Geek who loves 2 bike

Day 2 (Sunday) of my trip was completely off the bike and spent with the Bell family. To protect privacy I will use the initials for the Bell family (BB, AB, LB, SB)

The morning started with a run with BB and neighbor, Marty. It was nice that they invited me on there regular run. Even nicer is that they didn't take me downhill and leave me. Just kidding, the run while cut a little short (for them) due to time constraints but was perfect for me.

Later, we ran some shopping errands and had lunch at Pei Wei. Pei Wei was LB's choice and did not disappoint. I have eaten at this chain in three different cities and have had the same good food and experience at each one. It was nice that SB chose to sit by me and allowed me to help him with his chop sticks.

BB is looking into starting cycling for fitness. We went to several bike shops just to price some bikes and get information. As a very avid cyclist, I have travelled to Boulder several times in the past. One of my favorite mail-order catalog bike stores, Excel Sports, is headquartered there. Unfortunately, Excel only sells high-end, "pro", level bikes. These are really not right for BB at this time. I was very disappointed in all the other bike shops we visited. Being my thing, I have visited many bike shops in different cities of the years. Being that Boulder might be considered the "mecca" of cycling I was surprised at the low-level of service in the bike shops we visited. I admit I am spoiled by my local shop, Sunflower Outdoor and Bike in Lawrence, KS, which may be the best bike retailer in the U.S.

My specific problem with the Boulder bike shops were two. First, bike fit is very important. They seemed to give short shift to this (with the exception of Excel Sports). Second, is that none of the bike shops seemed to carry a good selection of road bikes to compare and choose from.

The rest of the day was easy and enjoyably spent playing with kids and generally just chilling out.

In hindsight, an off-motorcycle day or at least a light motorcycle day, in the middle of the short vacation trips (3-4 days) that I like to take may be ideal. One dynamic of motorcycle trips is that naturally a big part of the trip is motorcycle riding. Because of the severe limit in luggage, I am not able to do some of the activities that I enjoy such as biking, kayaking, etc. I note that my other vehicles are SUVs that allow me to take some of my many "toys' for active vacations. While motorcycling is very fun, a break after long travel days can be relaxing.

I finished an enjoyable second day with 0 motorcycle miles.

This past weekend (Saturday) I rode my Ducati to Colorado to visit my good friends the Bells. The initial part of the trip was to a suburb near Boulder, CO and later continued on to Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park) before returning home.

I would be remiss not to start by saying that I had a wonderful visit and stay with the Bell family. The entire family were welcoming and gracious hosts during my stay.

My trip began with my leaving my home shortly after 8:00am. I am getting superstitious of loading my bike the night before. The last couple of times I have, weather has forced me to cancel my rides. Therefore after waking some time earlier, eating my regular breakfast of oatmeal and grapefruit, I finished packing the bike before leaving.

Earlier I had planned a route that allowed me to avoid as much of Interstate 70 as possible while still affording a relatively straight route to Boulder. This route had me travel on I-70 to just past Junction City, KS. On this Saturday morning the interstate travel was reasonable and not that hectic.

Just past Junction City, KS, I headed over to Hwy 18 to head west. Hwy 18 proved to be the most enjoyable part of my long ride across Kansas. This two-lane highway is sparsely trafficked, well paved and provides some nice views of the western plains.

I should mention that motorcycle travel is much different than automobile travel. First, a sportsbike motorcycle accelerates and stops much quicker than automobiles. Because of this it feels much safer traveling at a higher rate of speed than in an automobile. For me this is a blessing and curse. Personally, I enjoy riding at a speed higher than the posted limit. But, I dislike speeding tickets.

The reason for mentioning the motorcycle speed difference relates to my choice of route. Beside avoiding the huge amount of traffic on I-70, I believe I am going to exceed the speed limit sometimes on my motorcycle. The difference in the posted speed on my alternative back highways would make my route much longer than the interstate if one was going to only go the speed limit. Using good judgment and only speeding where safe makes the back roads not as much a penalty with regards to overall time.

At a couple of points along Hwy 18 I hit 133 mph (GPS verified). This is not the top speed of my motorcycle, but the fear of getting caught speeding this high had me resist attempting any higher "speed tests". For my non-motorcyclist friends, you should note that all motorcycle speedometers are optimistic and read higher than you are traveling. It is a bit of a trip to see the speedometer reading 140 mph! This is my arbitrary cut-off of any high speed runs.

High speed tests non-withstanding, I generally rode at around 80-90 mph. It would be easy to cruise along at 100 mph if I did not have the worry of speeding tickets.

From Hwy 18 I headed north on Hwy 283 to Norton, KS to reach Hwy 36 heading west. So far the majority of my trip had been on the back byways and enjoyable. The weather was warm but not too bad with very high overhead clouds. These clouds lasted the entire ride across Kansas but did not threaten rain and there was still plenty of sunlight.

Along Hwy 36, I finally stopped to eat in Atwood, KS. I had stopped briefly for my second gas stop shortly before. Atwood did not appear to have much to offer so I chose to eat at Suzy Q's restaurant which is right at the main intersection of Hwy 36 and Hwy 25. The restaurant boasted of home-cooked food. Upon recommendation, I chose the chicken-fried steak sandwich. The food and service was only fair, but I was happy to have my short break (20 minutes) from riding and opportunity to use the restroom. By now I had travelled approximately 425 miles.

Continuing onward, I crossed the rest of Kansas on Hwy 36. This part of the ride was mostly straight and well maintained. I eventually hit the Colorado state line still on Hwy 36. To my pleasure I had not really encounted any highway patrol cars so far along the way. The posted speed limit was 65 along most of the route. I stopped for gas a third time in Idalia, CO. Near Anton, CO I had the unfortunate luck to be pulled over by a Colorado state police officer.

The police car was headed toward me behind another car. At this point of the ride I was pretty much in a groove and just crusing along as seemed prudent. I had reduced my speed somewhat due to worry of increased police patrol and was probably not going much faster than 80 at any time. Unfortunately for me, while I slowed down for the oncoming traffic, I did not slow down completely because my radar detector was silent. THe police office was not using his radar until right as he passed me when my radar detector went off. I was cooked. I pulled over to the shoulder after the state officer turned around. To my dismay I was written up for 75 in a 65 mph zone. I had hoped for a warning. After signing the citation, I continued on my journey.

By this time, I was getting low on gas again and looking for a place to stop. The limited mileage range of my bike is something I will discuss in one of the future day's entries. I found gas just before turning onto I-70 for the short ride towards Denver. By now I was probably 60 miles form my destination.

Outside of Denver my GPS directed me to take the tollway which loops Northwest by the airport. This seemed like the shortest way and by now I was ready to reach my destination. Unfortunately, this is one of the newer tollways where they stop you and charge you periodically along the way. I had to stop for three tollbooths along the way and pay $2.00 at each. In the end it cost me $6.00 to travel what was less than 15 miles! Bummer.

I arrived to warm greetings at the Bells home. Almost immediately I met a fellow rider (2 Harleys) and Bell neighbor, Marty. Marty graciously offered to allow me to store my motorcycle in his garage. While generally I wouldn't worry about my bike staying outside, earlier in the week both my cars had been broken into outside my home. On quick reflection, I decided in the unlikely event my motorcycle or parts off it were stolen, it would only add insult to the injury of the thefts earlier in the week. I took Marty up on his offer.

I enjoyed dinner and good conversation at the Bells home that evening and eventually went to bed. Contrary to the Bells thought that I would be exhausted after such a long ride, 670 miles, I find motorcycle riding not that fatiguing, other than mental exhaustion and a sore butt. Motorcycle travel is not like working out, such as running or bicycling. It is generally more mentally taxing than exercise.

I ended a good day after the aforementioned 670 miles in approximately 10 hours and a nice reunion with my good friends.

Well, I have furthered my personal testing of Accelerade and am still happy with it. I would be remiss to note that my test are mostly subjective, unscientific, and may relate to my personal physiology.

I have recounted my first two trial days, Monday and Tuesday in a previous posting. I have followed these up with the following training:
Wednesday: road ride (20 miles), followed by weightlifting
Thursday: road ride (40 miles)
Friday: weightlifting
Saturday: road ride (40 miles)
Sunday:weightlifting, followed by run (5 miles)

I used the Accelerade each day. Todays comments are an example, about taste, bottle only, power.

My earlier posting tried to describe the difference I noted when cycling with Accelerade. On another ride I came up with a good way to illustrate the difference. This example uses cycling and you should try it yourself. Find some rolling hills. These are a series of hills that you basically climb then descend, then climb the next rolling hill. These are not mountains are large hills where you have sustained climbing but a short hill that takes less than a minute to climb. You know these hills. They are the ones that either require you to reduce your pedaling cadence and/or downshift gears to get over. You also reduce your average speed versus a flat area. Now the example. Ride down the hill at an accelerated pace. When you hit the bottom try to keep the pace up as you power up the next hill. At some point you should feel the lack of energy (lactate acid threshold) and your legs will be too tired to keep up this accelerated pace. Now with me, at some point in my rides I will have this feeling in my legs in all situations. Early on, my legs recover at some point. But later, the ability to recover or hit peak power is significantly diminished. When drinking the Accelerade, my legs do not feel this fatigue or it is greatly diminished when I am riding generally the same training pace. Significantly my legs feel much fresher at the end of the ride. So far in my short test, I feel better recovered for the next days training.

Regarding the taste of Accelerade. One thing I really like is how the Accelerade tastes. Here I am not talking about the flavor, but the physical taste. While the Accelerade is in no way gooey or thick it does seem to have a consistency that is different than pure liquid like water. For me it is really satisfying and somewhere between eating and drinking while workout. Eat really satisfies me much like eating. Normally, when riding hard I can't wait till the end when I can eat. But, I find my cycling suffers if I eat food while training. I may have not mentioned that I like the Accelerade much better at room temperature (or slightly warmed when warmed up during a long ride) than chilled.

I should note that my experiments have been with the premixed Accelerade (grapefruit citrus flavor). Accelerade mix has been around for awhile. A search of the internet will provide mixed reviews of the powered mix version. I think it is significant that many people end up mixing the powered Accelerade to non-standard proportions. If there is any truth to the scientific claims of the producer, this variation on the mixed strength may work less well.

Finally my comment on power. Accelerade seems to help with "muscle energy" or endurance and recovery. This is opposed to power (fast twitch muscles?). As in my example above, I am noting a remarkable increase in endurance and less muscle soreness. This does not mean that I am noting a noted increase in pure strength (power). Nor would I really expect it to. In weightlifting, I notice much less of an effect (other than slightly reduced muscle soreness). I do like the Accelerade for running and cycling. While not directly affecting power, I believe the training effects may help facilitate more power training (such as intervals) that eventually increase power.

Bottom line. I still like the Accelerade a week later and will continue trying it.

Wanted to post about a new sports drink I am trying that appears to work, very, very well. Accelerade is a liquid sports drink (somewhat like Gatorade) that claims it's 4:1 (Carb:Protein) formula is ideal for endurance and fitness training and performance. So far, this product really seems to live up to its billing.

I have only used this product for two days so far, but the results have been amazing.

I initially purchased my first bottle (20 oz., regular price $1.99 before discounts) at Target. I thought to give an "energy" drink another try after listening to a friend rave about another product, Perpetuam by Hammer Nutrition, and his cycling efforts. According to the friend, he could do very long rides without running out of energy when using the Perptuem mix. It helped my decision that Accelerade comes in grapefruit flavor (as well as several others). I like the taste of grapefruit a lot.

On Monday, I did my first ride while using the Accelerade sports drink. This was a 40 mile ride where the temperature was around 100 degrees and the heat index was well into the hundreds. I immediately noticed that my muscles did not seem to lose energy as they normally would (and did on the ride the day before). It is really hard to describe the feeling. It is not like I had more strength (and consequently speed), just that my legs felt fresh the entire ride. Very notably, I had no soreness after the ride, nor later that evening. This may have been the hottest day so far this year.

The next day, Tuesday, I decided to continue my trial. I chose to do a brick (combination cycling/running effort). I first rode 20 hilly miles. Then I immediately followed this up with a 3.5 mile run. Once again, drinking the Accelerade along the way I felt much fresher the entire time. In addition, once again I experience little to no soreness. This is much different than the same training not using Accelerade.

I little about my personal physiology. I seem to carry a lot of water and generally do not have a problem in very hot weather. I can regularly exercise (such as a bike or run) in 100 degree weather for at least an hour with no additional water and not feel ill-effects. On reading the many articles on the importance of hydrating while exercising, I have tried to up my water intake on rides and runs. This does not seem to help all that much. In fact, too much water seems more or a problem than too little water.

I have also tried (and generally use) Gatorade on very long exercise periods. This seem to quench my thirst. I generally tolerate Gatorade (even warm) very well. Only a large dose will leave me feeling bloated. In addition to Gatorade, I have tried many gels (such as GU) and power bars. I generally like Apple-Cinnamon Powerbars the best. Importantly, none of these aids seem to make a noticeable difference in my performance. At best they delayed complete exhaustion.

The other training nutrition foods/drinks differ from my experience with Accelerade, in that the Accelerade made a noticeable difference in my performance during and after training. I look forward to continued use and trial.

I have searched the net for suggestions or examples of how others are using Accelerade. Other than some general testimonials I have not seen any specific training recipes. For reference, I have been drinking the Accelrade every 15 minutes during exercise with each drink consisting of a couple of swallows of the drink. I have been using the pre-mixed ("ready to use") bottled version of grapefruit-citrus Accelerade. My drinking rate is around 20oz per hour and a quarter when cycling. I have no problem drinking the Accelerade unchilled.

To recap. Drinking Accelerade I have experiences fresher muscles and longer endurance. I have experience a noticeable reduction in during and after workout muscle soreness. The only (slightly) negative item with Accelerade is a sightly "cotton-mouth" taste in my mouth after drinking it. In my case this is very mild feeling and not a problem. In contrast, when drinking straight water durning heavy exercise, my mouth always feels unquenched, so I probably prefer the slightly "cotton-mouth" feeling of Accelerade.


Some general thoughts:

1. Anti-drug. I have been around other who have used performance stimulating drugs such as anabolic steroids and stimulants. I do not advocate or condone their use in a any way. I have seen the users exhibit the negative effects. Accelerade does not list any questionable chemicals in it's ingredient list.

2. Supplements. I generally do not believe in vitamin supplements. My unscientific belief is that these are generally more harmful then helpful. If your body naturally creates a chemical, unless there is medical deficiency, I believe the addition of a lab-made supplement will just encourage the body to shut down it's natural production. It also seems that users tend to have to use more and more of the supplements to get the same benefits.

3. No Pain, No Gain. Anybody who has suffered a torn ACL or MCL can tell you that this thought process is wrong. No way can you work through this injury nor does it make you a better athlete. Keeping this in mind if a sports drink allows you do do strong effort with less pain, I believe my training is more effective.

2. Milk vs. Soy protein. Accelerade uses milk-based whey as it's protein source. While I have read articles advocating the superiority of soy-based whey, I am not sure I believe they are actually superior. Based on my limited trial of Accelerade it still appears to work.

Day four of this little trip was basically riding back home to Kansas City.

Late the previous evening I decided that I would return to Kansas City. This was due to three basic reasons. First, the weather had only been so-so with periods of light showers. It looked like the weather at home was much better. Second, I had hatched up a plan with a friend to maybe go bicycling in the Colorado mountains. Depending on his schedule, we would be going in a couple of weeks. Since I have been neglecting my cycling I wanted to get back and do some minimal cycling training. Finally, it really is pleasant to keep these short trips cheap. Camping helps. Another day in Dallas (especially when the weather isn't great) would just up the cost of the trip.

After waking up and getting dressed, I rode the short distance to my favorite Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. It was pleasant that several of the employees remember me despite the fact that it has been a long time between visits. I note there was a light shower as I arrived and left the restaurant. I then rode back to hotel and packed for my trip.

It has stopped raining by the time I was packed and checked out of the hotel. Since it was Saturday morning, the traffic getting out of Dallas was busy but not too bad. I had decided that I would take a more direct route back to Kansas City rather than alternates that add a lot of extra mileage and time. This is basically US-75 to US-69. Rather than the recommended (via mapping software) I chose to ride US-69 through Kansas rather than heading into Missouri and heading north on US-71 (which is a longer distance but maybe slightly faster due to speed limits).

US-75 is basically uninteresting with a fair amount of traffic. The same is true of US-69 in Oklahoma. There is one area where the road cuts through some lakes where the speeds can gat up. Fortunately for me I was listening to XM radio the entire trip to keep me from getting bored out of my mind. Near where US-69 meets I-44 in Oklahoma I got slightly off-track as I tried to avoid the toll of the I-44 turnpike. This was okay as I was trying to find a place to eat, gas up, and it ended up allowing me to ride part of the old route 66. One interesting thing I saw was a group (5-6) of late-model Corvettes driving down the road. They were heading the other way so I did not find out what they were up to. Probably a car club. It was somewhere near here where I met my first rain storm of the trip. As I go off on a county road (beautifully paved) it really began to pour. As there was nowhere good to stop I just rode on. The storm lasted about 15 miles. This was one of those showers where some cars pull over to the shoulder and wait it out. My Ducati wearing it's Avon Storm tires performed very well and I felt comfortable driving on.

I still had not found a place to eat as I continued North. By this time I was just looking for a McDonalds or other generally reliable restaurant to get something to eat at. By now I was within two-hours of Kansas City. It is at these times you ponder just continuing on until the destination. After deep thought I decided it was better to make a short stop for food as the skies ahead looked very threatening. Unfortunately as I rode I felt a flapping on top of my helmet, much like a bird flapping against the top of my helmet. I reached up and found that a plastic part (air duct) on my Arai helmet had come almost completely unglued. As I was traveling at highway speeds I just pulled the piece off and stuck it into my tankbag. You can read my thoughts about the terrible Arai company and the poor quality of there products by searching my blog.

I finally stopped in Pittsburg, KS at a McDonalds. My riding gear (waterproof) had held the rain out well. An inspection of my helmet showed that the failed plastic air cover (which is taped on with double-sided glue strips) just covers three round holes in the helmet. I decided I would have to fix this when I got home. The crash-worthiness of the helmet appeared to be intact. I chose to spend about 20 minutes at the McDonalds getting a quick bite and reading a book (as I often do to relax). I then got on the bike for the final leg home. Just as I was leaving the McDonalds I got hit by the second hard rain of the ride. This lasted for about 20 miles. Once again the riding was no problem.

The final miles of the ride were no problem with the weather turning mostly sunny and very muggy as I got near KC. Riding in from the south I am once-again amazed at how much the city has grown even in the past couple of years. It is a different and comforting feeling to ride on the roads that are your regulars (after spending even a short time away). Interestingly, even after my short trip, arriving back into Kansas City reminded me what a cool town it is for a mid-large city. I am still glad to live here.

Sorry for the long delay. Day 3 was spend entirely in Dallas. The only motorcycle riding was in-city commuting.

I woke and dressed for breakfast with a my friend Kevin. We planned to meet at a local breakfast place. I arrived first and secured a table. We enjoyed an okay breakfast and good conversation. After of breakfast Kevin headed off for work and errands I went in search of an auto parts store for a replacement taillight bulb.

The first auto parts store I visited (on the way back to the hotel) did not have the needed bulb. When I asked about an alternate, nearby auto parts store, the employee suggested two other parts stores (same chain), both of which were not very convenient. I decided I probably find something closer and continued my ride back to the hotel. Probably two blocks (versus several miles for the suggested alternates) I found another parts store. This parts store had the needed bulb which I replaced quickly after removing the two screws that hold on the brake light lsns.

I continued on to the hotel. I only had a short time before heading off for my scheduled lunch meeting. This was at one of my favorite restaurants, Corner Bakery, this location on Coit Rd. I enjoyed the a good lunch and conversation with my lunch partner.

After lunch, I rode up the street and decided to have my haircut at a regular hair styling salon when in Dallas. This is one of the chains but has generally done a reasonable job for a reasonable price. Haircut accomplished I rode back to the hotel. The weather so far had been mostly cloudy.

On my way I stopped and spend some time in a Borders Bookstore (I had a discount coupon) and purchased a new book. I also visited Nordstrom Rack. I have found some great shoe deals here in the past. Upon return to the hotel, I decided to go for a run. I have a regular 2.5-3 mile loop I generally run from the hotel. This run a one large square that runs from my hotel along Preston Rd (mostly commercial but with good sidewalk and few street or entrance crossings) and then along a major residential artery. I was feeling good and wanted a longer run so I ran two loops (5-6 miles).

After returning from my run, i showered and then noodled on computer for awhile and did some reading. For some reason (possibly because it is one of my favorite restaurants) I still felt like Corner Bakery for dinner. I visited a different Corner Bakery (on Preston Rd) for dinner. Here, my thing is to get a iced tea from the Starbucks (next door) and then walk over to the Corner Bakery> I just like the tea at Starbucks better than the Corner Bakery. This is no negative on Corner as the tea there is okay and the food is excellent. While at Starbucks I saw and spoke to old friend (motorcycling acquaintance) for a short while. My dinner at Corner Bakery was great as usual. After eating my dinner I walked over to the REI (outdoor sporting goods) which is across Preston Rd from the Corner Bakery and Starbucks. REI is a neat store which is a little different because the entire company is a Co-op. The employees are generally very nice and friendly. I didn't find anything I just had to have. It was now around 9:00pm. I walked back across the street and hung out in the Starbucks for a little while reading a book and people watching. Soon I headed towards the hotel, gassed up, and arrived back to go to sleep.


Corner Bakery (Preston Rd)


Starbucks (Barnes & Noble) from Corner Bakery parking lot

A couple of random thoughts:
1. The suburbs of Dallas are somewhat like a big city. You can tend to hang out in a small area. My longtime stomping grounds is around Plano Pkwy and Preston Road. There are many restuarants and stores within a mile of here.
2. The traffic in the area is pretty heavy no matter what time of day. During rush hours it can be almost overwhelming.
3. The Corner Bakery area (near Preston and Park Avenue) is super convenient and and comfortable place to hang out. This little strip mall has a great combination Barnes and Noble/Starbucks, the aforementioned Corner Bakery, and a Whole Foods market almost next door.
4. Another good (at least from a money-savings perspective) thing about motorcycle vacationing is that you have limited room to carry things. This factors into any discretionary purchasing and has me foregoing some of those shopping purchases of things I might like but don't really need.
5. The burned out taillight bulb reminded me that besides being a little self-sufficient, a motorcycle you travel on should be serviceable. Specifically, I note that a lot of motorcyclist modify their directional and regular lights. It was really convenient that I could replace the burned out taillight bulb with a commonly available part.