Focus to Usery and Back

There was a really good group for the shop ride on Saturday morning. Perhaps the largest number of riders we have had to date. I'm pretty sure everyone got in just the right amount of suffering and scorching.

Check out the ride by following the link below.

Focus to Usery and Back by michael.barbour at Garmin Connect - Details

The Heartbreak Hundred-Event #3 in the King of the Mountains Century Challenge

It was another glorious day for a bike ride in Southern California and we took full advantage of the weather, the stunning scenery and the difficult climbing. I rode with my friend and fellow lunatic Eric Rice who made the trip down from Boulder Creek, CA. There were also two other riders, Alan Hamberlin and Nathan Frank, from our local bike shop, Focus Cyclery. The weather was perfect and the support for the ride was superb as always with a Planet Ultra event.

Check out the link below for a view of the ride through the eyes of the Garmin.

Heartbreak Hundred by michael.barbour at Garmin Connect - Details

Heartbreak Hundred

I'm off to Lebec, California tomorrow for the last ride in the Planet Ultra King of the Mountains trilogy. I did this ride last year with my buddy Eric Rice, and Eric will be joining me again for the torturous yet stunningly beautiful 100 miles and 8,500 feet of climbing.

Focus to Usery and Butcher Jones

Another glorious Arizona day and quite perfect for a ride. We had the folks from Lifetime Fitness join the group and much suffering was had by all.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day came just before the climb up the front side of Usery when we spooked a couple on horseback. More than a few of us thought for sure there was going to be a tangle of horse and bike but we all somehow managed to keep from plowing into each other. We were thinking we shouldn't call out to let them know we were there lest we scare the horses. It looks like just the opposite is true.

Check out the ride through the Garmin GPS by following the link below.

Focus to Usery and Butcher Jones by michael.barbour at Garmin Connect - Details

Focus to End-of-Pavement

It was a glorious day for a bike ride. Temperatures were a bit chilly in the morning but not too much to complain about. Then there was the headwind we rode into all morning but we got past that. Oh and then there was the 4200 feet of climbing, but what is a bike ride worth if there is no climbing.

I'm pretty sure we could have done without the multiple flats and the headwind we faced heading home (an old trick Mother Nature loves to play on cyclists...switch the direction of the wind mid-ride). Like I said a glorious day for a bike ride...

Check out the ride through the GPS by following the link below.

Focus to End-of-Pavement by michael.barbour at Garmin Connect - Details

Tour de Phoenix 2010

It was an epic day for a bike race. The temps were perfect and the wind was tolerable until at least the climb up the Beeline Highway.

Richard DeBernardis, Founder & Executive Director of El Tour de Phoenix, announced that this year’s event, dedicated to Mesa resident Sterling Baer, welcomed 1,400 registrants – beating the 2008 attendance record of 1,308. In addition, moderate temperature and wind conditions helped cyclists in four divisions set new course records – the women’s and the mixed tandem divisions of the 72-mile event as well as the men’s and the women’s divisions of the 26-mile event.

Clay Murfet of Youngtown, Tazmania nipped Mesa resident Joe Susco for the 72-mile men’s title, with both times being listed as 2:51:28. Chris Fusselman of Phoenix rounded out the podium in a time of 2:51:30.

Pro-cyclist, Erica Allar from Charlotte, NC, claimed the women’s 72-mile title for the third year in a row in a time of 2:52:42. Finishing tenth overall, Allar broke her own 2009 course record by five minutes and 2 seconds. Mildred Lopez of Calexico, CA earned second place with a time of 2:58:15 and Heidi Melendez of Chandler came in third with a time of 3:01:09.

Team Focus managed to place five riders in the Platinum division, with Mark Bibbey and Matthew Braselton breaking the three hour mark with a time of 2:58:10 and 2:59:03 respectively. Jim Haugen finished in 3:01:07, Allen Blackhurst and Michael Barbour with a time of 3:01:25, and Mike Hershauer rounded out the group in 3:09:30.

Windy Pre-Ride

Well...the Tour de Phoenix pre-ride this Saturday proved to be long tough slog into a brutal headwind much of the day. The worst section proved to be the Beeline Highway where the wind pummeled us from straight on. Certainly the wind was tough, and although we didn't try to set any land speed records our time of 3:32 was respectable given the conditions and traffic. It was good to see that some sections of the route had new pavement and there didn't appear to be any construction. If race day proves to be as windy it will be very difficult to break the platinum time barrier of 3:05 for the 72 miles.