Author: Rich

Luna Lakes 2008: Reserve to Springerville

Monday May 26 – We decided to leave earlier this morning, but I guess everyone else had the same idea.  We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, and an interesting pumpkin streudel with a tasty topping.  I had a rare cup of coffee that gave me a good morning jolt.  After stowing our stuff for the truck, we found ourselves again the last riders on the course. Monday’s route started directly into a 14-mile climb from 5770 feet in Reserve up US180 (the Colorado Trail Scenic Road) to the Luna summit at 8000 feet in the San Francisco

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Luna Lakes 2008: Quemado to Reserve

Sunday May 25 – Electing not to use an alarm, Mary Ellen and I awoke about 6:20AM the next morning.  Unfortunately, our pre-paid breakfast was 5 – 6:30AM at the high school, nearly a ½ mile walk from the hotel.  We dressed in a flash and practically ran there, arriving about 1 minute late, then grinned and pleaded our case for service.   I was happy to see cold cereal and milk, my favorite, and downed several bowls.  They also served leftover chocolate cake, which Mary Ellen started with, then added 2 pancakes on top of that. On our walk back

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Luna Lakes 2008: Springerville to Quemado

Saturday May 24 – We arose to temperatures in the low 30s and spitting skies. Riders met in the Safeway parking lot, tossed luggage into a truck, and we were basically ready to go. I took observation of riders’ cold-and-rain clothing, which ranged from full head-body-and-shoe rain gear to poncho and jeans tucked inside knee socks. I wore all of my new purchases, with several layers inside the rain jacket. The route headed due east on US60, with temps in the low 30s, and skies heavily overcast. Mary Ellen and I made two small climbs to reach the New Mexico

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Luna Lakes 2008: Preface

I’ve been riding with the PMBC for a couple months off and on, and I’ve started to meet other riders, particularly those who ride about the same speed I do. We call ourselves “tweeners” since we can’t quite keep up with the fast group, but always pull away from the slower group. One is Mary Ellen, a device manager who works for Medtronics. On our Saturday rides, she is a popular and sociable member of the club, and a strong rider. In April, she mentioned the Luna Lakes Tour, a GABA sponsored ride out of the Tucson chapter. I was

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El Tour de Phoenix 2008

Preparation:  Another year and another El Tour de Phoenix.  I almost didn’t do the ride. Six days prior to the ETP, I rode in a GABA sponsored event called “Around the Tanks.”  It was an exceedingly flat ride around the base of the White Tank Mountains, way west of Phoenix.  In scheduling that ride, I figured it either might be a good (flat and easy) tune-up for the ETP, or it might just serve as an end itself, a good solid spring ride to top off the season before the summer heat. That ride was held last Sunday.  After about

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ETP 2007: Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned: Pre-hydration and good eating beforehand seemed to help alot. Use of sports drinks definitely helps with cramping. I could have used 3 bottles of Gatorade. I skipped all rest stops by carrying everything, although I was on the borderline with this. Saved lots of time. Consuming 2 Clif bars in this event is difficult – no need to bring more than 3. Regarding my plan, I underestimated my speed on the flats by around 5 mph, a big source of error. Some pre-knowledge of the course is pretty helpful, so you know where to conserve, where to push,

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ETP 2007: Race Day

Up at 4:45am. Weighed myself at 172.2 lb. Breakfast of cinnamon shredded wheat and milk. Popped 2 Tylenols plus 2 of the Vantage tablets. They recommend 5 beforehand, but I stayed conservative, not knowing if it would agree with me. Grabbed an apple on the way out. Glad I only had to drive 4 miles to the start. I had originally planned to ride there, but then eventually realized it would still be dark! I brought 2 water bottles of medium strong Gatorade, my Camelbak filled with water, and 6 clif bars in my jersey pockets. At first, I considered

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ETP 2007: The Day Before

Rest day. Stopped at Pat’s Cycle Shop in Mesa to pick up a tube repair kit, just in case. Talked to Don in there a long time about bicycle stuff. He said out-of-towners had been coming in all day buying stuff for the race. He lamented that a couple of loud Air Force guys from Colorado were bending his ear about how bad the roads are here in AZ, full of thorns and gravel. Was going to get some of those air cylinders, too, but the mechanic talked me out of it. Says my frame pump will do just as

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ETP 2007: Two Days Before

Played golf in the morning (hit some dandy tee shots but couldn’t putt a thing). Rode 30 minutes after I got home, and I probably pushed too hard on the hills. Came back with leg fatigue – great! Picked up some pre-ride supplies at Basha’s, e.g. clif bars, gatorade. I know they’ll have stuff on the course, but I’m going to try to skip a few rest stops if I can.

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ETP 2007: Three Days Before

Rest day. Wiped down my bike really well with orange cleaner, degreased and re-lubed the chain, and adjusted the brake cables and alignment a little bit, since the front tire was rubbing. I think the bike is good to go. Just for fun, I checked out the route map, and made this little table of expectations. I assumed a flat pace starting at 16.5 mph, sorta slowing throughout the ride, up steep hills around 8 or 9, and down them around 23. I then adjusted the numbers to approximate a finish at 5 hours, which is my goal for the

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