PacTour Arizona Desert Camp

March 17, 2007 (Saturday)
I was in pretty rough shape when I arrived at Tucson. I had a final exam the night before that didn't end till 8:00 p.m. and had a 7:00am flight out of Seattle. I had been struggling with being anemic for a month and I was plain exhausted.

Cheryl advised me not to ride the arrival day (Tucson) so that I would be fresh for the first ride. She was right on. I put my bike together and adjusted to the Arizona heat. Our first night was at Country Inn Suites which was a nice place to start from. I opted not to share a room...another good idea since I woke up very early every morning with the bicycle jidders. I was glad I had a chance to really go over my bike before the tour because I knew the chance of a major bicycle mechanical was slim. The first nights talk was an overview of the week with some precautions and do's and don'ts. They had a masseuse on the tour so I had him work on my neck and back before the first days ride. I then got a massage every other day of the tour.

March 18, 2007 (Sunday). Tucson to Sierra Vista Through Sonoita
I started out from Tucson with a group of 4 single (not on tandems) women. Right off the bat I knew this wasn't the group for me...they were screaming out of town. I dropped off the back and one other women joined me. She was faster than me, but seemed to want the company. So I drafted her for 22 miles. We averaged 11.2 miles an hour and I rode at 82% MHR. This section 40% climbing and 60% flat. At the first sag several of us (the 5 slowest riders) hitched a ride to the top of the pass. Susan and Lon stressed that it was important not to overdo it the first day because their were 5 more days of riding. I took their warning and decided not to ride the pass. As it turned out, it wouldn't have been a problem, the last 34 miles were fairly fast miles. 9 miles at 15.7 mph and 25 miles at 13.7 mph.
Temp 93 degrees
Total Ascent 1,681.
Calories burned 3,129

March 19, 2007 (Monday) Coronado Pass Loop
I decided to ride at an easy pace and just ride 43.5 miles (there was an optional Coronado Pass climb and descent). I was taking it easy so that I could ride hard the next day. I lost my map within the first 10 miles and ended up back tracking to ride with a tandem (that had a map) and thus I rode their pace (a bit slower than my pace) for the day. Averaged 12.1 mph. 50% climbing and 50% descending. Did I mention that we stopped for pie?
Temp 75 degrees
Total Ascent 1,558
Calories burned 2,329

March 20, 2007 (Tuesday) Mule Pass to Tombstone
Each day there were cut offs for each sag wagon and for the lunch wagon. If you didn't ride fast enough to make it to a wagon before the cutoff you were out of luck. Today's ride included an optional climb up Mule Pass. You could only ride Mule Pass if you got to the first sag (which was at the bottom of the pass) by a certain time. The second sag was at the top of Mule Pass. I decided to ride hard to see if I could make the first sag and ride the pass. The first 8 miles consisted of a fast descent (max of 34 mph) and then the climbing began. The second 8 miles to the sag were all up hill. I made the first sag with plenty of time (10 minutes) to spare. As I left the first sag, a warning was given that there was only 1.5 hours to climb the pass before the second sag left. So I did some calculations and decided that I could climb Mule Pass within the time limit. The climb was long and at the top it was all I could do to keep my bike moving...I would have been in trouble if I had one less gear. In the steepest part I was only riding 3.8 mph. I stopped once to move my full water bottle to the front and to wipe the burning sweat out of my eyes. I made it to the top feeling a bit nauseous but with 10 minutes to spare. The descent was very steep and I had to ride on the road because there was gravel on the shoulder. I kept my speed at about 20 mph. One of the tandems took this at 50 mph...I can't even imagine! The ride from the pass included some nice long descents and some nice long climbs. One rider asked me that night if the climb up Mule Pass was worse than the major climb into Tombstone...my reply was...there was not a major climb into Tombstone! Apparently they had to walk part of the 3 mile climb into Tombstone. I grabbed a quick lunch and rode home. I rode the first half of the ride in the 84% MHR range and the last part in the 75% MHR range.
64.5 total miles
Temp 80 degrees
Ascent 3,281
calories burned 3,894

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 through the Fort
I woke up really tired on Wednesday. I could definitely feel the day before's ride. I decide to take it easy and only ride 37 miles. The ride began in Fort Huachuca which is the Military Fort in Sierra Vista. I approached the fort and showed my picture ID (so I could enter). The fort consisted of short steep climbs and descents. It was definitely a hard ride. One of the crew asked if I would ride with her from the first sag and so I was aware of my time cut off and decided that I could make the cut off. That was until I took a wrong turn. I began a long descent and the miles on my speedometer wasn't matching the miles on my cue sheet. So I turned around and started climbing back...but then a car approached and so I asked the driver and he read my cue sheet and said "to continue down the hill" so I turned around and continued down the hill. The day was windy but this was the first time I've ever worried about being blown off my bike. I kept my mph to 20 and held on tight to the bike. I arrived at the bottom of the hill and realized that I was definitely lost...I shouldn't have ridden down this hill. So I began the slow ascent (30 minutes) with an incredible head wind. When I finally got to the top and realized where I made my mistake I had already missed the 1st sag. So I called and let the lunch wagon know that I was riding back. I took stock of my supplies and I still had one bottle of Gatorade and two packages of energy food. So I rode back to the hotel. The learning was that I should have taken Wednesday off...but I had told someone that I would ride with them...so I felt locked in. In the future, I'll let the person know that I I'll decide the day of the ride. I also realize that "riding with another rider" adds a level of stress.
temp 69 degrees
total miles 30.4
Ascent 1,781
speed 9mph
Calories burned 1,986

Thursday, March 22, 2007 Bisbee Coffee Shop
I woke up tired again. I got up and put my riding clothes on and went to breakfast. It was pouring down rain during breakfast and it was cold (in the 50's) so after breakfast I changed into my street clothes and caught a ride with the lunch truck to Bisbee and enjoyed the day in the coffee shop drinking the best coffee I had on the trip! That evening I checked over my bike for the next day's ride and found I had a flat front tire. I changed the tube and pulled at least 6 thorns out of my tire.

Friday, March 23, 2007 Sierra Vista to Tucson
I felt good to go on Friday morning. The weather was pouring rain in the morning. I decided to wear my Ibex long sleeve wool jersey, leg warmers, and my rain jacket. It was still damp out but the rain had stopped by the time we started riding (7:30am); although there was visible sleet or snow on the ground in some places. I drafted a tandem until we got out of town and then I rode by myself. I thought I was the last rider but it turned out that there was one tandem behind me. I really enjoyed the ride. It was cool (51 degrees) and the ride was mostly climbing. After the second sag I got a flat tire and the tandem behind me became the tandem in front of me. I couldn't find what made me flat (I knew that I must not have gotten the thorn that caused my slow leak on Wednesday)...so I continued my ride knowing that I had at least one more flat coming. As I rode into the lunch truck it began to pour down rain...and I decided that I had enough of a ride...so I sagged the last 20 some miles (which were mostly down hill).
55 total miles ridden
12.5 mph
Ascent 1,699
Calories burned 2,741

Thoughts about PacTour
Every ride was hard and seemed to consist of climbing, climbing and more climbing. The down hills seemed to be long fast descents...miles and mile of 20 mph! I loved the riding...although I really like to climb even though I'm a slow climber. I'm planning on making this my spring training trip each spring. I would have liked to have more miles on my legs before the trip...but life happens and winter quarter was stressful and filled with too much homework and too many hours working. I really liked staying in the hotels especially since my body decided that it needed its first bathroom stop at 4:00am and then more stops every half hour until we rode. This has made me decide not to do a camping tour this year....I have a new boss coming in August so I can't do an August trip anyway.

What is next
I want to do several 2, 3 and 4 day rides this Spring and Summer. I'm thinking of spending a weekend at Friday Harbor and doing day rides from there. I don't have a bike (yet) that will allow me to do a "loaded" tour; but there is no reason I can't stay in one place and ride 2 or 3 rides from a bed and breakfast. I'd love to ride to Portland and back over 3-4 days...I need to figure out the logistics of this.

Sunday, March 11, 2007
It seems these days my work schedule, my class (Managerial Accounting) and preparations for PacTour are taking all my time.

Thank God for the Internet...I've ordered most of my extra stuff for the trip via the Internet (which includes sun screen, extra cleats, shampoo). I even ordered a replacement Pearl Izumi AmFib tights (my old ones gave up the ghost last week). I wont need the tights for PacTour, but I'll need them when I get back. I did manage a trip to REI to pick up some nutritional items (with their bulk discount, it seems crazy to purchase them anywhere else). Cliff blocks end up 1.50 per package! I picked up some for the trip and some for home.

I've spent most of the weekend doing homework. No ride (although if my road bike wasn't on the disable list I might have been able to sneak out for a short ride). I spent 4 hours today working on the road bike.

1. Trued both the front and back wheels. I was surprised that they were both out of true...not by large amounts...but I was still surprised (I obviously need more practice building wheels). I spent way too much time on this task...especially since the pros take one hour to build a wheel. Both wheels needed more tension as well. I put spoke freeze on the spokes (rear wheel) when I finished (of course I did this 400 miles ago as well ;-).
   
2. Installed (fancy word...makes this sound difficult) new tube and tire on the back wheel.
   
3. Cleaned the chain, cassette, and rest of drive train.
   
4. Adjusted rear brake (it has been loose for a couple of weeks...so just needed to center it and tighten it).

What is left to do before PacTour:

1. Double check front wheel and add spoke freeze
   
2. install front tube and tire
   
3. oil chain
   
4. Check to make sure the cranks and bottom bracket are tight (just a physical test...no tools needed).
   
5. I'd like to rotate my handlebars a bit to make it easier to stay in the drops...of course this means moving the brake levers and re-installing handle-bar tape (I don't really think this is going to happen before PacTour).

I have class Monday night and my final on Friday night. So studying is going to be a major part of my week. I also work late (past 9 pm) on Tuesday. My hope is to get my bike, gear, and clothes packed on Wednesday. Then, maybe I can sneak in a mountain bike ride.

Yes, I'm feeling a bit stressed. I just keep telling myself, although I haven't been riding as much as I'd like, I'm the strongest I've ever been in March! PacTour will be fine...I could be in better shape...but the whole point of PacTour is to help me get into shape. My class next quarter shouldn't be as homework intensive!

I also have a few home projects I want to do when I get back from PacTour. My spring quarter projects include finishing the 6' wood fence (7 sections). Put a patio in the back yard (6'x8') using 2' square pavers. Put up a waterproof ceiling under the deck (to keep stuff less wet). My pipe dreams for spring quarter include a new lighting fixture for the entry way and one for the dining room; as well as a new lighting fixture for the downstairs bathroom (and a new mirror). Those will probably be my summer projects...it seems the home projects never end.

I was talking to a close friend the other night on the phone, and when she heard what my quarter has been like (hectic) she said, yeah...that is just you...get use to it ;-)

Sunday's ride.

Today's ride was either 70 miles or 82 miles...depending on the "official rules." What you didn't know there were official rules...of course there are official rules...also known as "Cheryl's rules." So the question is "do you get to count miles hitch-hiked with your bike?" 12 miles from home my back tire got sliced...oh no...I don't know what sliced the tire...because I was checking out the great view of Lake Sammamish (something I don't think is allowed in the "official rules"). The tire was cut clean through. I thought to myself...I can put a boot in the tire to try to patch the hole...but there is a good chance that might only get me a few miles. My all time record is 5 flats in 40 miles...and I just didn't want to challenge that record. So as I began to take the tire off, I kept an eye open for a pick-up truck (that my bike would nicely fit into to). After the first few passed me by, I checked my watch (1.5 hours before dark)...I figured I'd better give it the good ol' try...but then to my surprise the last truck to pass me by was backing up to where I was. I tossed my bike and wheel into the back and climbed in. That was the easiest 12 miles with my road bike.

My goal was 85 miles today. I got up early and started assembling my gear (also known as food and water). Drank a couple cups of coffee, ate some left over pancakes...and then headed to McD's (my new favorite place to park). I just didn't have much umph today. I wasn't exactly tired...maybe just not motivated. So I decided that what ever route I took, it couldn't pass by the car before it was over (or it would be over). I rode from Issaquah to Marymoore (E. lake sammamish) where I wasted lots of time chatting with people. Then West Lake Sammamish to Newport to Bellevue to Renton (south end of the lake). Once I arrived at Seward Park I realized that the motivation that was lacking in Issaquah was not going to be found today. So I made a deal with myself...I didn't have to ride the whole lake Washington if I rode back to Marymoore on the trail and then home from there. I guesstimated the miles would be the same...so with my new found determination I headed back to Marymoore via UW...Kenmore...you know the gig. I was tired when I got to Marymoore but not in bad shape for having riden 65 miles. another 5 miles and my first flat on the Seven (not bad...800 + mile with no flat).

Tuesday, February 27, 2007
My last couple of road rides have been dampened by my bike fit. When I got a new saddle, it didn't get installed into the correct position. I re-measured the saddle location and made a couple of small adjustments (mostly to the height). The fit still didn't feel right...so I decided no more long rides on the bike until I got the fit dialed in...because, I've had enough physical issues (broken ankle and neck pain) to not want to aggravate old injuries and spend weeks trying to heal. So I took my bike (and the setup instructions that came with it) to Zac at Cascade Bicycle Studio in Fremont (they sell custom Seven bicycles). Zac is a previous Seven Bicycles employee and he understands Seven's measurement system. Zac made a few corrections to my setup. One small detail that wasn't noticed before was that my bicycle setup assumes a saddle length of 25 cm. My saddle is 26cm...so Zac made the necessary corrections. It turns out I had the saddle height within 1mm (which is great). Zac moved my cleats back a bit. He also moved the saddle forward on the rails which makes it easier to get to the hoods (this is the correction that came about due to a longer saddle...measurement from the nose of the saddle to the bottom bracket was off because the nose of the saddle is 1 cm longer). He also recommended rotating the handle bars to the angle that Seven specified on their setup sheet...which should make it more comfortable in the drops. I hope to get this last change done before I leave for PacTour...just not sure I will have time. Tonight will be my first spin on the bike since the fit session. Sunday (assuming it isn't icy out) will be my first long ride with the new fit.

Friday, February 23, 2007 through Sunday, February 25, 2007
Took Friday off work to start a fence building project. Built a total of five 8' sections of a Six foot tall wood fence. Spent from 8:00am till 6:00pm both Friday and Saturday and half a day on Sunday (mostly clean up and a dump run). Definitely the most physical workout I've had this year. I still have Seven sections to build later this spring.