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Putting a positive spin on cycling - Positive spin on Cycling |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 23 August 2006 |
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Page 5 of 8
Bicyclist’s brain wins out over body, again, saddle sores and all
By C.W. Casey
For NEXTnc
 The MS 150 should have been the end of it.
Last summer, after logging 150 miles in blistering heat, pain erupted in a most sensitive area.
A squadron of Hotshots could not have suppressed the blaze in my Spandex. It felt as if “The Towering Inferno,” “Backdraft” and “Ladder 49” were simultaneously being filmed in my nether region.
I had skimped on my shorts — not enough gel padding. I had skimped on my training — not near enough saddle time to steel the ol’ arse for a marathon ride.
Then there’s my steed — Ol’ Red. A 12-speed Raleigh. Steel frame. Built when Reagan, or possibly Carter, was in office. Ol’ Red weighs a ton by today’s tour-bike standards, and even sports a kickstand among its many archaic features.
Indeed, the back-of-the-pack finish, the stinging rash and the near-death dismount in Cañon City should have been the end of it. Had Al Gore been there, he would have noted that out-of-shape-geezers-on-bike-tours add to the ugly spectacle of global warming.
The Inconvenient Truth is that when it comes to these beckoning tours — can Colorado get any more? — my denial-prone brain shouts, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” while my middle-aged body screams, “No, No, No!”
For two summers straight now, the brain has won out.
This year, my aging noodle was enticed by the spectacular scenery and snappy swag — a slick jersey included in the registration fee! — adorning the literature for the inaugural Copper Triangle tour.
The colorful flier arrived in the mail in spring, when real “cyclists” are getting antsy to hop back in the saddle for thigh-burning “fun.”
At first glance, this one didn’t look so bad. Only a one-day ride (as opposed to the two-day MS 150), “meticulously supported,” the flier said. That means if you court coronary thrombosis (as I do), the sag wagon will be close by to scoop up your carcass.
I paid little attention to the map. It showed the course crossing three mountain passes and gaining 6,000 feet in 78 miles of misery. So what if the zig-zagging altitude chart resembles the flight pattern of a blitzed butterfly? That Copper Triangle jersey is suuhhweeet!
I noted the ride date: Aug. 5. Just two days before my 43rd birthday. I’d still be a spry, young, fit 42. No sweat!
Plus, I could put my new gel-laden shorts to the test.
My cyclist friend Greg was an easy sell. He finished a time zone ahead of me in the MS 150 and regularly rides up Lookout Mountain for the fun of it.
As August approached, I still hadn’t put in enough saddle time, of course, and I’d neglected to stock up on synthetic testosterone. But I made some subtle and rather key preparations.
The hyper-gel shorts were just the start.
While the Copper Triangle dished out plentiful challenge, what turned out to be the hardest part of the day was getting up at 4 a.m. to hit the road for Copper Mountain.
We started pedaling just after 6 a.m., and the day unfolded under gloriously cool, overcast skies. Greg quickly moved out ahead, as did nearly every cyclist. The Copper Triangle ride attracts an elite breed, even fitter than the MS 150 crowd.
Clusters of cyclists, looking like armadas of tropical salamanders, glided past me all day.
Some would glance back, surveying the pitiful greenhorn in tennis shoes and toe clips, grinding away in first gear. One guy said, “Wow, a two-crank,” referring to Ol’ Red’s front sprockets (most tour bikes have three, and a gazillion speeds).
As I struggled to get into my toe clips for the 10-mile ascent up Vail Pass, a hoary cuss had the nerve to say, “That’s a relic! Good luck getting that to the top of the mountain.”
I felt like saying, “Look who’s calling my Raleigh a relic!” Instead, out of breath and fighting the brutal incline, I muttered a curse and jostled into the stirrups. I pressed onward. Vail Pass was by far the most punishing of the Triangle’s three passes. I grinded it out, fueled by Mr. Crusty’s jab.
The ride ended, after 8-1/2 hours in the saddle, at (I kid you not) Burning Stones Plaza at the base of Copper Mountain. Remarkably, this time, my stones were not burning — not feeling splendid, mind you, but not afire as they were in Cañon City.
At age 43, I’m finally embracing my inner Armstrong. I even spent a blazing-hot mid-August weekend riding 80 miles – roundtrip between Greeley and Longmont – just for the jag of it.
It’s an Inconvenient Truth, but this clueless, old-school biker is becoming a creaky, modern-day cyclist. ...Just as long as a bodacious blob of gel cushions my relic rear from the relic Raleigh.
C.W. Casey lives in Greeley, has a soft spot for Ol’ Red and will never again skimp on gel shorts.
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
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I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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