Albertus Geldermans

Albertus Geldermans also known as Ab Geldermans (born March 17, 1935 in The Netherlands) is a former Dutch professional road bicycle racer and directeur sportif. He was professional from 1959 to 1966 and rode seven editions of the Tour de France. In 1962 he finished fifth overall in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for two days. In 1960 Geldermans won Liège–Bastogne–Liege and won the Deutschland Tour. In 1962 he was Dutch road race champion. Afterwards he became directeur sportif of the Dutch national cycling team that competed the 1967 Tour de France and directed Jan Janssen to victory in the 1967 Tour de France.

Albertus Geldermans

Sunday Group Ride - "Kerns' Group"

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John Kerns

 I rolled out of my driveway on my bicycle, headed to the group ride at Lewisville, NC. As usual I was running a few minutes behind and ended up time trialing to the town square, in order to get there before the ride started at 8:00. I made it just seconds before the start time. My intentions were to ride the Hearts' group ride. Several groups were leaving at the same time. I ended up riding out with "Kerns' Group."

"Kerns' Group" is organized by John Kerns. John plans the route and the ride time. This group general rides a little faster and a little shorter route, this time of the year, than the Hearts ride. 

It takes a real commitment to plan rides like John does. He is out there every Saturday and Sunday. He's there regardless of how he feels or the weather. Thanks for all you do John.

We rode approximately 47 miles today. The group rolled on well in a double paceline. It was a beautiful day and the ride was very enjoyable. 

I was starting this day of riding with a little over 500 miles in for the week. My legs were a little tired, but I still wanted to sprint for the sprint sign at the end of the ride. A couple of riders started to sprint and I took off. I almost made a bad mistake by looking back over my shoulder as we approached the sign. We were all wound up at this point. When I looked back while sprinting I got too close to the edge of the road. I ran off the side of the road at full speed right as I got to the sign. There was a ditch and a couple of other obstacles that could have easily made me go down as I was trying to keep my bike under control in the wet grass. Fortunately I was able to save it. Even experienced riders do dumb stuff. 

We cruised on into the town square. At the square we chatted a little and I headed out to ride on in. I stopped at the restroom and saw two of my friends, Mike McKnight and Robert Myrick about to leave for a ride. I joined in with them and rode about 25 miles more. 

When I got home my computer showed that I had ridden 84.86 miles. I rested a little and went out to ride again. I rode another 16 miles to put me just over 100 miles total for the day and a little over 600 miles for the week. 

Once again, another vacation day well spent riding with a bunch of good friends!

Kerns' Group Ride rolling by Hollars Grocery

All around good guys; Carl and Will

Mike and Robert

Me rolling down the road on my Trek Madone

When one door closes another one opens!

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The group rolling down the road on a beautiful day.

I've heard the saying "when one door closes, another opens." Never really thought much about it. That's sort of how this vacation day of bicycle riding was.

There are a couple of things that are frustrating when you work on every single Saturday. One of them is that you can't participate in almost any cycling events. The other is that many of your cycling friends' main day to ride is Saturday. So, some folks you just don't get the opportunity to ride with.

Today is the first Saturday I have not had to work in many years, and may be the last for years to come. I had plans to ride this morning with a cycling buddy that I never get the chance to ride with anymore. I was getting my water bottles ready and checking out my bike when I got the word that they were bailing on the ride. I was disappointed and sadden by the change of plans. Do to conflicting schedules, I don't know when or if I will get to ride with this cycling friend again.

I poured another cup of coffee and tried to come up with a different destination to ride to. After while I just got on my bike and headed out. Without any real plans I ended up riding through Lewisville. As I turned on a road, headed out of Lewisville, I saw a group of cyclist mulling about at the intersection ahead. I thought maybe it was an accident. When I got there, a couple of riders were working on repairing a flat tire. Once the group got underway I joined in their ride.

I knew all the riders in the group and they were all long time cycling friends. We rode a nice route mapped out by Ken Craven. It was on great roads and a distance of about 57 miles. We had a nice little break at Gunter's Country Store about half way through the ride.

So the door that opened, when the other one closed, turned out to be good thing. I enjoyed a nice ride on a beautiful day and got to see a whole bunch of friends that I don't get to ride with. I can't remember all of the friends, but in the group were Kelly Holmes, Barry Woosley, Lynn Berry, Michael Berry, Tom McGuire, Jim Martin, Chad Chadwick, Scott Morris, Clarence, Darrel Ellis, Susan Hege Edwards, Ryke Edwards, Ronnie, Joe Hutchins, Shea and I hope I haven't left anyone out.

Riding to and from the ride put my total for the day at just over 70 miles and my total miles for the last 6 days at over 500 miles.

Later on in the day I went for a "cruise" ride to Starbucks for a cup of coffee. It was a perfect evening to relax outside and drink a good cup of coffee. Another vacation day well spent!

Below is a link to the ride on Connect.Garmin. Nice Route!

Pulling away from a stop sign.

Me at the rest stop.

The group taking a break at Gunter's Country Store.

Me with my "cruiser" at Starbucks.

Gunnar Roadie - Rockford General Store

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The Rockford General Store

For over twenty years the Rockford General Store has been one of my favorite cycling destinations. I couldn't think of a better way to spend one of my vacation days than riding to it today. It's like going to another time. Old fashion candies, soft drinks in glass bottles, a grill and a shady front porch to sit on and take a break.

20+ years ago there were many teenagers that rode road racing bikes. Often times in the summer, when they were out of school, several of them them would join me in all day rides. One of our places to take a break was the porch of The Rockford General Store. I'm sure those are the exact same benches that we used to sit on. It's hard for me to believe that those teenagers are now all grown and many of them have school age children. It reminded me of those teenage riders, when I was sitting there on the benches in the shade of the covered porch. Their parents never seemed to worry about them gone for all day rides with no real destination in mind.

The store hasn't changed and neither have the ice cold 6oz. Coca-Colas in glass bottles.

I consider this another vacation day well spent! Take a trip back in time and ride to The Rockford General Store, if you get a chance.

Me in front of the Rockford General Store with my Gunnar Roadie

My Gunnar Roadie on the front porch of The Rockford General Store

A cigar store Indian on the front porch of The Rockford General Store.

Below is a link to my ride on Connect.Garmin.


Click here to learn more about Gunnar Cycles.
Click here to learn more about The Rockford General Store.

Finally got a chance to ride to The Shiloh General Store!

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Me at The Shiloh General Store

When I got up this morning my legs were tired from the previous two long days of climbing rides. It has been about four years since I have been able to do the "bakery ride." The Shiloh General Store or "Amish Bakery" as it is better know is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Those are the two days of the week that Ken's Bike Shop is also closed. So, I haven't been able to ride to the bakery when it is open ever since I began working at Ken's. Despite being tired I decided to ride to the bakery this afternoon and not push it, just keep a smooth pace.

When I arrived at the "Amish Bakery" a young man who works there, Mark, came out to examine my bicycle. He said "it's all carbon fiber." He went on to explain his frustration at not being able to go to Ken's Bike Shop because it was closed on Mondays and that is the day of the week he doesn't have to work. I explained to him that I worked at Ken's Bike Shop and that I was frustrated that I could never ride to The Shiloh General Store when it was open because it was closed on the days I didn't have to work.

Mark asked my name and when I told him my name was Charlie, he said "you are the one I have been wanting to see at Ken's." He wanted to know all about my bike and was mostly interested in how the Garmin computer worked and what a Powertap hub does.

Mark told me about rides he had done to North Wilkesboro and other places. He wanted to know how much different bikes cost and what would be good for his rides. I went inside and bought something to eat and drink and visited with Mark a little more.

When I left the bakery, I didn't feel so bad about not being able to go there because it was closed on the days I didn't have to work. Mark had the same frustration!

On the way back I had a $120 tubular tire go flat. Fortunately I was able to change the tire NASCAR fast and get going again.

This was the first longish ride that the battery on my Garmin hadn't died half way through. I'm sure that was either because I had been using the mapping features too much or wasn't charging it enough.

Another vacation day gone, but I got in "The Bakery Ride." 

Below is a link to the Garmin file of my ride.

Amish Bakery - Recovery Ride by CharlieLawrence at Garmin Connect - Details

The Shiloh General Store

My Trek Madone

Gunnar Sport, Brooks B-17 Saddle, Carradice Barley Bag, Bagman bag support and Credit Card Touring.

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My Gunnar Sport ready for an overnight ride.

I'm taking the first few days off of work ever in three and a half years of working at Ken's Bike Shop . I did a little "credit card" touring Tuesday and Wednesday on my Gunnar Sport. (it would have to be cash touring for me. I don't like to get credit card bills in the mail) Tuesday I rode up to the Blue Ridge Parkway from my house and then on to Bent Mountain Lodge (B&B) between Floyd, Va and Roanoke, Va on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then today I rode back home. The picture is me with my bike, yesterday morning, on the deck of the Bent Mountain Lodge. You can see for miles and miles from the deck. 

I added a Carradice Barley Bag and a Bagman bag support, to my Gunnar Sport, to carry everything I needed for this trip. The fenders were nice to have as I did encounter a little rain and wet roads on the parkway. Thanks Gunnar Cycles for the great ridding bicycle. It was stable and smooth the whole way.

I stopped both days for a break at the Poor Farmers Market in Meadows of Dan, Va. The first day I ordered a "Hungry Hillbilly" sandwich at the deli and a cup of coffee. The sandwich was so good I went back and order another one. Today, when I stopped on my return trip, I just went ahead and ordered two of the sandwiches the first time I ordered. They are great! Stop in if you are in the area and give one a try. Thanks, Poor Farmer's Market, for such a great place to take a break while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Wednesday morning I was startled when a HUGE black bear ran in front of me, while I was descending a long hill on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was squeezing both brakes and hoping the bear would run away. He stopped in the middle of my lane, looked at me, and then disappeared into the woods. I'm glad I didn't hit him and also that he ran away. I've seen bears before, but never one as large as that one! 

The Gunnar Sport performed wonderfully. Having a Powertap Hub helped me to meter out my efforts. Most of this ride was mountainous. My gearing was a 53/39 chainrings with a 11-25 cassette. The two gear combinations I used most were 53x11 and 39x25. I was grinding up a hill or tearing down the other side. 

At the end of the second day I was getting tired. I calculated both days each to be a little more than a hundred miles. The funny thing was that with about 5 miles to go to get home, I began to feel fresh and was flying on the bike. Might be because the roads were finally flat! 

My friend Earl.

I saw Earl, who was out for a ride also, while on my way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. When he found out where I was going he offered me a Honey Stinger Gel. I had all the food I could carry with me already, so I thanked him and went on my way.

C& J Produce in Westfield, NC.
I stopped both days here to take a break and refuel.

Junior and Carol at C&J Produce.

I'm getting close to the Blue Ridge Mountains

This is a section of the road up Squirrel's Spur.
This is the way I took up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Poor Farmer's Market at Meadows of Dan.
This is a great place to take a break while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is at mile post 177.

Felecia, owner of The Poor Farmer's Market, with her daughter's new puppy.

A typical view of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

My Garmin took me to the wrong address when I was looking for the lodge. This is one of the roads I rode on while lost and adding in about ten extra miles. Thank goodness for Gatorskin tires!

Here I am on the deck of the Bent Tree Lodge. Ready to head back.

A view from the deck of the Bent Tree Lodge.

Another view from the deck of the Bent Tree Lodge.

An old farm along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

A field of round hay bales along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The views were beutiful on the way back also. This was along Unity Church Road on the way home.

  Poor ole' Joe kept me company while I cleaned up my bike at the end of my adventure.

Click here to learn more about Gunnar Cycles.
Click here to learn more about Carradice Bags.
Click here to learn more about Brooks Saddles.
Click here to learn more about Planet Bike Fenders.
Click here to learn more about The Poor Farmer's Market.
Click here to lean more about The Bent Mountain Lodge.

Fleet Feet of Winston-Salem's Tri. 102 Training Ride 8/10/12

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Leslie and Charlie on the Tri 102 Training Ride.

This morning before work I had the pleasure of riding with the Fleet Feet of Winston-Salem's Tri 102 training group ride. This group will be doing a triathlon that involves open water swimming. 

My new friend Leslie, that I met on the ride today, swam and ran cross country in high school. She said she was new to biking, but did very well on today's 25 mile ride. 

I look forward to more training rides with this group of riders!

Commuting to work on my Surly Long Haul Trucker, finally a day without rain!

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My Surly Long Haul Trucker loaded and ready for the commute to work.

We have had an amazing amount of rain during the spring and summer in North Carolina.  It has been very frustrating to plan recreational rides and even worse for folks like myself that enjoy commuting to work. 

Saturday was a beautiful day with almost no chance of rain during the hours I would be riding to and from work. 

I went for a fast twenty mile jaunt through the country just as soon as the sun came up. When I got back from my morning ride I loaded up my Surly Long Haul Trucker and headed on into work.

It always makes me feel wide awake when I arrive at work on my bike. I also enjoy the savings of leaving my car in the garage. Hopefully I will be able to do more commuting to work in the next few days. 

All this rain reminds me of a Creedence Clearwater Revival song - Who'll Stop The Rain. Below is a video of that song.

Tuesday Night "Two Hour Challange" at the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC.

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The Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC, under the lights.

This past Tuesday I was double lucky; it didn't rain that evening at the velodrome and I was able to get away from work a little early to drive to Rock Hill in time to ride. 

On Tuesday evenings, at the Giordana Velodrome, they have a "Two Hour Challenge." The challenge is to see how many laps you are able to ride in two hours. The competition is for the most laps ridden for the whole month. The riders are divided into different age brackets. Timing is done by transponders (chips) attached to the forks of each rider's bicycle. Each lap is recorded for each rider as they cross the finish line. The two hours are from six PM through eight PM. 

I was pedaling around in the infield of the track when the timing began. My expectation was that there would be some type of official start. Riders were riding around and the timing had already begun. Pacelines were forming as riders began picking up speed and drafting off of each other. I quickly entered the track. A young rider that appeared to know what he was doing passed by. I latched onto his wheel and sat in his draft. I noticed that the pacelines were riding above us and going on by as they came upon us. I determined which paceline was the fastest and jumped on the back of it. We were zooming around the track. It was a lot of fun. 

Around 6:30, as the angles of the sun changed, shadows of the riders began to grow longer and it was hard to tell where they were coming from as we rode around the banking of the track. There was music playing and the whole atmosphere reminded me of the fair ride "The Himalaya."



Eating and drinking are not allowed while riding on the track. After about an hour of hard riding I had to ride down to the infield where my supplies were. I quickly downed a twenty four once water bottle of energy drink mix. Then I ate a package of energy chews and chased it down with about ten ounces of energy drink. 

The biggest problem I had while leaning low over my bike and riding as hard as I could, was that my hands kept going numb. So while I was in the infield eating and drinking I also tried a change of gloves. No luck, same problem continued. Numb Hands.

The last seven minutes of the two hours were the longest. I kept watching the clock as we made lap after lap around the velodrome. Finally our two hours was up. I pulled off of the track and went over to return my timing chip. After I gathered my things together and was about to leave, I asked Ashley (the time keeper) how many laps had I ridden. She told me 305 laps. I felt everyone of them. 

During the hour and a half drive home I drank at least five and maybe six bottles of water. I was already planning my next trip to the Giordana Velodrome and the "Two Hour Challenge."

Back to the Giordana Velodrome

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Taking a short break in the infield of the track.

 Monday, was my day off work. I was able to make the trip to the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC. It takes an little over an hour and a half to two hours to drive there from Winston-Salem, NC. Traffic more than anything else is what determines how long it takes to make the trip. Charlotte, NC and it's surrounding sprawl, is where driving is a headache. 

Monday was a great day to ride on the track. It was cloudy and a little windy when I started warming up on the track. The wind was a little tough on the back stretch of the track, but as my ride time wore on the wind died down and conditions were great. Not to hot and best of all NO RAIN!

To get things going I rode just above the stayer's line for twenty laps. The stayer's line is a blue line approximately in the middle of the track. It doesn't really mean anything. The line is just a point of reference.  If you are just riding around on the track, like I was doing for my first twenty laps, riders are suppose to stay around the stayer's line. I rode just above it. 

Once I was warmed up, I climbed high on the banking and then accelerated to the black measurement line at the bottom of the track. The top of the track, next to the rail, is called the rail. When you climb up to the rail and are about to sweep down the track, you yell out rail. Yelling out rail lets other riders on the track know what you are about to do and to look out for you as you accelerate down the banking. The black measurement line, at the bottom of the track, is where the track is measured to be two hundred and fifty meters around the track. In between turn one and two is a white line indicating that it is two hundred meters to the finish line. I alternated between doing flying two hundred meter efforts and just riding around the track. Hard efforts take a lot out of you. So after going all out for two hundred meters I was just riding at a speed that felt comfortable on the track.

There is not a start line on a velodrome. There is a finish line. There is no need for a starting line, because the banking is to steep to allow riders to line up on a line to start an event. 

For over twenty years I have wanted to try out just riding on a velodrome. It was a dream come true when they built a track close enough for me to occasionally travel to for a day of riding.

 In the early 1990s I put together a track bike and planned to go to the Dick Lane Velodrome in Eastpoint, GA. (Atlanta, GA) My work schedule just never allowed me to make the six hour drive to the Dick Lane Velodrome. 

In January 2005 I realized while driving to Boston that I was passing by the Lehigh Valley Velodrome. I had a road bike with me so I drove to the location of the Lehigh Track and changed into riding gear. I rode my bike to the local bike shop and asked for information on the track. I found out that the Lehigh track is located in a public park. The Bob Rodale Park. I rode over there and rode right onto the track. After a few laps it dawned on me that my road bike was not designed to ride on a track. The bottom bracket was way to low and if I kept riding I would most likely hit a pedal on the track's surface and crash. It was thirty two degrees and there were a few light snow flurries at the time. If I had an accident no one would find me for days. I quickly rode off the track and went for a couple of hours ride on the roads of Pennsylvania.

 I kept in the back of my mind that idea of getting on a velodrome and learning more about the bikes and riding on a track. Now that there the Giordana Velodrome is close enough for one day rides, I'll make the trip to Rock Hill as often as I can.

The Giordana Velodrome

My good friend Abner stopped by to visit me at Ken's Bike Shop today. Abner is an amazing cancer survivor.

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Abner and I

• Twenty one years ago I had a bad bicycle accident on the Shallowford Bridge. When I finally stopped sliding I was next to the guard rail. I had been sliding where there were a lot of broken beer bottles. I had a broken collar bone, numerous other injuries and was torn all to pieces.

  
  Abner came along in his blue Mitsibushi pick-up truck, and put me and my bicycle in his truck. He drove me to the emergency room at Forsyth Hospital and got a wheel chair. Once he got me in the wheel chair he quickly rolled me right into the emergency room. 

  
  It is always good to see Abner. I can never thank him enough for his kindness to me. I was a complete stranger to him at the time!

Thank goodness for early morning rides!

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This morning I rode my Trek Madone 6.5

 

 

With all the afternoon thunderstorms we have had this year, early morning rides have been my best rides of all. The days are already getting shorter, so I have to ride quickly to get my twenty mile loop done in time to get to work.

 

I've been riding this loop for over twenty years now. There have been many houses, a hospital and a couple of schools built on it in the last few years. Traffic has increased significantly. One intersection, that used to be an easy crossroads out in the country, now has a stop light with many lanes going all directions.

 

One of my favorite parts of the ride is cutting through Tanglewood Park. You can be pretty confident that you will see a couple of deer each and every time you pass through the park. This morning I saw a spotted fawn grazing on the side of the road.

 

 

When I got to the road leading out of the back gate, I came across a tree fallen across the road. That shows just how much rain we have had this spring.

 

 

If I can get my morning ride in, I don't feel bad if I get rained out in the evening. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather in the morning!



The daily siteing of deer in Tanglewood Park.

A tree across the back way out of Tanglewood

 

Below is a video of an early morning ride in June on Harper Road outside of Clemmons, NC. The music is "I'm going home" by John Lee Hooker.

In the video below; The Black Crowes perform "My Morning Song"

Finally made it back to the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC today!

Lately it has seemed to be raining, when I have had an opportunity to go to the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC. Today's weather forecast was forty percent chance of rain. I took a chance and made the hour and a half drive to the track anyway. 

Once I made it to the track I quickly prepared to ride. Clouds promising rain loomed all around the track and there was a stiff breeze blowing. 

I was the only one on the track. I guess everyone else figured the chances of rain were just to great.

Usually I ride on the warm up track some before starting to ride on the banked track. Today I just hit it hard up the track and decided I would do my warm up on the track. 

I rode hard, round and round, for lap after lap. When I would start to tire I would ride down into the center of the track and take a break. After sitting on one of the benches and drinking some water I would get back onto the track for more laps. I repeated this for about an hour and half before it started to rain some. That was enough of that anyway. So, I packed my gear and headed back to Winston-Salem, NC.

Hopefully I will be able to get back to the velodrome very soon. 

While I was riding the song "Runaround" by Van Halen was stuck in my head. They perform that song in the video below.

Lane Changing

Interview with Ray Boden, Winston-Salem Cycling Classic 2013

The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic will be happening on June 15th and 16th. There will be Professional Racing and a Gran Fondo with distances for all riders. Volunteers are needed! Help make this great event a huge success for the whole community. Click here for more information on the event and how you can volunteer.

Finally Made It Back To The Giordana Velodrome

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Finally made it back to the track.

It has been seven months since I have been to the Giordana Velodrome in Rockhill, SC. Last summer I was able to get to the track on a fairly consistent basis. There seems to have been one thing after another keeping me from going there. I finally made it there this Monday morning!

Riding on a Velodrome has been something I have wanted to do for many years. The closest track to me, before this one was built, is the Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, GA (Atlanta). That is a hard dive of five and a half hours by car. Rockhill is just over an hour and half by car. There is a little traffic getting through Charlotte, NC, but it isn't very bad. I am grateful to be able to ride on this world class facility.

They have made a few improvements since I was last at the track. I noticed more aluminum benches for riders to sit on situated in several locations. The biggest change is a large sign above the track with a digital clock. The clock not only lets you know what time of day it is, but also provides an easy way to get an idea of your lap times.

My Argon 18 Electron

The temperatures were in the fifties with a strong head wind on the front stretch. 

It requires a good deal of power to ride high on the banking of a track. I could tell right away that I have some work to do to get back to where I was last summer. When I was last at the track I need to add one tooth to the gearing on the back of my bike. I changed out the cog on the rear wheel to a larger one, before going to the velodrome. With this larger gear I felt like I was getting bogged down and not able to keep my cadence in an efficient range. I'll switch back down one tooth before I head to Rockhill again. 

Hopefully I will be able to make it back to the Giordana Velodrome several times during the next few months. I look forward to each trip I make there and it is always a good time.

Looking across the infield of the velodrome at the third and forth turns.

The forty three degree banking between turns one and two.

Poor ole' Joe chewed on a stick while I cleaned my bike.