Yesterday my riding group hit the high country for a 75-mile training route around Haag Lake, Oregon. The goal for a few of us: get ready for the brutal 100-mile Summit to Surf "Tour de Cure" ride over Mt Hood and out to Hood River - also known as the Fire and Ice Ride. The ride is an American Diabetes Association benefit with thousands of riders raising money for a diabetes cure.

After my recent fall and trip to the doctor's office for rib X-rays, I wasn't sure how long it would take to heal up, and wasn't sure if I'd be able to participate in the Summit to Surf ride. Fortunately it only took about a week for the pain to subside, and two weeks total before I was able to get back in the saddle. We averaged 19 miles per hour over the course of 5 hours on yesterday's ride, and I'm feeling confident that I'm back in action and ready for the century ride on July 28th.

Not that the 75-mile ride was a piece of cake; it was actually the longest ride I've taken since I started biking in October 2006. But I was able to hold strong to the end, in spite of some nasty hills and a close call with a space cadet driver.

One hill we climbed near the end of the ride had a 16% grade and took about 5 minutes to climb. It was grueling and exhausting... and exactly what I needed to help prepare for the torturous 18-mile climb over Mt Hood at the end of this month.

The guys I ride with have ridden for several years, and have raced in several century races (100 milers). I always pick up a few new tricks from them on every ride, or learn of some new improvements in equipment, and this training ride was no exception. I came away with a few new items for my equipment wishlist, that will help me climb faster, stay comfortable longer, and keep better tabs on my exertion levels:

• Smaller Big Ring:

Two of my riding buddies had ordered a smaller gear for their "big ring" up front. The smaller gearing will give them a higher cadence with less effort, which will send them flying past me on the hilly climbs. I'll be ordering mine as soon as the next payday comes by, but unfortunately not in time for the Summit to Surf ride. Frank will have his though, so I'll get a taste first hand of how much more power it gives him, as I struggle to keep up with him this Saturday.

• Flattened handle bar grips:

After about 60 mile or so, I noticed that my hands started to go numb from the constant battering against the thin round handle bars on my bike. Two of the guys I ride with had recently purchased a new set of handle bars that were flattened on the top. The larger surface area helps spread the pressure points across a larger area of your hands, which reduces the total pressure and provides greater comfort for longer rides. They're also more aerodynamic and built from carbon to shave a few extra grams off your bike's total weight.

• Stiffer shoes:

Shimano has recently made a carbon-soled shoe that's lightweight, ultra-stiff, and super sleak. The R-215 Road Shooes are stiffer than the Sidi shoes that I wear, which means more power transferred to the pedals for faster acceleration and more powerful climbs. They look really cool and are still on sale for $179.98 (regularly $239.99).

• Wireless Heart Rate Monitor:

Dave was hooked up with a Polar CS200 Cyclocomputer/Heart Rate Monitor/Wireless Cadence computer. He had a wireless heart monitor that strapped around his waist and sent heart rate signals to the computer mounted on his handle bars.

This device lets him closely monitor how hard he's working, and more accurately gauge his effort level. It makes for a safer ride, and also gives a lot better indication of how hard he should push himself, or if he needs to take it a little easier for a stretch while his heart rate gets back to safer levels. Performance has the Polar CS200 on sale for $169.99 (regularly $189.99).

It definitely helps to have several guys in the group to share the load of leading the pack. We were able to rotate the lead position every few minutes, which gave us a lot more resting time drafting behind another rider.

We have a good group of experienced riders, who communicate well and are considerate to each other. Yesterday's ride felt like a true team effort, where we all helped each other out and cheered each other on to the 75-mile finish.

I'm looking forward to the Summit to Surf ride!