Mark B
Zen MBB Master
Honest to goodness, this bike has not only rekindled my interest in cycling, it has set it fully ablaze! I really look forward to outings on my Silvio.
Pickings were slim for local rides this week as many riders were out of town for pay rides. One group was going to do some mountain riding and as much as I would have loved to give it a go, I just knew better. Instead, I took the easier route in a group that I was one of,if not the youngest rider in. Now, I know what you're thinking; Mark has given in to old fartedness and went on a duffer ride. Well, don't kid yourself. The eldest person on the ride was a 76 year old retired Air Force general that ran the Boston Marathon last week. So, while there were some years of experience there, they are a fit group.
The destination for the day took us not on the flat and easy, but on some pretty good climbs. I was feeling pretty frisky on the first climb and went way out front of our group. I was climbing really good, feeling good, but my cardio gave out on me about 2/3 the way up. By the time we got to the top, one rider reeled me in and I was ready to stop for a breather and to let the rest catch up. I recover really quickly, which helps and by the time the others got to the top, I was breathing almost normal. The climbing is coming better and better, though and I really look forward to continuing this progress. Several times on the ride we went up long but maybe 3-4% grades I used to hate. The Silvio just eats this kind of road for lunch. Honestly, If not for my lack of cardio fitness and endurance, I think I could climb these kinds of grades all day.. I have learned that with my Campy shifters and the Origin 8 bars, I can grab the outside of the brake hoods and gain added leverage. Not only that, but it is also an excellent and comfortable change of hand position and one in which I can still manage to fire the thumb shifter by wrapping my finger underneath and pulling the lever down. It's as natural and comfortable as can be. I do have to move my hand a bit to hit the downshift lever, but the movement is minimal.
We arrived at our destination in Riverside, a bagel and coffee shop. We sat and socialized for awhile before myself and another gentleman continued on. Everybody else had to get back for one reason, or the other, but I wanted to get in at least 50 miles.
We rode through parts of Riverside I hadn't ridden in years and honestly, I scarcely recognized! The development and construction of recent years has rendered my trusty landmarks useless and I felt like this was the first time I had ridden in some of these places. It dawned on me that the Silvio is largely responsible for getting me back out there! Our plan was to take surface streets and attempt to find the western most trailhead for the Riverside leg of the Santa Ana River Trail. As we rode through Riverside, the wind began picking up speed and I began to worry about my friend that was accompanying me. We hit the trail a little earlier than we anticipated, which was fine and headed back toward home. Not only was the wind blowing, but the temperature had increased quite a bit, as well. We both were out or low on water, so we decided we needed to stop for water and Gatorade. We hit a familiar watering hole and as we quenched our thirsts and replenished our water supplies, we talked about the ride home. Much of the SART is pretty open country and the wind we had was going to be a cross. There is one section where there is a lot of sand and dirt, a place where many motocross riders illegally go into the riverbottom to play with their toys. We decided between the winds and blowing sands, the bike path might not be our best choice. Instead, we opted to stick with city streets through Riverside, Grand Terrace, back into Loma Linda and finally, Redlands. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this was going to mean two long steady grinds through Highgrove and Grand Terrace, followed by a descent into Colton and culminating up a local favorite called "hospital hill", right at the base of Loma Linda hospital. The long steady pulls took a toll on my friend and he decided he was going to do the cell phone bail after descending into Colton. Not this kid; I was bound and determined to finish what I had started. I approached hospital hill with determination yet bailed out on my middle ring earlier than I would have liked. I knew I needed to spin and save my lungs, which was a good choice, I think. I made it to the top just fine, which always makes me happy. I thought briefly about stopping at our ride start location to see who all was there. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I might become tempted to do the cell phone bail myself. I waved as I passed on by and headed for home.
Once again, I was spent as I pulled into my driveway. That's kind of how I wanted it, but I sure don't get much done after that kind of ride. It really wasn't that tough of route. It's pretty much a routine ride for around here. In recent years, however, I've avoided those kinds of rides. A renewed enthusiasm, largely spurned by this wonderful bike and I find myself longing to ride these old rides I haven't done in years. I'm anxious to improve and venture into other areas I've avoided and hopefully, with any kind of luck, get in a century, or two by fall.
Mark
Pickings were slim for local rides this week as many riders were out of town for pay rides. One group was going to do some mountain riding and as much as I would have loved to give it a go, I just knew better. Instead, I took the easier route in a group that I was one of,if not the youngest rider in. Now, I know what you're thinking; Mark has given in to old fartedness and went on a duffer ride. Well, don't kid yourself. The eldest person on the ride was a 76 year old retired Air Force general that ran the Boston Marathon last week. So, while there were some years of experience there, they are a fit group.
The destination for the day took us not on the flat and easy, but on some pretty good climbs. I was feeling pretty frisky on the first climb and went way out front of our group. I was climbing really good, feeling good, but my cardio gave out on me about 2/3 the way up. By the time we got to the top, one rider reeled me in and I was ready to stop for a breather and to let the rest catch up. I recover really quickly, which helps and by the time the others got to the top, I was breathing almost normal. The climbing is coming better and better, though and I really look forward to continuing this progress. Several times on the ride we went up long but maybe 3-4% grades I used to hate. The Silvio just eats this kind of road for lunch. Honestly, If not for my lack of cardio fitness and endurance, I think I could climb these kinds of grades all day.. I have learned that with my Campy shifters and the Origin 8 bars, I can grab the outside of the brake hoods and gain added leverage. Not only that, but it is also an excellent and comfortable change of hand position and one in which I can still manage to fire the thumb shifter by wrapping my finger underneath and pulling the lever down. It's as natural and comfortable as can be. I do have to move my hand a bit to hit the downshift lever, but the movement is minimal.
We arrived at our destination in Riverside, a bagel and coffee shop. We sat and socialized for awhile before myself and another gentleman continued on. Everybody else had to get back for one reason, or the other, but I wanted to get in at least 50 miles.
We rode through parts of Riverside I hadn't ridden in years and honestly, I scarcely recognized! The development and construction of recent years has rendered my trusty landmarks useless and I felt like this was the first time I had ridden in some of these places. It dawned on me that the Silvio is largely responsible for getting me back out there! Our plan was to take surface streets and attempt to find the western most trailhead for the Riverside leg of the Santa Ana River Trail. As we rode through Riverside, the wind began picking up speed and I began to worry about my friend that was accompanying me. We hit the trail a little earlier than we anticipated, which was fine and headed back toward home. Not only was the wind blowing, but the temperature had increased quite a bit, as well. We both were out or low on water, so we decided we needed to stop for water and Gatorade. We hit a familiar watering hole and as we quenched our thirsts and replenished our water supplies, we talked about the ride home. Much of the SART is pretty open country and the wind we had was going to be a cross. There is one section where there is a lot of sand and dirt, a place where many motocross riders illegally go into the riverbottom to play with their toys. We decided between the winds and blowing sands, the bike path might not be our best choice. Instead, we opted to stick with city streets through Riverside, Grand Terrace, back into Loma Linda and finally, Redlands. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this was going to mean two long steady grinds through Highgrove and Grand Terrace, followed by a descent into Colton and culminating up a local favorite called "hospital hill", right at the base of Loma Linda hospital. The long steady pulls took a toll on my friend and he decided he was going to do the cell phone bail after descending into Colton. Not this kid; I was bound and determined to finish what I had started. I approached hospital hill with determination yet bailed out on my middle ring earlier than I would have liked. I knew I needed to spin and save my lungs, which was a good choice, I think. I made it to the top just fine, which always makes me happy. I thought briefly about stopping at our ride start location to see who all was there. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I might become tempted to do the cell phone bail myself. I waved as I passed on by and headed for home.
Once again, I was spent as I pulled into my driveway. That's kind of how I wanted it, but I sure don't get much done after that kind of ride. It really wasn't that tough of route. It's pretty much a routine ride for around here. In recent years, however, I've avoided those kinds of rides. A renewed enthusiasm, largely spurned by this wonderful bike and I find myself longing to ride these old rides I haven't done in years. I'm anxious to improve and venture into other areas I've avoided and hopefully, with any kind of luck, get in a century, or two by fall.
Mark
