Are You Living It?

 Summer snuck in last week and gave us 100+ degree weather on our Sunday ride ( I was corrected on my report last week, it was 106 degrees on Sunday afternoon in scott valley, not 95!). Today, Rain, chattering teeth and a stop for hot coffee! Our ride took us on a 96 mile tour of the Shasta Valley. We found ourselves feeling lucky though, the forcast was for 30% rain showers and it only rained for 20% of our ride! The rain caught us as we turned down Hwy 97 and all the way to lake Shastina. Then out came the sun, well sort of as we could see a shadow now and then, we were all dried out when we stopped for water in Montague. From there to Hornbrook, and the rest of the way to Yreka, had no wind or rain. What a mixed bag of weather today, fairly warm 50 degrees, then shivering cold and wet, then sunny and dry. Happy Spring time riding everyone! Keep that rain coat handy.

At 7:00 AM we bagan a great 100 mile training ride here in Northern California. The morning began in Yreka, and we rode through the towns of Gazelle, Callahan, Etna, Mugginsville, and Fort Jones, then up over Forest Mountain back to Yreka. Riding up over Gazelle Mountain we dropped into the upper reaches of the Scott River and through some spring green pasture land that was high enough to still be comfortable and not too hot. As we rode down through the Scott Valley, the temperature began to climb and finally hit about 95 degrees. The climb over Forest Mountain was HOT, but the 50 MPH descent on the other side cooled us down all the way back to Yreka. The heat keeps you burning calories, as well as water, and my 200 lb body used over 4700 Calories over the 5 1/2 hour ride. Well, gotta go, its time to eat, for the third time tonight! If you are interested in this ride, in the reverse direction, check out the Siskiyou Century Ride in Yreka, September 2008.

Just returned from the Tour of the Unknown Coast (TUC) in Ferndale. A beautiful victorian town on the California coast. The towns history is mainly dairy farming, so lots of rollong hills and pasture land to ride through. The TUC Century is said to be one of the toughest around, not because of the amount of climbing, but because the gradient of the climbs is so steep. I must admit that the two steep sections made my legs cry for mercy. I seem to have lost that third little front sprocket and this was the one day over the past few years that it would have come in handy.

Bike fitting is more than just plugging in body part measurements and asking a computer to tell you the correct dimensions of the seat, pedal, handlebar geometry. This type of fitting sounds very scientific, because it uses a computer, but those measurements don’t tell you how your body mechanics will relate to the bike. And remember, your comfort and efficiency on the bike are all about ease of movement or lack thereof. This type of formula-based set up, while appropriate as an initial match of the bike for a given rider, should not be considered a true bike fit. I have clients complain that they have discomfort while on the bike, even after they have had the bike fit to them at the bike shop. This is usually because the bike has been set up for their measurements, but not truly fitted to them.

This story is an aside to an Active Release Techniques (ART) meeting and training I attended this weekend in Colorado Springs at Champion Health. As a member of CouchSurfing.com  I searched the Colorado Springs area for someone to stay with. I came across the profile of a fellow Couch Surfer, Ryan Kohler, that shared similar interests and I would enjoy meeting, then sent a request to crash on his floor for a couple nights. He was going to be home this weekend and invited me to stay. The meeting was on Saturday, but the only flight that would get me from Medford Oregon to Colorado Springs in time was Friday morning. So I had to figure out what I could do to while away a Friday afternoon. I remembered that the Olympic Training Center was located in Colorado Springs and that there may be a place to get my Lactate Threshold tested. I contacted Ryan to see if he knew of any possibilities. “It just so happens”, he replied, “that I work for Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) as a coach, and we have a testing lab.” Wow!  What luck.

I tried something new in my training schedule for the Willamette Classic stage race. This in itself is not a bad thing, but trying a fairly big change just prior to a race, may not have been a good idea. Up through February I had been riding strong. Climbing with riders that I had never been able to hang with in the past. Willamette was looking good!

Passion leads to perseverence and in the end you get to see or feel things that common sense would not allow you to learn. Like today, on my way out to the start of the Alpine Road Race the rain was soaking everything.  The mountains we were to ride up into, hidden in the storm clouds and promising a soggy cold day.

Springtime. Sunshine. Snowmelt. But at 9:30 this morning it was still only 30 degrees. A nice 60 mile ride into the warm regions of the South. Well, South Siskiyou County that is. Heading South from Mount Shasta, toward Dunsmuir, we rode along a single lane road with a canopy of Fir and Pine trees overhead. The twists and turns with short steep climbs made for an enjoyable beginning to the ride. We continued South to Dunsmuir and then along the Snow fed Sacramento River. Almost no traffic and the quiet of the morning let us hear the river noises as we rode along side, the intermittent buzz of the freewheels sounding out a tune. We were headed for Castle Craigs State Park. Just South of Dunsmuir we had to ride a short distance on the I-5 freeway shoulder to the next exit. We expected quite bit of rock and cinders along the side of the road, but it was pretty clean.

Easter Sunday relaxing in Sunriver Oregon.

On Wednesday I had the privelage of volunteering at the Mount Shasta Nordic Center, instead of working at the office. We had a grade school bring about 50 kids for a day of Nordic lessons and touring. It was a treat to be involved in showing children a new way to have fun and exercise in the outdoors. Community volunteers helped lead stations with games that developed Nordic Skiing skills in a fun and approachable way. By lunch time, most of the kids were pretty comfortable on their skis and looked forward to their ski tour. Living your passion is not just about doing the things you love, but having the chance to share those things with others. Share Your Passion!