First off, my birthday presents to myself. I have no idea what anyone else got me because I’m still at work and somebody was late putting stuff in the mail. Better to be late with that than something else.

Reynolds Assault full carbon clinchers wheelset. :insert Tim “The Toolman” Taylor arrgh sounds:

Second, I now have enough money set aside to get Lasik surgery. I just need to find a place to have it done that won’t leave me blind. I’d have to return my new wheels and trust me, you don’t want that.

Also, last week was the annual Angry Sex Bowl. My Georgia Bulldogs vs Belle’s Tennessee Vols. We call it the angry sex bowl because no matter who wins one of us is really pissed off…unless it’s a tie, then we’re both pissed off. Thankfully they don’t do ties in college football. My team won for the first time in three tries. We never mention the game once it’s over so that’s all you’ll hear from me about it.

What was the number one song the day you were born?

This day in Music ::

I’ve had a long standing goal of working out 20 times per month. I rarely reach it. I usually get off to a good start then peter out toward the end. So far this month I have 11 workouts in. I’m shooting for 25 for April. The hard work paid off in spades. I lost 4 lbs just in the last week. The scale actually said 6 but I figured I’m a little dehydrated from cycling late last night. Hopefully by Friday I’ll be a firm 249 lbs. Yes, I’m a big boy. Not really fat but at my age weight is weight to a certain extent. My first target is to get down to 226 lbs. That’s what I weighed when I first moved to L.A. ten years ago.

I attribute most of my renewed enthusiasm to my new Kurt Kinetic Pro fluid trainer. It makes riding indoors so much more fun. I’m doing lots of intervals and other stuff too boring to mention. Hopefully in a month or so I’ll break out the track bike at ADT Velodrome.

I also watched Season One of The Boondocks.

Well, I’ve decided to get back into track cycling. L.A. has the country’s only indoor velodrome and although I’ve been there to watch racing many times, I’ve never ridden on the track ever. I can’t let this opportunity go to waste while I’m here. I still want to to a triathlon in the future. I enjoy doing long distance rides on ocasion but training for them doesn’t interest me at all nor does it suit my natural abilities. I’m a white muscle fiber/sprinter type. Shorter higher intensity workouts that take advantage of my gym strength are more relevant and all I have time for anyway.

I’ve started buying parts for a track bike this week. I already have a bar, stem, seatpost and saddle to use from previous bikes. I’m shopping for a cheap new or used frame on Ebay now. I was sure I had a winner last night. I bid on a new closeout frame that started at $150. Four others all went for $320 or less so I put in a max of $350, sure that I’d get it. Within the last hour some fucker kept out bidding me and ran it up to $420, on top of the $55 for shipping. I hate when people do that. Don’t they know there’s another item just like it soon to follow? Just be patient and stick to your maximum bid. Oh well. At least I made him pay thru the nose. Initially I was bummed because I asked the seller if he had more frames in that size and he said no. Sure enough the very next day another frame just like it showed up. I bet he’s got ten more sitting in his garage right now.

I’ve already rearranged my bedroom to make room for another bike. I don’t want to pay a lot because I will likely trade up to another frame after a year. I want to see if I’m still as interested a year from now before I drop a lot of money into the project. Not to mention I’m working hard to lose weight and increase my flexibility so I can handle a larger handlebar drop. We’ll see how this works out.

I didn’t really hydrate properly or eat enough after the halfway point so I was really dragging toward the end. I finally got a Vitamin Water from a grocery story and wow, that stuff was like crack. I had tons of energy after that. I couldn’t keep up with the fast people but it was still a fun time…good to see the gang again and nice to ride with someone other than myself for a change. The roads n the OC (Orange County for those that don’t watch tv) are much better for cycling so I may head back there once a month for training.

My pics are posted in the gallery. You have to weed thru some earlier pics from a separate trip to Cali Science Center. I didn’t take many during the actual ride because my tongue was dragging most of the way.

I did get another bike computer this week, a Polar CS400. It’s got heart rate monitor and altimeter, although I’m not too sure about the accuracy of altimeters that use barometric pressure. It apparently thinks there’s a 20 ft difference from my bed to the bathroom.

I got some nutritional supplements from Udo’s Choiceto help bring my cholesterol and blood pressure down. I need to order a cholesterol test kit so I can track the changes from home. Twice a day I make a shake with 12oz water, 1 cup of Quaker Oats uncooked, 2 scoops of protein, 1 tbsp Udo’s Choice Wholesome Fast Food Blend (fiber supplement), 1 tbsp flax oil and some flavoring. It’s not an ice cream smoothie by any stretch but two of those daily knocks out most of my daily nutritional requirements and it’s down in 3 minutes anyway. I’m also taking niacin, red yeast rice and a liver cleansing supplement. The protein powder has vitamins added.

I’ve already planned two more 100-mile rides this year. I’m doing a fun ride with some BF friends in mid-July. Friday I register for the Amtrak Century in Sept. It’s a 100-miler from Irvine to San Diego, lunch in Oceanside then you take the train back to Irvine. I just might exceed my annual mileage target yet.

I recently traveled to San Francisco for the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride. It was a 7-day 545 mile ride to increases awareness and knowledge about HIV/AIDS among participants, their donors and the general public. I was a bit worried about the daily distances since I had not ridden over 50 miles in a day in about 12 years.

For those that don’t want to read the whole thing let me just say that I had the time of my life. I challenged myself physically and mentally in a way that I haven’t since college. I met some great people and learned a lot. AIDS/LifeCycle is something everyone should do at least one. I will definitely be back in the future; possibly even next next year. I’m hoping to rope a friend or three into riding it with me next.

Day 0, Saturday – Registration – Cow Palace, Daly City

At registration NuckingFuts from BF actually recognized me by my avatar from across the room. He came over and chatted a bit…nice guy. I stayed at a hotel right across the street since we had to be there by 5AM for the start.

PDF File with daily route and mileage

Day 1, Sunday – San Francisco to Santa Cruz – 89.9 miles

This day was supposed to be a relatively easy 75 miler. They changed the route due to construction and added 15 miles of almost all uphill roads, including the infamous Skyline Drive. Frankly, I’m a diesel engine. I need 20-30 minutes of pancake flats to get warmed up or my HR goes right to redline and stays there…pretty much like it did today.

San Francisco at 6AM is anything but warm so I’m layered up. We pull out of the lot and immediately begin gentle but definite climbing. The Polar CS200 says “I’m afraid this is not going to be a good day”.

I make it thru the first couple of rest stops okay and notice the routeslip says begin 9.9 mile climb. Damn…I coulda swore climbing started 23.4 miles ago. Beaucoup vehicle traffic heading up Skyline. We are constantly warned to stay single file. This gets to be very difficult at times. A lot of people are doing 4mph on triple cranks and with my compact double I can’t go slow enough to stay behind them without falling over, yet I don’t really have the gas to recover from blowing by 10-15 people at once. To add insult to injury I’m having derailleur problems and I can’t get into my 34×25. F*ck me with a carbon seatpost! I’m gonna need a bigger boat. A way cool cat named Brian offers to hang back and go at whatever pace I can muster. We eventually do make it up Skyline to enjoy the long downhill to the lunch stop but only after walking so much I’ve ruined my Shimano cleats.

We have to get thru each rest stop by a certain time or they will determine we can’t finish the ride by 7pm. If that happens they will confiscate your bike, put you on a luxurious bus and cart you with the next camp site. After pulling into the lunch stop, taking a wiz and getting my derailleur fixed I finally sit down to eat only to hear “Lunch stop is closing in ten minutes!!!” Dare I skip lunch and soldier on anyway? One look at the hill immediatley uponleaving lunch camp makes theh answer clear…OHH HELLL NO! Physically I’m fine at this point but mentally I’m done chasing rest stops, which I’ve done for the last two already due to walking. I put my bike on the sag truck and climb into the bus with my lunch. Defeated on the first damn day….I guess I should have actually trained for the ride.

As the bus crests the first hill I realize my decision was a good one. The next 10-15 miles are more of the same rolling pain.

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Day 2, Monday – Santa Cruz to King City, 105.4 miles

I’m anxious to redeem myself from yesterday and excited about the prospect of completing my first century in over 12 years. I’m determined to get this one right. I’ve got enough gels (only thing rest stops don’t have) to do one per hour. Between that, Gatorade and banana slices I’m easily reaching my 300 cals/hr target. I was pounding so many fluids I was racing to the next stop all day just because I had to pee so bad. The problem with that is there was a 20 minute wait for the port-a-potties at all the stops. I altered my plan to find a private pee spot before reaching the stops. That way I could just load up on fluids and move on.

About ten miles out I completely lose the ability to clip in my left shoe and its extremely irritating. I get sagged to a rest stop and hit the Bike Mech tent, which is thankfully only 2 miles down the road. I can still hit 100 for the day. They give me new cleats and I’m off to the races.

About halfway thru I’m feeling a saddle sore coming, something I haven’t had since my last century. I go to the medic tent at lunch and ask for some Chamois Butt’r…they’re out. DAMN! Next stop..they’re out! next stop…you guessed it. I’m feeling a conspiracy by The Man to keep a brotha down! Where is Al Sharpton when you need him? By mile 75 my undercarriage is absolutely on fire. It’s all I can do just to pedal. Luckily we’re being dragged by some delicious tailwinds so I’m doing 18-20mph thru farm fields w/o much effort at all…at least til I turn sideways and practically get blown over. For the first time ever I experience side winds strong enough to physically move my 240 lbs sideways. I get to the last rest stop and set for a spell (that’s Southern talk) just to give the taint a rest.

Other than my crotch I’m still feeling 100%. I’m actually feeling stronger now than I did the first 20 miles. Around 95 miles we hit a painful set of rollers but it’s all good. I actually considered winding up a final sprint just for old times sake. Nice crowds cheering you the last quarter-mile every day. I hit the line smiling and the Polar says:

103 miles – 7hrs, 33 minutes – 154 avg heart rate – 177 max HR – 6,650 calories burned. Not very fast but that includes about 15-20 minutes per rest stop plus a long lunch. The autostart on this thing isn’t very reliable.

By the time I showered, changed and went thru the dinner line it was 8:30pm and I crashed right away.

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Day 3 & 4 I didn’t ride at all so I missed Quadbusters and Evil Twins. I have zero aches, pains or cramps but the Invisible Man is aiming a blow torch at my crotch 24/7.

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Day 5, Thursday – Santa Maria to Lompoc – 42.5

I’ve missed two days so I’m determined to ride the rest of the way no matter what. I’m still in pain but enough is enough. In an odd twist the going uphill usually made me forget about my saddle sore.

Day 5 is traditionally Dress Red day, which the gay guys have turned into Red Dress day. Everyone wears something red. They’ve got on tutus, red stockings, you name it. One guy had on a miniskirt with 6 INCH heels with SPD cleats on them! I left my sole red jersey at home and sadly this did not go unnoticed. At the second stop two gay guys corraled me into putting on a dress over my outfit for some pics. I was feeling in touch with my feminine side so I rode with it for about 10 miles til we started climbing. Lompoc is on the Solvang Century route so it’s pretty hilly around there. It was fun actually. They claim they’re going to send me a copy. Maybe I’ll wind up on the cover of Out magazine or something.

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Day 6, Friday – Lompoc to Ventura – 85 miles

A gorgeous ride down the coast thru Santa Barbara. Some pretty nasty climbs around Goleta. The whole atmosphere is great. Every coffee shop we rode by would have 50+ bikers outside it taking a break. There was a big stop in Santa Barbara where the local set up an ice cream stop for the riders as a thank you. At any point along the route you could be in the middle of nowhere and come up on a minivan with its doors open, playing some cheesy music and people dancing to keep the riders entertained.

Once it got dark in Camp there was a candlelight vigil where 2,500+ people go to the beach and light candles for someone they’ve lost to AIDS.
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Day 7, Ventura to Los Angeles – 62 miles.

Although the route looks flat (and I was praying so) it was anything but. Near constant rollers along the coast around Malibu. I got to the lunch stop at mile 45? around 1pm. Unfortunately the lunch line wrapped around the site. It would have taken an hour to get food and we had to be done by 3:30 for closing ceremony. Even though I was hungry I just got Gatorade and got back on the bike. Crowds are really building along the route toward the end. There was a long and needlessly steep climb about 5 miles out. To make matters worse the top didn’t level out. It kept going around 2-3% til you hit another hit right befor the finish line.

Pictures here: http://www.dubbayoo.net/gallery/main.php

Videos here including one of me with my Cycle buddy Kerry: http://www.dubbayoo.net/aidslifecycle