What Type of Cyclist Are You?

From Forbes.

Researchers at McGill University in Canada recently did a survey of cyclists and concluded that a one-size-fits-all approach to promoting cycling might not be best.

The study found that cyclists fall into four groups: Path Using Cyclists (36 percent), Dedicated Cyclists (24 percent), Fairweather Utilitarians (23 percent) and Leisure Cyclists (17 Percent).

Where do you fall in?

I found the categories to be pretty good, but they don't quite fit me. I have a road bike and a bike path bike. I enjoy riding them equally, and tend to ride one or the other in spurts. I'll be on a bike path kick for a while then switch and primarily use the road bike on city streets.

After thinking about it for a while, I think I fall into the Dedicated Cyclist category. The study defined these riders as people who consider cycling to be an important part of their identity.

You can view a Forbes story on the research here.

Road Bike vs. Path Bike

I haven't been able to blog much the past couple of weeks. My mother-in-law had surgery and my wife has been aiding in her recovery so I've had the kids. My exercise has been limited to morning runs three times a week and longer weekend bike rides.

I has given me the opportunity to compare and contrast my two aluminum steeds, both from Specialized: Sirrus and Allez.

The Sirrus is my bike path bike. It's got 32-inch tires and is well suited to this purpose. Aluminum gets a bad rap, but it has its merits in this application. Namely, it's light. Too rigid to be sure, but the bigger tires do an adept job at sucking up some of the vibration of asphalt bike paths and crushed limestone rail trails.

Nonetheless, the Sirrus is heavy. Especially when you add a back rack and panniers full of stuff for a longish ride. I try to limit my gear, but I feel the need to take along my wallet with the possibility of a lunch stop looming. That also necessitates the need for a bike lock. And since the panniers are on there, why not go ahead and pack a light jacket?

Then there's my diabetic paraphernalia. Test kit and bottle of G2 for lows. Donuts or some other fast-acting nutrition to fuel the ride. I've often said the daily routine of testing, insulin shots and need to carry fast-acting carbs is more nuisance than anything else, but thank God science has progressed to the point that for many people like me, it's only that and not much, much worse. I'm not going to complain about the few extra grams of weight it requires me to carry.

Then there's the road bike. Also aluminum, I can't afford carbon at this point in my life. It's rigid, which isn't the worse thing in the world. It's light, but not as light as carbon, and if there's one knock it doesn't have that supple rigidness of steel, which makes for a pliable ride like butter.

I bought the cheapest Specialized Allez they made in 2010. It looks good right out of the box - a sleek, silver bullet every bit as beautiful as the garishly colored and more expensive Tarmac models made by the same company. It is a work of art in its own right. Not in the same way an Italian bike is like a fine sculpture or painting, but more like a photograph - a newer medium, just like America. It might not be made in the US, but it was designed here and has all the elements of economy, flair and compromise for mass production that one would expect from an American product.

It's flaw, soon to be corrected, is its Shimano 2300 groupset. The best way I can illustrate this is that the crankset might as well be made from iron. Upgrading to SRAM components as I will be doing later this year will easily shave four pounds off the weight of the bike. I have already ditched the stock Alex rims for Mavic wheels that have significantly lightened-up the bike.

As for performance, I'm not the slowest cyclist out there (I am probably the slowest runner), and probably average at best, but this bike is a sports car. I'm often shocked at the acceleration you can produce by standing up and pounding. It's quick, even with me driving.

The Allez is easily half the weight of my fully-trimmed Sirrus.

With this in mind, I set off on roughly 25-mile rides on consecutive Sundays. First on the Allez, then on the Sirrus. Both rides relied heavily on the county's excellent trail system, with some road mixed in - more on the Allez than the Sirrus.

After the first ride, despite feeling the paths had torn up my backside and wrists, I was ready for more. It was 25 miles, but it felt scarcely longer than the regular 15 - 18 I do. This bike was meant to ride fast in a relatively straight line, so it can get a bit dicy on tight turns on the bike path, but I'm used to it. I do find myself clipping out more often in case I need to come to a sudden stop navigating strollers, dogs and clueless walkers.

After the second ride, I was spent. I carry around a lot of weight on my body, and the rolling resistance from the larger tires coupled with the weight of the extra gear was akin to jogging in the sand. It was only about a mile longer than the first ride, but it felt like it took all day. It did take longer because my average speed was down almost a mile, this despite being almost entirely on bike path. Navigating tight curves and foot, paw and stroller traffic was no problem. I hardly though about unclipping from the pedals. It was a workout.

This might sound like I don't like the Sirrus. Hardly. I love the thing. It's perfect for what it was designed to do. Just like the Allez.

You have to have the right tool for the job. I think too often people buy a bike that's a compromise. It does a lot of things, but nothing very well. A lot of people also make the mistake of buying a department store bike. Now, if you only plan to ride a few times a year, then a used bike from Craigslist or a cheap department store bike is just fine. But if you plan to ride every week or several times a week like I do, a more expensive bike is a must. You don't need to go crazy. My Allez cost around $800 initially and the Sirrus was under $500.

But, a $300 department store bike sitting in the garage costs a lot more than an $800 bike that's ridden three times a week.

Freaky Biker Dude

There is a guy who lives in my neighborhood who my wife and I have named "freaky biker dude."

I know his name, thanks to the local bike shop, but I won't use it here because I don't want to single the guy out for ridicule. If you have seen the guy and want to talk about him, ride up to me at a group ride and we can talk.

First the good. This gentleman is an outstanding physical specimen. He is not very tall and solid muscle thanks to hours a day spent on a bike. I wish I had the ability and determination to ride as much as him. It's July turning into August and when I saw him today his skin is already a dark coffee color reminiscent of the leather chair I am sitting in at Starbucks while I write this.

Anyway, atop his flat bar road bike or racing bike (I've only recently seen him on) he does miles a day in all sorts of weather. Rain, sleet or snow, the U.S. Postal service has nothing on this guy. When we see him, my wife and I make a point of calling or texting one another and saying, "You'll never guess where I just saw freaky biker dude?" It might be 20 miles from the house with a lot of difficult geography in between. I think this guy must do 100 miles a day. Easy. Probably on a rest day he does a century.

My friends and I used to see this guy around midtown we call AIDS Man. He probably does not have AIDS, which is no laughing matter, but he does have superhero abilities, of that we are certain. What he is is probably a heroin addict. Well, more than probably. Anyway, we have consistently amazed over the the span of, what two decades now, that this man still walks the earth. I saw him fall over one day at a bus stop and go into convulsions. I circled back to see if I should call 911, only to see him doing the same act again when another car passed. My guess is that he did not have bus fare and needed a ride. A friend of mine once saw this guy throw up in Barnes & Noble after riding an escalator.

Anyway, my obsession with AIDS Man has been replaced by Freaky Biker Dude.

So here is that bad part, and this is where I don't want to get too far into the story. He has a mental problem. He rides for a reason, namely, that I don't think he is allowed to drive a car.

And here's the worst part. He's going to get killed.

He rides a lot, but not fast. Ever. He's usually taking up a whole lane at a workman pace that is going to result in a fatal rear-end collision from a texting teen or distracted minivan mom. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.

And if he doesn't get struck by a motorist, he's going to be gunned down after yelling at the wrong person.

Take today for instance. I pulled up behind him about a mile from our respective houses and he was angrily signaling to the car in front of him. I'm not sure why he felt slighted this particular time, but I can tell you it might be anything, including the mere act of passing his pokey ass. In fact, he'll yell at just about anything, including people walking dogs.

You see, I don't see Freaky Biker Dude every day, but when I see Freaky Biker Dude, Freaky Biker Dude is usually yelling at a motorist about something.

Someday I will stop seeing Freaky Biker Dude and wonder what happened.

Air Force Cycling Team pedals across Iowa

Air Force Cycling Team pedals across Iowa

My first road bike

My first road bike was a 1982 Schwinn Continental. It was what we used to call a ten-speed, and if I remember right that meant a 2X5. I remember picking the bike out at Wheeler's Schwinn on Wornall Road in Kansas City with my dad. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the bike shop. I can't imagine that it cost $100.

1982 Schwinn Continental - My first road bike.

I rode this bike all through high school and through part of college. The shifters were on the stem and it had cheater brake levers so you could break without going into the drops. God how I loved that bike. I would give just about anything to have it back.

1980 Schwinn Continental.

It was black with gold lettering, the same colors as the University of Missouri, where I suppose it ended up. I have no idea what happened to this bike. I don't remember selling it or giving it away. I can't imagine I abandoned it in the bike rack at Hudson Hall, but I might have. I just don't remember. A sad ending to a machine that served me so well. I probably bought this bike after seeing Breaking Away. I wonder how many bikes that movie sold?

In the late 1980s road bikes (10-speeds) were going out of favor. Everyone was buying mountain bikes and putting street tires on them. I was no exception. Dad and I headed back to Wheeler's and I picked out a gray Nishiki Colorado to take back to Columbia for my Junior and Senior years. I miss that bike too, but not like that Schwinn.

Simon Bennett does not let diabetes slow him down

Read the article here.

CICLI PINARELLO S.p.A.

I really enjoyed the profile of Pinarello in the May/June issue of Peloton magazine. Pinarello is an exclusive bike maker that knows its place in the world. They cannot be a Specialized or Trek, and have no desire to be. Their bikes are expensive and awesome racing machines and they make no bones about it. It is a fine family-owned business in the Italian Cycling tradition.

Here is a review of Tour de France Champion Chris Froome's Pinarello Dogma.

You can see CICLI PINARELLO S.p.A.'s Web site here.

Need To Park Your Bike?

I found this cool Google Maps tool that tells you where to find bike parking in Kansas City. Pretty detailed information.

Omaha Getting Some Love (and Kansas City too)

This is a good story from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy that mentions Kansas City and Omaha both as America's Next Generation of Trail Cities.

Rail Trails and Urban Renewal

The Rust Belt from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy on Vimeo.

This is a nice little documentary on how Cleveland is using rail trails to serve as the backbone of urban renewal in certain areas. Very cool.

On Getting Faster

I've taken up running, and even though I'm still relatively new at it I have established a habit of running at least three times a week.

Today on the road bike I noticed a huge difference not only in speed, but in my ability to maintain a fast pace for an extended period of time. Fast for me is 20 miles an hour on flat ground. Not blistering by any means, but fast enough that I think I can begin to entertain riding a regular group ride soon.

I also think riding my heavy bike path bike, a Specialized Sirrus, has made me faster and increased my endurance.

I have come to enjoy the feedback that you get from regular exercise. I can see improvements from week-to-week with my running and riding that you just don't see when you lack that rhythm.

Feels good.

Back On The Roads

I have been riding my road bike a lot lately. I love having more than one bike, but I am a bit of a streaker when it comes to riding the same bike and giving the other one (someday that will read others) a rest.

I love my road bike. It's a pretty much stock entry-level Specialized Allez save for Mavic wheels and nice plush handlebar tape. I love the thing. It accelerates like a sports car and after riding my heavy Specialized Sirrus, it seams feather light. It's mostly comfortable, too.

I have been riding the Sirrus on bike paths for so long that I'm having to get used to riding on the road all over again. It freaks me out to have cars pass me from behind more than perhaps it should. I've been going out in the mornings to ride before the traffic gets too thick and mixing in busier roads with almost careless neighborhood streets. Each day I find myself wanting to do a little more on the busier roads.

Now, if I could just up enough nerve to tackle more hills.

Didn't Mind The Hills Today

Two lessons I learned all on my own: Always start riding into the wind and always start riding upstream.

I was able to get away today for a longish bike ride. Since I'm spending the summer at home with the kids, I just can't get away for these rides, which were my staple last summer.

I had two hours or so, and so I went out and did a quick and dirty 20-miler on mixed trail and road surfaces on my road bike. I wanted to ride up on a bike path that follows a creek and tackle a few hills without having to contend with traffic.

I hate hills. This is mostly because I'm a clydesdale, or to be honest I'm fat. It takes a lot of effort to get my ass up those hills. And since I'm being honest, let me say that they freak me out. It's not so much that I'm worried that the effort will make me pass out from burning through too much sugar (I'm diabetic) or the cardiovascular effort, but that's part of it.

No, I'm still getting used to clipless pedals. I worry that I'm going to end up going so slow I'll fall over before I can clip out. This actually happened to me once when foot traffic caused me to come to a stop on a hill on the bike path. It didn't hurt. It was more like sitting down hard, but still, I don't care to repeat the experience.

Anyway, I've learned two things about riding. The first is that you should always start out in the direction of the wind. Of course the weather always seems to change when I get to my turn-around point and I end up doing the whole ride into the teeth of a gale, but it's a good strategy nonetheless.

The other thing I've learned is to head upstream on these bike trails. Upstream means uphill, and that means you can practically coast all the way home. That's an exaggeration, but you can take it easy on the way back.

In any case, this particular trail veers off the stream for a bit at what is usually my turnaround point, which is to say eight to 12 miles from where I start. I engineered that part of the ride to hit one of these massive hills, which begins with a few rollers that require a short burst of effort. Then there's one massive hill to contend with, which I got through with no issues.

These hills are more severe than anything one encounters on the roads around here. I don't know the grade, but they are steep.

I didn't mind the hills today. Granted, it was 75 and low humidity, so there's not much that can ruin a day like that, but still...

Testing Out A New (Old) Seat

I am testing out my Brooks B17 Saddle on my road bike. I noticed that in the grand scheme of things, the B17 is not a whole lot heavier than the saddle that I had on the bike in the first place. Maybe 60 grams.

I would rather be comfortable than shave a few tenths of a second off my average mile. I'm not the fastest rider anyway, and until I upgrade the components on my Specialized Allez, it's a bit on the heavy side anyway. Heck, the crankset looks like it was made out of iron (Shimano 2300). I'll worry about weight when I upgrade to anything that starts with SRAM.

The change was made easier for a couple of reasons. First, I don't have time to ride the excellent bike paths in our area because they are not close to the house and it takes a bit of riding or a car trip to get to the closest trailhead. My other bike is that workhorse of bike paths and rail trails everywhere, the Specialized Sirrus. It needs a new tire, which means replacing both because the stock tires are shit. I can't justify spending the money right now for decent Continentals.

After a few test rides I think I have the seat dialed in. The first ride the seat was too high and pitched too far back. I felt like I was falling off. The second ride resulted in my legs going numb because I overcompensated by pitching the seat too far forward.

Not it's just right. Whatever the bike, that Brooks saddle makes it the most comfortable ride in town.

Punishing My Pancreas

I have been running, walking or cycling every day this summer and it's had a positive effect on my blood sugars. I hadn't had a reading above 200 all month until last evening before dinner. I promptly went out and punished my pancreas for not behaving.

I had dinner and took my insulin then went out for a punishing 6-mile ride. Punishing in the sense that I hammered whenever I could, keeping it in a gear that would require my legs to continuously pump hard. By 9 p.m., I was at 70 and treated myself to a little ice cream, which got me through until morning when I woke up in range.

I file this one under the "take the bull by horns" department.

Tour of Kansas City Crit Races at Lee's Summit, Mo.

We headed out to the Tour of Kansas City Crit races in Lee's Summit on Sunday. We camped out in corner No. 2 for a few of the early races and had a great time. Crit racing is a great spectator sport. You have the opportunity to see the riders go around dozens of times during one race and the action is fast-paced. The pace picks up as higher category racers take the course. And, best of all, it's free!

This first video is the start of the Masters 40 and over group. These guys are fast, make no mistake about it. They are pacing themselves at this point.

This second video is another pass from the 40 and over crowd. This was a tight corner, but it had some run off. We only saw one guy go down when he clipped a cone on the last lap. Poor guy. He got up, though, and went on. He was okay and so was his bike. His collarbone lived to tell the tale. I went over to see if he was okay, but I held off when he got up. "I can only really help if he stops breathing," I told the officer who was manning the corner.

Some riders from the Masters 40+ race.

Riders from the Women's Cat 2/3 race.

Cross Country

Makes you want to cross country, but it's obviously a sport for younger people. Some of these wrecks would be life-treatening at my age.

Freedom

Today we went to a park with the kids and Charlie took his bike. I chose this particular park because there is a .2 mile trail that makes a big circle. From the playground I can watch the entire loop, so my plan was to let Charlie ride around the park loop while we played with Gretchen.

Kids today don't have the freedom we had at their age. I had free range of the block at his age. I could go anywhere. In a few years I would be ranging all over the neighborhood and left to my own devices. This is unimaginable today.

I wanted to let Charlie experience that sense of freedom. It's what I loved so much about riding the bike at this age. I could do anything I wanted, as long as I was home for dinner.

As expected, Charlie reveled in this freedom. He probably did a mile - five times around. Once he understood the one ground rule - stay on the path - he was in his own world. It was fun to watch.

My wife had a different opinion. She was concerned that he was so far away from us. He's never a few steps away from us, she said. She's right, but I thought it was important to let him explore. It's tough to give them that freedom. I understand that. Maybe it's a sign of things to come.

To me, the look on his face was worth it.

The Cost of Diabetes

I estimate that my diabetes costs me $1,000 a month. Now, most of that is due to the fact that I am currently paying COBRA prices from my health insurance. When my wife lost her job and started her own company, I could not obtain insurance elsewhere, so as expensive as it is, I'm riding out COBRA until it ends and I can find another solution. Of course, all this will be moot in a couple of months when insurance companies must insure those with pre-existing conditions, but my purpose is not to get into that debate here. My wife and two children are on a separate policy and their healthcare costs are about $350 a month.

For the purposes of this discussion, let's consider that if I was not diabetic and we were on a family policy it's not unreasonable to expect that our family's total monthly healthcare cost would be more like $500.

That's a car payment or from one half to one third of a house payment. I imagine our entire family could eat for $500 a month if we did not go out much. That's two weeks (which is six days for us) of daycare.

A year's worth of diabetes-related expenses would easily buy me the top-of-the-line Specialized Tarmac or Roubaix. Heck, you can get into a decent small-displacement motorcycle or scooter for that much and throw in some gas to boot.

Of course in the end, like most parents, we would end up spending the money on the kids. That's a lot of soccer league fees and clothes.

In search of a low A1C

This winter has been hell on my A1C. Fortunately, I've got a few months to work on it before I go back to my endocrinologist.

Keeping my A1C below 7, and hopefully lower than that, is why I run, cycle and workout. Diabetics are all too familiar with this magic number, but non-diabetics probably don't know how important it is. Most people know that diabetics test their blood sugar to keep it in an acceptable range. For simplicity's sake, let me say this is around 100. Lower than 70 is too low, and my doctor likes me to be under 140 before I have a meal and take on insulin.

The A1C is different. It's a measure of how your blood sugars are trending over a period of time. In the most recent issue of Diabetes Forecast, the American Diabetes Association magazine, there was an interesting question posed to the Ask The Experts column. The question was about having too low an A1C.

The expert in this case, Sue Kirkman, MD, raised a few good points about A1C levels in her answer.

Kirkman notes that it's more important to know how that low number is derived. Frequent episodes of low hypoglycemia are not good, but tight control, especially a younger person with more time to theoretically develop complications from disease, should adhere to a number lower than 6.5. (A number in the 5s for non-diabetics is common, by comparison).

This is called tight control, and it comes at a cost. One cost can be those frequent low episodes, which are an acute problem. Low blood sugar can lead to coma and death, and anyone who has recently been diagnosed and knows how a low episode feels knows that new diabetics tend to over compensate to prevent these situations. I still have a snack before bed because of the one time I woke up with a 47, my lowest blood sugar ever. It was not pleasant. Shakes. Sweat. Not pretty.

High blood sugar kills you slowly.

There is a financial cost too. I've tried, and I have to say am succeeding, at keeping in tight control this week as I head into summer. That means testing several times a day - those test strips are expensive, even with insurance It also means taking extra insulin to correct for extra carbs at a meal or a higher than targeted blood sugar before a meal. That means more insulin used, meaning the prescription must be filled quicker - you get the picture. I have also upped my slow-release insulin, which I take twice a day, so have more "background" insulin on board.

This has led to late morning lows - 60s, which I feel (some don't) and so that means slamming a Gatorade or having some orange juice before heading out to the park with the kids.

And that's why I do all this. For my kids. I want to be around when they graduate college and get married decades from now. So for me, shooting for tight control makes sense.

And that's why I run and ride!