News of a friend from Down Under

I’ve been saddened by a tragic accident halfway around the globe.

There’s a bit of a set-up, but here goes. Paris Brest Paris officials customarily schedule a mandatory bike inspection the day before the event. PBP 07 was no different, although ultimately the inspection was canceled because of rainy weather.

My wife and I were staying in Paris before PBP07, so the morning of the bike inspection I took the RER train from the city out to St. Quentin, where the ride started.

I wasn’t the only rider who did this and the PBP participants with their fully rigged randonneuring bikes were easy to spot. As we waited on the platform for the next train, I struck up a conversation with another rider. We were both equal parts of nerves and excitement. We only shared 15 minutes, a thin sliver of time, but it was enough for the first threads of friendship. When you're getting ready for a life-changing event like 1200K of cycling, friendships form easily.

He told me his name – Bjorn – but I got in my head that he was Ian. I snapped a picture of him on the platform.


Here he is. His gesture says it all. A fellow rider brimming with life and enthusiasm and confidence.

There are also a couple photos of him on the PBP photo site. His frame # is 4966.

I did not see Bjorn again, but I had his picture in my PBP folder. I had it in the back of my mind to email the photo to him so we could reconnect for a laugh or two.

Last week, an Australian rider named Ewen posted about this Research Trailer Park item. I saw the post, thanked Ewen for it, and took the opportunity to forward the picture of “Ian” and ask for help in hunting him down.

Ewen emailed back with the bad news:

This is a picture of Bjorn Blasse from Western Australia. Sadly Bjorn is in a coma in hospital after a parachuting incident a few months ago.

I was stunned. I had not expected anything like this. I’d so looked forward to surprising Bjorn with the picture and reliving our PBP adventures.

There is some information about Bjorn’s condition on the Audax Website, and Ewen has promised to keep me updated.

I also found Bjorn's Web site.

My heart goes out to Bjorn and his wife. I look forward to the day that Bjorn and I get to share another easy laugh.

"Take the Lane"

From our local weekly paper, the Independent, comes one of the best cycling articles I've ever read. It focuses on bicycling techniques taught by NCBC rider and LAB board member Bruce Rosar.

Here's the lead:

"Take the lane." That's going to be my new motto. After practicing with Bruce Rosar for an hour, I am totally comfortable riding among the cars in the center of Cary. And I mean not just over on the side of the road but right out in the travel lane ahead of the Land Rovers and F-150s. Screw 'em if they're forced to slow down behind me.

And here's the full story.

The article is part of the Indy's "Medal to the Pedal" series which is focusing on two-wheeled travel in the Triangle. Thank you, Indy. Here's an excerpt about that series:

This year's summer guide carries the theme of "recession recreation," and the more we thought about it, the more we determined that the humble bicycle—invented decades before the automobile, and the livelihood of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright—deserves special attention. As much fun as bikes can be, as Megan Stein reports on page 12, we propose that we think seriously about the bicycle as a daily tool. The benefits are obvious and enormous, and, as Bob Geary learns in our main feature (this page), you're never too rusty to get back on a bicycle.

To see more of that series, go here.

Coming Soon / Race Across America

Yes, that fabled event is just 10 days away. I was reminded of that fact when I saw a mention of Kevin Kaiser in Chuck Lathe's Atlanta 600K report.

You'll recall from this November 2007 write-up that Kevin is one-half of the two-man team doing RAAM on fixed gears. The other is Jeff Bauer. We rode briefly with Jeff at BMB 05 [editor's note: it was 06; see comments]and also saw him and tandem partner Mary Crawley at PBP 07.

We wish Kevin & Jeff all the best.

Doing RAAM is an expensive proposition -- the total cost is estimated at $20,000 -- and Jeff and Kevin have been selling jerseys and other items to raise a little dough. If you're interested in helping out, check out their Website here. You can also donate through Paypal here.

Supernova E3 Bike Light : Important Update

If you've purchased a Supernova E3 light, or are just about to buy one, a word of caution: the light is NOT waterproof if used upside down.

At least one randonneur who used the light upside down on a rainy brevet reported that it leaked and sent a note to the manufacturer. (He won't be the only one who installs the light upside down. While it's not obvious from the picture above, mine also mounts that way on the front rack.)

Gregor Arndt, who is the COO of product management for Supernova, confirmed in an email that a design flaw exists.

Here's what Gregor said:

I've talked to our designer and he admits the light was not intended to be installed upside down and still be watertight! The vibrations of the cable will lead the water into the housing. I am sorry that we have not mentioned this before, but we've had no previous experience with inverted installations.

As a quick solution, we recommend putting some black silicon around the cables where they exit the rubber seal. We will work on a permanent solution, of course.

In case of lamps that already have water in the housing, we recommend opening the front cap in a warm, dry environment, letting all the moisture evaporate. The rear of the lens may have to be cleaned with a moist glasses cleaning cloth.

If there has been any serious damage (which shouldn't happen at all, since all the electronics is coated), we will send a replacement.

In a note to the Trailer Park, Gregor thanked us for alerting E3 owners to the problem.

I just want to emphasize again, that it should be OK if you use some silicone sealant and that the electronics inside won't be damaged by water.

We will react to the issue as quickly as possible.

Gregor said he'd have an update in the next three or four weeks.

Electrolytes: Part 3

In the past two weeks, physiologist and randonneur Dean Furbish has been enlightening us on the use of electrolytes. This week, he tackles a couple follow-up questions.

Anonymous said...
Dean, what specific advice would you give on using electrolytes in hot weather? How many & how often?

Thanks, Mike

May 14, 2008 7:59 AM
Anonymous said...
Regarding electrolytes, I've been a fan of Eduralytes by Hammer Nutrition for their balance of several ions and minerals. At first I was taking their recommended dosage of 3 per hour or so but have found that I can get by on a lot less - like one every couple hours+. Given your argument regarding food/water/electrolyte combo for best absorption, seems like I would want to bump that up a bit for best overall energy and performance. (If I were biking that is!)
Regards,
Rich B

In answering Mike’s and Rich’s questions, I shall focus on a single electrolyte product named by Rich: endurolyte capsules from Hammer Nutrition.

Mike’s question is one that every cyclist wants answered. That is, now that we have the theory behind electrolytes, how do we put it to practical use?

The answer to the question of how many endurolytes and how often they should be consumed can be found in a table in an article, Suggested amounts of Endurolytes to consider, on the Hammer Nutrition (HN) website:

It should be noted that these are only guidelines. This is because there are several factors affecting electrolyte replenishment.

Mike’s question implies that hot weather may be a factor in determining electrolyte need. He’s right. Because we sweat more in hot weather in order to cool our body, we lose more electrolytes. In this case, we need to increase electrolyte consumption.

Rich mentions that he seems to have been able to get by on fewer endurolytes than the apparent recommended dosage. This is actually true for certain conditions. HN quotes a study, which found that athletes lose less fluids and electrolytes if they are well-conditioned or if they have engaged in event-specific training in terms of both duration and intensity.

What are specific factors that are known to affect electrolyte needs? In addition to fitness level and body weight, HN states that “weather conditions, acclimatization level, and biological predisposition all greatly affect electrolyte depletion and the need for replenishment.”

As it turns out, because of all of the factors that must be considered, it is difficult to make other than general recommendations regarding electrolyte replenishment. However, one should consider increasing electrolyte consumption during an event particularly if he or she is a large athlete, less than optimally conditioned, or if it is hot.

In the end, it falls on each cyclist to try to determine personal electrolyte consumption needs. This is made easier armed with the understanding that the type of food one eats while cycling and the factors listed above should be considered. This calls for the cyclist to engage in some experimentation, preferably, during training rides.

A note of caution: as with food and water consumption, it is possible to overdo electrolyte consumption, particularly if one eats a lot of sodium (table salt). The problem is that the processes that deal with sodium overload interfere with those required for maintaining normal electrolyte balances. Moreover, the people at HN remind us that since it is not possible to absorb the same amounts of food, water, or electrolytes that one uses during an endurance event, attempting to do so is futile.

Chuck is just back from a jaunt to the Deeper South, where he successfully tackled Atlanta's 600K brevet. Here's an excerpt:

The fellow who planned this brevet, his name is Andy, decided that for my first visit to Alabama, I should ride up and over the highest point in Alabama, but he didn’t mention that part in the ride description. I’m pretty sure everyone else knew so they probably figured I did too. And to make sure I got the full flavor of it, he designed an out and back brevet so I did it twice. I wouldn’t have thought of that for an introduction to the Deep South, but what do I know? I just pedal and sweat.

Read all about it here on his blog.

me & my Big Mouth

After midnight, seven miles to go on our 400K. Green Level Church Road. Third wheel in a four-bike paceline. Riding the white line- BAMMM!!!

Something's skidding after I nail a deep pothole. It isn't any of my friends and it isn't me either. "What was that sliding down the road?!"

Chris' quick answer- "Think you ejected a water bottle." A fast glance. "Yep! But I'm not losing y'all now- I'll come back for it tomorrow."

Tomorrow slipped by, along with the day after that, and the next.

Eight days later, wonder if it's still there? I ride out with a replacement bottle, just in case. Nearing the scene, freshly-mowed shoulders. That thing's gotta be toast. I spot the offending pothole and marvel that no one got hurt. But a few feet away, incredibly, is my high-flying Big Mouth water bottle. Even still has some pink/black Fruit Punch-flavored funk inside.

Now added to the list of things I've lost while riding and later recovered:

1- a $5 dollar bill
2- my NC Driver's License
3- my sanity
4- my legs
5- my Big Mouth

Random thinking on a solo Lake Loop 200K

If you buy a bike named after a fish, will it rain every time you ride it?

For some people, age is a hammock on a warm sunny day. For others, it’s a poison spider that drops down from the red oak tree.

When you wear a Seattle Randonneurs jersey, don’t be surprised if people ask you whether you’re from Seattle.

Why don’t they make a camera that shows how heavy your legs feel? Or how bad that dead raccoon smells?

A headwind doesn’t blow, it sucks.

If you build a trailer park, no matter where, they will come.

Fishing looks like fun when you’re having fun on a bicycle.

Despite assertions to the contrary, the convenience store clerk cannot guarantee that he just sold you a $20 million lottery ticket.

What do you know – high water is bad for boats.

The Dollar General store has pretty good prices on batteries.

When you tell people how far you've ridden, the next question they'll ask is: Today?

Pictures are the excuse. Legs are the reason.

Proper hydration is not two water bottles in the first 100 miles and two in the last 30.

Persistence and perseverance are signs on the wall.

Lake Loop / Video from Phillis Road

Lake Loop / North of Kerr Dam

 

Lake Loop / Country House in the Trees

 

Lake Loop / Clarksville house

 

Lake Loop / Spring blooms

 

Lake Loop / New Tobacco

 

Lake Loop / After the rain, blue sky

 

Lake Loop / Morning Rain, Wet Road

 

Lake Loop / Red Barn

 

Lake Loop / Gate & Oak Tree

 

Lake Loop / Stop Sign Ahead

 

Lake Loop / Lucky's

 

Lake Loop / Big Sky with Tint

 

Lake Loop Tobacco Barn / Saturated

 

Lake Loop / May 24 / Structures

Caption Contest Closed -- We Have A WINNER!

Thanks to all who participated in the recent photo caption contest. The Cap'n has pored over the entries with a fine-combed tooth and selected his favorites.

First Place goes to Adrian Hands. His entry:

Never one to trust arrows nor cue sheets, Cap'n scans the heavens for celestial navigation, like the randonneurs of the golden age.

Second Place goes to Anonymous for this entry:

"That's a long seatpost. How tall did you say you were?"

Prize packages are on their way.

Supernova E3: a glowing review

Talk about your glowing endorsement. When a pedestrian stops you with – “Hey! What kind of light is that?”– you know it's good.

Yes, I’m talking about the new Supernova E3.

I finally wired my light this evening, impatiently checked the sky. Still too much sun. Like the bard said, Out, damn'd spot! out, I say.

Oh, yeah, Spot. I took the dog for a walk, counted the minutes, waited for the Dark Monster to get up and pull the shades down. Finally. I rolled the Coho from the basement and headed out for a test run.

First planned stop: the neighborhood Quik Mart for a feels-like-a-winner! lottery ticket. I had the light on as I headed down Glenwood, a big street that slices through the heart of Raleigh like a cardiologist with a tee time. Two of the light-sensitive street lights blinked off as I neared them. Was the Supernova doing that? Why yes, I think it was.

The Quik Mart is a half mile from the house. By the time I reached it, the E3 standlight was already charged. Here’s a shot of it.


And while I’m taking shots, here’s one of the dual tail lights. Those rear light brackets on the Coho are a fantastic feature.



Winning ticket in hand, I rolled off to a little neighborhood I like to call the Heart of Darkness.

First impressions: the Supernova throws a hot white light. It has a more diffuse pattern than the trapezoidal beam of the E3. The hottest part of the beam appears to be narrower and longer than the E6 pattern.

Also, the Supernova is clearly brighter than the E6. How can I say that without a side-by-side comparison? Easy. The E6’s yellow light was typically overwhelmed by city street lights. The E3’s beam remained visible.

I tried to get a couple shots of the light’s beam while rolling down a slight hill. Let me say up front that the camera does not do the light justice -- unless justice is six feet of rope and a hanging tree. I’ve posted the video anyway because you do get a sense of the light’s reach. Watch the video and you’ll see the reflective striping light up on a road barricade. That was a couple hundred yards away when I first started down the hill.



Here’s another short video that shows the E3 can hold its own against a streetlight.



Now back to the opening story. I was heading up a side street when a man walking his dogs saw me coming. He yelled out: “Hey, what kind of light is that.” I turned around, stopped and showed him, telling him in general terms it was a generator hub. “Yeah,” he said, “but what kind is it? I’ve been looking for one. That thing is really bright.”

Yes indeed. Like a Supernova.

Update: Blair Witch Project 3 just called. They want to buy my extra footage.

Update 2: The Lottery just called. The limo's on its way.

How I Jinxed Myself on the NCBC 400 km Brevet

Ride Report by Chapel Hill Correspondent Jerry Phelps

Thursday night, a couple of days before the 400 km brevet, I was able to relive Paris-Brest-Paris for, oh, the thousandth time as I was honored to give a presentation to the Carolina Tarwheels Club in Durham. There was a crowd of about 25 folks and they were a terrific audience, namely by asking lots of good questions and laughing at all the appropriate times. Near the end of the talk I have a slide about things that I will do differently in 2011 for the 17th edition of PBP. The first point is that “I’ll bring more gears—4 or 5 would be nice as in an automobile.” Little did I know how much I would rue that comment on Saturday.















Alan and his Troops about to get rolling.

As many riders have already said, the weather was about as perfect as it could be--Carolina Blue skies without a cloud in sight. We were expecting a little headwind on the way out but that just gave us hope of strong tailwinds for the finish. A good sized crowd arrived including three DC randonneurs; Mary Gersema, Ed Felker, and Lynn Kristianson. The regular crowd of NC folks was there with a few notable exceptions, but we also had a fellow named Ed from Charlotte and Jim from Augusta, GA who rode the NC Fleche.

We started shortly after six and rolled together as is our style until the hill on Jack Bennett. I was riding along not paying enough attention while yacking with Joel Lawrence on Parker Herndon road when I hit a piece of gravel and punctured the rear tire. A quick fix and along came Mike Dayton. We rode together until he peeled off on Moore Mountain Road. Mike had a business meeting later that afternoon and had to bypass the full brevet, but as always, it was good to ride with him. He gave me an extra tube to ward off the evil flat tire spirits--too bad he didn’t put his mojo on my shifter.

I caught up with Ed from Charlotte and Byron and Chuck and we rode together from Frosty’s to Siler City. Ed regaled us with stories of his Cyclosportif adventures in La Marmotte and L’Ardechoise in France. At age 65, he proclaimed the next L’Ardechoise in June to be his last (130 miles – 13,000 ft of climbing). So of course Byron and I encouraged him to take up randonneuring full force and come out next year for the entire SR series. When we arrived in Siler City, there was a pretty good sized group hanging out at the control so I quickly got my card signed, bought a sandwich for the road, filled my bottles and chased down the lead group of Branson, Lin, Chris, and Victor. The five of us would remain together more-or-less for the remainder of the day.















Ed, Chuck, and Byron on Old Switchboard Road

I pulled a classic Rich Bruner in stunning fashion on Coleridge Road. I was hanging at the back of our group of five eating my sandwich and recovering from my chasing efforts. As we approached the hill at the Randolph County line, I slid up beside the group and distracted them by recounting a conversation I’d had with Mike. Slyly I crept to the front of the pack and then dropped the hammer before they knew what hit them. Rich—I learned from the best, so I hope you’re proud of your prodigy!















Victims ahead -- I plot my cunning strategy

The rest of the trip to Seagrove went by uneventfully except for an occasional dropped chain by me. I’ve been having a little shifting problem with my bike—not enough to worry about too much, at least that’s what I thought before Saturday. We refueled at Hardee’s and I think I hit on the winning combination of salt, fat, protein, and sugar—a cheeseburger, no mustard, small Dr. Pepper, an apple pie, and a chocolate milkshake.















Oh to have young knees again! Victor checks his hub.

Rolling out of Seagrove, I felt really strong and ready for Flint Hill Road. Chris and Victor were new to the 400 so they didn’t know what to expect. I think Branson and I over-exaggerated the steepness and length of the hills so they didn’t find them too difficult.

OK—enough with the not-so-veiled hints. Just after we passed Sridhar, Dean, and Steve who were on the return leg of the Siler City Express, we started climbing THE hill. I shifted into my small ring and promptly dropped the chain for the third time I think. A quick stop, a little grease on the hands and I’m back in business. Chris kindly slowed to make sure I was able to get rolling again—he may be a new randonneur but he has the ethos part down pat already. As soon as I was back on the bike, however, I realized I couldn’t get into the granny gear. I figured I would make an adjustment at the control in about 15 miles. Boy did I figure wrong. A few minutes later in one loud CHUNK, the chain shifted to the small cog and I almost stopped dead in the road. I somehow unclipped without doing an Arte Johnson and set to work trying to understand what had happened. I could shift up the cassette, but as soon as I let go of the lever, the chain would drop back to the small cog. After fiddling with every adjustable nut on the bike, swearing more than a little, and not getting anywhere, I finally climbed back on, shifted to the 8th cog of the cassette and rode uphill holding the shifter in while grunting out of the saddle. That strategy worked for all of about 1 mile until my adrenaline ran out—the hills were simply too steep for that gear.

Standing on the side of Ophir Road in the sun, I finally took the time to survey the problem a little more carefully. If I could just get the chain to stay in the middle of the cassette, I figured I could make it to the turn around at Mt. Gilead. There I hoped a few more brains thrown into the mix could come up with a more workable solution. If I could get some slack in the cable, and manually move the chain to the middle of the cassette, and then retighten the cable maybe it would stay in the fourth or fifth gear. I tried it and it worked sort of—I got it in the sixth gear, and that was good enough to get me to the turnaround.

My crew was still waiting there along with Dan Gatti who was staffing the control. I told them I was back to riding a single-speed—imagine that! Shortly after I arrived, I sought salvation in Byron and Chuck. Those two guys individually have forgotten more about bikes than I will ever know. Byron suggested I was looking at the problem literally backwards—my problem wasn’t in my derailleur but in the shifter. We sprayed a little lube in the shifter to no avail. Byron thought he saw some grit or possibly metal shavings in the shifter mechanism—not good and certainly not something fixable on the road. So I resigned myself to return with one gear and a balky front derailleur.

I got rolling a little ahead of the crew because I was certain my problems weren’t over. I just hoped that the “repair” would hang together long enough for me to limp home. As I was slipping down the back side of a big roller, I instinctively hit the shifter without thinking. The chain landed on the small cog again, which provided more inspiration. Maybe if I could get the chain to stay on the third or fourth cog, I might have two reasonable gearing choices since the shifter was working somewhat. So off the bike again, loosen the cable, reposition the chain and retighten the cable while holding the derailleur in place. I really needed three hands to make this work, but I was able to get everything tight and buttoned up. My prophesy had come true—I now had four workable gears. Not an automobile transmission, but four gearing combinations that would get me past Jumping Off Rock, beyond Flint Hill Road and all the way home. Just after Flint Hill, I passed two other new randonneurs—Gary and Sara— with big smiles; they were having a great time.

I made it back to Seagrove and Chris and Branson soon followed. They asked if I had seen Lin and Victor, but we found out later they collected a few bonus miles. As we sat eating and resting, most of the other riders came in. We hatched a plan to meet back up in Siler City at a Mexican restaurant very close to the control.

Lin claimed the sprint on Coleridge Road on the return—we all remarked how strongly he is riding this year and I have every confidence he will do well in the Shenandoah 1200 along with Master Chief Jon Pasch (Jon rode the DC 600 on Saturday). The Mexican food in Siler City was a little slow, but very tasty and I was surprised at how much I was able to eat. Victor’s plate was empty in a flash, and Jim gets the prize for the cheapest randonneur meal ever—a plate of rice and beans for $1.90!


















The Randonneur Stare--John Bovine contemplates the final 100 km.

As the sky darkened, Jim and I rolled slowly out of Siler City together. I looked back on Harold Andrews and saw a supernova approaching. It was Byron and his new generator powered light that will make a rooster crow at midnight (and that’s not an exaggeration!). Soon other riders joined us on Siler City/Snow Camp Road. The rollers on Greensboro/Chapel Hill Road, also known as the “Football Highway” according to Branson, created smaller packs, and Chris, Branson, Victor and I rode the final 50 miles together. We got a shout out from Adrian Hands on Andrews Store Road but none of us recognized him because he was in a car and not on a bicycle. He came back to the store, which had just closed, and hung out with us while we rested. The final 20 miles went by pretty quickly and we finished shortly after one in the morning.

All in all a great day and a lesson in perseverance for me. There were lots of first timers on the 400—John Morris, John Bovine, Chris, Victor, Gary, and Sara. I hope I haven’t left anyone out of that list. I think I can speak for all the NC Randonneurs; we are really proud of all of you. You’ve tackled the hardest ride in the series. Hopefully we’ll see you back in a few weeks for the 600. Many thanks to Alan and Dan for the ride and the great support.