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.........

Carbon vs Steel: A Positive Outcome

If I didn't have bad luck......

For those who have been following me for a while, you will remember that I took a break from cycling because of a crash.  After 9 months off of the bike, I realized that I missed it, and I needed it in my life.  The decision was made to get another bike and get back into it.  I had to wait for a 2015 bike to be released to get the drivetrain that I was after, and that took an additional month for delivery.  The day after I took delivery of my Specialized S-Works Tarmac, I was out on my first ride in 10 months.  It went very well, and I managed to squeak out 50 miles for that first ride.  I was stoked, and ready to get my legs back.  I rode the next three days (25, 30, and 30 miles) before taking a break.  I was feeling strong and ready for a nice long ride.  My plan was to head out on Sept 9th and ride a metric century to stretch my endurance even more.  The planned 62 miles was not much more than the 50 I had already done, and I had been steadily increasing my speed up to an average of 17mph which was getting very close to what I was used to.  Things were going great.

I woke up on the morning of the 9th to wet roads, and a light mist.  What in the world?!??!?!  The weather had been forecasting sunny skies for the day and great riding conditions.  I didn't give up, and hoped that things would be getting better soon.  I had planned to leave at 7:30, but ended up waiting an hour for the rain to stop and the roads to start drying.  Since I had been hydrating seriously the day before and had loaded up on carbs, I figured I really needed to make this ride happen, so I went out to the garage and pumped up the tires to get ready.

By the time I cleared the neighborhood, the roads were starting to get clear, and I was feeling great.  This was the first warm up that I had done that I actually felt normal.  I had high hopes for a nice long ride with a reasonably strong finish.  I continued down the road gradually increasing my pace and having a wonderful time.  I made my turn onto Old Walkertown Rd and started to settle into my ride.  I was in tune with the bike, the road sounds were nearly hypnotic, and I was right back in my groove from the end of last year.  I was a cyclist again....the grin was permanently affixed to my face.

As I was traveling West along Old Walkertown Rd, I saw a beige Dodge stopping at the railroad tracks on Dorris Rd.  I saw it start to move forward about to enter Old Walkertown Rd and I slowed a little bit just in case he turned left.  As it turned out, he turned right and stayed completely out of my lane.  I started to put more steam on the pedals again as I proceeded on.  Just as were were set to pass, the car pulls to the left suddenly, turning into the Citgo Station.  I saw the bumper clearing the double yellow line and I grabbed the brakes hard.  I'm thinking that my rear tire locked up and started to skid a little bit.  I attempted to turn to the left in hopes of clearing the rear of the car, but in a split second I knew that I was going to collide.  As I screamed a few expletives, I put my right hand out to brace the impact.  I hit hard and wasn't really sure what was happening.  As the car cleared my path, I remember falling to the ground and seeing what I thought was a wheel spoke flying up in the air.  I landed on the ground on my right side.  I said some more choice words, that essentially amounted to "I can't believe this has happened, this is a brand new bike, this really sucks!"  but there were quite a few more words added in that I don't feel like sharing here.

I was on the ground, I had crashed, but I was alive.  Instinctively I got up quickly so I wasn't out in traffic to get run over.  I expected to find my bike completely shattered in the road, with a demolished front wheel.  What I found was a bike that appeared to be intact with no equipment, short of a tail light missing.  I was amazed, but had to collect my bike and get off the road as quick as I could.  It rolled well, and I realized that I was walking without any difficulties.  My arms felt fine as well.  In fact, I didn't feel hurt at all.  Instead of assessing my body when I got into the parking lot, I assessed the bike first.  It appeared to be ok, but there was some abrasions on the shifter, and bar end cap.  The car also stopped in the parking lot and the driver was exiting.  I think he asked if I was ok, and I remember him saying that he just didn't see me.  Keep in mind that I was riding in the most dayglow yellow jersey that I've ever seen.  But he obviously had not seen me at all, but I think it was because he just wasn't looking.  Anyway we were both there, and a crash had happened.  I stepped into cop mode since that was how I was used to dealing with these things.

I asked him for his license and registration.  He gave me that look I know all too well as he was handing me the registration.  He said that he didn't have a driver's license.  Oh wow....this was going to be fun.  Without even thinking about whether or not this was going to be reportable or not, I went ahead and called the Winston Salem PD to respond just to check the status of everything to make sure that his insurance was valid and hopefully charge him with driving without a license.  I also called Toni in one of the hardest calls I've ever had to make to her.  She was asleep, and when she answered I just told her that I needed her to come and pick me up that I had been in an accident.  She handled it better than I thought she would, and actually arrived before the police did.

Damage starts under the door mirror and continues through the rear door.  My estimate is approximately $800

While waiting for Toni and the police to arrive, I started collecting myself and figuring out what kind of damage I was dealing with.  I also stopped for a minute and looked at myself.  I was fine, no scratches, nothing broken, nothing hurting.  I was alive and very fortunate.  Now it was time to figure out what had happened.  From the damage, it appears that I hit the car at an angle starting at the mirror.  My bar slid down the side of the car with my hand along the roofline.  There was a dent at the bottom of the rear door that I think came from my foot hitting it.  That spoke that I saw fly off into the sky actually turned out to be his antenna which I knocked off with my bike, arm, or head...just not sure.  From my days working in a body shop, it looked like about $800 worth of damage to his car.  Not bad considering that my bike was still in one piece.  I was feeling pretty good about things at this point.  I wasn't hurt, the bike looked to be salvageable, and I knew I wasn't at fault for it.

When Toni arrived, I got the bike loaded in the back of the truck.  I felt bad for laying it on the side, but there are no cleats installed in her truck.  She was nice enough to bring blankets so there would be no more damage to the bike than was already done.  We got it secured and ready to transport home.

The police arrived and I went through my account of what happened, and explained that I wasn't hurt, but that the damage might be extensive if the carbon fiber had been compromised.  She took the hint and made this a reportable accident which is defined as damage in excess of $1000, injury, or death.  She verified that the other driver did have active insurance per DMV, and that his license was in a state of revocation.  Again, I slipped into cop mode and gave him my standard chewing out for driving without a license and all the issues that it could potentially cause the other party in an accident.  Oh wait....that other party was me.  Uh oh....this might go bad really quick.  I was starting to worry about whether or not Progressive would honor the claim since he was not supposed to be driving.  I was getting worried for the first time.  I was still paying on this bike for another year, and at the very least, I was seeing about $2000 damage on it without counting the frame.  If insurance didn't pay, I was going to be out a bike because I couldn't afford to fix it.  To make matters worse, I was still going to be paying $450/month  for nearly a year for it.

I got my exchange slip and pointed out to the officer exactly where the area of impact was so her diagram would be accurate.  I saw her going over to the other driver with a citation in hand.  I didn't know what was on that citation, but at least he was holding paper of some sort for the crash.  With all of my equipment loaded up, Toni drove me home.  While riding she suggested that I go ahead and call insurance to get the claim started.  It was a good suggestion and I went ahead and made the call.  I got everything started, and was told that I would be contacted later by a claims representative to take my statement.  I also made a call to Paul's and spoke with Dennis who thought I was playing a really bad joke on him.  After he realized that I was being serious, he told me to bring the bike in and they would check it out to see what type of damage I was looking at.

Right side bar end cap

Scarred shift lever

The most visible damage was to the right side of the handlebar.  I imagine that most of the damage was from the impact with the car and subsequent dropping on the pavement.  The lever appeared to be functioning properly, but with only 130 miles on the bike, this was not acceptable at all.  There was also some minor abrasions on the rear derailleur from hitting the pavement.  The shift cable was also frayed where it got crimped by the pavement.  This would have to be replaced as well.

I had missed this originally

With the bike up on the stand, I was able to see more than I had seen before.  I found a very uniform score mark on the non-drive side of the rear wheel.  It took a minute to figure out what had caused this, but I realized that the Garmin speed/cadence sensor had been knocked over by my foot when I went down to the ground.  The wheel was still spinning apparently and the sensor had dug into the rim.  Other than being cosmetic, this was a carbon wheel and I really felt like it was shot at this point.

I spoke briefly with Patrick who had built the bike and he felt like the frame was probably sound, but wanted Jimmy to look at it when he came back from school.  I had no problem leaving the bike there since I wasn't wanting to ride it in its current state until I knew for sure that the frame wasn't compromised.  We left the bike, as well as my helmet and shoes for the insurance adjuster to look at.

Carbon sole and cleat cover were torn up

Even the buckle got chewed up

With no bike, no helmet, and no shoes, Toni and I headed home.  I eventually spoke to the claims representative who asked me the standard questions about what happened in the accident and got all of the preliminary stuff out of the way.  She was nice, and seemed very willing to take this cyclist serious.  Honestly, I was worried that talking to the insurance company I would be blow off because I was just "riding a bike" and if I wasn't hurt there was not going to be much they could do for me.  That was not the feeling I had after my conversation.  My claim was being treated with as much seriousness as if I had been in a car.  I was relieved, but still nervous because they had not yet spoken to the other driver.

I again made contact with insurance the next day to ask if they had talked with the other driver.  They hadn't, but had left several voice mails and had sent a letter out to him as well.  They would give him a week to respond before she would get authorization to proceed without his statement.  Because of my police training, I am evidence driven, so I offered to send her the link to my Garmin file that showed all of the metrics of the short ride.  It would prove my speed, direction, and the sudden impact.  I also sent her pictures of the car and tag to help with her investigation.  Unfortunately though, I had realized that the officer's report was wrong.  Not a small detail wrong, but having me in the wrong lane, and the crash happening at a stage where there had been no problem wrong.  I had called the officer and explained, again, what had happened and she said that she would change the report.  I forwarded insurance that information as well.

sometimes you find funny things in the midst of disaster

When I was looking at the Garmin file, I happened to see my heart rate for the ride.  It was looking pretty good up until the very end.  There was a huge spike at the time of the crash.  Nothing like a visual of what happens when the pucker factor tries to suck up your saddle.  The official heart rate was right at 188bpm!

I settled into a waiting game and just tried to keep in touch with everyone hoping to be able to expedite anything that I could.  I found out that the adjuster had been to Paul's and looked at the bike, helmet, and shoes.  Dale told me that with the frame being carbon there was just no way to determine if it was sound after the crash and fall to the ground.  He was going to recommend a full replacement for safety.  I agreed, because the last thing that I would want would be for me to be coasting down a hill at 40mph and the frame fall apart beneath me.  There would be no way around getting seriously hurt in that situation.  The Specialized rep happened to be at the shop while I was discussing that and he looked at the order status.  It appeared that my bike was now backordered until the end of October.  At the earliest, I was looking at the beginning of November before I would have a new bike at the earliest.  This sucks!

I left Paul's with the reality that the fitness that I had gained was going to be long gone by the time I got the bike back.  I was going to have to do something to keep my heart strong and my lungs active.  Since Toni was starting to get into running, I decided to give that a go with her.  We both went out for a short 30 minute run.  While I didn't like it, I was able to keep up with her and found that running would be a suitable alternative for the short term.  I ran a total of four days in a row, and got faster and faster each time.  I still didn't like running, but I was still active and burning calories.

On Monday, I heard from insurance and found that they had finally spoken with the other driver.  The rep said that she had some good news and some bad news for me.  Here we go....here was the moment that I was going to get "its just a bike" and get blown off.  She started with the good news that she had spoke with the driver and found that he was at fault in the crash.  They would be accepting liability.  OK, the good news was expected, but still a relief for me.  Now for the bad news.  She said that they had been talking with the bike shop as well as the Specialized rep.  I knew all of this, and was getting anxious about where the bad news came in.  She said that the recommendation from the shop was for full replacement.  She was sorry, but the bike was totaled.  Bad news...not at all.  I wasn't willing to trust the bike after all the research I had done on carbon fiber crashes.  She said that since it was brand new, they would just send me a check for the full price on the bike.  WIN!!!!!  This was what I was hoping would work out, and it had.  This was great news all the way around!

I sent the requested receipts to her in an email and also asked about the damaged bike and what options I had for it.  She had said that they would come by and pick it up since they were sending me a check.  I asked if there was a way that I could buy the bike back from them.  I didn't trust it for the road, but felt that it would be fine for a stationary trainer.  Hey, if the frame explodes, I'll land on carpet.  I felt that injury would be minor at worst in that scenario.  Having that bike on the trainer would allow me to not only keep the fitness that I had gained, I would also have a very good alternative to road riding through the winter.  It was worth a shot to see if I could buy it back at salvage value.

She said that she would have to contact her manager to see just how they could deal with my request and she would get back to me the next day.  I was at work the next day, and didn't have a chance to follow up with her, but she did call me at the end of the day as I was unloading the car.  It was exactly a week after the crash.  She confirmed the amount of the check that they would be sending which included tax and everything for full replacement.  She also said that their plans for the bike would be to throw it away, so if I wanted it, I could just go and pick it up.  It just doesn't get any better than that!!!!  I had my trainer bike back...at least I was pretty sure it would survive under the load of the trainer.  I was willing to give it a try at least.  If nothing else, I could hang the bike in the garage as the survivor from a crash.

What had started out as a less than ideal way to end a 62 mile ride has ended with me being made whole by Progressive.  I just can't say enough good things about them and how they handled this claim.  I hate that it happened, and would have been very happy with my original bike for many thousands of miles, but having had the crash, I think I came out of it very well.  Most importantly, I am still unhurt, and have had no issues since the crash.  I also have a war story that stars the quality of Specialized's carbon frames and how well they stand up to automotive steel.  I'm sold on Specialized, and will continue to ride their product as long as my legs let me.

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.