After spending the day on Mackinac Island, we drove to Sault Ste. Maria to see the locks. I love big ships and I especially love to see them close up. Man was this cool. Huge 1000' freighters 5o feet away! Awesome!
There is a lot to be said for biking this area. The roads are very quiet, (especially at 0630), and the scenery is beautiful. I was slated for an hour of training but I made it more like one and a half.
After the ride we toured the locks again then drove down to Leland where we have a room at the Falling Waters Lodge. Wow this place is very cool. As I write I am sitting in front of our room overlooking Fishtown. Jean is on the beach watching the sun set. Tourism is way down up here and hotels are giving out deals. Yesterday at the Soo, I walked into the Ojibay Ramada and got a very deeply discounted rate and managed the same here.
I am planning on riding tomorrow but it might have to wait for the sun to rise a ways into the sky. We are looking for a low of 49F here tonight and I didn't pack appropriate clothing.
Ciao.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Mackinaw
I have a little vacation time slated for this week so Jean and I decided to take the family on a little northern Michigan vacation. We loaded up the truck yesterday morning and drove up to Mackinaw City to stage ourselves for the boat ride to Mackinaw Island the next day.
Mackinaw City is way cool. Sure, it's a tourist trap but it is a very pleasant little town. We toured this really cool retired icebreaker yesterday and ate pasties. This morning, I got up early and rode my bike to Cheboygan and back. It was a beautiful morning for a ride. I didn't know where to go other then US23 which has a great big wide paved shoulder to ride on. It was so nice.
When I got back, the troops were ready to get going but my ride had held them up a bit. We got it together and walked across the street from the hotel and boarded a boat to the island. Man is the water clear up here. It is like the Caribbean sea. The boat ride was quick and before we knew it we were standing in the midst of countless bikes and horses trying to figure out where to rent bikes for Jean and the girls. (I brought James' bike also.)
We finally settled on a place and we took off for a ride around the island. James was decked out in his AAVC kit. I told him to just go ahead and ride up the road then turn around and ride back to us. We sent the girls up the road also after waiting for what seemed like an eternity waiting for Jean to come back from a bathroom stop. So, it was just Jean and I which was nice. Jean started to panic when we were two miles from town and we were separated from all our kids. About then we found the girls. I parked them in a shady spot and rode back down the road to find James. Within a mile I ran into him and we all rode into town and went to lunch.
Man, Mackinaw Island is a great place to ride. NO CARS!! How cool it would be if folks rode their bikes around town instead of defaulting to their cars. All kinds of bikes with trailers to haul everything from beer to horse manure. I will say this though...it was some of the most sketchy riding I have ever seen! WOW! No helmets and just riding with no care given to riding on the right side of the road.
We ended up at the Soo tonight. Planning on touring the locks tomorrow. I am sure Bikeboy will be all over the happenings too.
Mackinaw City is way cool. Sure, it's a tourist trap but it is a very pleasant little town. We toured this really cool retired icebreaker yesterday and ate pasties. This morning, I got up early and rode my bike to Cheboygan and back. It was a beautiful morning for a ride. I didn't know where to go other then US23 which has a great big wide paved shoulder to ride on. It was so nice.
When I got back, the troops were ready to get going but my ride had held them up a bit. We got it together and walked across the street from the hotel and boarded a boat to the island. Man is the water clear up here. It is like the Caribbean sea. The boat ride was quick and before we knew it we were standing in the midst of countless bikes and horses trying to figure out where to rent bikes for Jean and the girls. (I brought James' bike also.)
We finally settled on a place and we took off for a ride around the island. James was decked out in his AAVC kit. I told him to just go ahead and ride up the road then turn around and ride back to us. We sent the girls up the road also after waiting for what seemed like an eternity waiting for Jean to come back from a bathroom stop. So, it was just Jean and I which was nice. Jean started to panic when we were two miles from town and we were separated from all our kids. About then we found the girls. I parked them in a shady spot and rode back down the road to find James. Within a mile I ran into him and we all rode into town and went to lunch.
Man, Mackinaw Island is a great place to ride. NO CARS!! How cool it would be if folks rode their bikes around town instead of defaulting to their cars. All kinds of bikes with trailers to haul everything from beer to horse manure. I will say this though...it was some of the most sketchy riding I have ever seen! WOW! No helmets and just riding with no care given to riding on the right side of the road.
We ended up at the Soo tonight. Planning on touring the locks tomorrow. I am sure Bikeboy will be all over the happenings too.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
State TT
James, Maria and I arose at 0530 to make preparations and drive to Dearborn for the Wolverine Time Trial. Maria joined us to help us out with race prep. She is currently on the disabled list due to a condition called VCD (Vocal Chord Dysfunction). When she is near exertion, her vocal chords slam shut blocking her airway.
Anyway, we caffeinated and breakfasted at Tim Horton's. I'll pass on their coffee next time. Not awful just not good. From there we drove the forty five minutes over to Helms Haven on Hines Drive near Outer Drive. This is where the race starts from.
(This was the scene when we arrived at seven am. That's "Big" Ray Dybowski in the foreground. )
I had a moment of panic as I realized I hadn't brought both James' and my racing license. I decided to try and beg for mercy but before I could even get down on my knees, I was given a form to take to the officials to let me and James race. Phew...one bullet dodged. You could look at this two different ways. This wasn't going my way so far, or, things were really looking up! I chose the latter. I did have to do some scouting to find an official but eventually I corraled one and we got the release signed and we were cleared to race.
James was up first at eight am. One of his season goals was to get his 20K und
er thirty five minutes. Based on his recent results, I felt he stood a good chance of wrapping up this season goal today.
He looked good riding out. Maria and I walked down the course to cheer James on in the last few hundred meters. I kept looking at my watch guessing when he would appear. Right on schedule, with less than a minute left to make that thirty five minute time he came puffing around the bend bringing it home with determination. He brought the ride in around 35:30! Way to go James! He was disappointed he didn't get it under thirty five minutes but he managed to cut four minutes off his last 20K! I'd say that is pretty good. He can go for that thirty five mark again in August.
I was a little jittery from that lousy Tim Horton's coffee. I didn't feel particularly good...just okay. My computer was set up to give me average speed which I planned on watching like a hawk to make sure I was averaging 25 mph or better. In the first few miles, my average was on target around 26.5 mph. Checking the winds before I left I was worried about headwinds on the return leg but I would say the winds were pretty confused. Headwinds one moment, tailwinds the next.
As I completed the first turn-around I was carrying a lot of speed. Approaching the pylon I leaned back on the bike and hit the brakes. As I rounded the pylon my rear wheel locked and slid out on me. I skidded to a stop and came out of my pedals nearly falling over. Not good. I jumped back into the pedals and cranked it back up to 26 mph. I must have lost 10 or 15 seconds to this error but I decided I just had to make sure it didn't happen again. If I would have fallen it would have been much worse.
The second leg was tougher than the first with regards to the winds. They were still confused but I did get a sense of the winds being more of a headwind. Still, my average fell to only 26.4 mph. All I needed to get under 60minutes was 25 mph average. Approaching the second turn-around I was on track to bring the ride in under 60 minutes.
After gingerly turning around I sprinted away on the last half of the race. My mind began to think about the possibilities. If I could keep the speed up over 26 mph I could be looking at a time well under 60 minutes! This proved to be premature. The second half, predictably, was much harder than the first. It wasn't that I was suffering any more just that I couldn't hold the same speed with the same effort.
After rounding the last pylon, I determined to floor it all the way back. As I was riding away, the Lathrup boys were riding inbound to the turn-around on their TTT. This meant I was about to get passed by a whole team of riders. At least that is what I thought. They never caught me.
This was the more difficult side of the course. I rode just as hard as I could and the average speed was holding near 26 mph. I began to see some familiar sights roll into view that suggested the end was near. I just couldn't go any deeper without going too deep into the anaerobic zone. Going to deep would mean I would have to slow down to clear lactate. I was right on the edge but now we were coming down to the last 1000 meters and it was time to unleash everything that was left. Drive it well into the anaerobic range and recover after crossing the line.
There it was, the overpass right before the little climb before the finish line. As I neared the finish line I saw the clock read 58:55!!! I had done it. I pumped my fist after crossing the line. Folks must have thought I was nuts but I was just elated.
I found Maria and we hugged. What a ride. It was good enough for second place but I didn't really care. It was that 60 minute goal that I was after.
This blog is about cycling. But today, it is also about acknowledging the source of my strength. Last night, James and I agreed that we would ask God for strength to ride fast that we might glorify him in some way. Waiting to start a TT, sometimes, I get myself fired up by kind of yelling at myself under my breath. Today, I started to do this but then remembered our prayer the night before and I asked God to give me strength in my legs. I asked for him to receive the glory for any victory I might achieve. He gave me good legs, deep breaths and great confidence in his provision for me. Sola Deo Gloria!
Anyway, we caffeinated and breakfasted at Tim Horton's. I'll pass on their coffee next time. Not awful just not good. From there we drove the forty five minutes over to Helms Haven on Hines Drive near Outer Drive. This is where the race starts from.
(This was the scene when we arrived at seven am. That's "Big" Ray Dybowski in the foreground. )I had a moment of panic as I realized I hadn't brought both James' and my racing license. I decided to try and beg for mercy but before I could even get down on my knees, I was given a form to take to the officials to let me and James race. Phew...one bullet dodged. You could look at this two different ways. This wasn't going my way so far, or, things were really looking up! I chose the latter. I did have to do some scouting to find an official but eventually I corraled one and we got the release signed and we were cleared to race.
James was up first at eight am. One of his season goals was to get his 20K und
er thirty five minutes. Based on his recent results, I felt he stood a good chance of wrapping up this season goal today.He looked good riding out. Maria and I walked down the course to cheer James on in the last few hundred meters. I kept looking at my watch guessing when he would appear. Right on schedule, with less than a minute left to make that thirty five minute time he came puffing around the bend bringing it home with determination. He brought the ride in around 35:30! Way to go James! He was disappointed he didn't get it under thirty five minutes but he managed to cut four minutes off his last 20K! I'd say that is pretty good. He can go for that thirty five mark again in August.
I was a little jittery from that lousy Tim Horton's coffee. I didn't feel particularly good...just okay. My computer was set up to give me average speed which I planned on watching like a hawk to make sure I was averaging 25 mph or better. In the first few miles, my average was on target around 26.5 mph. Checking the winds before I left I was worried about headwinds on the return leg but I would say the winds were pretty confused. Headwinds one moment, tailwinds the next.
As I completed the first turn-around I was carrying a lot of speed. Approaching the pylon I leaned back on the bike and hit the brakes. As I rounded the pylon my rear wheel locked and slid out on me. I skidded to a stop and came out of my pedals nearly falling over. Not good. I jumped back into the pedals and cranked it back up to 26 mph. I must have lost 10 or 15 seconds to this error but I decided I just had to make sure it didn't happen again. If I would have fallen it would have been much worse.
The second leg was tougher than the first with regards to the winds. They were still confused but I did get a sense of the winds being more of a headwind. Still, my average fell to only 26.4 mph. All I needed to get under 60minutes was 25 mph average. Approaching the second turn-around I was on track to bring the ride in under 60 minutes.
After gingerly turning around I sprinted away on the last half of the race. My mind began to think about the possibilities. If I could keep the speed up over 26 mph I could be looking at a time well under 60 minutes! This proved to be premature. The second half, predictably, was much harder than the first. It wasn't that I was suffering any more just that I couldn't hold the same speed with the same effort.
After rounding the last pylon, I determined to floor it all the way back. As I was riding away, the Lathrup boys were riding inbound to the turn-around on their TTT. This meant I was about to get passed by a whole team of riders. At least that is what I thought. They never caught me.
This was the more difficult side of the course. I rode just as hard as I could and the average speed was holding near 26 mph. I began to see some familiar sights roll into view that suggested the end was near. I just couldn't go any deeper without going too deep into the anaerobic zone. Going to deep would mean I would have to slow down to clear lactate. I was right on the edge but now we were coming down to the last 1000 meters and it was time to unleash everything that was left. Drive it well into the anaerobic range and recover after crossing the line.
There it was, the overpass right before the little climb before the finish line. As I neared the finish line I saw the clock read 58:55!!! I had done it. I pumped my fist after crossing the line. Folks must have thought I was nuts but I was just elated.
I found Maria and we hugged. What a ride. It was good enough for second place but I didn't really care. It was that 60 minute goal that I was after.
This blog is about cycling. But today, it is also about acknowledging the source of my strength. Last night, James and I agreed that we would ask God for strength to ride fast that we might glorify him in some way. Waiting to start a TT, sometimes, I get myself fired up by kind of yelling at myself under my breath. Today, I started to do this but then remembered our prayer the night before and I asked God to give me strength in my legs. I asked for him to receive the glory for any victory I might achieve. He gave me good legs, deep breaths and great confidence in his provision for me. Sola Deo Gloria!
Friday, June 22, 2007
It's Gonna Be Close!
I went out tonight with TT bars and did a little 12 mile effort to tune it up. I put the effort in in 28:50 which is an average of 25 mph. If I could hold this over the 40K that would put me in at 59:36. Now, I did this with my aerobars but no skinsuit, pockets full of tubes, phone, pump, etc and two full water bottles. Oh, and no shoe covers. If I feel good Sunday morning and prepare well Saturday, I like my chances to go under 60 minutes but it is going to be a squeaker.
A Clear Path To Race Day
The "Man" has been on me lately about spending more off my bike and family time with him. I came home from last weekend's whirlwind international trip, had one day off then went down to Louisville for the day. I had Wednesday off then back to Louisville yesterday. No complaining here though. My job is not like real work. I have to say it does take a lot out of the tank at times what with getting up early, (4am), and trying to bag a nap or two to make up for several days of sleep deprivation.
My trip for today cancelled which is propelling me into a week long vacation that officially starts tonight. This makes for a pretty good on-ramp to Sunday's 40K. My bike is configured with clip-on bars and 175mm cranks. I lowered the handlebars a few mm's to get myself lower. DMO has offered me the use of his wheel cover which I haven't worked out yet. (BTW, if you read this DMO, give me a shout so I can try and get to AA and pick it up. If it is too late that's okay.) The start list is out but on a second attempt to call it up we couldn't. Bikeboy is all over it so I know he'll get it printed up for me by day's end. I did notice the 1-2's are going early for a change. That means I won't be getting passed up all day long. I don't know if that is good or bad. I credit Jon Card for helping me to finish my last 5K with gusto at Willow. He passed me up on his first lap as I was heading into my last and I just tried to match his pace which really helped. I took an awful beating because of it but it got the job done. Passing people can be helpful to one's attitude but maybe it is just fooling yourself.
Josh and I flew together yesterday and had a great time. We were messing around with the flight attendant's announcements. After every announcement, I would get on the PA and let out a sigh. They flew up to the cockpit every time to chew us out. By the end of the day we were laughing hysterically. Josh really hammered the airplane in landing back at Detroit. The winds were whipping pretty good and it was a direct crosswind which made a smooth landing difficult. It was time for the flight attendant's revenge. They got on the PA and welcomed the passengers to Detroit and ripped us up for the lousy landing. Something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Detroit. Please remain seated until the captain taxis the wreckage to the gate and turns off the fasten seat belt sign. Please exercise caution when opening the overhead bins as you can darn well be sure that your stuff has shifted all over the place after a landing like that."
No riding yesterday. I was scheduled for 3 hours but this trip popped up after I wrote my plan. Today, I will look to get in 2 hours and then go for 1 tomorrow. I am going to focus on being in peak form for Sunday morning. I think I can place well but if I can go sub-60 that will be good enough.
My trip for today cancelled which is propelling me into a week long vacation that officially starts tonight. This makes for a pretty good on-ramp to Sunday's 40K. My bike is configured with clip-on bars and 175mm cranks. I lowered the handlebars a few mm's to get myself lower. DMO has offered me the use of his wheel cover which I haven't worked out yet. (BTW, if you read this DMO, give me a shout so I can try and get to AA and pick it up. If it is too late that's okay.) The start list is out but on a second attempt to call it up we couldn't. Bikeboy is all over it so I know he'll get it printed up for me by day's end. I did notice the 1-2's are going early for a change. That means I won't be getting passed up all day long. I don't know if that is good or bad. I credit Jon Card for helping me to finish my last 5K with gusto at Willow. He passed me up on his first lap as I was heading into my last and I just tried to match his pace which really helped. I took an awful beating because of it but it got the job done. Passing people can be helpful to one's attitude but maybe it is just fooling yourself.
Josh and I flew together yesterday and had a great time. We were messing around with the flight attendant's announcements. After every announcement, I would get on the PA and let out a sigh. They flew up to the cockpit every time to chew us out. By the end of the day we were laughing hysterically. Josh really hammered the airplane in landing back at Detroit. The winds were whipping pretty good and it was a direct crosswind which made a smooth landing difficult. It was time for the flight attendant's revenge. They got on the PA and welcomed the passengers to Detroit and ripped us up for the lousy landing. Something like, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Detroit. Please remain seated until the captain taxis the wreckage to the gate and turns off the fasten seat belt sign. Please exercise caution when opening the overhead bins as you can darn well be sure that your stuff has shifted all over the place after a landing like that."
No riding yesterday. I was scheduled for 3 hours but this trip popped up after I wrote my plan. Today, I will look to get in 2 hours and then go for 1 tomorrow. I am going to focus on being in peak form for Sunday morning. I think I can place well but if I can go sub-60 that will be good enough.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Fog
I made it home just fine Sunday night. I slept for 10 hours or so and felt completely normal Monday. Bikeboy and I joined the AAVC recovery ride out of Smoothie King in Ann Arbor. This was a father/son biker milestone as it was the first adult group ride James and I have done together. Yes, Bikeboy can now ride with the adults. He has really progressed in the last year from kiddie rider to strong junior rider. It won't be long before he is swinging away for wins at the Tuesday night world championships.
Our little buddy and fellow junior hammerhead Rem V., (one of the infamous V-kids), took a pretty bad fall when he rubbed tires with his big V-brother Alexey. I missed the fall because I was back a few miles waiting for my shoes to be delivered. (I forgot my bike shoes and rode 8 miles in my sandals. Very painful.) When I arrived they were putting Rem into the family Suburban. He is a tough kid but you could see he was in a lot of pain. His dad told me he hit the deck doing about 22 mph. Shoot, that would have made me cry! Not this kid. I think Bikeboy's posse has the respect of the adult peleton. They train and race hard and just bring it every time they are on their bikes. It is going to be so fun watching these guys grow into super-strong adult racers.
I am in Louisville at the moment and my time has come to go back to work. I am chillin' at my favorite coffee shop down here Sunergos. Cheers!!
Our little buddy and fellow junior hammerhead Rem V., (one of the infamous V-kids), took a pretty bad fall when he rubbed tires with his big V-brother Alexey. I missed the fall because I was back a few miles waiting for my shoes to be delivered. (I forgot my bike shoes and rode 8 miles in my sandals. Very painful.) When I arrived they were putting Rem into the family Suburban. He is a tough kid but you could see he was in a lot of pain. His dad told me he hit the deck doing about 22 mph. Shoot, that would have made me cry! Not this kid. I think Bikeboy's posse has the respect of the adult peleton. They train and race hard and just bring it every time they are on their bikes. It is going to be so fun watching these guys grow into super-strong adult racers.
I am in Louisville at the moment and my time has come to go back to work. I am chillin' at my favorite coffee shop down here Sunergos. Cheers!!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Lost in translation(s)
I flew out of Detroit late Friday night and crossed oceans, mountains and numerous countries. My esteemed team mangager was off by serveral thousand miles as to his guess as to my destination. "Malaysia"...not! They didn't speak my language though so it doesn't really matter where I went.
Anyway, I left the trip to the rest of the crew and I am flying the airlines home. At the moment I am in a KLM/NWA lounge in Amsterdam. I have already boarded two flights, endured three full security checks, eaten three breakfasts, nearly read an entire book, looked over the Cat's pictures, endured what must be the worst-run check-in/customer service counter in the entire world and I still have four hours before my next eight hour leg!! So much more to enjoy today...I can hardly wait.
Bikeboy has put up some pretty good stuff on the happenings at Allen Park yesterday. Sounds like the AAVC juniors are eating the 10-14 category alive!
I tried to piece together what happened in the three's from the Cat's site and my guess is Joey got away with a Coastie. The Cat didn't get any pics of the finish so my guess is Joey took it in the sprint. Congrats to all who made a good result. One of my athletes, Zach Maino took fifth in a very competitive cat 4 field. We rejoice with all the 4's that there was, (for the first time in a long time), not a single crash! I raced this category last year and it was more crash happy than the 5's. Who knew. <> It seems like they are still caught up in this cycle of crash and burn so it is good to hear this news.
Anyway, I left the trip to the rest of the crew and I am flying the airlines home. At the moment I am in a KLM/NWA lounge in Amsterdam. I have already boarded two flights, endured three full security checks, eaten three breakfasts, nearly read an entire book, looked over the Cat's pictures, endured what must be the worst-run check-in/customer service counter in the entire world and I still have four hours before my next eight hour leg!! So much more to enjoy today...I can hardly wait.
Bikeboy has put up some pretty good stuff on the happenings at Allen Park yesterday. Sounds like the AAVC juniors are eating the 10-14 category alive!
I tried to piece together what happened in the three's from the Cat's site and my guess is Joey got away with a Coastie. The Cat didn't get any pics of the finish so my guess is Joey took it in the sprint. Congrats to all who made a good result. One of my athletes, Zach Maino took fifth in a very competitive cat 4 field. We rejoice with all the 4's that there was, (for the first time in a long time), not a single crash! I raced this category last year and it was more crash happy than the 5's. Who knew. <
Friday, June 15, 2007
A Mixed Bag
I have to work this weekend so I tried to squeeze in as much training as I could this week. Today I rode over to a neighbor called "Stonebridge" near Ann Arbor airport. This a great locale for TT efforts. It is a circular drive that is extremely quiet. The course is 2.4 miles long with only two stop signs. My goal for today was to put in a 40K effort to (1) gauge my fitness on that distance, and, (2) get a good muscular endurance workout.
I did this with a complete road configuration, (no aero kit, bars, etc.) To complete the distance I needed to complete 10.2 laps. The first lap I held back a bit and turned in a 5:50 which seemed good but it would be the fastest lap overall which was not to my liking. The next 6 laps I turned in 6:00. From here on I lost a few seconds each lap. The wind started picking up and that might have had some effect because I was really trying to work harder as the laps piled up.
At the end, I had put in a 1:02:35. This didn't make me happy but as I rode home I reasoned things out a bit and there is cause for hope. First, I rode 70 hard miles yesterday in the heat. That fact cost me a few seconds, maybe even a few minutes. Second, not having an aero kit cost me at least a minute or more. Third, not riding in a formal race cost me a few more seconds. At the end I wasn't as spent as I should have been. Tired yes but not competition TT tired. All of this buoyed me some and give me cause to think my goal for the Wolverine TT is attainable.
Today I rode an average of 24.2 mph. To get myself under 60 minutes, I will have to ride 25.o mph or faster. Can I do this? I think I can. Just a .8 mph increase in average speed is all it will take to close 2 minutes over that distance.
You might not hear from me for a couple of days. If I can, I'll try and write something Saturday but Sunday will be a non-blog day for sure. I will be traveling all day long, (from 2am to 6pm EDT).
Best of luck to everyone doing Allen Park. Watch those SLC boys in the vomit colored kits! No question in my mind, they are the class of the cat three field. Rip 'em up boys!!
I did this with a complete road configuration, (no aero kit, bars, etc.) To complete the distance I needed to complete 10.2 laps. The first lap I held back a bit and turned in a 5:50 which seemed good but it would be the fastest lap overall which was not to my liking. The next 6 laps I turned in 6:00. From here on I lost a few seconds each lap. The wind started picking up and that might have had some effect because I was really trying to work harder as the laps piled up.
At the end, I had put in a 1:02:35. This didn't make me happy but as I rode home I reasoned things out a bit and there is cause for hope. First, I rode 70 hard miles yesterday in the heat. That fact cost me a few seconds, maybe even a few minutes. Second, not having an aero kit cost me at least a minute or more. Third, not riding in a formal race cost me a few more seconds. At the end I wasn't as spent as I should have been. Tired yes but not competition TT tired. All of this buoyed me some and give me cause to think my goal for the Wolverine TT is attainable.
Today I rode an average of 24.2 mph. To get myself under 60 minutes, I will have to ride 25.o mph or faster. Can I do this? I think I can. Just a .8 mph increase in average speed is all it will take to close 2 minutes over that distance.
You might not hear from me for a couple of days. If I can, I'll try and write something Saturday but Sunday will be a non-blog day for sure. I will be traveling all day long, (from 2am to 6pm EDT).
Best of luck to everyone doing Allen Park. Watch those SLC boys in the vomit colored kits! No question in my mind, they are the class of the cat three field. Rip 'em up boys!!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A Ray of Light
What an awesome day to live in Michigan. I rode out of my home at 845 am to hook up with the Thursday morning Blair Dudley ride out of Wheeler Park in Ann Arbor. I was enjoying their company very much when Jean, (my lovely wife), activated the electronic tether attached which is my cell phone. She told me a swimming party was being thought of and I was invited. So I broke ranks with the group and rode up Mast to Strawberry Lake to Hamburg to Whitmore Lake....
It would have been nice to continue with the group but I always like the challenge of meeting Jean at her folks house in Livonia. I have only used the 7 mile Rd route once and it is really nice. So, some fairly unfamiliar terrain and the hope of a pool party really made for a nice ride.
I know of a couple of steller dudes who train during the day on Hines so rang them up to see if they were out and about. As luck would have it, Mike was just suiting up in Northville so we arranged a meeting and rode down Hines Drive to Joy Rd. together. I left him there and rode up Farmington to my in-laws house for some swimming.
Driving home, I learned that I would be home from my weekend trip on Sunday evening. Good news indeed...hopes for that sub-60 40K are increasing.
It would have been nice to continue with the group but I always like the challenge of meeting Jean at her folks house in Livonia. I have only used the 7 mile Rd route once and it is really nice. So, some fairly unfamiliar terrain and the hope of a pool party really made for a nice ride.
I know of a couple of steller dudes who train during the day on Hines so rang them up to see if they were out and about. As luck would have it, Mike was just suiting up in Northville so we arranged a meeting and rode down Hines Drive to Joy Rd. together. I left him there and rode up Farmington to my in-laws house for some swimming.
Driving home, I learned that I would be home from my weekend trip on Sunday evening. Good news indeed...hopes for that sub-60 40K are increasing.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Hopes of a Sub-60 40K Begin To Dim
Went to see the doctor yesterday and got an all clear on my rib injury. No cracks or breaks and no limitations. From there I went on to crit practice and rode as hard as I could. I did several max, all-out sprints with no pain at all! Yahoo! It was a pretty good drilling so much so that when the last race came around I just didn't have the heart, (or the legs), to take part. Rob P., (who happens to be 50), kept going. Man is he tough. All in all, it was a fantastic workout.
So, I went to work, flew back down to Virginia and back to Detroit. My schedule has shifted again and it looks like I will be getting home a couple of days before the Wolverine TT. I don't know how much training I will be able to get in during the next week. My hopes for a sub-60 minute 40K might be dimming but what can I do?
So, I went to work, flew back down to Virginia and back to Detroit. My schedule has shifted again and it looks like I will be getting home a couple of days before the Wolverine TT. I don't know how much training I will be able to get in during the next week. My hopes for a sub-60 minute 40K might be dimming but what can I do?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Update
James has been on me to get my blog up to date. So here's where we are at this week.
My ribs still hurt but I can get a full deep breath. Problem is I can't yet sprint without pain. I can go as hard as ever so long as I am in the saddle. I have an appointment with the doctor in about an hour so we'll see what he thinks.
The week off the bike was awesome! If you haven't tried this I highly recommend it. After training steady from January 1 until June a week of rest was very nice indeed. I got back on the bike Saturday and rode with the juniors some. (I managed to gather James and join the workout in progress at Willow around 10am). After motor pacing james for a while we both did a 20 minute interval on the Willow circuit. I did four laps and James did 3. I was slow but felt fantastic. Sunday James and I went for a little spin around town. Yesterday I put in four hours (73 miles) and felt really good. I could have kept riding the rest of the day I felt so good. My ribs did sing to me occasionally but not too bad if I avoided standing start sprints.
Crit practice tonight then back to work tomorrow to go back to Roanoke. I hope to make it home tomorrow evening.
A Shout To The Cat
Where has Doug Gatto gone? The Cat has all but abandoned his wildly popular website! Senior Gatto, I know you keep tabs on the happenings here at MLBC so what say you??? We need the pictures hombre!!
My ribs still hurt but I can get a full deep breath. Problem is I can't yet sprint without pain. I can go as hard as ever so long as I am in the saddle. I have an appointment with the doctor in about an hour so we'll see what he thinks.
The week off the bike was awesome! If you haven't tried this I highly recommend it. After training steady from January 1 until June a week of rest was very nice indeed. I got back on the bike Saturday and rode with the juniors some. (I managed to gather James and join the workout in progress at Willow around 10am). After motor pacing james for a while we both did a 20 minute interval on the Willow circuit. I did four laps and James did 3. I was slow but felt fantastic. Sunday James and I went for a little spin around town. Yesterday I put in four hours (73 miles) and felt really good. I could have kept riding the rest of the day I felt so good. My ribs did sing to me occasionally but not too bad if I avoided standing start sprints.
Crit practice tonight then back to work tomorrow to go back to Roanoke. I hope to make it home tomorrow evening.
A Shout To The Cat
Where has Doug Gatto gone? The Cat has all but abandoned his wildly popular website! Senior Gatto, I know you keep tabs on the happenings here at MLBC so what say you??? We need the pictures hombre!!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Worse and Worser
Flying home from Orlando today, my plane broke and I had to divert into Roanoke, VA. No MS150, no Cedar Creek and now, in all probablility, no junior training ride tomorrow. What is happening here! I can't get the plane fixed so I have to catch and airline flight home in the morning which is going to trash out the junior ride.
It was good in a way. I think I have a better perspective this evening in light of the day's events. I can't say that much about my job but the day gave me an appreciation of life and family. My God first then my family and somewhere down the list comes my bike life. How can I get it so twisted?
Glad to be going home to them tomorrow.
It was good in a way. I think I have a better perspective this evening in light of the day's events. I can't say that much about my job but the day gave me an appreciation of life and family. My God first then my family and somewhere down the list comes my bike life. How can I get it so twisted?
Glad to be going home to them tomorrow.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Too Much Balance
Balance is a big topic on this blog as it is for most master's racers. Balance is good, no question. I think I am being crashed and balanced right out of June! I just got word that I will be flying over the weeked that is the Allen Park Crit. So, no Cedar Creek and no Allen Park but the good news is I have a job! Pretty cool, 'eh? James is going to have to go to work on his mom if he is going to have any hope of salvaging his month. Good luck buddy! Put a smile on your face and do everything mom asks you to do.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Sittin' Out
Okay blog0holics. I have been lax. No fuel for the fire for a while. Sorry. I have been waging a mighty cyber-battle with my son James and his rapidly growing readership. The under 14 crowd has moved in on this blog and flooded me with interesting but stunted comments. At least that is who I think it is. Who knows, maybe Doug "the Cat" Gatto is responsible. He is always looking for a way to make cyber-mischief.
(If you have Napster, check out this song. The Godfathers from 1986 I think:
http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/15603956
"If I only had time, I think of the perfect crime." Rune, listen and learn baby! Forget techno. If you keep listening to that stuff you can forget fatherhood.
I am listening to it as I write...)
So, I am sitting in a Springhill Suites hotel room in Mayberry RFD, NC. I haven't ridden a bike in almost a week. I am looking at one of the biggest races of the year this weekend and realizing that I won't be a part of it. Even if my rehab is complete I won't be able to make it. More balancing goin' on here.
The rib is doing pretty well. Today I can almost take a full deep breath without pain. It could be the case that I could race this weekend which is encouraging. The time off is doing a lot of good for my overall fitness. Except for the down time due to the flu I have been riding hard with no time off since January 1. It is a good idea to take a week off after the first A-priority race anyway. I didn't plan on it right now but it is good. My legs are feeling springy again and my competitive mojo is really crankin'. Plus my sources tell me Kroske is now a 3! Awesome!!! now if we can get Roger to upgrade we'll be all set. We are going to see a lot of the big dogs in cat 3 move to 2 in the next few months so we need to reload. Last season we lost a lot of competition to cat 3 from the 4's. You might think I liked it because it gave me a better chance at winning but I didn't and don't. A weakening field is never good. I want the field to be strong and competitive. In the words of George Bush...Bring it on! Dang, I am just coiled up waiting to ride again. I want to unleash wild wattage and soon!!!!!
(Fishbone is playing now: Listen to Sunless Saturday by Fishbone http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/10016043)
I am on a four day trip at the moment. We were hoping to sit here for the duration but it is not to be. We were told today that we are going to have to bring the airplane back to Detroit tomorrow and fly a different trip before going back to Aunt Bee-land to pick the original trip up. It has been pretty relaxing. I am in the heart of golf country. I don't really understand golf. The few times I have played it I was so frustrated I wanted to through the clubs in the river and walk away from it. People are just nuts for it but I guess they look at bike racers and just wonder what the attraction is.
(If you have Napster, check out this song. The Godfathers from 1986 I think:
http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/15603956
"If I only had time, I think of the perfect crime." Rune, listen and learn baby! Forget techno. If you keep listening to that stuff you can forget fatherhood.
I am listening to it as I write...)
So, I am sitting in a Springhill Suites hotel room in Mayberry RFD, NC. I haven't ridden a bike in almost a week. I am looking at one of the biggest races of the year this weekend and realizing that I won't be a part of it. Even if my rehab is complete I won't be able to make it. More balancing goin' on here.
The rib is doing pretty well. Today I can almost take a full deep breath without pain. It could be the case that I could race this weekend which is encouraging. The time off is doing a lot of good for my overall fitness. Except for the down time due to the flu I have been riding hard with no time off since January 1. It is a good idea to take a week off after the first A-priority race anyway. I didn't plan on it right now but it is good. My legs are feeling springy again and my competitive mojo is really crankin'. Plus my sources tell me Kroske is now a 3! Awesome!!! now if we can get Roger to upgrade we'll be all set. We are going to see a lot of the big dogs in cat 3 move to 2 in the next few months so we need to reload. Last season we lost a lot of competition to cat 3 from the 4's. You might think I liked it because it gave me a better chance at winning but I didn't and don't. A weakening field is never good. I want the field to be strong and competitive. In the words of George Bush...Bring it on! Dang, I am just coiled up waiting to ride again. I want to unleash wild wattage and soon!!!!!
(Fishbone is playing now: Listen to Sunless Saturday by Fishbone http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/10016043)
I am on a four day trip at the moment. We were hoping to sit here for the duration but it is not to be. We were told today that we are going to have to bring the airplane back to Detroit tomorrow and fly a different trip before going back to Aunt Bee-land to pick the original trip up. It has been pretty relaxing. I am in the heart of golf country. I don't really understand golf. The few times I have played it I was so frustrated I wanted to through the clubs in the river and walk away from it. People are just nuts for it but I guess they look at bike racers and just wonder what the attraction is.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Well, I Thought I was Okay...
After the mishap on Tuesday, I thought I was okay. I got up early on Wednesday and put in 4 hours of training. Thursday, I put in almost 3. I felt great both days. That is right up until the last couple of miles yesterday. I was climbing that hill just east of Delhi with a little gusto when my chest made a cracking noise. No sharp pains at that moment but from then on it hurt to breath deeply. I could ride a steady 20 mph or so without pain but if I pushed it harder I couldn't get a deep breath.
I went home and tried to stretch out and had a tough time with it. Bottom line...I think I really injured myself by not taking some time off after the crash. As I sit here right now, I feel fine but if I try and reach for something or breath really deeply I will feel it. So, it looks like I am off the bike until this clears up.
Jean was on me to go to the doctor but what's he gonna say? Taking NSAID's and rest. Last time I had a rib injury they didn't even x-ray it because they said they wouldn't treat a broken or cracked rib anyway. Apparently, this could take a long time to heal up because breathing expands the chest.
I just got back to my hotel room here in after a huge cuban dinner . Awesome! I had Cuban pork roast with fried plantains and rice with black beans. Oh yeah, mojitos too!
I went home and tried to stretch out and had a tough time with it. Bottom line...I think I really injured myself by not taking some time off after the crash. As I sit here right now, I feel fine but if I try and reach for something or breath really deeply I will feel it. So, it looks like I am off the bike until this clears up.
Jean was on me to go to the doctor but what's he gonna say? Taking NSAID's and rest. Last time I had a rib injury they didn't even x-ray it because they said they wouldn't treat a broken or cracked rib anyway. Apparently, this could take a long time to heal up because breathing expands the chest.
I just got back to my hotel room here in after a huge cuban dinner . Awesome! I had Cuban pork roast with fried plantains and rice with black beans. Oh yeah, mojitos too!
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