill, I decided to try and find a trail that Brian has talked about at the on ramp. Apparently he rides from there into Peterson’s creek (rather than up to Berwick and back down). So, I crossed Summit and found a trail that basically just took me around some small hills, over a couple fallen trees, only to land me right back at Summit again... Arrggg... So, not seeing any other trail (and not wanting to ride down the on ramp to suddenly get stuck on the highway if I missed this trail), I turned around and headed back up Summit to Berwick as I usually do. Another 5 minutes of time and energy wasted, so my ride is already taking a turn for the worse...

 

Heading down into Peterson’s Creek was very sketchy. My brakes are in bad need of better adjustment, but I’m basically at the limit of what I can do with the rear as the pads are pretty much gone. The front brakes did OK, but I ended up walking the entire section between the two nasty switchbacks due to my confidence that was dropping faster than an anvil through a powdered snow bank. Going up the other side wasn’t bad, but I only made it up to my usual spot just before the sandy switchback instead of the distance I had done the two days prior. I did, however, still make it to the top with only 3 stops, so that was good. Frolek’s land is pretty basic, as the roads and trails are pretty much the same every day. I did hit one puddle a bit off center, not realizing how deep it really was. As such, I ended up trying to ride along the side of the puddle, and with the slick mud, the bike slid fast down to the middle, just about tossing me right off! I had a decent run through the pipeline section at Rose Hill, so that was good.

 

From Rose Hill to Juniper I took the main trail again, as I was pretty late already for Taryn’s soccer practice. Once into Juniper, I decided to take the road down into Valleyview and discovered that I really do NOT like this new rear tire for fast street riding. Every corner I leaned into made the back squirm and wobble something nasty! Very unsettling at 60km/h to say the least. The tire pressure is down a bit, so maybe that contributes to this feel. Either way, I was not impressed with it at all.

 

 

June 10th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of Gatorade, 1 glass of water, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 2 grilled hamburger patties on white toast, 1 piece of white cake

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, it rained all day yesterday and, will wonders never cease, it rained again all night! Ok, I really hate being a whiner about the weather, but I’m just getting a little tired of being wet and muddy all the time lately! Granted, I am trying to think about the houses, possibly lives, as well as money saved due to the fact that the forest fires are being held at bay so far by this weather. So that is a good thing for sure. Plus, as soon as the rain stops, the temperatures will start to soar and then I’ll have to complain about the heat, so really I try to just suck it up. But I am growing weary of this depressing weather to say the least... And frustrated at the clueless people still watering their lawns! Seriously!!! I yelled at someone’s house (yes, no one was there, but I yelled anyways) for them to turn off their dumb sprinklers... Unbelievable...

 

Anyways, this morning’s ride was pretty good. Another 63 minute effort (exactly the same as the last two days). I didn’t feel great, but still didn’t feel bad either so that’s bonus. The trails were slick and muddy for sure, and the brakes loved to howl! I missed the same climb at the pipeline section at Rose Hill. I tried dropping it to the granny gear in the middle of the climb, but with that kind of torque and pressure on the drive train, it wouldn’t drop down for me and I had to stop. Going down into Peterson’s Creek was fun, but not 100% controlled as I would’ve liked as my brakes are still not where they should be (see post about yesterday’s ride). I did make the sandy switchback, slowly and with my inside foot down, but didn’t have to stop or get off the bike! Going up the other side of the creek was another story altogether. The first half was per normal, but the second half I fell over twice when my back tire slid out sideways in a gulley. As it was fishtailing, I tried to hang on as long as I could to attempt to power through it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep it going twice and, due to the mud packed around my shoes, I couldn’t unclip at the last second and went over. Luckily both times I fell towards the high side of the trail, rather than falling down and over the edge! Still, I was frustrated to say the least. Even at the top I couldn’t keep the bike in a straight line and slipped many times, once having to put my foot down and walk a bit. Arrggg... As I have set my bike up for dry conditions (expecting the weather to be dry like it always is this time of year, I have compromised on wet condition performance and I’m paying for it... Still, I will not spend the money to set it up for wet conditions, only to see the rain go away and then go back to my dry weather tires!

 

The rest of the ride on the streets was not bad. I had one lady come up behind me as I waited at a  light and honk her horn. I looked at her, as she fumbled through her playlist on her iPod with headphones in her ears, and she just looked up at me and mouthed “What are you doing?” Assuming she meant why was I on my bike in the middle of the road, I told her to take a Driver’s Ed course and pedalled off in disbelief... Seriously, some of these rednecks need some serious education on the rules of the road. Here she is honking at me to get off the road while she’s fumbling with her iPod and has headphones over her ears??? Really??? Also, going up Hugh Allan I had a couple mini vans cut it really close as they passed me. What’s really annoying about this, is I’m in a bike lane that’s about 3 feet wide! However, as cars are coming down the hill, these people figure they’d rather crowd close to me in my bike lane than get within 4 feet of the center line be close to oncoming traffic I suppose? It actually reminded me of the Canada's Worst Driver show. They have a drill where the driver’s have to take a van at about 40 km/h between two Styrofoam pillars (which really only have about a foot of clearance on both sides of the van). As such, almost every driver simply plows into the right side pillar. The host stated that a bad driver will always attempt to put themselves directly in the middle, rather than the van itself, and therefore they will consistently hit the objects on the passenger side. Therefore, as these two “worst drivers” in their mini vans came up Hugh Allan, they saw a lane between me and the oncoming traffic, and then tried to put themselves (the driver) right in the middle, meaning they had ample space on the left of their vehicle, but a tight two foot gap on the right, between me and them. The road is so wide right there, why any vehicle needs to crowd me is simply unbelievable. I mean, I have buses and dump trucks pass me that leave me a comfortable space and yet they’re still in their lane! The common driver’s ineptness in this country will never cease to amaze me.

 

Anyways, here’s me signing off finally! I will try to get into a better mood before my ride home this afternoon...

 

June 8th (Afternoon) and June 9th (Morning)

June 8th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with butter and peanut butter

o   Afternoon: 2 Dad’s cookies, 2 baloney and cheese sandwiches on Rye bread

 

I’m not sure how much more I will worry about tracking my food and drink. I think I’m fairly settled into what does or doesn’t work for me, and so I will probably stop tracking this in a while.

 

Anyways, today’s ride was pretty good. I felt strong and fast, and yet my time wasn’t all that great, so I guess what I felt like wasn’t quite accurate to what I was actually doing? Hah! Anyways, I still missed the two switchbacks going down into Peterson’s creek, and in fact I walked most of the short, nasty section between. Coming down into Peterson’s creek was a bit scary as I realized my back brake was really doing nothing. Thank goodness my front brake was working really well, at least. But at the first nasty switchback, I came in a bit hot and fast so I stopped to see what was going on and it turned out that my cable was too short and therefore the brake arm was hitting the brake body without fully clamping the pads on the disc. Oops! I really need new pads on the rear brake, so they must be worn almost right down now. So, I grabbed my Allen key and did a quick on-the-trail fix that worked pretty well for the rest of the ride. But, man, even the brake arm and body were very hot by that point! I was extremely careful not to touch the disc itself as I would’ve for sure left some charred flesh on it had I tried... Ouch!

 

Going up the other side was really good. I made it even farther up than yesterday (by maybe a couple of feet) ‘till I bogged down in the deep sand and spun out. I also made the last stretch without losing traction today, meaning I’m back to my 3 stops and less than 1/4 of the way walking again. The new back tire was not too bad. It still feels a bit squirmy on the climbs, but I’m getting used to that and learning how to better control where my back tire is at all times. As for traction, it didn’t really let me down at all today. I might try turning it around for even better traction this weekend (screw the rolling resistance issues!).

 

Frolek’s land was good and fast, but I suddenly had a strange thing going on with my front brake. It suddenly became extremely grabby, to the point where anything but the lightest of pressure just about sent me over the handlebars. By the time I was past Rose Hill, it stopped and was more normal, so I have no idea what was going on... Maybe a bit of cow dung on the disc??? :) I might be onto something here... Anyways, I took the bypass again around the last hill at Rose Hill, which is really an enjoyable trail. And then I followed the pipeline trails through to Juniper, pushing it faster than normal, trying to gain confidence in my cornering and downhilling abilities. As I came off the pipeline trail at the end, I met up with Brian again, so we rode together into Juniper for the last stretch.

 

So, for day number 2 of full riding both ways, I still feel really good and that’s quite encouraging! I was worried that with the additional riding, I might burn out right away and not last the week, but so far so good.

 

June 9th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 2 hot hamburgers (burger, bread and gravy)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

This morning felt really good, but again my time was still about 3 minutes longer than Monday so I guess I didn’t feel as good as then! I had to re-wax my chain again this morning as it was already very squeaky after only two days. I guess with all the mud and rain, it shouldn’t surprise me. This wax is made more for dry weather riding really. The weather was a bit drizzly the whole way in this morning, getting heavier the closer I got to work. But, not enough to start making puddles again (one sunny day yesterday and most of the puddles have already dried up). I still missed the one hill on the pipeline section at Rose Hill, but I know I can make that one. Maybe I need to hit the granny gear for it? It’s just a tough shift to make, though, in the middle of a steep climb so we’ll see if I can do it properly. There’s a section right where I stop that would probably be where I’d need to hit the shift if I can. But, the rest of the way through to Peterson’s creek was good. Going down was still a blast, but that tough sandy switchback still got me. I can’t seem to make the turn in the deep sand, and really need to work on my control in sand. So far, that’s the one thing that seems to consistently screw me up, so it is something I really need to work on. Granted, the skinny back tire probably wasn’t the best choice for sand!

 

Going up the other side was my best effort yet. For some reason at the beginning I had trouble and even had to grab onto the fence at one point (no foot down, so still counts, right?). I ended up losing it on a very easy corner, so I guess I shouldn’t take anything for granted. But, I then made it up to the troublesome switchbacks (I need a name for these two switchbacks, like “The Devil in the form of a Switchback #1 and #2” or something? A bit long I guess..) After walking past the second switchback, I got back on and actually made it right up and about 1/2 way through the sandy section which was awesome! If I hadn’t missed the corner at the bottom, I would’ve only had 2 stops going up when I’ve been taking 4 the first two days this week.

 

The last two paved stretches up Springhill and Hugh Allan were not too bad all things considered, and I’m very stoked that after three rides in I still feel pretty good. I’m very excited that I can do this, and these tough sections will only get better as time goes on.

 

June 7th (Afternoon) and June 8th (Morning)

June 7th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1-1/2 bottles of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, 1 banana

o   Afternoon: 3 pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, 1 apple

I hit the 1000km mark on my odometer today! I know I’ve ridden a few weeks without the computer, so I’m technically over the 1000km mark before today, but as of this afternoon it has been officially recorded and now documented. Cool!

Today I felt a bit sluggish. Not at first, mind you. At first I actually felt pretty good really. I made it down into Peterson’s Creek fairly well, still missing the two same switchbacks, but riding between them. At the top, I got off and lowered my saddle a bit as I always do, and then just as I started to go, I heard some bikers coming down. I barely got off the bike and pulled it off the trail in time for them to fly past me. They were going faster than I thought possible. It was very impressive at the talent they had to handle this trail with that type of speed and control. However, it was extremely annoying at the aftermath they left of the torn up trail! Plus, this trail is full of hikers, bikers, dogs and kids and at those types of speeds, there’s such a huge chance of them running into someone or causing a crash. Add to that the fact that the first guy wasn’t wearing a helmet... Anyways, they did about run over another biker who was pushing his bike up the hill, along with a hiker behind him. Their comment to the biker was something to the effect of “This ain’t a hill for pushing bikes up, Old Man”. Wow... And they say our youth nowadays are fine... Actually, maybe they don’t say that, but it was completely retarded nonetheless. Again, incredible skill, but an equally incredible lack of brain matter (guess that’s why he doesn’t wear a helmet, nothing to protect up there anyways).

Going up the other side was awesome! I made it the furthest up yet for my first stretch. I usually stop just at the bottom of the sandy switchback, but today I rode right through almost to the top of it (got bogged down in the sand pretty bad). If I can make it through that, I could essentially keep going ‘till the steep rocky section, meaning I might even be able to ride about 2/3 up without stopping. That is, if I can make it through the sandy section, and that’s a big if as it is very deep. Unfortunately, though, I lost traction on the last stretch and stopped and couldn’t get going again so I had 4 stops going up again.

I have mixed feelings about this new back tire. Granted, I only have 2 rides on it yet, and on the way in this morning I loved it. However, it felt very squirmy on the climbs this afternoon. Almost as if the back end was constantly tracking a bit off angle to the front. I think it might be a bit due to the narrower tire, and instead of floating over obstacles or dips, it gets pulled around them, bumping side to side more easily. When I lost traction going up Peterson’s creek, it was a section where the gulley in the trail (dug in by the rains) is about 3 inches wide by maybe 1-1/2 inches deep. I usually cut over the gulley right there, but today the back end slid out on me as I was pedalling, and on that narrow trail I panicked and put a foot down. I think the more I get used to this kind of thing I will be able to ride it through. So, I will withhold my official judgement for now.

It seemed to be sunny all day, but I did notice some rain around the area between Juniper and Sahali during the afternoon. However, it must have just poured like crazy. There were so many puddles where there has never been puddles yet, and lots of mud. I made it home very muddy and wet, which was surprising as I was actually expecting more of a dry ride today with the sun. Maybe with all this rain lately the ground just can’t soak any more water in? Anyways, the ride was fun once I just said “screw it” and got muddy. It does bug me that I just washed the bike, but whatever. Sometimes you just have to return to your kid-like roots and play in the mud, right?

June 8th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice, 1/2 a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 peanut butter and butter sandwich, chicken and rice supper

o   Morning Of: Nothing

Another complete ride all the way from home to work! It rained all night, and was actually quite foggy this morning not to mention even more muddy! Coming out of Juniper was kind of neat, with some heavy fog right over the trail. However, it cleared up past Rose Hill and was just overcast the rest of the ride.

Coming out of Juniper. The fog was moving pretty fast through here, so by the time I stopped and took this picture, it was already clearing up pretty good. But kind of neat nonetheless!

I’m really struggling with my glasses fogging up in the mornings, and I’m not sure what to do about that yet. As soon as I slow down for a climb, they fog right over. Then, once I get going they clear up again. Really annoying! Maybe I’ll look into some anti-fog wipes, or I think toothpaste is the “home remedy” or something...

The ride down into Peterson’s creek was good and fast. The brakes were nice and grabby, allowing me to let it go on the straights and slowing me down solidly on the corners where needed. The sandy switchback still foiled me, that’s a tough corner up and down! Going up the other side I’m sure I’m over 1/2 the way walking up. I biked more today than yesterday, and I think that will only continue as I learn this trail. But, I made it to the top again with time to spare, and not too bad energy wise. Springhill is surprisingly easy. While I don’t blast up the hill (not by a long shot), I find it not too bad. There’s one section in the middle where I start getting the “burn”, but once I crest that section, the rest is a good spin in a few harder gears.

Beside the Merrit highway, on the east side, they’ve been doing a lot of construction for a new strip mall of some sort. As such, they’ve built a dirt walking path to direct those walking or biking around the construction site. This is nice and all, but it is a muddy, sticky mess this morning! There’s a quick, steep, granny-gear climb right at the beginning and I was spinning the whole way up, but at least I made it. After that, it wasn’t till I made it to work that I finally got the rest of the mud out of the tires, as from there it is mostly all climbing up Hugh Allan to Pineview. As such, there’s only a couple of sections where I can get enough speed up for the mud to go flying... :) I was pretty tired at the top of Hugh Allan, but I’m feeling pretty good now. The sun looks like it’s trying to make an appearance, so that’s cool. Granted, it won’t be very “cool” but very, very hot all too soon... Then I can finally stop complaining about the rain, and start complaining about the heat... :) Isn’t that just human nature?

June 4th (Afternoon) and June 7th (Morning)

June 4th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 large coke (from McDonald’s)

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter (no butter)

o   Afternoon: 6” roasted chicken sub from Sub Way

Well, food wise I was OK today, but that large Coke was a bad idea... It did not sit well with me at first, but about 15 minutes into my ride I started to feel better again. However, it was pouring when I left! My first ride in heavy rain. And, man, going down Hugh Allan and Springhill I was trying to slow down because at 60 km/h those rain drops really hurt! They felt like light to medium hail actually, depending on my speed and the size of the drop itself. Crazy! But, once I got to Peterson’s Creek (completely soaked through and through), the rain stopped. Well, it didn’t actually stop, it was just moving East faster than I was so it out ran me thank goodness! The rest of the ride was dry as far as no rain.

Heading down into Peterson’s Creek was not too bad, but still really tricky with the rocks and gulley’s. I missed the same two switchbacks, but at least rode in between them (with my foot down for most of the section). The ride back up was a good one, as I made pretty good distances on my climbs, and still only stopped three times so that is awesome that I have been able to do that so consistently now. The rest of the ride was really good, actually, and I felt pretty decent in all, which is good for a Friday. I took the bypass around the final climb at Rose Hill, and then the main trail into Juniper as I had to be home as quick as possible (Taryn’s Ballet recital at Sagebrush theatre tonight).

June 7th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1/2 bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 1 glass of juice, 1 glass of water

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 3 pieces of pizza, 2 pieces of watermelon

o   Morning Of: Nothing

Well, I have officially completed a milestone today! One of my goals for this summer was to ride the whole way to work from home and I did so this morning. NO BUS! I have been thinking about this for about a week or two lately, and made the choice this weekend between buying another month’s worth of bus tickets (I used my last one on Friday) or a new back tire... So, I chose the tire... :)

The new tire, a WTB Weirwolf 2.1. A bit on the narrower side, but a good fast and grippy tire for loose and dry conditions.

For anyone out there that does routine jogging, hiking, walking or biking, I urge you to try your regular route backwards! It was awesome, like a brand new trail with a bunch of “Deja Vu’s” all over the place. :) It was so much fun to ride my usual route the opposite direction, and wasn’t that bad for climbing. There are definitely more ups than downs going West, but it wasn’t bad. I missed one of the climbs on the Rose Hill pipeline trails, but I realized at the top I was in the third gear still, so I’m sure I’ll be able to make that one with the right gearing soon. Going down into Peterson’s creek on the West side is a blast. The trail is not technical at all, but really fun and fast the whole way down. The one sandy switchback did foil me and I had to put my foot down and didn’t quite make it around the corner. But, with some work, this will be accomplished.

Then came the east side... Uggghh... Well, I walked probably 1/2 the way up if not more, there is really no “easy” section of this trail (as I have noticed coming down, it’s tough!). I did make it up past the first two switchbacks which wasn’t easy. The trail is fairly steep there, the turns are really tight, and the gulley’s and rocks are tough to manoeuvre to say the least. So being able to make that section was awesome. But I came up to the switchback that I rarely make coming down and, to no surprise, I didn’t make it up either. I pushed my bike all the way up ‘till the sandy sections and rode from there (with all the rain, these sections actually are rather easy as far as traction and stability).

The climb up Springhill is long, but not extremely tough. A decent spin in the three easier gears on the back for the whole way. And then I climbed Hugh Allan again, and this was not bad either. The final stretch was a brute, especially being tired from the riding up to this point, but still not horrible.

All in all, the ride was really quite fun and it was exciting to be able to pass this milestone this early in the summer. It took me 1 hour of riding time, about 1 hour and ten minutes total time, meaning that I got to work about 20 minutes early. So, as I was budgeting about 1-1/2 hours, this was great news for sure.

Now my next milestone, conquer Peterson’s Creek (east side)! I will now set a goal of conquering the west side as well, but I’m thinking not ‘till next summer at least... That will be a brute of a climb mixed in with some good technical riding for sure.

June 3rd (Afternoon) and June 4th (Morning)

June 3rd (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter, 2 Dad’s cookies

o   Afternoon: 1 cheese sandwich, 1 toast English muffin with peanut butter, 1 orange

 

Today’s ride was not too bad. Going down into Peterson’s Creek was tougher with the torrential downpours we had last night. The gulley’s were deeper and wider (they were getting somewhat better before yesterday). I had a few “tense” moments of going where I didn’t intend to, but I was able to save it both times thankfully. I didn’t make the two usual switchbacks, and rode the section between them again, but with a foot down. Going up the other side was pretty good. I made it further than normal on each stretch. I even realized, as I stopped at the sandy switchback, that I may have been able to keep going? Again, another case of the mind giving out before the body I think, especially because of habit in this case. I kind of doubt I’d make it through the switchback with the sand as deep as it is, but it would be interesting to try. I made the last section again without stopping, meaning that my total stops is still down at 3.

 

About 1/2 way across Frolek’s land, I started gaining on another rider. He was faster on the technical downhill sections for sure, but I kept gaining on him on the flats and hills ever so slightly. At the end of Frolek’s land, I caught up with him as he had to stop to go through the gate. This rider’s name is Phil, and he works at KMS tools (a stone’s throw down the hill from ACS). He’s been commuting for years, but only rides home (he gets a ride to work in the mornings). Apparently he has been able to ride about 10 months out of the year for the past few years, so that’s really cool to know. I would love to ride as long as possible. He lives near the east end of Valleyview, but rides across the trails through Juniper. So, we rode together into Juniper. He went very fast down the ripped up hills at the pipeline section before Rose Hill. Sure, he had a very nice, full suspension bike. But, he also had the skill (or maybe just the guts) needed to blast down the side where I go fairly slow now due to deep sand, gulleys and rocks. I did catch up with him again, however, at the bypass around the final hill and then we rode together through to Juniper on the pipeline trails (he didn’t lose me this time!) It was a fun ride, and it is neat to meet a few others now riding the same trails for the same reason. Taryn goes to school with a boy who’s Dad also commutes along the same trails to downtown every day, so maybe I’ll meet him sometime soon as well. I think I should somehow organize a get together with all those commuting on these trails one weekend and we could work on trail maintenance, trying to fix up the sections ripped up by the rain or the bulldozer! Maybe...

 

June 4th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: Meatballs, potatoes, peas and salad, 1 piece of bread with margarine, 2 pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, it’s Friday! My last morning ride ‘till next week. It was chilly this morning (about 8° when I left, 10° when I got to work) and overcast. But, no rain so that’s good as I was wearing my new, WHITE, biking shirt Corrie bought me yesterday. :)

 

Anyways, the ride out of Juniper was another successful one, so I’m very happy that I can do this now consistently. The two steeps were good, the down-and-up switchback was excellent, and the two trail dips along with the 2x6 bridge were all completed easily. Now that the brush and branches are cleared away from the second trail dip, I can just concentrate on riding through it. My next challenge on this trail is making the transition from the road to the switchback right beside the dump (about 1/2 way between the trail head and Valleyview). This is a tricky portion as it goes straight up (well, almost) about 3-1/2 feet high. To make it, I need enough speed as pedaling would just get in the way and hit the ground as I go up. But, I have to slow down quite a bit just to make it, as it branches off at about an 80° angle from the road. So, a combination of the perfect speed, pedalling at the perfect moments, and moving me weight just right will mean a successful transition. As of now, I’ve simply made the front tire up and over and then had to put my foot down and push the bike the rest of the way. Once I can clear that, I have no more challenges on this trail and might as well start riding all the way to work... :)

 

The stretch through Kenna Cartwright was pretty good. I decided to take the Kinnikinick trail again today. It’s hard to say what’s worse, higher pain but over faster, or lower pain that lasts longer??? This trail is higher pain for sure. I still walked two steep sections up the first portion before the intersection with the Doc Findlay trail. They are extremely steep, but I think I will be able to make them with better skill and once I’m more fit yet. There is one section that’s pretty steep that I’ve made both times so I’m proud about that for sure.

 

After the intersection, there are two more long steep climbs. Near the end of the second climb, a man walking his dog stopped and waited for me, which was nice and all. Except they stopped on my usual trail, which forced me up a section of trail I haven’t tried yet and I didn’t make it (pretty steep, and I was completely exhausted at this point). After that, however, the trail is an awesome little double-track winding through the woods. No more climbing until the very end, and at that point it is one more very steep climb that I haven’t made yet and, of course, didn’t make again today. However, I did notice a trail sooner that cut up the hill at a better angle, so next time I’ll try and climb that way instead.

 

All in all a good ride, and the best time through Kenna Cartwright yet so that was really cool. A big benefit of the Kinnikinick trail is that I’m out of the saddle more, meaning that I’m not as saddle-sore by the end of the ride as when I spin all the way up Reservoir trail. And the legs recover quicker, so this actually may make that trail worth it!

 

June 2nd (Afternoon) and June 3rd (Morning)

June 2nd (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter (no butter), 1 banana, 2 vanilla Oreo’s

o   Afternoon: Perogies with potatoes, bacon bits and sour cream

 

Well, after a lunch like that, I was in no shape to ride today! I guess, by the time I actually would’ve gotten on my bike I was feeling better, but I felt very sick all afternoon ‘till about 4pm. And then the rains came down. So, those two items along with the fact that Corrie was already in town with the bike rack (ready for after Taryn’s soccer practice today), I bummed a ride with her and we went for dinner together instead and then to Taryn’s soccer practice (which was actually cancelled due to the rain, and as they have yet to cancel for rain this really was a nasty downpour!). On the way, Taryn lamented as to why she always had to play soccer in the rain... Poor girl! We tried to console her that soon enough the sun would shine and seemingly not stop for a few months, but obviously we’ve been experiencing more rain lately than normal I would think?

 

June 3rd (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of water, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bacon and cheese burger (big mistake), fries, 2 pieces of white toast with peanut butter (no margarine)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, I really should’ve just had the plain burger last night. It would’ve been a few dollars cheaper, and less heavy on my gut! This mornings’ ride was actually pretty good for the first stretch to Lansdowne. I made the two steeps for the third time in a row, and the down-and-up switchback. I stopped, however, on the second trail dip and cleared the branches and brush that were constantly grabbing my arms so I guess I can’t say I made that one... :) The rest of the ride was fast and flowing to Valleyview road, and then on the streets I felt pretty good, pushing myself to a fast time of 18-3/4 minutes (my best time yet is 18.5 minutes).

 

However, the fat and grease and cheese of last night’s binge burger finally caught up with me through the Kenna Cartwright park. I was slow, tired, and very sore. I rode the Reservoir trail the whole way as I usually have done (other than yesterday), but felt pretty exhausted. Still no rest stops, so that’s cool. But every gear felt tough, no matter how easy it actually was. It doesn’t help that the mud and dirt have made my chain rather squeeky and groany by today (normally one good waxing on the weekend lasts the whole week). I guess I’ll have to remedy that tonight for sure. Still, I made a decent time of 32-3/4 minutes which is about average for me so far. However, I will second guess my burger choices in the future!