The end of the year is always a good time for reflection. One of the things I always do is look at how much time and distance I’ve spent in a car or on a bicycle.
2009 was a record year for riding in a cars at just over 21,000 miles, just over my previous record driving year of 2008 which was around 19,000 miles.
On the bicycles, I only managed 2,000 miles, significantly less than my 2008 peak of 2,700 miles.
I recently purchased a Garmin Forerunner 310XT training device for use while running, cycling, and hopefully swimming. The Forerunner 310XT is a new device from Garmin, and their first multi-sport device that is waterproof and can be used for swimming, and thus triathlons.
For the past several years I have been using a Polar S725X multi-sport training device for both running and cycling. The rest of this review will compare and contrast to the Polar device since that is what I am most familiar. I have not used other GPS-based training devices before, so comparisons with those are left as an exercise for the readers.
The 310XT uses GPS to calculate your location and speed. You can then upload your data via your computer to Garmin’s Connect website, Garmin’s Training Center software, or other third-party options. After uploading you can view a map of your route, categorize and describe your activity. With the Connect website, you can easily share your activity via variety of methods, and even export the route into Google Earth.
Like most of Garmin’s training devices, you can pair the 310XT with a variety of other devices that communicate using the ANT+ Sport protocol. The 310XT will receive and record data from heart-rate monitors, bicycle speed & cadence sensors, foot-pods, and even power meters such as the Saris PowerTap. The collected data is then joined with your route data and transmitted along with it.
The bicycle sensor option from Garmin is a combination speed & cadence sensor that mounts on the rear chainstay. This design allows one sensor unit to have two separate magnets for both the crank and the rear wheel. Compared to the Polar solution, this is much cleaner and easier to mount than two separate sensor units. The Polar cadence sensor, especially, is difficult to mount on some of the modern carbon downtubes, so the Garmin solution is a welcome change.
The speed sensor augments the GPS data so that accurate speed is recorded even when GPS signal is not available or accurate. Garmin also sells an optional foot pod sensor that accomplishes the same when running without GPS signal, such as inside on a treadmill. I haven’t used this sensor yet as where I have run has had great GPS reception thus far.
I used a foot pod sensor with my Polar to keep track of my speed and distance while running. The downside of this type of solution is the relative inaccuracy of the data. I’d often see 10 to 20% margin of error, even after calibrating the foot pod.
My concern with a GPS-based training device would be the accuracy of the signal, especially when running under under a lot of foliage. So far, the 310XT has proven itself more than capable in this regard, and much better than other GPS devices I have used in the past. Viewing the recorded route data I’ve found very little error in position so far, and only a little bit with elevation, even when running underneath trees and bridges.
Like all GPS devices, the 310XT must determine its position when it is powered on. If you start up the 310XT inside, or where there is poor GPS signal, it can take a very long time to determine initial position, if it all. This can be an annoyance when you’re ready to start your training and you don’t have a solid 3-dimensional fix yet. The 310XT lets you begin your timer and start your activity before it has GPS signal, but it can sometimes take surprisingly long to get that initial fix. Another disadvantage of not having a fix is you won’t have accurate local time until then, either.
The Garmin 310XT has a rechargeable battery, but battery life is only approximately 20 hours of usage. My Polar S725X, by comparison, has a watch-style battery that has lasted over 5 years. In practice, a rechargeable battery solution works great, but may present a problem on multi-day activities where there is no opportunity to recharge.
Transmitting the data from the training device to your computer is done via a USB dongle that uses the ANT protocol. Garmin provides drivers and software for both PCs running Windows and Macs running OS X. The Polar solution uses an infrared based receiver that is much more difficult to work with as it requires line of sight between the training device and the infrared receiver, and Polar does not provide a software option for Macs.
For most users, Garmin’s software solutions are stellar compared to Polar’s. The big win here is Garmin’s Connect website which allows you to easily view your data online, share it with friends, and upload your data from a variety of different computers. Sharing your data is trivial, and allows your friends to view your routes, as well as being able to search for routes from others near you. The Connect website represents a modern solution for the social Internet, a great solution for most users.
Where the Polar software shines is for advanced heart-rate based training, especially with coaching assistance. Polar’s software is designed to easily share your data with a coach and receive training programs with them. Additionally, both the software and the Polar device have much more advanced features for heart-rate based training. For example, with the Polar I can run several tests to determine if I am over-training, or even what an estimate of my current VO2max. The Garmin solution only has different heart rate zones, more than adequate for most users, but you do get the impression the Polar has more science behind it.
The 310XT supports multiple bike settings, each with its own odometer. I find this feature in particular compelling as I like to keep track of my mileage for each bike separately, and as far as I could tell the Polar S725X always combined bike mileage for all bikes it had configured, rather than a separate odometer for each one. With the GPS based tracking, you don’t even necessarily need a speed/cadence sensor and you can still keep track of your bike’s mileage. This is especially compelling for mountain biking, where the rough trails often render a traditional bike computer useless.
So far, the Garmin Forerunner 310XT has been a fantastic training tool and I haven’t missed using the Polar S725X yet.
During the week of June 21st I participated in the 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado. This was my first true bicycle tour, having previously only ridden in two-day events. We rode in a loop around the Gunnison National Forest in central Colorado and put in approximately 500 miles in 6 days of riding. The tour was brutal, difficult, treacherous and totally awesome.
The tour began in the town of Glenwood Springs. We checked in on Saturday, June 20th at Sopris Elementary School in town.
I had not planned on doing this bicycle tour at the beginning of the year, it was always just in the back of my mind as something I’d like to do someday. I did spend my spring training for the April MS 150 ride between Houston and Austin, and between that training and rides since, managed to put in about 800 miles of riding before I decided to sign up for the tour.
After signing up, I began to ride more in the Austin area to get more time on hills. The Austin area has amazing hills to climb, and although they can be quite steep, none are very long. Would it be enough training to tackle the big mountains in Colorado?
One area of concern for me was the gearing situation on my bike and the ability to carry enough gear. My road bike has a standard double crankset with 53/39 gearing, and an 12-25 10-speed cassette. I was advised by a few folks in Austin that changing out the cassette to an 12-27 gearing would make climbing the hills a lot easier, so I went ahead and did that. I was still concerned about having a standard double crankset instead of a compact double, which would have given me 50/34 gearing choices.
Carrying enough gear was also a concern, as the tour organizers make a big point that you carry rain gear with you always. I normally ride with very little equipment, nor do I need much here in Texas. But a touring ride in the mountains is a different matter altogether, and I was pondering taking my touring bike so I could make use of its rear rack for extra carrying capacity. It also has a compact crankset which would give me more gearing choices for the steep climbs.
In the end, I decided to buy a small Camelback Lobo backpack so I could carry my rain gear in it, along with extra water and supplies. I had not used one before, and didn’t like the idea, but it actually fit comfortably and did not seem to impact my aerodynamics at all while wearing it.
We left Glenwood Springs on the Rio Grande Trail before getting on Colorado 82, heading south towards Aspen. At Carbondale, we turned onto Colorado 133 to follow the West Elk Loop up and over McClure Pass with a summit at 8,755 ft. While not a very high pass, the approach road is at a 8% grade for 3 miles, so it was a great first day introduction to serious hill climbing in Colorado.
I found during this climb that the gearing setup on my bike was not optimal for the Colorado mountains. It was neigh impossible to spin at a fast cadence when climbing this steeply, so instead I would up falling back to pushing hard up the hill. The end result was a climb of only about 5 to 6 MPH and a lot more wear & tear on my knees. I spent a lot of the rest of the trip taking ibuprofen and icing my left knee to keep swelling down.
Once we reached the top, it was time for a snack before we descended and focused on getting to the town of Hotchkiss. The descent road was wonderfully smooth with plenty of sight distance, so there was no problem reaching a good speed; I hit 44 MPH on this stretch.
After the steep part of the descent, Colorado 133 meanders past Paonia State Park which has a wonderful lake along the road for some great scenery. From here we continued on past several small towns before ending up in Hotchkiss for the evening.
The ride took me 5 hours, 25 minutes with 78.6 miles covered and 3,620 ft ascent. Thanks to a fast, long descent, my average speed on the day was 15.8 MPH. Afterward, I was naturally tired but felt good and enjoyed the great ride.
We left Hotchkiss on Monday morning on what promised to be the most difficult ride of the tour. Not only did we have over 90 miles to cover, we had the long climb over Grand Mesa.
We climbed about 1,000 ft just to get from Hotchskiss to the first aid station and the real start of the cli
mb. From there, we had 20 miles of steep, circuitous climbing on a relatively hot day. This was a difficult climb for me and took much, much longer than I expected.
Once on top, we found that the aid station was running out of food and just about to shutdown for the day, even though there were still a few hundred riders coming up the mountain. Luckily, a family took advantage of the captive audience and was selling snacks; I was quite happy to spend the $2 on a nice bagel loaded with cream cheese.
After leaving the summit of the climb, we meandered a bit past some of the beautiful lakes on top of the mesa. Then it was time for the descent. The descent road was wonderful: smooth, not too curvy, and very long. I reached a top speed of 51 MPH on this stretch.
After the descent, Colorado 65 meanders down and into the town of Mesa. From here, we followed the road into a small canyon carved out by Plateau Creek. The scenery here was incredible, but unfortunately came with the price of a harsh, hot and steady headwind the entire distance. Coming out of this canyon we emerge into De Beque Canyon, where Plateau Creek joins the Colorado River. Unfortunately this also meant we had to get onto Interstate 70 for 4 miles. Riding on the shoulder of an Interstate Highway sucks about as much as you would imagine, if not more.
After leaving I-70 we only had 10 or so more miles before arriving into Grand Junction. This ride was without a doubt the hardest physical activity I have done in my life. I was utterly exhausted and depleted after such a brutal ride. I spent 8 hours, 35 minutes on the bike with 94 miles covered and a whopping 6,600 ft total ascent on the day. My average speed was a dismal 12.4 MPH.
I had a terrible headache once I reached town and was clearly dehydrated, despite drinking and eating everything in sight for the entire day. I decided that evening to not ride on day 3 and just SAG out, but my plans for that were somewhat thwarted the next day.
Our third day was considered an easy travel day, with a relatively flat and short ride ~60 mile ride from Grand Junction to Montrose. For those feeling up to it, there was an optional ~40-mile loop through the Colorado National Monument. I really wanted to ride through the monument but after day 2 I was too exhausted to try.
I decide to take the SAG truck to the finish as soon as I could, but it was difficult to actually find one. I wound up biking to aid station 3 and only skipping the last 15 miles or so of the ride. I felt absolutely terrible the entire time I was on the bike this day, so the short distance and extra rest time was something I needed.
I felt refreshed after a short day 3 and ready to tackle the long ride to Crested Butte. We climbed over two short mountains today, Cerro Summit and Blue Mesa Summit. There was a strong headwind coming out of Montrose that made the first 20 miles of the day rather difficult until reaching Cerro Summit. After that point, the rest of the day was calm, warm and quite a pleasant ride.
The scenery on the climb up Blue Mesa was amazing. The valleys surrounding the summit were gentle rolling hills covered with lush grasses and grazing animals. The vibrant colors were amazing to look at, and unfortunately the camera doesn’t quite capture the beauty.
After descending from Blue Mesa Summit we descending past Black Canyon National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area. The lakes making up the recreation area were mirror smooth and amazing to look at, and made for a fun ride through the canyons.
After leaving the canyons we reached the town of Gunnison and turned off Colorado 50 onto Colorado 135 to start our climb to the town of Crested Butte. It wasn’t a steep climb, but the long day began to take its toll on me and it took quite a while to finish up this last section. The last 15 miles into town it began to cloud over and get much cooler as we approached the higher altitudes of the area.
Today I spent 8 hours 15 minutes on the bike over 90.7 miles with 6,120 ft total ascent. My average speed was a slow 12.4 MPH with a max of 39.3 MPH.
This day was a rest day for us, and we had the day free to explore the town of Crested Butte. The Fat Tire Bike Week was underway while we there, and many folks took the chance to rent a mountain bike and explore the great trails of the area. I fully took advantage of the day off and did absolutely nothing, save walk around the town a bit and catch up on laundry and eating.
Crested Butte seemed fairly typical of a small Colorado mountain town. There were just a few shops, mostly either gifts, restaurants, or adventure shops. The town of Mt. Crested Butte just up the hill is home to the ski resort of the area, whereas the main town seems to be more of the mountain biking mecca.
The day off really made a difference to my mood and physical well-being. The few hours extra sleep seemed to do wonders for my overall stamina and I was ready to tackle the next couple of days to finish out the tour.
Day 6 promised to be one of the best days of the tour. We were climbing over Cottonwood Pass, the highest pass of our trip at 12,126 ft elevation. But first, we had to get out of rested Butte and travel through Taylor Canyon. This part of the ride was amazing. The 15 or so miles leaving Crested Butte made for a fast downhill sprint to the small town of Almont, where we turned off Colorado 135 and onto CR 742 that followed the Taylor River into the canyon.
Once reaching the Taylor Park Dam and climbing over it, we were presented with what was probably the most gorgeous view of the entire tour: the mountains reflecting off the Taylor Park Reservoir.
After resting at our second aid station of the day, it was time to begin the climb over Cottonwood Pass. This part of the ride promised to a fun one, if for no other reason than the road on this side of Cottonwood Pass was a 13 mile stretch of packed dirt. Everyone who hadn’t done it before was concerned that skinny road bike tires weren’t going to be the best choice but the experienced locals said not to worry about it. In fact, they were quite right as this road was much more enjoyable to ride on than the chip & seal asphalt we were greeted with most of the rest of the day.
Like all mountain pass roads, Cottonwood Pass was steep, but not quite as steep as I had expected. With my rest day and the smooth packed dirt, I made decent time up the pass. Mother nature had a sense of humor, however, and I was given a nice rainstorm to ride through as soon as I began the climb. I went ahead and put on all of my rain gear in case, and it turned out to be a good plan. As we climbed the mountain the storm took a turn for the worse and soon the weather was amazingly bad. As we neared the top of the pass we fully ascended into the clouds. At this point I couldn’t see very far in front of me from the heavy rain and the cloud cover, at a time when the switchbacks of the pass were steep and dangerous.
At this point the rain finally soaked through my shoe covers and through my gloves. With that and the temperature dropping into the 40s I finally began to get a bit cold. Luckily I had 5 layers of clothing on my core so overall I was quite comfortable. I had decided not to descend down the other side unless I could dry out, but the tour folks had their own ideas. As soon as I reached the top I was asked to put down my bike and climb into one of the luggage trucks with 50 or so other rides so they could bring us down the mountain. They were shutting down the aid station on top of the pass with the intent no one would ride down during the storm. I talked to a few folks who had begun the climb down right as the rainstorm started and they had a terrible ride down the mountain into town.
This was one of those days that can only be described as epic, despite the tendency for cyclists to overuse the term. It was truly an amazingly fun experience climbing up Cottonwood Pass in a storm like that. I think I had more fun doing that climb than anything else in the trip. But then, I was well clothed. I passed several people wearing only their summer clothes plus arm warmers and there was quite a bit of whimpering and some crying as they got wetter and colder.
By the time we arrived in Buena Vista the storm had moved on, but our camping area had received quite a bit of rain itself. Luckily the Shuttleguy folks were on it and made sure our luggage was covered before anything got too wet.
Today I spent 5 hours 39 minutes on the bike over 54.9 miles with 4,540 ft ascent. With no descent to pick it up, my average was only 11.4 MPH.
Our final day was also our longest, with over 100 miles on tap including a climb over Independence Pass. We had a quick 20 mile ride out of Buena Vista before aid station 1 and the start of the climb. The weather promised to stay clear until the afternoon so many rides left even earlier than they normally do. I made it out of camp at 0600 instead of my normal 0700 for that very reason. At aid station 1 I was somewhat surprised to see large numbers of rides queuing up for the SAG wagon to skip the ride up the pass.
The scenery along the road up to Independence Pass was amazing. The foliage was lush and vibrant and we were constantly surrounded by tall mountains on every side. As we neared the top of the pass, we ascending passed the tree line and into banks of leftover snow. The scenery would have been similar on Cottonwood Pass, if not for the torrential downpour.
The climb up Independence Pass was quite steep and difficult. The final mile especially was steep but knowing we were almost over the last climb of the tour made many of us pick up the tempo to make it to the top as fast as possible – okay in my case that meant a whopping 8 MPH instead of the 5 MPH I had been doing.
The top of Independence Pass is alpine tundra which is always amazing to see, especially this far south in the hemisphere. The weather stayed clear the entire climb, and finally started to warm, so we had plenty of time to queue up for pictures in front of the sign at the top of the pass. Afterward, it was time for our rapid descent into the town of Aspen.
Unfortunately, Colorado 82 heading towards Aspen is in horrible condition. The road is full of potholes and bumps, making for a dangerous descent. The tour folks did a good job with warning markers on the road, but instead of what promised to be a good 50+ MPH descent, I had to limit it to no more than 40 MPH. At one point on the road we reached a section called The Narrows, where two lanes became one, and road traffic on both sides queues up slowly. This is certainly not the idea scenario for a fast descent off a mountain.
For some odd reason, the tour put aid station 3 15 miles from aid station 2 on the descent, which was effectively useless. I used it to get out of my warm clothes, but we had 40 miles left before reaching Glenwood Springs and there were no aid stations lined up for us on that stretch. That said, the entire remaining route was downhill and made for some fairly fast average speeds, even though we were fighting a headwind the entire way.
On this final day I spent 7 hours 58 minutes on the bike over 101.9 miles with 4,900 ft total ascent. My average speed was 14.1 MPH with a maximum of 40.7 MPH.
On gearing: while changing the rear cassette to an 12-27 was a great idea, having a standard double crankset was not such a great idea. I paid attention to riders as we went past each other to see what gearing they had on their bikes. Very few riders had a standard crankset and, of the ones I talked to, they were all Colorado locals. Almost everyone had either a triple or compact double crankset. In 2009, Shimano released a new Dura-Ace line with a 50/34 compact double crankset and an 11-28 10-speed cassette, which would be a wonderful choice for touring bikes. I know what my next component set will be.
On equipment: the Camelback backpack was a great choice, although I would still prefer not to have to carry one. The extra water capacity came in handy since the tour does not really have as many aid stations as they needed on the routes. I could have gotten by with shoving all of my gear into my jersey or jacket pockets, but I find that to be very uncomfortable as it puts odd pressure points in your clothing. I’m also rather cold-natured, so I needed a bit more layering than most people riding it seemed.
On altitude: I was surprised, but the altitude was not much of an issue for me. Yes, I had diminished performance capacity, but I wasn’t trying to race up the mountains so it didn’t impact me much. The gearing made it difficult to spin, so perhaps with better acclimation I could have used more aerobic capacity to push harder in the climbs, but I suspect this was more a muscle issue than an aerobic one.
On the tour: the tour itself was great fun, but overall I’d give it a B- for organization. Anything like this is a difficult logistical challenge, but the organizers made some clear mistakes. Some rides needed more aid stations, or at least aid stations in different locations. The choice of food service vendors was rather poor, and no one seemed really happy with the food availability. Even though I prepaid for all 3 meals a day, I wound up eating in town towards the end of the tour just to escape the poor quality food. And finally, there were some pretty major errors in the presented maps to us that caused a lot of people grief. Those kinds of mistakes happen, but they can be costly to the unprepared…
I heard many of the locals say that the Ride the Rockies ride was a much better organized, and fun ride than this tour. They have a lottery to get into the ride, so that’s probably a sign in itself. That ride is better funded and is more appealing to more casual riders. One big benefit is they have aid stations more frequently and the word is they are much better stocked. Many of the riders I met had just finished that ride a few days before starting this tour, quite a feat.
One thing I was surprised about was the number of people who seemed unclear on the concept that something like a week long bicycle tour is an adventure, rather than a pampered vacation. You need to have the right attitude for something like this: things will go wrong, mistakes will be made, amenities will be missing. It sucks when anything happens, but it inevitably will. There were way too many people whining about the smallest things, or things that clearly they needed to be prepared for. If you do something like this, and especially if you are camping, you need to be prepared and bring some extra food, toilet paper, etc.
And finally, one big thing to keep in mind on these kinds of rides is not to let the douchbags ruin your fun. In every walk of life there are people that are either intentionally douchbags or just occasionally make mistakes and turn into one for a while. This tour was no exception. Don’t let these people get to you or they will ruin your fun and your vacation; they are far and few between but they are there. You are the one that chooses how to react to their behavior, so choose wisely and you will have a much better time.
All of the pictures from my ride are available on my Flickr site here.
The weekend of April 18th & 19th, 2009, was the 25th annual MS 150 ride from Houston to Austin. This year’s ride promised to be a great one, but unfortuantely mother nature threw a kink in all of the plans.
On Friday, April 17th, a cold front rolled through central Texas and parked itself over La Grange, where the overnight camping grounds for the big ride are. During the day on Friday conditions got so bad the MS Society cancelled day one of the ride.
While everyone was bummed, we wound up having extremely heavy rain all day Saturday so the ride would have been a horrible mess and likely would have kept the majority of riders from actually participating.
The logistics of the day 2 ride were worked out during Friday and Saturday and we were to start from La Grange’s town square early Sunday morning. From there, the route would follow the normal day 2 route into Austin.
Getting to La Grange early Sunday morning wasn’t too bad, and parking was no problem at all. Not surprisingly, a stiff north wind followed the cold front so we had to ride into the wind almost the entire time. It seemed worse than the wind of 2008’s ride, but it’s hard to know for sure. The only real respite from the wind was the section of the course between Buescher and Bastop state parks.
The MS Society said 11,000 riders rode on day 2, out of the 13,000 registered; that is just amazing given the logistics of getting up to La Grange and the promise of a very windy day.
I set a new low in training miles leading up to the ride, only 594 miles since January. For comparison, I did just over 1,000 for last year’s ride. But, this year I added spin class to the training schedule so I probably had more total seat time than last year.
Yesterday I took the mountain bike down Old Ore Road in Big Bend National Park. The park’s website calls this route the premier ride in the park so I just had to try it.
Old Ore Road is a primitive dirt road just over 26 miles in length. It starts off fairly gentle and just like any other gravel and rock road, but around mile 7 things begin to get a little more interesting and a bit more difficult. Taking the road from the north to the south is primarily downhill, but there are at least 5 or 6 challenging climbs even when ridden in that direction. All of these climbs are very rocky and take a fair amount of bike handling skill to complete unscathed.
The southern terminus of Old Ore Road is just a few miles west of Rio Grande Village near the Rio Grande Overlook. This is almost all downhill so it makes for a nice, fast way to finish up the ride.
It took me 3 hours 39 minutes to complete the Old Ore Road section of the route, just under the 4 hours suggested by the park’s website, and another 9 minutes to get to Rio Grande Village. I didn’t stop to smell the roses, so anyone wishing to explore some of the sites along the way should plan on the 4 to 6 hour timeframe given.
I’d also not recommend trying to ride this during the summer months. It was in the 70s when I rode, but the sun was rather intense that day (like most of them). I went through nearly 4 liters of water for this ride, so plan accordingly.
A nice surprise about the road was that it wasn’t completely devoid of other visitors. While I was the only biker I saw that day, I did come across 5 vehicles going either direction on the road. All were friendly and gave me the right of way when I needed it. That’s a good sign for a road you’d really rather not break down on.
This picture gives you a characteristic view of the start of the road. It is typical Chihuahuan desert scenery at first. The rather flat and easy looking road seen here is only that way to lure you into a false sense of security about your life over the next few hours.
These cliffs are called the Alto Relex. The pour-off pictured here would be awesome to see when it was actually raining.
I’m about 3/4 done with the road and still alive, despite a few high-speed tumbles and utter exhaustion. Who forgot to tell me mountain biking was harder than roadie stuff?
Taking my last break at Camp de Leon. Jose de Leon was murdered in 1933. His gravemaker is just a few hundred yards before the campsite marker.
If you like mountain biking you’ll like this road. It isn’t a single-track by any means, but it’s still a blast and takes you through a section of the park you wouldn’t otherwise get to see. If you aren’t a mountain biker, then head down there with your favorite 4×4 and drive it.