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2009 RTC Ride

So this was my first bike event - I had no idea what to expect, only that I felt that I trained hard and was ready for the ride.

We started at 6:30am from Downtown Las Vegas and headed down mainstreet to Washington and east on Washington. The first 8 miles went so fast, I kept watching the speed and I was doing 20-25 the entire time. Since it was still a little dark it was cold, but after 2 miles or so I didn't notice.

The field strecthed out a bit once we reached Hollywood and then we turned east on Lake Mead and had to go over Sunrise Mtn. I mapped the ride on mapmyride.com and didn't think that this particular hill would be too bad, but it was 3 miles up hill and I really had to work to get over the top.

Once over the top it was full speed ahead down the backside of the mtn. I reached up to 35 and only pedaled when it actually did anything. This lead me to the first rest-stop of the day at mile 18.

I stopped off for a quick water, a bannana and a peanut butter cookie. Everyone else that had passed me or was ahead of me stopped and seemed to hang out for along stretch of time. I stayed about 4 min and moved on down the hill.

At the end of Lake Mead there is a good climb up to North Shore Drive and then downhill for a short run followed by another climb. The road leveled out and had a short climb up to Lakeshore drive. At this point I was feeling pretty good and was able to hang with all the Expensive Road bikes - I ride a Trek Hybrid so it may not be geared for hills, but does great int he flat and down hill.

Lakeshore drive started out down hill but quickly had 2 tough hills then leveled out for a few miles before the last down hill by boulder beach - now it got tough.

I reached the Ranger station leading into the park on the boulder city side of Lake Mead at the 30 mile mark or so - the climb up to Hwy 93 was very steep and I had to walk my bike about a quarter mile. Once on the Hwy it was about 2 miles to the rest stop - Mile 34. I quickly drank some water - had another bananna and ate several of my fig newtons that I brought along. After about 5 min and not wanting to think about the next 5-6 miles I headed out. The Stretch from Mile 34 to Mile 42 was up the hill into Boulder City - If you ever went to the Hoover Dam you went down this hill.

I started out pretty good - several people passed me, but I just kept my head down and kept on pedaling. I don't know how long it took but I know I only averaged 5-6 miles per hour during this stretch of the road. Once I turned right on Industrial and made another climb and reached the top I knew that the rest of the ride was mine. I felt very confident at this point. I was tired from the climb, but not winded or feeling like I couldn't go another 20 miles. The next few miles went by fast due to the down hill slope of the road.

I ended up on Hwy 93 heading toward RailRoad pass and hooked up with several other riders. I felt good as all the riders were riding the 118 mile track. I knew this because they had blue numbers. Everyone with Red numbers were with the 62 mile group. I stuck with this group all the way to the next rest-stop at mile 50. I stopped for a quick brake (too much water) then headed out. Many people seemed to be stopping for longer periods. I just didn't feel I needed to stop. I ate a couple of fig newtons every 5 miles and drank my gatoraide and felt good.

Now it was down Boulder Hwy back to downtown for the last 12 miles. The climb was slightly uphill, but with now wind it really was not too bad. By this time it was getting hot - I noticed only once I actually crossed Charleston as the air just seemed dead. One small last climb, a quick right before getting to Las Vegas Blvd then a quick left and then accross the Strip. The road was level now and I just focused on getting through the streets until the turn off of Main and onto Ogden. Now it was a quick run down to the RTC building and across the finish. I finished in 4:49. Not too bad -considering all the lights on Boulder Hwy.

I quickly parked my bike, grabbed the lunch provided by Outback and called Claudine to come pick me up. I considered riding home but was too tired at that point to add 10 more miles.

The event was well run - well laid out and well supported. I can't wait until next year. 118 is the goal. I'm very happy that I completed this ride it felt very good to accomplish a challenging ride my first time out.

see how it goes. I bought new shorts yesterday they should make a difference.

Getting ready to hit 40 today. Its early on Sunday and hjust a little windy but not to bad. I was going to ride up to Kyle Canyon road today. I guess we will

30 miles today. Need to woorkuo to 60

1000 Miles

I've had a busy month riding my bike. Proudly I've reached several goals since the purchase of my new bike. In July I completed 300 miles in a month. At the time it seemed like a big task, now it seems an easy challenge. In Aug I set my goal to 400. This can be acheived by being consistant in the rides and I found that I easily reached the 400 goal by the 20th. I then decided to shoot for 500. I reached this goal yesterday. I've added 30 today and am currently at 531 for the month. Considering I do not ride on Wednesday's and I missed this past Friday, I could very well have been a 600. I'm not sure what September will bring me, but I'm ready to tackle 500 again.

We purchased a Trek FX 7.3 for Claudine - she did her first 15 mile ride today. I'm not sure she will get into the riding like me, but she is now set to keep up on our weekend rides.

My Review of 7.3 FX

Trek

7.3 FX

Awesome Bike

LvPoolshark Las Vegas 8/30/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Fast, Responsive, Handles Well, Comfortable, Good Geometry, Lightweight

Best Uses: Exercising, Serious Training, Casual Riding

Describe Yourself: Casual Cyclist

I purchased this bike to aid in my weekly workouts. The speeds and comfort of this bike quickly turned me into a serious rider. This bike is comfortable to ride, great handling, smooth gears it has it all. I've owned the bike for 6 weeks and have put 700 miles on it. I just bought on for my wife so we can enjoy riding together - a great buy for a lot of bike.

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Just adding the ability to post ride info via phone

First Post

Finally decided to write down my bike adventures from where I go, what I do and equipment. I'm starting this just after I finished my goal of 300 miles in a month for the month of Jul 2009. I'm shooting for 400 this month - currently 83 miles down in 3 days (started on Friday)

I bought a Trek FX7.3 for my rides - my old mountain bike was not ideal for riding long distances.

I've assembled the normal equipment - helmet, gloves, bike shoes, bike shorts and jersey, camel back, heart monitor, computer on the bike - tracking all with www.mapmyride.com - an awesome site for compiling info and looking at potential rides.

I completed a 40 mile ride on Sat Aug 1st - my longest ride to date, followed by a 30 mile ride on Sun morning. Weekends are great for getting in some long rides.

I'm getting up at 5am because of the heat - it's torture at first, but when I get back I'm very refreshed for the day.

More to come - I plan on adding a camera to my equip.

Training for the RTC ride in Oct - can't decide on the 35mile ride (looks easy now that I've been training) or the 60 mile ride - the hill in Boulder City looks tough - I'll have to try it out first.

Wish me luck.