Getting My Legs Back

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade....

That's what I've always been told.  However, experience has taught me that without life giving you water and sugar as well, your lemonade is going to suck.  As you know, I have recently gotten back into cycling, and have decided that I will embrace it being a lifestyle and not just a hobby.  I had to wait forever for my bike to get here, then I started riding and found that while I still could ride a decent distance, I was a good bit away from my previous 18-19mph training average speed.  As I was starting to build back up to that point, a car turned in front of me and a crash ensued.  The bike was at the shop out of commission, so I started to run to maintain a level of activity.  After a few days running, my knees were so sore I could barely walk, and I had blisters on my feet the size of dimes.  When I got word that insurance was going to cover my loss, and ultimately give my damaged bike back, I immediately stopped running.

My desire had been to get a throw down bike and buy my old trainer back from a friend so that I would not be affected by any inclement weather through the winter.  Well, thanks to Progressive, I now had that throw down bike (a 2015 S-Works Red Tarmac).  I wasn't 100% confident in its ability to survive road rides, and one of the wheels was out of true (unable to correct), but I felt comfortable having it on the trainer.  My next call was to Phil to make sure he didn't mind parting with the trainer I had sold him back in November.  For some reason, he seemed overjoyed to get rid of that contraption, and sell it back to me.  When he said that he had only used it one time, and still had everything, I bought it back from him for what I sold it to him for no questions asked.  He just loaned me a little bit of money for a few months and housed the trainer for me.

That ugly red tire is the trainer tire which is used only with a trainer.

I wasted no time in getting the bike stripped of all the road gear, and got the trainer dedicated tire installed.  I did a quick wash of the trainer equipment since it had been sitting idle for a while and got everything built together in the office.  It wasn't quite the pain cave I had intended originally, but that would have necessitated moving out of the garage to make room for everything in there.  Since it was still rather warm outside, I opted to stay inside to benefit from the A/C a little bit.

Kind of familiar since this was where I had the trainer before.

Well, for not a whole lot of money (none when you really look at it), I had my trainer bike.  This was actually quite a good thing for my cycling.  While I would much rather have been outside riding and enjoying the scenery, this was going to make for a much better arrangement to get back to the fitness level I had once enjoyed.  I learned a very valuable lesson over the winter of 2012.  I could see more benefit from shorter rides, and in a quicker amount of time on the trainer.  Intervals was where it was at!  This was going to be my recovery plan from all the months leading a sedentary lifestyle.  I would do intervals until my new bike got here, and would continue do do them when the weather would not allow me to ride outside.  I had a training plan, and I knew that it would work.  It would also allow me to finally do the S-Works justice when I was riding it out in the world.

First day on the trainer, very determined to make it work out

My first go at the trainer was slow, and I could feel that my lungs and legs were nowhere near where they needed to be.  At the end of an hour worth of intervals, I was averaging in the mid 14's which seemed about right from what I had seen on my road rides.  It seemed to me that for some reason, my trainer averages are always about 2 mph slower than real world conditions.  This is a good thing, because it keeps me motivated to try and reach my road ride speeds.

I take my intervals very seriously, and use them as building blocks for my real rides.  I know from experience that hours on the trainer equate to better speeds, more power in sprints, better climbing, and oddly enough, my endurance goes through the roof with the constant barrage of pedaling for an hour or more.  In the first week of riding the trainer, I had increased my average speed noticeably, and had starting using the big ring and hammering the larger gears.  I went for six days in a row before taking a rest day.  That was almost 100 miles in a week of just pedaling.  That is pretty good for trainer work, and I was already starting to tell a difference in my body.

My legs were firming up nicely, and I noticed that I still had that "V" shaped definition in the rear of my calf muscle.  It was becoming more pronounced the more I spun on the trainer.  My lungs were starting to adapt to the workload, and my heart rate seemed to be dropping a little bit even though the performance was increasing.  Most importantly though, was I was slimming down.  It was a visible change, but not a numbers change.  I could tell that my clothes were fitting better, and more like I remembered them fitting before.  My weight, however, wasn't reflecting that change.  I had started the month at a hefty 201lbs, and had crested to 205lbs after a week of road riding and extreme hydration.  After a week on the trainer, I was back to 201lbs, and well into my next week I had dropped to an even 200lbs.  Essentially, since getting back on the bike I had dropped a single pound.  However, with the muscle I was developing in my legs, (weighs more than fat), I could only imagine how much fat I had lost in the last few weeks.  While the number is important for climbing on the bike, I wasn't overly concerned with it right now because I knew my body composition was changing, and my metabolism was increasing.  These were all the things that I was wanting to happen.

You can see the determination in my eyes...or possession, I'm not sure which.

With seeing these improvements, I was even more dedicated to getting everything that I could out of the trainer.  I pushed myself, sometimes to the point of nearly passing out.  Every hour I spent on the bike was preparing me for when I again starting riding the roads.  I want my first ride to feel familiar, and that means an 18mph average over 50 miles.  That is a long way from the 15 avg I had on my first ride a month ago.  I really think that I can make it happen though, it will just be a matter of being determined and focused.


As it turns out, my crash wasn't entirely a bad thing.  Progressive made me whole again and allowed me to completely replace all the crash related property.  I was also able to keep the damaged stuff to use for the trainer.  With that little bit of water and sugar added, I was able to make some rather tasty lemonade which I am drinking up glass after glass!

I've had a little bit of time to think about what 2015 holds for me in terms of riding.  My initial goal was just going to be getting back in the swing gradually and planning on riding just one event ride for the year.  Now that I have a trainer and the ability to supercharge my fitness levels, I am looking at possibly doing more than that.  My tentative plans are as follows:

April: The Assault on the Carolinas, depending on my weight at the time of the ride.  You see, this is the one with a Cat 1 climb up Caesar's Head State Park.  I've done it once, and know about where I need to be to do it again.  This one is up in the air until much closer to the ride time, but I would really like to do the 100K in the mountains again.

June:  Double Down to the Beach.  This one is a little easier to predict since I have more time to actually log road miles.  It is an extreme endurance event covering over 200 miles in a single day.  It is one that I have done before, and if I could do it again, I would know that I am right back where I left off fitness wise.  It is a very time consuming proposition, but it makes for one hell of a ride.

July:  A Ride to Remember.  This one is an important one for me and I will do everything that I can to make it happen.  It is a three day event that covers the state of South Carolina from border to border with three different rides (100, 80, 62 miles).  Looking at the elevation profiles, these will not be that difficult compared to other rides I have taken.  More importantly though, it is to benefit Alzheimer's Research which is a subject near and dear to Toni's heart.  There have been family members of hers who have been diagnosed with this disease, and have since passed.  I want to ride this ride in their memory, and to show my support for the research that might one day impact our lives directly.

October: This will be the Carolina Century which I rode for the first time in 2013.  Its a great century route and benefits MS research.  I was actually planning on doing this ride this year until the bike got messed up.  That should round out a pretty good year of riding.


Now we just play the waiting game to see when the new bike comes in.  Until then I have been outfitting it a little bit different in my head, and have started to get a collection of new accessories. One of the most important ones is the addition of a headlight which I intend on using on all rides regardless of lighting conditions.  I want to be seen this time!  I'm also going to a small saddle bag and trying to work out the best option for extra water bottles behind the seat.  The new bike will be set up very similarly to my first bike, and will be equipped for long rides because I can see that is where I am going to be focusing.

In addition to the bike equipment, I will be changing some of my own clothing equipment as well.  I have already upgraded my shoes to the S-Works version which is supposed to be quite a bit more comfortable, and little bit stiffer (help in climbing Caesar's Head).  The closure system should also allow for more fine tuning on my foot for those long rides.  Finally, I have decided to make the move to bib shorts.  For years I have used cycling shorts exclusively with no problems.  My research has found that bibs are much more comfortable over the long haul, and most cyclists ultimately make the move.  Since all of my shorts are starting to show their age, I have already bought one pair of bibs with a matching jersey for that full kit look.  Hey, I like being stylish in my spandex!  It is high contrast red and black which should make for decent visibility for motorists.  So far I like them, but haven't ridden the bike in my full kit yet.  I'm going to wait until a long road ride to give them a try.

Back to the trainer.........

Will FedEx Ever Get Here?!?

OK, so I have no patience at all.  I've learned that about myself in the past week.  It all started around the middle of last week when I got word that my new bike had been shipped, and was due in at the end of the week or beginning of the next week.  That started the excitement because that meant that Paul's had managed to swipe one of the bikes slated for the West Coast (sorry guys) and got them to reroute one of the first of these bikes to Winston Salem.  I confirmed that my shoes and bottle cages were also on order (but not there yet).  Now started the waiting game, which I decided I'm just not that good at.

There was a strong possibility that it would be at the shop by the end of the week, so I waited anxiously by the phone while I was at work all day Friday hoping that I would get the call.  No such luck.  I waited until about lunch time on Saturday and couldn't wait any longer.  I had to make the call.  With Labor Day coming on Monday, I really needed that bike to be delivered before Tuesday came.  I talked to one of the part time guys, and asked about my bike.  After he looked at the board, he came back to the phone and told me that it wasn't in yet.  Well crap!!!  Looks like I would be waiting for Tuesday for it to get to the shop.  I had been told that it was a three hour build for an S-Works, so that had to be done before I could even start the fit process, which would take an hour or two for a preliminary fit.  Then I had another hour or so once I got home to swap in tires (ones that had a better mileage rating), and put on my accessories.

Monday was my first day off, of 20 days away from work so that I would have ample time to get back in the swing of riding.  I could do nothing about riding since the bike wasn't here, and the shop was closed.  Oh well, I needed some down time to relax with Toni.  When Tuesday rolled around, I was starting to get worried since I had heard nothing, so I went ahead and called around lunch time to see if they had heard anything.

Well, they had heard something...but apparently I had missed something in translation.  The bike was there!!!  I was so happy that it was there, but wait, there was more.  It actually got there on Friday, and was built between Friday and Saturday.  This was the first day I was going to be able to get down there with my work schedule anyway, so that was a win for me!!  I asked if the shoes and cages had come in yet, and was told that they didn't know.  I went ahead and gave them 15 minutes to check the shipments while I pulled the cover off of the bed of my truck in anticipation of going to pick up the bike.  I called them back and was told that the shoes weren't in.  This was a problem because without the shoes, I wasn't able to get fit to the bike, and wasn't able to ride it at all.  This was sad news to say the least, but I decided that since Toni and I had to go out for a bit anyway, we would stop by so I could see the bike for the first time.

Patrick flipping the stem to get a little bit of height for me

There it was hanging on an end cap to one of the displays.  It was so pretty with the white, gloss black, and raw carbon paint scheme on it.  I started to talk to Dale about it, and asked some questions about the fit of the bike.  As it turned out, the seatpost was canted to the rear, and Patrick had adjusted the seat as far forward as it would go, but it was still about a centimeter away from where my fit sheet showed it to be.  The stem was also a bit longer, and lower than my last stem.  While my other bike was simple to swap stems on, this S-Works bike had an exchange program where I could swap the parts that didn't fit for ones that would fit better.  Pretty cool, but I guess that is what you get with a high end bike.

In addition to the fit issues, Dale told me about some new Speedplay pedals that had come in and he had thought of me.  They were the Pave' versions and he had been told that they were for the distance rider.  Of course, he thought of me, and offered the upgrade since he only had one set of the pedals.  After discussing it briefly, I went ahead and authorized the swap from my original Zero pedals.

Well, we were there about an hour, and I had successfully spent another $100.00 (upgraded pedals), so it was time to go before I got in any deeper.  Boy, that was a long night!  I had been told that the shoes and cages were coming in on the shipment that was due in on Wednesday.  It was coming in FedEx, which was normally there before lunch.  It could be as early as 9:00, or right at lunch time.  I let them know that my plan was to come in about 10 or so and wait on the delivery so that I could get the fit started as soon as possible.  With that, Toni and I left to take care of our other errands.

Wednesday.....

Overnight, I was thinking about the pedals, and choice that I had made.  I started to research the Pave' pedals to see just how much more durable they were.  I mean, I had gone about 8000 miles on my last Speedplay Zeros and felt quite confident in them.  Everything that I pulled up on Google, including Speedplay's own website showed these pedals to be designed for the road surfaces similar to the Paris Roubaix with a lot of dirt and grit.  The minimalist design was created to help engage and disengage easier in that kind of environment.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I rarely ride in inclement weather, and never venture off of the blacktop, so the main purpose of these pedals were kind of lost on me.  I made the decision to see if I could switch them back out to the regular Zero pedals when I got to the shop in the morning.

The problem I had was, what if FedEx got there at 9.  The shoes would be built with the Pave' cleats which wasn't necessarily a horrible thing, as they are easy to swap out, but I wanted to make a minimal impact on the shop and save their time as much as possible.  To combat that, I decided that I would go ahead and get there when they opened and beat the shoes getting there.

The Speedplay Zero pedals are on, replacing the Pave's that I had spec'd the day before

I arrived right as they were opening and talked to Dale.  He was great as usual and had Patrick swap out the Pave's for the Zeros which he did really quickly.  The bike stayed on the stand all morning long while I waited for FedEx to arrive.

I waited.....

I waited.....

I shopped......

I waited....

I heard a nice couple come in and start talking to each other about getting their son a bike.  They started over at the clearance section for road bikes and I could hear them talking about how expensive they were.  I recognized the discussion as it was one that I had had many times before.  They couldn't understand  why the bikes cost so much.  Well, since I was waiting around, not doing anything, and the rest of the staff was busy with other customers, I took it upon myself to speak with them briefly about what they were looking at.

We ended up talking about all sorts of things in relation to their 13 year old son and his new affection for cycling.  We moved from what type of bike to get, into cyclometers, storage, and everything else under the sun.  After about 30 minutes they had decided that they needed to bring their son to test out some bikes over the weekend.  We parted ways, and I could see the Harrell's by the register watching me.  Dale was the first to talk and asked if I had clocked in.  That made me smile....I just love talking bikes with those wanting to get into the sport, and would have done it again and again if the opportunity presented itself.  We had a little laugh over it, and I went back to what I was doing before.

I waited......

I waited......

I was told that FedEx might be as late as 2:00, so....

I waited....

I waited.....

While sitting down at the fitting station watching my chance for a ride slowing going away, I looked at my watch.  It was creeping ever so close to 2:00.  Would FedEx get here, and would the merchandise be onboard if it did come?  I was starting to feel like I should have just stayed home.  Then at 1:57, I saw the FedEx truck arrive!!!  I got a sudden bust of energy and ran out to my truck and got my footbeds to put in the new shoes.  When I came back in, Dale was already going through the boxes and found my shoes.  I tried them on quickly and confirmed that they fit my boat sized foot.  Hey, I'm wearing a size 47!!!  With that out of the way, Patrick started to put the cleats on the shoes along with the two stackers on my left foot to offset my different leg lengths.

Things had been going smoothly for all of 10 minutes so I was due for a hiccup.  After putting the two stackers on the cleat, we determined that the supplied screws were not long enough to securely mount the cleat to the shoe.  Well crap!!!  I knew that Dale had the Speedplay parts kit over at the fitting station so I went over there and grabbed what I needed for the Zeros and found out that only the torx head screws were long enough to fit, and only barely at that.  We got them put on, and my shoes were all ready to go.  Now we just had to find the bottle cages to install before it was time to get the bike dialed in.  We weren't finding them in any of the boxes, and then Dale came in and said that he had them in the box that he was going through elsewhere in the store.

Everything was here now, and I was ready to hop on the bike for the first time since buying it three weeks ago.  I was a little nervous, but excited at the same time.  Dale trimmed my footbeds and inserted them in my shoes, and saw from the old fit sheet that I also used wedges in both shoes, so he added those as well.  I'm still not sure how there is room in the shoe for my foot, but I slipped it on and it felt....well....snug....but oh so familiar.  I was starting to remember how things were supposed to feel.

Specialized BG Pro Road Shoe

I was wearing my Jolly Roger socks which had the hole in the side from my crash on this first day on the new bike.  I figured that was fitting.  I think I was also wearing the same shorts, but it was hard to tell since the shorts weren't damaged in the crash.  It was a fitting way to transition to the new bike I thought.

It was finally time to get on the bike.  I crawled over the top tube, forgetting just how high up these bikes are when on a trainer.  My first task was to pedal lightly for a little while to get my legs and butt in the position that I would default to while riding.  I noticed something odd right from the beginning.  It felt like my right leg was extending much further than my left one, and was a little uncomfortable.  After a few minutes, Dale started to examine how my body was moving on the bike.  He was making some strange faces, and looking at me much more in depth than I remembered from the full fit session before.  He started to take pictures of me, and he videoed me as well.  This was strange.

What he finally told me was that my right leg was tracking perfectly, while my left leg was moving outboard at the top of the stroke.  It wasn't a consistent thing that would indicate bad foot positioning, but it was something else entirely.  After some time, he determined that the cause might be from my stackers on my left foot.  While this was how things were set up before, he felt that I might benefit from having only one stacker this time.  We did some more checking before making any more adjustments though.  He had me pedal for about 20 minutes to make sure that I was in the basic position on the saddle before looking at my kneed in relation to the pedal spindle.  Yeah, I remember why I hate the trainer now...I was getting very hot!

That is the sweat from just a light spin.

I've owned this bike for three weeks now, and have now baptized it in sweat...but still haven't ridden it on the pavement yet!  After the mini-workout was over, some more measurements were taken.  My knee was in perfect relation to the pedal, which made me feel very good considering the seat was as far forward as the seatpost would allow.  This meant that I didn't have to wait for Specialized to swap out the part while using a throw down part for the operation of the bike.  That was one hurdle I was happy to be over.  My knee bend was right at 30* which was a little more than the 28* I had been running before.  However, I could tell that my ankling was a bit more pronounced at this session that it was before, so that was probably to blame for the increase in angle.  Either way, 30* was spot on perfect for what I was needing right now.  We started to look at the bars.  I could tell that they were further out, and lower than they were before, but I remember wanting just that change on my other bike.  After talking with Dale, we decided that for now, we would keep it as is and see how it worked out for me on my rides.

The only adjustment that needed to be made from the way Patrick built the bike was to take a shim off of my left shoe.  Dale gave me the option, but I agreed to do what he thought would be the best.  After a few minutes, he came back with my left shoe, with the correct screws in the single shimmed cleat.  Another small hurdle over that made me happy.  It was time to get back on the bike to see how the adjustment went.

With the first pedal stroke, I could tell a huge difference.  I felt more balanced, and felt like I had equal power on both legs.  Dale did the walk around and I could see a smile developing in his face.  I already knew the outcome before he said anything.  Both of my legs were tracking correctly, and everything was looking great.  When it comes to fits, Dale is a genius!  That pretty much wrapped things up, and it was time to get all my stuff loaded up and head home to start the next phase of the experience.

Very happy that I still have my cleats attached to the truck

Fortunately, I never removed the cleats from the truck.  My thought was, I might need to transport bikes for somebody some day and they would come in handy.  Well, I can transport my own bike with them, and that is a great thing!  On the way out, Dale hooked me up with some swag which was really nice.  It was a gift from Paul's, which I very much appreciated.  It was time to head home....it was almost dinner time as a matter of fact.

After a quick dinner it was time to set the bike up on the work stand and start to get things personalized on the bike.  I had given up on the possibility of riding today, but wanted it all set for the morning.  I needed to swap the tires and tubes to something more durable, clean and lube the chain, install the Garmin computer, and put the saddle bag on.  It wasn't much, and I was expecting to spend about an hour doing all of that.

This is my first time using a mechanic's stand.  I have to say, its quite nice!

Just as I thought that things were finally going to go smoothly, I ran into a bit of a glitch.  After getting the tires off of the wheels, I started mounting the new Continental GP4000S II tires.  I noticed after I started to set the second bead that the valve stem was a lot shorter than I was thinking it should be.  I had a 60mm stem, and figured that would be plenty.  Well, it was a good bit shorter than the OE tube, only showing about half as much.  I pulled the tube back out and verified that the valve stem was a bit shorter (20mm I think).  There wasn't enough room to pump the tire up, so I was left with only one option.  I had to reuse the original tubes which isn't a bad thing, but they are thinner and more prone to flatting than the standard ones I was hoping to use.  Well, I had to go with what I had available until I could pick up some new tubes.

My next bit of problem came when I was setting the bead on the Continentals.  Apparently, the bead is a good bit thicker than the OE race tires.  I was having a hard time getting the tube to get all the way inside of the tire at the valve stem.  I finally figured out that in order to make it work, I had to creatively roll the tube with the tire to get it out of the way.  I was able to get that done, and successfully air up two tires to 120 and 110psi without popping the tube.  Check that hurdle off the list.

Roval CLX 40 with 700-23C Continental GP4000S II tires.

With the tires mounted, I figured that the hard stuff was over.  I went ahead and started on the Garmin computer installation.  This is something that I had done on my other bike, and I was using the same parts.  I had the GX10 speed/cadence sensor, and the K-Edge mount for the handlebars.  It should be a simple and straightforward installation.  Well...that wasn't the case.

The geometry has changed on this bike and things are in different relative positions from what I was used to working with.  Some things are beefier, while other things have much more clearance.  It took a little playing around to get the magnets lined up on the main unit, but I was able to finally make it happen.  I started up the Garmin to see if it worked as it should.  Funny thing....it locked up after booting up.  I had to force a close and turn it back on again.  It finished doing some updates and finally gave me the main screen.  I spun the wheel and it registered movement.  I repeated that with the crank arm, and got movement as well.  Everything was lined up and ready do go, so I tightened the cable ties at their final positions.

This is a nice looking cockpit!

The K-Edge mount was next to go on.  It was simple and fit perfectly.  Unlike my last one, it is not adjustable so the Garmin 510 is a little further out in front than I would like it to be, but I'm not unhappy with it at all.  Less pieces to the mount is probably a good thing in the grand scheme of things.  I could have used the supplied Garmin piece, but opted not to for two main reasons.  First of all, the reviews stated that there was an issue with this mount that lead to the breaking of the ears on the computer mount.  This was not a warranty issue.  I wasn't looking forward to a $70.00 repair from using the supplied mount.  Second of all, I preferred the CNC machined aluminum piece as I've found it to be near bulletproof in riding conditions.

Next was to get the chain cleaned up and lubed.  Yes, I know it is a brand new chain, but they are coated in a thick, sticky substance to keep them from rusting during shipping.  This has to come off, and proper dry lube applied.  This was a pretty quick process, and I opted not to use the chain machine for it this time.  There will be plenty of opportunity to use the machine later on, and I felt that a rag and degreaser would work just fine.  While lubing the chain, I went ahead and lubed up the pedals and cleats as well.  I also made a little bit of adjustment to the float of the cleat to limit my heel in on both sides.

This looks strangely familiar, but it means that the bike is all ready to roll

In my typical fashion, I grabbed a quick front and rear picture of the bike before I put it up in the garage.  Everything is built and ready to roll tomorrow morning.  I'll come back and update how that first ride went after I get finished.  My goal is to do 25 miles, but if I can squeak out 50 that would make me very happy, and be a very good indicator that my fitness level hasn't been overly affected in the 10 months I've been out of the saddle.  Until the morning....

All tucked in

Thursday....

The day was finally here, the day that I was going to go on a ride with my new bike.  Seems like a simple want when you hear it come from a 40 year old, but it runs a lot deeper than just wanting to go for a bike ride.  In the 10 months I've been off of the bike, I have felt my age, gained weight, and just generally not been as happy about myself as I once was (when I was riding regularly).  I had the bike, everything was right with it, and I had the day off to be able to get out and ride in an attempt to rediscover the young, fit man I had left behind last Fall.  I honestly wasn't sure what the day would bring.  I was telling myself that I was going to aim for 25 miles, and take a route that would allow me the ability to bail out at several different points with the hopes that I could make 50 miles.

Hmmmm, 50 miles seems like nothing knowing what kind of rider I once was.  I could knock out 50 miles without stopping, averaging over 18mph, and come home to mow the grass afterwards.  That was then, this was now.  Fifty miles had taken on whole new meaning for me in the last ten months.  It was a goal now, something to strive for, not just take for granted.  It was something that I feared, yet yearned to achieve (again).  Would all of this money and effort to get back on the bike be wasted, or would I be able to recapture some of what I had previously achieved?  My mind was ready for that magic number because I have done it before, but I wasn't sure my body was up for it.

When I woke up to send my daughter off to school, I looked at the weather.  There was a good chance of storms until about 11:00 which kind of put a damper on my spirits.  I wasn't really wanting to ride in the rain today, but I really wanted to ride.  I kept an eye on the weather, and the sky.  It seemed that most of the moisture was breaking down as it got close to here, so I decided to give it a chance. I was only thinking about doing 25 miles which I had been able to do in just over an hour.  Today, I was guessing that the 25 miles would need about 50% more time.

When I was packing up for the ride, I packed enough food for 50 miles, and filled two water bottles which normally would have been enough for a metric century.  I aired up my tires, turned on the tail light, activated the Garmin, and did a mental check that I had everything....Road ID, glasses, helmet, gloves, HRM, tire pump, etc.

Yeah, that is the look of apprehension on my face

I had chosen to wear the Spare Tires jersey because of one of the captains of the group.  Aaron Houston had purchased my Zipp wheels when I was getting out of cycling.  I remember one of the things that he said to me as we were concluding business.  He said something to the effect of "I hate that you are getting out of cycling, but remember that cycling will always be there should you decide to return."  I had dismissed it at the time, but those words hung with me and I realized that he was right about what he had said.  I may be out of shape, but cycling was still there, and was ready to be as fun as it was before for me.  That made my jersey choice easy for this ride.

I pulled out my phone (took this picture), and started the live track so that Toni could see where I was whenever she wanted to look.  I wasn't sure exactly how this was going to work, but I had a pretty good feeling that it would work perfectly for our needs.  I pressed "Ride" on the Garmin, clipped in with the right foot, and took a deep breath.  I hadn't started a bike with clipless pedals in a very long time.  I would kill myself if I picked now to miss the pedal and flop on the ground.  I pushed off, and started to crank the drivetrain.  I did miss with my left foot, but I was able to recover without missing a beat and heard the confident clip of the Speedplay pedals as I locked myself into the bike.  I was off.  I rode down the same street that I always took on my rides, but quickly noticed that the Garmin wasn't showing how far I had traveled.  Hmmm, that is interesting.  I was seeing speed and cadence, but nothing else.

I stopped at the first stop sign, and realized that pressing "Ride" didn't have anything to do with "Start", so I pressed the start button and heard the beep as the computer kicked on and started to record my movements.  I carried on down the street and saw that things were recording as they should.  I realized that I was feeling very comfortable on the bike as I came out to the main road.  I stopped again, remembered to unclip, and made it look natural.  I might not have lost my motor skills as much much as I was afraid I had.  I made the turn on the main road, and started to pick up speed.  I was used to operating in the little ring through here because this was my normal warm up route that lasted for 10 miles.  Today, however, I would not be transitioning into the big ring because I knew my legs weren't ready for the big hammer gears, and I didn't want to blow out my knee.  I decided that no matter how long the ride went, I would stay in the little ring and make due.

As I started clicking past the third mile, I was starting to get winded.  I could tell that I was out of shape, but I also remembered that the first 10 miles were always the hardest to get motivated through.  I carried on, telling myself that I could bail out and return home at several points if this proved too much.  In the meantime, I tried to keep my speed moderate so I didn't expend all of my energy early on.  The route was familiar, and strangely comforting to me.  I was getting used to the new noises between the new helmet shape (much quieter) and the hum of the bike (much more fitting than my aging bike with creaks and groans before).  I felt...at home, but my body was complaining about the use.  I was expecting that, and dismissed the objections to movement.

I passed the 12 mile mark, and entered Hwy 66 and actually felt pretty good.  It was here that I would normally switch into the big ring and start putting the power down.  I didn't think that I would be able to make that happen, and I had already told myself that I was staying in the little ring today.  I found that my speed was better than I was expecting on the flats (due to the bike I'm sure), but going up hills I was slowing way down (all on me).  I had work to do, but that was what this ride was about.  I had to test my limits to see what things have been affected.  Fortunately, my handling skills seemed to be pretty close which was good.  The bike felt great, and the fit was really close.  It was just the application of power, and the ability to sustain output which was getting me.

At the magical junction that would decide 25 miles or more, I decided that even though I was going slow, I would carry on and try for at least 35 miles.  I was feeling that confident about my ability, and I was also just having so much fun that I didn't want to call it quits just yet.  I hadn't even stopped to take a break yet.  That wouldn't happen until I was right at 25 miles, which put me in Kernersville.  Here I stopped and was able to talk to Toni for the first time since I left.

Screenshot from the Live Track

Toni let me know that she knew exactly where I was, and actually told me some of the information that I didn't know because for some reason I started in the wrong page on the Garmin and couldn't figure out how to switch it to the one with all my metrics.  I didn't know how long I had been riding, and didn't know my average speed.  These things she was able to tell me, and I was really happy with the average speed considering the conditions.  We chatted for a bit, and I ate a snack before heading back out.

As I was leaving Kernersville, I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go from here since my normal route was closed due to construction.  Instead of trying a really hilly route for the return leg, I opted for a little less intense route, and one that I had not previously done in this direction.  I went ahead and rode into Greensboro, and cut down S Bunker Hill Rd, which eventually brought me back out to Hwy 66.  This was about 10 more miles and I found that I needed to stop once again because my left calf was starting to cramp up really bad.  Fortunately, it wasn't a joint issue which would tell me that my bike fit was off.  This was a muscle issue, and due to poor fitness I'm sure.  Either way, I pulled off the road for another break, and some serious rehydration.

I never thought that I would get this far out today

After I had some time to get my leg feeling better, I Started out again with about 15 miles to go before reaching my really big goal of 50 miles.  I was feeling fine, but I could tell that I was tired, and my legs were just no longer responding to my want to turn the pedals.  I could see that my speed was starting to drop, and I was having a much harder time making headway.  It was OK though, because at this point, I had no choice but to ride home, or call for Toni to come and pick me up.  The latter wasn't an option, although she would have jumped at the chance to come and get me.  This was a pride thing, and a desire thing.  I wanted to get that 50 miles done today and I was willing to hurt for it.  It has been far too long since I have felt that pain of accomplishment on a bike, and I missed it.

Before long I was back in Kernersville again, and knew this to be right at 10 miles from home.  I was going to have my 50, and maybe even 52 depending on the turns I made.  Funny thing happened to me while I was in Kernersville though.  I was riding down W Mountain St and an SUV passed me by.  Just as it passed me, the horn sounded.  It took me by surprise at first, and then I saw the window decal on the back and recognized this truck as belonging to my friend Marcia Pearce.  I picked up speed just a little bit hoping that she would pull off the road so I could say hi.  She pulled into the Olympic Restaurant and I heard he yell out something, but I was paying attention to the road as I was about to make the turn into the parking lot.  It was so great to get to see her since she is also a cyclist, and also a Spare Tire (fortunate I was wearing the jersey).  We talked about her recovery and work in returning to cycling.  Always a good feeling to share a similar goal.  After a few minutes, I headed back out to the road, and started to face my biggest decision yet.  Which route to get home from here.

I could go Old Hollow Rd, which was a little quicker, and more level, with a couple of different end games so I could manipulate the mileage, or I could go down Walkertown Gutherie Rd which was where I had crashed out before.  Being true to myself, I opted for the more difficult route, and chose that fateful road, which would just about nail a full 50 miles.

The ride down Walkertown Gutherie Rd was uneventful, but very uncomfortable.  There is a very long duration incline which wasn't normally too bad, but my tired legs were really starting to worry me.  My right quad was screaming and my left calf was still cramping badly.  I was also out of water, so dealing with dehydration wasn't going to be possible now.  At least I was close to home.

This was a far cry from how I looked when I started this ride.

I had to make just one more stop before I got home.  With only about 4 miles to go, I had to pull off and let my legs rest for a minute.  They were both screaming at me, and I didn't have much left.  I had to continue though, it was not an option at all for me.  My next stop would be home, and I pretty much limped into the driveway.  Again, the Live Tracker paid off with great dividends.  Toni was there waiting for me with a protein shake that was cold, creamy, and hit the spot!  She offered to take the bike up the hill to the garage, but I held onto it since I needed the support as I tried to walk up the hill.

This is one tired dude!

In about four and a half hours since I left, I returned home with 50.55 miles under my tires.  It was a huge accomplishment for me, even though my average moving speed was 15.2.  I had proven that I still had a long ride in me, and I now knew without a doubt what I had to work with.  It was no longer guesswork.  I had a starting point, and I had a plan to get back to where I wanted to be.  But first, I needed to stretch, and rest for a quick minute.

The moose  is doing CPR

The quick minute apparently turned into quite a while as I pretty much passed out after stretching my IT bands.   Toni, being the comedian in this instance decided to put a stuffed moose on my stomach and she took a picture of me while I was zonked out.  Yeah, she will pay for this!  I just don't know how yet.

Garmin data from the first ride.

On Pins and Needles

So here we are, two weeks after placing the order for the new bike.  I still haven't ridden anywhere yet, and still have no idea when the bike will be here.  I've been busy purchasing things in preparation for my first ride, and have been getting my mind right about riding again.  Toni has compared it to being pregnant.  I'm spending so much time thinking about it that by the time the bike actually gets here, I'll be burned out.  Lets hope that's not the case.

Part of my prep work has been getting all the odds and ends that I was use to having when I was riding before.  This meant some long nights reading reviews, and finding the right items to purchase.  Paul's had the vast majority of the things I needed and they were either purchased, or ordered at the time I ordered the bike, but there were other things I needed which they did not carry.

One of the things that I needed right off was going to be new tires.  Why new tires on a new bike you ask?  Well, the S-Works Tarmac is a racing bike and accordingly comes with racing tires.  These are thin, lightweight tires which will last only around 800 miles.  In addition to the short lifespan, they offer little to no puncture resistance which is a negative in my book since I don't have a SAG vehicle with me on my rides.  I was going to need to replace them with a more suitable "training" tire.  Specialized offers several different tires which are very good for all purposes.  However, based on a suggestion from a friend years ago, I started using Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires on my last Tarmac.  These tires were awesome to say it simply.  They would last nearly 4000 miles with my use, I never had a flat using them, and they were actually significantly faster than the racing tires that came on the Tarmac originally.  As my cycling season was coming to a close last year, Continental had released a mark II version of that tire with better protection, and better grip which I was planning on getting when I finished wearing the current tires out.

With the cycling rebirth, it was as good a time as any to go ahead and purchase a set to put on the S-Works.  It originally came with 700x24mm tires as a result of testing done by Specialized.  Apparently, these are more aerodynamic than the normal 23mm tires and offer a bit more comfort.  I looked for that size and found that Continental did not make a 4000S II in that size.  My choices were either a 23mm or 25mm.  I did a lot of research between the two sizes and ultimately came to the conclusion that I was talking only 1mm difference either way from the OE tire.  I opted for what I knew, and went with a 23mm tire which is actually a bit oversized when compared to Specialized rubber, so I figured that I was still going to be at that 24mm size when it came down to it.

In addition to tires, I also purchased some more tools, a tail light, and a K-Edge mount for the Garmin 510 which was ordered.  I had gone through multiple mounting options with my previous Garmin 500 and found that the best option, hands down was the K-Edge which put the computer out in front of the bars, and held the unit on like superglue.  The Garmin kit came with an "Out Front Mount" which was very similar to the K-Edge part, but was made out of plastic instead of CNC machined aluminum like the K-Edge.  The reviews also pointed out that the Garmin piece tended to break the ears on the computer mount which cost $70 to repair.  I knew K-Edge, and liked the product (also matched the chain spotter on the front derailleur on the bike), so I went ahead and bought that as well.  After about a week or so, I had a pile of parts in the office just waiting on a bike.

I mentioned the Garmin, which came in to Paul's after only a week.  I went ahead and picked that up and started to play with it.  Its a neat piece of equipment that records the ride both with GPS information as well as a bunch of biometrics.  It will also allow live tracking which was a must have for me for Toni's sake.  I wanted her to be able to see where I was in real time at any time during a ride.  She could also tell if I was moving since it would show speed, direction, heart rate, cadence, etc on her end.  This was going to be a very important aspect of my cycling.  It also is linked to a website called Garmin Connect which tracks your rides, and other aspects of your personal training.  So that everything is accurate, Garmin asks that you input your height and weight, along with other fitness indicators to make sure that your calorie counts are accurate during a ride.  This was going to be the moment of truth for me.  I hadn't grown, only aged a year, and I could answer most questions without hesitation.  When I was asked for weight, I was scared of the answer.  The last time I weighed in (before the crash) I was at 181, which was a little heavier than I was at my peak training.

I pulled the scale out of the closet, and got on in what was going to become a weekly routine once again.  It was with mixed emotions that I saw an even 200lbs on the dial.  On one hand, I was deeply saddened that I had gained that much weight, and was back to where I was at some point in early 2012.  On the other hand, I guess it could have been much worse since I haven't done much exercising at all since November.  Either way you looked at it, I was 200lbs now, after a low of 174lbs about a year ago.  I was going to have to get that under control.  I'm setting my initial goal at 180lbs which was a really good weight for me overall.  I have my mission, and know that the way to make it happen will be on two wheels, with many miles.  I just need to get that danged bike!  Is it here yet????

For those who are into cycling, you know that the clothes are anything but cheap.  Well, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with all my kits when I quit in November.  I felt that many of them were memorabilia, and worth keeping, and all of them had memories.  Toni convinced me to just box them up and keep them.  I never intended on wearing them again, but she was right, I didn't want to get rid of those memories.  Fortunately for me, I had listened to her.  I unboxed the clothes and sorted through them.  There were some that were just worn out, and some that were too loose on me.  I left them in the box and pulled out the items that fit and still looked good.  One of them was my 2012 Double Down jersey which I don't plan on wearing any time soon.  It was my century jersey, and I plan on wearing it next year while I am training for my participation in the 2015 DD2TB.  It will take a while before I am conditioned to that kind of ride again, but I'm hoping that my first one will be in March.

My bike still isn't here!  UGH!!!!!

I have things ordered, clothes out and back in the closet, Its just a waiting game at this point.  Hang on, there is something else I can do in preparation for the arrival of the bike.  I can create space for it in the garage.  Seems like a simple task, but my garage is pretty full since I have a host of tools for doing maintenance, and lots of detailing supplies for the truck that resides inside.  I was debating on where I wanted to make room and decided that I would use the same corner as I had used before.  This time there would only be one bike instead of two.  I moved everything out of the corner and found other places for the tool boxes and shelves.  It was time to start going through all of the new items and get things organized in the corner.

I placed old door mats on the floor to keep the wheels elevated when parked so they didn't end up sitting in standing water in the winter with the melting snow.  I had a single bike stand at the head, and a mechanic's workstand in the corner.  The toolbox contained all of the tools that I had purchased for the new bike, along with some of the cleaning supplies which I will be using after most rides.  Of course, I also have my original tire pump ready to air up the new Continentals when the bike gets here.  Is it here yet?

Another nice touch that I added was my bit of Specialized paraphernalia which I had saved from before as well.  It went right back up on the wall where it had been.  I also added three pictures from different events which I had hanging in the office for my trainer sessions to keep me motivated.  Every time I went to get the bike for a ride, I would be reminded of riding a century at the Tour to Tanglewood in 2012, climbing Ceasar's Head in 2013, and completing 212.24 miles in the 2013 Double Down to the Beach.  These would keep me motivated to keep adding to the distance and difficulty of my rides...to find that fitness level I had enjoyed a few months ago.

Hey!!!!!   My bike is here!  Oh wait...that's my old one.  Nuts!  As you can see on the wall to the right, I used to collect my dead parts as trophies for the miles ridden.  I had tires, chains, cassette, stem, saddle, etc hanging on the wall.  These all got tossed when I cleared out my cycling corner, and that turned out to be just fine since I was thinking about doing that anyway because I was running out of room and I was spitting out chains every other month or so.  This time,  I opted to do something different with the space.  I still had my old bib numbers from events, as well as a plaque from being a Mission Possible rider in the 2013 Tour to Tanglewood.  These would go on the wall with room for more numbers as I attended more event rides in the future.

Toni is now referring to this corner of the garage as the nursery.  I have been decorating it, and getting everything placed just so with no clear idea when the due date is on the bike.  Speaking of which, is my bike here yet?

Nope.....

Everything has been bought now, I'm just waiting for the bike to put it all together and go out on my first ride.  I'm not sure how long it will be, or how fast it will go.  I don't have a lot of hope for far and fast, but I would like to think that I could still do a strong 25 miles to start with.  That is my goal, and if I'm feeling froggy, I would like to try for 50 miles with a tired finish.  If I can pull that off, I think I will be on the road to a quick recovery of my fitness.  All I can do is speculate at this point on how things will go, and hope that the bike arrives in enough time that I can still put in some serious miles before it gets cold.