If I were a Dog

There is an interesting series on Animal Planet called Dogs 101, which details the traits of various dog breeds. It is a truly informative and entertaining program, especially if you are looking to adopt a dog or are simply an animal person, which I happen to be. It was while watching an episode of Dogs 101 that I found my perfect dog, and quite possibly my alter ego in the dog world - the Whippet. In fact, if I were a dog, I would be a Whippet because I just have so much in common with the breed.

Here are a few Whippet characteristics:

-Whippets are quiet, gentle and loyal.
-Whippets are content to spend much of the day resting.
-Whippets do not respond well to punishment or yelling.
-Whippets are great with young children.
-Whippets are physically and emotionally sensitive.
-Whippets are very active when outdoors.
-Whippets do not do well in cold climates.
-Whippets can be very playful.
-Whippets are very loyal to their owners.
-Whippets are wonderful companions.

You can see the episode on Whippets here.

Other good sources of information on Whippets are petplace.com and terrificpets.com.

"This Bike is a Pipe Bomb"

(CNN) -- A bicycle with a sticker advertising a Florida punk-folk band forced the evacuation of a Memphis, Tennessee, airport terminal late Monday afternoon, authorities said.

A pilot alerted airport police when he saw a bike with a sticker that read "this bike is a pipe bomb" parked near the passenger ramps of Terminal C at Memphis International Airport, according to the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

"Terminal C ticketing and baggage claim at the airport were cleared out," said airport spokesman John Greaud. "A K-9 unit responded and found no explosive materials at the scene."

"This Bike is a Pipe Bomb" is the name of a band based in Pensacola, Florida, and this is not the first time in the band's 12-year history the name has caused a commotion.

Bikes sporting similar stickers at college campuses in Ohio and Philadelphia led to building closures, arrests and the bikes' destruction by bomb squads acting on the assumption the sticker was announcing a real threat.

The owner of the Memphis bike was taken into custody by airport police, Greaud said, but was later released because they had no grounds to hold him. Greaud said federal authorities were discussing possible federal charges, but a federal source said it was "a non-event."

Lance Pushes "Dope"

I found an interesting series of pictures from the Tour of California here while playing around on the computer the other day. The website appears to be in Spanish, so this is my best interpretation below. Well, maybe not.

Some random "dope" dresses like Didi the Devil and gives chase to Lance Armstrong during the Tour of California. Note the syringe tipped pitchfork.


Lance sees the "dope" and just says NO! You can see Floyd Landis just above Lance's elbow and to your left.


The "dope" is cast aside and Armstrong rides away.


Check out Bob Horner in the middle of the frame with a big grin on his face.

President’s Day Weekend

Saturday:
I slept late on Saturday, but eventually made my way out to the Whirlpool Trails to repair a bridge over a particularly muddy section of trail. This was a long overdue repair since several rungs were rotten and the bridge itself was about 5 feet too short. After considering my options, I rode my bike to an old abandoned bridge, actually a woodpile, on another part of the trail system to salvage scraps for replacement rungs. Since I couldn’t find my backpack that morning, I had to carry the scrap wood in one hand and push my bike with the other on my way back to the bridge. This was not an enjoyable experience. After dropping off the wood, I went to another section of trail to retrieve a short bridge that washed down the creek and settled onto a sandbar. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far away so I was able to drag it back to my worksite even though the thorns and underbrush seemed to object to its removal. After a few slips and hard tugs, I eventually made it back to start the job at hand. I decided to remove a couple of small trees on one end of the trail so access to the bridge would be easier and allow people to bypass the bridge once the trail dries. After about an hour of moving, shifting, chopping, nailing, and positioning it was finished. The final product isn’t sexy, but it will get you safely across the mud hole.


Sunday:
One of these days, I’m going to learn how to dress appropriately for cold weather. It seems I’m either over dressed or under dressed. Rarely do I get all the pieces of the puzzle to fit as they should and this day was no exception. The forecast celled for sunny skies and a high in the middle 60’s. When I left the house just before 9:00 AM, the weather channel said it was 40 degrees, but it was actually in the upper 30’s, which I didn’t learn until after I departed. When I arrived at Up-Town Coffee to meet the rest of the crew, I huddled in a corner to keep warm and await my fate on the road.

The ride was a 110-mile out & back to Davis Lake on the Natchez Trace and back to town. This is a yearly training ride and one I have found quite enjoyable in the past. As expected, we maintained a brisk pace between 18 and 21 mph on the way out. However, my hands hurt so bad from the cold that I found it hard to shift gears. It wasn’t long before my feet started going slightly numb and the cold wind eventually found its way behind my glasses to irritate my eyes. On top of all this, my nose dripped like an old faucet. Yes, I was miserable. About 20 miles into the ride, one of my water bottles ejected itself from the cage over some slightly rough pavement. It happened again a few miles later and that is when I learned one of my expensive carbon fiber cages cracked, so I had to carry a full bottle in my jersey pocket to add to my misery. Once we reached the hills on 334, the final nail went into my coffin. I dropped my chain on a climb and I knew this was going to be a jinxed ride. I decided to bail from the Davis Lake ride once we reached highway 9. This would still give me a nice 65-mile ride, and I wouldn’t have to worry about slowing anyone down with by issues. Shortly after turning around for the home leg, the sun decided to make an appearance and it began to warm up slightly. After a few miles, my hands stopped hurting and my feet felt somewhat better. Since I really wanted to get in as many miles as possible, I decided to turn off of 334 to add a few extra miles to my ride along the 444 route and back onto 334 about 15 miles from town. I ended my journey with 72.11 miles.

Since I had a little extra time when I got home, I decided to get out my camping equipment for a quick check for the Syllamo race and even set up the tent in the back yard. I’m going to need a new sleeping bag and a decent mat. The tent looks good.


Monday:
I slept late again and eventually made my way to the sofa to sleep for another couple of hours before finally facing the world. My big plan for the day was to ride 30 miles on the Whirlpool Trails. This didn’t happen. I ended up riding, but only 21 miles since I found myself stopping every so often to remove debris and even to construct a log-pile bridge over a fallen tree that has irritated me for years.

Yeah, I'm Obsessing.

This is a satellite image of the Syllamo Trail area. As you can see, the typography looks brutal. Add 350 mountain bikers, a course that is 99% single-track, large rocks, some creek crossings, 4905 feet of climbing, and I'm quite sure brutal is a very good adjective to describe this race. I realize I have a little over three month to get ready for this thing, but I can't help but worry. I feel like I should train even harder. Yeah, I'm obsessing.

There is a good map and trail descriptions here.

Bad Branch Loop,
12 miles, 880 ft. elevation, Beginner.

Jack’s Branch Loop,
14 miles, 1280 ft.elevation, Intermediate.

Bald Scrappy Loop,
7.3 miles, 970 ft. elevation, Intermediate.

White River Bluff Loop,
4.5 miles, 385 ft. elevation, Advanced.

Scrappy Mountain Loop,
12 miles, 1390 ft. elevation, Advanced.

Syllamo Photo Sets

I've found several photo sets of the Syllamo Trail system online. Just think, I have 50 miles of racing on this to look forward to in May.

mismisimos' photostream

Marcel S' photostream

BobsSled's Home

Ghandi's Lament's photostream

lemonad's photostream

Phillip Walrod Photography

Brian

Here's a good race report from last year.

The Ninth Circle of Hell

I went out to the Clear Creek trails early Saturday morning to continue my series of endurance tests in preparation for the Syllamo‘s Revenge endurance race. There was also a large contingent from Memphis there to train and a few locals on hand.

My plan for the day was to maintain a 10mph average and pace myself throughout the ride with the hope of doing 50 miles between 5 and 5.5 hours. I also wanted to test the various Hammer products to see how my endurance would hold up and to see if I suffered any stomach issues afterward. One of my biggest problems last year was stomach discomfort after particularly difficult rides.

Jon and I got an early start on everybody else and did the first 3.5 miles before discovering we each seriously over dresses for the weather, so we cut off the trail and went back to the trailhead to make the necessary kit adjustments. The Memphis crew was still prepping bikes, so I decided to go on ahead and went back in the trail where I came out to keep my mileage close to the mile markers on the trail.

My first two laps, roughly 22 miles, went off without a hitch, and I managed to maintain an average speed near, if not slightly above, my target of 10mph. This wasn’t a big surprise since I can easily turn a lap out there in about 50 minutes during a cross-country race. I felt strong going into my third lap and was determined to stick to my 10mph experiment pace, but I did noticed my average speed dropped to 9mph around the 30-mile mark. By the time I finished my third lap, roughly 34 miles, I was starting to get slightly fatigued and noticed my triceps getting stiff. Everything after the third lap is a blur of misery.

My fourth lap was pure torture as my triceps became so painful and stiff that it made controlling the bike slightly difficult on technical sections. I made a lot of stupid mistakes, overshot a few turns, and even clipped a sapling with my handlebar and crashed. I also found it difficult to drink from a bottle without having to stop. I mercifully finished my fourth lap and went back around for lap number five, which I can best describe as Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell. All I wanted to do by this point is finish. No, all I wanted to do is finish AND survive. I remember almost nothing about the last five miles except the pain. The one bright spot on my fifth lap is I only needed to do half a lap to reach the 50-mile point.

I eventually reached the halfway point of the trail at the big switchback and briefly stopped for a moment to decide if I wanted to complete the fifth lap, which would put me over 50 miles, or take the bypass trail back to the starting point. Common sense overruled ego and I headed back to the trailhead and the end of my torment.

When I finally reached the trailhead, I was completely beat and extremely irritable. I’m normally a very quiet and laidback person, but I started cursing like a drunken sailor when my bike didn’t easily slide into the trunk of my car. Doing 50 miles of single track is the hardest thing I have EVER done. I’ve ridden 115 miles on my road bike in the middle of the summer and it does not even compare to this.

My one success from this ride is I know I can do 50 miles of single track. I know I have the ability. No one else went more than two and a half laps during the day, but I still need to improve. I need to rethink my 10mph average plan since it probably keeps me on the trail longer. I need to rework my refueling, work on strengthening my triceps, and do it all over again.

This is me after 6 hours and 50 miles of single-track.

The Data:

Breakfast:
1 cup of low fat yogurt.
1 small organic banana
1.5oz raisins
1 drink of Glucerna (about 2oz from an 8oz bottle)

The Numbers:
Trip Distance: 50.04 miles (single track)
Trip Time: 6:03:24
Average Speed: 8.26mph
Max Speed: 21.93mph

Items consumed during the ride:
About 85oz of Heed
16oz of Sustained Endurance
4 or 5 Hammer Gels
7 Endurolyte tablets

Items consumed after the ride:
1 Cajun Chicken & Shrimp (10.4oz)
1 glass of low fat milk (probably 8oz)
About 8 slices of 97% fat free roast beef
A handful of unsalted mixed nuts
7 slices of turkey bacon
1 caffeine free Mountain Dew
2.75 bottles of green tea (12oz each)
1 slice of cheese
1 Ritz cracker
Finished off the remaining Glucerna (about 6oz)