As excited as I am about the ALC for next year, this package that came in the mail makes me a bit disappointed that I'm not attending this year's ride. Since I've already registered, the ALC team sent me this t-shirt. It'll be a good promotional item though. I'll wear it on my next weekend ride.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hydrating gear
I'm learning a lot about cycling and health training in general. The ALC training sessions require riders to carry two water bottles:1. Water
2. Electrolytes (Gatorade, Powerade)
Since I'll be on the road a lot more, I picked up another mirror for the right side.
I bought the pedals
There's a new type of pedal designed as a hybrid. One side is flat and can be used with any shoe. The other has the mechanism for toe-clips. Although I don't have shoes yet, this will prep my trike for when I finally get a pair.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Preparing the trike
The odd thing about the hills I've been climbing is that I'm not breathing hard during nor after the ride to the top. It's my muscles that literally can't handle the slope. I'm in agony just trying to get 3mph. My cadence is nowhere near what it needs to be. As much as I know fitness training will improve my chances at completing the ALC, I can't help but to think my trike could use some buffing up. Unfortunately I can't do much about the weight of the trike. I'll have to turn to other alternatives to increase effectiveness on the hills:
1. TOE CLIPS:
To improve my technique, I've read tons about using toe clips. This helps with the circular motion needed for efficient pedaling. So far I've only been pushing on the pedals. No wonder I haven't been effective. It looks like I'll need new pedals.
2. GEARS:
This is where I have the biggest opportunity. My KMX Tornado is the entry level adult trike. Looking at KMX's line up of performance counterparts, I see that the differences are primarily the quality of drivetrain parts.
3. TIRES:
Being that trike itself is designed to be a BMX bike on three wheels, it's no wonder the tires can use a replacement. Since they're not designed for endurance/long-distance rides, I'll need something more capable of the trek I'm going to embark on. My stock tires can at least be improved by replacing these no-name brand from China, Lien Fortune with a reputable brand such as Schwable. KMX isn't the only one who's been replacing their stock tires with Schwable Big Apple tires. From my discussion with Schwalbe's sales rep this afternoon, The Big Apples are too beefy and heavy for my purposes. I did see records of a recumbent trike rider who took on the ALC using these exact tires, but I'm on a mission to find something better. The Schwalbe Marathon HS?
4. WEIGHT:
There isn't much I can do to shed any of the 43 lbs off the trike. If I'm going to shed any weight it'll be my body fat. Those of you who know me are laughing. I'm the lanky 5'-7" 150lb lad who has a new issue of Muscle Fitness magazine on the coffee table that has yet to have its pages opened. I eat 4-6 times a day and have the metabolism of a marathon runner. The odd thing is that I haven't run more than 7 miles in a row since high school. I can cut a 100 grams by removing lights and other day time riding non-essentials, but that's about it. Perhaps some trike components can be replaced with lighter ones. Even then, we're looking at grams - not pounds of saved weight. Being that human bodies can gain or lose up to 2lbs in a day based on water intake alone, a few grams here and there won't make much of a difference. I would have to shed more than 400 grams to lose 1 lb. Think of a gram as the weight of a single M&M chocolate candy. There isn't much substance there. Options 1-3 above are my best bet.
1. TOE CLIPS:
To improve my technique, I've read tons about using toe clips. This helps with the circular motion needed for efficient pedaling. So far I've only been pushing on the pedals. No wonder I haven't been effective. It looks like I'll need new pedals.
2. GEARS:
This is where I have the biggest opportunity. My KMX Tornado is the entry level adult trike. Looking at KMX's line up of performance counterparts, I see that the differences are primarily the quality of drivetrain parts.
3. TIRES:
Being that trike itself is designed to be a BMX bike on three wheels, it's no wonder the tires can use a replacement. Since they're not designed for endurance/long-distance rides, I'll need something more capable of the trek I'm going to embark on. My stock tires can at least be improved by replacing these no-name brand from China, Lien Fortune with a reputable brand such as Schwable. KMX isn't the only one who's been replacing their stock tires with Schwable Big Apple tires. From my discussion with Schwalbe's sales rep this afternoon, The Big Apples are too beefy and heavy for my purposes. I did see records of a recumbent trike rider who took on the ALC using these exact tires, but I'm on a mission to find something better. The Schwalbe Marathon HS?
4. WEIGHT:
There isn't much I can do to shed any of the 43 lbs off the trike. If I'm going to shed any weight it'll be my body fat. Those of you who know me are laughing. I'm the lanky 5'-7" 150lb lad who has a new issue of Muscle Fitness magazine on the coffee table that has yet to have its pages opened. I eat 4-6 times a day and have the metabolism of a marathon runner. The odd thing is that I haven't run more than 7 miles in a row since high school. I can cut a 100 grams by removing lights and other day time riding non-essentials, but that's about it. Perhaps some trike components can be replaced with lighter ones. Even then, we're looking at grams - not pounds of saved weight. Being that human bodies can gain or lose up to 2lbs in a day based on water intake alone, a few grams here and there won't make much of a difference. I would have to shed more than 400 grams to lose 1 lb. Think of a gram as the weight of a single M&M chocolate candy. There isn't much substance there. Options 1-3 above are my best bet.
Ugh-oh
My first day of training was last weekend. My ride was 27 miles round trip to and from Sausalito.
It's not so much the sore legs that I was worried about. The distance of 545 miles even seems doable. What scares me the most are the hills. When you hear climbs described as Quadbuster and Evil Twins, you know you're up for a challenge.
Perhaps I was looking for an excuse out or I was honestly trying to be smart about my decision to make it to this year's AIDS Life Cycle.
Thanks to fellow bloggers, I found that riders have trained 4-6 months for this event. Some have trained for a year! Surely fitting my training into 3 weeks would be a setup for failure.
Darn.
As disappointed as I am to not be attending this year's event, I'm still psyched for next year's ride. This will give me more time to train and prepare my trike.
It's not so much the sore legs that I was worried about. The distance of 545 miles even seems doable. What scares me the most are the hills. When you hear climbs described as Quadbuster and Evil Twins, you know you're up for a challenge.
Perhaps I was looking for an excuse out or I was honestly trying to be smart about my decision to make it to this year's AIDS Life Cycle.
Thanks to fellow bloggers, I found that riders have trained 4-6 months for this event. Some have trained for a year! Surely fitting my training into 3 weeks would be a setup for failure.
Darn.
As disappointed as I am to not be attending this year's event, I'm still psyched for next year's ride. This will give me more time to train and prepare my trike.
Are you nuts?
It was a stranger that told me about the AIDS Life Cycle event. After hearing from him that it's a bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, I almost had to pick my eyeballs back up off the ground. It took him 14 days! He must've done it round trip, b/c I later read that it's a 7 day ride.
I don't know if that was good news or bad news. At 14 days, I wouldn't even attempt it. 7 days was more doable.
Clicking away on the Internet, I found that the next event is only a month away! Wow, I don't have to wait! Click, click, click. Uh-oh. There's an obligation to raise $3,000 minimum to join the ride. Can I raise that much in 30 days? Maybe.
I don't know if that was good news or bad news. At 14 days, I wouldn't even attempt it. 7 days was more doable.
Clicking away on the Internet, I found that the next event is only a month away! Wow, I don't have to wait! Click, click, click. Uh-oh. There's an obligation to raise $3,000 minimum to join the ride. Can I raise that much in 30 days? Maybe.
Riding a Trike
My only exposure to AIDS was in 1992 when my parents brought news home that our architect had passed away from the disease. Even 10 years after the house was redesigned, we continued to appreciate the design effort that went into the home.
The ALC isn't just for those living with HIV and AIDS, but also for their families. As a community, any improvement in the lives of those with the disease means improvement in the lives of their families as well.
The ALC isn't just for those living with HIV and AIDS, but also for their families. As a community, any improvement in the lives of those with the disease means improvement in the lives of their families as well.
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