Courage Classic - Day One

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

Leadville, CO
Saturday 7:30am
59 miles

Walking our bikes to the starting line there was a palpable anticipation in the air. For the next three days over 2000 riders would cover 157 miles to raise money for Children's Hospital. The weather was slightly overcast and in the low 50s but had the potential to heat up to the 70s by midday. My mind filled with questions: "did I forget anything", "was my training enough", "can I handle the altitude". Today's course starts in the former silver mining town of Leadville and travels north towards Minturn before heading east to Vail and finally Copper Mountain. Starting at 10,152 feet above sea level we would have the advantage of the first twenty two miles basically descending Tennessee Pass.

After a few photos and well wishes, we hopped on our bikes and crossed the starting line. The mountain air was cold enough to make me glad I had bought arm warmers (ie separate jersey sleeves). Sarah and I chatted while we made our way down a very small two-lane country road. At mile eight, I dropped off the pack for a quick road side bathroom break (it is good to be a guy). With a sense of relief, I was back on the road to try and catch Sarah and Craig. The first time I felt the rear tire bottom out I thought it was a big rock. The second time in happened there was only one explanation--flat tire. Sure enough, less then ten miles from the starting line a setback. I had two spare tubes but was counting on Craig's tools to remove the tire. With in a few minutes, a couple of extremely helpful guys stopped and helped me out. Craig and Sarah were waiting for me at the next aid station, the historical Camp Hale Valley, home of the U.S. Army’s Tenth Mountain Division.

The next 26 miles took us up Battle Mountain and down an extremely steep decent to Minturn. At one point I hit a top speed of 42 miles per hour. It brought to mind images of Lance Armstrong speeding down hill in the Tour de France. The lunch aid station (7800 ft) had the usual Gatorade, banana, and pretzel fair but also included sandwiches, pasta, and soup. It would be the last stop before the climb to the top of Vail pass (10,662 ft). Sarah, Craig, and I regrouped and started heading east.

The next twenty miles were an all out battle against mind and body. Shifting the bike into the smallest gear, it was all I could do to keep the wheel pointed uphill and turn the pedals over. By this time, the sun was high in the blue Colorado sky turning up the heat. The only comfort was that I was not along. Surrounded by sweaty bikers struggling to keep the pedals spinning, we marched ahead in slow motion. Mile after mile my legs delivered just enough to keep the bike moving until finally reaching the summit. It was one of the hardest yet most rewarding physical challenges I have ever tackled and the closest I will ever come to riding a stage of the Tour de France.

The last five miles required almost no pedaling downhill to Copper Mountain village completing day one. Day two and three lurked around the corner but for now we celebrated an amazing ride and accomplishment.


Bonus: course guide pdf

Courage Classic - The Fit

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

Wednesday night I loaded the bike on the Jeep and headed for Bicycle Village. I scheduled time with Tom to professionally adjust the bike to my body. If you are thinking, "now why would anyone do this three days before a long weekend?". Good question, I will know by Monday how dumb it is. Over the next hour an a half Tom used a variety of devices to measure angles and lengths of me and the bike. Tom is an early 60s life long rider. He raced in his early years and still likes to get out five days (working at the shop limits the other two days). As he skillfully adjusted the cleats in my shoes, my seat, and handlebars I received a lifetime of cycling knowledge. In the end, my bike is completely changed in order to get the most efficiency out of each stroke. The new position will will also put less stress on my knees and back. If you don't get a fit with your new bike then I highly recommend spending the money. A fit plus custom shoe insoles ran $118 but a keen observation made it all worth it. Tom noticed that my handlebars were only held on by one screw. The other screw was no where to be found. With potential for speeds in the 40s, a handlebar mishap could be deadly.

Tom's enthusiasm was encouraging. I walked out the door filled with an amazing amount of insight and information bouncing around my head. I can't wait to ride.

Update: fixed spelling, added photo 7/29.

Courage Classic - only 3 days

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

It is almost time. In the past seven weeks, I've logged almost 600 miles in the saddle. Most of the miles were on Denver's various bike trails while rockin' out to my iPod Shuffle (refurbished iPod deals). Overall, the training has been more fun and rewarding then I expected while at the same time kicking my butt into shape even faster then running.

Donations to the Children's Hospital are up to $440 the last time I checked--far surpassing my goal of $325. Thank you to everyone who has generously donated! Scroll down to "Courage Classic - only 16 days" to see the donation meter.

I will be sending text message updates to the "Twitter updates" (on the right side of this page) from the road over the weekend. Cell phone reception can be hard to find in the middle of the Rocky Mountains but I'll give it a shot anyway.

Twitter

has been described as a micro blogger or a text message broadcast tool. It is one of the more complicated online services to sum up and explain despite its straight forward design. The video below does a pretty good job, check it out.

My Twitter page is a list of messages displayed in a blog format with the newest at the top. Individual messages are called tweets and can contain up to 140 characters. I typically send tweets from the web page although you can send them from a mobile phone via text message. As a member, I view other Twitters by clicking the follow button on their profile page. Another button click will enable your phone to get tweets via text message in real time. The Los Angeles City Fire Department uses the service to quickly update their members with text messages about emergency calls. Some news agencies, like CNN, have created accounts to keep you up-to-date on breaking news.

Recently, I have been twittering about my bike training for the Courage Classic. I added a Twitter viewer to TheSlowLane that shows my last five tweets (look over to the right ==>). I plan on bringing my mobile phone with me to send live updates from the ride (assuming cell reception). I have also been following a few technology pundits who like to talk about funny, nerdy things.

Why is does my avatar look like me with a giant Super Mario mustache? What is the point of all these 140 character messages? That is really for you to decide. These days I enjoy checking in on my Twitter community during the work day. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of the background office chatter that helps the day go by. The big difference is that I can choose which voices to filter and which to pay attention to. It is amazing how much can be said in 140 characters--less can certainly be more.

Rafting the Arkansas

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

It took me six years of living in Colorado but I finally got in a raft. It was the most fun you can have on or in the water for $60. The five of us did a half day with the Royal Gorge Rafting company. They have a kayak dude with a camera follow you through the rapids. He snapped some great action shots (click on the photo for more) which played on the bar TVs when we got back. If you ever find yourself in Canon City on your way to the Royal Gorge, check out the White Water Bar and Grill and get yourself a margarita and some Rocky Mountain oysters.

Start and end of the photos.

Flight of the Conchords - Business Time

Sarah and I were poking around the Intertubes last night looking for information on a second season of Flight of the Conchords. We came across this Business Time video and cracked up. Their HBO show follows the two New Zealanders living in New York trying to get a record deal. I got season one on DVD for Christmas and really got into it. According to wikipedia they bill themselves as, "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". If you like this live concert clip, check out others on YouTube or season one.

PS season two starts January 2009 on HBO, we would love to come and watch it with you

Courage Classic - only 16 days

It has been another good week on the bike. Rides have been exclusively in the mornings due to temperatures in the 90s. I haven't been this fit or felt this good in a couple of years. The thought of doing 50+ miles at 9,000+ feet is still keeping me up at night. The majority of the course is a full two miles above sea level and there is less then two weeks left to train.

On a much brighter note, donations are up to $265. Thank you everyone for your support.

In regards to privacy

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

For the past couple of years, I have been tagging all my Flickr photos with everyone’s full name. A handy trick for finding specific photos but over the weekend I found out that The Google has been indexing photos by the tags. The problem this presents is that a Google Image search on say my full name—could bring up some of my photos in the first couple pages of results. Even though virtually all my photos are PG it certainly isn’t cool.

I am changing all the tags to something more common (ie brian or briano). That should help them fade into the general Internet abyss. By the end of the day, everything should be fixed. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Courage Classic - only 24 days

Originally uploaded by olsenis.

I am starting to see some physical changes from the almost 300 miles ridden over the last month. My jeans are fitting a little looser and I don't need a nap after every ride. More importantly, I feel pretty comfortable in the saddle. The first week I needed a quarter mile straight away and intense concentration to ride one handed long enough to reach down, grab a water bottle and take a drink. Now a drink is done almost absent mindedly.

Here are a few pearls of wisdom gleamed from the last four weeks of being in the saddle (life metaphors?):

1) Choose your route carefully. There is a big difference between 60 and 95 degrees when riding by a sewage treatment plant.

2) Good gear can make all the difference. My favorite thing lately is the Slice UltraSensor bike shorts by Pearl Izumi. They make every ride more enjoyable.

3) Keep your mouth closed. Whether talking, breathing, or yawning an open mouth plus speed equals an invitation for something to drop, fly, or just shoot in there.

I’ve hit 31% of my donations goal but there is a lot more to go. If you haven’t donated please click on my Courage Rider Profile to see my progress and hand over some cash. For you number watchers out there this is fully tax deductible. Thanks to everyone who already donated!

PS this is a road bike race but I don’t have any photos on the new bike yet.