Plans Change

I was going to set out for a long ride, but thunderstorms were forecasted. Instead, I weight trained for 75 minutes - it's been a while - and I pulled up some grass where my garden was going to reside, now resides . . . yes, I know it's late. The gardening caused me to sweat bullets, even though I didn't feel hot, or even warm. Interesting.

I showered and moved on to a partial movie. I proceeded to, yes, you guessed it, KBC (Keweenaw Brewing Company for you rookies) for good times with good friends. Oh, and I knew I could pay my teammates, Chris and Tammi, for my entry to the 12 Hours of Potluck in Marquette. Yeah, you saw right through me. That was just an excuse to go drink beer.

It is the Strawberry Festival in Chassell, this weekend. If I can get the money that is owed me for the sale of my horse, I will ride out there to get it, then head on to Chassell for the festival. I will then finish the ride, shower, and proceed to KBC for good times with good friends. ;-)

Invite a Friend for a Ride

Summer really doesn't seem to be trying all that hard to arrive in the Keweenaw. It hit just under 60 degrees and I threw on my short sleeve jersey and shorts for a ride into work to do an ultrasound. I returned home two hours later to trade in my cross bike for a mountain bike and I hit some nearby trails. It peaked at 60 degrees, so the short sleeve jersey was a good idea. Well, that's what I'm telling myself. It's a good thing I had the trees to break the wind for me, because I could feel some pretty cool gusts on the road. The weather people lied, as usual – the wind far exceeded the forecasted 6 mph.

Even though the weather is less than desirable for this time of year, it is still National Bike Month, and it is the perfect time of year to get a friend out on the road or trail with you. Invite a non-cycling friend and plan to do an easy, social ride in an effort to get them hooked. Remember when you first fell in love? Your friends deserve that, too.

My friend, Erin, did a cycle of training for her degree here in my town. Fortunately, her clinical instructor is a riding friend of mine. It didn't take long to get Erin excited about mountain biking. She was hitting up the Tech Trails and Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids with us quite frequently. She also happily took part in the post-ride meals and beverage, read: beer.


I stole this picture form Erin's blog. Left to right: Mike, Cynthia, Di, Kevin, Arlyn, and Sandy. Erin is behind the camera. We are all contained within the Keweenaw Brewing Company. I personally believe that is what Heaven will be like.

I am proud to say that we have done well with Erin's training. She accepted a job in Washington and moved there a couple months ago. Erin's new adventure is our great loss. We miss her dearly, but we are proud to say that the Keweenaw has forever left its impression on her. She continues to mountain bike in Washington.

Copper Harbor Dream

Some people have wet dreams. ;-) People in the Keweenaw have Copper Harbor dreams. Tonight, for many mountain bikers, the Copper Harbor dream was realized.

Over 15 riders met at the Mariner to begin an 11 mile ride (felt like a lot more) through the Copper Harbor wilderness. Rock 'n Roll, Dancing Bear, Ma Maki Connector, and Garden Brook comprised the bulk of the ride. There was lots of climbing and lots of descending - all technical to varying degrees.

My body hurts. I feel I rode better than anytime last year, but riding with a group of riders who are all faster than I made it difficult to realize this. My body hurts. Did I mention that already?

Even when the climbs were grueling, I was smiling and thankful to God that I was out there riding my bike. Life just doesn't get any better.

After changing in the Mariner parking lot, we congregated at the Mariner for a lively dinner and post-ride beverage (KBC Amber). It felt absolutely wonderful to be with the whole gang riding, eating, drinking, and being merry.

Ah, Copper Harbor. It is a mountain biking mecca that is not well-known, but it is Heaven on earth for those who have dared to meet the challenge.

Spring Training is Here

I woke up this morning with one thing in mind: long ride. I wanted to do a moderate ride for about three hours. I had three goals in mind:
1. Average about 15 mph
2. Maintain an efficient pedal stroke
3. Ride for three hours

I ate a healthy breakfast:
* Malt-O-Meal
* Yogurt with raspberries, vanilla, and chocolate chips
* Grapefruit
* 2 slices of toast
* Water

It took me longer than expected to get my lazy butt out the door, so I had a salad:
* Leaf lettuce
* Tomato
* Croutons
* Homemade French dressing

I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut it in two, wrapped the halves, filled two water bottles with Heed and left.

I didn't meet the first goal. I took it fairly easy starting out. I maintained a speed of about 17 to 18 mph for the first hour. After the first hour, I unwrapped one half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and washed it down with some Heed. I continued out of town and headed in the direction of the next town four miles away, according to the sign.

I geared down and began climbing. I knew it couldn't be far before I reached the top of the hill. I continued to climb. I concentrated on my pedaling and was afforded the luxury of being able to shift up twice and increase my speed. The hill wasn't ending, though. I finally reached the next town and realized I was still climbing. Four miles of climbing. Fortunately, I still felt good.

I decided to make the descent northward. Oh, yes. A descent. It was a long descent. I rode through two more towns, drank some Heed, and turned around to face my next climb. By the time I got to Calumet, I took out the other half of my sandwich and washed it down with some more Heed. Most of it was downhill from there. I proceeded to ride, but the sun hid and the wind picked up. It was cold. I rode into the wind until I reached the bottom of the hill. What I fail to tell myself every time is that this homestretch is also all uphill.

I did meet the second goal. I maintained a proper pedal stroke and it became second nature after climbing a couple of hills. The reason why I chose to pay attention to this is because I have a tendency to point my toes down when I get tired. I think the proper stroke was one of the reasons why my climbing was so good today. So, even though I didn't meet my mph goal, I had a very good ride.

After three hours and thirteen minutes, succeeding with my third goal, I reached home with 41.6 miles under my belt. My mileage averaged about 13 mph, which is actually quite respectable considering how many Keweenaw hills I chose to ride.

I walked in the house, had a tall glass of Ovaltine, did part of my yoga routine, and took a shower. I felt a little weak in the shower. I rushed through it so I could eat dinner. For my post-ride meal, the following was on the menu:
* Spaghetti with olive oil and spices mixed with a MorningStar Farms Chik Patty cut up
* Caesar salad with tomatoes
* Water
* Glass of Breckenridge Avalanche

Cyclists do long rides because they recognize the importance of endurance training. Riding slow and long can make you faster when combined with other training techniques. Another reason why I like long rides is that they help me meet my weight loss goal.

Looking at the details of this post, you will see that I've taken in a lot of calories. My breakfast alone equaled half the calories I should take in on a sedentary day. A long ride requires a lot of calories, though! According to Bicycling.com, I burned 2,023 calories - over 800 calories more than I should on a sedentary day*.

Ideally, I would have ridden my bike two hours after breakfast. My lallygagging made it necessary to consume another quick meal before I headed out the door. Normally, I wouldn't choose a salad for a pre-ride meal, either.

I am not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I have to work after class, so I am planning to drive to work, then bike to school and back. This way, I can drive home at night when I get out of work. If it's raining, I won't ride because it's too cold right now. However, I do feel a light ride like the one I have planned will do me a lot of good after this endurance ride.

* I base my caloric need on the Weight Watchers Points program. According to Weight Watchers, about 23 POINTS is what I should shoot for to lose weight. Each point is equal to about 50 calories (23 POINTS x 50 calories = 1,150 calories per day), and adjustments are made for fiber and fat content. More fiber = more food. Exercise also allows you to eat more food. So, no, I'm not starving . . . and yes, Weight Watchers works great. I lost 25 pounds on the program and kept it off using the program as a guideline.

Beer for Mountain Bikers

Just like the priest, the minister, and the rabbi, the mountain biker could have a joke of his/her own. A mountain biker walks into a bar . . .

Mountain biking and beer are almost synonymous. Perhaps that’s why the sport suits me so well. Many microbreweries and not-so-microbreweries sponsor mountain biking teams. Mountain bikers usually congregate at the end of a race, heck, the end of almost any ride, to have a round or two of beers.

Alcohol has had a bad rap. Many have abused this substance and allowed it to destroy their lives. As a result, many look at beer as an evil substance that no one should be allowed to imbibe.


Beer has many positive health effects when taken in moderation.

Unfortunately, the people who abhor beer for the actions of those who abuse it don’t realize that many more people benefit from the positive effects of beer. Beer may contribute to:

• bone density
• reduce the risk of heart and other cardiovascular disease
• increase HDL cholesterol
• lower insulin resistance

On the flip side, excess beer consumption, like any other food source, can lead to excess calorie consumption, which leads to weight gain. This can lead to heart disease and diabetes.

Overall, beer does not contribute to negative effects when used in moderation.

Moderation is key.

Please refer to the following resources for more information:
The Benefits on Modern Beer Consumption
The Buzz On Beer’s Health Benefits

NOTE: Beer is good for roadies, too!