Friday, 02/10/2012
I packed up and left for Palm Springs about 2:00 PM. I arrived about 3:30 and checked in at the beautiful Motel 6 Palm Springs East (actually a pretty decent place, as Motel 6's go). I emptied the car into my room then drove downtown to the Expo. I picked up my ride bracelet then browsed through the two blocks of vendor booths set up on th main street in downtown palm Springs. Although I had not intended to I purchased a current year ride jersey. It is much prettier than the generic jerseys I usually wear and I expect to get a lot of use out of it.
I went back to the motel and checked email then walked about 3 blocks down the street and had a very good dinner of Shrimp Scampi with angel hair, apple pie and lemonade at Carrows. I had the same dish after Tara, Sarah and I walked the LA Marathon in 2010 and always remembered how good it tasted after walking all day. I enjoyed it almost as much this time and it is decent from a carbohydrate loading perspective. After dinner I walked back to the motel and played on the computer and watched TV until about 11:00 when I fell asleep.
Saturday, 02/11/2012
I slept fitfully until 5:12 when the alarm went off then got up and started my morning drill. I had a cup of tea, a bottle of 5 Hour Energy Drink, ate 2 applesauce cups and a banana and drank a Coke and a pint of chocolate soy milk. I did some email, showered, put everything in the car and left for the starting line about 7:30. I rode the 2+ miles to the starting area and worked my way through the crowd waiting to start the 55 mile route at 8:00 to get to the starting line. I got away at about 7:50. I was near the end of the 100 mile route pack.
The first two miles to the north through town were pretty easy sailing. The starting line is at about 500 of feet elevation. The town is in a cove protected by the hills from the prevailing winds but as soon as I reached the open desert at the edge of town I encountered a pretty stiff cross wind, perhaps 10-20MPH with much higher gusts (I heard one guy say 35). It is obvious why the town ends abruptly where it does. My fairly thick "aero" wheels wanted to weathervane and go east with the wind, especially the front. I had a few anxious moments on this stretch. The 55 mile route riders had started at 8:00, a few minutes behind me and many of the faster ones were passing me some too close for comfort given the issues I was having with the wind.
At about 5 miles from the start there was a pretty good little climb up and over the railroad tracks. Sand was blowing across the road at the bottom and the wind was fierce. There was quite a crowd on the hill, maybe 30-50, and many were walking their bikes. There was a police car at the top with red lights flashing. I heard at the finish that some riders had been blown over there although I did not notice any carnage. I was able to grind my way up and over and down the next 1/4 mile to the I-10 frontage road where we all turned west into the teeth of the gale. It was about 2.5 miles up hill and against the wind to the next turn to the north. The reason I quoted the guy's 35 MPH gust estimate is that a couple of times the wind almost brought me to a stop going up to the corner which made me think his estimate may have been accurate. At the corner the route climbed up and over the freeway overpass then turned west again for the steepest 1/2 mile of the ride directly into the wind. I was glad I had a triple crank and some large cogs on the back. I used them getting up. At the top of that short section the road turned north again and climbed steadily to Pierson Road which is just a bit less than 1000 feet above the starting line. At that intersection we turned right, east, and the fun began. It had taken me 1:31 to get from the motel to Pierson Road. The next 5.5 miles to the first rest stop at about 1000 of elevation feet took 14 minutes with a top speed of 42 MPH.
At the rest stop I had a small cup of water and some Chex Mix and started off again after about a 10 minute break. From the stop the route takes a series of ups and down for about 23 miles and reaches a high of 1400 feet before dropping to sea level at mile 48. We had passed the second rest stop in this section (mile 30).
About 3 miles beyond the second resst stop the 55 mile route turned right on 1000 Palms Road. The ride was much more pleasant beyond the turn. The majority of the throng I was traveling with turned off and left the remainder of the 100 mile route to the real fools.
After a couple of short climbs and dips I got a nice 20+ mile free coast down to the lunch stop at mile 48, arriving at about 11:30. I was reluctant to eat because I had some indigestion prior to the first rest stop but decided that even if I suffered for an hour or two in the long run I would be better off so I had a tangerine, a ham and cheese sandwich on balloon bread (very delicious!) and a small cup of M&M Peanut candy. I also took an 800 MG Ibuprofen because my seating area was getting pretty uncomfortable.
Beyond the lunch stop was a 10 mile mildly downhill downwind straight stretch to the SW. This easy spell enabled me to digest lunch with no issues. At the end of this run the route turned west into the wind again. The wind here was annoying but mild compared to the gale of the first part of the ride. After 4 miles the route turned south again for 3 miles passing date orchards and other agricultural establishments. We then turned west and started the 33 mile west and north zigzag 500 foot climb back to the start/finish line. The route traveled residential areas for the most part.
From this point the wind was not much of an issue, a 5-10 MPH breeze most of the time. There were two more rest stops where I drank water and stood around for a few minutes. When I got to the finish line at 4:20 I picked up my Tee-shirt, bought and ate the last Polish Dog at the Expo hot dog stand then rode back to the motel, put the bike in the car and came home.
Tuesday, 02/20/2012
It is almost a week and 1/2 since the ride. I have had time recover and to think it over. My cousin Bill asked me how I had felt after I finished. I think I was too tired to feel much. I think I was quietly satisfied. I really enjoyed the day, the scenery, the weather, the exercise, all of it except the excessive pelvic pain. I would do it again with no hesitation.
Before the ride I had ordered a steering tube extender which allows one to raise the handle bars 2 or more inches. I had intended to put it on my mountain bike but decided instead to use it on the road bike, the one which had hurt my butt. When it came Wednesday I put it on and took a 25 mile ride Thursday. Still too much discomfort. I replaced my fancy expensive seat with the cheapie from the mountain bike and did a 10 mile ride Friday evening. It was promising but not ideal. Today the signs were right (very little wind, not too cold, a good night's sleep) so I set out at noon to do a 58 mile ride to the town of Joshua Tree then back home through the mountains of Joshua Tree National Park.
I did this ride last July. My bike had a smaller frame then which did not fit me so well, the bike was not geared as well as it is now, it was a 100+ degree day and near the town of Joshua Tree I did not see a cove in the edge of a narrow section of the highway shoulder and dropped into it and deep sand and fell down hard on the asphalt. The rest of the afternoon was a blur of heat, dehydration, many rest stops and lot of pain. When I got to the high point of the ride about 16 miles from home everything on me seemed to hurt and I just had to hang on while I mostly coasted home. It was satisfying to complete the ride but it was not much fun.
Today it was all reversed. the bike worked beautifully, the temperature was almost too cool (low 60s at the highest and much less at higher elevation and later in the afternoon), I had much better steering control and comfort with my new frame and handlebars and had no mishaps or falls and I am in quite a bit better bicycle shape than i was in July. Best of all the ride was almost entirely pain free. All in all it was a great day. I think I can say I am exhilarated after this ride. What an afternoon!
I fianlly got away about 12:20 after going down the road a few hundred yards before I realized my head did not feel right and discovered I had not put my helmet on and returning to get it. I had fretted about what clothing to wear and take as I know it is often 10 degrees cooler up in the park than it is at home and it was on the verge of being too cold for my usual low 60s gear here. In the end I went out in my usual stuff, a zip T-neck long sleeve polyester undershirt, a fairly thick long sleeve bike jersey, a bike jacket with the sleeves removed and Lycra shorts. In reserve I had a pair of wool arm warmers, the jacket sleeves, a medium thick fleece hat with ear flaps and a pair of thick fleece gloves.
It took an hour and 1/2 to get to Sunburst Park on the east edge of Joshua Tree after a 19 mile ride with about 12 miles on the shoulder of Highway 62 with a lot more traffic than I expected to see on a holiday. I took a 10 minute rest stop. I had a few moments of trepidation when I left the park and turned to the south and saw snow on the higher hills in the national park. It appeared to be at about the 4,500-5000 foot level and I knew I had to go up to about 4500 feet. I had to go on as I wanted no part of riding home on the highway. The eastbound shoulder is even worse that the westbound side. This kind of stuff is what makes a bike ride an adventure and not just a mindless drudge.
As it turned out he temperature was not bad in the park although I did put my arm warmers on at my second 10 minute break at Quail Springs, about 5 miles beyond the park entrance station. There were substantial patches of snow on the ground and in the gutter on the way up to Sheep Pass which is in the shade of a sizable peak to the south. I put on the jacket sleeves, hat and gloves on at Jumbo Rocks Campground just east of the high point of the ride and at the beginning of the 16 mile downhill ride home. My legs were chilly until I got down to about the 3,000 foot level near the edge of town but otherwise it was a comfortable ride. I got home at about 5:30 very pleased with the day and bicycling in general.
