Long overdue MS Ride report

I really need to get this up before the New Year. When I was riding in the snow during Thanksgiving in McCall I was reminded of a couple of rides I took in September on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. This was the eighth year doing a Ride MS event and the third one done on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

I drove up to Kellogg on the Friday before the ride and got checked in. I put my bike in the bike corral at the Silver Mountain Resort and then drove to the Wal Mart in Smelterville to park and sleep. I found that the rear seat of the pickup is designed for someone that is about 5’3” tall to sleep in. I had to get up in the middle of the night to use the facilities in Wal Mart and purchase some chocolate milk for breakfast in the morning. It cooled down quite a bit during the night and the windows fogged up. I slept pretty good considering that I was unable to straighten my legs out.

I got up the next morning, cleared the windows and drove to the resort. Once there I got my bike and got into my biking gear. The 100 mile ride to Plummer and back was set to start at 8:00 so I went ahead and took off 10 minutes early. As I rode out of Kellogg towards Smelterville my glasses started misting up from the fog that was still hanging over the Silver Valley. By the time I got to Cataldo the fog had lifted and I had made it to the first rest stop of the day. This rest stop was a welcome sight since I wanted to get a banana and some more food to snack on while riding. After getting supplies it was back on the bike and heading down the trail to the next rest stop at Medimont. I saw some geese and ducks during this portion of the trail and that was all that was seen all the way to Plummer. I did notice that the water levels were pretty low all along the trail. I made it to the rest stop at Medimont with no issues and headed on to Harrison. After Harrison it was on to Plummer and then back down to Harrison for lunch. Lunch consisted of a nice turkey sandwich, bag of chips, brownie, and water. After lunch it was back on the trail towards Kellogg. Saw some Woolly Bear caterpillars between Medimont and Cataldo. I noticed that I had 107 miles on the GPS when I got to Kellogg so I decided to ride another 1.5 miles past the finish to try and make it an even 110 miles. I ended up getting 109.7 miles for the day. I took all of my stuff over to the middle school to take a shower and get my bed set up for the evening. Went back to the resort for dinner and the evening program. Got back to the middle school and found a basketball to shoot around for a while before going to bed.

Got up Sunday morning after a better sleep on an air mattress and headed over to the resort to have breakfast. This was going to be a good day since I would get to ride the full route of Kellogg – Wallace – Burke – Wallace – Mullen – Wallace – Kellogg for a total of 50 miles. The ride from Kellogg to Wallace went pretty quick and I took a little bit of a detour before getting to the road that led to Burke. The road up to Burke was amazing with all of the history of mining that went on in this area. It was a nice climb and there was not much traffic. The wind was in my face going back down to Wallace so I was not able to get going very fast. Once I got back to Wallace I headed on towards Mullen. It was pretty smooth going and I ended up going past the Mullen rest stop to go to the actual end of the trail. I then went back to the rest stop to get something to eat and drink. After getting refueled I headed back towards Wallace/Kellogg to finish out the ride.

About 3 miles out of Kellogg I heard a pretty load thunk, thunk, thunk sound coming from the freeway to my right. I looked over and noticed a car carrier with several cars on it. The hood on the first car had come unlatched and was smacking into the windshield. Not going to be a good day for the driver of that semi that day.

Once I got back to the resort I had a couple slices of pizza and loaded everything in the pickup to head home.

I would really like to thank all of the people that donated to the MS Society this year for me and I would like to thank Matt Morra for the rear wheel that he loaned me.

Long overdue update

Been a while since an update has happened on this blog.

Mostly commuting to work with a mix of gravel, road, and Moscow Mountain thrown in.

Finally got new wheels for the road bike to replace the ones that had the spokes breaking on them. It sure felt good to be back on that bike and getting some much needed miles on it. Looking forward to having the bike for the MS Ride in September on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.

Had a great 4th of July weekend up in Warren. Did some cleaning on a trail that had a bunch of trees down on it. Was able to get some good riding on the cleaned up trail and in the dredge ponds. Missed having Pam, Deb, and Steve up there this year. Would have been some good riding for Steve and I.

Now it is time to make a plea for donations to the MS Society. I know that I do this every year and this year is no exception. If you would like to donate please go to my page at the MS Society's website.

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.