Apr 07 2010
Skyline is amazing.
I wish I’d had my camera with me today. I rode SF2G’s Skyline route and it’s my new favorite ride. It was pretty brutal for a first-timer though, by the end of mile nine all I could think was “What have I gotten myself into?” Oh, and before I go on, I’d like to note that the link I posted is 100% accurate as far as I know. Cyclemeter performed admirably today.
Usually when I plan to ride I bring a change of clothes to work the day before, and leave my laptop there overnight. But I just decided yesterday afternoon to do this ride, so I had to bring everything with me on the bike today. It was a bad day to travel with an extra ten pounds. Very little of the route is flat, and I am not in climbing shape. At all.
The good thing about climbs is, they always pay off. I absolutely love a good descent. Nothing like grabbing the drops and getting some face time with the handlebars. Sawyer Camp Trail (approx. miles 15.6-21.8) is the perfect combination of twisty descents, awesomely fun sharp turns, and gorgeous scenery. It is COLD though. The kind of cold that numbs your face until you can’t make consonants. The kind of cold that forces you to ball up your fists to save your fingers. The kind of cold that turns your nose into a total snotfaucet. Worth it though. Imagine if the forest portion of the Arkansas River Trail were five miles long, mostly downhill, and next to much prettier water.
And now on to the griping portion of this post. I am having a knee problem. It feels like my right patella is seriously bruised. It’s not, obviously, or I would know why it hurts. It was fine for almost the whole ride, but about three miles from Google it started bothering me, and it’s gotten worse throughout the day to the point that when I got up for water a minute ago it was hard to straighten my leg. I can walk just fine, in fact I don’t even limp… but it feels like I kneed The Thing in the crotch.
I also need a new saddle. I thought I just needed to get used to the one I have, but it seems like it’s taking fewer and fewer miles each ride to develop some serious ABS (that’s Angry Balls Syndrome). I picked up a used Fizik Alliante for my CX bike (just completed, pics forthcoming!) so we’ll see how that works out. If it’s good I’ll have to find a white and black one to match my Orbea.
2 responses so far
Sounds like a great ride! I’d like to take it.
As for your knee problem, the first thing to check is your iliotibial band (IT band). That is one of the main culprits for that type of knee pain (trust me, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once). Seriously, you remember the foam roller that brought tears to your eyes? A tight IT band is what it fixes. Additionally, ignore stretching of the hamstrings, quads (vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, and sartorius), gastrocnemius, and rectus femoris at your peril! All of those guys need good massage also. My guess is that you’re tight (and maybe lots of lactic acid build up, making you sore), and you may have adhesions is muscles such as the gastrocnemius that need to be broken down. Foam rollers are about $20 and are worth 10x that!
While I can’t guarantee that will fix your patella problem, I can tell you that it fixed mine 100%.
I also highly recommend DZ Nutz (from Dave Zabriskie) in addition to a good chamois, good saddle, and proper cycle fit to help with ABS.
Live and learn.
Reply
My gym has foam rollers, so I’ll definitely start using them and see if that helps. Can’t get one for home, there just isn’t the floor space to roll! I try to stretch responsibly but I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do it nearly enough…
I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to the saddle, my chamoises…es… are fine and I use some sort of anti-saddle sore stuff that works well. And my bike was fitted by Ernie himself. I’m going to see how the Fizik works out tomorrow (going to just put it on the Orbea).
Reply