Ice ride on Cayuga Lake

It's been real cold the last few weeks, and Cayuga Lake has frozen over going out more than a mile.  Driving along the lake a couple of days ago I saw ice skaters way out on the lake. The ice looked very smooth.

So today I decided to go out and bike on the lake.

I took my hybrid, which has 700x40c  (2.1 inch) Kenda Klondike tires, knobby with metal studs (see closeup photo).  I rode over to Stewart Park, walked my bike through some deeper snow and over the first 20 yards or so of the lake, which was very bumpy with ice shards, and then hopped back on my bike and took off.

It was a blast riding on the lake.  The ice was very smooth, covered with thin layers of snow, a bit thicker (an inch or two) in some places. The wind was pretty minimal (which is unusual), and it was sunny.

The lake is about a mile and a quarter across, and it was frozen going out at least a mile.  I rode back and forth across the lake, and I rode out along the shore pretty far, though nowhere near the edge.  My wife had driven over and was cross country skiiing on the lake, so we met up a few times as we went back and forth across the lake.  

On the smooth parts of the ice, I got up to 17mph, though I felt comfortable at 14 and lower.  

Going straight it felt fine, though I took it real easy turning, doing so very gradually.  

It was just great being able to go so far with no climbing at all. A truly flat ride!  Also, no traffic, no salt, there weren't many people at all out on the lake.  There were some people ice fishing.  I went over to ask how thick the ice was.  Turns out it's only 4 to 7 inches thick, but that is apparently plenty thick for people.

I ended up doing about 10 miles on the lake. It was the quickest and easiest winter 10 miles I've ever done, didn't seem that far and was an absolute pleasure. Looks like it won't get anywhere near 32 degrees for the next couple of weeks, so I'll definitely be going back out onto the lake sometime soon!

January 2009 Century Ride

The route (same route I rode on Aug. 20)January can be a tough month for a century ride in upstate New York. Last year I lucked out when we had a fluke 54 degree day the first week of the month. No such luck this year.

I began scoping out advance weather forecasts at the end of December. I was looking for a day that either would be warm, or else one where the roads would be dry and the wind not too strong.

Late last week, Tuesday Jan. 6 started looking good. On Monday, I rechecked. I knew the roads would be dry, since it hadn't snowed in a couple of days. And the winds were supposed to be pretty minimal, 5-6mph from the southeast! As for the temperature, it was supposed to be in the 20s to lower 30s, but the main problem in the past had been my toes. With my new winter cycling boots that isn't a concern any more.

Since the winds were minimal, and because I wanted to do a relatively flat ride, I decided to reenact my August century ride, the one I had done in under six hours: south on 34 to Spencer and on to Waverly, east on 17c to Owego, north on 38 to Dryden then Freeville and back in on 366, Upper and Lower Creek Rds, and Hanshaw.


Outside of Ithaca, 9amI got up at 7am, had a couple of fried eggs, some cream of wheat, dry cereal, and coffee, and then dressed for my ride. I checked our thermometer, which said 13°F. But I knew it was always colder out in the countryside, so I went online and checked up in Lansing, about 8 miles north: 6°. It was going to be a cold morning.

I put on merino wool baselayers top and bottom. On the bottom I also wore a pair of biking shorts, and then a pair of denim jeans. On the top, over the wool I put on a cotton long sleeve t-shirt and then a heavy cotton sweatshirt, followed by my wind- and water-proof biking commuter jacket. On my feet I wore two pair of thick wool socks and my new Lake winter cycling boots. Between the socks I put a chemical handwarmers over my toes.


On Rt 34 headed south toward Spencer, at Tompkins-Tioga County lineOn my head I wore a thin cotton headscarf and over that a thick balaclava. I also had my Visorgogs, which are great for keeping my face and eyes warm, fit over my glasses, and don't usually fog up. They're also pretty easy to put on and take off while riding. On my hands I started out with my pearl izumi lobster claw biking gloves -- my hands have never gotten cold in them no matter how low the temperature's fallen.

I also put my Carridice Nelson Longflap bag on the back of my bike, to bring along extra clothes: two extra shirts, an extra wool top baselayer, extra (thinner) gloves, a thinner balaclava and fleece hat, extra headscarfs, some pop-tarts, chewy granola bars, extra batteries, a map.

The temperature when I left at 8:15 was about 14, but once I got up out of Ithaca it was about 8°F. I have to admit when I planned this century ride I didn't expect it to be so cold! But I was committed, so I pedalled off southward towards Spencer.


The Susquehanna, from Rt 17CWhen I reached Spencer it was up to 14° but I wasn't at all cold. My hands were fine, and best of all my toes were very warm. I stopped there for some food -- a poptart and chewy granola bar -- for about five minutes, and started to feel a bit chilled, so I continued onward toward Van Etten. I stopped at the convenience store in Lockwood (where, in September, I discovered that my seat post was broken), and had a slice of pizza, a quart of vitamin water, and some peanuts. I think the store clerk thought I was crazy to be biking in that weather... I continued on to Waverly. I made pretty good time on that leg of the trip. And I was staying warm.

By Waverly it was up to 28°, so I shed my lobster gloves and put on my fleece blaze-orange hunting gloves and headed towards Owego. It stayed between 26 and 30 the rest of the trip.


The pizza place in OwegoAt Owego I stopped at my favorite pizza place, on Lake St, for a slice. I also changed into dry clothes: a dry wool base layer shirt and cotton shirt on top of that, which is more than enough when the temperature is in the upper 20s and higher. I also took off my thick balaclava, which was soaked, and put on my thinner balaclava and fleece skull cap, again great for upper 20s and higher. I put all the wet stuff into a plastic bag and stowed it in my Nelson Longflap.

At this point I was keeping my eye on the clock because I wanted to get home before dark, but also because a big sleet and snow storm was supposed to hit at about 5pm and I definitely didn't want to be riding in that.

Comparison of speeds between August and January for this century ride route

Section	Miles	Aug 2008	Jan 2009
Ithaca-Spencer	19.5	15.28mph	12.57mph
Spencer-Waverly	17.2	17.61mph	16.23mph
Waverly-Owego	19.2	17.60mph	14.56mph
Owego-Richford	20.2	16.96mph	12.82mph*
Richford-Dryden	12.2	16.70mph	14.90mph
Dryden-Ithaca	15.0	17.62mph	15.37mph
Total	103	16.89mph	14.13mph

*See text for explanation

I pedalled off toward Richford. I was looking forward to my ride up Rt 38, since the weather reports had said there'd be a south wind of about 6 mph -- more importantly, no headwind! But my legs were feeling really weak and tired. By Newark Valley I was going about 10-11 mph, and feeling very discouraged. Just this summer I'd hammered up Rt 38 at 17mph on my August century ride, and on other rides I'd managed 15mph even into a stiff headwind. Could I have lost that much strength in just a few months? I was also concerned about timing. I'd calculated my time based on a minimum of 14mph; going only 10-11 would mean getting back home well after dark and the coming storm.

On the hill before Berkshire I decided to stop and check the seat position. And as I suspected, the seat had moved backwards about an inch on the rails. I readjusted it, bringing it forward, and immediately felt a difference. My legs felt back to normal, not tired, I was riding 14-16mph, and I felt a lot better. It's amazing how much difference such a little adjustment can make! I should have checked this much earlier, since I knew this was a problem from earlier experience. Ah well, live and learn. I'll have to tighten that seat a lot more!


Just north of Owego on Rt.38, 1:30pmThe rest of the ride was uneventful. I stopped in Dryden for some snacks, and got home at about 4:50, twilight but no snow or sleet yet.

My toes were warm the entire trip, which was real nice. The rest of me stayed warm too; the only time I got a bit chilled was when I stopped for more than a few minutes and wasn't indoors.

My time was a lot slower than in August: my average for the August century ride was 16.89mph. This time it was 14.15mph; I calculate that if I hadn't been going so slow on 38, it would have been 14.7mph. Still, it is amazing how much difference training makes. I have biked regularly since October, but my mileage really fell off after that, and in December I was way down.

I also felt really wiped out after this ride, much more tired overall than after any century in the past year. I think it was in part because I didn't drink enough -- both of my water bottles froze up -- but also maybe because my body spent a lot of energy keeping me warm in the cold temperatures.

I'm hoping I have a good dry, clear-roads day in February, not too cold, not too windy. I'll double check my seat position, and hope that I can break 15mph.

Route: Ithaca - Spencer - Waverly - Owego - Richford - Dryden - Freeville - Ithaca
Total distance: 103.82 miles
Ride time: 07:21:00
Avg speed: 14.13 mph
Total climb: 3070 ft
Low point: 394 ft, Ithaca
High point: 1289 ft, on Rt 38 between Harford and Dryden
Avg climb: 28.60 ft/mile

2008 review

Keuka Lake, century and a half ride, July2008 was my first full season of cycling. It was a great year.

I started serious riding in July 2007, and clocked 2,570 miles that year. I set my goals for 2008 at 5,000 miles and 250,000 feet of climbing, for an average climb of 50 ft/mile. I managed to beat my original mileage goal by over 50%, coming in at the end of 2008 with 7,648 miles. I passed my original climbing goal in September, and my final climbing total was 359,473 ft. For my average climb I came in under my goal, at 47 ft/mile, in part because I discovered the nice flat routes to the south of here...


Millard Hill Rd, October I also set a 2008 goal of a century a month. I ended up doing 17 century rides in 2008. I lucked out in January, with a 54 degree day ride, and suffered through February and March. The rest of the year I did at least one century a month, and in four months I did more than one: in May, August and September I did two centuries, and in July I did three.

My favorite century rides were the NY City ride in September, and my century and a half ride (which I'll blog about sometime soon) in July. I also had two almost-centuries -- the STBC "Crazy Eight" century in September, the other in Marin County, Calif. in November. Both ended early because of equipment failure: the STBC century because of a broken seat post, the Marin one because of a tire and wheel failure. My fastest 2008 century came in August, when I did a sub-6 hour 100 miles. My average on that 103 mile route (with 2,880 ft of climbing) was 16.89 mph.

2008 Mileage by month

Jan 305

Feb 307

Mar 292

Apr 310

May 716

Jun 748

Jul 1109

Aug 838

Sep 1162

Oct 905

Nov 551

Dec 404

St Lawrence River, from 1000 Islands Bridge,
September I explored lots of new roads, both at home and in other places. I biked a lot in the southern tier, discovering the joys of riding on flat roads. I did the Spencer-Waverly-Owego route a number of times, also the route between Richford and Owego, and I really liked the very flat route from Bath to Spencer on my century and a half ride. I also rode some great hills, including the beautifully hilly ride from Watkins Glen to Hammondsport, the back hills of Newfield, and the hills south of Ithaca.

I also managed to do a few rides outside of the region: in eastern Ontario; along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and around Kingston; in the Niagara Frontier; and, one of my all-time favorite rides, in Marin County, California.


Fall Creek, Rt 222 at Lafayette, MarchI got 'bent this year, starting with my buddy Tommie's LWB Rans Tailwind, then moving up to his SWB Giro Bacchetta 20. I ended up doing 967 miles on the Tailwind, and 588 on the Giro, for a total of 1,555 'bent miles, about 20% of my total miles. I have no plans to go totally over to "the dark side," but will try to remain a bi-cyclist. I find that riding the 'bent helped me be stronger on my road bike, and since it uses different sets of muscles it can't hurt.

I did 92 commute rides in 2008, mostly on my Univega Activa Country hybrid, for a total of 487 miles of commuter biking. I climbed a total of 51,274 feet on my commutes, for an average commuting climb of about 105 feet/mile. If I only counted the uphill portion of the commute, that would come to an average to-work commute climb of 210 feet/mile.


Along Rt 34 between Ithaca & Spencer, MayI spent the equivalent of more than 22 solid days on my bikes in 2008 (536 hours 57 minutes 58 seconds). My average speed for all rides was 14.45mph. For training rides on my Felt road bike (minus commutes, errands and leisure rides), my average speed was 15.18 mph, with an average climb of 43.86 ft/mile. This was a nice jump from my 2007 Felt average of 14.30. My best averages on my Felt came in August and September: on non-commute and non-leisure rides, I was clocking between 16 and 17 mph averages. My fastest ride was in late September, with 17.74 mph over 23 miles with 1100 feet of climbing (my 'Conlon Rd loop'). As noted above, my fastest century ride, in late August, was 16.89 mph. I'm hoping to up those numbers over the next year.


Winter ride: February century, Rt 366Since I only started road cycling in July 2007, I learned a lot in this, my first full season. I bought some actual cycling clothes, including lycra biking shorts. On my last ride of the year I also wore my Lake Winter Cycling boots, conquering what had been one of the biggest challenges for my winter cycling: cold feet. I learned about cadence, and got a cyclometer that measures cadence, which has really helped me be more efficient cyclist. I dropped 30 pounds from my June 2007 weight (though I've put of few of them back on over the past couple of weeks), and finally got my HDL (good) cholesterol up into a nice healthy zone.


My Felt Z80 road bike, at Hickories
Park, Owego, SeptemberI joined Bike Journal in December 2007, which really helped me exceed my goals. I ended up ranked 255th for outdoor miles, and number 5 in New York State. I came in number 2 for the year among STBC members on Bike Journal, only 105 miles behind number one, karcod. I have to thank karcod not only for the rides we did together but also for inspiring me to pump out more mileage.

One of the best parts of my 2008 biking experience was hooking up with the Southern Tier Bike Club (STBC). My first group ride was their Watkins Glen event. That's when I joined STBC, and I ended up doing a number of their other events. I've met some great people, did some great rides with Karl, Reg, Denny, Doug, Jim, Mike and others, and am looking forward to doing a lot more rides with them in the next year.


On the Rans Tailwind, outside of GananoqueI also had a great time with the RARE (Rochester Area Recumbent Enthusiasts) crew, who in 2007 had provided me with my first experience of group rides. They're a great bunch of guys and I love riding with them. This year I actually did their annual Kingston ride on a 'bent. I'm looking forward to more 'bent rides with Michael, Dave, Cliff, Mark, Denny, Frank and the rest of the 'bent guys in the new year. And of course thanks especially to my 'bent buddy Tommie, who started me on this obsession in July 2007 by dragging me out on bike rides at 6 in the morning, and who's lent me his recumbents in a semi-successful attempt to lure me over to the dark side.

And of course the beauty of riding in the Finger Lakes was one of the high points and motivating factors this past year as well. Especially now, with the roads covered with snow, I look back nostalgically at those long warm days of summer, when I could just jump on my bike and ride the hills and valleys, enjoying the lakes and countryside of the region.


One of my favorite stretches:
Forest Home Drive, in AugustSo my goals for the coming year are modest. I want to set goals that are do-able, and my totals depend on weather, work and health, none of which are certain at this point. So I'm setting them, in metric terms, at 10,000 km and 100,000 meters, or in other words, 6,500 miles and 330,000 feet. I'll also set a challenge goal for myself (thanks to brucew for the concept) of 8,000 miles for the year.

I'm also going to try to do 18 centuries this coming year, and hope that I don't have equipment failure. I'd love to do another northern California ride, but may not make it out there. But I'd like to do at least one new century ride this year, maybe the Highlander if my schedule works for that, or the ride in the Adirondacks. I may also do a multi-day tour from home down to the Virginia Beach area in early summer.

Apart from those tangible goals, my more important goals for cycling are to stay healthy, to hang out with cycling buddies and meet new ones, to enjoy the beauty going by as I ride through the Finger Lakes or anywhere else I happen to be.