2016: TOSRV by the Numbers

I’ve had a few weeks to recover from my 17th or (18th*) Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV), hosted by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits. For the second year in a row, the weather was the big story, as I enjoyed rain-free riding both Saturday and Sunday, temperatures in the high 60’s, with light variable winds. In other words, near perfect spring weather, and blissfully great for TOSRV.

The TOSRV Gold sticker is back!

I want start by giving a big thank you to all the volunteers that make TOSRV possible. The organizing committee did their traditional great job with well staffed, and well stocked food stops. Registration and pick-up went smoothly, and ride was well-supported at every point. It was also nice to renew an annual connection with some volunteers, like those at the SOMC in Portsmouth, who I have been “staying with” for almost 10 years.

And I would be remiss not mention how much I appreciated the return of the real "Gold Seal" sticker for full TOSRV finishers.  Thanks for bringing it back!

TOSRV attendance seems to have stabilized at about 1,300 to 1,500 riders. While not the 5,-6,000 riders of the TOSRV glory years, it appears to be a sustainable number. It was nice to see younger riders and more families out this year. The different options, (full, half and 1 day century) are also helping TOSRV adapt to a changing cycling demographic. Maybe after two years of good weather, and with the route options, will see a few more people out next year.

Lunch in Chillicothe

This was the longest TOSRV, at 114 miles. The 8 extra miles, starting about mile 70, included a hilly detour around Lake White, where the road along the lakes dam and spillway is being rebuilt. Another bridge repair south of Chillicothe required a ride down the east side of the river, meaning we skipped much of the scenic Three Locks Road section. But the Kodak-moment pass under the viaduct made it worthwhile, and this was a nice break from the hills, especially on Sunday’s ride north.

My riding time both days was right at the 7 hour mark, averaging around the 16.4/.5 mark. I was 6:54 on Saturday, and 7 flat on Sunday. It was very satisfying to ride a stable pace the entire ride. In many regards this felt like one of my best efforts, and it’s nice to know I haven’t peaked yet.  (I rode with a about 90 minutes of breaks, waiting for friends and enjoying the food stops.)

Saturday, riding down river had 2,653 feet of elevation gain while riding down river, and Sunday’s return had 3,159. You are riding down river and then up river, so it all makes sense. And my overnight was over at the top of the hill in Portsmouth, so my day started with a descent.

After 3 attempts, I finally got full ride stats for each day on an iPhone app. This spring, I switched to Ride With GPS, and it really works. Compared to the app I used the last couple of years, Ride With GPS has better power management and better pause/resume functionality (nice for lunch breaks off the bike) then previous apps I have tried. It does a great job with distance summaries (Career, Year, Month and Week), and the capability to share rides, all in a very clean interface.

My phone stays in my bike bag, not on the handlebars, and I use the data after the fact. It is nice to get segment speeds, and times, and climbing information. My next project is link Ride With GPS with my Wahoo Rflkt and Kickr heart rate strap, primarily to hit some training goals for my next big ride.  I will let you know how that works out.

With regards to phones, apps and battery life, I finally replaced my 3-year-old Duracell battery with a GoalZero Flip 20, rated at 5200mAh and 3.6V. This is capable of recharging my iPhone 2 to 3 times (depending on when you start), can plug directly into a charger, and is GoalZero solar charging compatible. It worked as advertised, charging my phone twice (starting about about 40%) with another charge still indicated.

Saturday night in Portsmouth, after reflecting on the great ride, I did another blog on riding another TOSRV, which you can find here. This companion piece really explains what TOSRV is about for me, and while I will be back next year for number 18 (or 19), and many more.

*I have to do little research and see if I can finally get this nailed down. I can confirm 5 times on the tandem with friends, 4 times on the tandem with Tyler. But it gets fuzzy in the `80s on that extra time on a single.