Tanglewood 2009 Finish and Photos

Tanglewood 2009

Originally uploaded by BasicB

This is a photo of me crossing the finish line last Saturday at the Tour to Tanglewood. I’ve already summed up the event fairly well, I think, in previous posts, so I don’t have a lot more to add. But there are still pictures being gathered from various sources. This one was taken by the photographer hired by the event itself.

I wanted to give a heads up that as I get access to more photos…people email them to me and whatnot, I’ll be putting them up at Flickr, which you can get to by clicking on this photo, or look for the name Flickr in the sidebar of this page.

So keep checking over there for more photos if you are interested. Also note that at this point they will likely be primarily focused on me and mine. There are hundreds of photos of the event itself available elsewhere online, I’m just cherry picking now.

Tour to Tanglewood 2009 Saturday

Day one of the 2009 Tour to Tanglewood is over. It turned out to be, as feared, a wet ride. We began riding at around 8 AM. There was only a light mist to start, and I thought, if it stays like this it won’t be so bad. It didn’t stay like that.

I started the ride at an easy pace. I figured I would take my time and get warmed up nicely before trying to drive too hard. A little before the first rest stop at 12 miles I was starting to feel pretty good, but then I also began hearing a noise I didn’t care for coming from my back wheel. I was having a little brake rub.

I got a mech to look at it at the stop. I must admit, they do this ride right, with mechanics at the start and finish and the rest stops along the way to help out with bike issues and to keep riders on the road.

It was at the first stop that I met up with my team-mate Scott. We stuck together for the rest of the ride and pulled each other along. It’s also when the rain began increasing in intensity. The middle part of the route got pretty wet. We stopped at the second stop as well, and my brake was still rubbing so I just flipped open the caliper and rode the rest of the ride with it open. The brake pads were new so I didn’t feel like I had any significant loss in stopping power even with them open. Anyway, by this point we were pretty much wet through and through and starting to get the well known shoe squish.

We passed by all of the remaining rest stops and kept on target for the finish. The ride really went pretty smoothly despite the rain, but it would have been nicer without it.

At the finish there was lots of nice clapping and encouragement for a job well done. Marcella was there at the finish line cheering as we arrived too. My cycle computer recorded a ride distance of 46.5 miles and an average speed of 16.8 mph. The duration of the ride was 2 hours and 46 minutes and I think it wasn’t yet 11:30 AM at arrival. Which means we must not have departed from the start until closer to 8:30 as opposed to 8 like I said earlier.

The post ride got a little chilly. We parked our bikes and went and found the Polo tent that was set up. One of the volunteers got me a nice cup of coffee and we sat down to unwind a bit. Unfortunately the rain kept getting progressively worse and I started to feel a little chill. Before it got too bad we went over to the food tent which was catered by Carabba’s, which was excellent and hit the spot.

Then we went and got my bike and took it to another mechanic who spent some time with it and re-trued my rear wheel which is what was causing the brake rub. By this time I was getting pretty tired, and feeling very wet. So we gathered up our stuff and headed home. But not before I parked my bike out with everyone else’s who is planning on riding again tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning I will catch the shuttle very early back out to Tanglewood park and ride my bike back. Which should be approximately 42 miles; slightly shorter than today. The weather report for the morning is calling for grey skies, but not for rain, and sunny later, and the temperature should be warmer. I hope so.

Aside from a nice nap in the later afternoon I’ve spent a fair bit of time since getting home trying to get my shoes dried out to wear again tomorrow. And now it’s time for bed so I can get up in the morning and do it again.

Thanks for your support everyone! Oh, and I sent a couple of pictures from my cameraphone to flickr at a few points during the ride. I think a couple from the start, one from the first rest stop, and then of the Polo tent at the finish. They should give a little feel for the weather and the scene. I’ll try and do a few more tomorrow. Hopefully drier weather will encourage me to use the camera a little more frequently. You can find a link to my flickr page over in the sidebar of this page. Just scan around and you’ll see it.

Tour to Tanglewood 2009 Sunday

Day two of the 2009 Tour to Tanglewood is over and the event is complete for this year.

I arrived at the Volvo Headquarters prior to 6:30 AM to catch the shuttle back to Tanglewood to get my bike and begin the ride back. We sat on the bus for a long time before beginning the drive, and I think perhaps there was a little confusion about when the bus was to depart. But eventually we made the trip. There was also some confusion about how he was to bring us to the start. We did eventually make it, but many of the other riders had already departed by the time I was getting to my bike. Maybe that’s a small detail for the organizers to take a closer look at next year. Still, they did get me to the start, and it’s not a race after all.

I had continuing problems with my brakes rubbing right at the start. Another rider at the start line commented as I rode past, “gotta love that sound, right?” He was being sarcastic. Someone did some quick loosening of the cables and I rode with my rear calipers open again, but I was able to do the ride without the brakes rubbing, at least not too badly.

For the first segment I rode along with one of my co-workers and team-mates Jim. We both decided to take it fairly easy getting out of the park and to the first rest stop. Plus the roads were still wet, although it wasn’t really raining anymore, perhaps a light mist. Still, the time went pretty quickly to the first stop. At the stop I loaded up on some fig newtons and gatorade and did a little stretching that I had neglected to do prior to beginning, and I could tell that I was a little tight from yesterday’s ride. Jim and I had a little chat at the rest area about our individual plans for the rest of the ride and I took a photo of a few of the participants and volunteers dressed as pirates, which you can see over at flickr, and then I proceeded on my way.

After the stretch I was feeling a little more ready to cruise so I just set my own pace and did my own thing and made pretty good time. I didn’t stop at any of the subsequent rest stops, although I was tempted at one when a group of enthusiasts began hollering to each other when I rode past, “check it out…he’s got the Polo…hey, he’s wearing the Polo!” I gave them a thumbs up and kept going.

I started hearing the spokes on my rear wheel creak at around mile 35. I don’t know what it is. I just can’t get this wheel to keep true anymore. Maybe it is time to get new wheels, but I’d kind of like to get a whole new bike. Anyway, that’s another matter. The bike and wheel held together and I made it to the finish line where, like yesterday, there were people cheering and clapping and yelling, “good job, well done!” And it feels really good and really nice. There’s a very satisfying sense of accomplishment, even more than on a regular ride of the same mileage, where’s there’s a sense of accomplishment about the mileage, but in this case there’s also the knowledge that you’ve raised money for a good cause.

Along the way I saw a few of my team-mates wearing their Polo jerseys. I think we made an impression during the ride, and were certainly more visible than last year. Also, and more importantly from a fundraising standpoint, we raised quite a bit more money for the cause of fighting MS. So I feel very good about that, and I’m glad that we were able to contribute more this year than in the past.

There was lunch at the end of the ride. I took a few moments to put my bike away and went and had a nice sandwich and chips and mac & cheese. I chatted with a few of my Polo team-mates and then headed back home where I got myself cleaned up, had a cup of coffee and then feel asleep. I was very tired.

Oh, stats: a little over 42 miles with an average speed of 16.9 mph. According to my Garmin we ascended 1683 feet, which means the return trip had a lot more climbing overall than the outgoing trip…interesting.

Tour to Tanglewood 6 Days to Go

I started my ride a little later this morning than usual. I didn’t hit the road until after 8 AM. I just felt like enjoying the extra hour of sleep. Plus, now that it isn’t so hot one of the primary reasons for starting super early has been removed.

Anyway, I did 41 miles with an average speed of 16 mph. It was a fairly hilly route, particularly at the beginning and then right at the end again, which kind of hurt.

There’s only a week to go now, so if you haven’t made a donation now is your chance, I would really appreciate your help. You can help me reach my fundraising goal for the Bike MS: BB&T Tour to Tanglewood 2009 by sponsoring me. It’s easy. Just click this link and then click the donate button to make a donation.

Tour to Tanglewood 13 Days to Go

Marcella and I did a nice 16 mile ride yesterday evening. I adjusted her front derailleur prior to the ride and I think she was a little happier with the gearing options she had on the hills. She couldn’t shift onto the small chainring previously.

This morning I did a 39 mile solo ride. It was a nice morning out. A little cool to start. I averaged 16 mph and climbed 1469 feet. I was chased by dogs twice. One time by a really tiny little dog that was fast as hell. I thought the little thing’s heart was gonna explode he kept right behind me for so long.

Now I’m watching the Panthers season opener against Philadelphia. It’s not going too good right now.

Now for the reminder. You can help me reach my fundraising goal for the Bike MS: BB&T Tour to Tanglewood 2009 by sponsoring me. It’s easy. Just click this link and then click the donate button to make a donation.