There are may days when I go to bed and I’m thanking God for his goodness and faithfulness in my life that I thank Him for cycling. I often pull into the garage and look at the bikes on the rack and think “Who knew that at my age I’d have 5 bicycles and ride indoors and outdoors all year round, including several years of daily year-round computing to work.”
Especially with what’s going on these days I’m so thankful that I’m able to ride the bike, able to take on a challenge like the Tour of Sufferlandri, able to ride outside with my friends Dave & Rene and out at the lake with the Kenora crew. Thankful that I still have the will, desire and physical capability to do these things and I think do them fairly well given the circumstances.
But this is not about me, it’s about giving God the glory that He enables me to live and do these things.
Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Currently 202 and hoping to build it back up more by May 2021 for the outdoor riding season. I was a little younger then and the body hadn’t been through so much but, time for a comeback.
Well, 2020 wasn’t exactly a banner year on the bike. Things were looking good in January & February as I was on a training plan with some pretty lofty goals and then the journey continued.
I did get back on the road in late summer with some easier and shorter rides as I recovered. Into the late fall I was feeling good on the bike and starting to handle some longer and faster rides. A big surprise was a late season road ride for 103km on Dec 9, 2020.
I’m still riding year round and typically outside on Wednesdays in the winter with some diehard buddies on fat bikes in the snow and cold.
Fatboy Trail at The Lake
For the rest of the winter season it’s indoors on the trainer, typically with Zwift doing a workout, or a group ride, or the occasional race.
I was doing a workout on Zwift and to pass the time I typically listen to a podcast or audio book and keep an eye on the workout on the TV and the Companion app on the iPhone.
One of the Companion app features is to be able to message nearby riders. This is typically used on group rides and races. Everyone in a while I’ll have a look at what folks are saying. Today, I got a bit of a surprise!
I hope the kid is OK, I didn’t see any more messages. BTW the (DIRT) after the guys name is the name of a Zwift club and it stands for Dads Indoors Riding Trainers.
I’ve been a geocacher for a few years, since 2004, and been sporadically active over the years. Last year I introduced my Grandkids to geocaching and it was a pretty big success. A lot of it was probably due to the first cache we found which was loaded with toys! They could hardly believe they could find these things and then just take stuff. This was tempered a bit when I explained that you should also leave something and it was more about the hunting than the scoring some new trinkets.
During 2019 I got the idea to create a cache for each one of them. We launched The Parker and then kind of let things slide a bit. Earlier this year I pulled together the other three with the idea of hiding them with each of the Grandkids. Well, that wasn’t working out too well as on hot summer days when they were at the lake nobody really wanted to leave the dock to wander around in the bush.
So, I recently hid them myself and hopefully we can “find” each of them together with the grandkids in the near future.
I read some things about goal setting a while ago that goals should be like a Lighthouse, something to guide you, to help you make course corrections and not as a destination. One analogy was if you had a goal to “run a marathon” that might be considered a “destination”. Once you achieve it you’ve “arrived”. Verses “get healthy” more of a Lighthouse goal, that may well involve running a marathon, but would allow for other options to achieve the goal and for “course corrections”.
It seems like a “course correction” is in order these days.
Earlier in the year I set a goal when I was feeling awesome and the world was more normal. Maybe not a pure Lighthouse goal, but something I really wanted to try to do and something I thought was within my reach to achieve. It was about my cycling. 2018 was not a good year for my cycling but 2019 was pretty good. And, over the 2019/2020 I was training indoors quite regularly and doing the Wednesday FROG ride outside through the winter, regardless of the tempertures.
I was using a combination of Zwift and then some Sufferfest for an additional challenge. Then I discovered Xert (Canadian eh!) and started getting serious with a formal training plan to reach my goal.
So, what was the goal? “To ride with the FOG “B” group by April 15, 2020, full distance (~95km) and not get dropped on the 206 hills”. That last part was the challenge, “not get dropped”. Once upon a time I could do it, and I wanted it back. With this in mind, I set my Xert training plan to get there:
Here is the setup for being ready by April 15 for the first potential group ride, which is totally not happening this year. Fairly aggressive training for me anyway.
And the modified goals thanks to Covid-19 and my current health challenges. A more relaxed training plan that I’m hoping to maintain. More course corrections may be required.
Basically this is a switch from “peak” training to “maintenance” and planning for some good relaxed group rides late in the season, in town and hopefully around the Kenora area.
Wishing all my ride buddies all the best during these challenging times. Ride On, and be safe.
Out of the blue, and quite unexpectedly I received an award this morning at the FOG AGM (Fast Old Guys cycling club Anual General Meeting)
Gary Sewel presenting the award
On my office wall
The award is for “Focused On Goals, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in road cycling”.
The club recognized my cycling in 2018 as I went through cancer and chemotherapy, mainly with pretty steady Wednesday rides with the retired FOG group (FROGs). I only did a couple of the Saturday group rides in 2018 as the ride distance and pace was a little much given the circumstances and wanting to spend more time at the lake on weekends with family and friends.
It was quite an honour to receive the award and I was quite touched and moved by the clubs thoughts towards me during this period.
Also, as a result, one of the other riders connected with me to share his very recent journey with prostate cancer. We were able to share thoughts and feelings about he impact on our lives. Again, a very special privilege.
I was very fortunate to be invited to a friend’s condo in Phoenix for some hiking and biking adventures so I thought I’d make some notes on the trip while it’s fresh in my mind before it fades into a warm (90-95ºF) memory.
The trip involves driving to Fargo, catching a flight to Mesa, renting a car, driving to the condo and the next day returning the rental car as there is a sweet Audi A4 convertible at the condo! This process happens on September 26th starting at 1pm and by about midnight we’re in the condo and all the travel goes off as planned.
First off, the weather. It’s hot by Winnipeg standards, but very low humidity which makes the temperatures quite nice. For the entire stay there is no rain, virtually no clouds, just hot and sunny all day, every day. Temperatures range from an overnight low of 80ºF to daytime highs of 95ºF.
For most of the trip we have a “formula” for the days activities:
Up early to beat the heat, typically about 6am
A light breakfast of some fruit, toast/bagel, or nothing!
Load up on water for the hike
Drive to the hike with the top down of course, always drive with the top down whenever possible!
Hike! Sometimes a speed hike, sometimes a more casual pace, but always energetic
Drive back to the condo, perhaps stopping for coffee/hot chocolate (even in the heat!)
The “official” breakfast
Off to the pool for 2-3 hours of baking in the sun
Various afternoon adventures like biking or sight seeing in around the area
Dinner and one or more movies
Call it a day
On Friday, the hiking begins with our “go to” hike at Pinnacle Peak. This out & back trail is very popular and fairly busy, especially on weekends. A good time for us is 1:03 which requires a quick pace, no stopping, and a bit of jogging or running on some sections. Lots of people treat this trail like the Grouse Grind in Vancouver, B.C. where it’s a race to the top, typically for a beer before the hustle down the hill.
Here is the peak. Ironically, you don’t actually get to go all the way up to the top, but around one side, down into a valley and back up & down another big hill to the turnaround point. Here are the stats on Friday’s outing.
Saturday we go to another favourite spot for a little longer and steeper hike up Camelback Mountain. It’s a pretty steady uphill hike with a few short traverses before it really kicks up hill to the summit. The guy with the flag must have been popular in social media that day as everyone was getting photos with him. The hike on Strava
Also, a group of women were doing yoga poses on the very edge, trying not to fall off, while getting that shot with the city in the distance below.
Sunday we’re back at Pinnacle Peak for #2. It’s still sunny & hot as we ramp it up a bit for a faster time.
This Saguaro Cactus is close to trail marker #9 of #81 on the trail. It’s probably 30+ feet tall and had an interesting shape to the arms so it got a post-hike photo.
In the afternoon after some time at the pool we head of to Old Scottsdale and wander around the art shops.
Monday it’s one more go at Pinnacle Peak #3 as a warmup to our upcoming road trip.
Road Trip!
A trip within the trip for the next few days. We’re driving to Page, AZ to see Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend and hike the Spencer trail at Lee’s Ferry. On the way up to Page on Tuesday we swing through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument & Wupatki National Monument .
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Wupatki National Monuments
Road to Page, AZ
We arrive in Page and have dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then find our Airbnb lodging for the night.
Wednesday morning we drive for about an hour south to get to Lee’s Ferry for the Spencer Trail hike.
At the top of the Spencer Trail overlooking Lee’s Ferry
After that we retrace our route and book it back to Page for the formal Antelope Canyon tour at 1:30 p.m..
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
After Antelope Canyon we drive a short distance out of Page and hike for about 20 minutes to see Horseshoe Bend
.
Next, we’re driving to the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim. On the drive to the lodge night begins to fall and there are a lot of deer in the ditches and on the road. Thankfully, there are no close calls with the wildlife. By the time we arrive at the Lodge it’s pitch black. There are very few lights and we break out the head lamp and iPhone flashlights to find out way to the lodge to check-in and back to our cabin for the night.
The next day, Wednesday, it’s the big hike of the trip on the North Kaibab trail. But before that there is time for some light breakfast and exploring the Lodge in the daylight and walking a few trails to Bright Angel Point and other lookout spots around the lodge.
Grand Canyon Lodge at the North RimThe Canyon at the North Rim in front of the Lodge
So spectacular anywhere is the Grand Canyon and the North Rim seems even more so. We head down the trail and as described, it’s a pretty steep decent. Louise is on a mission and it setting a pretty fast pace. As usual for me in a new place, I’ve got the camera going and making frequent stops to take photos with the DLSR for later and the iPhone for Instagram etc. At the Supai Tunnel I meet up with a group of young guys from Calgary and we connect because I’m wearing a Canada t-shirt. We chat for a bit and them I’m on my way.
Supai Tunnerl on the Kaibab
Lots more photos and now I’m beginning to notice that my right knee is hurting a bit. Hmmmm. Forging ahead I spot a spec on the upcoming Redwall Bridge and it’s Louie having a rest. He’s quite a bit ahead of me now. I get to the bridge and we talk for a bit as the Calgary guys catch up to us. We decide to head further down for a bit knowing that we’ll pay for this on the way back up. The original destination of Roaring Springs is now out of the question. At least as more mature guys we know that would be a hard push to make in one day. A couple of kilometres past the bridge we stop, rest for a bit, drink and eat. I change camera lenses from the wide angle to the zoom for the trip back up. And now the work really begins.
Redwall Bridge on the Kaibab Trail
After we reverse course and start back up it’s fairly level back to the Redwall Bridge, and then its all up hill from there. Again, lots of stops for me to get photos from a different direction and perspective. The right knee is starting to hurt more and more. I find myself pacing my gate so that each step up is on the left leg and the closer we get to the top, the more I’m just dragging the right leg. Stops are getting more frequent and it’s got nothing to do with photos any more. It’s all about catching my breath and giving the knee a bit of a rest.
Louie resting on the way up Kaibab Trail, I’m resting too!
Back up at the trail head we drink lots of nice cold refreshing spring water, review how hard a hike it was and load back into the car for the drive back to Phoenix. The hike was 12.2km, 3:31 of moving time and 1,153m of elevation
The drive is beautiful as we descend through the redwood forrest, across meadows with buffalos and back to the desert floor. The fall colours are spectacular, the air is warm, and it’s pretty quiet in the car. I’m at the wheel and Louie is having a nap! You missed out on a lot of gorgeous scenery buddy!
I’ve deemed Thursday as “Spa Day”. We’re both pretty zapped so there is no hiking. Much of the day is spent alternating between the hot tub, the pool and suntanning. So as not to be total layabouts we go for a short bike ride in the early eventing.
Relaxing at the Hot Tub on Spa Day
Desert Biking
Friday we’re back on program with an early morning trip to Pinacle Peak followed by coffee, lunch, pool and sun. In the evening we drive to a sort of near by mall where a christian radio station is setup in the parking lot playing tunes and 10-15 Food trucks are serving up their specialties. It’s close to 100°F but with the sun down and a light breeze it’s surprisingly comfortable. Dessert is a frosty from Wendys where we see a trio of interesting guys.
Garry at the Food Trucks
Three Pink Unicorns at Wendys
Saturday we’re givin’ er on our last full day in Phoenix. A morning hike to Tom Thumb, pool and sun, pick up the rental car for tomorrows drive to the airport and jam in an afternoon bike ride, which was excellent, except for my flat (with no tubes, patches, repair kit etc.) Riding on a flat for several km to get back to the car was interesting to say the least. I really had to slow down on the corners as the bike shifted radically as it felt like the tire was going to fly of the wheel!
Saturday we’re givin’ er on our last full day in Phoenix. A morning hike to Tom Thumb, pool and sun, pick up the rental car for tomorrows drive to the airport and jam in an afternoon bike ride, which was excellent, except for my flat (with no tubes, patches, repair kit etc.) Riding on a flat for several km to get back to the car was interesting to say the least. I really had to slow down on the corners as the bike shifted radically as it felt like the tire was going to fly of the wheel!
Sunday we clean up the condo and head to the airport. Flying to Fargo and getting the car and a bit of dinner we head for the border and back home to Canada. The travel is smooth and uneventful, border crossing is quick and clean. Shirley picks me up at Louie’s and I’m home. A great trip with lots of good memories and photos.
Heading Home
Post trip, it’s out to the cottage to put it to bed for the winter and none to soon! A few days later we get some serious wet and heavy snow which causes lots of damage in Winnipeg and the Kenora area. Thankfully, no damage out at the cottage but the tree in the front yard took a bit of a serious trimming in the spring as a result of the snow.
Well, lessons and practice are starting to pay off.
Level 2 lessons finish up this Tuesday and I think I’ve made some good progress since November 2018. Today I shot three solid rounds including a 246 personal best.
My shot process is improving in consistency and execution thanks to John Dudly and The Scool of Nock. Can’t say enough good things about Nockontv, the Nockon podcast and all the other great archery resources produced by Mr. Dudly.
These videos etc put me on to the Silverback release aid.
This release aid is really helping with my shot execution, after a fairly serious learning curve, but it’s paying off now!
