We also started the rain with a heavy overcast, enjoyed some sun for a few miles then encountered very wet streets on our return home – not a big fan of riding on soaking streets with my 700×23 slick road bike tires!

Quite an interesting ride – but soooo good to be back on the bike!

That was my sentiment today as I stared up at the overcast sky and felt a light mist fall on my face.

I’d just arrived at nearby Bullis Park and was going on a bike ride despite Mother Nature’s prescription of drizzle with temps in the mid-50’s.

My road bike is quite familiar with Bullis Park as this picturesque location is a popular starting point for a variety of fast routes characterized by rolling hills and scenes of farm animals grazing peacefully in wide-open fields.

But staring up at me this afternoon was not my Felt F75 but my Trek Valencia.  I chose the Valencia because the wider tires, disc brakes, full mirror and stable handling would be perfect assets to deal with the unsavory weather.

I also made a decision to liven things up by forcing myself to do the entire ride in the big chainring. 

So off I went…and wow was I impressed.

This was probably my first true “fitness ride” on the Valencia and it passed with flying colors.  It was a nice change to be spinning along having a new experience on a very familiar route.

I took a quick break in “downtown” Bulverde where I find a colorful building to snap a photo or two as an interesting back drop.

Instead of feeling slow and cumbersome (the Valencia is a good 10-15lbs heavier than my road bike) on this ride, I felt comfortable and in full control.  I kept my heart rate solidly in the “target zone” and 58 minutes later finished up the ride feeling energized.

Mission Accomplished!

The beginning of the ride was a little stressful. No, I didn’t hit a pot hole or get tangled up with another ride at the start of the ride. The stress came from the fact that our family misjudged the amount of time it would take to get to Whataburger Field and we arrived about 5 minutes before the start of the ride.

There I was nearly limping along on one foot trying to get my bicycle shoes, helmet, gloves, etc. before the ride started. We made it with just a couple of minutes to spare.

At the beginning of this ride is an amazing climb up the Corpus Christi Bay Bridge which provides a commanding view of the area. It’s one of the few climbs on the ride (we’re at sea level, remember?).

After the climb over the bridge, David and I settled into a good pace. A headwind at the beginning of the ride was a good omen that we’d have a tailwind on the most challenging segments. In fact, after disembarking from the Port Aransas Ferry (an experience that is a highlight of the ride), we settled into a brisk southerly ride with average speeds between 19-21mph!

By mile 50 and certainly 60, the ride was starting to take it’s toll on me. My left hamstring, hands, neck and upper back were starting to really complain. I expected this of course and it reminded me that doing a ride like this is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.

But at nearly 69 miles, I completed the ride. David and I drafted another cyclist and she poured the cold to it for the last few hundred feet resulting in me hopping out of the saddle to keep up. When we crossed the finish line we had some good speed and it felt exhilarating.

So, once again, the coast has been conquered! A big congrats to my fellow 65-miler, David and to my Dad, brother and nephew who successfully completed the 25-mile ride. Great job everyone!

This is an exciting event for a couple of reasons. One, it’s been the focal point for my training up to this point – 595 miles and 41 hours in the saddle. Two, it’s great to see that my family continues to find cycling a fun and healthy activity they want to participate in. I think my Dad is ready to conquer the 25 miles because he and I ramped up his mileage for the past few weeks and he passed with flying colors.

There are a couple of big variables we’ll possibly need to deal with on this ride. One, it is typical for there to be a 15-25 mph sea breeze which if active will make those 65 miles seem a lot longer. Two, the latest forecast is calling for a 40% chance of rain. Riding in the rain means slowing down which stretches those miles even further.

The other big cycling event that is just around the corner is my first bicycle “tour”. I use the quotes around tour because this is just an overnight 65 mile bike ride from my house to Fredericksburg, TX versus a multi-day, multi-state tour. That said, I’m looking forward to getting a little taste of what it is like to do some long-distance cycling with some weight on the bike, hills to contend with, etc. I’ll be using my Trek Valencia for that trip since it is well-equipped for handling gear and is an all-weather bike with its disc brakes, stable handling in wet weather, etc.

Looking forward to both of these milestones!

A new milestone for my wife in her self-proclaimed quest to build a fitter geek.

Our ride took us along quiet country roads with farmland as far as the eye could see. The sound of silence during water breaks was inspiring. It would have been easy to find a fence post to lean the bikes against and sit down to enjoy the silence and that big blue sky above.

Instead, we hopped back on our bikes and listened to the wind in our ears and enjoyed the cool breeze on our faces.

Quite an awesome experience, I must say.

Kudos, Shannon! Congrats on the mileage milestone – you did a superb job!

Today I blew off a light layer of dust on my Felt F75 road bike and officially completed “Training Ride #1“. I have dedicated myself to helping my better half prepare for her first cycling event.

We decided that instead of specifying specific weight loss or waist size type goals that we’d pick out a cycling event to do together. This rocks because it provides a specific goal (to complete the event) and a very specific date when we need to be prepared.

We haven’t made the final decision on the event yet but I’ll keep you posted when we do!

Our ride today was a “get reacquainted with your bike” type ride – about 13 miles on mostly flat country roads. The weather was perfect and there was very little traffic.

My nephew and brother-in-law joined us and as a good friend of mine likes to say, “A good time was had by all.”

We did it!

On Saturday, David and I completed the 65-mile course as participants in the 2008 Conquer The Coast bike ride. Ride highlights included crossing the huge bay bridge at dawn, riding the Port Aransas Ferry, crossing the JFK Causeway and riding through the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

The many weekends of training and bicycle commuting paid off. David handled the 65-mile ride confidently and became a “man on fire” climbing the large JFK Causeway bridge. I was very, very impressed. He has come a long way!

I found the ride challenging and it should be noted that headwinds were not much of a factor which is sure to have reduced the difficulty level. It was not distance or elevation that challenged me most but the miles of brutal pavement on stretches of Highway 361 (on Padre Island) and the many bumps and crevices of Ocean Drive on the final 10-mile stretch to the finish line.

The 65-mile route circles Corpus Christi Bay

The ride was well supported with some good rest stops and some pretty solid SAG support. The SAGs were necessary since there were many stretches of the route that had glass and debris that led to many flat tires for participants.

David had a flat tire at around the 50-mile mark when we were just a mile or so from exiting the JFK Causeway. Like a champ he changed his rear tire tube and inflated a new tube with a cartridge of CO2. His emergency repair got him to the finish line with plenty of air in the tube to spare!

This was a great experience and a solid workout that involved nearly 5 hours of riding.

Many thanks to my family for the solid support and encouragement.