MS Ride 2014 – The Bike Spoke of a Moose

Friday, September 12th

Rode up to Wallace on Friday afternoon with Jill (a neighbor who was doing the MS Ride) and Shawn (her husband). We set up camp and then went to Kellogg to pick up the registration materials for the ride. In each envelope was a bandana that had a message and was signed by a person with MS. We went back to Wallace, walked around downtown for a bit, had dinner, and then got ready for bed. I slept in a tent alongside the creek that runs right by the Wallace RV Park. Part way through the night I woke up and thought it was raining due to the sound. I went back to sleep after realizing that the sound was only the creek.

Saturday, September 13th

I woke up feeling pretty good. Ate a peanut butter and pear butter sandwich for breakfast. I got dressed and wrote the names of all the people that I would be riding for on my calf (Tammy, Brandt, Mike, Michelle, Chris, Susie, Samantha). I was able to finish eating and warmed up in Jill and Shawn’s trailer before heading to Kellogg for the start of the MS Ride.

I got on the bike and rode down to Kellogg, arriving just in time to gather with the other riders that were waiting at the start. At 9:00 we started out on the trail towards Cataldo, where the first rest stop would be. I stopped after we got out of Kellogg to give assistance to one of the riders who was having problems with her cycling cleats. I got back on the bike and it ended up being a pretty nice little ride to Cataldo where I stopped to get some food and water.

Riding along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s got me thinking about the wildlife that I would be seeing. Up ahead a small group of riders had stopped on the trail. As I got closer to them I noticed a bull moose alongside the trail tugging on the branches of an Aspen tree. We stood and waited for him to finish his meal. As I was going to try and get a picture with my IPod a guy on mountain bike caught up with us and he charged right toward the moose. The moose got spooked and headed on down the trail with the mountain biker following. We all decided to follow the moose and biker down the trail. We must have gone ¼ to ½ miles before the moose found a spot to get off of the trail. In another mile I spooked a whitetail deer that was down among the brush. Arrived at the Medimont Trailhead rest stop and got more water and food.

I saw only one Woolly Bear caterpillar as I made my way from the Medimont Trailhead to Harrison. I stopped in Harrison at the MS Ride rest stop and topped the water bottles off and headed towards Plummer. About 4 miles out of Harrison, I stopped to loan my pump to a guy who needed to pump up his tire. He got his tire pumped up and I was off again. 6 miles later I heard a ping from the rear wheel and started to feel the rim rub against the brake pads. I stopped to assess the damage and decided that it was best to turn around and ride back to Harrison. I opened up the brakes so the rim wouldn’t be constantly rubbing. Once I made it to Harrison I stopped at the little trailer that one of the volunteer bike shops had setup. The mechanic took out the broken spoke and straightened it out the best that he could so that I could ride it some more for the weekend. I wandered over to the rest stop to get lunch and then headed towards the Medimont Trailhead rest stop.

I was planning on riding all the way to Cataldo to get a ride with the Sag Wagon, but by the time I got to the Medimont Trailhead I was pretty tired. I think I got worn out fighting the brakes rubbing the rim. I waited at the Medimont Trailhead for the Sag Wagon to take me to Kellogg.
I did finish the day with 83 miles and about 4.75 hours of riding time.

I decided that sleeping in the school gym would be better than by the creek, so I went with Shawn to the RV Park to get my stuff before the dinner and program. After all of the festivities we took my stuff over to the school and I got ready for a good night of sleep. I got the tent put back in the little pack that it came in and arranged all of my stuff so that it would be easy getting ready in the morning.

Sunday, September 14th

One of the volunteers that was staying at the school let me put my stuff in her car so that I did not have to carry it to the starting line. I went up to have breakfast and then waited around for the start of the ride. I would not be riding very far or very long since the bike was having issues.

I ended up riding to Wallace and going to mass. After mass was done I headed back down the trail to Kellogg, stopping only to get lunch at the park in Osburn. It was a short day on the bike but I was glad that I was still able to do some miles.

Senior Games

I really did not know what to think as I signed up for four cycling races for the Idaho Senior Games. All I knew was that I would be doing a 40K road race, a 20K road race, a 10K time trial, and a 5K time trial over two days. The nice thing about it was that Steve would be doing three of those events with me. He didn't do the 40K road race since his road bike was in several pieces.

Representing PBR and the
University of Idaho at the
Idaho Senior Games

The 40K road race was an interesting start to the weekend. They combined five age groups for this race and there were three people racing in my age group. I started out in the lead group and took many turns on the front of the pace line. Once we got close to the second lap I started to feel like I was ready to be done. We had a pretty hefty climb to make to get to the start/finish line and once we got there I lost contact with the lead group. I ended up riding alone the next lap and I came in second but got a gold medal for being the first finisher for the state. The winner of the my 50-54 age category was from Wyoming and he ended up getting first in all of the events.

The 5K time trial was the next event for the day and it featured five riders in the 50-54 age category. It was an out and back route with the out being down hill and a nice little climb back up to the finish. Steve was in this race and he ended up getting a silver while I got a bronze. The turn around was interesting since the road had been chip sealed a while before the race.

The 20K road race was a little more animated at the start with about eight or nine of us getting out pretty quick after the first turn. I was pulling along when a freight train of seven cyclists went by me. I tried to catch a wheel as they went but I was unable to. I ended up riding alone for a little bit before another rider came up and we started working together to see if we could catch the break. We got close but the other group bolted again leaving a lone rider for us to catch. We did a three person pace line until we got about 3 miles from the finish where the lone rider decided to save himself for the time trial that afternoon by slowing down. I ended up getting a silver in this race. One of the racers was still out on the course after everyone had crossed the line so a couple of us decided to go out and ride back in with him. He really appreciated having someone to ride with to the finish.

The 10K time trial had a course change since the original course had a lot more rock on it from the chip sealing that happened the week before. We ended up going on a course that used part of the 5K course for the finish. I ended the day getting the gold which totally surprised me since I thought Steve gained on me and the guy in front of me got farther away from me.

I had a great time at the games and I look forward to doing them again next year. I think I might even do the ones that are held in Lewiston.

The MS Ride is coming up in a month and I am really getting excited about riding my bike in support of raising money for finding a cure for MS. You can donate money on my MS Society page to help me reach my goal.

Busy, but not really

What a busy time on the bikes since the last post. Still spending a lot of time riding to and from work. I try to meander a bit everyday so that it is not a straight shot. This allows for a varied experience of Moscow streets (at least ones that are not closed for construction).

On the 22nd of June we hosted a criterium on the campus. It was a fun time of racing and volunteering. I raced with the CAT 5 group and did not come in last.

For the 4th of July weekend this year we went down to Nampa to hang out and celebrate several graduations. The celebration was at my Uncle John's house in Middleton. I decided to head out early on the third to ride as far as I could be for the rest of the family caught up to me. Part of my plan was to go up the old Winchester grade but cramping in the legs made this impossible. I ended up turning around and going back down to Highway 95. I rode till I was about 4 miles north of the gas station at the southern cutoff road into Winchester. I waited by the side of the road for my ride to come along. They went by not noticing me waving at them. I got back on the bike and rode to the gas station and caught a ride to the top of the Whitebird hill. I rode down the new grade and met the family at Hoot's Cafe.

Steve and I had a real good ride on the 4th around Lake Lowell by Nampa. I road the greenbelt trails in Nampa on the 5th. There were a lot of ducks on those trails.

I have had several rides up onto Moscow Mountain so far this summer. Jorge and I saw a moose on one of the rides. I also road up to and on the trail that Monica, Philip, and I worked on earlier in the summer. I really enjoy riding up there since the scenery and the trails have been awesome.

This coming week I will be going to Boise to compete in the Idaho Senior Games in the 5K time trial, 10K time trial, 20K road race, and 40K road race. I just thought that this would be an interesting thing to do before the semester starts back up.

I am really getting excited for the MS Ride that is being held on the 13th and 14th of September. If you would like to help out this worthy cause by donating money then click this link. Any little bit helps. Thanks.

Ouch! That hurt, and Bike MS.

Went for a ride on the 10th that was fun but I pushed a little too hard and my back decided that it did not want to go the full distance. The ride began at One World Café in Moscow and we rode out on the Latah Trail to Troy. Once we got to Troy we headed out Highway 99 to Kendrick. The descent was pretty fast and furious down to Kendrick. I think I averaged 38mph. This made up for some of the slowness that I encountered just getting to the top of the descent. After making it to Kendrick safe and sound we headed towards Juliaetta along Highway 3. Before getting to Juliaetta we turned onto McGary Grade Road. Wow, I thought to myself as we started going up and up and up. It was enough to just keep the bike upright and moving as gravity was trying to pull me back down the road. The view along the way was pretty spectacular but I did not spend much time enjoying it. The descent from the top down to Cherrylane Road was even quicker than the ride down to Kendrick. We crossed the Clearwater River and road along Highway 12 to get to Cottonwood Creek Road. We climbed to the top of and headed down Garden Gulch Road into Lapwai. The others rode the back way into Lewiston but I went along Highway 95. I tried to make it up the Old Spiral Highway but was unable to since my back started to really hurt and I decided that I did not want to put more pressure on it. I ended up calling home and Monica came to get me.

Wednesday night was a pretty relaxed Wild Wednesday Road Ride. We ended up going to Troy and doing several different roads from there. I didn’t get as much mileage in as I wanted but it was a fun time.

Today I rode up Foothill Road on Moscow Mountain until I ran into some pretty big gravel that I was afraid would puncture my tires. I made it back down and ended up getting a flat right outside of Moscow. I got the tube replaced and got back on the bike but decided to head back home after only 18 miles of riding. It was fun heading up the mountain but next time it will be using the mountain bike.

I registered for the MS Ride again. It is the weekend of September 13 and 14th and I am excited about the new routes that they announced. We start in Kellogg and ride towards Plummer on the first day. There are four different distances to do this year with the longest being 100 miles on the first day. The second day has a choice of two different distances with the longest being 50 miles. Please support me in raising money for this great cause. You and I can make a difference in so many lives. Here is a link to my participant page to be able to donate online. Thanks.

Lax on the postings

Been a little while since a posting has been done. Lots of commuting miles along with some 20-30 miler rides close to home.

The commuting rides have been anywhere from 3 miles to almost 8 miles. I like the ones that are longer since I get to see quite a bit of Moscow. I am going to try and ride every street in Moscow at some point either riding to or from work during the summer. I have been riding a lot down the main street of Moscow since they put in sharrows. Here is a nice video. Hopefully putting in sharrows will mean less bikes on the sidewalks in the downtown area.

I have done a couple of the Wild Wednesday rides so far this year. Most of the longer rides have been loops to Pullman and back on Airport Road or going out on Blaine Road and coming back on the Genesee/Troy Road.

I did do the Ronde van Palouse race again. This years race was a two lap shortened version of last years race. They took out some of the gravel section since there was some bad spots that and work being done on it. The potholes during the start of the race were the scariest part of the whole ride. I didn't have that much problem with the gravel except for a slow leak on the front tire that developed on the second lap. I was lucky enough to find someone that had a floor pump at one of the intersections. The extra air made the rest of the ride a lot smoother until I got nearer to the finish when the headwind really started going.

2013 in review and a look ahead

I lost my mind and got my license to race. I only ended up doing one road race and three cyclocross races for the year but I have the fever to do more.

I did the Ronde Von Palouse in April and it was a brutal race with wind, snow, wind, gravel, wind, freezing temps, and more wind. The weekend after that was the Northwest Collegiate Championships put on by WSU and the UofI. I drove lead car for one of the road race events on the first day. There was also a Citizen’s Road Race after all of the collegiate racers finished. We only did one lap of the course since the wind was blowing so hard. Sunday was spent watching some criterium action on the UofI campus.

We flew to Colorado to see Monica graduate from college in May. It was nice to spend a few days down there and go see the sights.

Rode up the old White Bird Hill on the 8th of June and then did the old Lewiston Grade a week later. I did some mountain bike riding with Deb and Steve over the 4th of July when we went to Warren to spend a couple of days. On the 13th of July I rode my longest ride ever when I rode with Hector Pickard to Spokane. It was 130 miles from Moscow to Spokane and back to Colfax on a very nice day. Two weeks later I rode to Clarkston for a nephew’s birthday and then rode back home.

September ushered in the MS Ride on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. I ended up riding over 230 miles over three days.

During October and November I did 3 cyclocross races and had a blast doing them.

• Statistics
• 5400 total miles
• 374 hours
• 345 days
• 290524 calories
• Commuted 2431 miles
• Goals for 2014
• Ride more days then 2013
• Ride 6000+ miles
• Race 2 or more races
• Race 4 or more cyclocross races
• Hill climbs: Lewiston Grade, Whitebird, and Mount Spokane

MS Ride 2013

Friday, September 13th, 2013

On Friday before the MS Ride, Pam arrived at the house and I got all of my stuff loaded into her rig. The first destination of the day would be Plummer, where I would get on the bike and ride to Kellogg on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

It felt great to get on the bike and head down the trail on a very nice end of summer day. Joe didn’t get on the bike for this trip since I wanted to make sure that he was all rested for Saturday and Sunday. About 5 miles out of Plummer a whitetail deer went bounding across the trail and headed up the hill. Seeing the deer made me think of all the other wildlife that I could see along the trail. I expected to see a moose or heron as I made my way towards Harrison, but I only saw a small turtle right in the middle of the trail. I stopped and got it to move off to the side of the trail so that it did not get run over by others riding on the trail. I stopped at the bike shop in Harrison to get my tires pumped up and then got back on the trail.

The rest of the way to Kellogg was free of any life form other than the occasional biker or walker. All I needed was some food and sleep to get ready for the first day of the MS Ride.

Saturday, September 14th, 2013

Pam and I got ready to go and Joe was placed on the handle bar of the bike. We got to Mullan with plenty of time to get signed in and find out where we needed to be. Pam checked in with the person that was in charge of the volunteers to let them know that she was ready to take pictures of the event. We hung out in the parking lot and got to know a lot of the other riders. The weather was going to be nice for the ride. At 9:45 we were set free to ride on the trail.

Pam was at the first rest stop. I stopped and chatted with the volunteers, got some water, stocked up on food, and headed down the trail. This routine would be repeated several times along the trail as the rest stops were spaced out at about 15 mile intervals. It was fun to be able to relax a bit and chat with everyone before getting back on the bike. I did not bring my Camelback backpack this year, so filling up water bottles at the rest areas was important.

Lunch was served in Cataldo. Pam and I sat down for a nice little meal and some good conversation. After lunch it was refill bottles and get on the bike time. Trip to Harrison and up to Plummer was very nice and I saw a Woolly Bear caterpillar and a blue heron along the way. Others reported seeing moose and coyote in several places. I must have been the only one to not see any, even though I was looking all over place for them.

I took a shower when I got to the school in Plummer and then cheered on the rest of the riders as they came in. After everyone arrived we headed to the casino for the banquet. The food was very good and the people that talked during the presentations did a very good job. The presentations really drove home why I ride for the MS Society. The talks of how MS affects people differently but how those people are committed to not letting the disease get them down reminded me of all of the people with MS that I ride for: Susie Kaus, Michelle Jacobi, Samantha Martin, Mike Moe, Chris Nettleton, and Brandt Elwell. Their drive and determination lead me on even though I want to stop riding my bike because my hind end is sore.

After the banquet was done, Pam and I went back to the school to get some sleep since Sunday was going to be arriving and we needed some rest.

Sunday, September 15th, 2013

Pam, one of the other cyclists, and I got up and made our way from the school to the casino for breakfast. I ate a light meal since I did not want to get too much grease in the system and get a stomach ache.
After breakfast it was back to the school to get ready for the ride back to Mullan. We needed to get Pam’s rig all packed up with all of our stuff. After getting done with the packing it was time to get the bike and head out on the trail. Quite a few riders had already started out earlier and by the time I got to Harrison I had passed most of them. I was setting a pretty good pace and Joe’s beard was pretty messed up from the wind. I did make sure to stop at the rest stops and fill my water bottles since it was a warm day out.

Still no signs of moose along the trail, but I did see a few more Woolly Bear caterpillars along the way out of Harrison. The trees were starting to show signs of fall coming on. The colors and the leaves on the trail made it so marvelous to ride. The sound of crunching under the tires was music to my ears as I rode along.
Made it to Mullan ahead of everyone and called Pam to let her know that I had made it. I then started out for the trip back to Cataldo. I waved at all the other MS riders as they came towards Mullan.

In Cataldo I sat down on one of the metal benches to wait for Pam to arrive. As I waited there another biker who I knew stopped to chat with me. After talking for a few minutes a moose finally decided to appear in the trees about 100 feet away. We wanted to get a picture so we moved along the trail and all of the sudden the moose got spooked and came right towards us. We made a bee-line to the bench to use it as protection. We did not have to worry too much since the moose decided to head away from us into the trees by the road. Pam arrived not long after the moose and I got the bike on the back of her rig and we headed down the road.

All in all this was a very good MS Ride.