CruzLike
Guru
Ever since the Covid world began, I have been working from home. Recently I decided to replace my desk chair. There are many features in a desk chair that you might consider. If you get one that is too soft or too firm or makes you sweat, you might like working even less.
After looking at all the competition. I settled on the CruzBike desk chair. It is a little-known fact that some of us need to be riding while tickling the keyboard while making a living. Let me explain why I need to.
Every year in Indianapolis we have a Corporate Challenge that my office competes in. This might be easily explained as an Olympics for corporations. There are running events, walking events, basketball and even cornhole to name a few. They even have a time trial event for cyclist.
For this year they have expanded area to score points for your office team. They created a Movement Challenge. This was to encourage people of either do more of the activity you like or get off the couch and walk a mile. There are many types of activities that can score points. For 13 days prior to the Corp. Chal. you were able to log your activities and add to your team’s tally.
Just to raise the stakes a little. Our office was divided into about 10 teams. Mostly department vs department. A little inter-office rivalry. Just to make things more fun, our office leaders threw out a $2000 gift certificate to St. Elmo’s Steakhouse for 20 people. (winning team) Arguably one of the top 5 places to eat in Indy.
After reading the rules and figuring a plan of attack I went into action building a cycl-desk. Sunday night prior to beginning of the movement challenge I had it assembled. Made from some of the finest 2x4’s and particle board. I moved my work computer upstairs and rearranged some monitors. Voila’ I’m ready to work.
Day One
7am, bright and early I begin pedaling. To track my activities, I logged into Zwift and pedaled away. The bike of choice is a Quest. I dusted this one off and incorporated it into the design of the desk. My goal was to ride 15mph (24kph). This was easy riding. Level of effort around a 4 of 10. Just after I began working. I had a couple of phone calls to co-workers. One commented that I was breathing hard. I wasn’t but I quickly adjusted the boom mic from directly in front of my mouth to be less sensitive. I wanted to keep this on the down-low. I just commented that I moved my workspace upstairs. The afternoon was hot in my bonus room. In the summer the bonus stands for hotter. It was in the mid 80’s 30C and rising. In the morning I was able to ride 2hr stints. In the afternoon I was wearing down and it was becoming difficult to ride more than an hour. After 40mins. My butt was becoming real sore. I was squirming around on the seat and stretch it to the hour mark. I completed 120 miles the first day. After I cleaned up and got on the floor with my grandson. My glutes were just shredded. Not in a good way. My back was also stiff. I needed another idea. I could not continue with what I had been riding. In the evening I swopped chairs. I opted for the lounging V20. Surprisingly it fit the desk better than the Quest. 121 miles 7:48
Day Two
I got up early this morning to log some time when it was cooler in my office. Maybe a little late, I began eating more food. I was a little drained from the previous ride. I was playing a little catchup. When I was making my lunch, I dropped something on the floor. With my stiff legs and back, I felt like I had aged 30 years over night. I bent over and my hand made it just past my knee then I started bending my knees. That was about 10 seconds of effort. When I get older, those crumbs will get swept up with the broom. By lunch time I could tell my body liked the V’s riding position better. I kept plugging away at 15mph. In the afternoon I noticed my shoulder blades were uncomfortable against the Ventisit seat pad. In my new reclined position, my shoulders were slowly moving back. Improving my posture. I rode 8hrs and covered 121.7 miles.
Day Three
Day three started optimistically. My body was not as drained. My butt and lower back were less aggravated. In the afternoon the part of my back that laid on the seat pad was getting sore. This was a smaller issue that has been building. The texture of the Ventisit pad coupled with the thin shirt I wear makes a deep impression on my skin. I found a thin foam pad to place over the seat and the problem went away. Another 7:49 and 122.4 miles
Day Four
Everything was still going well. Late morning, I got an email from the movement challenge office coordinator. He gave the ranking of the 3 highest inter-office teams. They were around 150 points. My team is around 130 pts. I told my team leader that it’s not so bleak. I think we can still win this. At this time, I have not logged my rides, nor told her or anyone of them. At that time, I had ridden 180 pts. “I” alone was in first place. Seeing co-workers exercise and possibly create some new habits was something that I just could not squash, yet. Another 8hrs and 126.34 miles
Day Five
By now this riding adventure had become almost routine. I was in a constant need for food and rest. I liked riding in the morning prior to working. I would get a 1hr head start on the workday. I would occasionally get text from Larry Oslund with words of encouragement. Or maybe he would tell me where duck eggs come from. Another 7hrs and 113 miles.
Day Six, Saturday
Saturday, what a wonderful day. A day of freedom from the workday. My schedule was blank today. My wife was off teaching an embroidery class and I was free to roam. This was a great time to try out one of the features to my chair. My office chair is like no other. It has big wheels that enable you to travel. I took my chair outside and I got on a country road and headed east. I wanted to see Ohio. Never seen it on my bike. I headed east most of the morning. Stopped off at Burger King and choked down a Whopper and fries. I have never ridden in this part of Indiana. Near the border there is a town Abington. Don’t go there. The place is in a deep hole. I coasted a mile heading into town. When I got closer it got steeper, till I was at the 4 way stop. As I continued east, I had to climb out of this hole. Just as expected the other side of town is up hill. I was not prepared with my 34/22 granny gear. It was about all I could do to climb the hill leaving town. I knew I would not be backtracking this route. As I rode to the state line. I was on the lookout for an airport and a town called Boston. Somehow, I missed both and was surprised by a “Welcome to Ohio” sign. I took a selfy to document this occasion and back on the bike. The sun was beating down just as it had all week. Steady high temps of high 80’s and sunny. I meandered up to Richmond and hopped on the National Road (US40). Topped off the water bottles and blasted home. Had a nice tail wind to keep the cruise speed up near 21mph with little effort. Ended the day with 135 miles in 7:40.
Day Seven, Sunday
Rolled out a little late today. I started riding a 40 mile loop at 9:30. I had missed the best part of the day for riding. The forecast was 90 and sunny. I wanted to ride 3 laps. I pedaled one nice and easy at 15mph, just like on Zwift. Came home for lunch and started the second lap around 1:30. This idea came to me on this lap, so I blame it on the sun. I thought I could cram a 4th lap before sundown. I came back home. Coordinated dinner schedule with my wife and left for my third lap. It was the heat of the day and I cranked it up a little on this lap. Attempting to buy some time for the next lap. I hoped for a 19mph avg. but it was a slower. I ate dinner and didn’t attempt the fourth lap. I ended the evening riding a smaller loop and calling it when I passed 140 miles. Ended the day at 142.4 in 8:39. I converted my office chair back to my desk setup and was ready for Monday. This marked the end of the week for the 3000 mile challenge with 882 on the clock.
Day Eight
Monday morning bright and early. Starts off with a fire drill. I get on the bike and cover about a mile and my Zwift screen is replaced with an orange one. Says something like “
We’re sorry, we have encountered a problem. We are trying to recover.“ Something I have not seen. I bet it’s a cousin to the blue screen of death. I began by troubleshooting my PC. I had no luck. It may have died. I then scavenged the PC in my personal office. Downloaded Zwift with a super long update after the install. Maybe an hour after the crash I was pedaling again. When I stopped for breakfast, I was really feeling the effects of riding 2 days outside. If I was not pedaling, my brain would shift into neutral and daydream or even feel loopy. Like everything else, I thought it could be fixed with more water and food. All throughout the week I have been in a constant state of mild dehydration. I seem to drink and eat constantly to replenish to deficit. I pedaled the rest of the day to 124.2 miles.
Day Nine
It’s seems crazy to think about how routine this journey has become. The end of this movement challenge is nearing. I’m beginning to count the days till Sunday morning. I’m just grinding it out. I hoped to hear the standings of the inter-office competition. My team leader sent out a message stating it would be tomorrow. Bummer. I could use a pick me up. Another 8:59 and 134.6 miles.
Day Ten
This was an amazing day. I was shocked to look outside and see the wet driveway. It has not rained a measurable amount for almost 2 months. It may have rained an 1/8”. The other thing great about the rain is the clouds and the effect on my bonus room. The sun remained behind the clouds all day. The temps are tolerable in the office. I also heard the inter-office standings. This was not the good news I had hoped. There was 7 points between the first-place team and my team. If I logged my points. I’m still sandbagging my efforts. I wanted this to be a walk away victory. Now it’s becoming too close to call with 3 days left. I spent some of the afternoon rallying the troops. I wanted boost this team effort. Since the temps were down, I rode extra. I’m making the decision of more effort for the win. Ending the day at a massive 13:20 and 205.61 miles.
Day Eleven
I think I’m paying for the 200 mile day. My legs are stiff and achy as I walk to the bike. I keep plugging along with the heightened need to create more points. Some of my time has been spent rallying my teammates. I don’t know how much it will help, especially this late in the event. Another 8:01 and 125.6 miles. I was also able to count my steps and score points in the evening. Not much, but another 1200 steps.
Day Twelve
This is race day. And it is one of my favorites. For the Corp. Chal. our office can assemble a team of 5 riders to take part in time trial event. It’s a 6mile loop at the “Racing Capital of the World”. All the gear heads already know, that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To race fans, it’s one of the Holiest places in America. My first year I rode the TT, I was in good shape and placed 3rd of 400 riders. Also scoring a KOM on the oval. This year will be different. My pre-race taper is non-existent. I finished work with an 86-mile warm up. The ligament on the inside back of my left knee was sore and stiff. On my way to the track, I sucked down a Coke and massaged it. I met up with my co-workers. They were all pumped to see the bullet bike. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought I could average anywhere between 15-25mph. I took off, got up to speed blasting down the pit lane and I was feeling good. I dove into the first turn on the road course and I already had the next rider in sight. You ride the road course over to the exit of turn 2 on the oval. From there you travel counterclockwise for a lap and a half on the oval. Much of the ride was at 25mph. I did get a little push from the wind and got up to 28. I was happy with my performance. I expected my leg to take my focus. It wasn’t blistering. Considering my preparation this week. I’ll take it. After I came home, I continued to ride near my house for another 28miles. For a total of 125 miles
Day Thirteen (The last)
This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for a week. This will be the last day in my ultra-marathon. Today was also the local ride “Flat 50”. I got up early and started riding the Flat 50 course. I rode most of the lap in the dark. I saw a couple of cats and 3 deer. After one lap I stopped at BK and ate breakfast. I rode another lap and return to eat lunch. When I left for the 3rd lap it was 11 o’clock. 2 hours after the ride started. I wondered if I would see any other riders. About halfway through my third lap I ran across the tail end of the ride. I made it back to my house with 160 miles ridden. I refueled and began a slow part of the ride. It was 90 and sunny. I rode about 12 mile an hour to not cook myself and my enthusiasm in the heat of the day. My wife got dinner and I stopped around 5p. After dinner I pushed off with the last push to 12pm. I rode for a few hours and I was losing speed and drive. There wasn’t anyone to chase. I had to trick my mind to push on. Around 10p I was riding, and my mind wanted to go to sleep. For a half second it would blank out. I knew I need to pick up the pass or play mind games. Math, Spelling, singing anything to wake up. I rode till 12 when the day was over. 281 miles and 17.5 hours.
Sunday, Black Sunday
In the afternoon I began compiling my rides to post to Strava for the 3000 mile Challenge. When that was completed, I could take that information and tally the numbers for the Move. Chal. Halfway through the syncing to my phone. My Elemnt decided to change identities. For some reason, it began asking me the preferred units, current time and date. And Viola’ all my rides were gone. It’s like it needed a factory reset. A screen shot of the ride is all I have. Nothing the post to Strava and no data.
The next task was to log my activities for the inter-office competition. I went to the site and noticed things were a little different. The deadline to log activities was Sat 5p (yesterday). Yes, it’s not your imagination, we are swirling down the toilet fast. I was not able to log my efforts to the website. My only hope was to contact my team leader for the inter-office competition to see if there was any chance to make them count. That motion was denied.
Looking back on this journey, I noticed a few things.
Initially I thought I would be riding outdoors. The change to indoors allowed me to create more points.
I rode my first Zwift Century. Later to ride my first Zwift Double Century.
I rode one ride of 281 miles. Second longest ever.
1012 miles (1628k) in one week. 1894 miles in two weeks
115 Hours of riding
I lost 6lbs initially and then stayed steady. I expect its water weight.
Scored 867 miles in the individual movement challenge. Second place had 195
My Inter-office team placed 4th with 760 miles compared to the winning teams 1486 miles. You do the math. It stinks. (867+760=1627)
After looking at all the competition. I settled on the CruzBike desk chair. It is a little-known fact that some of us need to be riding while tickling the keyboard while making a living. Let me explain why I need to.
Every year in Indianapolis we have a Corporate Challenge that my office competes in. This might be easily explained as an Olympics for corporations. There are running events, walking events, basketball and even cornhole to name a few. They even have a time trial event for cyclist.
For this year they have expanded area to score points for your office team. They created a Movement Challenge. This was to encourage people of either do more of the activity you like or get off the couch and walk a mile. There are many types of activities that can score points. For 13 days prior to the Corp. Chal. you were able to log your activities and add to your team’s tally.
Just to raise the stakes a little. Our office was divided into about 10 teams. Mostly department vs department. A little inter-office rivalry. Just to make things more fun, our office leaders threw out a $2000 gift certificate to St. Elmo’s Steakhouse for 20 people. (winning team) Arguably one of the top 5 places to eat in Indy.
After reading the rules and figuring a plan of attack I went into action building a cycl-desk. Sunday night prior to beginning of the movement challenge I had it assembled. Made from some of the finest 2x4’s and particle board. I moved my work computer upstairs and rearranged some monitors. Voila’ I’m ready to work.
Day One
7am, bright and early I begin pedaling. To track my activities, I logged into Zwift and pedaled away. The bike of choice is a Quest. I dusted this one off and incorporated it into the design of the desk. My goal was to ride 15mph (24kph). This was easy riding. Level of effort around a 4 of 10. Just after I began working. I had a couple of phone calls to co-workers. One commented that I was breathing hard. I wasn’t but I quickly adjusted the boom mic from directly in front of my mouth to be less sensitive. I wanted to keep this on the down-low. I just commented that I moved my workspace upstairs. The afternoon was hot in my bonus room. In the summer the bonus stands for hotter. It was in the mid 80’s 30C and rising. In the morning I was able to ride 2hr stints. In the afternoon I was wearing down and it was becoming difficult to ride more than an hour. After 40mins. My butt was becoming real sore. I was squirming around on the seat and stretch it to the hour mark. I completed 120 miles the first day. After I cleaned up and got on the floor with my grandson. My glutes were just shredded. Not in a good way. My back was also stiff. I needed another idea. I could not continue with what I had been riding. In the evening I swopped chairs. I opted for the lounging V20. Surprisingly it fit the desk better than the Quest. 121 miles 7:48
Day Two
I got up early this morning to log some time when it was cooler in my office. Maybe a little late, I began eating more food. I was a little drained from the previous ride. I was playing a little catchup. When I was making my lunch, I dropped something on the floor. With my stiff legs and back, I felt like I had aged 30 years over night. I bent over and my hand made it just past my knee then I started bending my knees. That was about 10 seconds of effort. When I get older, those crumbs will get swept up with the broom. By lunch time I could tell my body liked the V’s riding position better. I kept plugging away at 15mph. In the afternoon I noticed my shoulder blades were uncomfortable against the Ventisit seat pad. In my new reclined position, my shoulders were slowly moving back. Improving my posture. I rode 8hrs and covered 121.7 miles.
Day Three
Day three started optimistically. My body was not as drained. My butt and lower back were less aggravated. In the afternoon the part of my back that laid on the seat pad was getting sore. This was a smaller issue that has been building. The texture of the Ventisit pad coupled with the thin shirt I wear makes a deep impression on my skin. I found a thin foam pad to place over the seat and the problem went away. Another 7:49 and 122.4 miles
Day Four
Everything was still going well. Late morning, I got an email from the movement challenge office coordinator. He gave the ranking of the 3 highest inter-office teams. They were around 150 points. My team is around 130 pts. I told my team leader that it’s not so bleak. I think we can still win this. At this time, I have not logged my rides, nor told her or anyone of them. At that time, I had ridden 180 pts. “I” alone was in first place. Seeing co-workers exercise and possibly create some new habits was something that I just could not squash, yet. Another 8hrs and 126.34 miles
Day Five
By now this riding adventure had become almost routine. I was in a constant need for food and rest. I liked riding in the morning prior to working. I would get a 1hr head start on the workday. I would occasionally get text from Larry Oslund with words of encouragement. Or maybe he would tell me where duck eggs come from. Another 7hrs and 113 miles.
Day Six, Saturday
Saturday, what a wonderful day. A day of freedom from the workday. My schedule was blank today. My wife was off teaching an embroidery class and I was free to roam. This was a great time to try out one of the features to my chair. My office chair is like no other. It has big wheels that enable you to travel. I took my chair outside and I got on a country road and headed east. I wanted to see Ohio. Never seen it on my bike. I headed east most of the morning. Stopped off at Burger King and choked down a Whopper and fries. I have never ridden in this part of Indiana. Near the border there is a town Abington. Don’t go there. The place is in a deep hole. I coasted a mile heading into town. When I got closer it got steeper, till I was at the 4 way stop. As I continued east, I had to climb out of this hole. Just as expected the other side of town is up hill. I was not prepared with my 34/22 granny gear. It was about all I could do to climb the hill leaving town. I knew I would not be backtracking this route. As I rode to the state line. I was on the lookout for an airport and a town called Boston. Somehow, I missed both and was surprised by a “Welcome to Ohio” sign. I took a selfy to document this occasion and back on the bike. The sun was beating down just as it had all week. Steady high temps of high 80’s and sunny. I meandered up to Richmond and hopped on the National Road (US40). Topped off the water bottles and blasted home. Had a nice tail wind to keep the cruise speed up near 21mph with little effort. Ended the day with 135 miles in 7:40.
Day Seven, Sunday
Rolled out a little late today. I started riding a 40 mile loop at 9:30. I had missed the best part of the day for riding. The forecast was 90 and sunny. I wanted to ride 3 laps. I pedaled one nice and easy at 15mph, just like on Zwift. Came home for lunch and started the second lap around 1:30. This idea came to me on this lap, so I blame it on the sun. I thought I could cram a 4th lap before sundown. I came back home. Coordinated dinner schedule with my wife and left for my third lap. It was the heat of the day and I cranked it up a little on this lap. Attempting to buy some time for the next lap. I hoped for a 19mph avg. but it was a slower. I ate dinner and didn’t attempt the fourth lap. I ended the evening riding a smaller loop and calling it when I passed 140 miles. Ended the day at 142.4 in 8:39. I converted my office chair back to my desk setup and was ready for Monday. This marked the end of the week for the 3000 mile challenge with 882 on the clock.
Day Eight
Monday morning bright and early. Starts off with a fire drill. I get on the bike and cover about a mile and my Zwift screen is replaced with an orange one. Says something like “
We’re sorry, we have encountered a problem. We are trying to recover.“ Something I have not seen. I bet it’s a cousin to the blue screen of death. I began by troubleshooting my PC. I had no luck. It may have died. I then scavenged the PC in my personal office. Downloaded Zwift with a super long update after the install. Maybe an hour after the crash I was pedaling again. When I stopped for breakfast, I was really feeling the effects of riding 2 days outside. If I was not pedaling, my brain would shift into neutral and daydream or even feel loopy. Like everything else, I thought it could be fixed with more water and food. All throughout the week I have been in a constant state of mild dehydration. I seem to drink and eat constantly to replenish to deficit. I pedaled the rest of the day to 124.2 miles.Day Nine
It’s seems crazy to think about how routine this journey has become. The end of this movement challenge is nearing. I’m beginning to count the days till Sunday morning. I’m just grinding it out. I hoped to hear the standings of the inter-office competition. My team leader sent out a message stating it would be tomorrow. Bummer. I could use a pick me up. Another 8:59 and 134.6 miles.
Day Ten
This was an amazing day. I was shocked to look outside and see the wet driveway. It has not rained a measurable amount for almost 2 months. It may have rained an 1/8”. The other thing great about the rain is the clouds and the effect on my bonus room. The sun remained behind the clouds all day. The temps are tolerable in the office. I also heard the inter-office standings. This was not the good news I had hoped. There was 7 points between the first-place team and my team. If I logged my points. I’m still sandbagging my efforts. I wanted this to be a walk away victory. Now it’s becoming too close to call with 3 days left. I spent some of the afternoon rallying the troops. I wanted boost this team effort. Since the temps were down, I rode extra. I’m making the decision of more effort for the win. Ending the day at a massive 13:20 and 205.61 miles.
Day Eleven
I think I’m paying for the 200 mile day. My legs are stiff and achy as I walk to the bike. I keep plugging along with the heightened need to create more points. Some of my time has been spent rallying my teammates. I don’t know how much it will help, especially this late in the event. Another 8:01 and 125.6 miles. I was also able to count my steps and score points in the evening. Not much, but another 1200 steps.
Day Twelve
This is race day. And it is one of my favorites. For the Corp. Chal. our office can assemble a team of 5 riders to take part in time trial event. It’s a 6mile loop at the “Racing Capital of the World”. All the gear heads already know, that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To race fans, it’s one of the Holiest places in America. My first year I rode the TT, I was in good shape and placed 3rd of 400 riders. Also scoring a KOM on the oval. This year will be different. My pre-race taper is non-existent. I finished work with an 86-mile warm up. The ligament on the inside back of my left knee was sore and stiff. On my way to the track, I sucked down a Coke and massaged it. I met up with my co-workers. They were all pumped to see the bullet bike. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought I could average anywhere between 15-25mph. I took off, got up to speed blasting down the pit lane and I was feeling good. I dove into the first turn on the road course and I already had the next rider in sight. You ride the road course over to the exit of turn 2 on the oval. From there you travel counterclockwise for a lap and a half on the oval. Much of the ride was at 25mph. I did get a little push from the wind and got up to 28. I was happy with my performance. I expected my leg to take my focus. It wasn’t blistering. Considering my preparation this week. I’ll take it. After I came home, I continued to ride near my house for another 28miles. For a total of 125 miles
Day Thirteen (The last)
This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for a week. This will be the last day in my ultra-marathon. Today was also the local ride “Flat 50”. I got up early and started riding the Flat 50 course. I rode most of the lap in the dark. I saw a couple of cats and 3 deer. After one lap I stopped at BK and ate breakfast. I rode another lap and return to eat lunch. When I left for the 3rd lap it was 11 o’clock. 2 hours after the ride started. I wondered if I would see any other riders. About halfway through my third lap I ran across the tail end of the ride. I made it back to my house with 160 miles ridden. I refueled and began a slow part of the ride. It was 90 and sunny. I rode about 12 mile an hour to not cook myself and my enthusiasm in the heat of the day. My wife got dinner and I stopped around 5p. After dinner I pushed off with the last push to 12pm. I rode for a few hours and I was losing speed and drive. There wasn’t anyone to chase. I had to trick my mind to push on. Around 10p I was riding, and my mind wanted to go to sleep. For a half second it would blank out. I knew I need to pick up the pass or play mind games. Math, Spelling, singing anything to wake up. I rode till 12 when the day was over. 281 miles and 17.5 hours.
Sunday, Black Sunday
In the afternoon I began compiling my rides to post to Strava for the 3000 mile Challenge. When that was completed, I could take that information and tally the numbers for the Move. Chal. Halfway through the syncing to my phone. My Elemnt decided to change identities. For some reason, it began asking me the preferred units, current time and date. And Viola’ all my rides were gone. It’s like it needed a factory reset. A screen shot of the ride is all I have. Nothing the post to Strava and no data.
The next task was to log my activities for the inter-office competition. I went to the site and noticed things were a little different. The deadline to log activities was Sat 5p (yesterday). Yes, it’s not your imagination, we are swirling down the toilet fast. I was not able to log my efforts to the website. My only hope was to contact my team leader for the inter-office competition to see if there was any chance to make them count. That motion was denied.
Looking back on this journey, I noticed a few things.
Initially I thought I would be riding outdoors. The change to indoors allowed me to create more points.
I rode my first Zwift Century. Later to ride my first Zwift Double Century.
I rode one ride of 281 miles. Second longest ever.
1012 miles (1628k) in one week. 1894 miles in two weeks
115 Hours of riding
I lost 6lbs initially and then stayed steady. I expect its water weight.
Scored 867 miles in the individual movement challenge. Second place had 195
My Inter-office team placed 4th with 760 miles compared to the winning teams 1486 miles. You do the math. It stinks. (867+760=1627)
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