Climbtrees » Road Biking

Wisconsin Bicycling Weekend – Door County Century

Dan Corbett — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:30:10 +0000

Door County Century Rest Stop

Last Friday Katie and I packed the dogs up to the kennel, boarded a flight to Milwaukee, and finally drove up to Fish Creek, WI for our first century ride. Unfortunately we arrived quite late as our Frontier flight was delayed (again, not having much luck with departures on them and this time I got to sit next to a Frontier employee who must have smoke 2 packs before getting on the plane) and a missed turn in Milwaukee (thanks for closing all the on ramps by the airport) and missed the dinner festivities with our parents (both sides made the drive). The next morning we ate a quick breakfast and then drove to packet pickup in Sturgeon Bay for the Door County Century. During the morning, and all day for the matter, my father was still adamant that he was only going to do the 70 mile route. Right. We let him believe that as we took our rentals, a Trek Madone 5.2 and a 5.2 WSD, out for a quick ride to make friends with the bikes.

We made friends. The Madone’s rode great – the Ultegra drivetrain was a pretty fantastic upgrade then my Lemond’s old 105 and Katie’s old Tiagra. And the frames were fast!

Bar Tape Fail!

Unlike when I stand up and hammer on my Buenos Aires, the Madone’s frame put the power directly into the wheels – and the read wheel could never pull out (damn horizontal drops). That said, when going over rough road and gravel you could really tell how plush my existing steel frame is as you felt everything on the Madone. The one thing I would have liked to have tried was climbing as I think the total elevation gain in the ride was about 400 feet, rather small compared to Colorado. My only real complaint was that the bar tape was poorly applied. The ~2 inch difference was a bit troubling to align my hands on, though it would be an easy fix.

Of course the next morning, as we were again driving to Sturgeon Bay for the start, my father started saying that at the turnoff for the 70 mile route he would decide about doing the 100. Not that Katie or I ever doubted he would do the 100. When we hit the turnoff, he kept along with us. We started out with temperatures in the mid 60′s and a well shaded course. And, what many of the rides said was an evil hill. Thankfully a less than 100′ climb was not an issue after riding in Colorado. The first 35 miles flew past without much of a thought. We kept going smoothing until about halfway through the course, when my father began to feel the distance in his legs (with IT band tightness). The pace slowed drastically but we continued on. And on. With lots of dairy cow themed cycling kits on all sides. eally, who knew you could have more than a dozen jerseys all related to Wisconsin Holsteins? The course was very flat and almost windless, with only a long stretch of gravel road to even wake you up. Additionally the roads, at least the non-highways, were almost completely empty and those drivers who did pass were extremely courteous - score.

In due time we finished. Not fast but we finished. And my father did it at age 62.

Dana, Katie, and Dan on the shores of Lake Michigan during the Door County Century

Longest Ride of the Year: Pain from Boulder to Ward via Lyons

Dan Corbett — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:40:26 +0000

In training for my upcoming century in Door Country I decided that it was time to pull out my Lemond and do a longer, more challenging ride than these 20-35 miles things I have been doing. Seeing as I am genius, I threw in a big climb. The route consisted of heading north from Boulder on US 36, turning left in Lyons on 7, turning left again on 72, and finally turning again in Ward onto Lefthand Canyon to head back to Boulder. MapMyRide said the route is 65 miles with 4646 ft of elevation gain.. Google maps says 75. Which is correct – I have no idea. All I know is that I hurt right now. Below is a summary of the ride.

View Boulder to Ward, the Long Route in a larger map

1) Do not chase: A few people are in visible in front of me. I must not chase. I must save energy. I must not chase.

2) Couple on tri bikes: I get passed, unsurprisingly, by a couple hammering on tri bikes.

3) The scenic route: Ah, the scenic route, a small bypass in Lyons. This is a nice pleasant ride.

4) Couple on tri bike: They passed me again. How is that possible?

5) The shaved leg group: I catch a group of three guys with shaved legs. Most excellent. The ride my wheel and do not rotate the lead. Less excellent. Now I need to fear violent attacks.

6) The shaved leg group drops: I look back to discover that the guys have magically all come off my wheel. Nice.

7) The old guy: I get toasted by an 60+ year old guy with skinny legs on an ancient bike with drop shifters. If Phil Liggett had desperately resorted to providing commentary on my ride he would undoubtedly say I was “going backwards”.

Peak to Peak Highway: Sweet! I made it to the top of the climb. I just need to cruise on in to Ward now.

9) Couple on tri bikes: Really? How could they pass me again? What on earth are they doing? How is this happening? Oh, and I would have sworn there were just rolling elevation changes on this road. Why does it keep going up?

10) Steaming pile of horse poop: I ride up to a massive pile of horse poop. Still steaming. Then I get bit by a fly, all the while still going up. This would be the point where Phil Liggett would say I cracked, hit the wall, and a large number of other cliche sayings. Repeatedly.

11) 8 miles to Ward sign: Oh, you evil sign. I want this climb to be done but now you tell me I need to suffer for 8 more miles?

12) Mile marker confusion: Now the mile markers indicate that I have only gone 5 miles from the sign. How is it possible that I think I recognize things next Ward? And crap, I am out of water.

13) Ward! Utica Street Market: I made it. Really I don’t care if the markers or the sing was wrong because I am here! And I can get a cane soda pop at the Utica Market.

14) Water: Oh, the greatest water on the planet coming from a random little house on the edge of town. Thank you for filling my bottles

15) The descent: Normally I like going very fast on the downhill. Yet my legs feel like rubber and my reflexes slow. This sucks

16) The turn: I just stay on this road to take the fastest, most direct route to Boulder. Right? Right?

17) Failure recognition: Crap, I missed a turn. I know I missed it. And there is no way I am ever going to attack the wall on Olde Stage in this condition. Crap. Why did that lady give me “the look” when she passed me?

18) The lady again: I catch the lady on the flat headed back to town. Not intentionally – I am just trying to keep my legs moving. I smile at her as I pass; she scowls.

19) And again, the lady: She blows past me, again, on the downhill, again. She scowls. Again.

20) The lady on the flats: I catch her again. Really, I am not trying to do anything other than finish this bloody ride. Unsurprisingly she scowls at me

21) The lady, really annoyed now: She catches me again on the downhill and says, aggressively, “You really suck at descending”. While I want to explain I am exhausted after doing this ride, the overly competitive inner ego kicks in and I proceed to catch her again on the downhill and destroy her on the little climb into town. And then just hammer through town.

22) The stoplight: Crap, I hate red lights. Please don’t let her catch me. Please don’t let her catch me. Please don’t let her catch me. Yes, green! Sprint!

23) Beer at the finish: The only cold beverage in a can, a Copper Bell Lager, is quickly in my hand. I have never had one before, but it is cold and wet. And gone in a few short minutes. I better not do that again; next time I should try to taste it.

See the Google Map with pins of the highlights.

See the MapMyRide version.

The John Twa Project (or Making a Spare Parts Bike)

Dan Corbett — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:58:14 +0000

For the past few years I have been harassing one of my coworkers, Christian, to get a bike and commute to work. Commuting by bike would undoubtedly be safer and potentially faster for Christian than his ancient Kia that shakes at speeds over 3 mph. Recently another of my coworkers, John (a far more active cyclist than I am), announced he was going to move and had a large stock of bike parts to get rid of. Thus was born, the John Twa Project.

Step 1: Fork (Carbon Something), Frame (2001 GT ZR 5.0), and Miscellaneous Stuff

Fork and Frame

Step 2: More Miscellaneous Components

Included Miscellaneous Components

Step 3: Mount Chain Rings

Mounted Chain Rings

Step 4: Mount Shifters

Dual Control Shift Levers

Step 5: Install Brakes

Front 105 Brakes

Step 6: Mount Seat and Seat Post

Mounted Seat and Seatpost

Step 7: Mount Front Derailleur

Mounted Front Derailleur

Step 8: Go to Community Cycles

Spend some cash, add things like wheels, cables, pedals, nuts, bolts…

Step 9: Fly to East Coast, Return, Add Chain, Adjust Shifters

Chicopee, MA is always an exciting place

Step 10: Wash Hands and Test Ride

The John Twa Project

Tomorrow John and I will present Christian with his new method of transportation. And then next week we will actually make him ride it. If nothing else, the bike is definately better looking Christian’s aged Kia…

Extended Weekend Wedding in Santa Barbara + Cycling and Kayaking

Dan Corbett — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:21:48 +0000

Katie on Santa Barbara Beach

This past weekend Katie and I met up with my parents in California for my cousin’s wedding. I had not seen Ian in over a decade and never met his wife – I had no idea what to expect. Katie however, long holding a dream of being a California girl, was not concerned; she adores any thought of beaches and oceans. We rented a moderately sized townhouse four blocks from State Street and approximately a mile from the ocean. Being two couples, the townhouse was a spectacular deal when compared to renting a pair of hotel rooms. Further, having a full kitchen and living room is really comfortable as opposed to being cramped in a small room. The weather forecast had predicted temperatures with highs in the 70s for our entire trip; this grew to be a running joke.

On Friday morning we drove to the wine country with the intention of cycling; unfortunately we arrived in Santa Ynez at 11 am when the temperature had already reached 98 degrees F. We aborted the cycling plans for the day and enjoyed lunch before venturing out to a lavender farm and the Alma Rosa Winery. The organic Pinot Noir wines were stellar, though my palette is far from sophisticated. On our way back to Santa Barbara we stopped at a small roadside stand and purchased the juiciest strawberries ever! Concluding our overheated day we ate Southwestern for dinner at Left at Albuquergue where we unintentionally ran into the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party.

Dana and Dan in Wine Country

Katie and Dan at Alma Rosa

The next morning we woke early and headed back to Santa Ynez for a second attempt to rent road bikes. Pulling into Santa Barbara Wine County Cycling Tours at 9 am the temperature was 70 degrees F and we were roaring to go. My father rented a carbon Specialized Roubaix Compact while Katie and I took aluminum Specialized Allez Sport Triples. The store had a decent selection of pedals so we were all able to use our regular road biking shoes. Unfortunately the store did not seem to have a good maintenance program for the bikes. Both of the rear derailleurs on the Allez bikes were horribly out of alignment; while mine was easily fixed with the barrel adjuster I could not get Katie’s to stop jumping. After watching her ride I could easily see that a link in the chain was not bending as it went through the derailleur – I can only imagine how miserable the later parts of the ride were for her. Compared to my steel Lemond bike, the aluminum frames conveyed every little bump in the road. My other complaint was the route recommendation. We asked for a 30-35 mile loop suggestion; I turned us around at 20 miles with the turn for the loop obviously still miles off. We returned to the shop at 11:45 am as the temperatures rapidly approached triple digits.

That afternoon the wedding was held in a beautiful setting at the outdoor atrium of the Fess Parker. My family learned something important at the wedding when we saw people enjoying the 98 degree F ceremony in shorts – events that you would normally wear formal clothes can be drastically dressed down in California. The wedding and reception were completely first class and it was wonderful to catch up with family infrequently seen.

Santa Barbara Sea Lions

Katie Kayaking in Santa Barbara

On Sunday morning Katie and I wanted to go surfing; unfortunately my complete inability to read surf forecasts led us to believe the surf would be awful. How wrong I was. We rented sit-on-top kayaks from Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara and paddled out of the harbor. We initially headed out to a buoy that was known to carry a number of lazy sea lions; it did not disappoint. The sea lions reminded us of Sherbert as they contorted their bodies to rest their heads. Up the coast we ran into small waves that were ideal for surfers of our caliper. We returned to port before driving back into the hills to a biker bar for lunch with the extended family. Continuing the trend of heat, it was 101 degrees F with no air conditioning. We all went back to the townhouse to crash in the air conditioning before closing out the trip with wonderful seafood at the FisHouse. The next morning we flew home out of LAX and saw the ever growing fires billowing smoke into the sky.

My Bikes: 2001 Lemond Buenos Aires Triple Road Bike

Dan Corbett — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:56:21 +0000

I love bikes. If you read this regularly the fact if fairly apparent; if you know me personally it is blatantly obvious. I will be going over my fleet in the next few weeks.

Road Bike: 2001 Lemond Buenos Aires Triple

2001 Lemond Buenos Aires Road Bike

Ah, steel. I used to get a lot of fun looks when I told people that I had a steel bike; these days more and more are saying they wish they had one. The ride, especially when coupled with the carbon fork, is extremely compliant. The bike was definitely designed for a more casual rider who wanted an excellent mix of performance and comfort. My number one complaint is that when I do a hard acceleration I frequently pull the rear wheel free of the horizontal dropouts. Unsurprisingly the handling is a bit slow and the bike cannot climb as well as present day replacements (though I am sure most of that is me, the bikes I have demoed show that the bike is playing a part). All of which is fine – I don’t race. Overall the bike has been really good to me (I put a complete new Shimano 105 groupset on the bike last year – the cable adjuster on the front tube is helpful given the touchy new 10 speed rear derailleur ) and a wonderful introduction to cycling. The more relaxed position and smooth ride surely played a major part in my present obsession with cycling. While I cannot promise to buy another steel bike, I will certainly give a custom steel frame strong consideration.

—————

My first “real” bike in years; my father was on a huge bike kick at the time and was more excited about his new bike and the prospect of me getting a road bike. Lance was winning the tour, Trek was getting awesome coverage in Wisconsin, and I was not overly sold on bicycles. My dad bought me the bike anyways. It was one of the best things to ever happen to me.

Now an avid rider, I cannot thank my father enough for giving me the push into cycling. I have taken the bike everywhere I have lived and have many memories from each state. While some are better than others, I have really enjoyed my bike. I have ridden all over the Madison area – the western hills are particularly enjoyable. The bike traveled with me to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania where I enjoyed countless scenic rides in farm county. When I did an internship in Colorado Springs I learned that Pennsylvania does not really have mountains and that I am not a very good climber. My first job out of school took me to Salem, OR with its challenging rolling hills, coastal range mountains, and occasional vineyards. While I rode in college, it was not until I graduated and moved to Salem that I started riding consistently. Occasionally I would even venture up to Portland and see lots of other cyclists.

I was transferred for work to Memphis, TN where I discovered that whereas some parts of the country do not have many cyclists this part was downright hostile to them; guys in pickups threw half empty beer cans at me on almost every ride. Continuing the trend of fear, I had two individuals, on separate occasions, follow me for a distance until a large open area appeared (I thought an unpleasant altercation was about to occur) but said they were inspired to see someone riding (again, no one rides in Memphis). My favorite quote from my time in the south was when I asked the HR manager if there was shower so I could ride my 17 mile commute into work. His response: “There’s a hose out back”.

I was again transferred, this time to Albert Lea, MN headed into winter. Similar to Memphis, I never saw another rider. Unlike the heat of Memphis, I froze my butt off on almost every ride. My rides always concluded with a cup of tea at the Starbucks where the high school aged baristas all thought I was on crack; perhaps if they took up cycling it would decrease the horrendously high teenage pregnancy rates in the town. Or not.

Finally I quit that job and moved to Boulder, a town that truly loves cyclists. The only time I have not seen anyone else on the road was the day I accidentally commuted in with the temperature at negative 15 F (I missed the negative sign on the temperature when I checked in the morning; I know, I am an idiot). I still am not much of a climber, but I put in plenty of rides in a place where my Buenos Aires and I are fully accepted.