Lost and ...

Hmm, now where did I put those things?

Well, I'm back in Seattle, and it has actually been raining here over the last few days. I know, crazy, huh? It was nice enough on Wednesday after I got back, but I didn't have an opportunity to ride my bike that day. I had to go retrieve my dogs (no pun intended) from the kennel and get the cat from the vet's and grocery shop and ... well, you get the idea. And then it has rained.

It's supposed to be a little nicer than that on Sunday according to the Weather Channel. I'd like to get out there if I can, but I have a little problem right now. What could that be? Well, I can't find my key.

OK, so what does a key have to do with cycling? Everything, when it's the key that goes to the lock that is wrapped around all of my bikes in the basement. Why did I lock them up if they are in the basement? Well, I'd heard of a rash of local break-ins lately, and since we were gone for 12 days, I figured that if someone did break in, I wasn't going to make it easy on them.

Except that now I haven't made it easy on myself, either. I feel certain that wherever I put that key, at the time I thought I would have no problem remembering where I'd left it. Ha! Shows how much I know, huh? Hmph.

So, here's hoping I can find the key to that lock, or at least find the other key that goes to my tool case where my hacksaw is, by the time the rain lets up for a while. Of course, some folks back home think I've got until April.

Man, I sure hope they're wrong.

12 Hours of the Hill of Truth Report

What a muddy mess it was. And that was just in the Start/Finish area.

The race started at 11 am on Saturday under cloudy skies. It wasn't raining then, but there had been some rain overnight which, combined with all of the rains over the last few weeks, meant that the trails were fairly saturated.

I was in the field where the race started, and just after that I headed out to walk the route backwards. I walked up Saddle trail to the top of the ridge. I noted that it wasn't muddy there, but that the leaf cover on the trail was still intact at that point. It wouldn't take too many tires going by to change that, and reportedly, it didn't.

I stood at the top of Saddle for a long time, waiting for everyone on their first lap to go by. There were a couple of guys out there who were riding one lap on a tandem, so I had to make sure I saw that. I'd planned on getting a lot of photos, but light scattered light rains came along, and MG called me and wanted to talk for about 10 minutes, so I didn't end up getting a whole lot of shots up there. I did see the guys on the tandem, though.

After that, I continued on walking the route in reverse, policing the trail a bit as I went along (straightening out some markings, picking up a front fender, finding someone's race number...). I stopped once in a while to try a shot or two, but it just wasn't working out with the occasional light rain and the poor lighting conditions in the woods (and I don't think it's a good idea to hit racers with a flash in their eyes - unlike at least one other guy I heard about).

I ended up following the course all the way to the top of the Hill of Truth, which was maybe about half of the way around, and then turned and headed back to the Start/Finish area to hang out with everybody instead of wandering around with a camera and not taking very many pictures.

I had originally planned to head back out into the woods to try taking some long-exposure shots to get some light trails from the racer's headlamps, but by the time it got dark enough the rains started up a little harder than before, so I just stayed put. I did end up giving Jay a couple of breaks by taking over the scoring briefly.

The race itself ended up looking a lot like a war of attrition. Several teams ended up dropping out early, even before dark. By the time it had been dark for an hour I would guess that only half of the racers were still going. It had to be miserable out there. It was wet, it was muddy, and it was getting colder. Sometime around 9:30 or 10 pm the clouds parted and the moon came out. The bad thing was that the clouds had helped keep the temperature from dropping very fast. So it got cold quickly then, though I was at least prepared for that.

I saw riders come in with so much mud you couldn't tell what color their clothes or bikes were supposed to be. One guy came in with mud, grass and leaves trailing from his rear derailleur almost touching the ground. As people started leaving across the evening the camp area around the Start/Finish began to resemble dark brown peanut butter. Several cars and trucks lost traction and had to be pushed out. I saw ruts about 8" deep out there. I was happy that I had parked over in a gravel lot further up the road.

The race ends at 11 pm, but that only means that racers aren't allowed to start a new lap after that time. The last rider out had left at about 10:50 pm, so we had to wait until she got back near midnight before giving out the prizes (since the team she was on did place in the top three in their division). I helped with that, then helped break down the PA system, and then left.

I had planned way back in September that I would camp out with everybody else that night, and had left enough gear in my truck in Knoxville to do it. If it hadn't rained so much, I would have. Instead, I headed back to my truck, got out with no problem (and no mud), and went back to the house to sleep in a warm, dry bed.

In 11 years of the 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth, they had never had rain fall during the race before last night. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Let's hope next year the race can be 'in the dry'.

Race Weekend

Tomorrow is the annual 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth mountain bike race at Haw Ridge near Oak Ridge, TN. I have been to all of these races since 2002 except for last year, but I had to miss that one to attend a wedding in Blowing Rock, NC for one of MG's friends. I'm happy to report that it worked out that I could be here for this year's race.

I was going to help John with some course set-up today, but most of that was already done. Where he needed my help was in the splitting out of all the the prizes donated by local bike shops and other sponsors into classification awards. That can be a very tough job, but I won't go into detail. That took us about three hours to get squared-away, at which point we finished up the marking of the start/finish/scoring area and setting aside t-shirts and glasses for the volunteers and sponsors.

Now the question is about the weather. The forecast has been calling for a 50% chance of rain tomorrow. The trail conditions at Haw Ridge are OK right now according to some of the folks who talked to us after they did practise laps today, but any rain will likely turn the trail surfaces into a soupy mire of muddy muck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

Go West, Young Man!

Well, it's done. The inhabitants of the former Casa de Big Guy have relocated to a new, temporary Casa de Big Guy. How temporary? That is anyone's guess. We are in a rental house in Seattle until our house in Knoxville sells and we can then afford a down-payment on a Seattle home. Anybody want a house in Knoxville? It's a nice house. It really is.

Mrs. Guy and I loaded up most (but not all) of our household items onto a moving truck on September 17th and 18th. Well, to be honest, we stood back and watched as the professional movers came in and did it. We also loaded up a rented minivan with all of the myriad things that we wanted to have with us in our rental house until the movers made it to Seattle. What kind of things? Well, enough clothing to get us through a couple of weeks if needed. An air mattress to sleep on (along with sheets, blanket and pillows), all of our computer gear, other miscellaneous stuff we'd want, my Ritchey Breakaway, and the cat. What? Only one bike? And what about the dogs? Not to worry. I drove the Mini Cooper Clubman with the dogs in the back and a bike and a cargo carrier on the roof. MG drove the van.

Ever since I told people we'd be moving to Seattle they've been going on about all the rain I would have to put up with. Well, that hasn't exactly borne out. It has been really rainy in Knoxville this summer and on up into the fall. It rained on us almost all of the first day of our drive from Knoxville to Kansas City, where we spent the first night. It rained for the first half of our drive from KC to Cheyenne on the second day. It was mostly sunny on the third day from Cheyenne to Boise, and sunny on the fourth (and last) day from Boise to Seattle. Then it stayed mostly sunny for our first three weeks in Seattle, with only a little rain during the fourth week, at which point we flew back to Knoxville for a couple of weeks so MG can have her second round of surgery. Yeah, it's still a little wet here. Go figure, right? Actually, Seattle averages less rain per year than Knoxville. It's just that during most years Knoxville gets the occasional downpour, whereas it rains more often in Seattle, but generally lightly.

So, you're still thinking I only have two bikes in Seattle, right? Wrong. Two of the bikes were boxed for me at the Bike Zoo (my Knoxville LBS) and loaded onto the moving truck. I left the tandem and my SS mountain beast - I mean bike - in Knoxville for now. They'll come in the final move when the house sells and we have a bigger place in Seattle. So I have the Ritchey, the Seven, the road SS, and my geared mountain bike in Seattle, and the other two in Knoxville.

Now then, those of you keeping score at home will remember that I had seven bikes. Well, the key word there is 'had'. I decided it was time for me to part company with the Kestrel. I hadn't been riding it much since I got the Seven, and space was at a premium, so I found it a new home with a friend of a friend. Besides, I could use the money.

Did I mention that I quit my job and don't have one out in Seattle yet? Don't worry, the hiatus was planned. I'll start my job search once MG is recovered from her surgery. Meanwhile I've been working on getting the house in order, getting essential services lined up, and acting as tour guide for MG's little sister when she showed up for a long weekend (she wanted to be our first visitor - I think she'll be first by a large margin).

So that's more or less a synopsis of our last couple of months. Maybe next time I'll actually discuss cycling in Seattle, the Emerald City.

Still here

I am updating posts today over on my other blog site, Dr. Deb's Surgery

Still Out There

I'm still out there.  Perhaps in more ways than one.

I know I haven't been posting much here (big shock, I know), but I have been posting a lot on the other site listed below about MG's (OK, it's 'Deb' - feel better?) surgery and recovery.  Still, once in a while I get a pass to go out on a ride.  I've gotten out two or three times during her recovery period, but I won't complain.  It's better than none.

On one of my rides I discovered something I didn't already know, though I might have suspected it.  Apparently, Hummer H3's are not required to stop at Stop signs in this state (or maybe it's all states?).  I take this revelation from empirical observations taken in a Farragut (West Knox County) suburban area.  Not one observation, but three, all in the space of twenty minutes and each observation was with a different vehicle (I can only assume it was a different driver).  Amazing, huh?

My latest ride was on Saturday with Joshua.  We'd planned on a greenway ride, but we modified the plan heavily.  The greenway runs through Volunteer Landing (by the water), but Joshua remembered that a wakeboarding competition was going on, so we took a major detour that led us across the river, behind the UT hospital, up a major climb (that reminded the 400 lb gorilla what its raison d'etre is), and  behind the old Baptist hospital building (where we could look down at the wakeboarders from a bluff high above).  We also ended up taking a big detour on the way back to stop for ice cream at Market Square, but that was only for the social experiment aspect of it.  Right.

My bike club is having a major ride on Sunday, which we call our 4th of July ride, even though it will be on the 5th.  No, we're not delusional.  I got a call from Ron tonight while I was driving home, so at least I know that he and Wally will be there, and I suspect Joshua as well.  There are three ride options:  100 miles, 62 miles, and 36 (or so) miles.  I think we'll be taking the short ride, but only because we want to get back and help grill hamburgers for everybody else.  Right (probably we'll serve best as 'food tasters').  Actually, I figure it's good to ride with those guys because they've all been riding about as much as I have this year (although I think Joshua has been a good bit more).

Stay tuned to this channel later this summer, though.  Some people have heard already, but the big news at Casa de Big Guy is an impending move across the country to Seattle, a cycling-friendly city if I ever saw one.  I will be posting more about that (especially if I don't have a job right away - MG's job is why we're moving in the first place).

I'm going to be posting a bit for the next little while, but not here. I'll be over at drdebssx.blogspot.com for now.

(Sigh)

The gorilla is still there. @&#*%!!!

I did at least talk to the doc about lowering my beta blocker dosage if he wouldn't let me cut it out entirely. He let me win at least that much, so you know what that means.

The gorilla only weighs 400 pounds now.

That's not a bad trick, for a gorilla to lose half of its weight in such a short period like that. I'm sure there's lots of folks out there who'd love to accomplish it. Not me. I wouldn't mind losing 10% to 15% of my body weight, but any more than that would likely be counter-productive.

He's still heavy, though. Oh, yeah. I found that out on my last two rides. One was a greenway ride west of here with Joshua. There's one spot where the trail has a huge dip in it requireing a bit of climbing to power back out of it. There's another spot worse than that. I made it through the first intact, but I walked the last bit of the second one (but then, so did Joshua). I can usually make it up that hill, but the spots in front of my eyes warned me off of the attempt this time. The other ride was a longer venture with several hills. Hey, I live in East Tennessee, so go find me a decent ride without any.

I have an appointment with a specialist coming up. With any luck the gorilla will lose more weight, if not go away entirely (maybe I can lose him in a crowd somewhere).

Interesting how we use animals in so many figues of speech, isn't it? the '800 pound gorilla', the 'monkey on my back', the fact that 'every dog has its day', and the ever popular 'cat let out of the bag'.

Speaking of which, here's a new word for today. "Haemochromatosis." Big word, isn't it? Meow.

Blocking My Beta(s)

My doctor has slapped an 800 pound gorilla onto my back, and it's especially heavy during climbs.  I discovered how heavy yesterday during a ride.  He ain't heavy; he's my gorilla.

It was a lovely day yesterday.  The forecast had been good for something after all.  I texted and called several ride buddies as early as Tuesday, hoping to get a least a couple of others to go on a ride of the closed (read that "long unfinished") section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley.  The Foothills Parkway was envisioned as a scenic roadway skirting the north and western edges of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Congress authorized it in 1944.  Construction began in 1960, starting at either end with the intention of meeting in the middle.  What we've ended up with is a well-used 17 mile section from Walland to Chilhowie Lake on the western end, and a less used, though open and viable, 5.6 mile section on the eastern end between Interstate 40 and Cosby.  Both were completed during the 1960s.  Fifty years later, there still isn't commitment to ever complete the entire project.

Still, work has been done in places.  The 15.8 mile section from Walland to Wears Valley was mostly completed except for the 1.6 mile "Missing Link" that includes several bridge in various stages of completion.  The rest of the planned 71 total miles of the Parkway?  Well, we'll see.  After all, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Natchez Trace were only completed after several decades of work.  Still, the best I think we can hope for now is that it gets completed before the 100-year anniversary of ground-breaking, if it ever gets completed at all.

OK, enough with the history lesson, lets come back the present.  Though (obviously) unmaintained from a roadwork perspective (e.g., badly degraded pavement, etc.), the Walland to Wear's Valley section is well used and loved by hikers, equestrians, and cyclist alike.  We saw all three yesterday morning.  The "we"?  Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce my ride buddies du jour, John B. and Joshua.  Big call-out to John B., who had a birthday on Friday (and still showed up without a hangover!). 

The ride up this section of Parkway starts out steep, so I'd arranged to start a mile or so off to give us at least a five minute warm-up before the climbing starts, but it didn't help much.  John and I rode away from Joshua (and his mountain bike) pretty quickly, and then John rode away from me.  Soon after that was when the gorilla stared making its presence known.

The gorilla?  Beta-blockers, which is a class of drug used for a number of things, including hypertension.  I don't think my blood pressure is that bad, but the doc wants to see how I do on Propanalol for a month, so ...  

What beta-blockers do, though, is keep your heart rate low.  So I can't get my heart-rate up too high. Literally.  I don't mean that I'm not supposed to, I mean that I cant.  I thought, until yesterday morning, that the limit was higher.  After all, I had been on other rides since being on the drug without any issues.  Not the case yesterday.

There are two "tops" on the piece of road we were on.  As I got close to the first one (at a lovely overlook of the valley and the mountains) I was seeing spots in front of my eyes (maybe gorilla hands?).  Joshua caught me and we rode into the overlook so I could take a break.  I sat down, and stayed down for a while.  Joshua left at one point to go look for where John had gone (after I assured him I'd be fine).  My intention was to just rest until I could continue the climb.  I soon realized that if I when the rest of the way up, I'd be in the same boat again.  Joshua showed up with John B. soon (along with another guy John had met out on the road) and discussed my options. Continuing was pretty much out of the question for me, but I insisted that they go on.  After I convinced John (and pointed out that he'd know where to look for me if he got back and my car was still parked next to his).  Then I got up and rode back down to Walland.

But you know, I felt so good when I got back down there that I decided to keep riding.  I left a note on John's car and took the relatively flat River Road from Walland to Kinsel Springs.  That's a road that is heavily used by cyclists.  You can't swing a cat (or an 800 pound gorilla) on a Saturday without hitting at least two, so I knew that if I did have problems, somebody would be along quickly.

But I had no problems.  The gorilla didn't even move (I think he may have even jumped off at the car thinking I was done).  I rode at a good pace the whole way without even getting close to being out of breath.  I even felt good for the rest of the day without feeling tired at all.

So hear is the new formula for me and beta-blockers.  Climbing for more than 2 minutes = bad. everything else is apparently good.  Still, this is East Tennessee, so climbs abound.

I have an appointment with the Doc this Friday.  I gotta talk him into taking the gorilla back.

Recommended Daily Allowance of Iron(y)

Something I didn't mention in yesterday's post (it was already getting long as it was) is something that happened during the ride between Fountain City Peddler and River Sports.  We were still on Broadway, which is a four lane road with a turn lane down the middle of quite a lot of it.  I was in front of Joshua, Alex, and a couple of other guys who had caught us briefly and riding on the right side of the right lane, right where I was supposed to be.  We were approaching the intersection with Woodland, which has a dedicated right turn lane, so I moved over in order to allow traffic behind us to use that turn lane while we waited for the light to turn green.  One lady in particular did use the turn lane (which as I believe I said we had moved over so as not to block her), and also took the opportunity to yell at us out of her window something that sounded as she passed by like "muffle muffle muffle get on the sidewalks if muffle muffle muffle..."  (I guess people don't always realize that it's hard to hear something shouted from a moving car when you aren't moving next to it at the same speed).

OK, first, I was well within the law by using the road and not the sidewalk.  In fact, even the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization recommends that bicycles not use sidewalks (top of page 8) except for the very young due to safety concerns.  Second, I would have needed to cross over the right turn lane anyway in order to cross the intersection (since I wasn't turning).  But the third thing I have to mention was the ironic part.  The lady in question had a bumper sticker on her car that said "Coexist."  

Hmm.  I somehow think she wasn't really all that sincere about that, was she?

I want to take some space for a call-out or two.  First is for Steve, who runs my local bike shop.  He was involved in a crash yesterday morning during a group training ride (apparently a chain came off of a bike in front of him and got into his front wheel).  I saw him briefly after he got back from getting checked out at the hospital, so at least I know he's going to be OK.  Second is for Ben, the boyfriend of one of my sisters-in-law in Charleston, SC.  He was hit by a car while riding.  He was roughed up pretty badly, with facial lacerations, broken facial bones and clavicle, and I don't know what else, but he was at least able to get mostly clear after the impact.  The car that hit him kept going, dragging his bike for 4 blocks.  They pulled into a grocery store parking lot, disengaged the bike, and drove off leaving the bike there.  I haven't heard enough about the event yet to know if the witness(es) were able to give a clear description to the police, but I sure hope so.  The worst thing is that Ben doesn't have health insurance right now.  I'm just glad it wasn't any worse than that.