04/19/2008 Blue Ridge backwards- 04/25/2008 Blue Ridge Ride and again..... on the 05/02/08

I have been looking forward to riding over the Blue Ridge Mountains ever since I began cycling a few years ago. We did the Blue Ridger (55 miles) backwards. The group of 20 riders stayed together for the first 10-15 miles. At the beginning of the climb to Naked Mountain  I dropped back as I wanted to climb at my own pace. I was happy with my climb to Mount Weather at 1886 feet. There were quite a few long climbs with grade 8% and the max being a gruelling 17%. The descent to Bluemont was furious, the likes of which can fumigate the brakes! My average speed boasted a cool 16 m/hr. Little did I know at that point what was in store for me ahead. I suffered a asthma attack thanks to all the pollen we have at this time of the year and boy did it wreck my ride? I just wanted to get home at that point. I did finish the ride though. Besides that this was the best ride till date I have done with PPTC and I hope I can do it again on a day when the pollen count is low, Yes I will be keeping an eye on that now onwards!!  

Ride details....

On 04/25/2006 I met a Juan and other cyclists in Marshall who were planning to ride the Blue Ridge. I asked them if I could join them for the ride since I wanted to try this again after my disappointing ride the weekend before. 

Small world! but soon I realised that Juan and I  had more in common than just cycling. We have a common friend, photography, he works at the same place like my wife. We did the Blue ridge mountains ride by doing Mount Weather first and then Naked 

Mountain. I was a lot better prepared this time to tackle any allergies with a dose of. It was interesting to note the differences in the two rides from 2 opposite directions. The Ride from Marshall to Bluemont was smooth  and rolling giving ample time to get the legs warmed up and a small break at Bluemont gave a chance to refurbish the body with enough carbs and fluids. The climb was slow and 

grinding but smooth to the top and the descend was long unlike the other way. Just when you feel you are done coming down route 50 and Paris, the Naked Mountain imposes itself as a little thorn which feels like a heart breaker. The scenery is spectacular with the trees in full bloom.

Ride details.....

05/02/2008 Finally I got everything  right on this ride after 2 attempts. I rode with the PPTC group from Marshall to the foot of Mt Weather averaging 31km/hr. While the group took a break I decided to continue with the climb as I have come to realise that breaks hurts me and I knew they would catch me anyway.  I climbed at my own pace and the rest caught up with me towards the end. We rode back to Marshall with a fast pace line. The average speed turned out to be 26.7km/hr over 55 miles!

Ride details.....

13 April 2008 Training in New Baltimore.

After the A/B ride cancellations on Saturday I decided to take it easy with a CC ride on Sunday morning. The 37 miles ride was called "Training in New Baltimore" and it covered Warrenton, Airlie, Auburn and Greenville. The ride started at the Hunter Richie elementary school in New Baltimore. The group split within the first few miles and soon I found myself in the front group with Jay and Matt. We stayed together for the whole ride with frequent enjoyable pace lines. I was keeping it easy trying to keep my HR contained in Zone 2. The ride began with short hills giving way to pretty rolling terrain after the half way mark. After the ride I joined Jay and Barbara ( ride leader) for lunch at a Pizza Place in Gainesville.

Link to ride details....

Click below to see elevation profile.

 

My BMC Ride.

I bought the BMC Time machine TT03  in 2007. I upgraded the handle bar with a Profile Design Carbon X1.5 handle bar and I replaced the original saddle with Specialized Body geometry saddle. It is a great ride and fast :-)

My V02 test results

I had my V02 test done today with Sports Physiologist Melissa Dalio at Sports and Spine in Fairfax VA. The last time I did this test was in the fall of 2006. The results are different this time around. The results showed my power output to be 170watts at my aerobic threshold (143bpm)and 250 watts at my lactate threshold (169bmp). My heart zones also changed much due to the fact that I am 10 pounds lighter now than I was in 2006! I intend to get these numbers improved by the end of summer.

My 'other' ride

This is my 'other' bike. The bike that I ride the most. It is almost a extension of me. I love it :-) I usually do not ride it with the HED wheels. It has Mavic's on it most of the time.

04/30/2008 Vienna-Great Falls-McLean

After the Saturday ride this was supposed to be a recovery ride, but I do not recollect it being one as the pace picked up as soon as we left the community centre in Vienna. The group split in 2 with in the 1st mile. I was among the first group of 4 people. This was my first ride on urban roads (usually I always stick to the WOD trail) as we covered rolling Great falls, McLean and back to Vienna. This was a cold ride, my toes never warmed up in nearly 2 hours of riding :-(

I have made it a point hence forth to remember the names of fellow cyclists!

Ride details.