Velo Cadence

The Cheaha Challenge

2009-03-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

Finishing times for the Cheaha Challenge by year:

2005 - 8:09
2006 - 6:44
2007 - 6:35
2008 - 5:46

Frankie Andreu rode the 2008 Challenge in 4:47.

I hope to finish the 2009 Challenge in 5:40. I have increased my goal time from 5:20, because I haven't trained like I had hoped to because of work, family and a virus that would not let go. I had no energy for about a month. In my opinion, anything under 6 hours is a great time.

Visit http://cheahachallenge.com/ to check out the Cheaha Challenge website. Also visit http://noblestreetfestival.com/ to see what goes on the Saturday before the ride.

Woodland-Calhoun Century Challenge

2009-03-02T14:37:00.002-06:00

This is a great ride with outstanding support. You need to do this one.

Woodland-Calhoun brochure
Woodland-Calhoun page

Cheaha Challenge

2009-03-02T10:54:00.002-06:00

check out the Cheaha Challenge blog.

Flat Tire...

2009-02-26T11:19:00.002-06:00

Flat tire this morning riding on the "new" Rex Lake Road. I am in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops. After I changed the tire, I ducked under the barricade and rode the scenic entrance road. I don't really know what they call the road, but it was scenic - and it had lots of speed bumps. There is a small lake back there. It is really pretty cool. There are some steep grades on this little road, too.

MS 150 riding group

2008-09-29T09:53:00.002-05:00

From left to right - Steve (fixed gear), Darren, Lamar and Danny. These are 4 of the guys I rode with on Saturday and Sunday of the MS150 in Orange Beach. On Saturday, our total group included 7 riders. Sunday, our numbers thinned to 6 as we crossed the Foley Beach Express bridge the first time. I fell of the back myself on Sunday going over the bridge, but managed to catch back up on the way down the other side. Darren and Lamar finished 1st and 2nd both days. They both have killer instincts - and ability to match. The ride finishes at the Wharf just after we come back over the Foley Beach Express bridge. On Saturday, Darren attacked with about 3 miles left. I couldn't go with them. This left me with 2 other guys - including Steve Phillips (only because he was limited by the fixed gear, and he took me on the bridge).

On the second day, I managed to cross the line 4th. I could have taken Danny at the end, but it would have been cheap. He had tried to keep up with Darren and Lamar over the bridge and was just coasting in after he lost contact. I did ride up beside him at the end and we coasted across the line with Danny about a half a bike ahead of me.

I had a tough time keeping up on Sunday and had to take some short pulls towards the end. I don't think I was the only one feeling the effects of our Saturday ride. Darren is incredibly strong and punished us on some of the few uphills. I think the best ride both days was turned in by Steve Phillips on his Masi fixed gear bike. I didn't even notice he was on a fixed gear until about halfway through the ride on Saturday. Steve told me he has put in over 11,000 miles so far this calendar year. Wow.

Lamar gave me a ride back to the condo on Saturday. This was a huge favor, because I was very tired and it was getting hot. I was not looking forward to riding another seven miles - even taking it easy.

I had a great time riding with you guys. I hope to keep up next year.

Floyd Landis races in Birmingham, Alabama

2008-09-16T14:02:00.007-05:00

Floyd Landis raced in Birmingham, Alabama. It was in the hotly contested beach cruiser race. His form was off a little as his passenger swayed from side to side as they were accelerating into the first corner. The motorcycle dude won first place - crossing the line at about 40mph. Landis could muster no more than middle of the pack (with a big smile on his face).

Floyd Landis in Birmingham

2008-09-15T12:02:00.002-05:00

Floyd came to Birmingham, Alabama for the Pepper Place Criterium. There was a 25 mile group ride leaving at 7:30AM from Homewood Cycles. I rode from my house to Homewood, because I needed to get a total of 3 hours on the bike.

I always take an extra bottled water in my jersey, which I drank on the ride over. When I got there, I realized that I had forgotten my main bottles. Faris at Homewood Cycles let me have a couple on credit - and he knows me.

While I was talking and waiting on the ride to start, I saw Joe Songer there with his camera. Joe is a photographer for the Birmingham News, and was there to cover the ride for the paper. Joe was nice enough to take this picture for me. It would have been nicer if he would have doctored the picture a little bit before he sent it to me! I wish I had taken my helmet off. The stupid black thing sticking out of the bottom of the helmet does a good job of keeping sweat out of my eyes.

The ride started out really slow. I think they were giving time for Floyd to chat with some folks. About five miles in, Floyd started to stretch his legs a little. Before I new it, I had been dropped from the front group. I was trying to catch back up with a couple of other guys when I noticed the Floyd group was stopped at a red light. We waited for everyone to get back together after that. I got to talk to Floyd a little on the way down Old Leeds Road. I left the ride at traffic light at the top of the hill on Old Leeds to head back to the house.

I saw Floyd off and on all day on Saturday at the Pepper Place Crit. He looked like he was having a great time. I took pictures of him getting ready to ride the beach cruiser race. He had a passenger on the back. I will post the picture as soon as I upload it.

Thanks for coming to Birmingham, Floyd. Good luck next year!!

Alabama MS 150 Bike Ride in Orange Beach

2008-08-29T15:06:00.005-05:00

I am getting ready for the MS 150 Bike ride at the end of September. I did this ride last year and had a blast. I had thought about doing the ride in years past because it seemed like a fun thing to do. Just over a year ago, my wife was diagnosed with MS. Now the ride takes on new meaning for me.

It is an interesting event, and different than any I have ever done. First of all, you can join a team (I joined the Cahaba Cycles team). Secondly, it is a two day ride of 75 miles each day. The same people are there both days, so you get to know them a little better. Also, no one is looking to split right after the ride on Saturday, so there are more people just hanging out and talking.

They have a dinner on Saturday night, but I didn't go to that. I hit LuLu's with the family instead. This is a great restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister. We plan on doing the same thing this year.

The rest stops and support are great. I had a flat tire on the first day. I no more got the tire off the rim before a support vehicle from Bob's Bikes pulled up and finished changing the tube for me. I didn't know it, but the passenger in the truck had a camera. As you can tell from the picture, I was happy to see them.

I took it kind of slow on the first day and tried to pick it up a little on the second day. I rode with a good group on Sunday that averaged around 20.5 mph. We were the lead group until we took a wrong turn that took us about 10 extra miles. Also, the average wind speed that day was 15 mph. I don't like riding in the wind - I would rather climb hills. If it is a windy ride that includes lots of climbs, I would rather just stay home.

I started working with Coach Tim last August, so I should be in better shape this year. Hopefully, I will hook up with a great group of nice people and not get dropped.

The Assault on Mt. Mitchell

2008-08-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished... It was very hot and the mountain was relentless. I had hoped to finish in 6:30, but it took me 7:37:37. However, there was a construction delay (pictured above), but it was only 10 minutes. I suffered once the climbing began just after Marion. I began stopping at every rest stop even if I didn't need anything. I was off the bike for about an hour. I don't know if I will do it again.

My 2008 Assault on Mt. Mitchell motionbased info.

Lake Day

2008-08-13T08:32:00.007-05:00

This last Saturday was Lake Day for the youth at my church and I was going as a chaperone. The problem was I needed to get in a 3 hour ride and get to the church with 4 kids by 9AM. I left the house at 4:37AM. That is not really all that early for me, but I don't usually get out that early on a Saturday, especially when I will be at the lake all day with a bunch of teenagers and will probably get home late.

Per Coach Tim, I spent 90 minutes straight in zone 3 at a cadence of 85-95. These zone 3 workouts have grown on me. While these are not as easy as the 2-3 recovery rides Tim gives me a week, I prefer these over some of the more intense workouts. You know the ones - they make you feel like you are going to throw up. Over the last year, I have kind of gotten used to the pain and the "I think I going to hurl" feeling. In a way, I kind of look forward to them. I love the feeling my legs have after one of those workouts.

Anyway, I was on the way back from my 90 minutes in zone 3 and I took these pictures just after I crossed the bridge over Lake Purdy on Grants Mill Road. It was a very cool 60 degrees with lower than normal humidity. I was a little later than I wanted to be, but I decided the picture was a must.

I managed to get to the church 15 minutes early even after filling my car up with gas. I forgot I was on empty! It was a fun day at the lake right up to the end. I spent the day swimming and pulling a tube with a jet ski. The kids had a blast.

As we were eating supper, my 13 year-old daughter ran in and announced that she had crashed the golf cart. What was she doing driving the golf cart? I went out to survey the damage. The owner of the cart was there. The front was mashed in and the right headlight was dangling by the wiring. It looked pretty bad to me, but the very nice owner said "I think the damage is just cosmetic". I felt so bad. Hopefully, he will let me get it fixed. What a way to thank the host of the party!

I was exhausted by the time we got home. I didn't set my alarm for my Sunday workout. I decided I needed the day off.

Just Another Ride in April...

2008-08-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was planning to ride from Liberty Park, go up Karl Daly a couple of times, head down Old Leeds, cut over to Brookwood Road and then to Overton at North Woodridge. I love going down Overton from North Woodridge. That first downhill turn to the left on Overton is my reward for repeating Karl Daly.I always want to do it again, but I decide to wait until next time. The route covers just over 29 miles with 2,300 feet of climbing.

When I left the house, it was 43 degrees and 4:44 AM - I was 14 minutes late getting started. I have to be home in time to get ready for work before I take one of my children to school. It was still dark about 6 miles into my ride when I heard someone yelling. Because I was wearing a headband, it took a minute for the sound to register. When it did, I looked to my left and saw a car in the middle of an intersecting road. I could tell the trunk and doors were open because the lights were on. As I was slowing to turn around, a fire truck followed by a rescue truck topped the hill in front of me with sirens blazing. I wondered if the motorist had already called 911. Is it just a mechanical or is someone hurt? The trucks blew past the car.

When I arrived at the car, there were two young ladies needing help with a flat tire. They couldn’t get the jack out of the trunk, so I offered to help. You have to lower the jack a little to get it out. One of the girls explained that they were having a very bad morning. Her boyfriend and the other girl’s husband tried to kill himself. I told them I was sorry. Here I am out for a carefree ride, and they are dealing with attempted suicides. Then it hit me – they were not talking about two different guys. My mind started racing as I retrieved the jack from the trunk. This girl’s boyfriend is the other girl’s husband? Why are they in this car together? He tried to kill himself. They were in the car together. Did they try to kill him? They have a flat tire. Change the tire. Get out of here. Those rescue vehicles were for the boyfriend – I mean husband.

I asked the girlfriend to hold my bike so the light would shine on the wheel I was replacing. She evidently was not focusing on the flat when she told me I looked like a tight end. I cut her some slack on this obvious mistake because she probably doesn’t know the difference in cycling and football. I never played tight end my whole little league career, but based on the tone of her comment, it didn’t sound like she meant it as an insult. Then a series of questions began. “How much do you ride?” “Do you live around here?” “Do you ride around here in the morning very often?” Then she said they needed to find some way to repay me, and she asked me if I could think of any way they could do so. I assured her I was fine without any form of payment.

As I was explaining how ancient I am in response to a question about my age, 4 police officers in 3 patrol cars pulled up. I was placing the flat tire in the trunk when one of the officers said he bet I didn’t know what I was getting into that morning. He was right.

Another of the officers began to ask the girls a lot of questions. “Are you the wife?” “Who are you?” “Let me get this straight - you are girlfriend, and you are the wife?!” “Why are you together?” “When did you talk to your husband last?” “What did he say?”

It was time for me to leave. I hurriedly grabbed my bike and told a couple of the officers that I was leaving. Just as I got started down the road, I realized I didn’t have my helmet. Stupid! I turned around and went back. One of the officers met me at the intersection with my helmet and was laughing at me.

I cut my ride a little short that morning. No downhill turn on Overton – but it didn’t seem to matter any more.

Cheaha Challenge rest stop #3

2008-08-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

This rest stop atop Horseblock Mtn. is sponsored by the Dr. Barry Nicholls and the Animal Medical Clinic in Anniston. Dr. Nicholls is dressed as the Tour de France Devil (Didi Senft). He is pictured here with his wife. The next picture is a wide shot of the rest stop. Below is the real Didi Senft.

Cycling performance enhancers...

2008-08-03T15:06:00.002-05:00

It is time I come clean. I make money selling a certain performance enhancing drug. We import it by the container from Columbia and other places around the world. It is grown on large plantations and our buyers make deals to buy whole crops at a time. We process it with equipment from Italy. The family I work for has been in business over 100 years. We are talking big business. Maybe not as big as the Corleone Family, but a nice size. We can learn a lot from Vito Corleone. Things like “never let anyone outside the family know what you are thinking”. That is very practical advice. Also, his ability to make deals you can’t refuse is legendary. What a gift!

Cyclists are always looking for a way to improve performance. I am just trying to help you. With proper administration, our product will help your performance in many areas. You will think clearer, smile more and just be a happier and more successful person. As a result, your family will love you more. Because of your increased productivity at work, you will probably get a promotion and make more money. You could use the extra money to go to France for a cycling vacation. Those mountain stages of the TDF will be easy for you. Mont Ventoux? Piece of cake!

Come on, what do you have to lose? Grab a cup of coffee!! First cup is on me. Drink Fresh. Drink Red Diamond.

Just for the record, we have been making an energy drink for over 100 years. For that pre-ride pick-me-up, drink it black. For a recovery drink, simply add milk and sugar. For that extra edge during competition, you may want to try some of our sweet iced tea in your water bottles. Who needs all those fancy-schmancy complex carbohydrates? Have you seen the price of those organic bars? Go old school, baby!

Pre-dawn winter riding wisdom

2008-07-26T14:52:00.000-05:00

I like to ride early - usually starting 4:30 to 5:30 in the morning. I have had many experiences and gained some wisdom while my brain was half frozen on those pre-dawn winter rides.

First of all, I highly recommend riding early. The roads seem different before daylight than after it. There are not as many cars, and the drivers seem to be in less of a hurry to get to work than they are to get home in the evenings. I do worry about the few drivers that are out. I have the 20-40 degree weather to keep me awake. They are probably very sleepy in those toasty Suburbans.

At 4:30 AM, you can only see what your light will let you. The world seems kind of small – especially when there is fog. This limited field of vision tends to add some excitement that you can’t get during daylight hours. Like when a dog suddenly appears with no warning and wants to gnaw your leg off. You have two choices at this point – you can work a sprint interval into your workout or you can stop. It really freaks the dogs out when you stop or even go towards them. Save the interval option for downhill sections. Risk the stop on the uphill sections.

I have also seen a coyote and a fox. The coyote incident was a little disconcerting. He seemed to be following me for a little while in an open area beside the road. However, they run with their tails down and kind of look like they just want you to stop and pet them. I don’t recommend the petting thing.

You don’t have to ride early to encounter deer. At the risk of stating the obvious, when you see one deer, be on the lookout for numbers two, three and four. By the way, don’t spend too much time looking at your cadence or average speed on your computer. I imagine the deer in the woods with walkie-talkies. “Here he comes and he is looking at his computer! Wait until you can see the glow of the computer’s light on his face. Wait…wait...GO!”

One morning, I saw a mother raccoon followed by two or three babies. They crossed the road just in front of me. JUST in front of me. I did run over a raccoon once. One piece of advice from this experience – don’t go back to check on the raccoons you run over. They get really pissed off when you run over them, and they don’t take any comfort in the fact that you cared enough to go back to check on them.

Now about water bottles - don’t put ice in them. The ice will form on its own during the ride. At some point, consider an insulated bottle to keep the water from freezing. A frozen water bottle can be very inconvenient.

The Cheaha Challenge is like life...

2008-07-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

I was sitting around doing nothing the other day and thinking. The Cheaha Challenge is like life in so many ways. You start fresh and with lots of energy and a little impatience. There are other people shielding you from the wind on the way out and the roads are smooth.

You reach a certain point in the journey and suddenly you are on your own and the road becomes rough. Those hills are tough, but you know they will make you stronger. You do what you have to and you make it over them. During the journey, you do a little climbing and a little coasting, a little climbing and a little coasting. The only constant seems to be changes in the road. It may seem like you aren’t accomplishing much while you are climbing, but you keep churning and trying to break the hill down into manageable increments. Pace is very important, and you need to be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. You can’t judge your effort based on someone else. When, not if, the going gets tough, dig deep. Don’t give up – giving up is not an option.

Then, you realize you have made it past most all the hills. You don’t seem to have as much energy to burn as you once did, and some of the people you began the journey with are no longer around. Ideally, you have saved enough energy to make it comfortably to the finish line. Enjoy those last few downhill miles, but the real reward comes after the ride is over.

New iPhone

2008-07-16T15:39:00.001-05:00

4:50 AM Tuesday, July 15. Just going out for a tough workout. This picture was taken with my new iPhone while riding on Sicard Hollow. You can see the light on the left side of my stem. My Garmin 305 is on the right side. The cables catch lots of light and cast a shadow. It is amazing how many spiderwebs accumulate on the cables while you are riding.

Coach Tim sends me a week's worth of workouts on Mondays. I usually have Mondays off. I think he gets a kick out of putting me in pain. I imagine he laughs an evil laugh after he sends me my workouts.

I rode with a group for the fist time in a while on Saturday. I was able to keep up, so things must be working. I didn't win any sprints or climbs, but I had a great time.

iPhone

2008-07-09T08:43:00.000-05:00

The new iPhone comes out this Friday. Knowing this, I took the risk of dropping my phone so I could take a few pics while doing my recovery ride this morning. 1. Even dirty, she is a beauty. This was taken before the sun was up. The iPhone did a pretty good job of adjusting for the light. 2. no hands on Sicard Hollow 3. My new lid. Thankfully, I didn't test it out this morning as I took this picture while riding through Alston Meadows in Liberty Park. I sure hope I look better from a distance. Maybe this iPhone doesn't take very good pictures after all.

Mt. Mitchell pictures

2008-07-04T13:29:00.001-05:00

The tunnels were the only cool places on the ride. I would have liked to lay down in one of them had it not been for the fact that I would have been run over almost immediately. The second picture is the finish line. You can't see all the bugs that were there. I am sure I ate about 100 of them.

Beginner Criterium Series?

2008-06-27T14:03:00.000-05:00

An Idea for Promoting Cycling

By Darrell Oquinn

Fellow cyclists,

I have been contemplating an idea to promote our sport that I would like to share with you. Specifically, I would like to know if the cycling community would be receptive to the idea and support it. Please feel free to call or email me with your comments and/or suggestions (doquinn@uab.edu; 205-478-2178).

The core idea: To establish a criterium series specifically geared towards introducing the sport to new individuals, especially school age kids who would otherwise not be able to afford to enter the sport.

The motivation: Look around at any cycling event of any kind and it won’t take you long to surmise that cycling is a sport dominated by the middle and upper class, which in our society also largely means Caucasian. This is especially true in racing where minority participants are dramatically under represented. Factors that contribute to this situation are cycling’s relatively high price of entry and it’s failure to reach out to minorities. However, this idea is not necessarily targeted towards minority groups. Simply put, there are a lot of kids out there whose family’s can barely afford to give them a bike, much less one that is race worthy. Furthermore, even though almost every kid you will ever meet knows how to ride a bike, most kids are completely unaware of organized bike racing, or organized cycling events of any kind for that matter. From my point of view, the sport would greatly benefit from any attempt to reach out to this population. And from the kid’s perspective, it would give them another healthy alternative activity to be involved in.

The essential specifics: My basic approach to this idea follows the principal of ‘keep it simple stupid.’ When applied to bike racing, the criterium format is almost as simple as they come. Although often held on city streets, a criterium can also be staged in a large parking lot making it easier and less expensive to organize. And outside of track racing, the criterium is also the most spectator friendly cycling event, which appeals to the participant’s friends and family members and also potential event sponsors. And the second core factor in the development of this idea, and likely the largest obstacle to its realization, would be to obtain a fleet of single-speed bikes for participants to race on. Why? First, because it will dramatically lower the threshold to entry. In essence, the participant would simply have to show up with a helmet in order to race. Second, because all of the bikes will essentially be identical, it will provide a level playing field where success is based simply on the individual’s athletic ability. And why single speed? Primarily because of durability and ease of maintenance. Additionally, single-speed, free wheel-equipped bikes would also be the least expensive to obtain.

An alternative: The basic idea here isn’t and shouldn’t be limited to cycling. From my point of view, running is probably the sport with the lowest threshold to entry – i.e., every kid I know already owns a pair of shorts and shoes. The concept presented here could also be applied with less effort to a 1-5K running series. And this alternative could even be offered within the context of a cycling event such as was done at the recent Noble Street Festival/Sunny King criterium.

So, without taking up more of your time with additional details, that is the basic idea. I welcome and appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Darrell