A Special Kind of Cyclist

It takes a special kind of cyclist to enjoy pedaling for a week through Colorado’s high country with each day’s ride being 60-100 miles over routes that include long leg-burning climbs up steep mountain roads.

Lynette Havens, a longtime friend and former faculty colleague at Aims College in Greeley,
Colorado, is one of those special cyclists.

She’s also the perfect role model for anyone who wants to challenge themselves with a lofty cycling goal and then work hard to accomplish that goal while overcoming any obstacles that might arise.

Havens has completed the week-long Ride the Rockies bike tour twice (2008 and 2012) and has also ridden numerous one-day cycling tours along Colorado’s Front Range.

However, there’s more to her story than just putting a lot of miles on her bike.

For starters, this 57-year-old grandmother has only been cycling for eight years and completed her first Ride the Rockies during her third year of cycling.

Prior to getting a bicycle, she was a recreational runner who occasionally competed in 5K and 10K fun runs until bad knees forced her to give up running.

She had her first knee replacement in 2009 and the second this past July.

“I’ve completed one Ride the Rockies with two bad knees and another with one artificial knee,” said Havens. “I’m confident that I can do it again with two artificial knees.”

When she decided to get serious about cycling her objective was to train for something ‘big’ and Ride the Rockies was what she decided to focus on.

“I’m motivated to ride long distances because of the satisfaction I feel when I’m done,” said Havens. “It’s always a lot of fun to do, especially the climbing.”

“I remember looking at my bike hanging on the back of the car after completing the last Ride the Rockies and feeling absolute amazement that such a machine could take me over the Rocky Mountains. I couldn’t help but feel an enormous sense of pride.”

Havens does different types of cycling workouts depending on the time of the year.

During warm weather she rides 3-4 times per week on bike trails or on the rolling roads around her home in Greeley, and she also does workouts on hilly routes through the Front Range foothills.

Most of her training rides cover 30-40 miles at a pace of 16-18 mph on the flats and 12-13 mph on moderate inclines.

“I remember when my speed on the steeper climbs was about 4 mph,” notes Havens. “ I can now maintain 8-10 mph on a fairly serious uphill.”

Starting in October of each year and continuing through the cold winter months in Colorado, Havens rides her bicycle inside on a stationary trainer while using a video training program called Spinervals.

“The video program is designed to train participants all winter long while varying the training distances, cadences and focus," said Havens. “The shortest indoor ride workout using the videos is one hour and there is generally a two- to three-hour ride during each week.”

“After the six months of using the indoor cycling program, I’m in really good shape and ready for serious outdoor cycling when the season starts in the spring.”

Havens also notes that the physical benefits of her cycling workouts extend beyond just being able pedal up steep roads easier.

“My resting heart rate is much lower than it was a few years ago, I have definitely increased the muscle tone in my legs, and my overall endurance had increased considerably.”

When you think ‘long distance cyclist’ and ‘high mountain roads,’ the first athlete that comes to mind is typically not a petite 57-year-old lady with two artificial knees.

Think again — this lady is the real thing and she has the ride results to prove it.

Lynette Havens is a special kind of cyclist.

Upcoming Events
Nov. 1: 30K of the Dinosaur trail race, roadlizards.org
Nov. 1: Six Hours of the Dinosaur mountain bike race, angelobike.org/6hour-dinosaur
Nov. 15: West Texas Masochist Run II, roadlizards.org/events/masochists-relay-run/
Dec. 13: Red Nose Rudolph Jingle Bell Run, roadlizards.org

Rain Makes for Bike and Run Fun

I was lucky enough last week to get in a bike workout and then a transition run on a cool day with light rain falling.

That wet workout reminded me of some epic events from past years that took place in really wet conditions.

Although many people instinctively retreat indoors to the stationary bike or treadmill during inclement weather, bike and run events or workouts that take place in rain (or mud, or snow) are special and should be looked forward to.

One of my most memorable ride-in-the rain events took place on the second day of the 1999 Ride the Rockies cycling tour in Colorado.

That day’s ride was a 76-mile trip from Cortez to Telluride with the final part of the route going over the 10, 222 foot Lizard Head Pass and then down into Telluride.

As is typical in the mountains during the summer, storm clouds had started building over the higher terrain during the early afternoon and as the pack of 2,000 cyclists slowly pedaled their way up toward the top of Lizard Head, we rode straight into a heavy thunderstorm.

The final ascent to the summit and the twisting 1,500-foot switchback descent down into Telluride took place in blinding rain, hail and thunderous flashes of lightening — an experience that none of that year’s tour riders will ever forget.

On another occasion, I raced the annual Barking Dog Duathlon in the rural eastern Colorado community of Keensburg on a late spring day that was marked by steady, unrelenting rain with the temperature hovering around 45 degrees.

The Barking Dog was the largest duathlon in Colorado, so there were hundreds of athletes splashing through standing water during the running legs of the race and then doing jet ski imitations on their bikes.

All cyclists had the pleasure of riding 30 kilometers while enduring what’s know in cycling lingo as ‘a cold-water enema’ with the water being thrown upward off the back wheel constantly pelting each rider’s lycra-encased posterior.

Trail running races that take place during rainy conditions always end up being epic events, and race #3 of the 2012 San Angelo trail running series took ‘wet and epic’ to a completely new level.

The rain started falling on Friday and was still coming down at a steady rate on Saturday morning as runners lined up for the start of their 15-kilometer slog through the trails in San Angelo State Park.

Uphill and downhill sections of trail became small rivers with cold-water rapids and the flatter lowland sections morphed into muddy swamps with ankle-deep mud and water.

The park’s Nature Trail, normally a flat and fast stretch of red dirt winding through mesquite and cactus, was transformed into a red-mud lake with several inches of water covering a long and treacherous churned-up mud pit.

The options were run slow, walk fast, and try not fall with some runners laughing that swimming might have been a faster option.

It was wet, muddy, hard, cold, slippery, and miserable — all great ingredients for an epic race in the rain.

Here in the desert we don’t get to play in the rain a lot, so let’s hope the forecast El Niño weather pattern materializes this winter so we can do a lot of riding and running in the rain.

When the drops start falling, just lace up those running shoes or get on your bike and go outside to enjoy the wet conditions.

I guarantee you’ll enjoy the experience - rain combined with cycling or running is a recipe for fun workouts and epic races.



Upcoming Events
Nov. 1: 30K of the Dinosaur trail race, roadlizards.org
Nov. 1: Six Hours of the Dinosaur mountain bike race, angelobike.org/6hour-dinosaur
Nov. 15: West Texas Masochist Run II, roadlizards.org/events/masochists-relay-run/