Re-tired

The world may never know how many licks it takes to get the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, but we now know how many miles it takes to wear out a Continental Gatorskin:

If I’m being completely honest, then I don’t know how many miles were on the front tire … a few more than were on the rear, but under far less of a load. It was time to replace the pair and start a new counter on Garmin Connect. This time, I’m not just tracking the mileage, but also establishing an upper limit of 3,000 miles:

I went a little too far with the tires I replaced today. I didn’t go this far this time, but still I should have made the swap sooner.

M’aidez!

Somebody help me out with this weather! Crank up your furnaces and throw open your doors. Point a can of hairspray toward the ozone layer and hold down the button until it’s empty. Refuse to accept carbon offset credits … you can do that, right? Do something to speed up this global climate change that, at least to me, appears to hold so much promise for Wisconsin. It’s May 1st, May Day, and it’s 20° below normal. Add the chill of a 20 mph wind and the “feels like” temperature is below the freezing mark. We had snow flurries this morning. Enough!

Despite this poor start, I have high hopes for May. I’m coming into it 6 pounds lighter than I was on May 1, 2022. And I wouldn’t call myself fit, but I have 374 more outdoor miles in my legs than I did last year on this date. April was pretty good to me. As partial proof of that statement, here are the 9 badges I earned last month on Garmin Connect:

Some Garmin Connect badges don’t count for much. On certain holidays, for example, recording any activity of any duration at any level of exertion will meet the criteria. But some badges do offer proof of a real effort. I call your attention to the Highly Improving badge, earned by reaching “an Aerobic Training Effect of 4.0 for an activity.” I did that on April 27, the maiden voyage of my Garmin Edge 830:

Aerobic Training Effect is one of the new metrics the Edge 830 makes available to me. It’s a way to ensure there’s enough intensity in my program to make fitness gains. Doing only easy things is a recipe for being able to do only easy things. On the other hand, performing every workout to exhaustion is also a certain path to failure. Everyone needs to find a balance, and Aerobic Training Effect looks like a good tool. Moving even further toward that balance, the Edge 830 calculates something called Exercise Load:

Each activity carries an Exercise Load score, but the real value of the metric isn’t obvious day-by-day. Some days are supposed to be heavy, others light, so Exercise Load is best used in the aggregate, week-by-week. If you believe in concepts like periodization—e.g., three weeks of load progression followed by one week of recovery before the cycle repeats—then you can target specific Exercise Load scores.

I hope these additional aids will bring real benefits to my training, which for too long has been too imprecise. There have been times when I was great on the bike, or crap on the bike, and I couldn’t tell you why. I’ve said many times that, in general, I ride better as I ride more. But what happens when there’s no time to ride more? I must make better use of the hours that I can devote to training.

Images From Cheesehead Roubaix XII

It was another bad weather day in Newburg for Cheesehead Roubaix XII. Approximately 40 riders left Fireman’s Park in a 44° rain. The rain lasted for almost the entire ride and the wind speed increased, becoming an icy headwind for much of the trip back from the rest stop in Belgium. But I heard only good reviews of the new route, and everyone seemed happy enough at the ride’s end. These pictures will give you some idea of what the riders faced!

The first unpaved sector, St. Augustine—Blue Goose, would be used again as the last unpaved sector. This was the first time Cheesehead Roubaix covered the same sector in each direction.

The railroad crossing in Fredonia is always an exercise in bike handling. Riders weave through a maze of chain link fencing designed to slow bike and pedestrian traffic. 

We lost the hilly Lovers Lane in Washington County this year but we kept the flat Lovers Lane in Ozaukee County, much to the delight of this rider from Illinois:

Gravel and more gravel! At the south end of Alder Road, we go east on Silver Beach.

Cedar Creek Outdoors generously supplied the rest stop.

Cheesehead Roubaix remains committed to clean sport and dirty roads!

Up the Hofmannberg … not far to the finish line now!

See you again next year!

Upgrading My Garmin

If you follow me on Garmin Connect, then perhaps you noticed a lack of variety in my routes during my recent trip to Pennsylvania. I utilized the same roads and recreation trails again and again. That got the job done—I put up good time and distance numbers—but I would have liked to see something new without the risk of getting lost. I would have liked to roam farther from my mother’s neighborhood without a clumsy cuesheet or a printed map.

I have been a dedicated Garmin user since March 2013. I got 3 years out of my first device, an Edge 200. It represented a big upgrade over the traditional cycling computers I had been using, allowing me to analyze statistics more easily and automatically giving me maps of my rides … upon completion. When the Edge 200 died, I replaced it with an Edge 500. Even though the Edge 500 was already old technology, it gave me additional statistics—e.g., heart rate, when paired with a chest strap—and it had much better options for navigation. I dabbled with the navigation functions, but I never took full advantage of them. Doing almost all of my riding on familiar roads near West Bend, there wasn’t a need.

Now there is a need, or at least a strong desire, for better navigation. Mom fell and broke her hip last week. She had surgery and her recovery is progressing nicely. But it’s time to make some changes to her home so that she can continue to live there in safety and comfort. I’m going back to Pennsylvania soon to help with that effort. I might spend several weeks there between now and the end of the year. My recently concluded trip will serve as the model for what is to come: I’ll work overnight from Mom’s kitchen table, complete projects around her house and yard during the day, and get on the bike whenever I can. Creating new routes on Garmin Connect and then following them out on the road will keep my training from becoming stale.

Today I did my first ride with my new Garmin Edge 830, a device with far more features than its predecessors. I might use only a small fraction of those features; I bought it for its superior navigation capabilities, which begin with superior readability. Here is how its display differs from the Edge 500:

I wasn’t bothered by the Edge 500’s limited navigation capabilities; I never really called upon them. My biggest gripe with the Edge 500 is that it can be very slow to make its initial satellite links when I want to start a ride. Otherwise, it’s a solid performer. So, it’s not being retired. The Edge 830 will be the primary computer but the Edge 500 might become my dedicated mountain biking computer, something I could destroy in a crash without feeling like I’ve lost a stack of money.

Seeing new things is one of the principal attractions of cycling, and I haven’t done it in a while. I’m counting on my Garmin Edge 830 to facilitate that desire to explore. Even closer to home, in unfamiliar corners of Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, and Dodge counties, this new capability will show its worth.

In other news, I really needed to get on the bike today. It was just my fourth ride in the 13 days since I returned from Pennsylvania. I am so done with cold weather, but cold weather isn’t done with Wisconsin. Today was a little above average and tomorrow will be too. But then we return to winter for a few days. As I write this, there are snow showers in the forecast for next Monday, May 1.

Goodbye, Lovers Lane

It doesn't look too bad at first ...

Lovers Lane, that beautiful mess of a road around which Cheesehead Roubaix was created, is gone. I visited Lovers Lane yesterday and found it transformed into a drainage ditch. The road was never really suitable for vehicle traffic, and that was part of its charm. Several years ago, the stop sign at Highland Drive fell over. It was never replaced. It was never needed. There was no Lovers Lane sign at either end of the road. Passing motorists had no reason to assume it was anything more than farm access.

but then the big rocks take over.

In October 2020, the Town of Farmington vacated Lovers Lane and annexed it to the adjoining properties. Due to the COVID pandemic, Cheesehead Roubaix didn’t run in 2021. But when we reconvened last spring, we were on private property. I didn’t know it at the time, and it’s a deal breaker now. There are six different private parcels with a property line on what used to be Lovers Lane. It might be possible to obtain permission from all the owners, but I can’t be bothered. I want to continue to use only public roads and park paths. That makes for much easier administration, and it creates a route that you can ride anytime, not just once a year.

For most people, Lovers Lane connected nothing to nothing. It must have been an easier decision for Farmington to give it up than for the neighboring landowners to take it on.

While I am sorry to see Lovers Lane go, I am enthusiastic about the new Cheesehead Roubaix route. It keeps all of the other gravel sectors, moves the mid-ride rest stop deeper into the ride to make it more valuable for most riders, and begins with a fun loop southwest of Newburg that we have never used before.

Please visit the Route Details page at the Cheesehead Roubaix website to download your own copies of the new cuesheet, map, elevation profile, and GPX/FIT files for GPS-enabled navigation devices. And please register at the Facebook event page to ensure adequate provisioning of rest stop goodies.

See you on April 29!

Never Put Away The Thermals!

I am back in Wisconsin for the first time since March 29. During my stay in Pennsylvania, I did 11 rides for a total of 300 miles. The weather was great! Today I did another 25 miles, which was all I wanted after driving overnight. I’m now at 500 miles of outdoor riding so far in 2023. Last year, I did not reach that plateau until May 14. Today’s ride gave me a 7-day streak, but that will end tomorrow. The forecast suggests an all-day rain. I need a rest, so I will take the day off regardless of the weather. With 1-3 inches of snow coming between Sunday night and Monday evening, I’m certain that Monday will be a rest day too. It’s never very nice for very long here in Washington County. You didn’t really expect 80° to last, did you? We’re going to struggle to hit 50° next week. And Cheesehead Roubaix is just two weeks away. Let’s hope the upcoming return to winter weather is the last such downturn of the 2022-2023 season.

One More Week At Mom’s

Last week I spent 8 hours in the saddle, riding 120 miles here in suburban Philadelphia. I had not logged that much time outdoors since the week of October 31—November 6. Even if you’re only an amateur mathematician, then you will notice that’s a 15 mph average. In summer I would consider that to be painfully slow, but at this time of year it’s OK. Not only am I not fit right now, but also I am doing rides in urban areas with lots of stop signs, traffic lights, and turns. My average will improve with greater fitness and with a return to the rural roads that surround West Bend. I am extending my stay in Pennsylvania until Thursday or Friday. I will be home by Saturday night to begin my new work week.

West Bend is about to enjoy its nicest warm streak since mid-October and I won’t be there to benefit. It’s almost as if my return is going to trigger the massive temperature drop, so thanks for nothing:

But it will be nice here in PA, too, so I plan to rack up more miles in the week to come:

When I return to Wisconsin my first priority—well, my first cycling priority—will be to prepare for Cheesehead Roubaix on April 29. There may be some significant route changes this year … more on that subject later. My second priority will be bike maintenance. It’s time to install the new parts I acquired over the winter: tires for the road bike and a better saddle for the gravel bike. I did my first ride in a new pair of shoes yesterday. When I’m back in Wisconsin my new helmet will come out of its box. It feels like the 2023 cycling season has begun in earnest.

Little Switzerland Bike Park Closes

There’s bad news today for downhill mountain bikers. Little Switzerland, the ski hill located in Slinger, has announced that it is closing its bike park:

“We have made the difficult decision to permanently close the Little Switzerland Bike Park. Our insurance company has dropped coverage of the Bike Park, and alternative insurance options would not make the park economically viable moving forward.

“We want to thank all of our loyal Bike Park customers that have made it a special place. It’s been quite a ride—literally and figuratively—over the last 10 years.

“We also want to offer our sincere gratitude to the dedicated build crew that made the Bike Park one of the best in the Midwest. None of it would have been possible without their time, dedication, passion, and effort.

“We are donating any features that may be usable to Heritage Trails County Park, located 10 minutes away and will offer any support to Heritage we can.

“We are personally saddened by this difficult reality, and wish nothing but the best for the gravity biking community.”

Philadelphia Freedom

My pessimistic side looks at my employee benefits package and laments the paucity of vacation days. Having only 6 vacation days each year is discouraging. I’ve been in the workforce since January 1982 … not always with the same employer, of course, but I still think I should have more “fringe” benefits than I currently enjoy. And my complaint isn’t just about the number of vacation days; it’s also about how I have to use them. My vacation days are tied to my anniversary of employment and I can’t use any days that I haven’t earned yet. I can’t take off an entire work week until the beginning of October, and I must use all of my vacation time before the end of November. That’s a narrow window at a time of year during which I would prefer not to travel. I still associate vacation with summer. That’s what it was when I was a schoolboy, and that’s what it remains in my mental image of a perfect vacation.

My optimistic side looks at the fact that I work remotely, 100 percent of the time. And because I literally never have to go to the office, I am free to work anywhere that has a reliable Internet connection and a router with an open Ethernet port for my Voice-over-IP desk phone. Such conditions exist in my house, of course, but they also exist at Mom’s house.

Greetings from suburban Philadelphia! After working overnight on Tuesday, I packed up my home office and drove to Pennsylvania. I burned a vacation day by taking Wednesday night off, but the rest of my time here will be a working “vacation” during which I use no additional hours. Yesterday and today were my “weekend” and the new work week doesn’t begin until 12 midnight Eastern tomorrow night. I will be here at least until next Thursday, and perhaps until April 13. The exact date depends on the weather and on Mom’s willingness to put up with me.

The latter seems more secure than the former. We had a big family gathering today in celebration of my mother’s 90th birthday, the most important reason for me to be here right now. But I don’t deny that Philadelphia’s weather has its own appeal. During the next week, the average afternoon high will be about 63° here and only about 49° in West Bend. That’s a big difference. Today I rode outside in shorts for the first time this year. Next week I might be riding with bare arms. There will be ups and downs in the weather while I’m here—rain might cost me a couple of opportunities—but there shouldn’t be any snow or days that are so cold that I can’t ride. If there’s an unexpected return to winter conditions here, then I will head back to Wisconsin where such weather is more of an expectation than a disappointment.

I don’t have any big rides planned for this trip. I will be happy with a steady diet of 25-30 miles on every day with fair weather. And if this trip ends successfully, then it will serve as a model for future trips. Time with Mom is precious, and I simply do not accept that it should be confined to a handful of days each autumn.

Garmin Connect Level 5

Today I picked up the last 3 points I needed to reach Level 5 on Garmin Connect. I thought I was going to finish Level 5 before the end of 2022, but that goal evaporated when I injured my left calf in August. Garmin Connect levels are hard to complete when you’re relying on just one type of activity. In the second half of 2022, I missed out on several points because I was no longer walking for fitness.

I’m back to full strength now and I had better stay that way. Being injury-free is good not just for its own sake, but also for the pursuit of additional fitness goals. I reached Garmin Connect Level 5 with 300 points. I will need another 320 to reach Level 6! Most Garmin Connect challenges are worth only 1-2 points. Getting to Level 6 could take years. Luckily, fitness is a lifelong goal.