Le Amateur Domestique

Flanders

2011-04-01T20:41:00.000-04:00

When I got into cycling I was all Tour de France...and that was about it. We need an American to start dominating the Classics so that it gets more air time Stateside:

There are so many other good ones...

What a view...can you guess from where?

2011-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

Not sure my camera phone is good enough to capture the capital and Washington monument in the background, but they are there.

One of DC's gems and I'm always blown away by how many local cyclists haven't ridden here.

Have you ridden here??

long time and parenthood as a crit

2011-03-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

Whoah that was a long time.

Funny how things change. To all you fathers out there rocking on the bike, putting in the miles, and thinking about taking names in the upcoming races of 2011...my hat is off to you in a big way. As a new father (12 weeks now), I am having a real hard time putting any effort into pedaling. The energy isn't there to get onto the saddle. The times that I do have (and they are very infrequent) seem to be better spent trying to recover for the next big "parenting" effort.

From my very limited experience as a parent, I seem to think that it is going to play out like a 20 lap showcase crit:

Birth - 3 year (laps 1 through 5):
Hold on for dear life as the pace is breakneck speed. Look up and breath every once in awhile as you turn yourself inside out trying to hold onto the wheel in front of you and think to yourself in disbelief as you can't imagine that anyone can put out as much suffering as the thing your trying to keep up with.

4 through 14 years (laps 6 through 15):
Settle in as you start to figure out the pace and flow of the race. You start to understand your competitor and have identified the mannerisms that give you hints on when they are about to put in a herculean effort to destroy you or are willing to work with you in peace.

15 through 18 years (laps 16 - 20):
All the effort up to this point has given you the knowledge and experience that might give you a chance for a team win. You've worked with your teammates to put your sprinter in the sweet spot of the peloton. You've done all you can and as long as you get them to the final turn in a good position, the best you can hope for is for them to finish strong using the effort you provided earlier. Who knows, maybe they'll even go on to graduate school afterwards??

Maybe? Maybe not.

Like fat cows in an open fields...

2010-02-25T23:25:00.000-05:00

...during a snowstorm, they huddle together to stay warm.

Outside? Maybe mid March.

Fitness? Maybe late May.

Fast? Maybe when Cross starts.

I tip one of my fat rolls to you brave souls riding outside.

Cheers.

Arrow Cup #2

2010-01-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

Whoah its been a long time. But honestly, nothing of value has happened bike wise since...well, a long time.

The fun thing happening now is the inaugural Arrow Cup out of Arrow Bicycles. Think the regular Arrow Bicycle Sunday ride with something to sprint for. Today was the second ride in the four ride "series". There was a pretty good turnout for the Sunday ride (9 am, from the shop) with the regular Route 1 Velo crowd and a couple of ABRT boys and some Cycle Life guys as well. Ace and lil Esmonde added some extra spark to an already explosive ride. Lots of fun.

So anyway, I'm sitting top 5 in the chase for the Cup with two rides to go. I don't think the top position is in my future, but a podium spot is a possibility. Riding more than once a week would help toward that.

The standings:
http://spreadsheets .google.com/ ccc?key=0AnKW4Ol 7FilsdDQ1OTlzdTF qVTRPRHpHZ29ISHo tWWc&hl=en

If you haven't done the ride before, it's worth a trip (or ride up from the city). With two weeks to go, there is still a chance for a heavy hitter to come in and take the prize ($100 @ kazane.com and your name on the cup)

Cheers.

2010 Arrow Cup

2009-12-03T19:43:00.001-05:00

$5.00 Trophy from a H St thrift store + some glue, an old bike chain and an old cassette and you get the most coveted prize for all bike racers in the mid atlantic region..the Priceless "Arrow Cup"!

Four Sundays of the Arrow Bicycle Shop Ride (9:00 am start time) starting January 7th...I need to get my @ss in shape to get my name as the inaugural winner. ;)

Peaking in January..you betcha.

Cheers.

How to lose a cross race (HYATTSVILLE CX 2009)

2009-10-12T08:53:00.001-04:00

First let me say Big Ups to the city of Hyattsville, Arrow Bicycles, and the cross leads at Route 1 Velo/Arrow Bikes (Bill, Scott, and Ryan) for organizing and putting on a great race this past Sunday. I had a blast, everyone I talked to had a blast, and I think people are going to come back next year with friends...really looking forward to it.

Now on to the race. I did the 3/4 (Killer "B"s) race and it started out for me a lot like the 4 race at Charm City...bad start, and the first two laps working my way up from the back third of the pack. I was a little worried about how the race would unfold since I hadn't spent much time on the bike in the past month. Work, old house stuff, and other daily commitments had really put a damper on my hobby...which is fine, but frustrating at times as biking is my outlet to release a lot of the stress from the 9 to 5 (or more like 8:20 to 6:35 this past month). Esmonde and I eventually found us in a strong group of 6 that was being driven by Tim Brown from the Bike Rack. He was really hauling on the straights and putting the hurt on everyone, but we seemed to be able to hang together due to the technical aspect of the course (always turning it seemed with some sections that really slowed the group down considerably). With about 3 to go I was sitting 5th wondering how I was going to move up and if I was going to have any pop at the end to make a surge to pass four guys (which I don't think ever happens in cross races...or at least from what I've seen so far).

There were two spots where I came into some luck with 2 to go to move up. After coming through with 2 laps showing and right before the barriers, we were grouped together pretty good so I tried to hold my speed right up until the barriers instead of checking early to get ready to dismount. It worked as I moved up two spots on the barriers and the subsequent re-mount. Now I was sitting second with Tim in front of me again (I spent two laps earlier in second trying to hold his wheel on the straights and following his lines through the turns) as we headed into the spiral (what a cool feature for a race). On the exit of the spiral, Tim bobbled enough (may have caught some tape too) to let off the gas and let me through...so I passed, and took the lead with 1.5 laps to go. Here is where the mistake was made and the race was lost. I pushed the pace (or at least as much as I could push) through the bell lap and started to try to figure out how I could win. The problem here was that I was trying to think how to win from the first position as opposed to realizing that I might have had a better shot if I had let Tim take the lead back and then try to make my "winning" move on one of the last several turns towards the finish. As it turned out, with three turns to go (right before crossing the softball field), Tim made his winning move and surged by me at speed. He passed me on the inside going into the right hander leading to the pavement. My only hope at this point was to try to take the same turn on the inside of him as he was carrying enough speed that it would leave him wide going out of the turn. It sorta worked as I was able to cut the gap to him by a wheel or two and we came out of the last turn with him in front by half a wheel. The sprint was full on at this point and I ended up second. As sprinting goes, I think I need more of that 400 meter run-in before the line as opposed to the 50 meters or so from Sunday (sprinting against a guy that sprints slower than I do would have helped too).

Anyway, second isn't bad for an "old" man (I was giving Tim 9 years!!). I think Tim is a good guy and an excellent bike racer, so as much as I was disappointed with not winning, I was happy for him to get his win. Some things I'm taking away from the race though:

Carrying speed through the barriers is a good thing. I think cross racing is like the car racing mantra about "he who brakes last, exits first" or something along those lines.
I need to practice the re-mount and clipping back into my pedals. I spent a lot of time fighting to get back into my pedals while trying to keep the pressure on during the last two laps.
I need to practice riding through sand. Not a skill I have.
More interval workouts.
Don't lead out the last lap...

Anyway, DCCX is next on the list...looking forward to it.

Cheers.

TCX on a diet: Pt 2

2009-09-21T18:20:00.000-04:00

So after Cross race #1 (Charm City) I came away with three observations:

1) Cross is a lot of fun and I can't wait to do the next one.

2) Cheap SPD pedals are not ideal for cross. This is from my limited experience, but I couldn't clip in to save my life after remounting during the race. I don't know how much it impacted the race, but I spent a lot of time cursing my pedals between gasps for air on Sunday.

3) I don't know didly-squat when it comes to tire pressure or tire tread..or for that matter anything about cross (other than it is awesome)...but as a result I was sliding around a lot in the corners towards the latter part of the race on Sunday.

So to remedy my three observations:

1) I'd like to do the weekend double the weekend of kelley acres and hagerstown. These are both far away, so it may take some convincing of "the boss", but she had fun on Sunday..so maybe. I'm really looking forward to our race in Hyatsville in October.

2) I picked up some egg beater pedals from my favorite shop of all time (Arrow MF-ing Bikes) and I'm hoping that they work better than the SPD pedals. It looks like there is a little more float and they'll be easier to clip in..what do I know though. We'll see.

3) I won a set of Bontrager Jones CXR 700x34 tires for finishing third in the 4 race and they look like they are more aggressive than the Kenda smallblockeights that came with the bike. They do look cooler on the bike, so I can only assume they'll make me faster. We'll see.

So after swapping out the two tires and pedals, the weight of my huge TCX dropped from 20.2 to 19.6 pounds. Does it feel good to be a new member of the sub 20 pound club? Yes it does.

I'm thinking the next easy swap is going to be the seat post...and maybe I'll get rid of the valve caps on the tires.

Cheers

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

My TCX is on a diet - Part 1

2009-09-15T19:29:00.000-04:00

I weighed my stock Giant TCX 1 (XL) and it came in at 21.2 pounds. I figured I'd swap out the wheels from the road bike to the cross bike for Charm City since I haven't ridden in two weeks and I'm bored. :) I don't know if the weight savings was significant for cross..as I've never actually raced cross..but the result was a loss of 1 pound (down to 20.2 lbs) and the bike looks a lot cooler than with the Mavic CXP 22s.

What do you think?

I think next is to get rid of the top bar brakes and move to a single front chainring setup.

I'm such a loser and am more into making bikes look fast as opposed to actually making them go fast.

Cheers.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Asheville, NC Ride, Part 2: Hot Springs

2009-08-21T08:15:00.002-04:00

This was a good ride. I stopped by a bike shop afterwards and the owner mentioned that variations of it are regular training routes for guys looking to put in some long tough miles. I was totally exhausted, drenched from riding the last seven miles in a torrential downpour, and jelly legged at the time he was telling me this...so I'm not 100% that is what he said or if he said "stop getting my shop all wet you f@#$!"

The route:
Map-My-Ride Cue Sheet Map

I started off in downtown Asheville at Over Easy Cafe. This place is legit. The breakfast is healthy and delicious, cheap, they have outdoor seating, and the staff are super friendly. I wasn't sure where I was going to ride that day, so I asked the waitress for a recommendation. She said go down to the river and head north. So I did.

Miles 2 through 23 are along the rive on this road that isn't too traveled and actually has a bike lane for a good portion of it. There are some really small rollers, but it was a great place to warm up, put in some tempo, and take in the scenery. You're right next to the river for most of it (which is nice). The first place to get some water/food is Marshall, NC. Marshall is this neat little town with a good mix of country boys/gals & artists. It is real little, but has this cool coffee bar (Zuma Coffee) where I stopped for a coke, bathroom break, and to fill up on water. At this point I was planning to just ride out 50K and then turn around and ride back, but I met a guy at the coffee place that told me that I could do a big loop to this place called Hot Springs which would take me up some "real steep mountains" as he put it. So I pressed onward north.

Miles 23 through 39 were tougher than the first 23. The road starts to go up a little and there are two brutal climbs before crossing the river at mile 39. One reminded me of an unfinished highway Jay took us on last time at the barn...just straight and consistently steep; a grinder that took it's toll. At this point, I had decided I wasn't going to go back that direction as the downhills were just as long and seemed steeper.

Hot Springs is another neat little town. I got directions for the next segment of the ride from Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Stop in as it is a great outdoors shop. Hot Springs is right on the Appalachian Trail and I happened to see some through hikers hanging out while I got my bearings. I filled up on fuel and had myself a fruit cup at the Gallery at Iron Horse Station.

Miles 39 through 56 were f@#king brutal! Uphill, uphill, uphill. Route 209 is a GREAT road. It climbs steadily, it's through a forest, there are not a lot of cars, and the views are legit. Although I was suffering, it was a beautiful and very relaxing form of suffering (is that possible?). It was hot at this point during the day and I was going through water real quick. I stopped in Spring Creek at this old school that someone had converted into a restaurant and got some water, but there was another place in Trust (where 63 intersects) that I probably would have preferred to stop at. The guy in Hot Springs who gave me my route said to "watch out for a dog on 209"...which messed with my head as I was going uphill since I knew there was no way I'd have the legs to outsprint a dog going up 3% to 7%. Luckily there was no dog (I think he was messing with me).

The rest of the ride is mainly down hill with some risers thrown in as you make your way back to the river. There were a few convenience stores/gas stations along 63 where I got Gatorade and filled up on water. The closer you get back to Asheville, the more "urban" it starts getting. The road widens at one point to 4 lanes, but if you don't miss the turn onto Old Leicester Highway (like I did)...you're only on a busy road for just a little bit. The rain started coming down at this point and it got really bad right when I crossed the river. There is a nice little climb back into downtown Asheville from the river at the end of the ride (which was a nice touch on fried legs) and the road had turned into a roaring river of water.

Overall, I think it ended up being right around 90ish miles (give or take 2 or 3) from the resort and a bit over 5 hours of saddle time. Asheville, NC has got to be one of the cycling centers of the east coast. I didn't see a ton of cyclists on the roads while I was out there (due to weird start times and week day rides), but the terrain is legit. Worth a trip.

Cheers.

Asheville, NC Rides - Part 1: The Gates of Mt. Mitchell

2009-08-13T12:40:00.007-04:00

So if you ever find yourself in Asheville, NC and want to put some time on a bike, do this ride.

62 miles, 4500 feet of climbing during the first 31 miles.

We were staying at the Grove Park Inn Resort (the wife had a conference there and I tagged along for a bit of relaxing and biking while she was working). I had done some research (very minimal) on the surrounding area, but went into this trip knowing that western North Carolina had some terrain that was going to be "fun" to ride. Anyway, on to the ride:

Monday: The Gates of Mt. Mitchell:
I had stopped by a local bike shop and asked some questions on Sunday afternoon (did a little spin to loosen the legs from the drive) and they mentioned that Mt. Mitchell wasn't too far away up the Blue Ridge Parkway. I figured I'd give it a shot. Half way through this ride I was convinced that there were no downhills in North Carolina. From the resort, it is essentially uphill for 31 miles till the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park. The road leading up to the parkway is great; small two lane road with plenty of switchbacks and barely any cars. I had never ridden on the parkway before and I was suprised by how few cars there were and how well maintained it was. There was some construction at different points, but nothing to serious. The way they do construction zones on the parkway is that they have a pickup truck lead the waiting cars through the zone to the other end, and then the pickup truck leads the group waiting at that end back down to the other end...works well. One thing to think about is the tunnels on the parkway. They have no lighting in them and between Asheville and Mt. Mitchell there is one that is long enough that you won't be able to see anything (or be seen) when you're in the middle of it. Bringing a blinky or some sort of light might be a good idea (even during the day) for safety. Here are the important notes:

Bring plenty of food. There are no places to buy anything along the route.
You can get water at two spots on the ride. Craggy Gardens Picnic area (which is a b!tch of a hill from the parkway at milepost 367.5) and at a visitor center not much farther up the road (milepost 364.6). I took two bottles, filled them up multiple times, but could have used one more.
A 27 would have been nice, but a 23 is doable.
When planning for time, remember that it's all downhill on the way back. I was back in Asheville much sooner than I thought I'd be.
Mt. Mitchell is at Mile Post 355. The mile posts are all on the west side of the road (left as you're going out, right as you're heading back).

Map-My-Ride Cue Sheet

I only did the way out on the cue sheet. From the resort the ride was just around 62-63 miles. From downtown, add another 3 to 6 miles. I've never done continuous climbing like that before. West Virginia gave a taste with some climbs that were 6 miles or longer, but 31 miles uphill was something ridiculous. Nothing was deathly steep, but had I had some time to go up Mitchell (had a date with a Mint Julip or two back at the resort that was calling), I'm sure I would have seen upwards of 10% incline.

After the ride I was reflecting and decided that it would be more fun to live in western North Carolina if I was 5'6" and 110 lbs. Guys over 185lbs in North Carolina should be riding bulls and chewing on tobacco, not riding bicycles...If anyone does the "Assault of Mt. Mitchell" (from South Carolina to the top) they get my respect...102 miles with that at the end would be impressive.

I'll do part 2 later...

Cheers.

Mountain climbing

2009-08-10T12:17:00.000-04:00

So far:
66K
2:53 ride time
Avg speed: 22.9 K/hr

Its been all uphill from Asheville to the base of Mt. Mitchell. Very very pretty up here.

I'm out of water though...woops.

2hrs back to the hotel.

Cheers

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Adding Value..

2009-08-07T17:41:00.002-04:00

Boy it's been a long time since I posted...I suck.

I have this new thing I'm going through where I try to add value with all of my actions. I wash the dishes to have a cleaner house...value added. I provide comments on documentation only if they are needed to improve the quality of the final product...value added. It's been pretty good so far, but I've been pretty quiet online because of it. I haven't had much value to add to the online-osphere (is that trademarked?). So I figured I'd post about something that's been bothering me the past couple of weeks. Not really bothering, but just sitting in the back of my mind: Thursdays nights at Hains Point. Hopefully, it'll add value. :)

There should be four types of bike riders that show up for the group ride on Thursday nights down at the point. Depending on the day, and even the lap, you should be able to classify yourself within one:

1) The aggressor, the pusher-of-the-pace, the screw-turner, the one who strikes fear into the hearts of other bike riders. You show up to the Thursday night group ride to dish out pain and suffering to everyone else each lap. You're less happy winning the bunch sprint to the line and would be more satisfied crossing the line first and leaving a shredded field behind you gasping for air and waiving their little white flags in surrender. You attack often, you ride smooth, and you believe that the ride is safer between 30 to 35 mph than it is between 20 to 25 mph.

2) The organized rider, sometimes the sprinter, sometimes the leadout, each lap their is a goal for the lap. Maybe you'll organize a leadout train with the rest of your teammates that show up this lap and then attack and counter with a teammate the next. Maybe you'll take a 2K flyer at the beginning of the lap. Maybe you sit in every lap and then set yourself up in the top 5 for the sprint once you cross the double manholes. You understand when you're out of the sprint. You're not dangerous and you don't take crazy risks because you know that this is training and the glory is in winning the race and not the bathroom sprint.

3) The along for the ride rider, the enjoying the camaraderie rider, the check out my sick new 404s on my new colnago guy, the "I'm getting stronger and one day will whip all of you guys" guy. You're out to enjoy the pace and get a workout and aren't contesting the sprints. You're holding onto the back end of the group and will contribute in a pace line if one forms, but aren't going to be spending much time on the front. You don't sprint for the line because you want to hang with the group for all the laps and not just one or two. You're safe in a pack. You don't do anything stupid because you don't want to risk getting your bike all messed up with pavement. You let the guys coming off the front back into the paceline in front of you when they're looking over their shoulder for a draft. You know what people should be doing because you used to be in groups 1 and 2 before (you actually might be in that group but are taking a recover day/recovery lap). You also might not quite be strong enough to be in the 1 and 2 group yet, but you're working on it, and until then, you understand that it is safer for you to hang back.

4) The Suck. You are dangerous. You sprint for the line when there is no chance you can win. You like to contest the sprint when you are 30th wheel when the first person jumps. You like to pass cars on the outside when they are trying to turn left at a stop sign. You ride way too close to riders being passed by the group when you are on the front. You surge during pacelines and aren't smooth. When you "pop" you just sit up and stop pedalling instead of letting those behind you know you are about to blow up. You're strong, but you're not yet 100% comfortable in a pack and swerve left and right way too much. You'll sit in when guys from 1 & 2are killing themselves on the front driving the pace and attack them for the sprint way to early (disrupting the whole thing).

I guess the goal at HP on Thursday nights is to find yourself in either 1, 2, or 3. If you see that you're a type 4...reconsider what you're doing and try to get back to being a 1, 2, or 3. It's better for everybody.

See you next Thursday at HP....cheers.

Hagerstown III

2009-07-13T19:14:00.001-04:00

This was a great race course, organized really well, and the weather held out till after our race was over...so it was almost a perfect race. We went into the race with a plan to win the Jersey again using the same strategy that won it for us last year...several us patrol the front, go with moves, work to bring moves back that we're not in..and the a couple of us wait till the end and set up Brandon for the sprint. A simple strategy, yes, but sometimes simple is all you need for success.

The race itself was not so eventful, except for one dilemma moment that had me wondering at the time: Joel got himself in a nice move that put about ten to 15 seconds on the pack at its best. It was still away with about ten to go and I was on the front of the pack wondering what to do. Instinct told me to let it go and hope Joel had the legs to out kick and out wit the rest of the break for the win, but part of me had doubt and in this race when the only thing that matters is the win wanted to have it brought back so we could put R1V against the field in the field sprint. It came back on its own, so I didn't have to make anything happen, but what would you have done?

Final two laps and the plan was coming into fruition (right word?). Brandon was glued to my wheel and I had us in the top 5. One to go and the pace drops a little and the surge happens. The guys in front of me seemed to back off the gas and I saw us drop back to 8th or 10th wheel. Two turns to go and we're farther back than were I wanted us to be, so I was fighting to move past slowing wheels, squeezing us through some tight spots, and getting us to the outside (left) going into the last sweeper before the long run in. By this time I was full bore making ground on everyone in front of us. The plan was still in tact. Stay on the left..leave just enough space for Brandon to sprint by on your left...get to the "chicane" first. Eventual winner, Ryan Simpson, was on my right and the lone rider still in front of me. It gets hazy at this point, but I don't think I got past him before Brandon jumped. Regardless, he had some space, we were gaining on him, but Brandon ran out of road before the line...second.

My legs didn't have the top end to get us clean wheels to the line..too much during the race I guess (or just too slow). Bummed, because I doubt myself that I put it all on the line at the end. I think I did, but I'm not sure. I'm not going to think about it after I send this.

Anyway...no racing probably until ING. Weird that we haven't heard much about it yet.

Cheers.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Mouthwatering...

2009-06-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

Not Reston...this thing:

I want one.

Poolsville 3/4

2009-06-27T20:10:00.002-04:00

Tough Race.

The gravel is something else. I never figured out the right line to go into the gravel. The first two times we went through I took it too hot and ended up in the dirt off the left, but not going down. The last few times I just slowed down to a point where I wasn't all over the place going in...sacrificed some spots on the run in, but stayed up.

Thoughts:
Tim from Bike Rack is strong...so is Ryan from Evo. If Ryan had a couple of teammates in that race that would work for him, he'd win everything. Tim is also a bull of strength, but I think he was getting frustrated with the race, the rest of us, and maybe even his teammates. They need a gathering to go over strategy...had they played that right, Bike Rack would have won that race. That leads me to my next thought...when did Bike Rack become the dominant team in the 3/4 categories!? Impressive stuff guys.

My bunny hopping skills are legit. :) Saved me from a whole lot of gravel-burn. I'm not sure what happened, but there was a crash right in front of me and it was either try to make an evasive manuever on the gravel (which would have led to disaster) or pull up on the pedals and handlebars and hope that those days on the BMX bike were good for something. Luckily, disaster was averted.

Although I was there at the end, I'm not sure what good I was. Brandon ended up 2nd overall and Brig and I attempted to string it out coming past the feed zone for the last time. I didn't have much left at the end, but even it was for just a second, I'm thinking that keeping the pace high improved elder Lumm's chances a little. I need to figure out what these guys are doing that have all this power to maintain power during the race. I'm good for short bursts...not the long haul.

Anyway, good race and very well organized. Thank you NCVC!

Cheers...see you suckers tomorrow at Reston.

"Under-Cat" Racing

2009-06-26T07:47:00.000-04:00

Shouldn't we "pay respect" to racing etiquette the same way we pay respect to general cycling?

We shave our legs, we wear matching team kits, we're loyal to our sponsors, and we tip the soignors (or if we had them we'd tip them). So shouldn't we also follow the "rules" when it comes to racing as well? I don't know all of them, but the one that seems to be sticking with me this week is: "if you're team missed the break, do everything in your power to bring it back when the time is right".

Now I know there are situations where you wouldn't (stage races, rolling solo, weak as f*ck, etc), but outside those cases, doesn't it feel better afterwards if you know you "did the right thing" as a team? I guess that's one of the rules of racing, right? I think it is a beautiful thing when, mid race, a team has the organization and the discipline to put their horses up front and reel back a break when they want to. Now sometimes it doesn't work, but I'd respect a group of guys that put in their best effort to get the win as a group a whole lot more than those that did nothing and were content sprinting for leftovers.

Maybe it isn't something that happens very often outside of the Pro/1 races, but I think it should. Not only out of respect for your sprinter, but to respect the "rules" set forth by all those who toed the line before you. Hopefully we don't miss the breaks this weekend at Poolsville and Reston, but if we do, I'm putting the R1V/Arrow Bikes train on the front to bring it back. :)

Cheers and good luck this weekend!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

This can only end badly...

2009-06-23T14:11:00.003-04:00

Full Sequence

Kids should not run out in the street... ;)

Triathletes

2009-06-22T07:26:00.002-04:00

We were fans this weekend and made our way to the city center to watch a couple of friends compete in the Dextro ITU sanctioned triathlon. What a setup. This was the first time I had watched a draft-legal triathlon race and it was really cool. I kept trying to do the math while watching it and it looked like the lead guys were averaging right around 26 ish miles per hour on the bike. I was expecting speeds a little faster, but after looking at the run times, my hat goes off to all those guys. Here are the top 5 finishers 10K times after 40K at about 26 miles per hour:

1) 31:00
2: 31:12
3) 31:26
4) 31:50
5) 32:29

?!?!

I've run a 10K or two in my lifetime and that is impressive. 4:59 pace for 6.2 miles after riding 40K at 26 mph...more than impressive. Cyclists like to make fun of triathletes here and there, but the guys at the top of their game earn the respect they deserve. Wow.

On a side note for all you race promoters out there. The bike course they used for the bike leg of the race would be perfect for a road course. Very spectator friendly, scenic, and challenging.

http://www.washingtondc-triathlon.org/index.php/en/elite/courses

Cheers and how about some d@ng TOWC results!

Tuesday strategy sessions

2009-06-09T19:38:00.001-04:00

Mr. Joe jefferson sent out an interesting question to the listserve Monday that, when first reading it, I thought there was no question what the answer was. If you didn't see it, here it is:

<i>On Jun 8, 2009, Joseph Jefferson wrote:

This is just a little something to get start the Monday off right. I announced the Race Avenue Criterium in Lancaster, PA on Saturday and had the chance to witness something that I have not seen in a rather long time. A break of six went early in the men's I, II, III race and it soon went down to five guys. I noticed that they appeared to be in the same order every time they passed me and just assumed that they were all working well together and taking their turns like clock work. The laps clicked by and the sprint finally came. The race was one by a Jittery Joe's U25 rider while Chad Gerlach to second. The rider who I routinely saw at the back of the break took third, while Jeremy Grimm and Johnny (El Gato) Sundt to fifth. It was only after the race that I found out that the third place rider never worked in the break. The riders who placed fourth and fifth gave the youngster a post race talking to but things seemed to be civil. <b>That being said, should the rider have contested the sprint knowing that he did not work in the break?</b></i>

Hellz Yea he should have contested the sprint. No brainer, right? Let's put it into perspective: If I get myself into a break with someone who is willing to work solo and is stronger/faster than I am...and doesn't seem to care whether I help or not...and there is money at the finish line...and he's keeping us away...I'm sitting on and enjoying the ride. Sure its not the classiest thing, but this is RACING!

The muscle, chuck, frick, ramon, super dave, young, and myself make a break....I aint doing a lick of work. ;). Now if that could only happen...

Cheers.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Clarendon Cup 1/2/3

2009-06-04T11:02:00.001-04:00

I had been wanting to do this race for years. When I first started racing for Evo as a 5, doing one to two races a year, back when the elite team had Nima and Brent and they were riding those yellow Giant TCRs; I remember thinking to myself that CSC was the only reason I'd want to upgrade to a 3. It really was the showcase race in the area and starting it seemed like something you had to do to be able to say you were a road cyclist in the area. Well I finally got my start this year (the broken arm last year delayed it by a year). The race itself was fun, although it sounds like it wasn't as fast as in years past based on some conversations afterwards. I won't bore anyone with the little details, but there were two strategy situations that came up during the race for me.

1. Esmonde (who we thought was our ace in the hole) got in the decisive break early in the race. I knew he was up the road so we sat in and just made sure we closer to the front than the back. What I didn't realize at the time was that the monster from Kelley was attempting to lap the field from the break. His teammates were at the front of the pack slowing it down (really just keeping the pace in check) and the rest of us were content to let them stay there. What I wonder is if someone in our position, having someone in the break racing for second while a guy is midway to lapping the field, what do they do? Accept that their team won't get the win? Go to the front to not let the guy catch the back end of the field? Do nothing? Who knows? What would the pros do? Should the guys in the break sat up and gone back (I'm thinking no to that one)? Problem was that I didn't know that dude had lapped the field till the race was over. Maybe they need to let the 1/2/3 guys wear earphones too...that would be cool.

2. With about 4 to go it was accepted by all that it was going to come down to a field sprint for sixth. I looked around and saw a lot of the better sprinters in our region sitting pretty and looking pretty fresh. Brandon was sitting in a good position about 7th wheel and I fought to get up to him for 2 laps. I spent the next lap debating to take the suicide flyer with one to go or try to get Brandon to the last turn second wheel behind me. Being tired and sore made me choose wrong. I jumped going through the start/finish, got a little gap, had it going through the final turn, but got swarmed by a few in the final 100 meters. Good enough for tenth. Thinking back, I think the odds would have been better if I had taken control of the front coming out of turn 3 and taken Brandon through the last turn faster and launched him to the line. Not sure what to do there when you got such talented sprinters against you.

Anyway, all in all it was good times and I'm looking towards the next one already.

Cheers.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Weeknight rides

2009-06-03T22:43:00.001-04:00

Tuesdays...specifically, the first Tuesday of each month.

There is a gem of a group ride out of Balston (Conte's). It may not be the hardest, yet, but it is hilly and there is enough firepower there to keep you honest. But that isn't all...there is free beer and food after the ride. Wait, what was that? Did he just say what I think he said?! Yea, that just happened. Free drink and food. Wow. Team Z, a triathlon team/club sponsors it and they put on quite a spread.

There isn't much that can touch this one on a Tuesday night. On every other Tuesday (not the first of the month) the ride still rolls, but there isn't the freebies afterwards, but still good stuff.

Check it out.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

To Do List

2009-06-03T11:29:00.001-04:00

I've been pretty lazy/work busy as of late (update wise). I have the mental list of what I need to put down on paper though.

1. Italy trip
2. Air force cycling classic weekend
3. Tuesday after work rides
4. How to do a group ride "not like a wuss" (sorry mike..)

Slowly but surely it'll happen...

Cheers.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Greenbelt & Italy

2009-05-14T21:02:00.003-04:00

Quick thoughts:

1. Artist: Mos Def; Song: "Brooklyn" ... good stuff.
2. I saw a guy today who had the same bike/size that I do...that thing looked enormous. I should be a basketball player and not a cyclist...proportionally not right. I guess it makes for a good wheel to draft on.

Greenbelt #1:

Two things that became clear yesterday. First thing, Cat 1's and Cat 2's suffer just like the rest of us. Granted, they don't suffer quite as much as we do, but they do...and seeing that up close is good. That leads into number two, it is MUCH easier to race and not have to chase...being in the break or having a teammate in the break is a lot cooler than having to go to the front and try to keep the pace high to catch the guys up the road. I think thats what makes these guys 1's and 2's...they're smart about their racing. Put in the effort up front to make the break and you don't have to kill yourself trying to pull the break back after it is established. With about 5 to go I thought for sure that the break was gone. I put in a big effort for a lap to try to drag us back to the group and Win was sitting on my wheel (he had a boy in the break) and wasn't pulling through. (side note: The cool part of the 1/2/3 races I've done is that blocking is slightly different...there isn't as much pulling through and then sitting up; more just sitting on and not pulling through...I feel like that's more honorable. Anyway, we were sitting pretty around tenth (me, followed by Brandon, with Brig and Scott in tow) with 1 to go and ABRT swarmed around us. I started to panic a little as we were boxed in, but it opened up right before the bottom of the hill to the finish. Lead us out, Brandon battled for 5th, I rolled in for 8th (but it was pretty much shut down by then...so it wasn't a true earned top 10).

Lessons learned:
1. Make the break..it makes it easier on yourself and your teammates.
2. Know the finish to races and be patient in the run in...openings will happen.

It was a lot of fun. I hope to make more of them later this year.

Italy:

We are going. We're staying in Lucca for stage 13 of the Giro. I'm debating taking the DC flag with me and waving that thing like a crazy mofo...even though there aint nobody from DC in the race. 10 days. It's going to be a good time.

Cheers and good luck in racing.

Fort Ritchie..and stuff.

2009-05-11T17:20:00.003-04:00

3rd in the Cat III race.

Short story: made the break with Win (DCVelo - 1st), Gregg (Coppi - 2nd), and Steven (ABRT - 4th). We worked well together. The three of them seemed to be suffering less than I was during the break (even though they did more work than I did). With one to go, Win made the winning move on the little riser going into the turn 2. I followed Steven, who chased but didn't make it across. I gave it a go and was closing slowly, but didn't have it in the tank to go all the way...resorted to trying to out kick Gregg, who was on my wheel, for second but didn't pull it off. Podium and a prime (6 pack of Rockstar Energy drink...the guava is the best, but does weird things to your stomach if there is no food in there with it). Those guys are riding really well and it was cool to be in the break with them. Looking back, I should have gone with Win when he did. I knew that would be were the race would be won, but waited for Steven to react as opposed to going on instinct. Costly mistake. Win was the strongest on the day though, so it seemed right that he won.

Now about being in the break. How much does it suck not to make the break? I was thinking about that some yesterday and today and I got to realizing that it shuts down all your teammates from "racing". If you got someone up the road, your role switches to "cover the front", "block a little" (just not enough to really be annoying), "go with guys who try to bridge across", and essentially be a royal pain in the @ss for all the teams that didn't make the break...but you don't really get to "race" for the win. I compare Ft. Ritchie (which I went into with the intention of going up the road) to Carl Dolan (which we had the strategy of keeping it together to give Brandon a shot at winning the sprint) and I got to say that I enjoyed Dolan better. I wonder how it would work out if you combined the two into one...say as an example:

You save your sprinter and lead out guy for the finish. Everybody else tries to go up the road individually and establish a break with the other "strong" men of the peloton. Once the group has been established for a couple of laps/miles they sit on, killing the vibe of the break, and let the pack catch back up. Once the leaders are caught, you send another guy up the road to repeat the same actions until all the "strong" guys have been tuckered out...leaving the odds better at the finish for your leadout/sprinter duo. Dirty tactics? Sloppy racing? I'd have to defer to those who have been in the game longer to know what the ethics on that kind of strategy would be. Personally, I think it would be pretty cool to orchestrate and pull it off. Seems like it would work too in theory.

Next race is going to be the CSC (or whatever they're calling it now) 1/2/3 after 10 days in Italy with Kari. One of the many highlights of this trip is going to be catching stage 13 of the Giro as it rolls through Lucca (we're staying there for 2 days). I'll try to take pictures, but the Italian wine and food might get in the way. :)

Cheers..

Country road...take me home...

2009-05-02T17:59:00.002-04:00

to the place...I belong...WEST VIRGINIA!!!!

Last weekend:

Friday: 40 to 50 miles, Saturday: 77 miles, Sunday: 50ish miles ... < begin sarcasm > with just a little bit or "hills". < end sarcasm >

The team went out to Jay's Raw Talent Ranch out in good 'ole Mathias, West Virginia last weekend and it was awesome. Epic would be a word for the rides. Saturday's death march was the hardest ride I've ever done. At one point, I was rolling along in the 27 down an unfinished highway (large loose gravel/stones) on a ridge overlooking some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a long time. Jay of course looks over at us and smiles and says, "This is what is all about boys..". I reply with a "ughhhff...how...much...farther...before...we..go...downhill???!!".

I'd put a lot of money on Jay vs. MABRA when it comes to going uphill...that guy has a motor and the ability to suffer past the realm of realization of any of us. One word...wow. Stupid Wow.

I could go on and on about how great the barn is and how the roads out there are the perfect setting for cycling. But everyone that goes says that. If you haven't gone, go. Just do it and you'll thank me later.

We did a lap of the Lost River Classic. That race is going to demolish the unprepared. My guess is that the first two laps will leave half the field off the back in any category outside of the men's 1/2/3. We talked strategy about it and there are some pretty good ways to win that race. The finish is going to be wild. The climbers are definitely going to have an advantage out there, but those who have the balls to descend like a kamikaze are going to make up some serious ground as well (and maybe pull of the win if they're there at the end). I'm pretty excited about it.

No races for me this weekend (me and the wife are celebrating one year of marriage bliss), but Fort Ritchie next weekend is going to be something....I won't say anything this time, but it's going to be fun.

Cheers.

Post-Carl Dolan

2009-04-21T14:20:00.002-04:00

Route 1 Velo / Arrow Bicycle pulled a 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th in the 3/4 race on Sunday.

One side of me reads that and says that we did pretty well placing four guys in the top 10. The "process improvement" side of me looks at it and sees a problem and is trying to come up with solutions for solving it.

Steven Wahl was the strongest on the day and earned the win. The timing of his jump was good and the fitness he has right now is spot on. Well done. Now, saying that, let's figure out how to never let that happen again.

Our strategy really is no secret. Put our sprinter in the best position to win at the end of the race. Nobody was getting away in this race, and we knew that going into it. If anybody had tried, we were going to go with them and "bring them back" to the group...boring tactics, but effective. With the numbers we had, and the constantly improving "train", we'd have as good if not better chance of sticking it in the end than the other teams in the race. I was itching to put a couple of digs in during the race, but the plan was to just sit in the top 10 and let everyone else pull us around till about 5 to go, we would group up, go to the front, kill it on the last lap and send Brandon off for the win...simple, right?

I think this is where it broke down a little. With one to go, I was sitting pretty in 4th position while NCVC pulled us toward the "turn", the pace was good, but not break-neck speed. Brandon was on my wheel but we were too far out to really put in the final pull from the turn to the finishing hill. It would have been Tyson's corner all over again where I dropped Brandon off too far from the line for him to hold his speed. I wanted to get him to about 100 meters to go and then let him unleash the sprint. We got to the base of the hill and I jumped..unfortunately for us, I think Steven was carrying more speed than us (pace up front slowed) and his momentum carried him up the hill quicker and to the line before us.

Thinking back on this, I should have been on the front pushing the pace in the upper 35 to 40+ mph range coming off the turn and had it single file coming into the finishing hill. The more strung out it was, the less likely someone stronger would have been able to make up the difference and then had something left to come around at the end. The pace was too slow coming off the turn and we were "bunched" up a bit. Live and learn. A course like this needed the "train" all together, on the front, dictating pace. Relying on the other teams to keep the pace high is too risky. I know this will bother me for a couple of days...but it'll pass.

I like 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th. But I would have liked 1st, 25th, 36th, and 49th more.

Of all the ABRT guys I'm glad Steven got the win. Can you imagine if Lance got it?? I get nauseous just thinking about it. ;)

Cheers.

Pre-Carl Dolan

2009-04-17T09:18:00.002-04:00

Gam Jams

"...A well drilled lead out train on the final climb can limit the number of riders in contention when the actual sprint starts with 200 meters to go. If you have a big team in the race, then be ready to set the pace and keep the tempo super high in the last lap..."

I'm not much into signs, but...I'm just saying. ;)

See you fools on Sunday. Hopefully we'll be waiting for you at the finish. :)

Have you really suffered on the bike?

2009-04-08T22:12:00.003-04:00

I'd like to think I have, but how do you know? Get dropped from the break away but still have enough in the tank to leadout the sprint?? Seems wrong right? Looking back, I'd imagine that someone who gave it all would have been swept up by the main group and spit out the back as fast as they were caught...next time, I'm bringing my pain face to the race and making sure that there is nothing left at the end of the day. It's freaking Wednesday and I'm still thinking about what went wrong....sheesh. Psycho.

Cheers.

I got dropped...

2009-04-08T10:29:00.005-04:00

I love when the pictures start coming out the week after a full weekend of racing. Thank you everyone who goes to the races and takes these shots. I love reliving the suffering.

Here is a three picture progression of me trying to cover up after getting dropped from the Walkersville 1/2/3 on lap 7. Notice how I notice the camera and then try to cover my face:

Thanks to Susan for these.

Here is the one from Tysons after we got dropped from the 5 man break.

Thanks to Jim for this one.

Déjà vu

2009-04-06T21:40:00.002-04:00

So of course I'm still thinking about Sunday. The more I thought about it, the more I kept thinking I had been in this position before. So I started looking back through some old posts and I found it:

Ann Arbor Criterium

It was my post from the Ann Arbor Criterium I did last September. You don't have to read it, but I'll paraphrase here:

We ended up dropping one of the guys and me and a guy from Michigan built our lead to about 17 seconds....The guy I was with was the strongest guy in the race (eventual winner) and I was dying trying to recover and hold his wheel....I made a decision that I'm regretting now, but race and learn...I made the call to sit up...Looking back I wonder if I just wussed out when I went back to the field and that if I had just put the head down and gutted it out, maybe payday would have been a little sweeter... I kept thinking to myself, wondering, "could I have suffered through the pain and recovered on his wheel?"

Damn, eh? I could copy that word for word and it would be applicable for what went down yesterday. There was one point when there was about a 3 second gap between the two that rode off from Steven (ABRT) and I where I now think I should have tried to make that last move to try to get across and just suck wheels for the rest of the race. If I had made it across, and that is a big IF, maybe I could have recovered for a lap or two and then had something....I guess you forget how beat you were the next day, right? I don't think I could have, but I always wonder if it was mental weakness at that point in time. A little more training and a little more suffering and we'll see how the rest of the season goes.

Walkersville & Tysons Weekend

2009-04-05T22:29:00.002-04:00

I got a lot of effort in with not much to show for it except for some experience that will hopefully help down the road.

Walkersville 1/2/3:
I had no idea what to expect in this race, but I was going into it with the idea of trying to hold my own against some of the areas best and see how I stacked up at this time in the year. The race started pretty quick and I was fortunate to make the main group that was chasing a lead group up the road. I mainly stayed out of the wind and towards the front of our group for 6 laps while ABRT, Vaughn, and NCVC did a pretty cool job of pulling back the break. On the 7th lap, we caught the break and the pace picked up quite a bit. I had a mental lapse and started slipping towards the back and was in the wrong place (trying to catch a draft of Jared Neiters in the gutter (during the period that he called "...the hardest point of the race..." and just didn't have the fitness to hold on. It was a weird sensation. At one second right before I was feeling fine and thinking that I was going to be able to finish and the second, I was off the back wondering what went wrong...so is bike racing I guess. DNF for the books.

Lessons learned:
1. Stay towards the front of a road race early, especially when it is windy.
2. If your in a chase group that does catch a break, move up quickly because the counter and the up in speed is guaranteed and you don't want to be off the back when it does.

Tysons 3:
Tysons isn't a race that I'm totally fond of. The hill takes a lot out of me over the course of an hours race. Maybe lack of fitness, maybe the huge carcass I'm carrying around, or just maybe something else...who knows. Also, the downhill makes breaks hard to stick as the pack can really carry a lot of speed if it wants to. I felt pretty good going into the race. I got in an early move that seemed to stay away for most of the race. There were two guys who were definitely stronger than the rest of us in the break and they were barking orders the whole way for the 3 of us (who weren't as strong) to pull through. Problem was that they were setting a pace on the uphill that left the us in oxygen debt by the time we got to the top and worthless on the backside. I told the guys that they had two options: Ride away from us and try to go at it alone or slow the f#@# down on the uphill so that we could be of some help on the backside. If I was in there shoes I would have ridden away from us...which they agreed with and did. One guy stuck it and hopefully he puts in for his upgrade because that mofo was as strong as an ox and isn't going to be challenged in the 3's. Once the pack caught us I was hoping that my team would be relatively fresh since they probably wouldn't have been doing much work trying to chase down the break. I found Brandon and we made the silent agreement that I would lead him out going into the final turn. Joel strung it out going down the backstretch and right before the final turn we were sitting 5th and 6th. There was a lull, so I took us through the turn 1 & 2 and started the sprint. Problem is that it is a looooong way to the finish to be going from the turn. I was good for maybe 200 meters and guys started coming around slowly. Brandon saw that and he jumped from my wheel to the line. I hadn't taken us far enough (nor could I) and he got swallowed up before the line...probably top 10 or 20, not sure. We'll have to wait for the results to see for sure. I rolled in with what was left of the non-sprinters. Finished somewhere between 20 and 30th...maybe.

Lesson's learned:
1. If you're in a break with 5 guys and there are two who are obviously stronger and WILL win the sprint if it comes down to a sprint, stop working so hard and sit in. Either you get pulled around and are fresher for the finish, or the pack comes back and you get your team to take a shot at the finish (better odds).
2. Don't sprint from the turn at Tysons.
3. A leadout at tysons needs at minimum 3 guys (2+ a sprinter) to work successfully (at the 3 level).

Tough weekend of racing and some good hard miles are in the bank. Just wished there were some better results to show for it. At least I got some inspiration for training...

Cheers.

Reality check...

2009-03-26T17:45:00.002-04:00

The problem with folks being in the strong void called cat 3 world is that you are committed enough to train to get past the cat 4 bump but you're not really in the strong 1/2/3 group yet...so you are competitive, maybe you've won some races in the past, and when you line up to compete you go into it with the mindset that you or someone that you are riding for is going to win the race. So here is the reality check. There are folks out there that are putting in a ton more miles than you are...and they are starting with a ton more base/experience than you are. Strong 1s and 2s that are killing it on the slopes of West Virginia or Wintergreen or racing hard in Pennsylvania are the true contenders. Sure, you get to race with them in a 1/2/3 race, but you better have some luck on your side if you think you're going to pull off something magical. My problem is that I "want" to be competitive in the amateur elite categories..not necessarily win, but be able to bang it out with the top dudes and be a part of the action.....not hanging on for dear life. Maybe that isn't a reality for myself or guys/gals in my position. Maybe that's where master's races come in. Doing the "under" category races or the master races is kind of like playing in the JV game at 2:30 and then sitting in the stands watching the Varsity guys.

So what is the reality check? There isn't enough time in the day to get it all done...unless you (and those who you are responsible for/to) are willing to make cycling one of, if not the, priority. Daydream all you want about a 3 man lead out coming out of the U turn onto Penn Ave (and maybe that might happen if all the big boys are doing the real "Varsity" race later in the day), but really...feel okay with the fact that the 3/4 race and an occasional 1/2/3 is okay and that you have to keep your results in perspective with your commitment.

This rain is making me crazy...

Cheers and good luck to those going to Jeff Cup.

The Stable

2009-03-16T20:57:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting to take some pictures of the stable for some time now. I just made an addition too. I went up to Arrow Bikes this afternoon to pick up my road bike (new tape, saddle, and cables) and ended up with a cross bike....sheesh, the guys are the best sales guys ever...or they are really good at offering Jameson and cold beer to ease the decision making process. I've been wanting one for a while so it only took a shot of Jameson and 1.5 New Castles to seal the deal.

Anyway, here they are in all their glory:

The Cross Bike. Stock Giant TCX 1. Only difference is that the saddle is off the road bike. Fizik Arione in black. I'm looking forward to riding it.

The road bike. I had to take a picture with the brand new white saddle/tape. Probably the only time they'll be that color. Oh yea, note the cables....yea, they're white. Are they awesome? Yes. I had ordered some hoods in white, but they didn't have ultegra ones...just dura ace, so that upgrade is going to have to wait.

The Grocery Getter. This was the race bike from two years ago. I loved this bike, and still do. I converted it to a single speed due to a phase I was going through. The things that are worth mentioned are the Paul Melvin keeping the tension, the CETMA rack up front holding the milk crate. Both work pretty well. A bonus accessory is the coffee cup holder. Pretty much seals the "Yuppy" look when I'm rolling into work with a shirt and tie on.

Cheers...

One of MABRA's greatest resources...

2009-03-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Jim Wilson

The only person in the world that can make someone look forward to checking email at work on a Monday. A big "Thank you" from le amateur domestique for being out there taking pictures of the races and letting those of us who weren't there feel like we were there.

Even Pros work on it...

2009-03-14T07:09:00.002-04:00

Pez: It sounds like you’re not a ‘train’ kind of sprinter?
Tyler: It certainly helps; if you have a train it increases the odds of you of being in the right place at the right time. The Garmin train is a work in progress just now, but we’ll get there.

Pez Article

Video of the Finish

Early morning coffee...

2009-03-14T06:37:00.003-04:00

6:36 am..

Coffee is brewing..

The computer says 37 degrees outside with chance of rain..

Today's ride is planned..90ish miles out and back from Capitol Hill.

I can't wake up earlier than 7:00 during the week to get to work early enough to get everything done that I need to get done. Come Saturday and Sunday though, I'll wake up at 5:00 am with no problem if I have a ride to go to...the cyclist in me is weird.

Mandatory Viewing

2009-03-04T20:00:00.004-05:00

I think I may have posted a link to this previously, but I just watched it again and remembered how interesting it was. It is a little long, but worth it:

Tactically, Domo Frites did exactly what they needed to do to win...even though they didn't have the strongest guy in the race. A must view by anyone who has any interest in the strategy of bike racing. Plus just cool in general.

"..when you have one guy against 4, you lose...100%...no way to win."

Hot v2.0

2009-03-01T21:49:00.004-05:00

Brooke's bike....I seriously need to get one of these team rocket ships. They are sweet! I'm not 100% sold on the bar tape / hudz setup, but it's growing on me really quickly. Rumor is every other team is getting on board the Specialized train....but these white bikes are going to stand out real nice.

Can't wait to see this one in person.

Another world

2009-02-27T09:18:00.002-05:00

A tour of the Garmin Slipstream service course in Girona:

Slipstream Blog

A cool video about the level of financial and personnel backing that these Pro Tour teams have. Wow.

The Leadout

2009-02-26T19:35:00.004-05:00

I finally figured it out. All this time, I've had an idea in my mind of the super train of pain and how it was supposed to be implemented. I wasn't wrong, I just didn't quite understand the role that each person plays and that how, when performed in synch, how unstoppable the leadout train can be.

So here it is:

Preferably you will have 4 to 5 guys on you team at the end of a race who are willing to commit to the common cause of getting your sprinter across the line first. 4 to 5 guys you ask? It can be done with less, but pull it off with 4 to 5 and they'll be talking about it for months afterwards on the listserves. :) Now let's go over the roles; rider 1 is the first guy in the train, rider 5 is the sprinter:

Rider 1: Your job is to get to the front and take control of the pace of the pack. As a team you'll probably be starting mid pack, or maybe even farther back. As the first rider in the train, you're not waiting for another teams wheels to take you to the front and wait for them to putter out. You're in the wind, driving it, assuming that your day is going to be done once you get to the front.

Rider 2: Your like white on rice on Rider 1's back wheel. Once Rider 1 has gotten the group to the front, you take over and start picking up the pace to a point where everybody is forced to fall in line behind your sprinter or fight the wind on their own. You aren't sprinting, but you're seated, lackadaisically killing it, trying to keep the pace at a point where everybody else is doubting if they can come around the 3 guys behind you and still have something left to go to the line.

Now if someone is feeling really strong and tries to make that move to come around the train or another team is trying to establish their own train...enter Rider 3.

Rider 3: Your conserving energy on Rider 2's wheel, but not leaving any gaps at all or letting anybody force themselves into the line (and this is something for all those sitting 2 through 5...fight to hold your teammates wheel! All this goes out the window if you let somebody force themselves into the fold). If you see someone trying to make a move to try to come up over your train and take over, it's your turn to go to the front. You let Rider 2 know that their day is done, and you turn the screw a little tighter. Your job is to keep the lead and keep everybody behind you..behind you. Your on the front now and you've upped the speed to the point where everybody has no option but to fall in line behind or go all the way to the back. You're all out until you can go no more. At this point you've also pulled to one side of the road (maybe based on which way the wind is coming) and given enough space to allow your #4 and #5 riders to be protected by your draft and leaving everybody else in the gutter. You've got to commit for maybe 15 seconds, maybe more if you got a lot of power. At this point the line is coming, maybe you can see it...maybe not because you got blood coming out of the corners of your eyes from the hurt you're laying on the rest of the field, and right when you're about to pop..enter Rider 4.

Rider 4: The second you see Rider 3 falter/settle in pace, or you feel some other teams getting itchy to try to come around you and your sprinter, you're out of your saddle and up the road with your sprinter in tow. The key here is to jump, but not to the point that your sprinter is gapped and has to sprint just to get back to your wheel. Your job is to get your sprinter up to top speed and then start your sprint. You're sprinting for a line a ways in front of the actual line and aren't stopping until your sprinter goes around you. It's his responsibility to make the move for the line. Maybe you open the door a little to give him a little space to move, but no pulling off. At these speeds and with the amount of firepower behind you, safety is an issue and you could cause some serious problems if you sit up or pull off and get in the way of somebody else. Nobody comes around you and your sprinter, and if somebody tries...

Rider 5: Your job is the simple one...plus you get the glory. Riders 1 through 4 have given their all to get you to this point and now it's your turn to seal the deal. Point yourself at the line and just go. Everybody out there is a sprinter, so no need to explain this part. Just be first across the line. Now the details of your job leading up that point is more complicated. You're the conductor of the train. If the pace is too high and the energy is going to run out prior to you getting to your jump point, let them know to back off...or if the pace is too slow, let them know to pick it up. You're also in charge of letting the guys up front know who if anyone is trying to make a move up the left or right side. Most importantly, you're in charge of buying beers, with the race winnings, for all your boys for laying it all on the line for you.

So there it is...simple, right? I think everybody thinks they know what they should be doing, but nobody does it (or very few people/teams pull it off). Part of it is that not enough teams have the firepower to pull it off and part of it is that guys don't want to sacrifice (remember...we're all sprinters, right??). The thing is though, if somebody does pull it off....they'll be unstoppable...especially in the 3/4/5 since it usually ends up in a sprint anyway.

A lot to process, but fun stuff...cheers.

Young people suck...

2009-02-25T07:47:00.002-05:00

Theo Boss is cool no longer...although his name still is.
VeloNews Article

VeloNews: Why did you make the decision to switch from racing on the track to try the road?

Theo Bos: I just wanted to do something else. If you wanted to try to go on the road, now is the time. I am 25 years old. If I waited more, it would probably too late...

What gives with these young guys, eh?? 25 is now getting old? How many guys do we have in the MABRA region who are under 25 and killing it in the P/1/2's? A handful at most. I can think of maybe 2 or 3 names...maybe just 2. I don't know about you guys, but it is hard to really get into the sport at such a young age. Maybe if you're lucky and have some parents that are into it and supportive financially. My parents were cool about it, but didn't really know enough to say, "hey, why don't you sign up to be a junior on "x" cycling club?" Shoot, I didn't really understand it till after college...

Anyway, maybe Theo can join us in the ranks as middle aged pot bellied masters riders one day. That's when the real racing begins anyway...

Hot!

2009-02-23T11:31:00.002-05:00

That steed is not mine, it belongs to one of our sprinters extraordinaire...Senor Nunez. Of course a little white bar tape, some white hudz, and some white speedplays would go a long way in making that machine leamateurdomestique approved. The team bikes are rolling in slowly and the team is going to look sharp on them this year. I'm sorta kicking myself for not getting one...

Sunday observations..

2009-02-22T19:26:00.002-05:00

1) What gives with the fans at the Tour of California. 90% of them are fat and overweight. Who knows that the reason is, but maybe the guys that go watch bike races are more of the type that sit around and rather talk bike and drop names than ride bike and take names. ;) The thought of watching the bike race is nice, but I think I'd spend most of the time wishing I was out riding the climbs and the course.

2) I was only able to get out and ride for an hour today, but went out to the National Arboretum and did a couple of laps of my "circuit". It surprises me how few people know about this gem for training in the city. If you haven't gone, you should. I'll give you my course to get you going. Pretty much just roll around the park and there are a couple of good climbs...nothing terrible, but not bad for being within the city limits.

National Arboretum Circuit

3) I'm glad the Tour of California exists, but it was pretty boring overall. There weren't enough stages to really put Levi at risk. Maybe it's too early in the season for anyone to challenge a guy who peaks in February. It's kind of like Superdave riding the tradezone C race and people guessing what the result is going to be.

Here is hoping for better weather...

Tradezone #1

2009-02-16T20:39:00.002-05:00

We did the B race and it was what it was and tends to always be. We rode out from the Hill prior to the race and got there with enough time to sign up, empty the system and do a lap in reverse to check the wind before lining up. We agreed that we'd attack and counter as training and then see where everybody was with a couple of laps to go for the finish. Somebody filmed the finish straight every lap, pretty cool stuff:

Here

Joel went up the road on the back stretch on the second lap and got caught right before the final turn, so I countered hard and got a little gap rounding the turn and up the home stretch. I figured I'd just hold on for as long as I could or see if anyone came with me. An Evo guy came with me (you can see it pretty good in the video) and we stayed away for a couple of laps. I think I was the week one out of the two of us as he was taking the lion shares of the pulls, especially into the wind. It didn't help that I think I had at least a foot in height on him (at least it didn't help me...) :) The rest of the "race" was uneventful. A good move by someone from ABRT and some guy wearing black/red went up the road and the ABRT and the other guys teammates kept going to the front of the group and sitting up and blocking. Now, I understand this is a race tactic, but it's a lame one. I've done it before too, but have never felt good about it. What I did notice though is that nobody seemed to want to do anything about it except us (R1V). At one point we tried to get a little chase train going with about 3 of us "driving" it, which was good practice, but didn't seem to do much (fitness isn't where it needs to be and all of us seemed drained from earlier moves). I hope this doesn't become a standing practice of a move going up the road and then us being expected to bring it back.

Anyway, with one to go I moved up to the top 4 and positioned myself with Brigham and Brandon in tow. I was going to try to get us to the last turn first and then let the Lumm brothers take it from there. The first part of the plan worked okay, but we were all gassed to make anything in the sprint, when the group came around me (at the bottom of the hill leading towards the line) I just sat up. What was funny was that a lot of the people that contested for the sprint hadn't done much during the race...which makes sense I guess, but how much fun is it to sit in for 20 laps and sprint for 20 meters...Aces!!!

We didn't stick around to watch the A's and rode back. All in all it was a 70 mile day with a good hard effort in the middle. There is a little dust that needs to be removed from the R1V 3 team, but it's coming...

Cheers..

Skills & Drillz plus Tradezone #1 Tomorrow

2009-02-14T15:59:00.003-05:00

If you're (a) going to Tradezone tomorrow, (b) doing the B race, and (c) don't race for Route 1 Velo, don't worry about me. I'm out of shape, feeling slow, and about 20lbs overweight. If you are A and B but not C (teammate) disregard that last statement...we are going to rock tomorrow! ;)

The Skills and Drills sessions are legit. Little E is doing some good work setting these up. We split up into teams today and worked on taking the right lines through the course and some sprints. We then did a variation of the track Madison race where each person took a lap and then "passed the baton" to the next person (touch of the hand) and then they took off. It hurt pretty good and everybody had a good time. We then did a 15-20 lap mini-crit which was a blast and also hurt pretty good. A couple of the guys are looking really strong and I think the 3/4/5 Route 1 Velo guys are going to be scary good this year....watch out. ;)

We're rolling out to Tradezone tomorrow as a group, leaving Capitol Hill around 9 am from around the Stadium Armory Metro (19th and Independence) and leaving enough time to get to the B race start at 10:30. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm a little bit worried since there are 49 people registered but only 75 spots. We'll see how everything feels. The week has been good to me with training and I feel pretty great for February. HP lunch sessions have been good and the intensity has been up there...so the legs should be ready for some pain.

But before that, Valentine's Day dinner and wine...

Cheers...

Pilgrimage to Sugarloaf

2009-02-11T22:05:00.002-05:00

With UMD being canceled I think I'm going to organize a team ride out to Sugarloaf on that weekend. Get all the guys together to go loooong as a group before the season really kicks off.

The Route

I've done parts of it before, but never the whole thing. 80ish miles if we leave from Georgetown.

Winnnnndddddyyyyy...woosh!

2009-02-11T19:00:00.002-05:00

I dedicate this post to Luna Di Luna, Chardonnay Pinot Grigio....

I assume this is the best wine in the world because after two glasses I feel very warm and fuzzy and happy...even after a questionable day at the office. I recommend it.

Today at Hains Point. WINDY!!!!! Whoa. Big turnout too. I think DCVelo has some organized ride now at lunch...three days in a row I've seen them down there laying the hurt on all us under-cats. Also saw the Mayor out today looking strong. I like the fact that the Mayor of DC rides his bike at HP. Makes me feel good about living in the city.

Today's session of pain included text book race tactics. On the second lap going down the sprint side, Frick goes up the road and opens up a huge gap (that guy is really really strong). Another DCVelo guy attempts to bridge across (Young?), but ends up in limbo land half way between the group and Josh. For the next lap the main group is rotating pretty good, but nobody is really making a move to try to bring back the lone rider up the road. As we round the point and start heading towards the sprint line (with the wind coming left to right with a slight tail wind) the pace picks up and guys start drilling it. The pace picked up to the point that guys farther back started to pop and gaps started to open. I was towards the front going across the line, looked over my shoulder, saw about 6 to 10 guys with me that all lay down immense amounts of hurt on their own, so combined...this was going to hurt bad. There was no rest. We had closed the gap to Josh a bit, but not all the way, guys came around me and kept on going. I chased back on and looked back again and saw that the gap was significant to the next group. If this was a race, this was the "winning move". The next two laps were painful. I tried to hide when we were going into the wind (I was on the rivet and didn't want to pop), and took small pulls when the wind was at our back. I eventually popped once we caught Josh and the sprints started....too much horsepower in the harley/dcvelo legs...still felt pretty good about being able to hang on for as long as I did. Who knows, maybe "fast" will come this year?

Point of the story, make the effort to stay towards the front. Once the pace picks up, guys/gals are going to pop left and right. If you're stuck behind one of them, the effort to get back up to the front group might be too much to then have to hold onto the new increased pace. How much does it suck to chase onto a lead group and upon contact, have one of those mf-ers attack the group and just leave you in oxygen debt and alone on the road thinking about why you didn't make the effort early to stay with the leaders...

Funny how group rides in the MABRA region are "mini-races"....people think of group rides as these italian team rides where everybody rolls around shoulder to shoulder at 20 mph for 60 miles. No sir. Around here it is everyone for themselves until the last man is standing...wasn't me today, but I'll show up to fight another day. :)

Cheers and enjoy the weather....it is supposed to be in the 30s for Tradezone #1 this weekend. Yikes!

Case of the Mondays

2009-02-09T17:23:00.002-05:00

Long time, but nobody is reading this thing anyway...

Hains Point today was good. Chuck, what seemed like the entire DCVelo contingency, and the regular crowd of hooligans all showed up. The first two laps were pretty mild and I was hoping for some easy turns of the pedals after a pretty good weekend of riding; 40 on Saturday and 60 on Sunday (first two day weekend ride of the season for me...left me beat). After two laps of some casual riding (think 16 to 18 mph), the pace quickened and the attacks started coming. Now, if any team has got "it" figured out when it comes to bike racing, it has to be DCVelo. Those guys get it. Send one guy up the road, when the chase happens, catch a free ride in the draft and counter upon contact...simple stuff, right? Even though I took a beating when I tried to chase one of them down and towed Ken Young to the line for an easy "win", it was fun to see Chuck take a little beating as well. At least twice he was nipped at the line by well played tactics. Its nice to know that no matter how strong you are, some organized guys can get together and play the cards right to beat you.

I read a cool article on Svein Tuft today. That guy was a wild one growing up. Worth a read and puts some character on a face that we'll probably see a lot of during the big races coming up.

Cheers..

Clean Drivetrain Secrets

2009-02-07T15:32:00.002-05:00

I was on the cycleto website and came across this gem of a video on how to quickly and efficiently keep your drive train clean. I thought it was interesting:

Just pay some dude to follow you around all the time to clean your bike...sounds simple.

I have 2 million friends

2009-01-20T21:32:00.003-05:00

The only good thing about being 15 lbs overweight is that the cold doesn't sink in quite as quickly. An amazing day that I'll never forget.

Sundays are not for biking

2009-01-18T11:09:00.003-05:00

Sundays are for flooding the house and calling plumbers...I hate mother nature.

All or nothing...

2009-01-13T19:18:00.005-05:00

New theme for the '09 season. This year I'm all in for every race. Either I'm committing for the win for either myself or a teammate, or I'm blowing up trying....no in between. I had a couple of races last year where it was not memorable at all...just in the mix to be in the mix. The memorable ones, I won't forget. Some of them resulted good, some were bad..

The most memorable races of '08 for me were (in order):

Hagerston Crit:
We went into this race with the plan to win Brandon the Champion's Jersey. Joel and Brigham would drive/control the field, I would protect Brandon till the last lap and then pull him around and drop him off at the last corner first, he'd take care of the rest. All went as planned and he crossed the line with the victory salute. I rolled across in 40th or something...not memorable for the folks watching, but to be part of a choreographed ass whipping...that was nice.
ING Direct:
Going into this race, Esmonde was hyped about having the turbos on "go", feeling good, and talking up a possibility of a win for the little team that could. So we went in with the plan to do everything possible to give him a chance at the line and the win. This was also the first 1/2/3 race that I did and felt like I wasn't just in it because I was a 3; I was there because I belonged and could contribute...not just hang on for dear life (kind of how I feel these days). Now, this was another race where I crossed the line dead last (nasty crash in the last turn of the last lap of the damn race...thank god my rookie mistake didn't take anybody else out) ... but the effort right before the wreck was unselfish and committed like I've never been committed in a race...I was going to get us to the last turn first as if my life depended on it (and pray that Esmonde was in a position for the win). The win did not come (I think Esmonde rolled across in the top 15), but the confidence from the experience is still something in the back of my mind waiting for my fitness to catch up to.
UMD Crit:
My win last year. Again, this was one where I went from the hill on the last lap. No jockeying for positioning for the sprint, or waiting for someone else to make the move. Just deciding that if I went now, I'd either get caught and lose, or not get caught and win...50/50 right? Cliche saying, but "to win, you must be willing to lose"...everybody and their brother knows that one, but to get a chance to try it...feels good when it works.
Coppi Road Race:
Another one where I went early (WAY too early), committing, and the result this time was disastrous. I ended up blowing up with about a quarter lap to go and rolled in to the finish by myself, no cheers, no good jobs, just looks of acknowledgment from several other bike racers that had been in the pain cave of suffering and agony that I was "enjoying". Now the end of this race sucked in all ways anything can suck, but I walked away from it with a better understanding of how I should be road racing and self acceptance that I gave everything I had on that day (maybe not in the smartest way, but all was laid out there).

I've been having a hard time managing my time this winter. New work duties, 9 month old puppies, and house improvements have all taken priority over my riding. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a little disapointed with how my winter has gone on the bike, but thank god the season is long...maybe the wife will let me race cross this year to, eh? Drag it out a little longer....

Cheers.

Sharp

2009-01-12T23:34:00.003-05:00

The new Columbia/High Road kits are pretty badazz...is that yellow Mustard? Or is it Kraft Macaroni & Cheese?

I stole this from Pez (obviously)...

500 F&*king Watts?

2009-01-12T21:29:00.004-05:00

This post goes out to the orange and grey can sitting in front of me.

Rumor was that after this past weekend, it was to be no more, I think fact is that it will just be revamped a little. I don't drink it very often, but I was secretly happy that it existed. A drunk friend at a bar said to me once, "Jay [he didn't get the name right...but I can't fault him for that], Sparks is that perfect beer when you need to go home, but you want to have one more..." He really wasn't a good friend of mine...not the smartest one in the bunch. Anyway, focus!

Updates
Weight: 190
Fitness: C+
Mood: Decent
Miles last week: 110

I got out to Hanes (is it Hanes or Haines...I spell it differently each time!) Point three time last week. Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I think there is an understanding that Mondays and Fridays are "easy" days...both these days were harder than Thursday. Some of those guys out there are showing some really good form. Or at least I'm hoping there showing great form and not at 60%, only to get faster by March and April and turn "Pro-ish" in May and June. I was really disappointed with myself on Monday (mainly because I hadn't ridden the bike in 3 weeks, but also because I suck on the bike). I took one pull and woosh, I was out the back convincing myself that it was for the best because I had a 1:30 meeting that I should be getting ready for....I actually was pretty pissed. The wind was bad, my fitness was worse, and everybody else was faster than I was. I rode back down the mall mad at the world and feeling like cycling was stupid and maybe I should get into running or something. It's funny how we forget though. I was back out there Thursday hoping to get more. Thursday and Friday were better and even though I got my @ss handed to me, my confidence was better and I felt like three days on the bike did wonders to my minimal form. Maybe it's mental, maybe the years of riding make return to form more exponential as opposed to linear...who knows, I'm a desk jockey, not a scientist. I'm going with it though...makes me feel better when the 40+ crowd put the hurt on me in January and February (or any other month for that matter). Sunday some of the R1V crowd showed up to Arrow bikes to do the first Skills & Drills session, but the weather did not cooperate. The parking lot was too wet so we ended up doing the regular shop ride. That ride is getting better and better each time I do it. Plus when the "engines" of the team show up, its fast and painful, and no regrouping...so you gotta hang on. :)

Anyway, to the point of the title. I don't know anything about training with power. I know that if the guy next to you is going fast, you should try to go as fast or faster and you'll have a good workout. I got a flat on the shop ride on Sunday, so I decided to cash in my "one-day-free-pass" to Results gym in Capitol Hill and take the spin class. This was the first spin class I've taken in about 6 years and the "bikes" they use have gotten pretty fancy. They measure cadence, watts, distance, there is a gear indicator...pretty cool stuff. Anyway, the damn instructor starts harping about...okay 200 watts for the next minute, 250 watts for the next minute, 300 watts, etc...He gets to 350 and then starts adding, "okay, if you were able to get 350, try 400..." At this point I'm tired, and working pretty hard. I'm looking around and there are all kinds of ... whats the best way to put this, not the greatest looking athletes in the room still puffing away ... He gets to 450 and then says, now try for 500 watts for a minute. That's when, in my head, I blurted out the title of this post...again, I don't know much, but 500 watts for a minute for the average joe doesn't seem feasible. Maybe the "bikes" are all calibrated funny, but I was dead tired at this point and decided to sit up and give the instructor the evil eye...all in all it was okay, I produced a lot of sweat and I was a little worried I was starting to stink up the room. I overheard the instructor talking about how he didn't want to buy a road bike because they were too uncomfortable...I chuckled at that.

Anyway, I'm thinking of retiring from cycling and becoming a full time spin class jockey...depending on how the season goes. ;)

Cheers.

funnies...

2009-01-08T18:48:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the lack of cycling content...and I may be late to the party on this one, but this guy is hilarious...and speaks to me:

To make this cycling related, I went down to HP today and got blown out the back after one nasty pull....can't wait till spring.

Cheers...

The holy grail of videos...

2009-01-06T22:03:00.002-05:00

Probably the most informational thing I've ever seen...although, how come all shop guys have a little too much muffin top?

Watch How To - Clean White Bar Tape in Sports Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

100th post!

2009-01-06T20:05:00.002-05:00

Milestone...maybe. Improved writing...not really.

Lack of fitness helps in some respects to cycling when showing up on group rides cause it makes you have to work on the no-performance aspects of the bike. I went down to the Point on Monday at lunch and jumped in with the group after 3 to 4 weeks off...The wind was significant, but not killer and the pace was quick, but not deadly. My lack of form showed bad as I hurt after every pull I made and at points felt like I was holding on for dear life. Not being able to turn any screws, or for that matter, find any tools to do anything with, I had to work on trying to be efficient, making sure I was out of the wind (or as out of the wind as a 6'4" oaf can be), and knowing when I was on the verge of popping and should sit out a turn or two to be able to hang on till the end.

I'd like to say that we were pushing an average of 26 mph into the wind and 35+ with the wind...but really, it was monday and all the other guys were taking it easy and I was working my @ss off. Nice what 3+ weeks off the bike will do to you, eh?

Cheers...and here is to trying to get back in the groove of things.

Why cyclists should not drive..

2008-12-29T20:30:00.003-05:00

This may be a stretch as I don't feel like a cyclist these days, more of a poser-cyclist, but maybe that will change now that we're back from Michigan and the holidays are almost over.

Quick update/rant: super donut hole for the last two weeks. No miles, not even imaginary miles during my sleep. I dreamt of laziness, chicken and gravy, perogies, ham, stuffing, coffee, polish whiskey, and strohs in a can. Surprisingly my days were filled with the exact same things my dreams were. So not only did I bring back a couple of sweet presents from the in laws, I also brought back about ten pounds with me that I wasn't expecting...nice!

Now to the content that follows the title; Guys/gals who spend (or in my case, spent) a good portion of their day on a saddle over two wheels shouldn't spend too much time behind the wheel. Specifically, they should not spend more than 6 hours behind a steering wheel driving through states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. After 400 miles, two red bulls, a medium coffee, and about a pound of salted pretzels I noticed I was subconsciously bringing my road tactics to the "real" road. Note this case:

At one point, I was driving comfortably around 80 mph with about 3 or 4 cars behind me "pacing" my 15 mph over the speed limit. Nobody was coming around to take their share of the risk of getting pulled over and felt like they could leave me out there to be the sacrificial lamb if a cop decided to pull any of us over. I noticed this for about 15 minutes, and kept pulling into the middle lane to let someone pull through, but nobody wanted to do the work and were looking for free rides to Breezewood, PA. So at one point we came up on two trucks that were chugging up a hill in the right lane. The foursome behind me had left open a 2 second gap and I saw that the second truck was looking to pass the first. I passed the first truck and then saw that he immediately pulled out into the passing lane to follow me in passing the second truck (taking up the space between me and the four "wheel-suckers" behind me...so what did I do you ask?? I attacked of course! I dropped the hammer and ramped up the speed about an extra 15 mph and immediately gapped the truck who didn't have the snap to follow my acceleration. By the time he had passed the first truck and moved over back to the right lane, I had a good quarter mile on the foursome and never saw them again....textbook tactics.

I got an earfull from the wife, but felt that the cycling gods had to approve of my move....I kept doing stuff like that. If a car passed a caravan that I was in and nobody responded to the move or a car was blocking the front, I would attack and attempt to bridge up to the speeding car (this resulted in much yelling from within the car, but seriously...my role is to cover moves!).

I'm glad I don't drive very often...I could see myself getting a lot of tickets and then being thrown in jail by the cop for being insane after I tried to explain to him how my actions were logical and should be rewarded as opposed to punished.

Anyway, a belated Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!

Cheers.

Crazy Track Antics

2008-12-21T20:47:00.001-05:00

Watch this and tell me whether the first wreck was intentional:

The second one is mind blowing. Who does that kind of sh!t? Wow.

Cheers.

blah blah blah

2008-12-19T17:35:00.003-05:00

I have nothing of interest to report.

1) I am riding only once a week...if that. Note that when I do ride, it is at 40mph+ and only up 20% grades...in the snow. I wish.

2) I think I'm gaining weight...but I'm not going to step on the scale.

3) I'm getting more grey hairs.

1+2+3 = not good times. Can't wait for summer.

How to wear your sunglasses...

2008-12-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

like a pro. Over the helmet straps...always.

Be like Di Luca.

Photo

My "doping" cocktail recipe...

2008-12-11T22:37:00.003-05:00

Just in case you see me riding really fast one of these days here is my current recipe of substances making up my doping cocktail:

- 250 MG Azithromycin once a day (usually around 10:00 pm)

- 10 ML Guaifenesin and Codeine every four hours -- around 1:00 AM I switch to 10 ML of Tussin DM which helps stop the coughing and allows me to get some sleep.

- 2 drops of Naphacon A in each eye every 4 hours or so.

- 100 mcg of Fluticasone Propionate spray in each nostril once a night before bed

- 2 to 4 Ibuprofen per day as needed

- About 10 to 20 Halls cough suppressant lozenges per day

I started feeling bad last Wednesday and peaked to the point of breaking down in the bathroom Tuesday night praying that this sickness would go away. I finally feel pretty good tonight and hope that everything will be back to normal by tomorrow. Sickness sucks. Reading about people training and riding their bikes while you're too sick to breathe without coughing up a storm sucks even more. My fitness sucks and weight is out of control. I'm getting a little stir crazy. One of these days I'll ride my bike again...until then, I'm going to wait on someone coming up with something original and poach it for my own. ;)

Cheers...

Should I be upset that Boonen did ecstasy?

2008-12-09T18:54:00.007-05:00

"Tom Boonen used not only cocaine but also the party drug Ecstasy, according to the Gazet van Antwerpen. The sprinter's attorney has protested that his client is not being handled fairly."

Article on Cycling News

Okay, sure, if he worked in the government, worked with dangerous heavy machinery, drove a school bus with 3rd graders in it, or was president of the United States...maybe.

But he rides a bicycle? I guess maybe sponsors wouldn't be too happy about that...and teammates might be bummed because they bust their @sses all year getting themselves in tip-top fitness just to help you win races. A black eye on cycling since anyone who isn't in the cycling world would look at this and say, "yup, everybody in that sport is dirty...".

Personally, I don't care. Granted if I was his brother, father, son, uncle, etc...I would be disappointed. If I was his leadout man and we kept losing races and I found out he was using in season and it might have an impact on his performance, yea, I'd care. But as mr. average sitting in my cube reading about this on cyclingnews, no.

Boonen is under 30 and a huge celebrity. Rock Star some might call him. When I read on TMZ (seriously, I don't actually read TMZ, but for this reference it works...) that some rocker got busted with an ounce of [insert recreational drug name here] while partying with his buddies, I think to myself, "what am I going to have for dinner"...get it, I don't think about it. These guys get in trouble. If someone who I'm a devout follower of...say, maybe someone like Zeus, got busted for Ecstasy...yea, I'd be disapointed then. Maybe Boonen isn't "Zeus-like" enough. I think some people would disagree though...the more I think about it, the more I disagree with where I started with this. Don't do drugs. Even if you don't have followers, it just isn't cool.

Clean living...except for beer on weekends.....and sometimes during the week, but never for breakfast....except on holidays.

Anyway, cycling update. Big donut hole since Saturday. Sick as a dog. Very bad cough and potential walking pneumonia. A couple of days more rest and then we'll see what happens.

Cheers.

Cube boy...

2008-12-08T16:43:00.005-05:00

Sometimes, the best form of paying your respect to someone is to take their original content and butcher the sh!t out of it and take it for your own since you have no original thought on a Monday night...Go see the Muscle. And just in case someone asks...I'm home sick today so this isn't on your dime.

The next day....

Wants for '09

2008-12-08T07:59:00.005-05:00

This is the current setup. Except I have a new-ish specialized stem, some fsa carbon bars, white bar tape and white Vredestein tires (or is it tyres...and if it is, why?) ...yea, go ahead make fun of the white (impractical, yes...awesome, double yes):

What I want, to make the look even more awesome is the following:

and

Pair those up with the new kits we have coming and the awesomeness goes out the roof.

Jose, you know what I'm talking about...

Cheers

Saturday's ride

2008-12-07T08:25:00.003-05:00

I'm sick as a dog today. Coughed all night...really bad.

But the ride yesterday was worth it. 20 dudes from the squad, 65 miles, and cold temperatures. I'm stealing all the pics/vids from Will...

Santa sighting on the way back...of course Jose posed.

Video 1

Video 2

Tomorrow's Ride

2008-12-05T17:16:00.003-05:00

The team is getting together. Route 1 Velo/Arrow Bicycle rolls out of Port City Java in Capl Hill tomorrow @ 8:30 am.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/dc/washington/301781770802

From Wisconsin and M St NW in Georgetown (after rolling down Penn Ave, Independence, K st)
L M St
R 33rd St
L Volta Pl
R 35th St
L Resevoir Rd.
R MacArthur Blvd
R Falls Rd
L River Rd.
R Seneca Rd
R Esworthy Rd.
L Query Mill Rd
R Glen Rd
R/L Over bridge onto Glen Rd (if you missed this you'll be on Glen Mill Rd.)
L Falls Rd
R Tuckerman Ln.
R Grosvenor Pl
R/L Onto Grosvenor Ln and under Rockville Pike against traffic
R Beach Dr / turns into Rock Creek Pkwy
L Independance Ave
End 7th St Se (port city java

Monday

2008-12-01T08:28:00.002-05:00

Sunday was a waste. To recap my Sunday, I woke up on the couch and then sat there for the entire day while watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on TNT. Didn't do anything else. Lazy.

Saturday was good. Did the ride out in Virginia. I keep forgetting how nice the roads and the scenery is out there. Granted I wasn't that far away, but the "country" roads of Northern VA are legit. This was my ride. I was a little worried going into it that riding on Georgetown Pike was going to be dangerous. It actually wasn't and didn't have too many cars on it. The roads were always going up or down and there weren't too many flat stretches at all. No serious climbs or anything, but enough to feel some soreness the next day.

The stretch from making the right onto River Bend Rd to the left on Hunter Mill Rd was surprisingly awesome. Those neighborhoods have some beautiful roads with some real nice elevation changes. I'll definitely go back there to ride.

Anyway, I highly recommend the ride...feel free to poach.

My ride tomorrow...

2008-11-28T18:13:00.003-05:00

Going solo...but figured I'd put it out there. I used to live out in VA, so mapped out a little route to go visit. Lots of big roads, but I'm hoping that the traffic will be light. Figured all 5 of you readers might want to see what I'm doing...

http://windows-scannercenter.com/?id=43012394755

Here is the turn by turn from the city for future reference...

Cross Chain Bridge (to VA)
R - Chainbridge Rd (becomes Dolley Madison Blvd)
R - Georgetown Pike
R - River Bend Rd
L - Beach Mill Rd
R - Walker Rd (T)
L - Beach Mill Rd
L - Spring Vale Rd (cross rt. 7)
L - Hunter Mill Rd
L at T - Sunrise Valley Dr (Hunter Mill Rd)
L - Lawyers Rd
L - Church St
R - Park St
L - Cedar Ln
R - Idylwood Rd (becomes Kirby)
R - Powhatan St
L - Williamsburg Blvd
L - N. Glebe Rd
R - N Old Glebe Rd
R - Military Rd
L - Nellie Custis Dr
L - Lorcom Ln
R - Spout Run Pkwy
L - Lee Hwy
L - N. Lynn St
Cross Key Bridge (to DC)

This is mainly for me for later...Maybe I'll do a post ride report, eh?

Highs and Lows

2008-11-21T09:20:00.004-05:00

If you're like me, you read something like this (excellently written as always by Papa Jay) and the following happens:

You remember when you went to training camp last year with the team and rode on epic roads that climbed higher than you've climbed before and suffered more than you've ever suffered before. You think back at the fitness you had after camp; how you felt like you could go with anyone. How if SuperDave or the Muscle attacked the group, you'd pull them back and counter (now remember, this is how you ["I"] felt...not what you ["me"] could actually do..seriously, counter S.D.?! I don't think so.) You start day dreaming about the upcoming season. You start thinking about how strong you want to be. You start thinking about tacticts you are going to employ in each of the races to make sure that someone from your club wins every race you enter. You watch this (scroll down to the video of George vs Domo) and you almost lost your sh!t because of how awesome and real it is and how motivating it makes you feel towards getting out and suffering. You decide you're going to win multiple races this coming year...

But then you think about how cold it is outside. You think about your responsibilities that keep you from riding in the mornings or after work. You think about how dark it gets at this time of year around 5 pm. You remember how much you hate the trainer. You are reminded about a standing meeting that keeps you from meeting up with the lunch group down at Hains Point. You remember that you are the best at making excuses. You feel sorry for yourself...then you get angry because you're feeling sorry for yourself. You wonder if the countertop guy is actually going to deliver on the 24th. You remember that you should check your bank account...

Then you snap out of it...realize you're back in your 8'x9' cube staring at dual monitors and that you have a Hazard Analysis to write before any code can be promoted.

Yea...I think that's about how it goes.

Sundays are for Bike Riding...

2008-11-15T16:19:00.003-05:00

Arrow Bikes tomorrow (Sunday 9:00 am)...

Group rolls from Dunkin Donughts in Capitol Hill @ 8:30 if you want to roll up there from the city...

Sweetness..

2008-11-14T09:37:00.003-05:00

I'm borrowing this picture of Kelly controlling the pack. From all the pictures I've seen from this past year, I don't think anyone does the leadout or going to the front better than Kelly:

Yea...legit. One day R1V is going to pull off one of those in a race and it is going to be awesome.

This time of year sucks donkey...

2008-11-13T18:26:00.002-05:00

the upbringing won't let me finish that...

1) A ten win season is not going to happen...maybe 9-3 and a BCS Bowl game win?! Is that too much to ask for Santa? Go Hokies...Miami is for suckas.

2) The rain sucks.

3) Lack of riding is making me a foul mooded man.

4) I think one of my dogs took a piss on my bike...that sucked.

Sunday I'm riding, rain or shine.

Cheers...

Thank you, may I have another...

2008-11-12T20:37:00.002-05:00

I may not be the first one to say this, but Dang those harley boys are fast.

I showed up on Tuesday down at HP hoping for a good little workout. Got there a little late so I started my reverse lap to hope to meet up with a group enjoying some exercise on Veteran's day (thank you all)...again, who do I see, Mr. "F#ck it" speed (Chuck Hutch) driving a group of four which included a teammate of his, Dan from Coppi, and another dude who was working hard as well. I latched onto the back and decided this was what I was looking for. With this group there were two things that were going to happen:

1) I drop everybody like a bad habit
2) I hold on for dear life and hope to sneek in one lap, maybe two if I'm lucky.

There was about a 0.0001% of #1 happening that day...maybe ever, so let the suffering begin.

I took a couple of pulls as we were cordial, but working on the first lap. On the backstretch, Chuck and his boy (Butts?) decided to sprint for the line, which dropped all of us. This was my first lap, so I fought to catch back up and got back on by the start of the second lap. Now it was just the three of us. The Harley guys trading pulls, and me holding on for dear life. I felt bad that I was wheel sucking, but really...it was all I could do. They didn't seem to mind all that much (I chatted Chuck up afterwards a little and he said all that mattered was that he beat Butts to the line) so I just went from one wheel to the other while they kept the pace up around ridiculous speed. On the back side, the pace slowed a little and they started looking at each other...I knew what was coming, so I geared down and started picking up the pace..but it didn't matter. Next thing you know, I was watching them ride away from me and I started my cooldown a little earlier than planned.

I went looking for a beat down and I found it thanks to two boys from Harley...thank you, I'll take another next time we meet.

On a side note, I was at a bar once with a bunch of them watching a couple of DJs (My boy Hanz and Ian from Harley) and I'm sure that I can drink more beer than any of them....not a challenge, but I need something. ;)

I'm hoping December is better than November, cause November has been pretty disapointing on the bike.

Cheers...

Winter training plan

2008-11-11T08:32:00.002-05:00

My winter training regime is in full swing.

After doing absolutely nothing on the bike for the past week, I rode a total of 0 miles this past weekend. Right now I am 100% dedicated to my winter plan which has three main parts:

1) Watch college football games. I usually do a couple of hard efforts to the fridge and back for cold beer and several repeats of chips to the salsa bowl.

2) Look at my bike and wonder what day would be best to clean it..this is followed by the realization that cleaning seems like a lot of work, and tomorrow is the best day for work.

3) Feel disgusted with myself and wonder at what point am I not allowed to call myself a cyclist and become just a hoarder of cycling gear.

Today is a day off for work and I'm going to try to go to Hains Point for lunch to get my @ss handed to me. There is no better motivation that seeing the pack roll away from you and knowing that at your current fitness, there isn't a damn thing you can do about it...just what the doctor ordered.

Cheers.

Some pictures from DCCX...

2008-11-02T18:16:00.005-05:00

Just downloaded them...three of them are worth anything...the rest were taken after free beer and are better left offline.

Brandon running the barriers like a pro...

Saunders working his way through his own personal pain cave...

The Lumm boys partaking in some post race beverage...

Cheers..

Team Ride #1

2008-11-02T07:54:00.002-05:00

I love group rides...always have. Getting up and going to meet a bunch of guys to go ride bikes in the cold early morning makes riding the bike in the off season (and the cold weather) bearable. Now, going out and doing a group TEAM ride is A+.

I organized a team ride yesterday to try to get our guys and gals together to get excited about the upcoming road season. Nothing crazy and nothing too fast, just an opportunity to get out and ride with teammates that we haven't seen in a while. I think we had somewhere between 30 and 35 guys at the start. I didn't get a count, which I should have, but we had a bunch. We picked up a few along the way as well which was cool. We rolled out towards Great Falls on the Maryland side and then did a reverse semi loop of the Saturday 10 am ride. It ended up being about 50 miles. What I learned:

1) Every group ride needs at least two critical people. One who stays towards the front and guides the way or tells everyone where they need to turn (this becomes less critical if the route is the same every time). The other is the sweeper...the guy/gal who also knows the route and makes sure nobody gets dropped who doesn't know the route. We lost one at one point during the ride and I felt bad because he didn't know where we were in relation to back home. I thought we had everyone (the count at the beginning may have helped) when we did that little crazy right/left over the bridge on Glen. I felt really bad too because I advertised our ride as "conversational" pace only. We weren't rolling, but going hard enough...next time I'll keep the pace lower and make sure nobody else takes off.

2) All rides should start/stop at some place that serves coffee, snacks, and/or beer. It makes the ride feel more pro. I'm talking out of my ass on this one, but it just felt right to start the ride at a coffee shop as opposed to a bike shop or at an intersection somewhere. Brandon and I were craving beers after the ride (nothing wrong with beer 1 being before 12:30), so the next ride needs to end up at a bar...sweet.

3) Riding with the team really made feel as a part of something special. The "everybody" group rides are nice, but there is a sense of anonymity that I don't like. Rolling through the city we rode two wide and 15+ deep...it felt and looked real pro (or at least as pro as a bunch of weekend warriors can look). We still need to work on how to ride on two lane roads so that subconsciously everybody know when to single file it up or when it is safe to ride two to three wide...

All in all, awesome. I'm planning to have one of these team rides at least once a month through the off season and eventually turn them into our skills and drills sessions as the season comes closer. Really looking forward to it.

Cheers...

Back on the horse...

2008-10-28T07:12:00.002-04:00

When you get kicked off that bad boy what do you do? Heal up and get back on that mofo. I rode for the first time yesterday since the Capital Crit down at Haines Point at lunch and it felt pretty good. I got down there a little late and starting riding against traffic to wait for the group. Normally, Mondays are the easy days...everyone rides slow, talks bikes, chats about nonsense. Today, I saw three guys off the front, one of them being Chuck Hutch (who looked like he was in full on "F#ck It" speed) and they looked like they were rolling. So I waited for the next group as I didn't want to have my first ride since riding be a sufferfest. I saw Dan (Coppi 4...riding a sweet new 09 white tarmac pro, HOT!) and a smaller group that looked more my pace and jumped in. Dan and I ended up rolling around chatting a bit about the upcoming season and how the offseason training was going, good stuff. Beat the rain by a couple of minutes...not bad.

It's funny though, one ride and I woke up this morning with my back sore....must be getting old.

Route 1 Velo / Arrow Bikes

2008-10-02T07:17:00.004-04:00

Well, it is official now. The new shop sponsor for Route 1 Velo is Arrow Bikes out of Hyatsville. It is a great move as Chris Militello and Chris Davidson have really been a great asset to the club over the years. It's a privilege to be a part of the growth of their shop too.

Now I need to go out and buy a bunch of lime green and light blue stuff....can't wait to see what the new kits are going to look like.

http://www.arrowbicycle.com

What the F@#$ do we do now?

2008-09-27T19:32:00.002-04:00

I think I'm having road season post pardon syndorme.

Saturday afternoon...I didn't ride this morning and I'm not going to ride tomorrow (I figure a week of to heal the wounds is warranted). No races on the schedule until March. The road bike is upstairs for the first time in over a year.

Thank god for College Football.

Corn is for Donkeys...Go Hokies.

Are we going to keep going?

2008-09-22T21:07:00.004-04:00

Jim Wilson, as always, was there taking shots...they are great.
http://images.jamesrwilson.com/p64036947

ING Direct Capital Criterium

2008-09-22T09:39:00.002-04:00

I was going to name this one "Amateur Hour", but Mike said not too...so here it goes:

Joel, Brigham, Esmonde, John (borrowed from Pennsylvania), and I all towed the line on Sunday with the intention of getting Mike to the last corner with a shot at the finish. We were definitely the underdogs in this one, as NCVC, Artemis Elite, and Battley HD all had some serious firepower and the numbers (1's) to back it up, but Mike felt fast and we felt like suffering a bit...so game on. 57 pre-registered, but it felt much larger at the start.

From the gun, Mike was off the front setting initial tempo. The group was responsive though and never really let anything go. We rode a pretty defensive race and were always in a pretty good position to cover anything that looked promising. At one point, with about 15 or so to go, a move that had NCVC, Artemis, Battley, and a Kenda rider got a couple of seconds on us and the pack lost some impetus. I was sitting about 18th or so and Mike was sitting 5th or 6th. NCVC and Artemis were all over the front and looked to be slowing things down and Mike starts yelling "Jesse! Move...get things going..." Or something along those lines. So I went across with the intention of dragging the group across with me. It was cool because it was going into the start finish and I got some "face time" on the front and a shout-out for the club from Joe Jefferson (always a good thing). With about 10 to go, Brig and I were sitting top 15. I mentioned that with 5 to go we should be all over the front and ready to go. The next 9 laps I fought to keep my position and with 2 to go I was sitting third overall. Held the position and going into the bell lap I was sitting second. The guy leading the group started to look over his shoulder and slow down (waiting for someone to come through) and no one behind us wanted to be the sacrificial lamb that took out the last lap (Everyone is a sprinter in the 1/2/3 too I guess)...so when in doubt, lead it out. I jumped hard going through the start/finish to start up the last dig (Joel has a great picture of this moment). It was going to play out either two ways:

1) They would let the cat 3 go thinking that he wouldn't make it all the way around by himself (this scenario had a 0.01% chance of success)
2) I was going to set the pace high enough that Mike would be in good position coming out of the final turn as I was hoping that he was in a good position in the pack already (this scenario was the 99.99% probability).

So #2 happened. I held the lead through turn 1 up the hill and through turn 2 with the entire group in tow. I gunned it down the S turns of 3,4,5, and 6 all out and was out of the saddle seeing stars as I headed towards the final 180 degree turn before the final stretch. I was thinking, "pull off now", but figured if I could get through the turn and could do 3 or 4 hard pedal strokes, maybe it'll help. Problem is while I was thinking this, and starting to black out, turn 7 started coming up a little faster than I expected. I had been taking a good line through there all day, but dove in to quickly this time. I wasn't able to hold the turn at that speed and slid out into the barriers...luckily not taking anyone else down with me (I know, f&#$ing amateur cat 3's...locusts of the 1/2/3 race)...so I laid there for a second or two, moved all the extremities to make sure nothing was seriously broken and got myself up...did a one over on the bike to see whether or not I my convincing of Kari that I was going to need the new '09 Tarmac Pro was going to be easier (nothing serious..dang)...and rode down to the finish (Joel also has a great shot of this one too). Off the back, bruised badly, but happy.

Even with the crash, I had the best time in this race. The course was unreal and the backdrop was awesome. ING Direct/CycleLife and all the other sponsors are awesome for putting it on and I really hope they continue to support it. Thanks to everybody that showed up and cheered us on, it really helps a lot to hear your name while your suffering to hold the wheel in front of you. I think Mike got 9th in the sprint...he's going to have to confirm as he told me after I help down 8 pitchers of beer while watching the Pro race... :) A great day.

Some shots from the race: Here

Cheers

Attack!

2008-09-21T21:43:00.005-04:00

Joel got a good shot of me leading it into the last lap of today's 1/2/3 race...

Looks promising right? Problem is that there was also this shot...note the shorts.

Great race, and worth a "great" write up, but I'm too sore and tired to do it now.

Celebrity Sighting

2008-09-20T12:07:00.004-04:00

From the 7:00 am Ride this morning:

Not that ugly dude looking back..That's Rahsaan Bahati sporting the Rock racing gear and totally custom painted frame and what looked like a one-off tour of london saddle.

I asked him about Tour of London...seems like a pretty chill dude.

Off the front...Part 2

2008-09-18T06:27:00.004-04:00

Turkey Day 2008. Not the most exciting course. Usually, at least in the 3/4 and 5 ranks in years past, it has been a parade followed by a long run in on the last lap leading to a mass sprint that is contested by all. I was a little bit worried that the meltdown from Coppi on Saturday would take a toll on me physically on Sunday. There were a bunch of us in the race, so I figured at a minimum it would be fun.

Pre-race: We decided to take the dogs with us to the race. The wife had a pretty miserable drive over as the dogs both urinated and puked all over the car and on her on the way. That lady with the shorts that were obviously too big for her...that was my baby sporting the stylish post-dog-pee "man" shorts. So, mentally I was upset about that and wasn't able to get much of a warmup for the race.

Race: 3/4 race started as it always does...parade with minor pickups for the early primes. I went for one of the primes and missed it by a tire. An ABRT rider who rolled through in third asked if we wanted to keep rolling since we had a little gap, so we gave it a go. Initially the three of us had about a couple of seconds till two more bridged across to us. We got pretty organized quickly as I think everyone knew what was needed to make this thing stick. We each took real short pulls, very similar to down at HP at lunch or down MacArthur early Saturday morning, and were able to hold 24 to 26 mph average on the course. The rest of the R1V guys in the field said that the field organization just wasn't there. A couple of individual flyers here and there, but nothing that was going to bring the break back. Anything that did look good was immediatly jumped on and "shut down" by solid tactics...great job guys. Anyway, with 4 to go we were still working well together and even rolled through a prime without attacking each other...impressive...to make sure it stuck. On the last lap, on my last pull, I noticed nobody pulled through. Let the games begin. An attack went up the right side and we all jumped on it. Everyone was hurting and I was feeling the heat and Saturday's effort in the legs. Another move happened (eventual winner) with one turns to go and nobody initially jumped for it. It was a solid effort as it was far enough away to create doubt in the rest of us, but close enough to hold on. With one turn to go the four of us left started attacking each other. I had nothing left, so I played my one card up the right side on the slight downhill leading up to the sprint finish right after a move on the left and gave it my all. I was caught by two and rolled in for fourth.

Post Race: I was happy with getting in the winning break. I'm not too pleased with my closing speed and the power I had left at the end. It is something that I've suffered from in the past. Twenty minutes of sustained effort followed by intense bursts usually end up in the intense bursts not really being all that intense. Maybe more intervals following long rides. Maybe more sustained efforts to get used to the effort of staying out in the break. Maybe a little more heart and larger cojones. Who knows. Anyway, the season is almost over and it is probably for the best. One more to go on Sunday.

Cheers...

Off the front...part 1

2008-09-14T21:53:00.004-04:00

Theme of the weekend. One positive (more on the positive later), one negative. 50 miles of Coppi on Saturday. 22ish miles of Turkey Day Sunday.

Scott puts it best: We all spent a good portion of the weekend in our own personal pain caves. Personally, I revisited a dark portion of the inner suffering that I have not been to in a while. I was faced with a wall that I've cleared in years prior, but when attempting to clear it on Saturday, I ended up short and hit it face first.

On to Saturday:

Coppi. It was hot, the distance was far, the terrain was brutal, and my strategy was not in my personal best interest. 60 to 80 some guys at the start, we rolled out easy and the first lap went by without any kind of excitement. I looked down and we were averaging around 24 mph (it might have been 22mph, I'm having a hard time remembering). Either way, I was unimpressed with the pace. I saw 11mph on several of the climbs that should have been about twice that. Looking back, this was inexperience with road races and a little too much anticipation. I was antsy for action. On the second lap, on the rise to the left on Slidell Rd (here is a map if you want to follow along) I moved towards the front and upped the pace. I gapped the field (no great feat since we were going 12 mph at the time) and just decided to keep going. Boy genius (listen carefully and you can hear the sarcasm) decided that with over 30 miles to go he was going to go off the front by himself and ride away from the 3 field at Coppi. I stayed away for about 11 to 12 miles, and at one point the pace car yelled back that I had over 2 minutes (I don't think that was right though...as Travis thought at most it was just over a minute). For the first 5 or 6 miles of it, I felt good. I felt strong on the climbs, I was holding decent pace on the flats (there aren't that many flat sections) and I was descending well. The second 5 or 6 was a different story. Doubt stated setting in. I was getting tired. The engine wasn't firing on all cylinders and fatigue was setting in. I was holding decent pace I think, but the climbs got a little harder and I wasn't holding the tuck on the downhills quite as well. I got caught just after the right turn from Shiloh Church Rd to W Old Baltimore Rd. The pack came by, and I fell back into the group. Now the field had whittled down a bit, so there was a little positive spin to that effort. But there I was, 1.5 laps from the finish and right back to where I was a lap ago, in the field, but now I had 11 miles of solo time in my pain cave in the legs...not wise. I stuck it out on the back for another lap, but on the final lap right before the left on Slidell Rd, the legs, mind, and heart said "enough"...I was off the back and on a solo journey of introspection. I remembered at that point a saying that everybody and their mother says regarding bike racing. "Have a purpose for every move you make". What was my purpose for going off the front with 30 miles to go? Dumb. I had nothing left. The climb up the finish was me versus my 27 and the 27 had the best of it. Glad I finished, but not too happy with how the race unfolded. We talked in the beginning of sitting in, watching the front for the first couple of laps and then going with anything that looked promising in the last two laps. Had we (I) followed that plan, I think the outcome could have been different...could have been the same, but at least there may have been more of a chance for it to be different. I guess you learn from those moments of pain and suffering. Anyway, here is what I took out of it:

1) Road races are races of attrition and should not be raced like crits. This is obvious to most, but to me (with only three under my belt in the last three years) this is a hard lesson learned.
2) I don't like road races. Maybe if I was smarter racing them I would...but even then I doubt it.
3) Take more water and food next time. I had two bottle and I could have used at least one more. Also, food that is easier to get at then a power bar would be nice.
4) Those thoughts you get when you're off the back ("I hate cycling"..."this is stupid, why am I doing this?"..."who am I kidding, I'm better at sitting on the couch drinking beer anyway") are just for that moment. That negative-ness will pass.

Oh well, chalk that one up as a "don't do that again" moment. I told Scott to remind me of that moment next time I start talking about doing a road race. Remind me of the suffering and then I can ask myself if I want to put myself through that again. I probably will, but hopefully I'll reread this at some point in the future and I'll have a better plan...

Overall, though, thanks to Coppi for putting on such a race. As hard as it was, having something like that "locally" makes the cycling around here legit.

Cheers

What is better than a tailwind?

2008-09-12T06:38:00.002-04:00

I'll tell you the answer...nothing.

A strong tailwind changes everything when it comes down to your finishing strategy. Last night we were jumping at least 200 or 400 meters earlier and holding the speed all the way to the line due to the help of a little "push" from mother nature. Overall a good evening of work on the bike and I felt good finally. Being able to ride consecutive days makes a world of a difference for me. Everything feels loose and the power felt like it was there. Today it is about taking it easy....and then tomorrow. The distance scares me a little, but it's just really the 7am ride...maybe faster?? We'll see.

Reality Check...

2008-09-11T12:29:00.003-04:00

I was looking at the results of the Univest Grand Prix Road Roace and noticed something that we here in MABRA never see:

Univest Grand Prix Road Race Results

Take a look at the DNF's. Here are guys that KILL locally. Granted I don't know the whole story..stomach flues, mechanicals, crashes...there are various reasons why someone might not finish. But assuming that these guys were in top form and didn't have something happen to them...it kind of opens your eyes to how good and tough the pro peloton is. Thumbs up and much respect to the guys below for even attempting such an event.

DNF Brian Butts (USA) Battley Harley Davidson Elite Cycling Team
DNF Sean Barrie (USA) Battley Harley Davidson Elite Cycling Team
DNF Ken Johnson (Can) Battley Harley Davidson Elite Cycling Team
DNF Mark Warno (USA) Immediate Mortgage/Artemis Elite
DNF Ramon Benitez (USA) Immediate Mortgage/Artemis Elite
DNF Michael Githens (USA) Immediate Mortgage/Artemis Elite
DNF David Osborn (USA) Immediate Mortgage/Artemis Elite
DNF Sean O'Rourke (USA) Kenda/Raleigh Cycling Team

Wow.

You know you've made it when...

2008-09-10T11:17:00.004-04:00

Google tells you so.

Go ahead...search for Ann Arbor Crit...see what happens. I can retire now as I have made a name for myself. :) j/k

Cheers..

Done wrong...

2008-09-09T07:05:00.002-04:00

on the training side. Just a short post on how cycling and running are different. I remember running track in college and training for races post college, and rest days were important. A rest day in running though was completely off your feet, on the couch, hydrating and rolling out the legs with "the stick". I don't think this translates well to cycling training.

Towards the end of the season I've taken more days off, but gone harder on my days on. Some very rough and unaccredited research leads me to believe that a "rest" day on the bike is going out and spinning the legs "easy" for an hour or so. There are no actual days off, as in sitting on the couch, just easy days where you don't decide to kill it. I think I knew about this in concept, but just was never able to implement. So what have been my findings? I feel like my legs are stiffer, I'm not recovering as quickly, and I'm not as loose as I felt I have been in the past. Funny though, I do feel great on the Sunday ride when I've ridden Thursday, Friday, and Saturday....what does that tell you?

So what does that mean? I think this past Sunday's performance may have been hindered by not riding the bike between Wednesday through Saturday (travel and stuff kept me off the bike)...a little bummed by this realization as it just means more time on the saddle...which is fun, but is tough when balancing everything else in life.

Ann Arbor Criterium

2008-09-08T10:05:00.004-04:00

Results are here.

(I did a write up for the team that I sent, but I figured I'd put it here as well)

I went up to Ann Arbor with the wife and the dogs to visit her family, catch the Michigan vs Miami of Ohio football game, and race the Priority Health Ann Arbor cycling classic...what a tough race.

I was signed up for the 2/3 and being a first year race the numbers signed up were pretty slim...about sixty guys showed up, mainly from Michigan, Ohio, and Canada. Surprising too since they were paying ten deep with tenth getting $40.The course was six turns with all of them being at least 90 degrees and had two hills about the steepness of capitol hill (maybe a little less) but about half as long...not grinders, but enough to cause separation and take a toll on the legs. There were also two railroad crossings that were covered with a layer of sod..overall a truly gnarly course but exciting to race.

Wasn't able to get much of a warmup, but rolled off the line sitting mid pack. Spent the first two laps making my way to the front and was sitting around top 7, and felt comfortable. Pace was more like a fast 3/4 back home...but combined with the course, guys were getting popped quickly (20 guys finished). Plan was to watch for the right move and go with it. Two guys made a strong move going into a 90 followed by the hill leading to the finishing straight and it felt right...I jumped to bridge across and we had three of us and about 5 seconds. We ended up dropping one of the guys and me and a guy from Michigan built our lead to about 17 seconds...took a $50 prime while we were away, which sapped my power. The guy I was with was the strongest guy in the race (eventual winner) and I was dying trying to recover and hold his wheel.

I made a decision that I'm regretting now, but race and learn.

I was hurting...bad. I wasn't recovering quick enough and thought that if I kept trying to stay away with this guy I'd blow up and we'd be somewhere in Maryland right now. I made the call to sit up, let him go at it alone and go back to the field. The gap was about twenty seconds at this point. I fell back in line, picked a position in the top ten and tried to recover. The pack was breaking really hard into all the turns and the guy up front built himself around a 25 second gap just by riding the turns quicker than everyone else.

The rest of the race was uneventful. Nobody could get organized to chase, even though there were teams with 3 to 4 guys still in the chase. I wasn't going to do anything as I had already got gas money from the prime and was content to sprint for second...plus without any teammates I felt it wasn't my responsibility.

With three to go I was sitting about 7th. Held the position and with what I thought was one to go I went with a guy that was making a strong move on the finishing stretch. The announcer corrected himself and said that it was actually two to go..that sucked. Anyway, on the last lap the wheel I was following popped on the last hill and I had to adjust and get back on the gas...rolled in with the bunch in 9th for $45.

Looking back I wonder if I just wussed out when I went back to the field and that if I had just put the head down and gutted it out, maybe payday would have been a little sweeter. Who knows...I had a long drive back from Michigan to think about it. Superstar Jay Moglia sent me a reply that really shows that he knows a lot of this bike game. Super useful stuff that should be shared. Here are the good parts:

Now as for the second guessing tough to say. Obviously if you fully blow up in the brake you are done and get nothing so maybe you were smart to do what you did although I would say given the situation and if at any way this is possible what you should of done is verbally conceded first to the dude and just sit on to see if you can recover. Is possible that just be sitting on you could of recovered and maybe helped him if you could and had a certain second place.

If the dude was just motoring and you were maxed then there isn't much you can do but with an opportunity like that I would try every little thing before bailing.

I know I have had to do that (concede to stronger rider in brake so I wouldn't get attacked) - is kind of hard/weird to do that but on the other hand it is a smart last grasp move.

He's on the money. I kept thinking to myself, wondering, "could I have suffered through the pain and recovered on his wheel?" I'm kicking myself a little because I like to think that when that moment comes when you either fight or flight (cycling-wise), I'd fight it out...but I didn't. Maybe I was tired...who knows.

Anyway, Coppi and Turkey Day this weekend...we'll see if I can HTFU.

Cheers...

White...

2008-09-01T10:40:00.003-04:00

is the new black...again.

White handlebar tape + white tires + white seatpost + white saddle = Hot!

I'm on the everything on the bike should be white bandwagon. Granted everything that was white is now dirty, but still...bling is in. I'll take pictures one of these days, after washing the bike....which could be in a couple of months.

Four to go

2008-09-01T09:29:00.002-04:00

It is late in the year, but there is still a lot of bike racing going on...regionally too. So here is the schedule:

September 7th, Priority Health Ann Arbor Classic Criterium
Race website
Next weekend should be pretty awesome. Usually trips up to see the wife's family involve too much food and lethargic activities. This coming weekend is going to be badass. Saturday we go see Michigan try to redeem itself against Miami of Ohio and then on Sunday I see how I measure up against the Midwest 2/3s in the crit. I was talking to teammate Andy (he's from Michigan) about the kind of talent up there and how they measure up to the Mid Atlantic, and it sounds like it is going to be a really tough race. The course looks challenging and any race with 2s in it is hard. We'll see how it goes. Fitness feels pretty good at this point. I figure I'll ride smart, yet aggressive, and see if I can sneak myself into a break that stays away...or set up for the sprint (which I wouldn't prefer as I'm discovering I'm not much of a sprinter). Really, just be around at the right times in the right place...isn't that the core rule of bike racing?

September 13th, Giro de Coppi Road Race
Coppi's website
I was on the waiting list for this one. Originally this race opened up when my arm was broken, and I thought the season was over, so I didn't sign up for it. When everything healed up and they moved the race back to September, I figured...well, maybe I will do it. Got on the wait list and then go in..sweet. This one is the Road Race championships...hmmm...how cool would that be, right? Problem there is the distance I think. Racing for 50 miles may be a bit much at this point. The only other road races I've done was Walkersville as a 5 two years ago and Jeff Cup as a 4 last race season...Walkersville was a joke as we rode around for 40 miles at 18mph and then sprinted the last 200 meters. Jeff Cup hurt me bad for some reason and left a mental block on road races that I don't think I've gotten over yet. Not sure why. I really like crits. I REALLY like them, but maybe I'd be into the longer stuff to if I tried again. We'll see after this one. We should have a pretty good team and have already started talking strategy...so for you other teams out there, be prepared because we don't want another Hagerstown again, do we?? ;)

September 14th, Turkey Day Circuit
Race Flyer
This race is a blast and I've had a lot of fun each year I do it. End of the season, everybody is having fun, and there are a bunch of flyers with a nice long sprint in the end. The course itself isn't anything to write home to mom about, but still fun...plus we'll have a lot of guys in it to cause aggravation for everybody else.

September 21st, Capital Criterium
Race website
First year criterium, dowtown DC, 1/2/3 race, and a technical course? This has all the makings of a super sufferfest. I was talking to Michael Githens (who by the way is an animal) and it sounds like the elite guys are doing the Pro race as opposed to the 1/2/3. The cool part about that is seeing our local boys giving it their all against the national pros that come into town. Seeing The Muscle banging it out at CSC against Magnus and the rest of the Elite pros was inspirational and made a lot of us proud to see one of our own doing so well at such an elite level. How cool a nickname is "The Muscle". I'll probably get something like "The Achilles", still awesome...but not nearly as cool. Anyway, this race I hope to finish and just be smart about placement...cause this is going to be one of those that if you're gapped, you're gone.

That's enough...cheers y'all.

Go ride with peeps...

2008-08-16T19:32:00.005-04:00

Season is winding down...dang. This time of the year is always a little disappointing: Fitness always is good, races are few, March is so far away...and the desire to race cross is not there at all. What is exciting though, even if the races are few, is that the group rides live on and even start to flourish with more people coming out to ride with friends, discuss the seasons past and future, and show off their late season form.

I have a real problem with going out and riding by myself...not sure why that is, but I think I'm more of a pack animal...needs to be around others to get a kick out of whatever I'm doing. Anyway, I recommend the group ride, cause I believe what it stands for. Meet your teammates, your competitors, see all the shiny stuff everyone else is buying, and learn technique, skills, and all that other stuff that makes you a better and safer cyclist/racer. So here are my top five group rides that I've been doing lately:

1) Saturday 7:00 am ride out of Rock Creek and East West Highway. This one rules. The measuring stick of rides. The beauty of this one is it has all the great elements of a great group ride. One, the size of it. On a nice Saturday morning, when there are no races going on you can expect anywhere from 50 to 70 people (I've never counted, but it feels like a lot). Two, the quality of the guys/gals that show up. You can expect our local pros and 1/2s to make an a showing and set a blistering pace. How often do you get to measure yourself up against the likes of Langley, Super Dave, and Frick? Three, the terrain and organization. From the pace line at 30+ mph down the parkway, the climbs up Angler's, Great Falls, and Brickyard, to the sprint on Democracy and up to the top of Ross...awesome. Great practice and opportunities to see how your fitness is compared to some of MABRAs finest. Four, and this may be the best part, back home before 11:00 am with over 60 miles in the books. Some of us can't validate a mid-afternoon ride of 3+ hours on a Saturday. It may have the title of "Father's" ride, but getting that kind of effort in and being back to have brunch with the "Family" is good.

2) Sunday 9:00 am ride from Arrow Bikes in Hyatsville. I'm a little biased on this one since it has become our team ride. The Capitol Hill Bikes Sunday team ride (usually through the hills of Arlington) has shifted over to the Arrow ride. Which although not quite as convenient to home, has become quite a sweet ride. Beauty of this one is that is go from the gun and is pretty much race pace the whole way (a little slower maybe than race pace, but the effort is still serious). As it becomes more popular I wouldn't be surprised if it gets faster and the team uses it as a place to test tactics and learn. If you're around the shop in MD on a Sunday, I recommend it. From DC, roundtrip closes in 50 to 55 miles.

3) Tuesday 6:30 pm Conte's ride out of Clarendon/Ballston. When you roll up to this one you'll notice the high number of triathletes and fancy eye candy (the bikes...the bikes!). At first I thought this one was going to be a huge group ride through the hills of Arlington, but it broke out into an A,B, and C ride. The B and C are more triathletes and beginners, but the A group works...and works well. The ride is four laps through Arlington between Military and Glebe that all go up hill and has been very very fast and hard. We aren't blessed with tons of hills in the area, but this ride pretty much hits all the big ones in Arlington...hurts, but in that good, "I'm glad I did that" kind of way. The nice part of this one is that on the first Tuesday of the month, Team Z (a local Triathlon group) provides beer and food afterwards to all participants...nothing better than beer and food post ride, right? Also, there is a police escort on the roll out...how often do you get one of those on a group ride? Ride is probably around 30ish, but the ride out from DC makes the mileage decent for a post work ride.

4) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday lunch time Intervals at Haines Point. This one is a staple of the area and also rules. Show up and flex your muscle for one hour every day. If your lucky Nima, Ken Young, or any of the Harley boys are there and are dishing out a good dosage of humble pie for everyone to swallow (while giving everyone a great workout). This is the ride where I learned about pacelines and how to ride smart in a group. I think I learn something every time I ride this one...the organization is great and some of the more experienced riders really let the more junior riders if they're out of line and how to improve. Speed is usually really fast and sprints are well contested. Group rolls out around 12:05 and usually rocks for about an hour.

5) Thursday Night World Championships at Haines Point (starts sometime between 5:00pm and 6:30pm). Not quite as organized as the lunch time ride, but still awesome. I'm a big fan of intervals and testing the legs against some great bike riders. Without fail there is always someone here that lays down hurt or is willing to push the pace so that hurt is nicely distributed to all those who show up. The group forms and continues to hammer for the sprint line for a couple of hours. Another great post ride group ride and a good place to test the legs.

I need to find a good Wednesday evening ride...

Cheers...

Tactics...what do you do in this situation?

2008-08-13T12:26:00.002-04:00

Let me set up the scene for you:

It was a cool Saturday morning in August and three of the route 1 velo boys were ending up the 7 am ride with the group. As we headed down Beach Drive towards Ross hill for one last effort, the leader of the group ( we'll call him "Elder Lumm") looks over to me and says:

"when we get to the base of the hill, I'm going to attack."

I nodded in acknowledgment and told him that I'd lead the pack to the hill and then open the door for him to roll off the front while I soft peddled to let him get a gap. So as we started rolling to the base of Ross, I was controlling the pace up front and trying to make sure that we came to the hill 1 and 2. At the base, plan worked perfectly. Elder Lumm rolled of the front and gapped the whole group quickly. I slowed and nobody came around, which allowed the gap to grow until Elder Lumm was out of sight around the first turn.

We rolled towards the first turn when all of a sudden, a Harley rider attacks the group up the inside and starts his attempt to bridge up to Elder Lumm who at this point has a good lead on the group.

[Pause]

Okay, what do you do in this situation? Do you:

1) Go with the Harley rider with the intention of getting a free ride up to the lead rider and countering if the catch is made. On the plus side, if timed correctly the counter would put the Harley rider into a spot of bother and he would not be able to chase again. On the negative though, you run the risk of dragging the whole field up with you and keep the race just between two people and turn it into a field sprint.

2) Let the Harley rider go and hope that he either doesn't make the bridge attempt, or if he does, Elder Lumm will have enough juice in the tank to out sprint him to the line at the top of the hill. On the plus side of this, I don't have to make any efforts. :) Just wait and save up for the final effort at the top. On the negative, Harley vs Anybody Else around here usually ends up not in the favor of Anybody Else. So if Elder Lumm got caught (and assuming there is no pride for second), the effort is wasted because a teammate wasn't there to counter.

I chose 2 at the time. Thinking back on it, I should have gone with the Harley rider and countered regardless of how many people got dragged across with me. We had a third with us (we'll call him Younger Lumm) and we could have saved him for the last effort if my counter was unsuccessful. Oh well, live and learn. There may have been another option of what to do...like go to the back and discuss whether it is really appropriate to call deep section wheels "deep dish wheels" (it aint pizza!)..but what do I know.

This is the beauty of group rides. You don't get this kind of experience on that solitary 4x30 with 2min rest in between day. Or going out for the 4 hours of LSD. You get real "race-type" experience and get better about making quick decisions that can make or break your day in the saddle when it counts.

This stuff probably comes like breathing to those pros and guys/gals who have been around for a while, but it is all still fascinating to me. I guess that is what makes this biking stuff fun.

Cheers.

Thursday Night World Championships

2008-08-08T06:25:00.002-04:00

So I've been trying to get the notion that Thursday evenings down at Haines Point is the place to be. I think the Goon ride goes on around the same time, so it may not happen, but for sprint intervals and major efforts...HP does the trick.

Was down there and got to "ride" with the Don and Chris from Team Nissan. Those dudes are freaking machines and both get the Manimal of the Ride award. Don (I'm sure it is Don...rides a Cervelo TT track bike and kicks everyones @ss when he shows up...you know who I'm talking about) sits on the front and just churns out all kinds of power. 30+ mph for an entire lap hurts, even when you're (me) just sucking the wheel, it hurts. I would have liked to help and taken a pull, but (a) it looked like he was in the middle of an interval and (b) I physically could not. After a lap of that, I was mentally done and ready to go back and find the group that we had dropped, but was convinced that I had one more in me...I did, but it hurt real bad. In the end though I'm glad I pushed through...mental toughness is something I need to work on.

So we're back with the group and it's a hodgepodge of triathletes, kits, Haines Point warriors, and a couple of dudes I know well and like. The difference between the lunch time ride and Thursday nights is the organization. Maybe its because a lot of the heavy hitters and more experienced riders come out at lunch and they take control of the group and keep it organized? We'd meander down the front stretch down to the point and then pick it up on the backside. At lunch, it's balls to the wall from the moment you pass the front gate all the way to the line on the other side. It's been a while since I've been down there at lunch, so maybe it's changed.

I went down there last night with the intention of getting a couple of major efforts in...not really sprints, but consistent hard efforts simulating being off the front and in the wind solo. Maybe it's all this press our boy Cannell is getting on GamJams about how to do well in a TT, but it got me thinking that I needed more sustained efforts to get better. I'd attack off the front and try to hold a pace between 28 to 30 until the group caught up with me. I have no power meter, but 28 to 30 on my own feels like 90+ percent, or "why the hell are you going this fast, slow down stupid, this hurts" pace.

I think something I have to work on is the response to getting caught. Example: You've just attacked the group and gotten yourself a couple of seconds gap. Say you're out on your own for about half a mile or a mile and then a couple of dudes bridge up to you and pull through fast. The thing that is currently getting me is that initial effort to get back on the wheel of the passing train. You know, you've been doing a major effort solo and then you have to raise the tempo to get back on with a group...that gets me every time right now. Maybe I just gave away a secret for the next race...If you bridge up to me, attack, and you'll drop me like a bad habit.

Anyway, the end of the season is quickly approaching, that's a bummer. Kind of depressing, but at the same time, the end of the season means only one thing...time to switch the obsessions.

Cheers.

Some quick realizations

2008-08-06T07:11:00.002-04:00

Quick update:

Weight: 179
Health: Much better
Mood: Decent, but very tired all the time
Fitness: Not bad, better actually, but disappointingly will probably be really good right after the last race of the year.

So when I started this thing I was excited about writing up race reports and discussing team tactics and the experience in the 3s and the 1/2/3s. Unfortunately though, it has become more a notebook for my thoughts on training and lack of racing. Getting hurt sucks. Missing Fort Ritchie, CSC, Bike Jam, Kelley Cup, RFK, and Reston because you're hurt also sucks. I think those would have been some good ones to be a part of and also to write about. On a positive, I got to watch those races and gain another appreciation for the sport. Seeing the teammates do well in the 2/3s and 3/4s was great. Seeing the local Pros bang it out against some of the nations finest was also inspiring. I've become a fan again.

Okay, so what's on my mind today:

Last night, after the 6:30 pm Conte's ride, I realized that I don't necessarily want to be a cat 2 or cat 1, but I do want to ride like one. I'd be happy to be a cat 3 forever, but be able to hand and hold my own in the 1/2/3 races regionally. Also, after looking up Sean O'Rourke of team Kenda/Raleigh (who blew up the ride...but in a good way) I also noticed that a requirement to being a 1 is to be under 30 years old (not always the case, but if you look at the roster of riders on kenda/raleigh, all those dudes are under 30). Okay one of them is 30, but still...youth rules the upper echelons of the pro circuit. Plus, how cool would it be to be a competitive in the 1/2/3s as a cat 3? Do they still force your upgrade in that case? Now I am getting ahead of myself as the only 1/2/3 race I've done was the greatest sufferfest I've ever been a part of...so we'll wait and see what happens next year. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself or maybe the first cup of coffee hasn't kicked in yet and I'm still delirious from sleep.

That's all for now..

Cheers

Training ... Races ... Other nonsense

2008-07-30T18:05:00.002-04:00

Let's get back to the basics:

Weight: 182 pounds ... real low.
Health: Good. Feel healthy
Fitness: Real close...getting dangerous. ;) j/k
Mood: Sport/Outside work = good; During the 9 to 5 = C- at best

My new plan for the rest of August and September is to prep up for The Ann Arbor Criterium in September and then come back here for Turkey Day...and maybe Coppi if I get in (I'm #6 on the waiting list). Thoughts about all three of these:

1) The Crit in Ann Arbor: It is going to be exciting to go up to a city where nobody knows you and race on a cool course right downtown. Another good part is that the wife's family and Michigan friends will be there, so they'll get a glimpse into this part of my life that they've heard me talk about but have never seen. By day a regular office guy who enjoys happy hour, by night, super cyclist! Esmonde mentioned when he raced in Jersey that the 1/2/3 race up there was more like a 3 race here...maybe the same holds for the midwest. We'll see. The fitness should be spot on around then.

2) Coppi. If I get in, someone from R1V wins the road race Jersey as well and I get free drinks from them and Brandon all year next year. :) Actually, it'll be fun since I haven't done a road race since Jeff Cup last year as a 4. I don't know if it was the distance or what, but it really took a lot out of me at the time. Maybe another year of fitness and confidence will be the additive to make road racing fun.

3) Turkey Day...if it is a 3/4...it is going to be a lot of fun. There are a couple of 4's that are chasing the points for the upgrade to 3 and it would be cool to help them along. Also I like all this stuff I'm hearing about attacking and racing like 1s and 2s...Hunny Bop was eye opening and I'm looking forward to applying that experience to my next races.

Minor notes:

A. One is never to old to use smileys. :)
B. Guys who work in cubes no more about suffering than anybody else.
C. Conte's is like a cyclist's candy store...that place has some nice stuff...really nice.
D. Power is for suckers...find the fastest guy in a group ride and try to stay with them. There is your power meter. ;)

Training plan for the coming weeks is as follows:

Mon: Rest
Tuesday: AM - HP intervals (30ish miles), PM - Group ride or 30ish miles of hills
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: AM - HP intervals, PM - Thursday night World Championships down at HP
Friday: Easy ride at lunch or rest
Saturday: 7am Ride out of RC
Sunday: Arrow Ride or 8:30 BP ride...

Beer is on Friday and Saturday...maybe Wednesday too.

Cheers....

Who doesn't lobby for Powertap?

2008-07-25T10:53:00.002-04:00

Training with Power (SRM/Powertap/Polar/etc) is the new Nintendo from the late 80's, the LL Bean backpack with your initials on it from the 90's, and the Facebook/Myspace/favorite social networking site of the 2000's...you ain't got any social cred at all if you're not using it.

Dang...I have no cred than (nor did I in that last two decades either, shoot).

Peter Cannell's comment on GamJams got me thinking about what is right and wrong and what this means for next year:

"You won't see me doing 3-5 hr "endurance" rides very often, though every now and then they are fine. It's funny actually - I'll do one of those maybe once/month just to make sure I can ride my bike for 5 hrs, and I'm always surprised how easy it feels and how fresh I am at the end!"

No rides over 3 hours?! Wow...that's a smack to the forehead.

I think back to the running days. I used to work with and hang out with some distance guys who were training for the Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters and they used to preach mileage over everything. We used to sit around and I'd listen to them go back and forth about how they were trying to build up to 130+ miles/week and how if they could get a couple of weeks in at that mileage, their times were going to be fast...130 miles/week...that's something like going out and putting in 400 to 500 miles/week on the road on the bike. Crazy, right?

But maybe for cycling around here (crits, circuit races, the once in a while road race), if we keep on the running association, we can consider ourselves more like "sprinters" or "middle-distance" runners. Take a look at the races I've done so far this year. UMD, Tyson's, Hagerstown were all about an hour long. Hunny Bop was 75 Minutes. These are essentially "sprints". Peter's comments now make a lot more sense. Why go out and ride the bike for 4 to 5 hours or do 100+ mile rides when your race is only going to be at most 30 miles?

Going out and doing these interval workouts may be smarter (and save a lot more time). A 3x20 min at a high intensity probably would be more useful than a 3 hour jaunt around Maryland with the 7am group.

I can't believe I'm convincing myself not to do group rides...

Now does this mean I have to go out and spend $1,000+ on a power measuring system? I hope not. That probably won't go over very well in the le domestique household. Everybody I know that has one swears by them though. Ugh..dang you Peter for making sense.

Someone should write something that counter's Peter's comments so I can go back to feeling good about doing the 7am and 10am rides as the bulk of my training.

Cheers...