Brooklyn to Bear mountain and back 2/24/13

I've been itching to go climb Bear mountain for awhile. I haven't been there since last summer. Riding to Bear and taking the train back to the city is a tough ride in itself. Riding there and back is another story. Today Chris and I decided over a doughnut and coffee that that was our plan for the day.

We barely got out of our neighborhood when I got a flat. It was wet out, and there was a huge chunk of glass that gashed my nearly brand new tire. I fixed it and went on without a second tube or Co2. We made it to a shop about 25 miles in and I re-upped. 1 80mm valve tube and 1 co2, $20!! I was raped, but I needed it so fuck it.

After that stop we decided that we wouldn't stop until we got to the top of Bear. Both of us hate stopping. Especially in Winter. It takes forever to warm up the legs. Chris got a flat about 30 miles later. We were hoping that this wasn't gonna be one of "those" days. Him and I have been through some rides where we've gone through an insane amount of tubes.

Anyways, we made it to Bear, had some snacks at the top as we enjoyed the view, and descended (always the best part) as my fingers went numb.

After the descent was the long ride back home. My right knee has given me a list of problems over the years. Today out of nowhere the outer right of my knee and my IT band were on fire. Every pedal stroke was pushed through pain. I had no choice at this point, so we just kept pushing. I rode a lot of it out of the saddle as it somehow temporarily relieved the pain. It hurt the most on climbs, and there was a ton of that.

We stopped at a gas station to rehydrate, and I took some sodium bicarbonate and Advil. It helped quite a bit, but by mile 100, We were both in the same pain cave.

We were both pushing it all day, but not to the limit. I think we maintained a strong, but not overly heavy pace. At that 100 mile marker all either of us could think of was food, so the pain had to be pushed aside. For what it felt like I had left in me, we were still able to push hard the rest of the way back. Even when we tried to take it easy, it just flat out hurt.

We made it back to Brooklyn with burrito's as our motivation. Food really helps the mind stay focused. I swear that on rides I am probably thinking about what I'm going to eat after about 90% of the time. We ended up at Taqueiria Tepango which is in our hood. Its a usual stop after rides as they let us bring our bikes in. We both inhaled our food and talked about all that ran through our minds all day.

All in all it was an awesome time. Most of my training rides right now are about 50-75 miles. No matter how much I ride I still feel a sense of accomplishment going over 100. Today was no exception. About 120 miles with over 7,000 feet of climbing. Done deal.

Cheesesteak 100

Earlier this summer, Chris and I rode to Philly for cheesesteak. This past Saturday, a group of 6 of us rode there with the same intentions. We rode most of the way on the Delaware Raritan State park trail. It was in beautiful full fall effect.

Its a pretty easy route. There really isn't much climbing. I felt pretty fresh after riding 100+ miles. In the end, it was all about the cheesesteak, and it was well worth it.

Don shot some photos. See HERE

If you're on instagram, search #cheesesteak100. Otherwise, here are a few of my (instagram) photos from along the way:

NY Century: Into the sun

Yesterday was the NY century. 4 of us rode together and put in around 116 miles total. I saw parts of NYC that I never knew existed, yet half the time I had no idea where I was. One crash and 2 flats later, we were home. Good times. Photo taken and edited on iphone 4.

Escape NY Century

This was my first century. It was supposed to be my girlfriend, her friend and myself on the ride. My girlfriend got sick, and her friend had to back out at the last minute. I did a solo mission.

I rode from my place in Brooklyn over to the west side highway bike path, and up to 122nd street for the start. The event was well coordinated, catered and sponsored. Tons of freebies, great food and coffee to start the day. You could start whenever you wanted. I waited until I saw what looked like some more experienced riders, then set out behind them.

The street markers were very well placed and it was easy to follow without a map (even though they gave us one). After about 5 miles, I started riding with a pretty fast group. A few of them were from team NY velocity. I rode with them for about 30 miles until we hit the first rest point. I felt fast and strong, and I hit my top speed on that first ride , 45mph. The hills were insane. I consider myself a strong climber but these really kicked the shit out of me.

The rest points were efficient and had all the essentials. Peanut butter and jelly bagels, sandwiches, bananas, oranges, and gatorade o'plenty were consumed.

After stop 1, I decided to take it a bit easier. I was already feeling fatigue, and I knew there were many more hills to come. I set out on my own with no intentions of finding any group. There was so much great scenery, and ridiculous houses on the ride. Plenty of SUV's and soccer moms, and obviously lots of money in Rockland county.

Stop #2... I ate a ton of food but the best thing here was the public bathroom with a sink! It was like a fucking oasis. I washed my sticky hands and arms, and just sat there for what felt like 10 minutes splashing water over myself. By this time my neck was in pain, and my right knee as well. I stretched out for a few minutes, then hit the road again.

The 3rd leg of the ride wasn't as intense on the climbing, but by this point I was pretty beat. It took everything out of me to keep going, but at this point you know there is no other choice. I met a couple guys that were riding a considerable pace, so I just rode with them for a bit and chatted it up. I missed the last rest stop somehow, but I don't think I could have eaten any more food.

Towards the end of the 3rd leg, the best part was seeing the GW bridge and knowing you had made it through. Sakura park, the finish point wasn't far from there. Once I got to the park, they had a huge amount of food waiting, gelato, and more handouts. I ate a bit, and then ventured back to Brooklyn, ailing. My totals for the day were 124.7 miles and a 16.2 MPH pace overall.

A few things I learned on this ride:
Even though you feel strong at the start, pacing the fastest group in the beginning is not smart. It made the rest of the ride that much harder.

Even though I consider myself a strong rider, rolling hills will kick your ass.

I need to make some adjustments to my bike for longer rides. My neck and right knee are still fucked up!

I snapped a few pictures along the way:

start:

GW Bridge:

Rest stop #1:

re-fueled after rest stop:

Finish!