Video of the "A" Race - Greenbelt 5/23/2012

Road Guarding "The Turn" at Greenbelt 5/23/2012

Flanders

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?

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

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...

...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

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

$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.