Riding with Monsters Ride Report 11/8/08

I arrived at Exxon on a chilly Saturday morning around 6:45. Rhonda was already there waiting comfortably. Miguel and Gustavo showed up a bit later. Four riders total this
Saturday morning. We took off west down Military at a nice pace of 17-20mph. We continued up Bryan to 495 where Rhonda broke away from our small group.

I knew that once she left that I was in for a world of hurt. Gustavo and Miguel quickly picked up the pace as we continued on our 30 mile non stop ride. I quickly learned that these people I was riding with were monsters. The wind had no chance against these monsters! Even though I tried to do my part and help pull, I soon found myself in the back trying to guess where and when we were going to pull over for a breather. Having never ridden this route there were many options. Would it be the watermill, one of the many gas stations littered around the route, the park? I realized these breed of monsters do not need oxygen or water but instead live off the pain and suffering of the weak.

We finished off the 30 miles in about an hour and a half time. My top speed was 31mph going down Ware Rd., within 5 miles of our destination. Definetely one of the fastest rides I have been one. I look forward to the next ride with the monsters. Here is a picture of some new wheels I got along with the route we took.

Wild in Willacy Ride Report 10/25/08

Gustavo called friday asking if I could join the team saturday morning for a ride going on in Raymondville. What kind of ride was this? I had not heard of any ride or saw any ride listings on any of the local cycling forums. He said it was only going to be a 25 mile ride but that there was going to be a fajita cook-off afterwards. Team McAllen was going to be hosting the third time trial event in Granjeno the same day and seeing that I only participated in the first event I wanted to go to this one but opted instead of joining my team mates for a ride in Willacy county.

I met up with the guys at one of the local bike shops at 6am. We loaded our bikes on the van and waited for the other van to arrive to caravan to Raymondville. About a 30 minute drive.

Upon arrival we registered and got ready. Besides the 8 or so people from our team there were only about 5 or 6 more riders at the event. By far the smallest event I have ever participated in. This was more like a training ride than an actual bike event but I guess the fact that it was not at all advertised did not help it either.

The ride itself was still nice though. I have been wanting to do a ride in that part of valley for a while now and this was a perfect opportunity. We were riding at a nice leisurely place onward to the small town of San Perlita just east of Raymondville. I stuck in the upper middle of the pack and helped pull while mashing the big gear. We arrived in San Perlita and were greeted by a small group of supporters tending to a rest stop stocked with bananas and windmill shaped cookies located outside the R2 convenience store.

After munching down and posing for a couple of pictures we were off again and begun our trek back to the stockyards. I wanted to just hang in the back and enjoy the scenery especially since my hands were numbing due to not having worn any gloves but I could not resist getting up front. We got some light tailwind on the way back and sailed back to Raymondville.

Once we arrived at the staging area we all had one though on our minds. Food. The ride leader ordered Subway sandwiches but would not get there till an hour later. Who wants Subway when theres a fajita cook-off going on? But it was still way too early, the chefs were barely prepping and not a single slab of meat had hit any of the grills. We decided to leave and ended up having breakfast at a restaraunt in Edinburg. We soon arrived back at the bike shop there after. Unloaded the bikes and said goodbye.

Sunday with Sports Federation

I rode this past sunday with Sports Federation. Hadn't ridden with them in a while and I hadn't ridden at all since the River Region Classic. Sunday is when the stronger riders of the group get together and have a faster than usual ride. I met up with AK, Israel, Gustavo, Miguel, and a new rider with the group, Mauricio.

We met up at the Exxon station and were on our way down to Granjeno. We started off at a decent pace then quickly picked it up. For not having ridden in a week I felt OK. We were taking turns pulling. I pulled at around 20mph into a nice headwind for a while then quickly fell to the back of the pack. I was longing for a break afterwards and almost got dropped but I did not let this happen. I concentrated on my breathing and mentally told myself to hang in there. Before I knew it me and my team mates were all taking a breather figuring out where to go from there.

We decided to head back the same way and had a light tailwind in doing so allowing us to pick it up a notch. We did one more lap at Granjeno loop and on the way back we encountored some real smooth road perfect for sprinting. I peaked at 30 but others peaked at about 32-33mph. Overall this was a challenging hard ride for me but enjoyable as well. We completed approximately 30 miles in just a little over an hour and a half. This is the route we took.

Death of a Tire

Imagine how it looked like at full pressure with the tube pushing the liner out through the slash. Here is the new "all around" tire I got today.

Texas Hill Country River Region Classic Report 10/11/08

So far this has been the craziest ride I have done so far. The main reason I wanted to do this ride is because it takes off from Garner State Park. I had never been to Garner before but everybody I know that has been there say it is very beautiful and they were right.

I picked up Ruben at his office and loaded up his bike and gear. We left McAllen about 5pm Friday. Heading into Concan I could see the outlines of the large hills in the area. They were more like mountains. The cool jeweled moon lingered above shining its light on these mountains reminiscent of night time vistas like those seen in New Mexico. I really wished I had remembered to pick up some batteries for the camera when we filled up in Castroville. I remembered the 16oz can of Budweiser though.

We arrived at Garner around 11:30 and quickly set up our tents. I climbed in my tent and opened my beer. I pulled the tab and heard a crisp pshh that echoed through out our campsite. Enter sandman.

Woke up, got dressed and headed towards the registration area to check in. The morning was cool with overcast skies. We lined up and headed out on our 52 mile challenge. The plan was for me and Ruben to work together but Ruben is way too fast and a much better rider than I am. That was ok though, I wanted to enjoy the scenery and I was still going at a good pace pacing some riders and some riders passed me.

The first 10 miles were nice with gently rolling hills. With the weather and terrain I thought this was going to be a breeze. Boy was I wrong. I stopped off at the first rest stop in Leakey and got some food and gatorade not having eaten anything before the ride. A light shower started to fall on us and thats when I noticed my front tire, the same front tire Ruben had pointed out before the ride, starting to look really funny.

I pressed on and soon found myself huffing and puffing up the first climb. I made it, it was tough but the reward going downhill was awesome. Then came the next climb. It looked bad but at least it didn't look that long. As soon as I turned and thought I was going to bask in downhill heaven again, there was more climbing to conquer. Then another turn then another climb, then another, then another. The climbs just kept on coming. Then finally the downhill portion came flying down fast wet twisty roads at 45 mph was a blast. That was the best part of the ride. But there was more climbing that needed to be done.

About 4 and a half hours later I pull into the park past the finish line to where they were having a spaghetti dinner for all the riders and packet pick up. As soon as I get off the bike, the tire and tube explode. Sounded like somebody fired a gun. Scared the hell out of everyone including myself. Thank God it happened there and not on one of those downhills going almost 50mph! That would've been the story of me. Thank God for tire liners.

Walked back to the campsite. Met up with Ruben. Ate one of the best spaghetti plates I had ever eaten. Thought to myself how crazy all of us are for attempting stuff like this. Showered. Drank a beer. Drove back. I did buy some batteries after all at the park store.

Nails Creek State Park 10/8/08

I was up in Giddings just west of Austin getting some equipment calibrated at the Texas Department of Weights and Measures. I had at least an hour and a half to kill so I decided to check out Nails Creek State Park. I knew I should of brought the mountain bike. Apart from being an awesome looking park located next to Lake Somerville, this park also offers more than 20 miles of trails for mountain biking and hiking. Note to self: Take bike everywhere you go.

Decided to head west towards Austin to get I-35 back down to the Valley. Stopped off at Hoffbrau Steaks off 6th St. for lunch. http://www.originalhoffbrausteaks.com/ Inside was packed, just about every other place during lunch time off 6th. We tried going to Huts then some pizza place right behind it but there was a long wait time. We sat outside and it was amazing to see so many people on bikes. Commuting, riding, on mountain bikes, road, track bikes, singlespeeds, zipping down 6th faster than traffic.

Vuelta al Valle Ride Report 10/4 & 10/5/08

Sports Federation of the Valley, which happens to be the road cycling group I ride with hosted Vuelta al Valle. A 2 day event which included a 10 mile time trial on Saturday and a 35 mile road race on Sunday located north of Edinburg. I went ahead and signed up for both in the beginner category.

This was my 2nd time trial event. My first time trial was back in August hosted by Team McAllen in Granjeno so I felt alot better going in with what I learned. I got 31:33.7, 9th out of 15th place.

Next day I rode out with the beginners in the 35 mile road race. My first road race. I have done plenty of charity rides but this was my first road race. I tried to get as close to the front of the pack as I could but so was everybody else. I could not line up straight since it was a tight closeknit pack so I had to line up at an angle. Kind of unsafe to be honest with you especially after having to clip in and the fact that it was a mass start. We were off and I was right in the upper middle of the pack. I felt good, I felt real good. We were pushing about 22-23mph and I felt great.

Everything was going good until I decided to pull out of the paceline to slow down a bit to get a drink of water. I do not feel comfortable reaching down for the water bottle, drinking, and putting the bottle back in its cage at those speeds. I dropped a bottle once at the Ride for Hunger and I almost took the rider behind me down. I imagined the mess I could cause in a large group if I dropped the water bottle.

So back I went and down my speed went and the group attacked. I got dropped. But there was still hope, the group wasn't too far ahead. I mashed the pedal as hard as I could until I caught up. Once I caught up a rider saw that I had caught up motioned to his buddies and they attacked again. I tried to hang on for dear life but was unable to. I got dropped again. It was the Chile Pepper Challenge in El Paso all over again. Bumpy roads and all heading down Hwy 186. In my mind I failed. I tried to blame it on the bumpy roads, the fact that I was too far up front in the group instead of in the back conserving energy. I started overanalyzing everything hating myself. What the hell am I doing. Two other riders passed me. This can't be. I'm better than them. I know I am. Or maybe they really are better than me. Somebody has to come in last. The finish line will be empty by the time I arrive. I still have a freakin flat on my truck to fix.

About 25 miles into the ride I see shadows behind me and hear my name. It was Miguel and Arnold, two of my friends from Sports Federation. I wasn't the last one after all! According to them there were still alot of people behind. I attached to the 2 man paceline getting a break from the wind and some new hope. We pulled, we rested, we pulled, we rested, etc... I saw two riders up ahead. Unsure if they were the same riders that had passed me earlier I tried my best to catch up. I caught my second wind and sprinted to try and catch up. I could see the finish line by now but the two riders had already cleared it. A few moments later I did as well. According to my computer, I completed the race in exactly 2 hours finishing off with a 17.5mph average.

Now it was time to fix a flat tire.