Adventures on a Bike

Authors note: My baby brother Andrew just bought a road bike in his quest to become a competitive triathlete.   I was about to fire off a congratulatory email with a bunch of my opinions on gear, training, etc to help him get started then thought it might be useful for others too. 

Dear Andrew-

Congrats on your new bike!  I’m sure you’re stoked and ready to get cycling.  I figured I’d try and impart any wisdom about training, gear, etc that I have to help you get ramped up faster.  So here is what I know - just remember, these are the ramblings of one guy, nothing here is true

Getting the right fit

The very first thing you should do with a new bike is get it fit to your specific body dimensions.  Lots of bike stores claim to do this for you, but in my experience, they are all using a flawed system.  Check out this great article on bike fit, this is something you can do by yourself.  The main variables are seat height, angle and position, stem length and height, and crank arm length.  After using this method to fit my bike (going totally against what the Trek store mechanic said) I drastically improved both my performance and comfort on my bike.

Getting a saddle

My current thinking is that your saddle choice doesn’t matter very much, as long as you’ve paid attention to your bike fit first.  I also think that harder saddles are better than softer ones cause the soft ones allow you to “sink in” and that puts pressure on your “tween” (taint?).  Oh, and don’t talk to me about chamois cream - that’s just gross.  Go au-natural and keep everything down there super clean to avoid sores from forming.

Short or bibs?

Bibs!  I love these ones, but always look for them on sale or from an outlet (we have a Pearl Izumi outlet here in San Diego.  Bibs are far superior to shorts because they fit better, support better (hold your gut in) and they keep from sliding down and showing the crack of your butt.  Here’s a trick you can play on your friends who refuse to wear bib shorts: as they pedal, pull the waistband of their shorts down and hook it underneath their saddle.  Ha - you’ve nailed them to the seat

The only advantage that shorts have over bibs is that you can pull them down while riding and slap your bare butt at someone in a gesture of “kiss this!”.  And yeah, that’s happened to me twice, it’s priceless.

And oh, by the way, you pee in bib shorts by pulling up one leg, not be removing the whole bib.  I learned that the hard way the first time I wore bibs trying to do a last-minute pee before my race started.

Cold weather gear

Unfortunately, you live in Southern California where you are suckered into thinking it’s warm all year.  Well, it’s not, especially at 6am when you have time to train.  I suffered for a long time until my friends all banded together and bought me cold weather gear.  I think the most critical pieces are a vest and arm warmers.  After that it’s leg warmers and long-fingered gloves.  If you’re still cold, get a full jacket and a beanie for your head.  Still cold?  Just go home.  This is the vest I have, I love it cause it’s so small and windproof which is all you are really looking for.  A vest is better than a jacket cause you can take it off more easily without stopping.

Jerseys

Get whatever you want, but please never, ever wear a replica winners jersey.  No yellow, no polka-dot, no green jerseys.  That’s considered pretty lame by most people I know (myself included).  I do have two very high-visibility yellow colored jerseys, but they are clearly not replicas of a TdF jersey, so it’s fine.  If, however, you ever do win the Maillot Jaune, then feel free to wear it where ever you like and everyone can piss off.

Bike computers

If you don’t care about data then just get a cheap-o wireless model and start recording the date of your ride, your mileage and average speed.  But I know you so what you really want is a Garmin Edge 305 with the HR monitor.  Maybe since you’re a tri-guy, you actually want the watch version of this, but either way.  They sell them all day long on eBay, just make sure you get a new one and not a refurb.  I’ve gotten a lot of training insight by tracking my stats.  One thing I’ve done that I think is really smart is to pick several portions of a ride and time myself on them.  Then I record and track my times.  I have several hills I time myself on and a few flat TT sections.  There is nothing that feels better than beating a personal record.  You want to choose sections of your ride where your time is not influenced by traffic lights or you’re not tempted to endanger yourself or others by going too fast (like riding the boardwalk or a busy park).

It’s cool, especially early on in your training, to see your times plummet.  My first-ever time climbing to Hwy 67 on Scripps Poway Parkway was 13:57.  My record is now 9:22 and I bet I could beat that today (haven’t timed it in awhile).

Shoes

Sidi makes great bike shoes.  I have these.  I suffered in a pair of Nike’s that I knew didn’t really fit for a long time.  Then I got my Sidi’s and now the world is a much better place at mile 60.

Helmets

First of all, I’m leaving the whole “Helmet law debate” alone.  I choose to wear a helmet.  From what I understand, they all crash the same (govt regulations at work here) and so I picked one that looked cool and was the right color for my bike.  Oh, I don’t believe all that vent baloney, the only time vents on a helmet come into play is when my head is freezing coming off some big mountain and I wish I didn’t have any vents.

Some riders take their helmets off when climbing on a hot day, I leave mine on.  I like the heat though.

Pumps, tubes, bags and all that crap

Please do not be one of those guys who carries 5 lbs of crap around when you ride.  You don’t need the large cycle bag and the second “Bento Box” bag on the top tube.  You paid so much for a lightweight bike, it’s just crazyness.

Get a size small seat bag and in it place a single tire spoon (you dont need three, I’ll show you sometime), a single replacement tube, a small multi-tool with a chain tool attachment (I just bought this one), one canister of CO2 and the little mini CO2 nozzle like this one (not a big giant one).  Oh, also put in a $20 bill in case you’re stranded.  As a tip, place the inner tube in one of your kids socks, keeps it compact and tight.

I am against trying to repair a punctured tube - it’s a waste of time.  I am also against bike pumps, but know that the second flat will strand you (I once got three in a single day - before I discovered good tires).  In the end, you live in L.A. and your iPhone will always get you home.  If you really want to be MacGuyver-guy, put a 2×2in piece of inner tube rubber in there in case you get a hole in your tire.

In your jersey, you will place your wallet (ID + CC at least) and your iPhone.  Place your iPhone (you have an iPhone, right?) in a plastic ziplock bag to keep from sweating all over it.  This will leave plenty of room in your jersey for all the food you need, a rain jacket, arm warmers, whatever.

That’s all you need, leave the rest at home.  I see guys pulling the craziest stuff out of their jerseys and bike bags. Fruit, sunblock, vitamins, pictures of their dog, strange…  I also see lots of tri-guys out training with these crazy looking christmas tree-like racks on the back of their seat holding all kinds of tools, spare tires (seriously!) and other heavy crap.  We make fun of guys like that, please don’t be that guy

Tires

My philosophy on tires is that they are the direct interface between you and the road so don’t go discount.  When you are flying down a twisty mountain road at 40+mph, you don’t want to think what consequences a blowout would have.

So, one word - Continental.  I like these, but you can save a buck or two on a lower performance model as long as you stay on brand. I get about 800 miles on the back tire before I replace it.  They have little wear dimples on them to help you know when they are worn out.  Make sure you replace them often enough, when you start getting flats, it’s a sign that your tires are worn out. 

Chain

You’ll need to replace your chain every 1,000 miles or so.  Get one of those little chain guages and keep an eye on it.  If you run your bike with an old chain, you’ll ruin your cassette and cranks.

Food

It’s my opinion that people don’t eat enough or the right things while on the bike.  I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat real food when riding.  Stuff that has to be digested takes blood and other resources away from your muscle and cardiovascular systems which slows you down.  So leave the bars, nuts, sandwiches, etc home.  I stick to gels like GU and Cliff Shot Blox which are both just maltodextrin - slightly complex sugars that help you go, but don’t burn through you like simple sugars.  I ration 1-2 per hour of cycling.  Eat a little, often.  And oh, I prefer the gels with caffeine in them.  It helps on a long day on the bike.

For my bottles, I like pure maltodextrin which I buy here.  I like this because it’s not simple sugar like Gatorade and it’s completely flavorless so I can still drink it after 6 hours on a bike.  I put between 40-80g per bottle, which is a LOT more carbs that you can cram in with Cytomax or Gatorade.  Lately, when it’s been so hot, I’ve been adding some gatorade to the mix for extra electrolytes, but I have to make sure not to make it too rich, it’ll make me pukey.

Some guys get crampy, I am lucky and never have.  They swear by some kind of salt pills or bannanas, I dunno, google it if you get crampy.

Bike Mechanics

I don’t take my bike to the bike store for repair/adjustments any more.  I used to, but it’s super expensive, a total hassle, and frankly, it was 50-50 on whether they’d do the repair correctly.  Then one day, waiting to pick up my bike, I realized that every bike mechanic I ever knew was a young kid, probably paid close to minimum wage.  How hard could it be to fix a bike?  So, I bought a cheap bike stand and went for it myself.  I’ve never looked back.  There is a TON of information about bike repair on the Internet (check this guy out!) and if you get really stuck, then take all the parts in and have the teenager fix it for $50.  You are smart enough to fix your own bike, truly.

Getting started training

If I were you, I’d focus on intensity rather than distance.  It’s my experience that going hard is better that going long at increasing your cardiovascular capabilities.  It also fits better into a busy schedule.  Pick a 1 hour ride you can do and then do it as hard as you can.  Soon, you’ll be at 45 minutes, so increase the distance.  You wanna be a bike racer, so you gotta go fast.  I see a lot of people out lollygagging on a bike, complaining that their fitness is not improving - sheesh!

Finally, your nasty, hairy legs…

Dude, shave your legs.  All competitive cyclists (and swimmers?) shave their legs, here and abroad.  If you show up to a bike race with hairy legs, you get no respect.  In fact, people will treat you like a noob.  And, those hairy monsters just look crazy driving a bike.  If you’re all freaked out about it, then start by just trimming them down using your beard trimmer.  When you do take the leap, make sure you use your beard trimmer to take all the turf off before starting with a blade.  Then you need just once a week to keep them sanitary.

Did I forget anything?  Do I have it all wrong?  If so, use the comment button and sound off.

I’m so stoked, I can hardly maintain.  I just bought this mountain bike!

I used to mountain bike years ago, before I got into road cycling with such passion.  In fact, the reason I quit mountain biking was that I wore out my bike, which I take as a good sign.  

With my Tour de France adventure over, I’ve been feeling a bit monochromatic maintaining a 150-mile a week road training schedule.  I wanted to find a way to keep my fitness up for racing next season while diversifing my activities.  I think mountain biking is the perfect way to go.

After my “best-ever” mountain biking experience in Germany last month, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of getting into the woods again.  There are some really great trails around San Diego, many that I think I can ride right from my door.  I also have to admit that I’ve been considering putting my name in the lottery to ride next year’s Leadville 100.  Not to ride it competively, but to see if I can survive it.  This would be the perfect bike if I take that on.

So, the Adventure is expanding…

I had been getting my ass kicked all day.  It was supposed to be 80 easy miles along the coast.  I was supposed to have easily taken every town sign.  But here I was, struggling to stay on the wheel of some twentysomething-triathlete-hero grinding 25mph along the flats, losing every town sign.

There were two new faces in the TCO peloton that morning, Tim and Gabe.  Both looked extremely fit and Gabe was on an expensive looking tri-bike.  I paid them almost no attention until Gabe got on the front, settled into his aero bars and cranked the pace up to 25mph.  And then held it for ten (or a million) miles.  I was hammering to stay on his wheel making myself as small as possible to hide in his draft, thinking, “Holy S#!%, can he do this all day?”

I asked him later how long he could keep that speed up and he said, “Maybe 60 miles.”  I laughed on the outside and cried on the inside. I was totally screwed. They were nabbing town signs left and right.  Tim has this awesome ability to leap from the group to take the sign while I was still hammering to try and keep Gabe’s wheel.

My only hope was that I would be stronger at mile 60+.  It’s my experience that tri-guys train for triathlons and even an Olympic Tri is just 25 miles.  So, I hid out in the pack and let Gabe hammer on at “ludicrous-speed”.

I made a deal with Mark for the two Carlsbad signs, I would lead him out for the first one and then I would take the second (there is an official sign followed by a decorative monument - they each count as a point).  We executed our plan perfectly and took the two signs.  Afterwards, I looked back and saw that we had a gap, with Tim trying to get across.  It occurred to me that we could just stay away for the last 12 miles or so and take the rest of the signs.  I mentioned it to Mark and his comment was, “That sounds like too much work.”  Heck, if I’m not working on a bike, what am I riding for, right?

I put my head down and cranked it up to 22mph cause that’s all I can hold.  Tim caught us at a light south of Carlsbad and we started working as a rotation of three.  Now my plan was in danger cause I believed Tim to be strong enough to jump from our group to nab each of the remaining 5 points.  Mark was thinking the same thing and made sure that Tim pulled us hard to the base of a short hill.  Mark and I launched up the hill and managed to pop Tim!  So he’s not invincible!

I got back on the front and gave it all I had.  Instinctively, I knew that Mark would not attack me for points as long as I was hammering, cause if he did I would drop him right after his sprint.  

Looking back, I no longer saw Tim.  I realized that we were away and I could ease up if I wanted to.  But I was on my bike about 5 miles from Pizza Port, so why not go as absolutely hard as I could.  Pretending I was in a race, I went even faster.  My legs ached and I thought about how you gotta ignore the pain and then I pushed a little harder.  Our plan worked and we stayed away, nabbing the remaining 5 points.

And let me tell you - the jalapeno/pepperoni pizza and IPA never tasted so good…

My friend Ajay is currently the fifth most successful fundraiser for the upcomming MS Bike Tour, having raised $4,832 so far in the fight against MS!

Ajay is a founding member of Team Climb On! and was our leading fundraiser in our innaugural appearance at the MS Bike Tour last year.  He’s the guy in the middle of this photo.

Last year, Ajay signed up for the MS Bike Tour just after being cured of cancer.  Training to ride the century was his comeback training!  As a cancer survivor, he has pledged to donate 50% of whatever he raises in the MS Bike Tour to the Livestrong foundation.  So if you sponsor Ajay, you’re really donating to two really great charities!  Nice work Ajay - I hope you stay a top-5 fundraiser!

Would you like to support Team Climb On! in the fight agains MS?

Team Climb On Rides, originally uploaded by Arlyn Asch.

Can you believe we got eleven bikes on the train this morning?

Riding back from Anaheim - 80 miles along the coast, training for the
MS Bike Tour.

 Remember when they said that computers and the internet would isolate us from each other?  They said we’d spend all day inside, “playing” with computers, disconnected from the “real world”…

Here’s a map that Google Analytics provides which shows the global distribution of web traffic to this site over the last 30 days. Make sure you click it to get the zoomed view. 

The green areas are places where people visit this site from.  The darker the green, the more visitors.

Here is the breakdown within one country, the United States of America

I find it very cool that this little blog gives me the opportunity to connect with so many people from around the world. And I am inspired that my adventures resonate enough with people that they come back.  People from all around the world.  I could never image being this connected to the “real world”.

Thank you, World. I’ll keep sharing my adventures as I find them and I hope you continue to enjoy them.

One of my first adventures after getting back on a road bike was riding last year’s MS Bike Tour.  It was my first century ride ever and my first exposure to charity bike rides.

With just a month to go before this year’s MS Bike Tour kicks off, I have to thank everyone who has so generously contributed to my fundraising campaign to fight MS!  Together we’ve raised $1,215 so far!  Both I and the National MS Society thank you.

Can you believe that my team (Team Climb On!) has raised $13,584 among just 16 cyclists?!  Everyone is doing a lot of riding to get in shape for the 150-mile course next month.  While I’m pretty confident about my ability to do the ride, I am still a bit short of my fundraising goal of $5,000.

So, if you would like to contribute there is still time.  Making a tax-deductable donation takes just 5 minutes.  Just click here to join the fight against MS.

http://www.biketofinishms.com/arlynasch

Donations of any size are greatly appreciated!

I love riding to Julian.  I’ve been there 3 times in the last month.  At around 85 miles with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain, it’s a really hard course for me and I always suffer in the last 10 or 20 miles. I keep going back for more because Suffering and I are in a committed relationship.  

I met Rob at the intersection of Poway Rd. and Pomerado and we rolled east toward the hills and apple pie country at a moderate pace.  We climbed Poway grade easily and got passed by one rider.  Rob made it clear that if he was going to make it to Julian that day he’d need protection and lots of it - no worries since I regularly ride to Julian by myself.  He tucked into my slipstream and we made our way steadily uphill.

A few miles before Santa Ysabel we got passed by three riders on tri-bikes at “ludicrous speed”.  We caught up with them later at the General Store in Santa Ysabel, it was none other than Normann Stadler, two-time winner of the Kona Ironman, out for a leisurely 130-mile training ride.  We joked with him about how much faster he was riding than us and he said, “When you ride for fun, you can go langsam.  When you ride for money, you must go schnell.”  He’s German, of course (langsam=slow, schnell=fast).

The chapparal of coastal San Diego became dry scrub oak of the coastal foothills.  The oaks got bigger as we got higher.  Soon, we were seeing the occasional pine tree as we approached Julian.  

We arrived at the pie shop without incident and enjoyed some tourists oogling over our bikes and being amazed that we came all the way from the coast for some pie.  We got our picture taken by a girl who then giggled to her friends, “I touched an iPhone! I touched an iPhone!”.  The pie shop that Sunday was interesting to say the least.

Then we saddled up and headed for home.  Lot’s of excitement down Wynola Road - 35mph with tight corners on a *mostly* deserted road.  Zoomed downhill to Santa Ysabel where Suffering was patiently waiting for our rendevouz.

Funny enough, I don’t have many problems climbing the 5,000 feet into Julian.  It’s climbing and it feels great.  It’s on those final hills, especially climbing out of Ramona and back into Scripps Ranch where Suffering and I begin to really talk.

With Rob tucked in and a steady pace set, we made our way back to the coast.  My thoughts shifted quietly from how well the ride was going to how nice it’ll be to take a shower, have a beer or just lay on my back in the yard and pretend I’m Tom Simpson.

I waved goodbye to Rob and began pedalling the final miles to home, up Pomerado hill.  Suffering was there with me the whole way, keeping me company, always a conversation to keep my mind busy.  It’s impossible to ignore Suffering, one must just accept it and enjoy the conversation as much as possible. 

Pie!, originally uploaded by Arlyn Asch.

Pie is always good.