My own pave

They call Paris-Roubaix "The Hell of The North," but watching the Tour of Flanders this weekend, the Belgian race seems pretty Hellish too. It's because of the pave, of course, those ancient cobblestone country roads that tear your backside and wrists apart when dry and is slick as ice when wet.

I've stated before that I enjoy riding our county's bike and hike trail system. There is a lot to like. You don't have to watch out for traffic, though a mother with a stroller can easily ruin your day. The trails follow streams so they are flat, wooded and cool on warm days. Like most cities west of the Mississippi, ours is laid out on a grid system, but the streamways don't follow this pattern, thus effectively shortening the distance between many points A and points B.

There are a few things I don't particularly enjoy. Indignant walkers is one of them. Hey, I give warning with my girly little bell and I tolerate you, so you can tolerate me. I also feel a bit silly on my road bike among the flat-bar comfort bikes that many people seem favor. If there are two things I don't understand about the bike and hike path they would be one - why do people think hybrid and comfort bikes are more comfortable - and two - why would anyone run more than enough miles to train for a sprint triathlon? Of course I used to wonder what would possess someone to run more than a mile, so I'm educating myself on this.

Another thing I'm coming to appreciate more is the pavement - the pave. Bike paths are not roads. Sure, you might find a stretch of concrete slab that's smooth as silk, but for the most part the bike path consists of ancient asphalt laid down many moons ago and promptly forgotten. It is riddled with potholes, just plain falling apart in places and can somehow be moist enough, long enough, to grow moss in a drought. In the fall it's covered with leaves that hide baseball-sized seed pods that fall off of God knows what kind of tree. Parts of the path are riddled with the leavings of Canada goose, which can be quite slick, let me tell you. Many of the paths are old enough that they were engineered in an era when they were an afterthought - namely when you come to an overpass you must climb a hill as steep as any staircase, then just as you are feeling good about yourself for selecting the right gear so as to not have to put a foot down on the climb, you must descend a similar staircase and then make a hairpin turn at the bottom. The newer ones are wider, flatter and every so often have pre-fab (albeit nice) bridges that never seem to exactly meet the pathway quite right at either end.

Into this environment you are introducing a road bike that has 23mm tires and, because it was designed to go, not stop, brakes that stop your bike about as well as you can stop your car by opening the door and dragging your foot on the pavement.

It is a recipe for disaster. It is also a recipe for fun. Today I figured that's exactly why I like the bike path so much: It makes me a better rider. I have learned to navigate those hairpin turns, find the right gear and climb those steep hills and avoid cell-phone-talking moms pushing twins in a stroller down the center of the path. I've also learned how to be comfortable after long periods in the saddle of an otherwise uncomfortable contraption. I've learned not to hold the bars in a deathgrip. I've learned to lift out of the saddle just enough to absorb the particularly bumpy bits. I've also learned how to place my hands in several different positions so as to not fatigue my wrists and forearms.

It's fun to go fast, but you have to remember that it can also be fun to go not so fast.

What it takes to lose one pound a week

I read somewhere that 3,500 calories make up a pound.

I've been most successful at losing weight when I concentrate on losing just one or two pounds a week instead of trying to lose a lot of weight quickly, which just leads to yo-yo-ing.

At my weight I burn about 1,000 calories an hour cycling at my pace. So, all else being equal, I need to ride 3.5 hours a week to lose one pound. That's about 50 miles a week.

Anyway, here's a good calculator for calories burned according to activity. Click here.

So I joined a gym

I joined a gym last week. I had avoided doing so for 44 years, but there you go.

I tend to have an obsessive personality. The dark side of this is that for many obsessiveness can lead to addiction. I've been able to avoid this, despite the fact that alcoholism runs in the family. My parents never took up drinking for this reason, and it's a decision I certainly respect. Like most American males, I did take up drinking in college and had a lot of fun with it. I also didn't give it up after college, and consumed a lot of beer during my 20s and 30s. But I eventually grew out of it around the time of 9/11.

Unfortunately, my waistline also grew. It's safe to say that the kind of full-bodied lagers that I was so fond of give one an excellent base for the classic beer belly sported by so many of us 40-somethings. When you add in a lack of physical effort and the kind of food readily available to us in our society, you can easily end up topping the scales on the north side of three bills like I did.

The best way I can put this in perspective is to chronicle what I did this week. I rode my bike Sunday and Monday. Then it started raining. Instead of sitting around lamenting the weather, I went to the gym Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and worked out an hour each day. Heck, I might even go back this afternoon if I cant' get a ride in.

When a personal trainer was showing me the equipment at the gym we came to the stair stepper. I intimated to her that two years ago I avoided any physical effort whatsoever. I would troll the parking lot for the best parking spot. I would take the elevator if I could avoid even one flight of stairs, because I'd be winded like nobody's business pulling my wide body air frame up to the second level. When not working I sat around all day and did nothing. Now I am was on a machine that was created for the purpose of mimicking the very thing I avoided most. And enjoying it.

People close to me know my story. They know how I was a few pounds overweight through college. How I got back into shape in my 20s for a while when I was flirting with high blood pressure. How I really let myself go after Colleen died. They know about the illness that almost took my life and had me flat on my back for six months.

I could feel sorry for myself, but that's not in my nature. It amazes me that so many people don't realize that it's not the events in one's life that shape it: It's one's attitude about them.

I have not felt this good since college. The cycling has certainly led to that, but the gym workouts have been the icing on the cake. If I have any regrets, it is that I could have accomplished more during my 20s and 30s if I had as much energy as I do now.

When you feel really good like I do right now, the blue sky is a little bluer, your son's or daughter's smile makes you smile a little longer and music even sounds better.

Somethign to think about

I want to pass this on from the ADA, because I think it is something important to think about during this election year. Two years ago today Congress passed health care reform, which has had a significant impact on the ability for diabetics to obtain insurance. Again, I pass this on without comment for or against, because I think it is something that is important to consider.

Click here for information about health care reform and diabetes.

So Proud of Team Red

This year I am fortunate to be Team Red Captain for the Kansas City Tour de Cure. I wasn't sure I wanted to take on the duties of a team captain, but I'm sure glad I did.

I am so proud that our little team has already grown to 15 members. Nationally the goal is to get 25 members for every Team Red. We are well on our way. And, not that I have much to do with it yet, but our team is currently the top fundraising team in our category. Great work folks!

With the tour kickoff still 10 days away Team Red is only going to get bigger and better!

Team Red was started by Colorado rider Mari Ruddy. Mari has been a type 1 Diabetic for more than 25 years and she started the team as a way to recognize diabetics and friends and family of diabetics who ride in the Tour de Cure.

I have personally discovered what Mari already knows - riding is a great way to control blood sugars and be as healthy was we can be. It's also a heck of a lot of fun.

Here's more about Mari and Team Red

The Olympics are only 140 days away

With that in mind, here are links to the London Games Road and Track cycling.

Road Cycling

Track Cycling

I enjoyed the road race from Beijing, but as I recall I had to watch it online. Anyway, I know the players better now, so I'll be excited to watch this summer.

I remember during the Los Angeles games in the '80s they televised  lot of cycling. Even the track cycling. I think that was the Olympics of the NBC triplecast, but maybe that was Atlanta. It's hard to get into track cycling because you just can't find much of it, even on the Internet, though I'm sure I could if I spent a little time trying harder.

In the cycling forums the topic of a cycling television network often comes up. There is a tennis and golf network after all. There are a million reasons not to start one, but nonetheless somebody should. Heck, you would make tons off the home shopping and infomercial possibilities alone.

Your iPhone as Cycle Computer

Why go out and buy an expensive cycle computer when you can turn your iPhone into a powerful fitness computer, GPS, music machine and, what else? Oh! A phone of course.

Wahoo Fitness – Connecting iPhones to Fitness- ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart sensors for running and cycling, such as heart rate monitors, speed and cadence and stride sensors