Patents - Bicycle "Air Conditioning" for Those Hot Summer Days

U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,474 - Pressurized Cyclist Water Spraying Apparatus

Abstract

A pressurized cycling water spraying apparatus adapted to be mounted on a cycling device having at least one rotating wheel. The apparatus includes a reservoir having an interior adapted to contain a fluid, an electric generator adapted to generate electric power from the rotation of the wheel, and an electric pump powered by the electric generator and adapted to pressurize the interior of the reservoir by a flow of air from the pump through an air tube and into the reservoir. Pressurized fluid is conveyed from the reservoir through a first tube to a fluid valve adapted to block or pass the pressurized fluid. With the valve in an open position, fluid is further conveyed through a second fluid tube to a spray nozzle adapted to provide a stream of fluid to the rider of the cycling device.

Comment: You can blow water droplets into your face.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,339 - Bicycle Water Pump

Abstract

A liquid dispensing apparatus, suitable for mounting on a bicycle safely provides the rider of the bicycle a way to refresh himself without having to stop and dismount the bicycle. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus generally includes a cylindrical housing containing a supply of liquid. The liquid is dispensed through an unrestricted length of flexible tubing, leading from the housing to a nozzle which is disposed on the handle bars of the bicycle. A pleated bellows is disposed at the bottom of the housing and forms a chamber for holding compressed air. Each inward stroke of the bellows forces air into the chamber so as to hold the contents under pressure. Adjacent the nozzle, and integrally connected thereto is a hand operated valve which, in its normal state is closed. Depressing the valve forces the liquid out of the container, through the tubing and nozzle, to the rider.

Comment: You can either drink the water or splash it onto your face, your option.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,635 - Cyclist Water Supply Apparatus

Abstract

A water supply apparatus is utilized in conjunction with a bicycle to enable a rider to receive either a spray of cooling water or a stream for drinking purposes. A diaphragm-type pump supplies the water. Plural reservoirs enable a plurality of liquids to be transported and utilized, such as water for cooling the rider and a sucrose solution for energy.

Comment: Again, you can either drink the water or splash it onto your face.

Courage Classic 2009 - Day 1

I very much enjoyed the Courage Classic. I liked the social aspect of the ride. You could ride as fast or slow as you wanted. It was a nice change from competitive events. I also liked riding for cause, specifically to raise money for Children's Hospital. While donations are typically made before the ride, donations can be given until August 31st. If you would like to make a donation to my ride, you can do so at the following site: http://www.couragetours.com/2009/rdh

The Courage Classic involved three days of riding. On the first day, I rode with a group that include three other Dorsey attorneys: Charlene, Steve and Matt. We were joined by Charlene's fiance Dave and their friends Carlos Sr. and Carlos Jr. We started at Leadville and headed towards Copper Mountain via Vail.

The ride started out with a slight downhill, which was a nice warm up. Soon we were climbing the first pass of the day, Tennessee Pass. This was not too bad as the elevation change is relatively small when riding from Leadville towards Vail. We stopped at the first aid station, which was at the top of Tennessee Pass. The aid stations throughout the ride were superb. Not only did each one have water and Gatorade, they also had bananas, oranges, mini bagels, peanut butter, fig newtons, trail mix, granola bars, and cookies.

After refueling, we descended towards Battle Mountain. Steve, Charlene and Dave quickly dropped me on the descent. They also dropped Matt when he pulled over to put on a jacket. As we approached the bottom of the descent, Matt caught up with me. He raced ahead to catch up with Steve, Charlene, and Dave. I jumped onto his wheel. I was soon regretting that decision since Matt is a strong rider. I was barely staying with him and thinking so much for a comfortable ride. It seemed like forever before we caught up with others just before the climb to Battle Mountain. I was thankful to see them since I couldn't have stayed with Matt much longer.

We started as a group climbing Battle Mountain. In a pattern that would repeat itself, Steve and Matt, who are both very good climbers, soon dropped Dave, Charlene and me. The three of us climbed together to the top of Battle Mountain. At the top, Steve and Matt were waiting. We joined them to take a short break and enjoy the view.

Group Picture at Top of Battle Mountain

After a brief rest at Battle Mountain, we descended towards Vail. Steve and Charlene led the descent. I tried to stay close to them but lost some distance when I had some trouble passing some riders around a tight corner. As the route flattened out, I rode hard to catch up. I eventually rejoined them. Soon Matt caught up with us. Dave also caught up with us as we turned onto the bike path from Minturn to Vail. We rode at a social pace to the aid station at Vail, where we stopped for lunch.

The lunch at Vail was also superb. There was sandwiches (turkey, roast beef or veggie), fruit, potato chips, soup, cookies, candy, ice cream, water, gatorade, and soda. I tried not to eat too much since Vail Pass was still ahead. After taking about a forty-five minute break, we got back on the bikes and headed towards Vail Pass. This part of the ride was hot as the sun was out. We got a good pace line going and steadily passed other riders until I lost my jacket and had to turn around to get it. The rest of group slowed down so that I could catch up with them. Dave told me that I owed the group a round of beers, which I still need to make good on.

As we approached the aid station at the "bottom of Vail Pass," the road began to get noticeably steeper. Steve and Matt again took off. I tried staying with them. As we went through the aid station, I was thankful that we decided to stop. As I got off the bike, I realized that I would probably bonk very badly if I tried to stay with Matt and Steve on the climb to Vail Pass as both were much stronger climbers than me.

At the aid station, we regrouped and headed off again. Soon, Matt and Steve had dropped Charlene, Dave and me. They slowed down to let us catch-up but soon had left us again. We would not see them again until we reached the aid station at Vail Pass. As we rode, Charlene warned me about this crazy uphill that came after a short descend. She was not kidding as I almost did not have a gear that I could turn to get up the hill. Thankfully, the steep part of this section was short.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I could see the aid station. At the entrance to the aid station, they had hung a banner which read "King of the Mountains." There were also volunteers ringing cowbells. This was a nice touch. At the rest stop, we regrouped and headed out towards Copper Mountain. There was a short climb followed by a welcomed downhill on a bike path that ended at Copper Mountain.

Coming into the Finish Line

Brenda was waiting at the finish line. I was happy to see her. We stuck around at the finish and had an adult beverage with the group, which was a great ending to a fun day of riding.

Matt and Steve relaxing after the ride

Charlene and Steve

Oregon Pictures

Pictures from Oregon:

Sluggish

Sluggish: averse to activity or exertion. This is how I felt over the last week about workouts as my motivation to do them has been low. The result, I've skipped about half of them this last week.

Why such low enthusiasm to workout? Not sure but it may have something to do with knowing that I'm not planning to race again this year. Since Milkman, I've kind of thought that the race season may be over for me. I was on the fence about Loveland. I ended up doing it because I had already paid the entry fee and needed a workout for the day. Loveland only confirmed in my mind that I have little interest in participating in another race this year.

Another potential issue, the sports medicine doctor who I am seeing has instructed me to avoid high intensity workouts until I see her again. This is most likely precautionary but I plan to follow these orders. So, I will not be doing any speed or other high effort workouts for two weeks.

Despite my recent general adverseness to workouts, Saturday was a good day. Although scheduled to ride for two hours after swimming, I ended up riding for four hours. The extra two hours came when I ran into the 17 hour training group towards the end of my two hour ride. When I saw them in the midst of their 17 hour training day, I made a quick decision to ride up Deer Creek with them. This turned out to be a good decision as riding with group boosted my morale. Even though I was dropped by the main group, I enjoyed going up the canyon at a slow, relaxed pace with Andrea.

Today, I rode an hour with Brenda. This was a fun ride as we took it easy on the Ralston Creek trail. Even better than the ride being relaxing, I got to do it with Brenda. It was nice to ride on two consecutive days with no agenda or plan other than just riding. I could get comfortable with this training with no intensity.

100

Today was another first: a 100 mile bike ride. One hundred miles does not seem like much compared to what others did this week but it was more than enough for me. At Steve's suggestion, I started at about Tower and Colfax and rode East, first on Colfax and then old US 40 to just beyond Deer Trail.

The ride started out well. The route has gently rolling hills that trend downward from Tower to Deer Trail. There was also a slight tailwind, which I knew that I would pay for when I headed back. Best of all, the traffic was light.

I wasn't sure what to expect on the ride so I kept out an eye for gas stations and other potential places to stop to get more water and other supplies. About an hour into the ride, I saw, to my surprise, a rest area. I decided to stop there, use the restrooms, refill my water bottles, and eat some food.

After the brief stop, I continued towards Deer Trail. The scenery was not much to look at, just either flat ground or rolling hills with an occasional tree. Every 12 miles or so, there seemed to be a small town. After I passed though Byers, there was a sign indicating that it was only 12 miles to Deer Trail. I looked at my watch and saw that I was only 30 miles into the ride. This was not good since Brenda was planning to meet me in Deer Trail, which we thought was about the 1/2 point of the ride based on checking the route on Map My Ride. Oops, so much for accuracy.

At Deer Trail, I called Brenda to let her know that I planned to ride another 7 miles up the road to get to 50 and then turn around and meet her in Deer Trail. This turned out to me good since I was more than 1/2 done when I meet Brenda. As I approached Deer Trail, I saw Brenda's car. As I neared the car, Stella, her dog, started to bark. Stella does not like cyclists. She stopped barking when I pulled off my helmet and wanted to be petted, which I did. Brenda gave me more water and some food to eat. While doing this, Stella took advantage of the situation and ate the remaining half of a cinnamon roll that Brenda had purchased. At times, she is too clever for her own good.

For a brief moment, I thought about packing my bike in Brenda's car and catching a ride back to my car. However, I felt good and wanted to ride the full 100. So we parted ways. I promised Brenda that I would call when I got back to my car. Like Loveland, Brenda did not approve of this ride. She was hoping that Mother Nature would bring stormy weather to cut the ride short. Unfortunately for her, it was still sunny with few clouds in the sky so the ride continued.

Shortly after leaving Deer Trail, I found the headwind. It slowed my progress. By about 70 miles, I was ready to be done with the ride. My car, though, was still thirty miles away so I had to keep on riding. Slowly, the miles passed by. Finally, I reached the rest area. Again, I stopped to use the restroom and take in some more water and food. I decided not to refill the water bottles on my bike.

For 80 miles, I had been carrying a third water bottle in my bike jersey. I had not needed to use it since I had been able to refill the bottles on my bike. The weight of the bottle was starting to bother my back. I decided that I would rather carry an empty bottle than a full back up bottle. There was only another 20 miles to ride, and I knew there was a gas station about 10 miles up the road if I needed water.

Off I went. The brief rest seemed to help as I felt better for the first few miles. After about seven miles, the headwind and the generally uphill nature of the route was beating me down again. The next seven or so miles were tough. However, as I approached the end of the ride, I saw in the distance the interchange for I-70 and E470. This seemed to revitalize me as I knew I was close to the end. The last five miles seemed to fly by. When I finished, my watch showed 100.2 miles of riding. I had done it. Not only that, I felt better after the ride than I did yesterday after the swim/run brick, which took about half the time but physically drained me.

While the scenery left a little to be desired and miles 70 to 95 were tough, today was a good training day. I would definitely like more of these and less swim/run sessions. And, before I forget, thanks Brenda for driving out the Deer Trail to bring me food and water and to make sure I was okay.

Milkman II

I received an unexpected package from the organizers of the Milkman Triathlon this week. The package contained a coffee cup with the Milkman Triathlon logo and a ceramic medal. The package also had a handwritten note hoping that I was doing better. This was a very nice surprise.

I failed to mention in my race report that the organizers of the Milkman Triathlon run a very nice and well organized race. They are also very nice and went well beyond what I would have expected them to do. While I was in the hospital, they found my equipment and drove my car from Dexter to Roswell. The next day, they called to see how I was doing. Although the race didn't go well, I still had a positive experience because of the organizers.

Milkman Triathlon

Milkman was not good. Not only did I not achieve the goals that Steve and I discussed, I was a DNF. I do not recall what happened. I've been told that I collapsed about 100 yds from the finish from heat exhaustion. I can only assume it is true since I don't remember the last 1/2 mile of the run. I remember running past the 2.5 mile marker. My next memory is waking up in a hospital bed. I stayed in the hospital for over 24 hours so that I could be re-hydrated. I do not recommend spending a weekend this way. The only good part was I got to see my sister since she flew down to drive me home. Thanks sis.

What happened at this race worries me. This was a sprint distance race. In less than 75 minutes, I went from feeling fine to being in the ER at a hospital. I had a similar, although not as bad, experience at Rage as I needed to hold onto Brenda to steady myself at the end of the race. Two triathlon races, and two bad loss of fluid experiences. While the weather was hot at both races, it was not excessively hot. I raced last year in races in Colorado as hot as these races without experiencing these issues. What has happened in one year that I can't seem to tolerate heat?

I'm not sure that I want to do Loveland. If I had to make the decision today, I would not race. Maybe I will feel different next week. I wonder, though, what happens if I take in water, Gatorade, and other nutrition, and I still end up in a dehydrated state? Is it really worth doing a race where I may, even if I do things 100% right, potentially collapse and end up in an ER? On the other hand, maybe this is will not be an issue if I actually take in the proper amount of fluids (both water and Gatorade) during a race. I learned the hard way that I need to be much better at taking in nutrition during a race.

It was been a strange year so far. While I've had two bad race experiences, I've also had many great experiences. Some of the great experiences include:

1. Hiring Steve as a coach - I've done things that I likely would not have done if Steve was not coaching me.

2. Meeting lots of great people through Practical Coaching.

3. Running/walking 15+ miles on the Colorado trail and talking with James during the last 3 or so miles of the run as IT band issues forced both of us walk to the end.

4. Running up High Grade with Sarah. Other than the Colorado trail, it was my longest run ever (almost 13 miles) and mostly uphill.

5. Riding Shadow Mountain with Andrea, Michele B., Anne, and Sarah. For Michele, Anne, Sarah, and me, it was our first time.

6. Running Sharp Tail Ridge with Andrea. I didn't feel like running that day but Andrea pulled me the first few miles until I found my legs.

7. Running with Tyler after swimming two laps in the Gravel Pond. Before I ran into Tyler, I did not feel like running. Running into Tyler (figuratively, not literally) lifted my spirits, and somehow the run seemed to go quickly as he pulled me through the loop.

8. Riding City View with Michelle F. It was my first time up City View, and Michelle was awesome in providing guidance on how to approach the ride.

9. Swimming 5K not once, but twice. Less than one year earlier, I was worried about completing 500 yds in a pool triathlon.

10. Running with Beth during a group run from Waterton Canyon to the Gravel Pond parking lot. We had a great talk for the first part, and Beth made me work hard on the second part as she lifted the speed but always pulled back when I was about to be dropped.

11. Running with Steve, Anthony and Sonja for a portion of their 50 mile Highlands Ranch to Boulder run.

12. Seeing the group at track each week. Highlights include running at various times with Barry, Jewels, Andrea, Sarah, Michele B., Jenna and Doreen.

Overall, the good has far outweighed the bad. And in the end, maybe it was good that I did not cross the finish line before collapsing. If I had crossed, I probably would have qualified for Nationals as I was in the top third of my age group at mile 2.5. Given how I've struggled in heat, I probably should not be racing in heat and humidity. By collapsing just before the finish, I immediately got help that kept a bad situation from getting worse while not facing a decision of whether to risk racing at Nationals. This was probably a blessing in disguise.