Week 32

Date
August 10th, 2012

Distance
115 Miles

Time
7:49:50

Route Map/Profile

Geiger, Kingsbury, and Gold Hill. I didn't map the detour through Virginia City, which is why the mileage isn't exactly correct.

Weather

Picture

Virginia City

Ride Report
There was a break in the road work on Geiger Grade, so I took advantage and headed towards Virginia City. I've been avoiding Geiger all summer thanks to the road work. It hasn't been too big of a deal since the weather is still nice and I just ride Mt. Rose instead, but I have missed the occasional trip up Geiger Grade and I rode a fast pace (fast for a long ride, at least) because I was excited to see it again. My usual route through Virginia City was closed off for Hot August Nights, but it was early and they were only setting up, so I didn't get to see too much action going on.

I did the usual descent down the truck route and made my way towards Kingsbury Grade. I didn't feel great going up Kingsbury, which I attributed mostly to the wind. I did the descent down 50, which isn't the best (storm drains in the shoulder), but I still ride it from time to time.

I decided to go straight through Gold Hill to get to Virginia City because I heard that they started mining there again recently (http://www.rgj.com/article/20120808/NEWS/308090009/Local-company-begins-gold-silver-mining-Comstock) and I wanted to check it out for myself. Sure enough, I saw a couple big dump trucks along the way, which is bad news for cyclists. I never liked descending through Gold Hill (it's too fast for me and the truck route has better scenery and less traffic), but the ascent is always a good test with its steep sections. It's going to be dangerous through there now with the dump trucks, and if cars decide to start using the truck route instead, that's going to ruin one of my favorite stretches of road. I know there are a lot of people in the area who are against the mine, and you can add me to that list.

Meanwhile, the ride itself turned into a disaster. My quads started cramping just as I hit the steep sections and eventually my right leg completely locked up and I had to stop. Once I could move it again, I unclipped my right foot and the leg locked up again. I've never actually had cramps in my quads like that- only in my calves a few times and that has only been after the ride is over. I took a short break and got back on again, but the cramps returned after only a minute or two. I took a longer break, massaged my legs a little, and then returned to riding as easily as I could. Unfortunately, I was on the steepest part of the climb, so there wasn't time to soft pedal and ease into things. Luckily, the cramps didn't return and after another short climb there was a 7-mile descent coming my way, so I was able to slowly but surely make my way home.

What caused the cramps? I don't have a history of cramping. It was hot, but I'm usually good in the heat and I didn't feel uncomfortable. I had plenty of water along the way and I was good on my calorie intake. I usually take Endurolytes on extra hot days or on double centuries, but today I didn't have any. Honestly, I was wondering whether they actually made a difference or not. Even if they're only acting as a placebo, you can be sure I'll bring some along on the next ride. However, I get the feeling that I just didn't have the legs today. I did 3 centuries last week and I wasn't feeling strong on Kingsbury Grade earlier in the ride. I'm probably just out of gas and the legs finally gave in. We'll see what happens next week.

Week 31

Date
July 30th, 2012

Distance
108 Miles

Time
6:39:39

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Mt. Rose Highway- near the bottom

Ride Report
This is the same route I did on Week 27. My time was a little faster this time, but it looks like that was mostly due to the wind. Overall this was my 7th century in July, so I've been enjoying the summer.

Week 30

Date
July 23rd, 2012

Distance
100 Miles

Time
6:14:54

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Cool temps and rain.

Picture

Rain ahead.

Ride Report
It's been awhile, but we had some rain here in Reno this week and I did some rare rain riding. I hadn't ridden in the rain since the Borrego Double in May. I actually like riding in the rain, and I don't just say that because I live in the desert and it's a rare occurrence. Back when I lived in Indiana I felt the same way. As long as the temperature is above 60 degrees or so, I've always enjoyed the ride and find it to be a calming experience. The one big negative is all the bike cleaning involved afterwards.

I chose an easier route (the same as Week 26) to avoid any long, wet descents. It started to rain on me in Washoe Valley and let up as I went through Carson City. I thought I might get a dry ride up 6 Mile Canyon, but as you can see from the picture above, that wasn't going to happen. The descent out of Virginia City on the truck route isn't steep or technical, so it wasn't too dangerous and I didn't get very cold on the way down.

The skies cleared as I rode back through Washoe Valley towards Reno. As you probably know, this is the toughest part of the ride for the bike itself. The rain washed away some of the chain lube and the wet roads left behind a nice layer of grit in its place. This is one of those times when I'm actually glad that my bike is older and not worth that much money. I don't have to worry much about things like riding in the rain, riding on a gravel road that might scratch my paint, or even crashing. My bike is cheap and has a ton of miles on it, and sometimes I actually wish something would happen to it so I'd have an excuse to get a new one.

Week 29

Date
July 16th, 2012

Distance
101 Miles

Time
6:00:21

Route Map/Profile

Bismarck, North Dakota

Weather

Picture

1806 near Cannon Ball

Ride Report
I took a trip to Bismarck, ND for a nice ride along the Missouri River on highway 1806. Bismarck is a better place to ride than I expected. Though I didn't do much riding through the city itself, I came across some sharrows on Rosser Ave and other bike paths along the way as I went through Mandan towards 1806. Crossing the river was easy on Memorial Hwy with a nice & wide separated pedestrian path on the bridge.

1806 was a scenic ride with rolling hills all the way through. Traffic was light, and the vehicles I did see gave me plenty of space. I had a great time out there and wished I had more time to follow 1806 all the way down to the South Dakota border and beyond.

If you'd like to see more pictures, check out the Century in 50 States blog.

Week 28

Date
July 12th, 2012

Distance
112 Miles

Time
7:09:07

Route Map/Profile

Mt. Rose plus the back of Kingsbury

Weather

Picture

Near Sand Harbor

Ride Report
I did a simple out-and-back without all that much climbing. The water stops are perfectly placed on this route. There's a park on Kalhe Drive near the bottom of the intersection of 50 and 207 (the bottom of Kingsbury) and another one (Preston Field) just before the 28/431 intersection (the bottom of Mt. Rose).

Speaking of the 28/431 intersection, they plan on installing a roundabout (http://roadtoblue.com/) and I saw evidence of progress out there today.  I like the idea. At the moment there's just a stop sign there and visibility isn't great if you're on 431 trying to make a left turn on 28. From a cyclist's point of view, this project is going to make it easier and safer to make that left turn from 431 to 28.

Week 27

Date
July 4th, 2012

Distance
108 Miles

Time
6:45:40

Route Map/Profile

Mt. Rose, the east side of Lake Tahoe, and Kingsbury Grade

Weather

Picture

Daggett Summit- Ready for the 8-mile descent

Ride Report
I celebrated the 4th of July the best way I know how- with a nice ride. Lake Tahoe was packed and everybody seemed to be having a good time, myself included. I actually broke the 50 mph barrier down Kingsbury Grade, which is something I haven't done since last year down 267 near Truckee. I had a nice tailwind and the east side of Kingsbury is a smooth road that I know pretty well, so this was probably the most comfortable I've ever felt above 50 mph.

Week 26

Date
June 29th, 2012

Distance
101 Miles

Time
6:14:16

Route Map/Profile

Easy ride plus 6-Mile Canyon

 Weather

Picture

6-Mile Canyon

Ride Report
I had a bad week and ended up doing this ride just to get my century in for the week and keep the mission on target. It's a pretty easy route with 6-Mile Canyon being the only difficult part thrown in. There's been road work on Geiger Grade for quite a while now, so I haven't been out towards Virginia City in a while and I had to take the long way through Carson City to get there.