Largest Group Ride Ever in Mobile?

Saturday's ride was the biggest group ride I have ever seen in Mobile and possibly the biggest ever. The Mobile Bay Bicycle Club's 1st Annual Over-Under Ride attracted 132 riders.

This is terrific considering the short notice to the public as well as the bad weather. The short notice was due to the fact that this weekend was originally going to be the National Senior Games Championships in Mobile. Several weeks ago, the national committee pulled the plug on the event, mailed all of the entry fees back and told all registrants the event was cancelled.

Since the Club had already worked with the City and the Alabama Department of Transportation to gain access to the Bankhead Tunnel, they decided to figure out what to do. The Club decided to host a group ride to promote cycling awareness and got the word out less that two weeks prior.

Now the weather...can you spell W.I.N.D.Y.? The ride started at Battleship Park at 8:00. I decided to ride the 17 miles from my house to the ride. A quick check of the weather when I awoke at 5:45am revealed that the temperature was 58 degrees, not too bad. I rolled out of my house around 6:30 and started my northeasterly trip to downtown Mobile. One thing I did not check were the wind forecasts. It was a pretty stiff cross wind all of the way to town. Once downtown, I turned north and went through the State Docks. When I hit the rail yard, which is wide open landscape, I couldn't believe the wind that I encountered. I checked the weather when I got home and the wind was steady at 21 miles per hour for most of the ride, not including gusts. I was riding as hard as I could, heart rate at 178 bpm, and only moving at 11 miles per hour. Once I climbed the Cochran/Africatown bridge and headed south on the causeway, it was much easier.

I couldn't believe the number of riders, and all from Mobile and Baldwin Counties at that. The West Florida Wheelman didn't make it and we still had that good of a turn-out.

For the ride, you could choose to do 20k or 40k. I wanted the miles so I can get ready for my LAMB ride in two weeks, so I chose the 40k. It was easy cruising across the causeway and even up Spanish Fort hill, due to the tail-wind and the draft of so many riders. Once you rounded the scenic overlook and headed back down HWY 90/98 to the causeway the wind was back in your face.

It was tough going all the way back to the battleship. The cross wind off of Mobile Bay was really severe. It was difficult to keep your bike in a straight line. It seemed as if you were actually steering to the right to stay straight. Every now and then there would be a break in the wind from the growth along the shore and you would actually end up steering to the right because of the posturing you were doing to stay straight in the wind. Even the little bridge just before the battleship was very difficult. The causeway turns a little more north-west just before this bridge. I was only able to achieve about 6 miles per hour up this small bridge.

Once at the top of the Cochran Bridge, I usually like to coast down and try to achieve the most aerodynamic position I can to see how fast I can go without propelling myself. I can typically break 40 miles per hour doing this. Today, only 13 miles per hour. I couldn't even shove off like normal, I actually had to pedal to get going.

The trip back to downtown through the rail yard and the docks was a pleasure with the tail-wind. The best part of the ride, completely sheltered from the elements, was through the tunnel. In a car, you do not realize how long and how steep the tunnel is. It is about 3,000 feet long, and the grade is pretty steep. I achieved over 40 miles per hour going down to the bottom, even with its bumpy, uneven surface.

I had originally planned on riding back to my house, but I did not want to fight the wind again, so I took David up on his offer to give me a ride and I helped him pick up all of the "Bicycle Event, Share the Road" signs.

43.47 miles - 14.4 avg speed - avg hr 150 bpm - max hr 179 bpm - 3,063 calories burned

This Weekend's Rides

Today was another washout. It rained most of the night and all morning, but ended up being a beautiful day. Due to the wet roads, this mornings ride was cancelled.

Yesterday though was another story. Julie and I had a great ride. This was the first time Julie has come out on the Saturday morning ride. I am really proud of her progress on the bike. She has been really well. It was a little chilly at 7:00am when the ride, around 25 - 30 strong, rolled out of All About Bicycle's parking lot. Mark was in attendance this week, and as he promised, it was a no-drop ride. I had a chat with him about last week's ride, and he apologized that the ride ended up the way it did.

This week there were two new attendees, Will and Cindy. Cindy had just bought a new road bike from AAB and this was her first ride. She did fantastic. Will was new to group road riding and I helped him with encouragement and direction as far as group ride etiquette is concerned. He plans on going either to Cadence 120 or ABB to get fitted properly to his older Trek.

32.39 miles - 13.7 avg speed - avg hr 135 bpm - max hr 168 bpm - 2,306 calories burned

No-Drop Ride...not so much...

I awoke this morning to a cold dark sky. When I hopped on my bike this morning it was still dark outside and the temperature was a balmy 41.3 degrees. Surprisingly, there were still 23 people in attendance for the no-drop ride. Mark, one of the leaders of the ride, that typically stays with the slower riders was not in attendance. He was on a separate training ride preparing for an upcoming Ironman event.

For weeks I have been encouraging folks to attend this ride because of its friendly style of riding. It has been a no-drop ride not only in pace, but Mark has even shortened the route to accommodate newer riders.

I asked Scott, the other leader of the ride, who was going to ride with the slower group in Marks absence. Scott told me he would. This was a good thing, because one of the riders I convinced to attend today did show up, but I was not planning on completing the ride all of the way back to the store, so I knew my friend would be be taken care of after I turned off.

I have family in town from Tampa, so I was going to turn off and ride over to my sister's house to spend some time with them. The only problem is that after the first couple of miles, we never saw Scott again. He didn't ride back to check on us like he said he would and for this I am really disappointed. My friend ended up riding to my sister's with me and we had to drive him back the store so he could get his car.

35.16 miles - 15.2 avg speed - avg hr 139 bpm - max hr 175 bpm - 2,321 calories burned

A Week of Celebrations

This week has been a busy one for me. Not only am I still trying to play catch-up at work since Interbike, but Wednesday was Julie's birthday and today was our wedding anniversary.

Because of all of the expenses we have incurred lately because of our dogs, we agreed not to do anything or buy gifts for each other this year...but I couldn't resist, I love to surprise Julie with something unexpected. I wanted to take her to a nice dinner for her birthday and I wanted it to be somewhere unique.

I had seen a restaurant near Cadence 120 that had peaked my interest, but I guess never enough for me to go there. Over the years, I hadn't even heard anyone mentioning that they had been there. Well I have to tell you, Blu Bistro was a hit!

For starters, we had Potato Gnocchi and Shiitake Mushrooms with Dry Cured Ham and Parmesan Cream and we also had Fried Green Tomato with Herbed Goat Cheese and Shrimp Remoulade. Of course I had to have a Caesar salad too. For dinner, Julie had a Seared Fourteen Ounce Center Cut Ribeye with Potatoes Lyonnaise, Paprika Onion Crisps and Herbed Butter and I had Fresh Red Fish, Blackened with Sautéed Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. To end it all, we split a Key Lime pie.

During dinner, I gave Julie her gift from Hayes Jewelers.

I had no special plans for our anniversary today, but I did have another surprise for her from Hayes.

No-Drop Ride - New Time/Place for Sunday Ride Coming Soon!

What a beautiful day. The temperature was in the 50's when I started my ride to the &:00am ride at All About Bicycles this morning. I broke out the knickers and a light jacket for the ride.

The nice weather helped to achieve another great turnout for this ride. I counted +/-36 riders. As always Mark stayed back with the slower group while Scott rode off with the lead group. I suggested to Mark, even though he is riding in the back with us which is enough for it to officially be a no-drop ride, that Scott should put a cap on his speed. Everyone is told at the beginning of the ride that there is a slower group and a faster group. Well, it's human nature that not many people will want to hold back if they don't have to.

The only problem then is that those that ride off with the faster lead group may eventually get dropped. I suggested that once a predetermined pace is achieved in the front group, Scott should pull off and maintain that speed even though many in the group will push on. There will certainly be others that are appreciative of that gesture.

39.43 miles - 14.3 avg speed - avg hr 147 bpm - max hr 181 bpm - 3,285 calories burned

Starting Sunday, October 15th, my beginners road ride will be on Sunday at 9:00am from the new Lenny's Sub Shop at 4052 Government Blvd. After the ride, we can relax and enjoy some great sandwiches!

Zachary Thomas Clark...

...my new nephew...born at 4:58pm on September 27th, 2006. Weighing in at 7 lbs 5 ozs and measuring 21.5". Check out some photos here.

Interbike 2006

I just returned from a week in Las Vegas. I flew out on Monday the 25th to attend Interbike 2006, the annual bicycle industry trade show. I am so happy that when I made a career change last August that I was able to stay within the bicycle industry. My new career allows me to attend the trade show where I can meet my customers face-to-face and also to see old friends.

One other benefit of attending the trade show is being able to hang out with my co-workers. Since most of us work remotely from our homes, this is one of the few opportunities to get see each other face-to-face. The hotel we stay at has a "Manager's Happy Hour" every evening. This is typically where we all meet up after a busy day at the show.

On Friday evening, we have a company night out. Last year we went to Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing. It was such a great time last year that we returned there again this year. We start off with a couple of practice races, then it is off to qualifying. Once qualified, there is a Championship event that consists of 20 laps of racing. Last year I placed third..this year I placed first!