Vuelta a Espana

The last grand tour of the cycling season has come to an end marking the finish of the road racing season for many professional cyclists.  The Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) is the last of the three grand tours of the season, the other two being the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France.  This year's Vuelta a Espana was won by an American rider named Chris Horner.  This is the first ever win for an American in the Vuelta, and maybe more importantly, Chris Horner is the oldest rider to ever win any grand tour.  He is 41 years old just a few weeks shy of his 42nd birthday.  The next oldest grand tour winner was Fermin Lambot, who won the 1922 Tour de France at the age of 36.  This gives hope to the older riders in the peleton, that there can be success on the bike after your mid 30's.

The first Tour of Alberta is over.

The inaugural Tour of Alberta has come to an end.  It started on Tuesday September 3rd in Edmonton and ended yesterday Sunday the 8th in Calgary.  The 115 bike racers on 16 elite cycling teams from around the world.  The Tour of Alberta (TOA) was the first time a race like this has been held in Canada.  Its UCI (International Cycling Union) sanctioning was what attracted the high caliber of global competition.  Even with the Tour of Spain happening at the same time the TOA managed the draw popular pro cyclists like Peter Sagan, Cadel Evans, and Ryder Hesjedal.
In the end the overall title was one by Australian youngster Rohan Dennis.  He was in a break away group on stage 3 where he finished over 10 minutes ahead of Peter Sagan and secured his lead.  The rest of the tour was spent protecting his lead by staying out of harm's way while trying not to lose time to his closest competitors.

Peter Sagan put on a show as he won the final stage yesterday in Calgary.  He is known for his finish line celebrations and yesterday's was no exception.  I think it's great that he incorporated the local cowboy culture at the end.

Technology and Cycling

In the past decade there have been huge advances in on-the-bike technology.  In addition to GPS capable bike computers, there are now bike-based power meters.  These power meters measure the power (in watts) the rider is putting out at any given moment.  Simply put, the rider who can put out the most watts per unit body weight will be the fastest.  This is reffered to as the rider's power-to-weight ratio, expressed in watts/kg.
The greatest advantage to power meters versus older training methods (ie. heart rate) is that there is no lag between your effort and the power shown.  Also, power output is independent of rider fatigue, and weather conditions, where as these variables effect the riders heart rate.
The benefits are well explained in this short video:

There are three main types of bike based power meters on the market today.  

1)  Rear wheel hub by Powertap

2)  Crank based power meter by Quarq

3)  Pedal based power meter by Garmin

All three of these power meters will pair to most wireless enabled bike computers.  The data measured by these meters is then displayed for the rider to view while riding.  Having power data while riding allows the rider to accurately pace themselves and make sure they are riding at a sustainable level.  As the prices of power meters come down I expect to see them more and more as riders realise the importance of training with power.

Social Media and Cycling

I am not a huge fan of social media.  I do enjoy seeing what others are up to via Facebook and Twitter but I an not much of a "poster" on either of these sites.  There is one social media site that I am a big fan of and it is called Strava.  Strava is a social media site for athletes, specifically cyclist and runners.  Strava allows the athlete to go for a workout either with a GPS enabled computer like the Garmin Edge 500 or a by using a free app on your GPS smartphone and then share their workout data with their friends when they are done.  

This ability to see others rides is a great motivational tool to get me out on the bike.  I get a daily email from Strava telling which of my friends have been out riding and how they performed.  The site allows me to compare my performance to that of my friends on sections of the ride called "segments".  For each segment there is a leader board of names of everyone who has ridden that particular section of road.  From the leader board you can see where you fit it as far as your speed and fitness go.  If you are the fastest rider in a segment you get the coveted "KOM" title, standing for King of the Mountain.

Below is a YouTube video explaining strava.

A Brief Backround

Before I get to writing about cycling, I thought I'd give my readers some background as to why I have chosen to write about cycling.
I have ridden a bike since I can remember.  My mom tells me that i was around the age of three when my training wheels came off.  I remember building wooden jumps in the cul-de-sac with the other kids from the block.  My bike was my freedom and would take me to far away places as fast as I could pedal.
When I was in my teens I was fairly successful in local mountain bike races, eventually working my way into the "junior expert" category where I raced with the likes of Ryder Hesjedal and Geoff Kabush.  As I moved up the ranks, the results became harder to come by.  As a result, my interest started to fade and by the time i was in my early twenties I was not riding at all.
When I was 23 I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune liver disease call Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.  I became sicker over the next few years and it became apparent that I was going to need a liver transplant if I was going to live much longer.
On December 4th 2010 I received a liver transplant.  I spent 19 days in hospital and was home for Christmas.  As a part of my recovery I thought it would be a good idea to do some cycling.  Little did I know that this would re-ignite the love I had for cycling when I was younger.
Over the next few months I will be making regular additions to my blog to share my love for cycling with others.  Thanks for reading.
Clarke.

Provincial Instructor Diploma 3240 Blog

I started this blog earlier this year as I raised money for GearUp4CF.  A 1200km bike ride from Vancouver to Banff from June 22nd to 30th.  Now that the ride is over I have started working towards my Provincial Instructor Diploma.  I am an Electrical Instructor at BCIT and am hoping to become better at what I do through taking this diploma program.  Part of the requirements for the course I am taking now (3240 Media Enhanced Learning) is to keep up a blog that "reflects both social media and resources that reflect your subject matter of expertise".  I consider myself somewhat of a cycling expert (in knowledge not ability) so I thought I would continue my GearUp4CF blog and make it a general cycling blog for the course I am taking.

Made it to Banff

Well, it's all over and what a great experience it was. We finished GearUp4CF with a 150km ride from Invermere BC to Banff AB.  We couldn't have asked for a better way to end the trip; the weather was perfect and the vistas were incredible.  We were greeted at the "Welcome to Banff" sign by our friends, family and supporters.  I was thankful to have my wife, daughter, mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and niece cheering me along the whole way.  They had been tirelessly following the ride along for seven of the nine days, shouting words of encouragement from the car window every time they passed us.
GearUp4CF was definitely the trip of a lifetime and much more that I expected.  I went into it thinking it would be a great excuse to raise money for a great cause while spending time doing what I love.  In the end it was the off bike time that made the trip what it was.  The friends that I have made and the fun that I have had over the past nine days will stay with me for a long time to come.
Thanks you once more for all of your support.
Clarke.

Day 8. Cranbrook to Invermere

Today we rode 130km from Cranbrook to Invermere.  It was the flattest day of the whole trip and our average speed reflected that, with most of the riders finishing in less than 4 hours averaging more than 30km/h.
We paralleled the Rocky Mountain range all day, making for some great views and photo opportunities.  Riding through the valley we could see the remains of what has been the worst flooding in years in this region.    Many fields are still covered in water, the shoulder of the road had been so badly eroded in some sections that the road it self had collapsed.  There was what looked like a bath tub ring around all the trees and posts in low lying areas.  We are fortunate that GearUp4CF was scheduled for the last week of June this year.  All the previous years it has been in the 3rd week of June which would have but us right in the storms and floods.
Here are a few photos from the day.

Two more days to go.

Today we rode from Creston to Cranbrook, a distance of 104km.  It was the flattest day so far in the trip, there were some rolling hills and "false flats" but no real climbing or descending.
It was damn hot though; highs were in the high 20's and the heat off of the pavement made it seem much hotter.
I spent most of the evening troubleshooting my Garmin bike computer, as it lost the data for today's ride.  So the ride that you see on the right side of the screen it actually data from another rider who lent me his bike computer so I have a record of the day.  Hopefully this was a one day glitch and my Garmin will be back in action tomorrow.
Anyway, it is late, and since we have crossed over a time zone it is even later than it seems.
With only two days left; I find myself wishing there were more days remaining to ride.  My bum is the only one who will be happy this ride is ending on Sunday.

Another great day.

Hello all.
I just wanted to write a quick hello before I make my way to the camp fire that we are having tonight.  We had a great day on the road today from Rossland to Creston.  There was a scare this morning regarding road closures as a tanker truck had gone off the road on Kootenay Summit.  As it turns out, the road was open single lane alternating and we all got through safely.
We just finished an excellent dinner at Jimmy's Pub in town town Creston where we relived the climbs of the day and what is in store for tomorrow.
I am looking forward to the next 3 days on the bike and sad to know that we only have 3 days left together.
Tomorrow we ride to Cranbrook, the weather is supposed to be great and the terrain is mostly flat.  I'm sure it will be another great day.

Over half way.

Here we are at the end of day five.  Somewhere out on the road today we passed the half way mark on our way to 1200km in 9 days.  In these few short days I have met some amazing people, all who have ties to Cystic Fibrosis.  Whether it is a sibling, cousin, close friend or child.  It is the need to find a cure for CF that has brought us together; most of these people I would have never met otherwise, but we are becoming such good friends.
Today was my most social ride yet, I enjoyed the ascent of Paulson summit with Dan Dakin.  We are similar in ability on the bike and we are both competitive people, which leads to some friendly competition up the climbs.
In the afternoon I rode with Dan's wife Emily.  We were having such a good time chatting away that the last climb of the day seemed more like a mole hill than a mountain.
Dan and I have big plans for Kootenay Pass tomorrow as we head to Creston.  The deal is that we will help pace each other up the 21km climb at 5% grade, but as soon as we see the summit sign it's every man for himself as friends become enemies on the way to climbing glory.

Here is a shot of the feeding frenzy that is our lunch stops:

Day Four.

Today we left Osoyoos on our way to Grand Forks.  We rode roughly 125km, and after a grueling climb up the "anarchist" summit, the rest of the day was rolling green countryside.  There were plenty of old farms and different animals to look at as we passed through small town after small town.  I have driven this route many times in my life but never seen as much of it as I did today.  Everyone agreed that this was the most scenic day yet.
I have heard that after the fourth day of a multi-day bike ride like GearUp4CF there is a turning point.  Once you have reached it your body is no longer begging for mercy and a rest day, but rather, excited for more.  The body becomes accustomed to the long hours on the bike and says "Bring it on! Give me more!".  Today was day four, so I'll let you know tomorrow if this is true.
Tomorrow is the shortest day of the whole ride at only 95km, although there will be substantial climbing involved.  We will be spending the night in the mountain resort town of Rossland and I'm told that the hotel we are staying in is the nicest of the whole trip.  So all things considered, tomorrow should be a day to remember.

Here is a photo of the open road today:

GearUp4CF Day #3

Hello everyone.  Today was a relatively short day and it had much less climbing than yesterday.  I would by no means call it an easy day however.  In actual fact I found it quite hard, mainly because of the ride we did the day before.  I think all of the riders were feeling the effects of the hard day yesterday, and that coupled with a constant headwind and rain showers, lead to a somewhat anti-social day on the road.  The majority of riders just staring at the tire of the bike in front of them for most of the day.
We are spending the night in Osoyoos and will be heading to Grand Forks tomorrow by way of the Anarchist Summit.  The elevation profile on our route map shows that there is truth behind the name.
Hopefully our weary legs will find strength to keep the pedals moving.

Here is a photo of the CF riders and volunteers by the lake in Osoyoos.

Day 2. Test of Body and Mind

I am sitting in my hotel room now after a day of riding that I thought would never end.  Today we rode 200km and climbed 2600 meters.  I arrived in Princeton exactly 10 hours after leaving the hotel in Chilliwack, after you subtract the resting time I spent a total of 7.5 hrs pedaling my bike today.
All of the riders left the hotel in Chilliwack this morning at the same time.  We had a nice easy paced group ride into Hope where we had a lunch break. After that, we hit the hills.  This is where the punishment began, the group quickly fractured as riders with different climbing abilities rode at their own pace.  There is no hiding from climbing; it comes down to your power to weight ratio.  That is all.  By the time we reached Manning Park there was roughly a 2hr gap between the fastest riders and the slowest riders.  At the end of the day there was over a three hour gap; showing just how difficult this day was.  20 out of the 22 nine day riders were able to finish the day under there own power.
We are all looking forward to the ride into Osoyoos tomorrow, as it is mostly down hill and "short" at only 120km.
***For ride details click on the ride under the "Clarke's latest rides" heading on the right hand side of the screen***

GearUp4CF Day One

I have just returned to my hotel room after dinner, it is 8:30pm and I am ready for bed.  Not because today was difficult, but because I know tomorrow will be!  Tomorrow's ride will be roughly 190km with plenty of climbing as we ride from Chilliwack to Princeton.  I will fill you in on the details in about 24hrs time.

Today was a nice warm up ride for what is to come.  We rode approximately 100km through the fraser valley, from White Rock to Chilliwack.  The weather was perfect for riding; slight cloud cover, warm, and no rain.  Hopefully the weather continues to be fair.  The forecast is calling for 60% chance of showers tomorrow and high temperatures from 17-21 degrees.  I've got my fingers crossed for the other 40%.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Clarke.

One week to go until GearUp4CF!

I started this blog to document my GearUp4CF experience and to thank all of my supporters who have made this trip a possibility.  With only a week to go until we leave White Rock BC on our way to Banff AB, I though now would be a good time to send out a thank you email to those who have donated to my fundraising campaign.
So thank you all so very much for your generosity.  To date I have raised $5575 from 51 sponsors.  Our team has surpassed our fundraising goal of $20000 as we are currently sitting at $21621 with a total of 171 sponsors.
I am humbled by your generosity.

Thank you.

P.S.  I will update this blog daily during the ride (June 22-30th)

P.P.S.  It will be my first father's day tomorrow, and a blog post with no pictures is boring, so here is a picture of my daughter Heidi.

Riding with GearUp4CF participants.

I had the pleasure of riding with a few people who have all been affected in one way or another by Cystic Fibrosis.  In the picture below, from left to right are. Brian Benson, George Keulen, Ted Stedman, Clare Stedman and me.  Brian's wife Margaret had a double lung transplant due to CF 13 years ago, George had a lung transplant 3 years ago and the Stedmans have a teenaged son with CF.

As GearUp4CF draws nearer I am becoming more and more excited to ride with these folks as well as all the other CF riders who have similar stories of how CF has impacted their lives.
There are less than two weeks until we depart from White Rock on our 9 day 1200km trek to Banff.  I think it will be the bike ride of a lifetime for us.

4 Lungs and a Liver. Team ride.

Our GearUp4CF team is called "4 Lungs and a Liver".  I have had a liver transplant and both Paul and George have had double lung transplant.  Paul lives on Vancouver Island so we don't get a chance to see him and ride with him very often.  This past week was an exception as Paul was on the mainland for a check-up at the transplant clinic.

In the afternoon George, Paul and I rode over to the north shore to climb Mount Seymour.  It is a 921m climb over 12.2km with an average grade of 7.6%.  Paul wanted to do a serious climb in order to gauge his readiness for the mountain passes that we will ride on the GearUp4CF.  

We all felt good during the climb and are feeling confident in our ability to complete the 9 day Marathon challenge to Banff.  

We now have less than a month before the start of GearUp4CF.  I think that we are all prepared for the 1200km that lay ahead of us and I am looking forward to getting to know my teammates better and meet others that share a passion for cycling.

Sportif Series Race #2

    On top of riding as much as I can in preparation for the GearUp4CF I have also been racing in local amateur races.  On May 11th there was a race in Langley.  I'm happy to report that I had my best result to date (2nd in my class).  There were roughly 50 riders in the field and after roughly two hours of racing and 78km it came down to a bunch sprint to the finish line.  I was trying to be patient and wait for others to make their move first.  When the rider who ultimately won went for it, I responded by riding as hard as I could.  It wasn't enough to catch him but I was able to pass approximately 5 riders in my sprint to the finish.

    My next race is in Victoria from May 31st to June 2nd.  It will be my first stage race which includes an individual time trial, a road race, and a criterium.  I will be spending the weekend on the island with my wife Maralyn and daughter Heidi.  This will be our first weekend trip as a family, so I'm very excited.

New Wheels etc.

I bought my Giant TCR in April of 2012, it is the bike I will be riding in the GearUp4CF.  Since then I have put nearly 8000km on it and it was starting to show.  The chain was stretched, cogs and chain rings were worn.  My wheels had worn thin due to braking in the rain.  It was time for a refit.  

Today I installed new carbon fibre wheels, along with a new chain, cassette and chain rings.  Drive train replacement is not an exciting thing, but necessary to avoid future break downs.  The wheels, on the other hand, have me excited. 

 They are a full carbon fibre rim, which translates into a wheel that is lightweight and stiff.  As it stands they are 300 grams lighter than my previous wheels.  They weighed in at 1471 grams out of the box.  

I will put a few hundred kilometres on them over the next week and will write an entry about them later on.