Category: Cycling

Sunday Evening 24 September

Day 15

A glorious day in Oklahoma: 112 miles, winding roads over rolling hills, farm land, pastures, and long vistas.  Lon said the roads would be rough chip seal, but someone came along and resurfaced them without telling Lon.  Headwinds and cross winds meant that everyone, including me, was looking for a little extra help from a group to share the work of pulling into the wind.

Acoustic Musical Theory

I rode the first leg out of Weatherford with Captain Jack. From riding with him last year, I knew he is a highly accomplished French Horn player who also taught music performance at the college level. Since then I’ve been wanting to pepper him with sophomoric questions about musical acoustics.

“Captain Jack, for over a year I’ve been wanting to ask about music theory. I already know some stuff, like the circle of fifths and diatonic scales.”

“I hope I can keep up.” (The captain was teasing of course.)

My question: Why are instruments of the orchestra tuned to different keys? It  complicates tuning the orchestra.  Why aren’t they all tuned to the key of C?

Thus ensued a fascinating (for me) question and answer session on acoustic musical theory.  An assortment of things I learned:

• Instruments are tuned to different keys because their sound is more complex than a pure tone; harmonics add to the complexity, and each sounds best in its own natural key.
• There are actually multiple ways of tuning instruments in an orchestra: meantone temperament, just intonation, well tempered tuning, pythagorean tuning, and more.
• Shubert wrote much of his work for the key of b flat. Beethoven favored e flat.

It goes without saying that I’m a nerd to ask questions like this while riding a bike.  Captain Jack gratefully and enthusiastically humored me.  We pedaled the first 27 miles easily, allowing a larger group 100 yards ahead set our pace. The captain pulled off at the first sag stop and I rolled slowly by.

Here Comes Big John

So I was rolling along soft pedaling, figuring I would eat one of the bagels and save my energy when Big John rolls up beside me.

“Come on Karl.  I’ll pull you up to that group up ahead.”

Big John is twice as strong as me.  All I could do was sit tight on his wheel while he powered up the road. In a couple miles John caught up to NY Rich, Winchester John and Eastside Matt.  I managed to hang in for a few miles before my legs protested and ordered me to let them go.

Tacoma Steilacoomb Boys

So I’m back to soft pedaling, figuring now I can rest, even stop and take some pictures, when I hear another “Hi Karl.” It’s Paul and the the Tacoma boys: Larry, Phillip, and Tom.  Back to being a bike socialite.

Happily, the TS boys were going a little easier than the other guys, so I was able to  ride with them easily while chatting.  Even better, one of the guys – it was Tom or Phillip – also had musical talent, and we rode up and down hills listening to him belt out songs from the 60’s and 70’s.

Young girl, get outa my mind, my love for you is way outa line…

If you’re goin’ to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…

Eventually we reached the second sag stop, 58 miles into the ride.  I grabbed a couple cookies and rolled on alone … slowing down for awhile, until Rich and Matt caught me again.

And so the day went, rolling along, boy’s havin’ fun. Riding through the beautiful rolling hills of Oklahoma.  I arrived at Purcell tired, but with a smile on my face.

Footnote

My very close friend Anne Marie introduced me to Pactour in 2003. We used to ride endless miles, talking and laughing together about all kinds of stuff.  One thing she explained to me was that a bike tour needed to have more than a minimal number of chicks to be a fun friendly tour. Anne Marie and I used to argue over many stupid things, but on this point I wholeheartedly agreed.  Another way of putting it, we guys are all cavemen. Women add charm, style and intelligence to a ride. This tour has fewer women riders than other Pactours I’ve ridden.  Hopefully I’ll have chances to ride with them too.

 

Saturday Evening 23 September

Day 14

Route 66, the Will Rogers Highway, established 11 November 1926, carried tenant farmers from the dustbowl of Oklahoma to dreams of California in the mid 30’s.  Today we rode the opposite direction, thin tires bouncing on each expansion joint of the old concrete pavement.  Perhaps ten cars passed all day, while an endless stream of cars and semi’s thundered along over I40, just to our left.

Pictures tell today’s story better than words.  Good thing, because I’m too tired to write much.

 

Friday Evening 22 September

Day 13

Gentle crosswinds blew from the south while I soft pedaled east across the Texas panhandle.  Still in cattle country, grassland and granaries  straddled both sides of old Route 66.  I didn’t notice the Burma Shave signs that Martha told me about later.

As faster riders approached I was able to catch a few action photos.

Texas High School Football

QB Ken, who played quarterback while in high school, discovered the local high school was having their homecoming game.  He organized a small group to attend the event, which started at 7:30.  Ken, Tom and Broh rode their bikes while I walked a mile and a half along a quiet side street.  Dogs barked at me from behind chain link fences, and as I approached the school, a stream of pickups began passing me.

Locals greeted us at the gate.  Clearly we were not from Shamrock so we became a mini-attraction.  Everyone else knew each other.

“Welcome.  Thanks for coming.  Enjoy the game.”

“Best seats are to the left of the entrance on the 50 yard line.  Sit there.”

The newspaper reporter took our picture and asked some questions. Tom described our trip.  I guess we’ll be in the paper next week.

At the concession stand, Tom asked if they had something we couldn’t buy elsewhere.  They sold him four frozen pickle pops – dill pickle juice frozen in 2 oz. cups.  Incredible recovery treats.

The home team Irish Shamrocks had 23 men on the roster.  Fans wearing green shirts held their index fingers high while a small band played the school song.  Then after a moment of silence, both teams entered the field and everyone stood while the band played the National Anthem.

The Shamrocks dominated the first half.  Each time they achieved a first down, the crowd of several hundred people cheered.  When they scored a touchdown, the band played the Notre Dame Irish fight song and an ambulance at the end of the field hit the lights and siren.

Sitting in the stands, I said to myself, “Wow! I would enjoy teaching here.”

Knowing the hour was getting late for old men, I left right before halftime, not staying for the homecoming festivities. Walking back to our motel, the streets were quiet.  I felt simply happy.  Grateful to be on this trip, happy to be in this town.  I said to myself, “I could live here.”

 

Thursday 21 September

Day 12

New state, new time zone.  Everything is bigger in Texas.  Restaurant next store, called the Big Texan, offers a free 72 oz. steak to anyone who can eat the whole thing, along with the fixin’s in one hour. That’s nearly five pounds of meat. The contestant sits on a stage and the crowd gathers round as the clock ticks down.  Sometimes they win, sometimes they barf.

Three large guys attempted the Big Tex challenge and failed while we were eating dinner there.  Wild Wes walked up and chatted with one of the contestants.  He had just arrived in Amarillo after attending a diabetes health conference.

Twenty mph tailwinds today. Riders cruised east at 40 mph while soft pedaling.  Smooth shoulder meant no flats.  More sub 5 hour century PR’s on Strava today.

Amarillo was established in the 1800’s because it had water and a railroad. It flourished as a marketing center for cattle.  We passed long BNSF trains traveling east and west on this rail line today. Grain elevators and enormous feed lots lined the south side of the road. My friend Debbie couldn’t bear to look at them and had to turn the other direction.

Bike Tech

Check out Daniel’s space age helmet and visor.  I asked him about it during lunch today.  The visor is photo gray, meaning it gets dark when it’s sunny, clear when there’s no light.  He said the visor keeps the wind and dust out of his eyes, prevents tearing, and stops projectiles. The brand name is Casko – a bit hard to read on my picture with bad lighting. It’s made in Germany, is rather pricy, but he was able to purchase it at a discount from a firm in England.

 

 

 

Wednesday Evening 20 September

Day 11

While sitting at dinner this evening in K-Bobs Steakhouse, Lon had to ask me what day it was.  I wasn’t sure either and had to consult my iPhone.  K-Bobs is a chain, a typical PacTour restaurant.  I ordered a rare NY strip steak.  The friendly waitress served me a steak with a red flag that said rare.  It was cooked medium. Tasted ok though, I was hungry after riding 110 miles.

NUTRITION AND CALORIE BURN

Food is our fuel. Muscles work by burning ATP, which the body produces by mixing oxygen with stored glycogen.  Our bodies can store about 2600 kCal of glycogen in our muscles and liver.  Our calorie burn depends on how fast we ride. If we don’t ride too hard, we burn perhaps 3000 kCal, and our bodies can also convert fat to glycogen. Many riders, like me, cannot eat much while riding; we grab just enough to maintain our reserves.

Here’s what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast (before riding): 1/2 waffle, fake butter, syrup, 1/4 c. oatmeal with milk, 3 c. coffee with cream

During ride: 4 cookies, 2 bananas, 8 green beans, 1 slice tomato, 2 tbsp. baked beans, 12 oz. coke, 3 liters water.

After ride: Guzzled Sprite, no idea how much. 1 cheeseburger, small fries at McDonalds. 7 oz. steak, 1/2 baked potato, 1 c. chicken vegetable soup, salad at K-Bobs.

The Ride

The tour has reached the midwest.  Total climbing for the day was less than 2000 feet – pretty small for 100 miles.  All day on U.S. 70, straight road stretching ahead of us seemed to be going uphill. Big John said that illusion is created by the curvature of the earth.  I’m not sure if it’s that or diffraction.

U.S. 70 has a wide shoulder littered with tire treads that contain fine wire staples.  People were flatting all day.  I rode one stretch with Bro’s Todd and Terry until one of them flatted.  I’m not sure which one because they’re twins (riding their first tour together.)  I helped them boot the tire and replace the tube, then flatted myself 200 yards up the road.

CLOVIS POINT

Archeologists discovered fluted projectiles called Clovis Points in a dig near this city in 1929.  They were created by indigenous people 12 – 13 thousand years ago, and represent one of the earliest known examples of tool making technology and archeologists still argue whether it originated on this continent or migrated here.

 

 

Monday Evening 18 September

Day 9

Today was hard.  Only 105 miles, but over 6000 feet of climbing through the mountains of New Mexico.  But oh, what a beautiful ride!  Long straight gentle climbs through horse pastures into Lincoln County, home of Billy the Kid. A fast descent into lunch, then steeper climbs on winding roads into the Sierra Blanca mountains.  Everyone’s legs were trashed.

Seattle Gary and Stig Man caught me on a fast downhill just before lunch. I tried to sit in the back like a slacker, but Gary waved me around and we all took turns rotating through an echelon.  On the last few climbs into Ruidoso, Maitland Ian caught me and we rode together.  Amazing how that guy can climb after training on 30 foot hills in Florida.

Also, a full day of climbing provide a great test for my platform pedals.  I’m liking them a lot.

 

Sunday Evening 17 September

Day 8

Long day today, 155 miles, perhaps the longest of the day.  Lon thought it might be boring so he decided to make it a time trial.  That’s 155 miles riding at lactate threshold for whoever is fool enough to tackle the challenge.  Pactour has been doing this for the past several years.  This year crowned a new record, Tucson Phil, age 67, with a time of 7 hr 44 min.  For the math impaired, that’s an average speed of just over 20 mph, riding hills and a crosswind.

Pictures tell the story of the rest of this day.

Saturday Evening 16 September

Day 7

We’ve reached the point where everyone forgets what day it is, or how many days we’ve been riding. Just follow the routine: Wake, eat, ride, eat, sleep, repeat. Lawyers, tile layers, real estate moguls, doctors forget about work, just ride their bikes.

Riders said today was tough.  I thought it was easy.  Of course, I only rode 70 miles, they rode 120.  One of the benefits of working crew is being able to cherry pick the sections I ride on the days I ride.  I chose to skip the part where everyone else rode into headwinds on I 40 and a bunch of people got flats.  Instead I rode mostly alone along long quiet stretches across the Arizona high plateau.  With thirty miles to go, Spokane Bob caught me and we rode into Springerville together trading pulls.

Lon Haldeman

Lon and his wife Susan run this tour.  Lon was the first competitor to win Race Across America in 1982.  I remember watching him on ABC Wide World of Sports thinking that guy must be crazy.  Today he shared a story about that first race as we saw St. Johns in the distance.  He said, “That’s the first place we stopped to sleep on the first Raam.

I asked, “How long did you sleep?”

Three hours.

How far had you ridden?

Six hundred miles, thirty six hours.

I thought, this guy must be crazy.

Susan Notorangelo

His wife Susan is no wimp either.  She was the first female to win Raam.  A couple years later, she and Lon set a transcontinental record on a tandem which has yet to be broken.  Susan has decided to enjoy life and given up hard core cycling. She says we might see her riding downhill on a sunny day with a tailwind. Today she was cooking potatoes in a solar cooker she got from Captain Jack.

I’m thinking, this lady’s not Crazy.

Other Riders

Looks like SD Charlie has recovered from his desert ordeal.  He looked happy riding off the front today.  He stopped for a quick bite of lunch before heading down the road.

Spokane Bob rides a smooth wheel.  We traded pulls coming into Springerville. Actually he did most of the pulling, even though he had already ridden 100 miles when he caught me.  He’s also very gracious, saying as we rolled into Springerville, “Thanks for letting me ride with you.”

 

 

Friday Evening, 15 September

Day 6

Another big climbing day, leaving Cottonwood, descending to the Verde River Valley, then climbing again to 7000 feet and riding the winding roads through pine forests of the Colorado Plateau.  Same wind that blew us up Mingus Mountain yesterday became headwinds when we turned southwest.  I remember this day fondly from when I rode this tour eleven years ago.  This year I didn’t get to do the climb because it was my work day.

Instead I made Pop’s Macaroni Slop for lunch.  I sort of invented this recipe fifteen years ago.  I thought it tasted great but Martha informed me it really sucked.  Then she taught me how to make it right.  The riders love it and I get credit for it.

Rider Stories

Waukegan John got to ride 15 bonus miles after he turned the wrong way at an intersection and rolled 7 1/2 miles downhill, had to turn around and come back into the wind.  That gave him 132 miles for today.

I chatted with Indiana Chris at Lunch.  Turns out the guy I thought was his brother is actually his dad.  That means we have a father-son team, in addition to a brother-brother team, and three married couples on this trip.  Unusual for Pactour.

Orlando Chris told me how he has never climbed hills like he has in the past couple days.  I asked him how he trained, and he said the highest hill outside Orlando is 30 above sea level.  He goes up a and down a lot.

Steilacoom Paul collapsed in the parking lot at lunch.  He still doesn’t know I took his picture.

Crew Snapshot

To start the day, we stopped at Walmart and bought fourteen bags of ice.  The nice old lady who was standing guard at the door wouldn’t let me leave without seeing a receipt first.  She said people try to rip them off regularly.

Tech Note Postscript

I’m beginning to hate WordPress.  The layout of this page sucks.  It looks right in edit mode, then is jacked up in display mode.  I want to ditch WordPress and just write html and everything will be exactly where it’s supposed to be.  No I’m too tired.  Long day tomorrow.

 

Thursday Evening 14 September

Day 5

Yesterday I was so busy driving the lunch rig, setting up for lunch, cooking dogs, tearing down, I had little chance to chat with other riders.  Everyone enjoyed a strong tail wind pushing them west on US 60 toward Wickenburg.  Nevertheless, three consecutive days with temps above 110 were taxing on everyone.  I was exhausted after a day of lunch duty so I’m sure people who were  riding felt worse.

I was starting to feel a bit antsy after a third day in a row not riding – more like an observer than a participant in this adventure. It’s easier to relate with riders like Captain Jack who know me from other trips where I actually rode my bike.  Jack and I savored the experience riding Seattle to Boston last summer.

This morning I chatted with Eastside Matt, a guy I knew from another trip ten years ago. He sports a typical climber’s body, lean and wiry.  First day of this trip I saw him flying up the mountain climb to Julian.  Third day of this trip, I saw him sitting glassy eyed on a lunch bench in 116 degree heat with ice around his neck.  He would get up, walk over to his bike, then walk back and sit down on the bench.  He said he did this three or four times.  Each time he looked at his bike, he just said, “No.”

Amazing what the desert heat will do to a strong guy.  Eventually his buddy Rich accompanied him the final twelve miles into Blythe. I expect Matt enjoyed a much more pleasant ride today, climbing in cooler temps over Mingus Mountain to Jerome.

From what I could see, everyone was enjoying themselves today.  We had a 30 mph tailwind pushing us up Mingus Mountain.

The unsung hero of today turned out to be my wife Martha. Arizona drivers are jerks.  We know this because we live half the year in Arizona.  Perhaps they had a jerk convention in Cottonwood today because there were a bunch speeding over Mingus. She was driving the van and wouldn’t let one obnoxious driver pass because she didn’t want him harassing the riders in front.  Coming into Cottonwood, she was driving behind another group of riders when one of them crashed.  She stopped her car behind them and threw on the flashers.  A jerk driving a red Corvette behind her screamed at her that she was breaking the law by stopping in the middle of the road.  She shrugged her shoulders.  Martha does that sometimes.

Bike Tech

Back to me – Martha and I borrowed the Pactour Van and drove to Scottsdale to pick up a replacement for the crank I broke the first day of the trip.  The new crank is a Shimano Ultregra 8000, which replaces my older 6800.  The spider on the new crank will not fit the 6800 chainrings.  The new rings have the same teeth as my old ones – 50 x 34, but the crank arms are 172.5 mm, slightly longer than my old 170’s. I noticed a difference mainly when I was standing out of the saddle to climb – they provide a longer lever arm for rocking the bike.  I might need to lower the saddle a couple mm to avoid any knee problems.

Climbing Mingus on platform pedals was no big deal.  (Oh yeah, that’s right we had a tailwind.) I’m still thinking that for long tours, or possibly even most riding, the advantages of platform pedals might outweigh the disadvantages.  More on that as the experiment continues…