AJ’s Bikes And Boards, Do We Even Need The Internet?

Most of my bike related purchases are done via the internet. You can do all your shopping right in your living room and you’re bound to find exactly what you need. I will on occasion stop by one of the local bikes shops to see if they have what I’m looking for but most of the time I leave empty handed. I have two local stores that I frequent quite often. Ryder Bikes, who has been instrumental in getting me setup and ready to ride, and Ringling Bicycles. These are both great bike shops but they seem to be more focused on road and tri bikes than mountain bikes.

The other night I took a field trip up to Valrico, Fl to visit a seemingly popular mountain bike shop called AJ’s Bikes And Boards. Upon initially entering the building I though it looked very small and cramped inside. I wondered how they could possibly have enough product to keep an entire mountain biking community satisfied. I soon realized just how much product they really had.

With products thoughtfully placed in just about every nook and cranny I spent a good hour just browsing. Each time I’d revisit an area I’d find something I had previously missed. They really did seem to have everything. It was like I was virtually browsing an online store. Seriously, with a store like AJ’s Bikes and Boards who needs the internet?

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A Weekend of Endurance for the Schroders

This weekend was a weekend of endurance for the Schroder Family. I participated in the Croom 50 Challenge and Theresa participated in the Sarasota half marathon. The Croom 50, as I'm sure you've guessed, is a 50 mile mountain bike challenge. The Sarasota half marathon, as I'm sure you've also guessed, is a 13.1 mile course that winds through Sarasota waterfront neighborhoods.

Croom 50 was a pain in the ass! Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, but it was difficult. Last year there was an enduro event that tore up many of the trails that the Croom 50 encompass. It was, by far, the most difficult thing I've ever done! I didn't mind the sand for the first 30 miles or so (I later discovered that this was due the higher cadence that I typically spin). But, after 30 miles the sand started to piss me off. This was partially due to the fact that I was getting tired but mostly because of the blood sugar issues I was experiencing. Around mile 30 I started to hit the wall. At mile 32 I just about passed out. I was light headed, disoriented, weak, and shaky. Luckily I had packed plenty of food so I stopped and ate a cliff bar. I was able to control everything until I got to the next sag. As a result of this hypoglycemic issue my pace slowed significantly to somewhere around 6 - 8 mph. Unfortunately the food that I ate at the last sag didn't kick in until I had almost finished the ride. I went the last 15 - 20 miles at a much slower pace than I had planned. I finished the ride after 6 hrs with a total ride time of about 5 hrs.

Although I don't know all the specifics of Theresa's run I do know this: She can't run right now due to a lower back injury and an ankle injury so she has learned to power walk. She finished the half marathon in a record power walking time of 3:02:53. Great Job Theresa!

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Thigs Are Looking A Bit Different Around Here

If you've paid a visit to my blog in the last couple days you've probably noticed that things are starting look a little different around here. It's true, I've made a few changes and what I think are some pretty big improvements. Recently I've been doing a lot of research on blogging and I've come to learn that, although content is king, there are also a few other attributes that attract readers and keep them coming back. Attributes such as the blog template, colors, and cleanliness just to name a few.

In the blogging world content is king and god knows I desperately need help in this area. Unfortunately there are no magical red pills that I can swallow that will give me mad blogging skills. These skills, I believe, will come in time. Lots of time. But until my content is actually worth reading I figure I should do anything and everything to start attracting readers and followers. The easiest way for me to accomplish this is to improve the way my blog looks. Most of my research, or at least the information I trust, explains that the blog should have a clean look. It should be "easy on the eyes" and visual distractions should be limited. In an attempt to accomplish this I've uploaded a slightly modified version of Ourblogtemplates.com's The Professional Template, removed a few widgets, and uploaded a new header image. I've also added a new Subscribe widget that will allow readers to more easily subscribe to my blog.

Hopefully these changes will help me in my quest to attract more readers and followers. I know I have a lot of work to do on the content as well as my writing skills but I'm confident that both will improve with time and experience. Let me know what y'all think? What you do you like or dislike?

Also, any suggestions on what content / topics you would like to see more of would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

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Ausie Cyclists Help Quench Koalas Thirst

While the US is being pounded with a an unusually harsh and cold winter Koalas in Australia are going to extremes to stay hydrated. The quote and images below were sent from a distributor or ours in Australia.

While some of you are freezing overseas we here in Oz are boiling + 40 centigrade

Below are some photos of what Koalas are having to do to get a drink.

The photos with cyclists were taken on Tuesday night (3/2) on the old Eagle on the Hill Freeway.

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New Prized Posssession

I finally got my 26.2 sticker for my truck! I wanted one so bad after running the marathon but the local running store didn't have any. Theresa found one online and placed an order for it along with a 13.1 sticker for herself. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my prized sticker but it never came. After two weeks of disappointment Theresa decided to send a friendly reminder to the company that she ordered it from. They didn't give an excuse as to why it hadn't been shipped but they did promise that it would arrive by the end of the week. Wed...No luck. Thurs...No luck. Friday...26.2 sticker!!! I was so excited that I slapped it on before I even went in the house. 

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Ranting (HELP!)

Before I get going on my rants I wanted to take a minute to congratulate Karlos - The Naked Indian - The Single Track Samurai himself on his new sponsors. Great job man! Your mother and I are so proud! Ha-ha. But seriously though, Congrats!

Ok, on to my rants now...

Lately I've only been getting about 25 miles a week on my Superfly. I would like to some day actually hang with the guys I go riding with. I'm getting tired of getting dropped. MT and Q have been patient with me long enough and it's time that I start taking things a little more serious. I have two ideas for getting more time in the saddle. One - Commute to work. This could add at least 20 miles a day. Two - not only ride both Saturday AND Sunday but ride more miles each time I hit the trials. To kick it off I'll be riding both this Saturday and Sunday. My mileage is undetermined as of now but I'm sure it will be in the 35 - 40 mile range for both days. I have the SSSAR coming up for crying out loud! I need to get my ass in gear.

Alcohol is the devil...sometimes. I drink WAY too much alcohol! "My name is Ryan and I'm an alcoholic". At least that's how I feel. On an average weeknight I'll drink anywhere from 3 to 6 beers. Yes, I really do drink this much and it happens almost every single night. The numbers go up exponentially on the weekends and holidays. Never before in my life has something had so much control over me. The first thin I think of when I get home from work is beer. The first thing I think of when I finish a workout is beer. I don't like it and I'm going to do something about it. I'm not going to completely give up alcohol, that would be insane. What I'm going to do is limit my intake to one beer OR one glass of wine a night during the week. Weekends are a bit more tricky. I'll have to call on my friends and family to help me out here. Hopefully they'll be able to remind me of this post and what I'm trying to accomplish. Wish me luck here, I'm gonna need it!

I've put a  lot of time and money into researching and developing the perfect beer belly. Unfortunately this has been at the expense of my core strength which is now very weak. I'm hoping to take some of the time I spent drinking and sitting at the computer on the weeknights and turn it into workout time. I'm currently researching strength training methods using only my own body weight. Although this won't be as difficult as the alcohol portion it's still going to be pretty tricky. I have a tendency to start a workout routine, follow it for a couple weeks, and then completely give up on it. I'm going to need y'all to keep on me about this one too. 

I've started a "Training Log" to keep track of any and all of my training. You can access it by clicking the "My Training Log" tab above. It's kept through www.MapMyRide.com and every entry I make should show up on that page. I ask that anyone who reads this blog to please help keep me honest about the things I've talked about above. I'm going to post on my progress for each of them from time to time. If you notice I haven't posted about a specific topic in a while send me a friendly reminder. Chances are I've slacked and just don't want to tell anyone.

Thanks!

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Ididaride Weekend

I participated in IDIDARIDE XV on Jan 31st, 2009. My quest to participate in this event began over a year ago when I stumbled upon the SBA website and found the link for IDIDARIDE. I didn't even know what it was but the name itself spiked my curiosity. After reading the description of the ride I decided that I wanted to give it a shot. Unfortunately my registration for IDIDARIDE XIII was a little late. All the spots had already been filled. I made it a point to find out when registration for IDIDARIDE XV was to open. When the time came I sent my application and registration fee overnight and secured a spot.

The weekend began on Friday when Kevin, Luis and I loaded up the bikes and gear and headed out of town. We made a stop along the way at San Felasco for a pre-IDIDARIDE ride. We met up with Scott (Anthem1) and hit the trails. We rode 21.5 miles of some pretty sweet single track. It was a bit more than I had anticipated but I figured that it would be good training for the upcoming SSSAR. After loading the bikes back up we headed out for White Springs, Fl and the SBA head quarters for pre-registration.

Karlos (Naked Indian) invited us over to the KOA for a bond fire and some good company. The stories were plentiful and the fire was inviting. It was a great end to the day. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

The Temperature was a scorching 31 degrees at the start of the ride. I had all my cold weather riding gear on and was still freezing. My fingers and toes were numb within minutes. I didn't regain feeling in my fingers for about another hour and half. My toes remained numb for a total of about 3 hours. Despite the cold start the weather did warm up to about 60 degrees.

Somewhere between the first and second sags I had an issue with my blood sugar. I had to stop and eat something and I had to do it fast. I was getting very shaky, light headed, and somewhat disoriented. I always Carry a lot of food for this very reason. I reached in my jersey pocket and pulled out a Cliff bar. Once that issue was resolved I started pedaling again.

Aside from the initial temperature and my blood sugar issue everything went smooth. I didn't fall, crash, get cramps, or get lost. All in all, I'd say is was a successful ride. The new Superly performed flawlessly and everyone seemed to really like it.

I finished the ride in approximately 6 hrs with an actual ride time of 5:07:25.

The after ride party was a blast. A huge bond fire, great people, good stories, and a few brewskis proved to be a perfect end to a great weekend.

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