Ah the goals we weave....

So getting close to the end of the year and almost done with my 2000 mile goal for the year I have turned my cycling thoughts to new goals and how I can improve my cycling. This year was a good year. I was able to do some longer rides that just the beginning of the year I would not have thought I could do. Plus the 2000 miles this year was almost 3 times what I rode in all of 2006. So the 2008 year is going to be a year to push myself further. So here are the cycling goals for 2008:

• Commute to work 90 times - This is twice a week for 45 weeks. That gives about 7 weeks for bad weather, travel, and vacation. Course more that 90 would be that much better!
• Tour de Temple 100k 5% faster than in 2007
  
• Ride two centuries - I have yet to ride a 100 miler. So good challenge here...
• Baseline and improve 10% on time to go up Jester. Ok...so last time I did this hill I had to walk 2/3rds of it and it took me 30 minutes. So this is personal!
• Wurst ride 100k - Ok...so this time hopefully without all the cramps and breakdowns. Though I did have a good ride partner!
• 4250 total miles - This sounds like a lot, but the commuting in itself will be 3150. So between that and other riding this should be a good challenge. Plus it is over double what I did in '07!
• Rip Roarin' Ride - I just like this ride. Plus it has special meaning to me as it was the first charity ride I rode with my lovely girlfriend, Gretchen!
• Record better ride notes - Right now I record only what the computer records. So I want to record more my moods, impression of rides, track equipment miles and such.
• Create a cycling plan

So these are my goals for cycling There are quite a few, but not unachievable, and are trackable. So I have made many other goals for the year. They all will help improve my life and help me achieve my cycling dream goals. Oh...probably should put those here too.

• Ride across the United States
• Cycle through the major U.S. National Parks like Yellowstone.
• Cycling tours of European countries
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• Ireland

Well that are the goals...Now to get out and do them! See you out there!

Intro: part deux

The moment you have waited for...part deux! So I left off having bought my ride, and realized that that was not enough. I would actually have to ride this thing. It was not quite as easy as the saying goes. Why...well bikes are not like when I was a kid. See when I bought the bike I had succumb to the biking world. I had bought the padded shorts, a jersey, gloves, helmet, clip in shoes (called clipless for an un-intuitive reason), and repair kit. So most of this was not in my childhood riding experience. Actually I think the only thing that was in it was the bike. So going for a ride was much more of an ordeal than just getting on and going. It also involved getting all the gear on and ready.

So I first had to will myself that to ride this bike I bought. It is not easy going from sitting on one's butt and doing nothing to sitting on one's butt and working out. Add in the prep time of getting the gear on, and it always looked better to sit and watch the evil television (well DVDs as I did not have cable). I fought the urge to be lethargic though. I had a mission and I knew I had to do it. So I geared up in Lycra, strapped on the shoes, put on the helmet, and pulled on the gloves...and rode a half mile. That is right a half mile. I was so out of shape and pitiful that I could only ride about a half mile in my parking lot at my apartment complex. That was a low point. I would get done with the half mile and be spent. Not an enjoyable experience. I tried though not to let my friends and family onto how much I was discouraged during this time. To tell you the truth the man reason why I kept riding at that point was that I had paid the $1000+ for that torture device and felt that I had to use it.

So amazingly enough I improved. I got to a mile. Then two miles. Which going around in the parking lot that was only about a quarter mile was really boring. So I thought I would get brave. I tried the hill in the parking lot. Dumb! Ok, not really, but it hurt more than anything. So I kept going. I eventually got up the hill in my complex, and tried the hill out on the road my complex was on. Then the veloway. I kept getting stronger. I was even doing some ride with my friends the Pages around their neighborhood. This was when it started really to click for me that I was having fun, and that this was not going to be just about getting into shape. Now do not get the impression that I did this all outside. I had actually gotten crazy and bought a indoor trainer. A torture device designed to make bikes into stationary bikes for riding inside. I did this a lot to help improve. Plus I really dreaded going to to ride all the time.

So I started looking for challenges. I started doing more hills in my neighborhood, going longer, riding faster. It was all fun to see. I say see as the nerd side of me was tracking all this. Starting with just a spreadsheet, I kept track of all this. Eventually I received a cycling computer, and was able to track more serious numbers. This tracking and logging of my biking telemetry was one of the things that made it fun, and really allowed me to visualize my improvement. I even got myself a heart monitor to get myself even more numbers. Ah, the toys.

So I started getting to the point where I could ride a fair distance of 9-12 miles, but the frustrating part was that I was not getting faster. I wanted to go faster. It was not enough that I could go further. It still took me forever to do those distances. Eventually though that would pass too.

I mentioned that I rode with my friends the Pages. Well I enjoyed the group riding. It was fun to be able to talk to people. So I was looking for some others to ride with. At that point I had been hanging out at 360 Cycleworks and noticed they had a club I could join, and I would also get a jersey for doing so. So I joined. Well I did no riding with the group. Funny huh. I guess so too, but one thing that came out of it was a brief insanity to ride the King of Jester ride after only 5 months of riding, and only 20lbs of weight loss (still 240). Was made this an insane move is that the King of Jester hill is a .5mile ride up a hill with and average grade of 14%. In other words...NUTS! So my family came in to watch, my friends came to see, and one even rode it also. So with one of the largest cheering sections (afor mentioned cycling store and spectators) I attempted the hill. 35 minutes later, 3 faux heart attacks, and much cursing and walking I made it to the top...on my bike. I have not done it since. I will though.

So I have kept riding...all the time getting stronger, going further, and getting faster. I was can easily do 100km now, and giving my friend Bill a run for his money. No I do not charge him to ride with me. There are many more stories to tell. High points and low points are in the mix. So come back and I will be logging more of them. I think I will start by going back through my logs and finding some of these and writing about them. I will also so about adding some about all the fun cycling toys I have found out about.

Thanks for visiting!

The Intro: Part 1

So now the bike adventure begins...! Well actually is began back when I was three, but that is a for a different day. So I am here today, 75 pounds lighter and from all appearances in good shape. This blog is about my journey, with my bike, to get here the past 2.5 years, and my continuing adventures. So as I do this as an outlet for myself I hope that you all find something out of it. I will probably talk mostly about biking, but will drift to other things such as my weight loss, cooking, photography, and other things that strikes me, but hopefully still related to cycling somehow. Enjoy... (warning: I like ellipses!)

So as I mentioned I am 75 pounds lighter. There is so much to say about this, but I think the best thing is that I am thankful. It has made me feel so much better physically and emotionally. So how did I get here? That is the question that everyone asks. No it was not some fad carb only or cabbage juice diets. My friends and family can attest to that. I love food too much. So here are the two things I did: 1) I tracked and moderated what I ate, 2) Cycled my big butt off! I used a program called Fitday (fitday.com) to track my calories and just kept my calories down. Not glamorous by any means, but it works with my strengths (or quirks depending how you look at it). I like gadgets and using them. So this program singularly gave me the toy I needed. It worked. I guess though that is enough for now. I will write more about this part later. Onto the fun stuff...cycling.

So what brought me to cycling? When I got back from a little stint in Indiana I realized just how overweight and lethargic I had become. I was tired of being overweight, and had started to worry about my health. The hard part was finding something I liked to do that involved being physical. I also realized that if I did not do something that got me out of the house I would sit and watch the great Satan...television! I am not a big fan of the gym environment. Do not get me wrong they are great for other people. I needed something different though. Something me. I was not into the traditional team sports these days, and I do not like to run (I tried it once with a friend...that's right Marc). This is where my best friend Bill came in to save the day. Yes, in a way he is my saviour on Earth. Bill, well he cycles. I would hear him talk about it, and he would mention it here and there. As I thought of things to do him and the biking kept coming into the picture. So I wondered if it would be something for me. Let's see...something physical (not something I liked...yet), lots of gadgets to research, ability to get out of the house and not in a gym, can be done solo or with group. It was sounding good. So I asked Bill to help me come look for a bike. Why? I needed his support. Not sure I told him that, but I almost chickened out a few times. Him just listening to me talk about wanting to buy a bike, and going with me to the bike stores though kept me solid. So as I am who I am, I had everything researched. I knew components, the materials, fitting, and all. Well, I thought I did. I soon realized how little I knew. Seems simple...bike...two wheels and a saddle (yes DeAnna a saddle is the seat). It is much more than that though. So after some deliberation I settled in on my choice...a Jamis 2005 Ventura Comp road bike. I will spare the details of it...for now.

Now that I had the bike I had to ride it. This was the wrinkle in my plan. I did ride it , but as this is already long I will save this for part two and other posts.

Before I go though I want to thank Bill again, and my family and friends. Their support, and comments of "Hey you...Mr Skinny!" have meant the world to me.