DM, SB & IC [UN]Official Pre-Training Training Ride: Cooling Down and Warming Up!

Scott, Ian, and me in front of Hayden Library on ASU's Tempe campus

Scotty, Ian, and I got out on the trail this morning for a sort of unofficial pre-training training ride from ASU to Chapparal Park in Scottsdale and back. The route was 20.6 miles, most of which was on the Greenbelt's multi-use path. This was Ian's first ride with Scott and me.

Ian and Scotty on the path around Tempe Town Lake

It was a beautiful morning to ride... The most beautiful sight of all was seeing WATER in Tempe Town Lake again for the first time in months. After leaving the ASU campus and heading north on Mill, we took a lap on Tempe Town Lake before heading toward Scottsdale.

There was, however, an unusual amount of dog poop on the path today. We were calling out "POOP!" much more often than sand, glass, bumps, etc. It really bothers me that so many people don't feel like they have any obligation to pick up after their pets. Disgusting - but nothing surprises me in Arizona.

 Ian fishing Little Red Riding Hood's shoe out of the drink

It is also worth noting that rookie ALC cyclist Ian came to the aid of a young girl in... well, I guess you could say distress. Somehow, this young girl managed to lose her shoe in the stream that runs along the Greenbelt. Ian stopped and fished it out for her. We're still not sure how this happened and didn't ask any questions, but it was nice to see a new cyclist demonstrate the kind of goodwill that is such a part of the AIDS LifeCycle ride experience. Gold star for Ian!

Sporting the cardinal and gold in honor of Kerry Castillo this morning...

One final note... I wore the USC socks that Kerry Castillo sent out from Los Angeles this morning. I know she'll be proud I sported the cardinal and gold in her honor this morning. FIGHT ON, Kerry... FIGHT ON!

An AMAZING Video from the LA Gay and Lesbian Center...

Friends -
Do you have questions about how the money we raise for AIDS LifeCycle is being spent? This video from the LA Gay and Lesbian Center - which supports ANYONE who needs help, NOT JUST LGBTQ persons - does a really good job of covering some of the critical services your sponsorship dollars support.


PLEASE take a look and support the cyclists of ALC Team PHX TODAY! We need your help to protect these services so that they can continue to provide care and services to people in need.

Thank you!

TTs First Solo Ride in DC: Discovering the Beauty that is the Mt. Vernon Trail

The last few months for me have been a huge adjustment, between packing up my life in Phoenix and starting a new in Washington DC, I haven't found a ton of time to be out on the rode.

As many know, I accepted a new position with the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors in Washington DC back in late July and gave my one month notice to friends, family, and of course Southwest Center for HIV, that I would be packing up and headed toward being a part of Macro-Level Social Change.

One of the hardest decisions of my life, but it has been an amazing few months as I have transitioned from work on the local-level to managing NASTAD's HIV Prevention Profile for Gay Men across the United States.

With that being said, I'm a bit delayed at posting about my first solo adventure on my bike here in DC as I had a hectic week of travel for work.

I set out last Sunday Morning (October 10, 2010) to explore the Mt. Vernon Train - as DM states the first must do ride in DC - and boy was he ever right.

I left my Condo in Adams Morgan and found my way to an entry to the trail near the Lincoln Memorial.

I rode along the winding trail on what is by far the most beautiful ride I have experienced yet on the East Coast. Riding alongside the water, through the woods, and ending up at the end of the Mt. Vernon Trail, of course famous for being the Home of George Washington.

The weather was gorgeous, the perfect day for my first longer ride out here.

Looking forward to next weekend, when I’ll be co-leading my first ALC Training Ride here in the area.

FOR ALL NEW RIDERS: TAKE NOTE! The importance of proper bike fit!

Think a bike is a bike is a bike? Think that things like your saddle position are merely worth considering for general comfort?

WRONG!

We've had a few rookie cyclists experience the consequences of a bad bike fit or no bike fit at all. I can't stress how important this is - especially for new cyclists. Check it out. If you need local referrals for a bike fit, talk to me!

Don't believe your Training Ride Leader? The following is compliments of the good folks at AIDS LifeCycle and can be found online at http://www.aidslifecycle.org/training/bike-fit.html. 

 

Bike Fit

It is important to make sure your bike is fitted to your body.  You should have your bike fit by a professional.  This may or may not be the same person who sells you the bike.  Most bike shops will do a very basic check in order to put you on the right size bike frame, but you’ll want a fit professional to look at the nuances of your body, including your physiology, flexibility, strengths, weaknesses and past injuries.  They will look at frame size in relation to your body and your saddle, handlebar and cleat positions.   Your favorite local bike shop should be able to refer you to a fit specialist.  Many local shops have sent their employees to special bike fit training in order to offer professional bike fits in their stores.

The importance of proper bike fit

You should be comfortable on your bike, whether you’re on an easy 20 mile ride or a challenging 100 miles.  You should not have saddle sores, hand or foot numbness, knee, neck or back pain.  Any of these symptoms can indicate that you need to get a professional bike fit.  Remember, you will spend many hours in that saddle in one position.  It’s imperative that your fit is correct!

Most people do not realize that so many pains and injuries are because of a poor bike fit.  Along with comfort, fit has the greatest effect on aerodynamics and pedal stroke efficiency.  A saddle that is 1 inch too high can cause unequal distribution of forces through the pedal stroke.  This will lead to an unequal distribution of work on some muscles and give others a free ride.

Bike fit is the process of matching a changeable bike into a slowly moldable body.  An individual’s flexibility and strength make a significant difference in how a bike is adjusted even if you have 2 people of the exact same height.  

Basic Bike Fit checks include:

• Saddle Height
• Saddle Position fore and aft
• Saddle tilt
• Handlebar/ stem height 
• Cleat position (on the shoe)

Note:  if you are riding a recumbent, there may be some additional or different adjustments required.  While recumbent bike fitting is less involved than a traditional road type bike it is still important to have a professional adjust areas that involve your arm stretch, cleat adjustment (if you’re using this type of pedal) and any adjustments allowed to ensure your leg stretch is correctly set with your pedals.

AG & TG Training Ride: Alex's First Training Ride!

After picking up my new bike from Performance on Thursday night, I was very excited to go for my very first training ride! I also had my fair share of worries--it was my first time ever riding on a road bike, and I have a small fracture in my foot! (Don't worry though, I have
clearance to ride).

Tracy and I started out with the basics and rode around our apartment parking lot to make sure I was comfortable on my bike. After about ten minutes, I was MORE than comfortable. In fact, I was amazed at how smoothly a "real" bike rides! Once I was good to go, we set out on a nice ride "around the block," which ended up being a nice tour around the back streets on our side of Tempe. I got used to manuevering my bike, using my safety signals,and switching my gears.

The riding itself, which I expected to be painful in all sorts of ways, was actually wonderfully relaxing. It was great to feel the breeze and have time to think about the journey ahead of me. I've been homesick for the autumn weather on the East Coast, but the nice, cool breeze in the morning was reminding me of back home. I got a chance to think about what is ahead of me--the ups and downs of training, the flat tires, the learning and growing. Slowly but surely, as the ride went on, my nerves completely disappeared and I became comfortable.

The ride went well, but after about 6 miles, I started to have some pain in my foot and Tracy's outer calves started throbbing. It wasn't until then that she started to realize how important it is that she gets a proper bike fitting! Her alignment was all out of whack on the bike, causing some strain on her lower legs. We cut the ride short to make sure we were taking care of ourselves and not getting injured. When we hopped of the bike, I made sure to lead us in some stretching--its important when using new muscles!! Tracy is heading right into Bike Barn this week for a fitting, and I've got a few new rides planned for this week (short ones while I'm healing, though)

DM Solo Training Ride: An Afternoon Ascent on South Mountain

 On the ride back down the mountain...

After yesterday's 75 mile ride through the Northwest valley, I found myself desiring another, albeit shorter ride today. I wanted to get a ride in at South Mountain, but also didn't really have the patience for the long, boring ride from Central Phoenix through South Phoenix to the park, so I drove.

 Stage II of the climb up South Mountain...

It was a pretty warm ride... About 90'F. That's about as warm as it's been many mornings when I ride, but it's a totally different feel when you are fully exposed to the afternoon sun. It really feels a lot warmer.

Today's ride puts me at 944 miles of training for AIDS LifeCycle 10! Support my efforts today at http://www.danmaxey.com!

DM Solo Training Ride: The Scenic Route from Phoenix to Fountain Hills and Back...

Along the Beeline Highway South of Fountain Hills with Red Mountain in the background

It is FINALLY starting to feel like Fall in Phoenix... After months and months of the horrid heat, we're creeping into that time of year when it's really pleasant to live here. I decided to celebrate the recent change in climate AND my first weekend in Phoenix in a few weeks with a 75 mile tour of the Northeast valley.

Normally, when I ride to Fountain Hills I start in Tempe. This time I decided to ride from my apartment in Phoenix instead. It was a nice change of pace although the stretch from Phoenix to Tempe along Washington/Jefferson Streets can leave much to be desired. There's not much to look at down there. I powered through it until I hit Mill Avenue, just to put it behind me.

As I crossed over Mill Avenue Bridge, I observed that Tour de Fat was going on down at Tempe Beach Park. I was momentarily upset, but I got over it. I went last year and it was alright, but wasn't quite as exciting as I had hoped... I think it was the MASSIVE line for beer (albeit wonderful Fat Tire beer) that I can get in any local bar or supermarket without a wait. Anyway, I rode by as quickly as I could so as to limit my interaction with drunk, inexperienced cyclists on bikes made more to be stupid than functional.

Once past the crazies, I took a lap on Tempe Town Lake, which is now SLOWLY refilling after replacement of three of the four rubber dams. It's nice to see water in the lake again, although it still has a long way to go until all million or so gallons are back in place.

A Mountain and Tempe Town Lake from the dry side of the dam

I took my usual route along the Greenbelt, which was quite surprisingly nearly vacant. There were a few frizbee golfers in Scottsdale and a handful of leisure cyclists, but not nearly as many walkers and joggers as there normally are. Of course, that meant no complaints from me as I pushed ahead to Shea Boulevard.

Ice cream at Sweet Republic

At the end of the line, I decided to stop for a break at Sweet Republic - one of the Top Ten Ice Cream Shops in the United States according to Bon Appetit magazine. It's usually closed when I ride by, so I thought it would be a nice treat. The woman working - I think she was the owner - was very nice and shoveled tiny spoon after tiny spoon of all-natural, amazingly flavored ice cream for me to sample. I probably tried eight kinds before I settled on Sweet Corn (there was actual corn in it... funny I didn't get any in Iowa a week earlier) and Real Mint Chip (with the mellow flavor of REAL pressed mint leaves). It was well worth the stop. One of these weekends, I'm going to have to take the team on a training ride up there and back.

I didn't waste much time before I was back on the bike and hitting the long climb up Shea Boulevard into the aptly named Fountain Hills - which true to its name has both an awesome fountain and PLENTY of hills. I really don't love that climb, but it's worth it if you get to see the fountain on the other side.

A view to the Southeast from Saddleback Mountain on the climb into Fountain Hills

At the top of the long steady climb into Fountain Hills

It had warmed up quite a bit up in Fountain Hills and I had timed my ride well to arrive with enough time to fill up water bottles and find a good spot to watch the fountain. I watched all 15 minutes of it, too... I have to admit that one of my favorite parts of watching the fountain is watching it shut off - as it slowly creeps downward and then WHOOSH, there's a roar as the last spray of water falls onto the base of the fountain.

The world famous fountain that gives Fountain Hills half of its name

Within minutes of the end of the spectacular show, I was back on the bike and heading across town to the Beeline Highway - a long stretch of relatively secluded highway that would take me back to Scottsdale through the Salt River Reservation. (See first photo, above).

By the time I was back in Scottsdale I was feeling a little hungry... I got back on the Greenbelt and headed for Tempe and In N Out Burger for a little dinner before starting the ride back home.

 Dinner - Double Double and Fries

I don't know how these people get away with calling this In N Out Burger though... The wait for my plain Double Double and fries was sort of unreasonably long for the dinner hour. I know they make everything to order, but if you know it's going to be busy (it always is), have some burger patties cooking. Just my rant.  :)  It was still delicious and sufficiently bloated, I got back on my bike to make it home before it was too dark.

I did make one short stop on the ride back to photograph Tovrea Castle, a Phoenix landmark and just about the only interesting thing to see along the Washington/Jefferson corridor between Phoenix and Tempe. It was just aglow in sunlight and was begging to be photographed. Beautiful sight.

So here are the stats for the ride.

Mileage: 75 miles

Total Training Mileage for ALC 10: 927 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,595 feet

Total Stops: Three, two of which were DELICIOUS!

Fountain Park, Fountain Hills, AZ

Today I rode out to Fountain Hills as part of a 75 mile ride around the Northeast valley. Fountain Park is a frequent highlight of my longer rides and I wanted to share a few brief seconds of the joyous sight of the fountain with all of you.

Every hour, the fountain fires off for a solid 15 minutes. It's quite a spectacle to see.

Here's a little blurb about the fountain from the Fountain Hills municipal website:

The centerpiece of Fountain Hills is our beautiful fountain; one of the world's tallest man-made fountains. It serves as a focal point for the community and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The fountain was built in 1970 by Robert McCulloch the year before reconstruction of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, another of McCulloch's projects. The fountain sprays water for about 15 minutes every hour at the top of the hour. The plume rises from a concrete water lily sculpture in the center of a large man-made lake.

The fountain, driven by three 600 horsepower (450kW) turbine pumps, sprays water at a rate of 7,000 gallons per minute though an 18-inch nozzle. With all three pumps and under ideal conditions, the fountain reaches 560 feet (170m) in height, though in normal operation only two of the pumps are used, with a fountain height of around 300 feet (91m). When built, it was the world's tallest fountain and held that record for over a decade.