Cycling Club Has Arrived!

Hey friends, It's good to be back from the rush of life! Sadly however, I haven't taken the time to free myself from the commotion of the world, and take a nice, relaxing bike ride like my usual schedule permits me to. Between all the school work, projects, and work (Don't worry I manage to squeeze some goofing off and fun in there somewhere,) I've still continued to get some exercise though, but not by the preferred method of pedaling. I've gotten back on to the Concept 2 rowing machine for some mean 20 to 30 minute workouts, and I've definitely noticed how cycling has really improved my rowing. I'm able to get a much more powerful pull due to the strengthening of my leg muscles from all the cycling, and the long term endurance gained from cycling has really improved my rowing endurance; I can pull 2:15 consecutively for several minutes now. A good rowing work out only takes quarter of the time my bike rides take so that's also a plus, but I don't want to get to lazy now and start taking the quicker easier way out of exercising,  because I'm enough of a Rolling Resistor already.

Thankfully the opportunity has surfaced for me to have an easier time keeping my cycling schedule along with everything else, a cycling club has begun forming at my school! My buddy Stephen who's a cycling enthusiast found some teachers at school who were interested in supporting this club because they cycle themselves, and I couldn't have been happier because previously I thought the idea of a cycling club was just a bit to far fetched. We have big plans now for infusing some cycling culture into OAPB by purchasing road bikes so we can supply riders who don't own a road bike, and so students who have never tried road biking can get their first spin. We've held our first club meeting in Mr. Baio's room (yes, Mr. Baio is a cyclist.... and Mr. Redrow is a cyclist who needs a road bike,) and we just discussed fund raising plans and sponsorships so we can attain everything a cyclist needs at my school. I'm not exactly sure how we are going to be able to pull it off, but let's just say I'm probably going to be knocking at your house trying to sell you a chocolate bar, or some various types of cookies. The meeting was rather fast, and we still need to plan an actual official day to meet consistently, but for now it's just baby steps. It's going to be a pretty cool sight to see an OAPB peloton cruising down A1A with matching jerseys and all that cool stuff, but we also have yet to decide where we will even be riding and what are training plans will be. I'm thinking that we will probably need to take it easy and build everyones riding up, and maybe even plan for an event to train for. There's infinite possibilities, and we have a blank paper filling up with plans for Oxbridge history, so if your reading this and your a student at OAPB, feel free to give us some suggestions and let us know if your interested in joining the Oxbridge Cycling Club! Other wise, I'll be keeping you updated on the progress of our club, and my own personal training as next week I will be making time for some riding!

BLOG PASS

Due to my busy weekend jam packed with homework, history projects, and perfecting essays, I have decided to pass on writing a blog post until next week, thanks!

A Jam Packed Week

It's been about 2 weeks since I've last done a bike ride, now thats despicable! I've been even busier than last week, but I guess that's one of those things you can count on in life, business. I've had a lot of "good busy" though these past 7 days or so, and I've made a connection that life changes as soon as you get a car and a license, you begin to need gas money; and fast. so the result of this phenomenon is me, the rolling resistor, acquiring a job.

That is how my life has turned from busy, to crazy; and the reason behind my lack of riding. I've been spending my week days training at my job, I'm being taught how to place orders and and answer phones at City Pizza at the notorious City Place. Pretty cool place to be working at huh? I bet you figured the Rolling Resistor would end up working at a pizza place, what a cliché! Now I'm in for double the battle, fighting to not eat excessive amounts of pizza and food during work, and trying to keep up my biking routine.

We'll see how that works out, I'm hoping for some balance. Besides work, I've had some projects for school, and I've been focusing on my studies as well; as I take the honor of studying at Oxbridge Academy seriously. Another major event that happened this week is the arrival of some special family friends, Jimmy Svensson, Peter Svensson and Johan Laire, these guys came all the way from Sweden. I figured I'd give you an update on my life, since I don't have many cycling stories to tell you today. Well I did manage to squeeze one ride in this busy schedule, this Saturday morning, and it certainly was a special one, because we had a guest rider, Jimmy!

This Swede has been cycling now for about a year, but has been off of his bike for some time now due to a serious injury on his toe. I'm not lying, this viking had a 50 pound metal tool fall on the big toe of his right foot during work. Thankfully his toe has healed enough to bike now, so he joined us for our usual morning ride, with a rental bike. I kinda under estimated Jimmy, I figured with an injury like that, and not riding consistently would make him a weak rider. I was wrong though, Jimmy had a blast leaving us in the dust, he was cruising right behind Jari, keeping 18mph on his clock against the wind! I was appalled, and trying to catch my breath from fighting to keep up. I was feeling a bit sluggish during the ride since getting back into the biking routine is tougher than I remember. I ended up leaving the gang to go at my own pace for the last 4 miles, giving me a total of 26 miles that morning. The crazy viking gang, racked in 30 miles, and was feeling great to get out and enjoy the smooth Florida asphalt. Peter, and Johan followed us around in their rental car, being our support vehicle to cheer us on; they had a great time admiring the beautiful A1A scenery.

Uh oh! I'm still not used to this whole going to work deal, I've gotta run to make it on time! I'll be back next week with some more stories (If I have the time to ride) until then, take it easy , and have fun!

Cycling Lingo

I've had a jam packed week of school to start my November off with, and the result of this has been little to no riding at all! It's a strange feeling, I know I haven't forgotten how to bicycle... I just feel like if I've forgotten my schedule. I did a measly 26 mile spin last saturday morning I know that much, and now that I'm thinking I recall another 26 miles on Monday... a dark, and slightly chilly trip from the Lake Worth Bridge to the end of Palm Beach and back. This time change is really messing with my brain, it feels like it's 9 at night so I'm pedaling extra furiously to get back home, but then when the glow of a street light illuminates my computer It's only 6:45 PM! I can't complain with the extra hour of sleep we get though, but I'm looking forward to riding in the mornings now instead of the night because it's so odd. I was thinking how I could make this post more meaty and not just a scrap bone story, so I figured today I will educate you on the many terms of cycling. This has been a popular request by many, I get awkward gawks while saying words such as "peloton" and "pulling", so your in luck; because from today on you too will be speaking like a cyclist!

Talking like a cyclist is a major plus, we have tons of "hip" words that will spice up your vocabulary more than if you were to take a bite out of a dictionary. Plus they're usually short and have a nice ring. Here are the basics, the terms even a Rolling Resistor must know...

Cyclist: A person who rides a bicycle... get it, it's just like cutting off the beginning of the word bicycle and putting it in a plural form. It don't take Rosetta Stone for you to learn that one... hopefully.

Peloton: A group of cyclist, usually a large group consisting of more than 10 riders. It can even be hundreds some times; however, I'll still refer to my crew and I as a peloton when we ride.

Pulling/ Nose in the wind: The action of leading your peloton, or cycling buddy by being in front of the group, or him/ her. This is usually a bit more difficult because your enduring the direct force of wind, rain, acid rain, or  whatever life throws at you while riding at that moment. This action is usually referred to as "doing all the work" because not only are you setting the pace of the other riders, but navigating also. People who "pull" are usually tougher, stronger, or just darn stubborn; but theres one thing any cyclist can agree to, the best "pullers" are those who keep a constant, steady, and smooth pace. No going from 15 mph to 20 mph every other second. In peloton guys on the front do 25-30% more work than riders hanging in middle or back of the group with there heart rate nice and relaxed.

Clock/ Screen: The computer located on the handle bars of a cyclist's bike, it's also known as a speedometer, and records the miles biked for the trip, as well as the speed you are riding, the time, your average speed, and overall miles, etc. If your imagining like an iPad on our handlebars your a bit off... It's more like a small screen 1 inch X 1.5 inch, with one button in the middle. It's also available in a larger form with the ability to measure cadence, heart rate, power, and some even with GPS mapping. If you haven't already noticed, this is one of the most important tools we cyclist have, it guides our training.

Cadence: The speed which a riders legs are spinning, as of revolutions per minute. Typical cadence is somewhere in 75-95 rpm's range in normal conditions.

Lid/ Brain Bucket: A helmet (a must have for all riders, safety is key).

Bib: Cycling shorts with suspenders so there is no need to have restricting elastic waist band. Much more comfortable than regular biking shorts. Bibs has nice and some cases thick chamois (back in old days it was real chamois but now its synthetic multi density specialty foam) in the seat area. It looks like a luchador suit, and makes the extra hard bike seat more comfy, especially for longer rides + all the pros wear them.

Jersey: The breathable, light, technical shirt that zips in front and has 3 pockets in the back for storing snacks and other items. Comes normally in two fits race and club, race been in very tight fit with noting flapping around and the club is roomier looser fit. I prefer race fit.

Spill: When a rider falls or makes contact with the asphalt or ground. This action usually results in pain, frustration, or damage to the bike; sometimes even all of the above.

Road Rash: The result of a rider falling on asphalt, it's a scrape or patch of red, shaved, exposed skin, which is very painful but all the tough guys still ride the next day.

Tanks: The bottles in which cyclist carry their beverages in, usually a sport drink, I prefer Cytomax, but if I can't grab my hands on the powder, I'll settle for Gatorade mixed with water.

Clipless Pedals: The cleats cyclist wear, these shoes have a special plastic hook like attachment on the bottom and snap into pedals. I don't know what genius thought up the name, because not much thought went into it.... they clip.

Drop Bars/ Drops: The lower section of a cyclist handle bars, when holding on to the drops, a rider achieves greater aerodynamics, boosting speed, reducing wind force, and creating a more aggressive riding position. If your not the most flexible person this isn't the most comfortable way to hold your handle bars.

Well this should have you up to date on the latest and greatest cycling jargon, and hopefully I cleared up some confusion for you readers. if your already a cyclist today was a review then! I encourage you students to practice these terms and use them in your daily dialect; you'll confuse the boss, impress the ladies, and be the ultimate hipster.

Conquering Gainesville

I'm back to bring you folks the 411 from our 45 miler ride in Gainesville, where the gang and I (excluding dad and the Frog, but adding my uncle Jim) conquered one of the hilliest rides in our young cycling history. Well that doesn't count for uncle Jim, because he's a cycling veteran and has participated in some of the most grueling physical events on the planet. Jim has a 8 Ironman competitions under his belt, around 30 marathons, and a bucket filled with ultra distance rides he has completed; many in real mountains which make the hills we climbed during the 45 miler look like speed bumps.

During our shortened ride in Gainesville, Uncle Jim and Alexander (and for some time Jim's buddy), were flying together at above Rolling Resistor speeds because they had no fear of ever struggling through the hills. I however, was kind of in the middle of the pack, cruising at whatever speed fancied me at the moment, while Nick and Johanna were in front of me at some points, and then behind me for others. Since we prefer the same speed and difficulty we tried to stay together, but I ended up traveling solo for about half the ride. This was actually pretty fun, I mean I felt like I was in the middle of a televised cycling race! Passing old farts, on their ancient road bikes, sprinting furiously to pass middle aged couples on tandem bicycles, it was quite entertaining, to see new faces come and go.

Now the hills,  those things make me chuckle now! To think I ever let them worry me, It was living proof that I had become stronger and improved over the course of my training, because I never struggled through a single one. There had to have been at least 20 hills I climbed, many much larger than the Lake Worth bridge, which was the only mini mountain I had come to know and love. These foreign hills played an annoying role, slowing me down for a good minute, accelerating my heart rate, but then giving me a sort of joy ride in the end. It was a like a Rolling Resistor powered roller coaster, the more effort I put climbing up, the faster I would fly down, while the chilly breeze gnawed at my nose. I even got a bit stylish riding down hill, I began using my drops, which left the cyclists I passed awing at my professional aerodynamic position as they ate my dust. 

My favorite part of the event was certainly the rest stop we raided. This row of tents covering elderly volunteers which were enslaved to make sandwiches for us cyclists, as well as unbox packaged goods was visited by our gang of cyclists about half way through the ride. Alex, nick, and I loved this part of the trek, we met up, talked about the ride while recharging our teenage boy appetites with a surplus of snacks. Nick and I stuffed the pockets of our jerseys with packets of M&M's to give us boosts through out, and we filled up our tanks and drank merrily. 

If free food doesn't make you happy then your going to be one miserable bicyclist for the rest of the ride, because it's always the last 15 miles or so when you start getting a bit tired. So thats when Nick and I started busting out the chocolate, and taking turns to pull each other and all that good stuff. Johanna wanted to get some speed now since she was recharged from the rest stop and flew off with a small group of riders and Nick and I stuck it out, until I became fully charged up and began speeding up. This was about 8 miles from the finish line, when that adrenaline feeling began to kick out the laziness. Once again I started passing bikers, and even Johanna! I was now behind the lightning crew, Alex, and Jim. The finish line was now tangible, the last 3 miles had arrived and I was just whistling while peddling, passing people left and right. This was the best feeling, like I was finishing up an eventful stage of the Tour De France. Finally I could see my dad and the the lightning crew and the finish line had been broken by yours truly, it was over! A minute later we were whole once again because the notorious Nick was back along with Johanna burning rubber as they braked to take pictures with us. What a day it was, one filled with friends, family, and good ol' riding fun!

Home from the Hills

Hey friends, I'm back home a champion after completing one of my first cycling events, the dreaded ride in Gainesville! I just got back to my home sweet home after 5 hours on the high way glued to a car seat. I'm not sure whats more burnt out, my legs from the hills or my head from sleepiness. I'm going to give you guys a quick taste of my journey and I'll be back later on in the week with a more in depth view of how our scenic 45 mile ride went. That's right, I said 45 miler, and this is where the explaining comes in. 

My dad became sick with the flu at the beginning of this week and has been battling a fever for the majority of the time. Of course this is no condition to be riding in, so him participating in the massive century ride was in major question. On top of that we've had some rough weather due to a tropical storm that bombarded us named Sandy. Sandy convinced school officials to close down school for us kids on Friday, but left us with raging winds and a rainy weekend. It wasn't raining at all in Gainesville, but it was chilly and windy! These factors plus the difficulty of the rides course made us abandon our goal of the century ride, and switch to the next option, the 45 miler. I was a bit surprised, but deep down I wanted to make sure I could handle an event that I could finish happily. Riding the hundred miler without dad wouldn't have been the same too, so we've pushed the big goal back for now.

Just to give you the big picture, the ride went terrific, and dad was still feeling funny, but was able to complete a 25 miler solo, while Jim, Jim's friend, Nick, Johanna, Alex, and I did the 45 mile tour of hills! I'm really excited to share with you the pictures my dad snapped of us throughout the day of the ride, so look forward to checking those out a little later on in the week. My emotions from the event are positive, and the best part of all was that I actually had fun! You know, that feeling that rushes through your body, gets that adrenaline pumping, and pushes your mouth into a smile?! Well I got plenty of that today, and I'm proud that I can say, I didn't let those hills get the best of me; I deserve a polka dot jersey after this Sunday! For those of you who don't watch the Tour de France, that's the type of jersey the best climber of the race receives. Well I've gotta leave you guys with a cliff hanger tonight unfortunately, but stay tuned for my next story, "Conquering Gainesville", and pictures as soon as I'm recovered from the hustle of the event.  

Wind V.S Cyclist

Boy oh boy has it been tough since last time you've heard from me! If the title doesn't get through to you, check the weather for West Palm Beach Florida and all you will hear is talk about wind. Wind is something that particularly doesn't affect anybody's life, except if your a cyclist. Of course I chose to participate in one of the only physical activities in the world that is made more difficult by wind! Now when I'm riding, I enjoy reminiscing of the past when wind speed and direction never mattered.

I look back to when hearing the word "wind" didn't make a young man cringe. This feeling has only gotten worse, since I started this week off with an already immense challenge, a 70 mile ride. Not to mention it just so happened to be the Saturday that was the most gusty.

Ips and I didn't know what to expect when we got up that early Saturday morning and we both acknowledged the fact that we are definitely riding, and it's going to be most certainly windy. As soon as we arrived at Lake Worth bridge we set out with our fellow company of brave knights who dared battle the wind, Nick, and Johanna, as well as Alex, our usual crew members. Only dad and I had the big idea of riding 70 miles (wind can't stop our century training!), we did a 20 mile spin with gang before they retired from the fight. Dad and I then proceeded to keep making these same 20 mile loops from the Lake Worth bridge, to George Bush Blvd and back to ease the suffering some. 10 easy miles flying south and then crawling back north against a brick wall. I tallied each spin as a victory in our book, but it only got more and more difficult. I took advantage of my small ring to assist me with the fight, but what I really needed was a taxi home.

Well on the last and longest loop, I became getting more tired and frustrated too. Then just before our last turn around and the last 15 miles of misery back against the wind, things got from bad to worst.....

I take a spill! This insane gust shoot while biking in-between two tall apartment buildings, how can an invisible force knock a 150 pound beast in a bush in a split second ? This is when I really lost it!

The old folks walking gracefully on the side walk close to where I fell, asked me if I was ok while I stumbled back up. All I could I reply was a mix of gibberish and angry tones to them as I walked to retrieve the helmet I chucked at the ground out of pure anger at the wind after the accident.
After all, what was I going to say? They wouldn't understand that wind would cause me to fly from the road as if Mike Tyson ran up next to me and sucker punched me in the gut. From that moment on, this was personal. After I calmed down, I thanked God I didn't get hurt and even the bike survived with out a scratch.

Back on the saddle the rest of the miles crawled on, and we took little breaks in between so I wouldn't completely loose my sanity. suddenly, as a cherry on top of our torture, a nice heavy rain started beating us down too, I just love this hobby!
Thankfully the rain eased up and the last few miles where more manageable, dare I say even almost enjoyable.
Like dad always says during a long ride like this, no matter if you feel good or you feel bad it don't last long.....The mind will show its tricks when you are exhausted for sure.

I still would've looked like a deranged monkey pedaling against an invisible wall to a car driving by, but to a cyclist this was a sure sign of progress. Before you know it, it had been done, dad had pulled this Rolling Resistor to the finish line! 70 miles, 4 hours and 20 minutes in actual riding time under my belt is the greatest feeling ever, but it's a bitter taste of the difficulties that a century ride is going to pose for us as well!

Of course after that battle I had to take Sunday off, so we continued our week with our Monday ride, which yes was windy as well if you guessed. Not nearly as bad as the 70 miler, but it gave the gang and I a swell work out. Then on Tuesday I had full bike fit with Rudy as my lower back has been bothering me a little and I got a new saddle too. After two and half hours of adjustments and testing on the trainer we were done. Thursday I got to test the new set up and it was much more enjoyable, we even did some hill repeats in LW bridge to prepare to the hills in Gainesville area.