It was raining lightly as I dove into the sharp right hand turn under an overpass at mile 113. My tires struggled vainly to maintain purchase with the slick pavement and when they finally let go it was sudden and violent. I slammed into the pavement and began a long slide, finally coming to a halt 10 meters later.

My primary concern as I lay there on the ground was that Mickey was going to catch me and take the “Stage Win”. I had dropped him just minutes earlier on the run-in from Vail Pass where I somehow got max KOM points.

I was riding the Triple Bypass as hard as I could because I had something to prove. With the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race just over a month away it was time to give my fitness a real test. A 120-mile road ride to 11,000’ over three gigantic Rocky Mountain Passes seemed like just the thing.

Note: The Triple Bypass is a 120-mile road ride through the Colorado Rockies over three distinct mountain passes; Juniper Pass (11,140’), Loveland Pass (11,990’) and Vail Pass (10,560’). In total there is well over 10,000’ of climbing for the day at some serious altitude.

To be honest, coming into the Triple Bypass I was freaking out a little bit. I desperately needed to know I was on track – I needed to know that the innumerable hours and miles I was putting in on the bike were paying off. For the last several weeks my power levels had been off target. I had been struggling to achieve basic intervals and self-doubt was getting hard to control – was everything ok? Do I have the legs to even finish Leadville this year? What was going on?

DMoz, Marcos, Mickey, Arlyn, Ajay and Karydes from Team Climb On! Missing are Cecil and Erik.

The “race” began right at Kilometer Zero as my buddy Mickey separated from our group of eight friends to draft on a slightly faster rider. I knew that if I didn’t follow him, I’d never see him again so I went too. I was putting in exactly the right effort as rider number three in our group and we began the first climb over Juniper Pass to Echo Lake.

Gaining just 2,585’ over 13 miles meant I could spin easily upward as the altimeter quickly approached 11,000’. Within a few miles, Mickey and his lead-out man picked up the pace and I let them go, wary of blowing up to soon. As I watched them pace out of sight, I figured I wouldn’t see him again until the finish line. It was hard to think straight above 10,000’ and my power dropped by at least 10%. I focused on setting an even rhythm and eating on schedule to avoid The Bonk.

At some point, DMoz passed me. This guy is skinny enough for concern and just completed Ride the Rockies in great form. Combine that with the fact he lives at elevation and now you’ll understand how frustrating it is to have him pass you chatting the whole way. I watched him go figuring I’d never see him again either. He managed to beat Mickey to the top taking max KOM points for himself.

Some lake on the Triple Bypass course – sorry, I wasn’t paying much attention!

Skipping the Aid Station at Echo Lake, I tipped my bike over and began speeding downhill towards Idaho Springs at 50mph in some sections. The speed and roads were exhilarating, the inexperienced descenders were not. I warily passed many cyclists who need someone to show them how to keep a line through a corner.

Marcos caught me on the outskirts of Georgetown, at the base of the second pass where I was planning to stop at the Aid Station. We stopped together and chatted while we filled up bottles. I was a bit nervous because he looked strong and I really wanted to maintain my current 3rd place among the team. I mean, a podium is a podium, right?

DMoz caught up to us while we were stopped causing a brief moment of confusion. We thought he was ahead of us. I guess we rocketed downhill past him. Unfortunately, 140lb guys just don’t go downhill as fast at 195lb guys… He took off a few minutes ahead of us and again I figured that would be the last time I saw him.
After a 14-minute stop, we were off again across a 2-mile stretch of gravel road. Many riders were unnerved by the rocks, gravel and potholes, but for some reason reveled in it. After a little while I no longer heard Marcos behind me and figured he had slowed up to do his own pace. Smart. On a ride like the Triple Bypass, you have to ride your own pace. 120 miles is a loooong way to go.

The road tilted upwards, but never very sharply as we climbed towards Loveland Pass. At 11,990‘, this would be the high point of the day. Again, the extreme elevation took its toll on me and I began to dream/hallucinate the strangest things. I forced myself to eat and set an easy, steady pace as I got higher and higher. At some point on US-6, above 11,000’, I decided that it was more comfortable to pedal with my eyes closed. Of course, as I was passing a cyclist every few minutes, this was a bit of a hazard. Somehow I worked it out.

My trick to achieving long climbs is to watch my altimeter. If I know where the top is, I can have a little party in my head every 100 feet – “Yeah! Only 2,300 feet to go! Heck, it’s actually even LESS THAN 2,300 feet now!”

Karydes and Ajay on the Continental Divide at Loveland Pass

Eventually I reached Loveland Pass and rather than stop to shoot a photo of the sign, I bombed the descent directly. Again, speeds near 50mph were the order of the day as I shot down to warmer and slightly thicker air. Along the way I saw and passed DMoz again. This time I shouted as I went past. Technically, I was in second place – I thought he’d catch me on the final climb over Vail Pass, but it began to seem likely for me to catch him on the final descent into Avon. The second step of the podium sure seemed nicer than the third…

DMoz and I stopped at the school in Frisco and refilled bottles, chatting about our experiences so far. He left first as I searched for the porta-potties.

The elevation at the Aid Station was around 9,000’ and with Vail Pass only 10,500’, I knew this would be a relatively shallow climb over 12 miles. I was feeling really good as I left the Aid Station and decided to up my tempo a bit to see what was in the tank. If I blew up on the last climb, no problem.

I quickly caught DMoz on the lower parts of the climb. He started grumbling about my quicker pace and fell off a bit. We started to get sprinkled on and he passed me when I stopped to put on my vest, but I passed him back when he did the same.
I was going up and up on the bike trail now, passing other riders at a healthy clip. It was a bit dodgy as the trail was only really wide enough for three across (both directions) and there was a lot of blind turns. For some reason, many riders rode the centerline, making it dangerous to pass them. Maybe they were entranced by the yellow line or something, but it was a bit annoying.

One woman I passed had a radio blaring music in her jersey pocket. She stepped up her pace and passed me back, with “The Love Shack” going the whole time. I got perturbed and passed her again, but she hung onto my back wheel with some other top-40 drivel blasting out. I think they invented earbuds just for her. Feeling quite good now, I picked up the pace even more until I could no longer hear her.

Colorado was in full beauty for the race – and the weather was near perfect!

Rounding some corners near the top of Vail Pass I sighted a rider I recognized. Could that be Mickey? He had stopped, but was getting back on and pedaling again. I furiously chased and yes, it was Mickey! Instantly, I saw how I would beat him to the top of Vail Pass and then hammer alone to the finish. There was a slim chance it would work. I slowed as I passed him and asked if everything was ok. I got an unintelligible reply and took off for the top of the Pass, just about a half mile up. Later I found out he had no real idea where the top was and was just following me up. It was a bit confusing at the top and I made the mistake of going through the parking lot instead of straight to the top. Suddenly, I saw Mickey in front of me, just meters from the top and had to all-out sprint to get there first. Mickey gave me a funny look and asked, “Is this the top?”

We began coasting downhill together toward the finish, just 25 miles away. I asked him if we would share the top step or fight it out. Mickey had that twinkle in his eyes but admitted he didn’t have the legs to chase now. He was going to let me do all the pulling. Fine and fine.

We rocketed down the initial steep sections of bike path like two fighter jets, Mickey right on my wheel. He later told me it was one of the best descents of his life and I have to agree. We flew down the curvy bike path cooking some corners a bit too hot and diving into holes between riders to pass.

I had racing fever as we hammered the final miles into Avon. We picked up another rider who was willing to work and I started trading 30-second pulls with him. While in the draft I calculated how fast we’d have to go for me to take an hour off of last years’ time of 9:20. It began to seem possible.

At some point Mickey came to the front and did a terrific pull. I was next and knew what would happen – he went right off the back after his amazing effort. I kept the watts up, not waiting. The top step of the podium would be mine alone. Sorry, buddy. Down and down we went, rocketing through the roundabouts in Vail while the State Police stopped traffic for us.

Back on the bike path, we traded a few more pulls. With my turn over, I rested, knowing I only had a few seconds until it was my turn again. I looked up and saw bike path bend into the tunnel and prepared for a hard turn.

And that’s how I found myself sliding across the pavement wondering how far back Mickey was.

My collarbone was not broken. My arms were not broken. I had almost no pain – the rash hurts later. I checked for blood and even the rash didn’t look so bad. Something was wrong with my bike, but I couldn’t figure out what. It didn’t go or something. I told my new friend to go on without me – I was fine. He cruised on and I got back on my bike trying to figure it out. I really didn’t want Mickey to catch me – how stupid would that be? But there was some kind of odd clicking sound – I shifted and it went away. Perfect!

I cranked it up again and caught my friend, explaining everything was fine now. We started trading pulls again and I made sure mine were long and fast. I had a bit of a deficit to make up in order to keep to my schedule of arriving an hour faster. Suddenly, the finish line loomed in front of us. We had both set new PRs for the Triple and congratulated each other.

I came to a halt all by myself in the midst of a huge crowd, breathing hard, sweat dripping off me, feeling the sting of the fresh road rash and ache in my legs after a 120-mile ride through the mountains and let it all sink in…

Leadville, here I come!

Team Climb On! Race Results

For the third year in a row, I’ll be riding the 150-mile MS Bike Tour next month to raise money in the fight against multiple sclerosis, and do you know why?

I ride for my friend Blake’s dad who has struggled with this debilitating disease for the last 17 years. It may have taken away his ability to walk or eat on his own, but his spirit is still strong and he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren. I ride for my friend Mark’s mom who is in a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis. And I ride for the 400,000+ Americans stricken with MS who need help fighting this disease today.

Help me fight MS with a donation to the National MS Society right now. Any size donation fights this terrible disease.
http://biketofinishms.com/arlynasch

Thanks,
Arlyn

In 2008, I learned a little secret about life. ‘Someday’ never happens. As in, “Someday I’d like to cyclotour the Tour de France.” Or, “Someday I want to win a bike race.”

Your someday’s always stay in the future, safe and secure where they can’t bother anyone. The dirty secret is that we know they will never happen which make it a little disingenuous to say, “Someday I want …”

If you really wanted it to happen, you’d do it, right?

I used to think that someday I’d like to be able to ride a century and contribute to a charitable cause. In 2007, I committed to riding my first century and raising $400 for the National MS Society. I had never ridden more than 30 miles before and was plumb tuckered out at mile 30 so this was a huge goal. I had also never asked anyone for a donation before. Double huge goal.

I was surprised by what happened. I trained and trained and was soon strong enough for the ride. And I talked about how important it was to support the fight against MS and soon had raised $3,790. I realized that by committing myself, I put myself on the path to achieving it. I had turned my someday into a reality.

Our families gave us a ton of support to ride the MS Bike Tour

In 2008, I converted another someday. I used to watch coverage of the Tour de France and thought someday it’d be really cool to watch the Tour in person and cycle the famous roads they raced. I converted that someday into reality by signing up for a cyclotour to follow the 2008 Tour de France from Alpe d’Huez to Paris. The trip I chose included a couple of century days, some with over 10,000 feet of climbing. I was going to climb the famous French Alpine cols I had only seen on TV.

I had no reason to believe that I could withstand the kind of cycling this trip would offer. I was terrified that I would get to France without the right fitness and have to “get in the van” or skip riding opportunities. This fear of failure drove me to train like I have never trained.

But again, by committing, I was on the path to achieving. Within a couple of weeks of signing up I bumped into a friendly English chap on the 56 bike trail who seemed very strong. He invited me to ride with him and his friends. I was initially scared to ride with them, but accepted anyways. That became my first ride with the Descenders. On that first ride, Voris invited me to join their annual Monster Climbs trip. 22,000 feet of climbing on 4 Sierra Nevada Mountains in 140 miles jammed into just 3 days. It was terrifying and also the perfect training for France. Monster Climbs was where I gained the confidence to climb for hours and trust in my ability to recover.

Horseshoe Meadow Road looms in the distance as the Descenders prepare for a 10,000+ foot day.

By early summer, I was taking on all sorts of endurance challenges. I could ride a century every week. My epic rides to Julian for pie gave me confidence in my ability to suffer and endure.

My training paid off and, faster than I could imagine, I was pedaling up Alpe d’Huez, with the Col du Galibier, Col du Telegraph and Col de la Croix de Fer on the next day’s agenda. It was a spectacular week of cycling, truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

That’s me on the Col du Galibier.

What’s for 2009? Well, the broad strokes are to keep the adventures alive by swinging for the fences. I’ve registered for my first USCF road race – and I’m scared out of my gourd that I’ll get dropped early. I can barely say, “I will win a bike race.” So I’m training intensely. I know I will love racing and I hope my fitness gets to where I can enjoy it from the pack at least.

I’ve also registered for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race in August and I’m confident that the stars will align and I’ll get accepted. I’ve registered for the Triple Bypass in July to get some high altitude training. And of course, there is Monster Climbs III in June with the Descenders.

I’m going to keep swinging for the fences. Somehow, it all works itself out.

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2009/01/03/someday-never-happens/feed/ 3 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/12/02/completely-out-of-control/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/12/02/completely-out-of-control/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:45:22 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/?p=640

I started Team Climb On! almost two years ago and now it’s completely out of control.  But in a really good way.

In 2007, we were just 7 guys committed to making a difference in the fight against multiple sclerocis.  We blew away our own expectations by raising over $22k for the National MS Society.

This year, we decided to do every charity ride in San Diego.  We raised money for the American Diabetes Association, the Livestrong Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital, the Red Cross and of course, the National MS Society.  And the team grew and changed.  At our signature event, the MS Bike Tour, we had 17 team members who raised over $31,000 in the fight against multiple sclerosis! 

Sitting on the lawn in Mission Bay Park enjoying the sunshine I realize that I’m meeting some TCO team members for the first time.  People are talking about what we’re going to do in 2009.  Plans are being made to “go big”.  Wow.  A representative of the National MS Society wants our contact info to do a story.  Yep, things are completely out of control.  Team Climb On! has a life of it’s own now.

It feels so good.  Congrats Team Climb On!  Can’t wait to see what happens next year.

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/12/02/completely-out-of-control/feed/ 0 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/80m-beware-skinny-triathletes/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/80m-beware-skinny-triathletes/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:10:18 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/?p=565

I had been getting my ass kicked all day.  It was supposed to be 80 easy miles along the coast.  I was supposed to have easily taken every town sign.  But here I was, struggling to stay on the wheel of some twentysomething-triathlete-hero grinding 25mph along the flats, losing every town sign.

There were two new faces in the TCO peloton that morning, Tim and Gabe.  Both looked extremely fit and Gabe was on an expensive looking tri-bike.  I paid them almost no attention until Gabe got on the front, settled into his aero bars and cranked the pace up to 25mph.  And then held it for ten (or a million) miles.  I was hammering to stay on his wheel making myself as small as possible to hide in his draft, thinking, “Holy S#!%, can he do this all day?”

I asked him later how long he could keep that speed up and he said, “Maybe 60 miles.”  I laughed on the outside and cried on the inside. I was totally screwed. They were nabbing town signs left and right.  Tim has this awesome ability to leap from the group to take the sign while I was still hammering to try and keep Gabe’s wheel.

My only hope was that I would be stronger at mile 60+.  It’s my experience that tri-guys train for triathlons and even an Olympic Tri is just 25 miles.  So, I hid out in the pack and let Gabe hammer on at “ludicrous-speed”.

I made a deal with Mark for the two Carlsbad signs, I would lead him out for the first one and then I would take the second (there is an official sign followed by a decorative monument – they each count as a point).  We executed our plan perfectly and took the two signs.  Afterwards, I looked back and saw that we had a gap, with Tim trying to get across.  It occurred to me that we could just stay away for the last 12 miles or so and take the rest of the signs.  I mentioned it to Mark and his comment was, “That sounds like too much work.”  Heck, if I’m not working on a bike, what am I riding for, right?

I put my head down and cranked it up to 22mph cause that’s all I can hold.  Tim caught us at a light south of Carlsbad and we started working as a rotation of three.  Now my plan was in danger cause I believed Tim to be strong enough to jump from our group to nab each of the remaining 5 points.  Mark was thinking the same thing and made sure that Tim pulled us hard to the base of a short hill.  Mark and I launched up the hill and managed to pop Tim!  So he’s not invincible!

I got back on the front and gave it all I had.  Instinctively, I knew that Mark would not attack me for points as long as I was hammering, cause if he did I would drop him right after his sprint.  

Looking back, I no longer saw Tim.  I realized that we were away and I could ease up if I wanted to.  But I was on my bike about 5 miles from Pizza Port, so why not go as absolutely hard as I could.  Pretending I was in a race, I went even faster.  My legs ached and I thought about how you gotta ignore the pain and then I pushed a little harder.  Our plan worked and we stayed away, nabbing the remaining 5 points.

And let me tell you – the jalapeno/pepperoni pizza and IPA never tasted so good…

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/80m-beware-skinny-triathletes/feed/ 5 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/ajay-the-destroyer/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/ajay-the-destroyer/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:15:29 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/?p=553

My friend Ajay is currently the fifth most successful fundraiser for the upcomming MS Bike Tour, having raised $4,832 so far in the fight against MS!

Ajay is a founding member of Team Climb On! and was our leading fundraiser in our innaugural appearance at the MS Bike Tour last year.  He’s the guy in the middle of this photo.

Last year, Ajay signed up for the MS Bike Tour just after being cured of cancer.  Training to ride the century was his comeback training!  As a cancer survivor, he has pledged to donate 50% of whatever he raises in the MS Bike Tour to the Livestrong foundation.  So if you sponsor Ajay, you’re really donating to two really great charities!  Nice work Ajay – I hope you stay a top-5 fundraiser!

Would you like to support Team Climb On! in the fight agains MS?

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/15/ajay-the-destroyer/feed/ 2 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/13/team-climb-on-rides/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/13/team-climb-on-rides/#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:55:26 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/13/team-climb-on-rides/

Team Climb On Rides, originally uploaded by Arlyn Asch.

Can you believe we got eleven bikes on the train this morning?

Riding back from Anaheim – 80 miles along the coast, training for the
MS Bike Tour.

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/13/team-climb-on-rides/feed/ 1 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/10/join-the-fight-against-ms/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/10/join-the-fight-against-ms/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:30:20 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/?p=549

One of my first adventures after getting back on a road bike was riding last year’s MS Bike Tour.  It was my first century ride ever and my first exposure to charity bike rides.

With just a month to go before this year’s MS Bike Tour kicks off, I have to thank everyone who has so generously contributed to my fundraising campaign to fight MS!  Together we’ve raised $1,215 so far!  Both I and the National MS Society thank you.

Can you believe that my team (Team Climb On!) has raised $13,584 among just 16 cyclists?!  Everyone is doing a lot of riding to get in shape for the 150-mile course next month.  While I’m pretty confident about my ability to do the ride, I am still a bit short of my fundraising goal of $5,000.

So, if you would like to contribute there is still time.  Making a tax-deductable donation takes just 5 minutes.  Just click here to join the fight against MS.

http://www.biketofinishms.com/arlynasch

Donations of any size are greatly appreciated!

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/09/10/join-the-fight-against-ms/feed/ 0 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/aforementioned-pizza/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/aforementioned-pizza/#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:34:04 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/aforementioned-pizza/

Aforementioned pizza, originally uploaded by Arlyn Asch.

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/aforementioned-pizza/feed/ 3 http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/on-the-train-again/ http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/on-the-train-again/#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:15:10 +0000 Arlyn http://www.adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/on-the-train-again/

On the train again, originally uploaded by Arlyn Asch.

Headed to Anaheim on the train with Mark. Eighty coastal miles riding
back. Best part is Pizza Port at the end. I love Cars, Trains and
Bicycles.

]]> http://adventuresonabike.com/2008/08/09/on-the-train-again/feed/ 0