Rain was in the forecast and when we rolled into Chelsea it was pouring so hard I could barely see the road. We were all giving each other the side-eye, wondering what we were going to do if it kept up. As we pulled into the fairgrounds, the rain started to let up. We registered and ate some donuts.

As we were registering someone came in and exclaimed that the rain was over Lansing now and would clear up in 30 minutes. He was right. We headed out in a tiny drizzle and by the time we made it to the first stoplight it had stopped. The forecast from that point on was saying clear skies, and that’s just what we got.

About 8-10 miles in we hooked up with a group which included a tandem. We hammered in the paceline to the 25 mile mark, each pulling at around 22mph. We all took long turns pulling ‘casue it was the only way to stay dry. The water on the pavement was rooster-tailing off the tire in front of us, spraying our faces with dirty water. It was gross, but still fun to crank out the first quarter.

I dropped off at the first hard climb and met up with the guys soon after. We stopped for a rest, during which the sky really opened up and the sun was shining beautifully. We headed out for the next 25 in high spirits. As the sun got hotter it became harder to keep fluids in my body.

We rolled into the lunch stop feeling pretty good. Half way through, we ate some food and enjoyed the band. Before we headed back out I checked my rear wheel which had a patched tube. It was definitely loosing air, so I expected a flat at some point before the end of the ride. Of course, about 12 miles from the 3rd stop, my tire went flat. I did a quick change just as the SAG vehicle pulled a U-Turn and came by to check on us. The guy was great, checking the pressure and topping it off with a floor pump. We dragged ourselves to the next stop as we started to feel more and more exhausted.

We took our time at the final stop. We had just under 25 miles left and we were feeling it for sure. One we got some fluids and fuel, we headed out for the rest of the ride. The hills got me on this leg. I ended up crawling up and down each hill for the next 20 miles. At mile 93, I was struggling mentally and physically and felt the need to pull over. At that point I decided to get things done ASAP, so I put my head down and hammered out the last 7 miles. I went flying by Tom and Jer, who were well ahead of me. Jer caught up and passed me as Tom made is way up over the last 5 miles. With 1 mile to go, we started goofing off and tried sprinting to the finish.

As we came around one of the final turns Tom hit a patch of sand and went down hard. He tore his jersey and picked up some road rash on his shoulder, leg and hand. He bumped his head on the pavement and put a dent in his helmet. His bike was a bit twisted but nothing cracked or broken. He did end up with a tiny fracture on his wrist and will be wearing a light-weight brace for a couple of weeks. Sorry bro! :(

That was the last ride on the BMC Streetfire SSX that I’ve been riding over the last year. Here’s a pic from a few days after I picked it up:

2007 BMC Streetfire SSX

It’s an AWESOME bike, but not versatile enough. Where I live there are few shoulders and lots of dirt roads, so it was a once in a while bike. I was also commuting on a converted mountain bike, which wasn’t ideal. I decided to sell the mountain bike and part out the BMC to set up this rig:

It is also AWESOME. I was on the fence for a while about selling the BMC, but the more I ride the Surly the less I wonder if I’ll miss the road bike. It rides like a dream. With the big 40c tires it feels more like a 29er than a 700c road bike. It handles the gravel pathways and dirt roads with ease, and rolls quickly over hard pack and pavement. It’s obviously heavier than the BMC by a lot, but I love the versatility and utility of such a bike. So far I’m in love with it.

The new bike has sparked interest in touring and more heavy-duty commuting. Due to this newly found interest, my wife and I will be doing an experiment during the month of August to see if we can make do with one car and our bikes. We will put one car in “storage” and rely on a single car, with the bike making up a lot of the transportation throughout the month.

This probably wouldn’t seem like a great feat to folks used to riding in the city or bike-friendly communities, but we live in Metro Detroit (aka MOTOR CITY). I work 20 miles from where I live, and the roads here are not exactly bike friendly. I’m excited to see how far I can push relying on my bike in this environment. How will my body react? Will I find it too difficult, or will I be inspired to continue it into the early fall months? What will I learn about myself and my community, and my family’s ability to rely on less? I’m excited to find some answers to these questions and will be sharing them here as often as possible.

We started out the day early and cold. A few riders showed up between 8 and 10am to get an early jump. We missed the first 20-30 riders since the waiver showed up late. The official waiver count was 167 riders. Close to 10am the rest of us geared up and headed out with the mass(ive) group.

Staging at Stony Creek was a great decision. The venue has plenty of space and the ride opens directly into one of the best trails in the area. I bumped into a teammate, Jeff, just before the start. This was the first time Jeff and I met, since he’s been living in another state for most of the season. Jeff, Steve and I headed out and rode Stony. Riding with the group was awesome. We got stuck behind some slower riders which made Stony slightly less thrilling but no less enjoyable.

The ride between Stony and Bald Mtn. was a blast. We hit 30+ on the Gunn Rd. downhill. We caught up with Jeremy at the Clarkston Rd. aid station. Everyone was abuzz about the weather and the excellent marking. Yay! Last year the markings weren’t great, and some people got lost. Not this year! Follow the giant arrows, my children!

We cleaned the first half of Bald Mtn. with only one casualty. Steve experienced the most fabulous washout I’ve ever heard. A few minutes of yelling, “Steve… STEVE ARE YOU OK…” and hearing, “UUUUGGGHHHH. YEAH. UUUGH” made us a little worried. He came rolling down the hill with a smile on his face and a good story to tell.

We rolled out of Bald Mtn. and made our way up to Addison. Addison was packed with riders chowing down on Drew’s awesome chili and brats. We decided to charge for food this year to cover the cost, and we were worried how that would be received. No problem! People were very willing to pay for good food at such a cheap price. Success number 2!

Addison was rough. Riding with a full stomach and half-jellied legs was not enjoyable. We stopped a few times so Jer could manage his handlebar cam and we could moan about how tired we were. Things picked up half way through and we ground out the final miles of trail with smiles on our faces. Stopping briefly to refill bottles and packs, we headed back to Stony.

After our return we hit up Rochester Mills Beer Co. for some brew and a few laughs. It was a great atomosphere. Everyone was thrilled with the ride with zero complaints. Success number 3!

We have a lot of work to do for next year, but this year was a huge success. We learn a little each time. Next year will be awesome!

Truths: Water is blue. Chamois cream is made by the hand of God. A ramble of 60+ miles is hard. Chili dogs are delicious.

Falses: Being passed by a giant camper at 50+ mph is enjoyable. A 11% grade is easy to climb. Michigan is ugly.

The Blue Water Ramble is a tour consisting of 4 routes: 30, 45, 55, 65, and 100 miles. Today Tom and I rode the 65 mile route. In reality, it was roughly 63 miles, but those two extra miles really don’t matter. They really don’t. Really.

We originally intended on doing the century. That was the goal since day one of 2008. My back injury stamped a big ‘ol “NO EFFING WAY” status on that idea. We decided the week of the registration deadline to pair down to 65 miles, which was very, very wise.

We started from St. Clair High School in (ooh, guess!!)… St. Clair, Michigan! The parking lot was abuzz with riders when I pulled in at 7:30 this morning. I went and registered and got to stretching. I wanted to stretch really well. My back’s healed but still gets sore, and it was pretty sore yesterday. I layed out my yoga mat behind my car and rolled around for 15 minutes until Tom got there.

After a quick bathroom break and Super Tom breaking and replacing his glasses, we were off. It was cold, but not uncomfortably so. We rolled through St. Clair toward Riverside Avenue. As the name suggests, Riverside runs along the river for a number of miles. This made for a very pleasant ride up toward Port Huron. We almost got lost after missing a turn, but luckily the guy drafting off us gave a holler and brought us back on track. I blame Tom, he was leading… and drunk.

Back on track, we rolled into Port Huron. We made a quick stop to put down some gels. I realized I probably should have brought more nutrition with me, but whatevs, too late now. We meandered through the city of Port Huron, making only one wrong turn. We quickly got back on the route and kept moving.

One of the highlights of the ride for me was riding under the bridge to Canada spanning from Port Huron to Sarnia. It’s a large bridge, very impressive to ride under. We were out in the sun which was far warmer than in the shade, and the weather was perfect. It made for a very enjoyable moment.

We made our way through Port Huron and into the first rest stop. We refueled quickly with bagels and coffee cake and joked about each other’s mothers (which occupies of 60% of our cognitive discussions). While Parking my BMC, I scratched the frame on a utility meter. This chaps my ass more than the results of Indian food. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. My tears have dried.

The next stretch was the most eventful of the ride. We rolled through some BEAUTIFUL areas of the state. The colors are starting to get interesting. Weaving our way through some back roads, we came out onto a two lane highway with a strong headwind. Our progress ground to a near stand still, grinding through the wind at 13 mph. We came up on a guy just boxing the wind like a prize fighter. We passed and I said, “feel free to hop on if you want a pull.” The three of us ended up pacing for the majority of the ride. His name is Rick from Troy. Thanks Rick from Troy!

We thought the next rest stop would be around mile 44. When we got to mile 48, I started to bonk pretty bad. I was holding out on my last gel for the last leg of the tour. I put down the gel and limped the remaining two miles to the rest stop. I must have eaten a dozen cookies at that stop. I was just completely out of energy. We sat for a bit and rested, stretched, wee’d, etc.

The final 15 miles were rough. We were both getting very tired and sore. We kept a pace of about 16 mph, rolling into the lunch area about 4.5 hours after we started. We slammed some chili dogs and cookies and sat in the sun, dreading the short ride back to the car. On the way back, Tom attacked the last hill (read: he TORE THE LID OFF THAT HILL GET OUT YOUR FUCKING CHECKBOOK). He attacked the hill because he’s stupid and wants to feel pain.

I feel great about riding 63 miles today. With the season slowing down I’m able to see the hard work I’ve put into riding come to the surface. I’m getting tired, and I’ve lost some ground with the back injury, but I feel motivated to push myself further next year. These events are tough, and they’re great training for the endurance events I want to focus on next year.

The next major event I’m training for is the Blue Water Ramble. This tour features 30, 45, 65 and 100 mile routes. My plan is to do the century if I can. I’m using commuting as a training base, offering two hours in the saddle twice a week. A long ride on the weekend rounds out the training each week. I have less than a month to ramp back up to where I was endurance-wise before the injury. I’ll settle for a shorter route, but I really want that century checked off my list of to-do’s.

While my back isn’t 100%, it’s getting better. I’m generally more uncomfortable than I was before PT, but the pain isn’t as severe and nowhere near as debilitating. My regimine should have me at century level on time. It’s about time in the saddle not miles ticked off. We’ll see how it goes!