Monday, November 17, 2008
Locked Out
So here I sit at my doctor's office helplessly locked out of my car. The keyless entry system is usually wonderful but on this day it lured me into a trap. After locking up the touchpad failed and I am trying to get roadside assistance. Bummer.
Monday, November 03, 2008
CX Fans
Bikeboy read an article in VeloNews about being a proper cx fan recently. Apparently, doing this right means making a complete jackass out of yourself which is right up my alley. For help, I enlisted the help of JoeLek. He took up the challenge and produced not one but three Lion of Flanders flags of varying sizes, multiple cowbells, a bucket with drumstics and last but not least Bobby! It seems like making noise is really the key here and completely abandoning the least bit of self-awareness giving yourself completely to the task of yelling, screaming, waving and in our case banging drums. Our contribution to the cacaphony was a very loud drum from our kit. We yelled, screamed and yes, we did bang the drum silly. We hammered away on that thing carrying it as we yelled disturbing neighborhood dogs and probably their owners too. It was one of the funest bike related things I have ever done. I highly recomend it. In this crazy day in which we live an occasional abandonment of all self-awareness is very threraputic.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
mmmm....Bike Food
Eat To Compete: Butternut Squash-Mashed Potato Shepherds Pie & Stout Soda Bread
Friday, October 31, 2008 10:44:00 AM PT
- By Casey Weaver -
Since I no longer live in West Los Angeles, the enchanted land of the double tail-wind to which I can attest, (see October’s Off-Season Myth Busters), this will be the first time in my life that I’ll have to contend with actual temperature change, and dare I say, precipitation. Though the prospects of this are frightening for someone born and raised in Southern California, the potential for reinvigorated staple Fall dishes to combat the spiteful cold far outweighs any ominous threats from above.
This dish has gone through a couple different variations. It started out as a savory tart, progressed to a pot-pie, lost it’s crust and became a stew, and is now presented to you as a variation of the cold-weather classic, the shepherds pie. The pie calls for stew beef, but can also be made with chicken or turkey. Some athletes are very particular about their consumption of red meat, and wisely so, as some cuts of red meat are very high in saturated fat and cholesterol. And some athletes avoid red meat all together. But not all red meat has the same nutrient profile, and certain cuts are considerably leaner than others. When at the market buying meat for this dish, keep an eye out for extra-lean stew beef if the fat content is a concern of yours; it is almost always available.
Red meat has its upsides, too. During training periods of particularly high intensity or high volume, our bodies can all too easily become iron deficient, leading to reduced performance and feelings of fatigue. The occasional serving of red meat is a great way to fight this, but as previously stated, be vigilant with your selection and always know what you are putting into your body.
Choose a tastey cut of lean beef - you'll be glad you did.
Meal Plan Timing
In terms of timing for this meal, I like to get the meat and potatoes cooking, then make the bread and get it in the oven, then return to the rest of the shepherd’s pie. If you do this, do not forget about the bread in the oven. If timed right, the bread will be done just ahead of the pie, and will be rested and cooled just in time to serve. But do whatever works best for you.
Butternut Squash-Potato topping
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, about 4
1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded, and peeled
½ cup beef broth
1 t fennel seed, coarsely chopped
1 T extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Pecorino-Romano cheese
salt and pepper
Fresher ingredients always make for a better dish.
Filling
1 lb extra-lean stew beef, cubed into 1” pieces
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
5 shallots, 1 finely chopped, 4 sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
½ crown cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
½ head radicchio, sliced into ½ inch slices
1 ½ cups beef broth
2 T fresh lemon thyme
black pepper
3 T olive oil, divided
cooking spray
Soda Bread
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 ¼ cups reduced fat buttermilk
6 oz stout beer
1 egg, beaten
1 T molasses
1 T dark brown sugar
1T baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
1 t salt
1. To start, cook the meat and potato-squash topping
The first thing you want to do is get the meat cooking. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be, and once it is on the stove you can go about getting everything else ready without having to really think about it.
In a medium saucepan, sauté one finely chopped shallot in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about five minutes; season with salt. Increase the heat to medium high and add the cubed beef. Season with salt and pepper and let cook for about eight minutes, stirring often and making sure all sides get browned. Once browned, add in one and a half cups beef broth and the broccoli florets, stirring a bit to help submerge the broccoli. At this point the florets will not all be totally submerged, this is ok as they will cook down. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, cooking for at least one half hour, but ideally closer to a full hour. After about fifteen minutes, open the lid and stir the contents, breaking down the now soft broccoli with your spoon. Recover and continue to cook.
Once cooked you will remove the beef and add it to the filling, but be patient and read on and we will get there.
2. Cook the Potatoes and Butternut Squash
Start by cutting the potatoes into about two inch cubes. Personally, I like to leave the skin on my potatoes to add a little more substance to the topping, and frankly, I’ve never been afraid of a little extra fiber. If you want smooth and seamless mashed potatoes, feel free to remove the skin.
The squash is a different story. Halve it lengthwise, remove its seeds, and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut it into cubes about the size of your potatoes. Place both the squash and potatoes in a large pot of water on the stove, bring to boil, and cook until soft when pierced with a knife (note: the potatoes will take longer to cook than the squash, so they should be your determining factor of when the two are done).
Once cooked, strain the liquid and return the potatoes and squash to the pot used to cook them in. Mash them to a coarse consistency, then add in one tablespoon of olive oil, one half cup of beef broth, and the coarsely chopped fennel seeds. Continue to mash them to your desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. For the Filling
At this point, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
I like to bake my shepherd’s pie in a twelve-inch cast-iron skillet. You can do all the preliminary cooking in the same skillet for simplicity’s sake, or if you do not want to dirty another dish. But I find it much easier to sauté all the ingredients in a larger skillet or sauté pan, then transfer them to the smaller twelve incher. This way you have plenty of room to stir and are not constantly knocking little bits onto the stove, which means any time you saved by not having to wash another dish is now irrelevant because you now have to do a major stovetop scrub down.
Sauté the remaining four sliced shallots in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about five to seven minutes, stirring often, until beginning to soften; season with salt. Add in the sliced parsnips and cauliflower florets, continuing to stir.
With a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the saucepan and transfer it to the parsnip and cauliflower sauté, stirring to combine. Pour the melted broccoli into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the pureed broccoli over the beef and vegetables and stir well to combine, then stir in the radicchio and lemon thyme, and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Season with black pepper to taste.
If you are baking your pie in a separate dish, give it a quick shot of cooking spray, then transfer the filling. Spoon the mashed potato-squash-topping evenly over the filling and top with pumpkin seeds and desired amount of Pecorino-Romano cheese.
Place the assembled pie in the preheated oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
4. For the Soda Bread
There are a few things the pop culture media and network news absolutely love to report on, and second only to animal heroics are the health benefits of culinary vices such as alcohol and chocolate. Rest assured that not only does the stout in this soda bread add a complexity of flavor, it also improves your health at the same time…
Any stout, such as Guinness, will work just fine, but I strongly recommend going down to the corner store and seeing what some of your local microbreweries have to offer. There is not one microbrewery out there these days not offering a dark and flavorful stout, and it is just these types of details that really create the intriguing nuances in your food. Not to mention if you buy a six pack, you now have the perfect pairing for your meal.
One last quick note. While making this bread, unlike many recipes where all the wet ingredients are mixed then added to the dry, I like to omit the molasses when combining the other wet ingredients, then stir it into the already formed batter. Often times viscous ingredients like molasses or honey do not mix well with other wet ingredients, and are much easier to work with if added straight to the batter and gently stirred in.
Bake the Bread
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Mix all the wet ingredients, except for the molasses in a separate bowl, stirring well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then add the molasses, gently stirring to combine.
Dump the dough on a baking sheet or into a skillet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Note: Bread can be separated into two smaller loaves, or baked as one large loaf.
About The Author:
Casey grew up in the kitchen inspired by his mom and grandmother, who ran the catering and cooking instruction company, Cooking in the Canyon, in Brentwood, Ca. He has worked as a private chef and currently works with the catering company Gourmet Solutions. He received his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from UCLA, currently races for the NOW-MS elite amateur team, and coaches endurance athletes with Velo-Fit, llc.
• See more of Casey’s work online at his website: CulinaryCompetitor.com
• Contact Casey at Casey.b.Weaver@gmail.com.
Friday, October 31, 2008 10:44:00 AM PT
 | Happy Hallowe'en! Once you've polished off that bucket of candy, you'll be hankerin' for a hearty hungry-man meal with real nutrition, but have no idea how to make. This month’s recipe is as tasty as it sounds, and a lot easier to make… |
- By Casey Weaver -
Since I no longer live in West Los Angeles, the enchanted land of the double tail-wind to which I can attest, (see October’s Off-Season Myth Busters), this will be the first time in my life that I’ll have to contend with actual temperature change, and dare I say, precipitation. Though the prospects of this are frightening for someone born and raised in Southern California, the potential for reinvigorated staple Fall dishes to combat the spiteful cold far outweighs any ominous threats from above.
This dish has gone through a couple different variations. It started out as a savory tart, progressed to a pot-pie, lost it’s crust and became a stew, and is now presented to you as a variation of the cold-weather classic, the shepherds pie. The pie calls for stew beef, but can also be made with chicken or turkey. Some athletes are very particular about their consumption of red meat, and wisely so, as some cuts of red meat are very high in saturated fat and cholesterol. And some athletes avoid red meat all together. But not all red meat has the same nutrient profile, and certain cuts are considerably leaner than others. When at the market buying meat for this dish, keep an eye out for extra-lean stew beef if the fat content is a concern of yours; it is almost always available.
Red meat has its upsides, too. During training periods of particularly high intensity or high volume, our bodies can all too easily become iron deficient, leading to reduced performance and feelings of fatigue. The occasional serving of red meat is a great way to fight this, but as previously stated, be vigilant with your selection and always know what you are putting into your body.
Choose a tastey cut of lean beef - you'll be glad you did.
Meal Plan Timing
In terms of timing for this meal, I like to get the meat and potatoes cooking, then make the bread and get it in the oven, then return to the rest of the shepherd’s pie. If you do this, do not forget about the bread in the oven. If timed right, the bread will be done just ahead of the pie, and will be rested and cooled just in time to serve. But do whatever works best for you.
Butternut Squash-Potato topping
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, about 4
1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded, and peeled
½ cup beef broth
1 t fennel seed, coarsely chopped
1 T extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
Pecorino-Romano cheese
salt and pepper
Fresher ingredients always make for a better dish.
Filling
1 lb extra-lean stew beef, cubed into 1” pieces
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
5 shallots, 1 finely chopped, 4 sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
½ crown cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
½ head radicchio, sliced into ½ inch slices
1 ½ cups beef broth
2 T fresh lemon thyme
black pepper
3 T olive oil, divided
cooking spray
Soda Bread
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 ¼ cups reduced fat buttermilk
6 oz stout beer
1 egg, beaten
1 T molasses
1 T dark brown sugar
1T baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
1 t salt
1. To start, cook the meat and potato-squash topping
The first thing you want to do is get the meat cooking. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be, and once it is on the stove you can go about getting everything else ready without having to really think about it.
In a medium saucepan, sauté one finely chopped shallot in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about five minutes; season with salt. Increase the heat to medium high and add the cubed beef. Season with salt and pepper and let cook for about eight minutes, stirring often and making sure all sides get browned. Once browned, add in one and a half cups beef broth and the broccoli florets, stirring a bit to help submerge the broccoli. At this point the florets will not all be totally submerged, this is ok as they will cook down. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, cooking for at least one half hour, but ideally closer to a full hour. After about fifteen minutes, open the lid and stir the contents, breaking down the now soft broccoli with your spoon. Recover and continue to cook.
Once cooked you will remove the beef and add it to the filling, but be patient and read on and we will get there.
2. Cook the Potatoes and Butternut Squash
Start by cutting the potatoes into about two inch cubes. Personally, I like to leave the skin on my potatoes to add a little more substance to the topping, and frankly, I’ve never been afraid of a little extra fiber. If you want smooth and seamless mashed potatoes, feel free to remove the skin.
The squash is a different story. Halve it lengthwise, remove its seeds, and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut it into cubes about the size of your potatoes. Place both the squash and potatoes in a large pot of water on the stove, bring to boil, and cook until soft when pierced with a knife (note: the potatoes will take longer to cook than the squash, so they should be your determining factor of when the two are done).
Once cooked, strain the liquid and return the potatoes and squash to the pot used to cook them in. Mash them to a coarse consistency, then add in one tablespoon of olive oil, one half cup of beef broth, and the coarsely chopped fennel seeds. Continue to mash them to your desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. For the Filling
At this point, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
I like to bake my shepherd’s pie in a twelve-inch cast-iron skillet. You can do all the preliminary cooking in the same skillet for simplicity’s sake, or if you do not want to dirty another dish. But I find it much easier to sauté all the ingredients in a larger skillet or sauté pan, then transfer them to the smaller twelve incher. This way you have plenty of room to stir and are not constantly knocking little bits onto the stove, which means any time you saved by not having to wash another dish is now irrelevant because you now have to do a major stovetop scrub down.
Sauté the remaining four sliced shallots in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about five to seven minutes, stirring often, until beginning to soften; season with salt. Add in the sliced parsnips and cauliflower florets, continuing to stir.
With a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the saucepan and transfer it to the parsnip and cauliflower sauté, stirring to combine. Pour the melted broccoli into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the pureed broccoli over the beef and vegetables and stir well to combine, then stir in the radicchio and lemon thyme, and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Season with black pepper to taste.
If you are baking your pie in a separate dish, give it a quick shot of cooking spray, then transfer the filling. Spoon the mashed potato-squash-topping evenly over the filling and top with pumpkin seeds and desired amount of Pecorino-Romano cheese.
Place the assembled pie in the preheated oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
4. For the Soda Bread
There are a few things the pop culture media and network news absolutely love to report on, and second only to animal heroics are the health benefits of culinary vices such as alcohol and chocolate. Rest assured that not only does the stout in this soda bread add a complexity of flavor, it also improves your health at the same time…
Any stout, such as Guinness, will work just fine, but I strongly recommend going down to the corner store and seeing what some of your local microbreweries have to offer. There is not one microbrewery out there these days not offering a dark and flavorful stout, and it is just these types of details that really create the intriguing nuances in your food. Not to mention if you buy a six pack, you now have the perfect pairing for your meal.
One last quick note. While making this bread, unlike many recipes where all the wet ingredients are mixed then added to the dry, I like to omit the molasses when combining the other wet ingredients, then stir it into the already formed batter. Often times viscous ingredients like molasses or honey do not mix well with other wet ingredients, and are much easier to work with if added straight to the batter and gently stirred in.
Bake the Bread
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Mix all the wet ingredients, except for the molasses in a separate bowl, stirring well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then add the molasses, gently stirring to combine.
Dump the dough on a baking sheet or into a skillet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Note: Bread can be separated into two smaller loaves, or baked as one large loaf.
About The Author:
Casey grew up in the kitchen inspired by his mom and grandmother, who ran the catering and cooking instruction company, Cooking in the Canyon, in Brentwood, Ca. He has worked as a private chef and currently works with the catering company Gourmet Solutions. He received his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from UCLA, currently races for the NOW-MS elite amateur team, and coaches endurance athletes with Velo-Fit, llc.
• See more of Casey’s work online at his website: CulinaryCompetitor.com
• Contact Casey at Casey.b.Weaver@gmail.com.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
It is a healthy thing...
Gerdemann criticizes Armstrong comeback
Posted Oct. 30, 2008
Top German cyclist Linus Gerdemann, known for his staunch anti-doping stance, has criticized the return of Lance Armstrong to professional cycling, citing the doping suspicions — all of them unproven — that have dogged the seven-time Tour de France winner.
"This is not positive for the credibility of cycling," said Gerdemann, winner of the Tour of Germany. "But there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Regarded as the rider who could help restore cycling's credibility in Germany, where doping scandals have left it on the scrapheap, the 26-year-old Gerdemann claimed the first mountain stage of the 2007 Tour in his debut but missed this year's race, and the Beijing Olympics, because of a broken leg.
Gerdemann's sentiments echo those of German television chiefs at ARD and ZDF, who have refused to cover the Tour de France next year after a spate of high-profile doping scandals, including positive tests by German riders.
"For us, Armstrong is a piece of the past we don't want to see again," Rolf-Dieter Ganz, head of communications at ARD, told Die Welt newspaper on September 14.
"The future belongs to young riders, certainly not to Armstrong's generation, which we had hoped to have seen the back of."
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
From Velo News
The Explainer - Why not block?
Posted Oct. 29, 2008
Cancellara credits this win to effective blocking
Dear Explainer guy,
Why is blocking such a rarely used tactic? It seems that when there is a long breakaway that teams with riders in the break do not block or slow down the chase. Why is that? More typically, these riders do not take a turn at the front. I would think it would be better if those riders took their turn at the front and slowed the pace.
Cosmo Scrivanich
Hello Cosmo,
It does seem like there isn’t a lot of blocking going on in big races, but it does happen, albeit subtly.
First off, as I’m sure you know, the term “blocking” isn’t exactly precise. It sure as heck isn’t blocking in the sense that it is in American football. In cycling, blocking obviously doesn’t include physical contact. It’s more disrupting than it is blocking, but we’ll use the standard term, anyway.
Blocking is not really an overt tactic. It can’t be. If a team were simply to move to the front of the peloton en masse and slow the pace dramatically, it would serve only as a temporary disruption. In response, other teams would just move their riders to the front, punch it and fight to keep the blocking team from reaching the head of the peloton. The result would actually be a counterproductive increase in speed.
Successful blocking often takes a much more subtle approach. Teams intent on letting a break survive may move one or two riders up in the peloton. Those riders then “soft pedal” when riding in a pace line up front. They may also let a small gap develop as they ride through, forcing other riders to expend unnecessary energy closing that gap.
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In fact, much of the most successful “blocking” doesn’t take place at the very front of the field, but near the front. Riders can tuck in behind the chasing team’s workhorses and let small gaps form, forcing other riders to close the gap, or to slow the riders in the front.
If the tactic is too overt, it won’t work, as the disruptive riders are either forced out of the paceline or simply ignored in the rotation.
That said, there are some really terrific examples of riders using the technique to great effect. Perhaps the best recent example comes from the seventh stage of this year’s Tour de Suisse. With 5km remaining, CSC’s Fabian Cancellara launched one of his trademark solo attacks, just as the sprinters’ teams were ramping up the pace and trying to form up their finishing trains.
As the reigning world time trial champion, Cancellara was a perfect candidate to make that move and he held off the hard-charging peloton all the way to the line. But there was a moment when it looked like he might be caught in the final kilometer. Just as the gap began to narrow, Cancellara’s teammate Bobby Julich moved to the front of the chase, prompting a “WTF?” reaction from many watching from the sidelines.
Was Julich taking up the chase? It sure looked like it. But the American then allowed a small gap to form behind the rider at the very front of the chase, leaving just one rider to chase Cancellara. It didn’t take long for riders to counter the move and swarm past Julich, but the chase had been temporarily disrupted — long enough, it turned out, to allow Cancellara to reach the line two seconds ahead of the main field.
Cancellara knew where at least part of the credit belonged.
“I was alone out there, but the team really did its part to help me hold the gap," he said.
It’s fun to watch a race at those key moments and see whether anyone is employing tactics to disrupt a chase. It’s often hard to detect, but it's part of what makes bicycle racing so cool.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Dead Blog Again
So sorry my loyal readers. I know you are few but you are a distinguished lot deserving so much more than this meager blog offers. Alas, what a shame.
Anyway, the off-season continues. This thing called "work" has really picked up. I get many more last minute calls to fill in for a sick colleague. It is great to have a job right now but it is more difficult to train.
I came back from the last trip quite dilapidated. My power had dropped dramatically along with my endurance. Since then, I have been working on base period intervals, some long rides and a tempo session here or there. It is a slow process but my form is beginning to return. I don't want to enter build training at this juncture but I need to re-gain some of the lost form then hold it until the training season begins.
Otherwise, the kids and wife are great. Life is great if you don't read the papers or watch TV. I recently put great limits on the amount of TV, radio and internet time. Funny, I am much happier now! It's like that great Police song, "Too Much Information" from the album "Ghost in the Machine". You remember that one Giff?
Anyway, the off-season continues. This thing called "work" has really picked up. I get many more last minute calls to fill in for a sick colleague. It is great to have a job right now but it is more difficult to train.
I came back from the last trip quite dilapidated. My power had dropped dramatically along with my endurance. Since then, I have been working on base period intervals, some long rides and a tempo session here or there. It is a slow process but my form is beginning to return. I don't want to enter build training at this juncture but I need to re-gain some of the lost form then hold it until the training season begins.
Otherwise, the kids and wife are great. Life is great if you don't read the papers or watch TV. I recently put great limits on the amount of TV, radio and internet time. Funny, I am much happier now! It's like that great Police song, "Too Much Information" from the album "Ghost in the Machine". You remember that one Giff?
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Terra Cotta Soldiers Pit 1 Part 2
These pottery soldiers are thought to be the eighth wonder of the world. They date to around 200 BC.
Walking tour of Chogqing Part 1
My crew and I left the hotel and walked the city for an hour or so. Here's what we saw.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Leaving Helsinki
The three separate alarms I set go off in a symphony of noise welcoming me to a full day of airline travel. This is low key stuff compared to my normal pilot workday. Missing a wake-up call or a meeting time could be a major, major issue. Not so today. All we have to do is meet our driver and traverse the lonely streets of this town, negotiate the airport check-in and security and we are basically into relaxation mode.
As I sit, we have made it to the gate at Vantaa airport and even made a coffee and pastry stop. I commented in the limo that I could live here and I could. I told Jean that this is the "Land of the thin haired people." I might as well be strolling through an Anderson family reunion. Everybody looks familiar and has hair like Abby and me, (that is when I had hair). Whispy thin hair. The city is so clean. This is so remarkable after enduring the filth of China for a week.
Getting home means I can once again ride my bike. It has been ages. The last time I rode was the day of the Ann Arbor PH race. I needed the time off pretty badly. My bike thoughts now gravitate towards long fall-ish rides through Waterloo and beyond. CX?j Maybe but it isn't what sounds good. There are some maintenance issues awaiting me when I return. A couple of wheels need to be trued and some other little issues. Bikeboy and his sister are on a fall retreat with their school so It will be Mrs. A, Abby and myself for a couple of days.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Pilot's Nightmare
Getting sick on the road is just plain bad. Worse yet is getting sick on the road in a foreign country.
I awoke yesterday with a dull headache and abdominal pains. I new I was in for it because our flight attendent developed similar symptoms the day before. I didn't feel awful just not right. As the day progressed I became more and more sypmptomatic with headache and fatigue. The city we were in had tremendous pollution and it was raining. In those conditions it is more like "mudding" than raining. I began to wonder if it was the atmospheric conditions causing it but probably not.
I went to dinner with the crew and then excused myself because I needed to get some relief from the headache and fatigue. I went to my room and laid down. It was 5pm. The next thing I knew the clock read "1200 am". I got up sent some email then collapsed again until 6am! Still feeling poorly but much improved from the day before I went down for breakfast where I learned our third pilot on the crew had also been felled by this thing. He would not be available to fly. When I saw him I could see that he had an even worse case than I did.
As a side bar, I gotta tell you that this China thing gets really old. Finding a smoke free zone can be really difficult at times. Restaurants, non-smoking hotel rooms, hotel lobbys, elevators are all frequently smoked up. Industrial towns like the one were in have smog so think you could cut it with a knife. You should see the mess the mudding made out of our jet! Streaks of dirt are running down the sides where rain fell then dragged mud down the side of the fuselage. Nasty, nasty, nasty. The pollution thing is so bad here and it doesn't seem like there is any plan to fix it. More cars are going to be on the roads not less. They are building more refineries to produce more gasoline which will produce more pollution.
Last night we landed in the next town and rode to the hotel. I had a dull headache that was very tolerable. Well, that changed as the evening progressed. I met the crew for dinner and by the time that was over I had what can only be termed a migraine-like headache. Just being awake was terrible. I crashed at around 9pm but was in and out of sleep because my head was bumpin' so much. At around 3am I took Ibuprofin and awoke at 6am headache free!! As I write I feel almost normal.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ugly Americans
We landed in Guilin, China today which is a very beautiful place. Oddly formed mountains rocket up to the sky in myriad shapes and sizes. That being the case, many westerners touring China stop here. My crew was having a night-cap in the bar and we were able to observe Americans ordering drinks and just getting along. First off, we are all fat. No question. We are fat compared to the rest of the world. Next, we expect the world to conform to us. This fellow waltzes up to the bar and proceeds to order the most bizarre martini I have ever heard. Imagine you are Chinese and you basically know a trade language which in this case is a very limited range of mixed drinks. As he explained it was clear the bartender had no idea what he was asking. They brought in a second who knew more English. This also flammed out. The American got frustrated but what did he expect? The bartenders were patient and kind but struggled to understand just exactly what this guy wanted.
Why do we think the world must revolve around us? Unless you speak Chinese, you better plan on some minor inconveniences when it comes to such things. This morning, my hotel bill was messed up. I made one attempt at getting it fixed, (the error was in my favor), but I could see it was going to lead to massive confusion at a time when the hotel clerk was totally alone. I dropped back and punted the issue away. This is what you have to do when travelling internationally. If you can't speak the language be prepared to be flexible. Just because your from the U.S. you can't expect the rest of the world to understand what your life experience is all about. You can't and won't get "it" the way you want "it".
Why do we think the world must revolve around us? Unless you speak Chinese, you better plan on some minor inconveniences when it comes to such things. This morning, my hotel bill was messed up. I made one attempt at getting it fixed, (the error was in my favor), but I could see it was going to lead to massive confusion at a time when the hotel clerk was totally alone. I dropped back and punted the issue away. This is what you have to do when travelling internationally. If you can't speak the language be prepared to be flexible. Just because your from the U.S. you can't expect the rest of the world to understand what your life experience is all about. You can't and won't get "it" the way you want "it".
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Still out on the road
Hey all. Anchorage is in my rear view mirror and I am somewhere in Asia twelve time zones away from home. We flew out last Saturday and are working our way back around the globe. After a few more stops in Asia we fly on to Helsinki where we hand the keys to the jet over to a relief crew. That crew will continue on to another destination while we cool it for a day before riding NWA back to the D.
I have taken some pics but for some reason I can't upload anything on Blogger. Being able to make an entry here is a big improvement. Maybe next time I'll be able to use all the available features.
The name of the game here is high humidity, pollution and temperature. Lots and lots of people and cars. You really appreciate the good 'ole USA. We live in, bar none, the best country on the planet! All the malcontents need to hit the road for a bit and see how the rest of the world has to live. Just breathing clean air is amazing or experiencing a crystal clear day. We take all that for granted. Folks over here just don't have those days.
I have taken some pics but for some reason I can't upload anything on Blogger. Being able to make an entry here is a big improvement. Maybe next time I'll be able to use all the available features.
The name of the game here is high humidity, pollution and temperature. Lots and lots of people and cars. You really appreciate the good 'ole USA. We live in, bar none, the best country on the planet! All the malcontents need to hit the road for a bit and see how the rest of the world has to live. Just breathing clean air is amazing or experiencing a crystal clear day. We take all that for granted. Folks over here just don't have those days.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Anchorage
Another trip another beginning city. I left Detroit this morning and flew on NWA to Seattle. From there I flew Alaska Airlines to Anchorage. It was a nice day of travel except for the couple in front of me on the way to Anchorage. They behaved as if the entire business class area was their living room howling and carrying on.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Here's to you Ray!
Happy birthday Ray, AKA "Big Ray", AKA "Dybo", AKA "You make me hurt so bad", Dybowski! You're an inspiration to us all!
A Happy Ending
There a lot of quality folks in the cycling community. Oscar, owner of Great lakes Cycling and Fitness, is certainly one of those. Both he and his service manager were upset that Ritchey had given me less than good service on my broken wheel. I went in today to check on the status of the missing paperwork and Oscar said he was going to get involved directly. A few hours later he called me to say that I can pick up my wheel. When I asked about the charges he told me that there wouldn't be any!!! No shipping, no crash replacement, nothing! He stepped up to bat for me even though I am not a regular customer of his. That has all changed. Let me encourage all of you in the AA area to throw some business his way. Way to go Oscar! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The decision is...
Thanks for all the input. I ordered the 566 because it is red. Ray says they go faster so that ends it. Thanks Ray! Really, I did order it but in the end it is about re-sale value. Sadly, I don't think it comes in red if you order it with SRAM Rival which I did.
Still no word on my broken Ritchey wheel.
Tomorrow is packing day. I hit the road Thursday for another twelve days. Let's hope things settle down for a while after this.
Still no word on my broken Ritchey wheel.
Tomorrow is packing day. I hit the road Thursday for another twelve days. Let's hope things settle down for a while after this.
New Bike
I am looking at a price differential between a brand new Look 566 and a very slightly used Look 555 of $400. This would be James' bike for next year. We are moving him into a size medium frame. The fit doesn't look too bad right now so I am confident he will grow into it nicely. Should I go new or slightly used?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Off Season Day 5: Lions Football
Now that is how you lose a football game my friends. These guys are taking this fine art to a whole new level. I'm a huge pessimist went it comes to this team it is hard to find anyone who is more doubtful that they can figure out a creative ways to lose a game but c'mon! You're winning by one point after a major come back with minutes left in the game and you end up losing by over 20 points! That's a quality loss my friends...quality.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Day 2...Bikeboy's Soccer Game
Here I am in the stands watching the Wildcats take on Clissfield Christian. BB looks good so far making solid passes. It's Wildcats 6 Blissfield 0 with 6:37 leftin the first half.
Ritchey Rant
After 3 months my broken now repaired Carbon wheel tha( I broke at Allen Park finally arrived. I asked how much and they shrugged and said,"dunno". Ritchey sent the wheel with no accompaning paperwork. So, I left the wheel with the shop instead of giving them a credit card number. My plan is to write the "Mother of all Complaint Letters" when I can present with the proof.
For contrast, a friend of my sent a broken Zipp in and got it back in. a week. As always, buyer beware.
Wildcats 8 Blissfield 0 at the half.
Ritchey Rant
After 3 months my broken now repaired Carbon wheel tha( I broke at Allen Park finally arrived. I asked how much and they shrugged and said,"dunno". Ritchey sent the wheel with no accompaning paperwork. So, I left the wheel with the shop instead of giving them a credit card number. My plan is to write the "Mother of all Complaint Letters" when I can present with the proof.
For contrast, a friend of my sent a broken Zipp in and got it back in. a week. As always, buyer beware.
Wildcats 8 Blissfield 0 at the half.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thus begins a long series of inane, boring off season posts...Episode I: Diets
Transition has begun for me which means dieting has begun. This year I am going to make it down to a new fighting weight of 150 pounds. That means I need to lose around 8 pounds before I start base training. It actual feels good to eat less after a season filled with excess. If I can't train at least I can do something that will help me to ride faster next year.
For me, the first step is always to completely cut out refined sugars. Once I get a few days between me and the last cookie my ability to fight the hunger cravings greatly improves. Tonight I dined on a salad while flying to New York. "Hold the dressing please. I'll go without." Not only that, I left the cheese.
Aren't you glad you stopped by today?
For me, the first step is always to completely cut out refined sugars. Once I get a few days between me and the last cookie my ability to fight the hunger cravings greatly improves. Tonight I dined on a salad while flying to New York. "Hold the dressing please. I'll go without." Not only that, I left the cheese.
Aren't you glad you stopped by today?
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
for DMO
DMO, check out this video from the Grand Rapids race last Saturday. At :25 seconds a crash takes place that takes me out along with a Coastie and one of those pink dudes. The guy with the camera caused the crash I'm told. All I know is I was riding a straight line and then, boom, I am on the ground facing backward about to be run over while skidding atop the Coastie. He suffered way more than me. The rider with the camera, (John Coyle), goes on to win the race. The course was very technical and it was hard to move up. My thinking is that people started to push it a little to gain position on this the second to last lap. Check this out though. It is a really cool video.
Eric and Giff did a great job fighting for position. Eric ended up 4th and Giff was 7th.I was out on Sunday so I'll let the others tell the tale.
Monday, September 08, 2008
After the crash
Yesterday's race didn't really work out for me and that's fine. I was praying about the race on Saturday night and it struck me that I was placing the bike and racing in front of God. Long story short, I decided I would go to church and take my chances on getting to the race in Ann Arbor.
The race previous to mine was delayed which gave me the opportunity to get things together in time. Problems developed as I began my warm up. After the crash on Saturday, I straightened my handlebars. The crash wrenched them pretty badly. Well, during the warm up I noticed some play in the headset. The SRAM neutral support lent me some tools to fix it but no dice. It was still loose. Time was running out now and I was seriously worried that I had cracked the steerer tube in the race the day before. There was no way I was going to race on that course at that speed with a steerer tube that might give way and leave me doing a very poor impersonation of George Hincapie. At least he didn't have buildings, cars and signs to run into.
After pulling my handlebars completely off, pulling the fork out and inspecting the tube I determined that it was sound. The problem must have been in my adjustment at the SRAM tent. It was then that I heard the start.
James was a bit disappointed but it was really okay with me. I don't know how well I would have done on that course with my gimpy leg.
The racing was awesome! Kudos to my team mates, Eric, Giff and Zach who absolutely killed it! Well done men!!
The race previous to mine was delayed which gave me the opportunity to get things together in time. Problems developed as I began my warm up. After the crash on Saturday, I straightened my handlebars. The crash wrenched them pretty badly. Well, during the warm up I noticed some play in the headset. The SRAM neutral support lent me some tools to fix it but no dice. It was still loose. Time was running out now and I was seriously worried that I had cracked the steerer tube in the race the day before. There was no way I was going to race on that course at that speed with a steerer tube that might give way and leave me doing a very poor impersonation of George Hincapie. At least he didn't have buildings, cars and signs to run into.
After pulling my handlebars completely off, pulling the fork out and inspecting the tube I determined that it was sound. The problem must have been in my adjustment at the SRAM tent. It was then that I heard the start.
James was a bit disappointed but it was really okay with me. I don't know how well I would have done on that course with my gimpy leg.
The racing was awesome! Kudos to my team mates, Eric, Giff and Zach who absolutely killed it! Well done men!!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Live from Grand Rapids!
Hey all. I'm coming to you now from the Priority Health Cycling Classic. The action is fast and a bit dangerous today as this course is very technical. The pro's are on the course right now. They have 60 minutes to go. Four are off the front representing Bissel, Priority Health, Successful Living and Texas Roadhouse. It looks like it is coming back. Yes, that four man break has been caught and Karl Menzies of Health Net is attacking.
My race went well right up until the crash. These things happen in bike racing. I am grateful to God that no one was seriously hurt. I have some bruises. I fared much better that the guy I landed on.
Menzies attack went nowhere. Now it is Paul Martin on the attack.
Every field has had multiple crashes with the exception of the women. I guess they just make better drivers.
James is selling Jittery Joes stuff for SLC.
Martin's attack has been neutralized.
Well, that's all for now.
My race went well right up until the crash. These things happen in bike racing. I am grateful to God that no one was seriously hurt. I have some bruises. I fared much better that the guy I landed on.
Menzies attack went nowhere. Now it is Paul Martin on the attack.
Every field has had multiple crashes with the exception of the women. I guess they just make better drivers.
James is selling Jittery Joes stuff for SLC.
Martin's attack has been neutralized.
Well, that's all for now.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Jet Lag
It is a little shocking to me that my little trip 6 time zones west has left me with serious jet lag! Last May, I traveled around the world and had less of a problem. It may be the length of time I spent in that time zone that caused the problem. I am falling asleep in the middle of the day and waking up at 5-6am after only 6 hours of sleep. Four days of this is usually the maximum so hopefully today is it.
Yesterday's ride got put off until after dinner and then the rains came. So, another day on the trainer.
Yesterday's ride got put off until after dinner and then the rains came. So, another day on the trainer.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Racing
It should be an interesting outing this weekend as I ride my first crit since I don't know when. Go easy on me Kroske, okay? I'm not comin' at you like a spider monkey this time. Conversely, I'm comin' at you like a timid sheep seeking a friendly wheel. I pray God, don't let me get dropped!! Oh the shame!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Homebound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am about to leave the hotel to board NWA nonstop to the "D"!! Watch out Mrs. Anderson, here I come! BTW, it is our anniversary tomorrow. Feel free to send email to dander10@comcast.net and congratulate her on 19 years of putting up with me. She's a saintly woman folks!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Goin' Mobile
Tonight we fly my friends! Oahu is beautiful but I say enough.
I managed one on bike ride this week and four stationary bike sessions. Yesterday, I attempted VO2max intervals with just a heart rate monitor. Ouch! I got four of them done and bailed. It really, really hurt by the time I got to the fourth interval.
Here's a picture took at the beach the other day with the paraglider.
I managed one on bike ride this week and four stationary bike sessions. Yesterday, I attempted VO2max intervals with just a heart rate monitor. Ouch! I got four of them done and bailed. It really, really hurt by the time I got to the fourth interval.
Here's a picture took at the beach the other day with the paraglider.
Friday, August 29, 2008
It seems like this trip is endless. It was two weeks ago today that I left the "D" and I won't be home until next Tuesday! Many think this job is glamorous and yes, it can be, but if I had my 'druthers, I would be back in my little vinyl sided house in Saline chasing Mrs. Anderson around to the chagrin of her kids. Embarrassing them is my life's ambition!
Today was body surfing day. I went to this little beach and the surf was just right. The first beach's waves bordered on the obscene. They were just enormous. I stopped there on the way home and just watched body surfers and boogie boarders kill it...almost literally.
While awaiting a wave, I noticed the a crowd gathering on the beach and pointing in my direction. They began to shout something I couldn't discern over the sound of the waves. Concerned, I made my way to the beach when I could hear one of them yelling, "Stingray!" Big deal. Who's afraid of a little stingray? Well, it turns out this was a different kind of ray something like a Manta Ray. It had no tail and beautiful speckles on the underside of its wings. We were allowed to swim up close and examine and when the ray had enough it just left.
About this time I looked up and saw para-gliders. The beach is on the windward side of the island with a bluff which forced the trade wind straight up the bluff. The para gliders jumped off the bluff and spent well over an hour soaring. Later I noticed a hang glider that was covering serious distance. He flew into and out of view, could be seen far in the distance before returning to land on the beach.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
One for The Cat
Doug wanted more pictures of bikini clad women. I have this offering. This lady was waaaaaay pregnant. She climbed down a rock ledge to get to this beach in her bikini with her baby leaning over its edge. Hopefully, Doug won't clamor for more bikinis after this one.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Touring the North Shore
Here's a pic from Sunset Beach on the North Shore. You might not appreciate the steepness of the grade but it was large enough that kids were sledding down it picking up good speed before plowing into huge waves that broke right on the beach. The way the waves broke reminded me of Kanopoli beach on the island of Maui. We put our kids in that water when they were much smaller and I almost lost two in the first few moments of our vacation. After a quick rescue, we decided to find more appropriate beach for the them!Turtles
After looking some of the island over yesterday I decided to take a closer look today. I shot some video in this little cove that was very popular with the turtle population. The video is poor quality but if you look closely you can see them.
I am not a Honolulu fan but I am now an Oahu fan. The north shore beaches are very cool. I spent some time swimming Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay both sites where the big winter waves hit.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Oahu Ride
Check out these pics from my ride out of Honolulu today. I rode out counterclockwise out of Honolulu to the Marine Corps Base at Kano' he Bay.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Away
Blogs thrive when they are meticulously maintained and updated. That must mean mine is dying. I sit down to write and I just can't make anything happen. Sorry. I haven't ridden my bike in a week. James has made it onto the hotel bike a couple of times.
Jean and the kids got into town on Saturday which coincided with "Seattle Hempfest 2008". All I can say is, wow. Throngs of shirtless tattooed lovers of hemp. They scared the kids a little but seemed pretty harmless. The sad thing to me was how they were using the plight of the disabled to further their cause. It was all too obvious that the vast majority of these folks were stoners.
They walked by the disabled in their wheel chairs hauling their bong pipes not even batting an eye. Medical marijuana appears to be a lame and inconsiderate way to pry open a door to legalization. Now, I am not one to make a big deal out of such things. If we want legal marijuana is it all that different from legalized alcohol? But to trot these poor folks out and run over them in an obviously insincere ploy at a sympathetic legislative response is just reprehensible. 'Nuff said.On Sunday we attended Mars Hill Church in Ballard. This church and it's planting network have become pretty visible in the circles I travel. It is sort of a grunge church if that makes any se
nse. The music was led by a band that had us sing a lot of material they have written and recorded. The worship pastor preached for at least an hour and it was great! We were challenged to address idols in our lives and deal with it right then and there. I loved it and need it.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Last Crit Practice
AAVC crit practice continues until the end of the month for most but not for me. I leave on a long trip Thursday that will take me away from the "D" until after Labor Day. It seems like my season has come to an end. God willing, I'll make a descent showing at the PH races but it will be tough considering the interruption in my training and the field composition at that event.
The last crit practice is always a solemn thing for me as it marks not only the end of the road season but the end of summer. My season was marked by training interruptions and didn't flower liked I hoped it would. That's okay though. My team had a good year and it has been crash free so far.
We raced the usual short races with one long 20K race. Some of the usual suspects were absent making the field a little more tame this night. Regardless, my power file shows I raced hard. I noticed that my right handlebar drop felt like it was flexing some. I didn't think much about it until the last race when I mentioned to anyone who wanted to hear that I thought my handle bar was broken. It wasn't obviously broken just more flex than I was used to. The end of that race saw me laying down a 1200 + watt sprint. On the warm down lap I commented again and James Knight said, " Oh yeah, that's broken." I unwrapped the bar tape and found a crack at about two inches below the shifter. It wasn't until today that I contemplated my fate had that bar come apart at 33 mph on the final sprint!
On another note, I broke down Ada's performance a little more after Saris sent me a new downloader, (I sheared the top off the old one). I produced 292 watts for 50 minutes in M45+ race at 174 bpm average. After recovering for a couple of hours, I was only able to produce 250 watts with the same average HR. Let me tell you, a cat 3 race looks a whole lot different at 250 watts than it does at my usual 280-290! I was working hard to not get dropped.
The last crit practice is always a solemn thing for me as it marks not only the end of the road season but the end of summer. My season was marked by training interruptions and didn't flower liked I hoped it would. That's okay though. My team had a good year and it has been crash free so far.
We raced the usual short races with one long 20K race. Some of the usual suspects were absent making the field a little more tame this night. Regardless, my power file shows I raced hard. I noticed that my right handlebar drop felt like it was flexing some. I didn't think much about it until the last race when I mentioned to anyone who wanted to hear that I thought my handle bar was broken. It wasn't obviously broken just more flex than I was used to. The end of that race saw me laying down a 1200 + watt sprint. On the warm down lap I commented again and James Knight said, " Oh yeah, that's broken." I unwrapped the bar tape and found a crack at about two inches below the shifter. It wasn't until today that I contemplated my fate had that bar come apart at 33 mph on the final sprint!
On another note, I broke down Ada's performance a little more after Saris sent me a new downloader, (I sheared the top off the old one). I produced 292 watts for 50 minutes in M45+ race at 174 bpm average. After recovering for a couple of hours, I was only able to produce 250 watts with the same average HR. Let me tell you, a cat 3 race looks a whole lot different at 250 watts than it does at my usual 280-290! I was working hard to not get dropped.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hines Park TT
We were greeted by one of the coldest days of the summer when we awoke at 5:00 am Sunday for the Hines Park TT. James, Maria, Abby and myself loaded the bikes and hit the road at 530 am for the ritual stop at Starbucks before driving to Nankin Mills for the race.
Almost immediately after arriving, the wind began to stir which is a bad omen at 630 am. That would be the main feature of the race this day. Steady winds blowing out of the northwest yielding a tailwind for half the course and a headwind for the other half. This begs the question; does this result in a faster course, a slower course or null effect? I somehow remember a fragment of my college days that say drag doesn't increase linearly with an increase in speed. Dr. Speed, can you help? If I am right, this day's conditions result in a slower course but I will defer to those who have the letters before and after their name.
Maria helped me get the kids ready so that I was able to get a reasonable warm up in. James and Abby both got off without a hitch. James turned in a 31:34 which is a new personal best. Abby turned in a 46:?? cutting a minute off her 20K from earlier in the year.
After multiple trips to the bathroom, I hit the road at 8:54 am. Riding downwind was a hoot as my speed was over 30 mph for much of the time. Then the turn around and the inevitable slowdown. My power looked good holding steady at 300 watts and the average speed steadily fell. I watched it drift down rapidly into the 28 mph range then it slowed and began to settle in the 27 mph range. It clicked down slowly from there. I knew it was going to be a good time but I was loosing hope that I would equal last years Hines time of 27:14. The wind was pretty strong and I sensed the rider who could best get out of the wind was the one who had the best chance. I hunkered down as low as I could go and suffered on.
There wasn't a lot left as I saw the finish coming into view but I dialed it up to 500 watts and proceeded to blow myself up. When I crossed the line I was just happy it was over. It hurt a lot this time around. The last few miles I was thinking about the team TT coming up and that I really didn't want to do it.
No one noticed my time so I rode back to my car to get some recovery going. Giff came over with the run down on everything. He asked, "What time do you think you got?" I said, "27:30". "Wrong, 27:03," said Giff. So I won right? Nope. Third place. A 27:03 nabbed a third place in a cat 3 20K! My time from last year won by 30 seconds. This time I missed second place by a whopping 15/100's of a second and first by four! It is too bad we don't have announcers like Phil and Paul who could showcase this kind of competition. No one there realized the battle royal that was raging for this race. Pretty cool really. The winner, Steve Andriese took 4th overall with the second place finisher Jimi Minnema in 6th and myself in 7th. Considering the overall winner was Graham Howard, a pro from Bissel, I would say the cat 3's were outrageously fast this day.
My TTT partner John Burrows was working hard at recovery along with me. I was trying everything in box of tricks to get myself together in the hour and fifteen minutes I had between races. It didn't look too good until right before the start. When we rolled up I felt like I was ready to race and as we flew downwind I realized I was feeling better than I did in the first go. We battled the wind but the elements and tired old legs did us in as we crossed the line at 28:04 good for 4th place. Dybo and Kroske whooped us pretty good for 3rd. I came at Scott like a "spider monkey" but he fought me off this time! Dybo isn't afraid of monkeys apparently.
Almost immediately after arriving, the wind began to stir which is a bad omen at 630 am. That would be the main feature of the race this day. Steady winds blowing out of the northwest yielding a tailwind for half the course and a headwind for the other half. This begs the question; does this result in a faster course, a slower course or null effect? I somehow remember a fragment of my college days that say drag doesn't increase linearly with an increase in speed. Dr. Speed, can you help? If I am right, this day's conditions result in a slower course but I will defer to those who have the letters before and after their name.
Maria helped me get the kids ready so that I was able to get a reasonable warm up in. James and Abby both got off without a hitch. James turned in a 31:34 which is a new personal best. Abby turned in a 46:?? cutting a minute off her 20K from earlier in the year.
After multiple trips to the bathroom, I hit the road at 8:54 am. Riding downwind was a hoot as my speed was over 30 mph for much of the time. Then the turn around and the inevitable slowdown. My power looked good holding steady at 300 watts and the average speed steadily fell. I watched it drift down rapidly into the 28 mph range then it slowed and began to settle in the 27 mph range. It clicked down slowly from there. I knew it was going to be a good time but I was loosing hope that I would equal last years Hines time of 27:14. The wind was pretty strong and I sensed the rider who could best get out of the wind was the one who had the best chance. I hunkered down as low as I could go and suffered on.
There wasn't a lot left as I saw the finish coming into view but I dialed it up to 500 watts and proceeded to blow myself up. When I crossed the line I was just happy it was over. It hurt a lot this time around. The last few miles I was thinking about the team TT coming up and that I really didn't want to do it.
No one noticed my time so I rode back to my car to get some recovery going. Giff came over with the run down on everything. He asked, "What time do you think you got?" I said, "27:30". "Wrong, 27:03," said Giff. So I won right? Nope. Third place. A 27:03 nabbed a third place in a cat 3 20K! My time from last year won by 30 seconds. This time I missed second place by a whopping 15/100's of a second and first by four! It is too bad we don't have announcers like Phil and Paul who could showcase this kind of competition. No one there realized the battle royal that was raging for this race. Pretty cool really. The winner, Steve Andriese took 4th overall with the second place finisher Jimi Minnema in 6th and myself in 7th. Considering the overall winner was Graham Howard, a pro from Bissel, I would say the cat 3's were outrageously fast this day.
My TTT partner John Burrows was working hard at recovery along with me. I was trying everything in box of tricks to get myself together in the hour and fifteen minutes I had between races. It didn't look too good until right before the start. When we rolled up I felt like I was ready to race and as we flew downwind I realized I was feeling better than I did in the first go. We battled the wind but the elements and tired old legs did us in as we crossed the line at 28:04 good for 4th place. Dybo and Kroske whooped us pretty good for 3rd. I came at Scott like a "spider monkey" but he fought me off this time! Dybo isn't afraid of monkeys apparently.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Ada Criterium
Not a great day out for me for a couple of reasons. First, when my legs were working my head wasn't and when my legs quite working, well, you can guess the rest.
I took sixth in the master's 45+ after burning match after match either trying to chase or form my own break. Neither happened. The flyer stayed away and I was left to my own devices on the last lap. I was all goofed up and shot to the front instead of doing what I have learned to do in crit practice. Stay five riders back, within striking range and follow the wheels to the sprint. The first rider will be toast and I could allow the others to lead me out. Instead, I went for a gap on the last lap resulting in a splendid lead-out for the rest of the field. Like I said, not a great day out. In retrospect, I should have shelved the whole thing and saved my matches for the cat 3 race which was more like a cat 1-2 field. It was very, very fast. It could have been perception on my part due to tired legs and one hard race already under my belt but it seemed like the pace just wouldn't slacken. It finally let up a little, (my heart rate dipped to 165 bpm), then away we went again. When I realized the pace was never going to slow and allow me the sort of natural push to the front I dialed it up to make my way to the front. As soon as I did this my legs cramped so badly I couldn't turn the pedals over. There wasn't a choice to be made. I was completely toasted. My legs no longer worked as a means to pedal a bike. I rolled though the judge's stand and retired.
The 1-2 race was a thrill to watch as usual. The Bell's beer tent made for a nice area to socialize. Overall, I have to say, I love this venue. I only wish more people would come out and give this beautiful sport a look. Men and women are absolutely giving their all to compete. I love being there as a spectator every bit as much as a bike racer.
We are looking forward to next year.
I took sixth in the master's 45+ after burning match after match either trying to chase or form my own break. Neither happened. The flyer stayed away and I was left to my own devices on the last lap. I was all goofed up and shot to the front instead of doing what I have learned to do in crit practice. Stay five riders back, within striking range and follow the wheels to the sprint. The first rider will be toast and I could allow the others to lead me out. Instead, I went for a gap on the last lap resulting in a splendid lead-out for the rest of the field. Like I said, not a great day out. In retrospect, I should have shelved the whole thing and saved my matches for the cat 3 race which was more like a cat 1-2 field. It was very, very fast. It could have been perception on my part due to tired legs and one hard race already under my belt but it seemed like the pace just wouldn't slacken. It finally let up a little, (my heart rate dipped to 165 bpm), then away we went again. When I realized the pace was never going to slow and allow me the sort of natural push to the front I dialed it up to make my way to the front. As soon as I did this my legs cramped so badly I couldn't turn the pedals over. There wasn't a choice to be made. I was completely toasted. My legs no longer worked as a means to pedal a bike. I rolled though the judge's stand and retired.
The 1-2 race was a thrill to watch as usual. The Bell's beer tent made for a nice area to socialize. Overall, I have to say, I love this venue. I only wish more people would come out and give this beautiful sport a look. Men and women are absolutely giving their all to compete. I love being there as a spectator every bit as much as a bike racer.
We are looking forward to next year.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Troy Classic
Because of the dearth of Michigan racing this month, we made the decision to venture into Ohio to see how it is done in the land of the nut. Troy is one of Dayton's bedroom communities located about ten miles north. The race course is situated right in center of town featuring multiple turns. The last turn before the finish is on a traffic circle that orbits the city's water fountain. It was a very cool setting with amazingly smooth pavement. No potholes but there was some hot tar that had to be negotiated.
James and Abby rode the junior race at noon. Abby won and James took third. It was already smokin' hot by the time they hit the course. James crashed on the tar his last time by the fountain on his way to the sprint. He looked very, very good against two very fast racers his own age. It's a shame he went down because he was seriously in the hunt for a win.
The cat 3's & 4's went off around 2pm. By then it was even hotter. We lined up myself, Giff, Steve and Craig in a 50-60 rider field. From the whistle I hammered for the first lap shooting to the front by the first turn. I get some kind of primal thrill out of this. There have been so many races when I go out easy and some dude throws down the hammer and I am sort of taken aback by it. Nerves are frayed at the beginning of the race and you don't know what to expect and that initial attack leaves me feeling out of control. Jumping out there and doing it to everyone else gives me some kind of psychological boost. It must look crazy but I think it helps clear my head.
The race is sort of blur to me now. I stayed at the front trying like heck to get away. It was tough though. There were a few opportunities but nothing would stick. Not knowing most of those OH racers didn't help either. I was in a good position to take an opportunistic prime at about the midpoint. I was sitting about five riders back and no one was jumping. It wasn't my first choice but I decided I should take a shot and just keep going. I missed the prime by a wheel but got a gap. One rider followed but again, nothing.
One of the riders who always seemed to be at the front was this rider from "Mortgage Cycle". At least that was what was written on his rear. He had the physique of a bike racer but he lacked the all important ability to not run into stuff. On one occasion, he came out of the traffic circle and very nearly clipped the curb with me on his wheel. Close one. Later, he did something very similar at another corner, again, with me on his wheel. This time he apologized. These close calls didn't impact my race they only reminded me how close I was to a really spectacular crash with stretchers and ambulances, etc.. His third gaff cost me the race. I was in the groove feeling great and heading into the last half of the last one mile lap three wheels back. When I have a great chance at a win I can feel it. I don't know what it is but I can just feel it. Maybe it is fifty minutes of evaluating the field,my legs, reserves, position, etc., and just knowing I have a great chance. Well, Mortgage Cycle was right in front of me, again, and he had a problem making a right hander just before the traffic circle and the finishing straight. This ended up forcing me toward the barricade on the outside of the turn. It looked like I was going to crash. Brakes, swerve, riders go by and my great chance has just turned to dust. I don't know how many went by but there had to be at least ten riders in front of me now and I had just lost five to ten mph. The only thing I could do was to jump as hard as I could and try and take back as much as possible. I risked it going through the traffic circle by keeping the speed up then hit the sprint. I recorded 1214 watts max power and crossed the line in fourth place. At the time, I had no idea how I did. I was so gassed it took half a lap to catch my breath. When the results came out I was fairly pleased.
Giff was right behind me in seventh (?). For much of the race Giff was up front trying to do the same thing as me so we were sort of tag-teaming. He would go for the break and I would block then we would switch up. Craig took a crack at it also. The average speed was around 26mph for the entire race making an escape difficult with so few team mates in the field.
We stayed for the 1/2/3 race which was awesome. It was 50 laps or around 55 miles in 90F heat. Chris and Tony signed up for the race. Tony finished with the pack and Chris cracked the top 15!
James and Abby rode the junior race at noon. Abby won and James took third. It was already smokin' hot by the time they hit the course. James crashed on the tar his last time by the fountain on his way to the sprint. He looked very, very good against two very fast racers his own age. It's a shame he went down because he was seriously in the hunt for a win.
The cat 3's & 4's went off around 2pm. By then it was even hotter. We lined up myself, Giff, Steve and Craig in a 50-60 rider field. From the whistle I hammered for the first lap shooting to the front by the first turn. I get some kind of primal thrill out of this. There have been so many races when I go out easy and some dude throws down the hammer and I am sort of taken aback by it. Nerves are frayed at the beginning of the race and you don't know what to expect and that initial attack leaves me feeling out of control. Jumping out there and doing it to everyone else gives me some kind of psychological boost. It must look crazy but I think it helps clear my head.
The race is sort of blur to me now. I stayed at the front trying like heck to get away. It was tough though. There were a few opportunities but nothing would stick. Not knowing most of those OH racers didn't help either. I was in a good position to take an opportunistic prime at about the midpoint. I was sitting about five riders back and no one was jumping. It wasn't my first choice but I decided I should take a shot and just keep going. I missed the prime by a wheel but got a gap. One rider followed but again, nothing.
One of the riders who always seemed to be at the front was this rider from "Mortgage Cycle". At least that was what was written on his rear. He had the physique of a bike racer but he lacked the all important ability to not run into stuff. On one occasion, he came out of the traffic circle and very nearly clipped the curb with me on his wheel. Close one. Later, he did something very similar at another corner, again, with me on his wheel. This time he apologized. These close calls didn't impact my race they only reminded me how close I was to a really spectacular crash with stretchers and ambulances, etc.. His third gaff cost me the race. I was in the groove feeling great and heading into the last half of the last one mile lap three wheels back. When I have a great chance at a win I can feel it. I don't know what it is but I can just feel it. Maybe it is fifty minutes of evaluating the field,my legs, reserves, position, etc., and just knowing I have a great chance. Well, Mortgage Cycle was right in front of me, again, and he had a problem making a right hander just before the traffic circle and the finishing straight. This ended up forcing me toward the barricade on the outside of the turn. It looked like I was going to crash. Brakes, swerve, riders go by and my great chance has just turned to dust. I don't know how many went by but there had to be at least ten riders in front of me now and I had just lost five to ten mph. The only thing I could do was to jump as hard as I could and try and take back as much as possible. I risked it going through the traffic circle by keeping the speed up then hit the sprint. I recorded 1214 watts max power and crossed the line in fourth place. At the time, I had no idea how I did. I was so gassed it took half a lap to catch my breath. When the results came out I was fairly pleased.
Giff was right behind me in seventh (?). For much of the race Giff was up front trying to do the same thing as me so we were sort of tag-teaming. He would go for the break and I would block then we would switch up. Craig took a crack at it also. The average speed was around 26mph for the entire race making an escape difficult with so few team mates in the field.
We stayed for the 1/2/3 race which was awesome. It was 50 laps or around 55 miles in 90F heat. Chris and Tony signed up for the race. Tony finished with the pack and Chris cracked the top 15!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Not Feeling it...again
We came home Sunday night after the MS150 and attempted to turn the water back on in the house. When we did, the valve froze. Sunday night and the first valve after water enters the house from the city freezes up. Not good. Call the plumber, call the city, pray a little and by 1100pm we had water again and a $230 bill.
I was up by 0400am to fly a full day. The flight attendant asked how I was doing around 2pm and I told her I was wide awake but it was artificial. That night I got to bed at midnight then up early to get BB to his annual physical by 850 am. Basically, I was cooked. In spite of this I went to crit practice and got shredded. It was just plain ugly. So, I rested yesterday and went out to Willow for some work with one of my athletes today in the heat. Geez it was hot. My watch said 92F but it didn't feel a degree over 95F.
I rode 3 x 15's and felt pretty good in spite of the heat. My power file looked pretty good so I think I am back. Tomorrow it is back to work so I am off to bed now.
I was up by 0400am to fly a full day. The flight attendant asked how I was doing around 2pm and I told her I was wide awake but it was artificial. That night I got to bed at midnight then up early to get BB to his annual physical by 850 am. Basically, I was cooked. In spite of this I went to crit practice and got shredded. It was just plain ugly. So, I rested yesterday and went out to Willow for some work with one of my athletes today in the heat. Geez it was hot. My watch said 92F but it didn't feel a degree over 95F.
I rode 3 x 15's and felt pretty good in spite of the heat. My power file looked pretty good so I think I am back. Tomorrow it is back to work so I am off to bed now.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
2008 Mid-Michigan MS-150
Sixteen years ago Jean was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and for the last seven years we have been involved with the MS-150 fund raiser. For the first few years Jean did the fund raising and I did the riding. She stayed home and I went off for a weekend of bikes and dorm rooms. A few years back we decided to do this mid-Michigan ride together, in a sense. She does volunteer work and I do the riding. We stay in air conditioned hotel rooms and enjoy some time away just the two of us, well, the two of us alone in a crowd of 600-800 bike riders.
So, again this year, we began our trip in Fenton at the gala Holiday Inn Express. We once again dined next door at Lucky's. From here we ventured into uncharted territory and went to see "Hancock" at the local theater. Pretty funny movie if you haven't seen it. We both gave it two thumbs up. From there, over to Cold Stone then back to the room to prepare the equipment for the next day.
I left the hotel at 630am for the ride out location about five miles from the hotel. First thing after waking up I called up the radar on my Blackberry and to my horror saw a huge area of rain that was moving towards the route. This highly motivated me to get it in gear and head for East Lansing.
I was one of the first riders out at 650am. After passing a few riders I was out in front and all alone. This is nice since you don't have to endure as much from drivers frustrated by the delays the riders cause. I had to recycle coffee at the second rest stop and ran into Kevin there. (Kevin is the rider who is paralyzed on one side of his body.) The stop was min time and I was back on the road in five minutes.
After a couple of turns I looked back and saw a rider gaining on me. "No way", I said to myself. I had been riding a steady 250 watts which isn't hammer, hammer effort but a steady zone 3. How could this dude catch me? He must have been killing it to close me down.
Getting caught by a strong rider is all good since there is the possibility that we could share the riding effort and get to the dorm all that much quicker. I asked him if he wanted to ride together and he said, "Sure." We hit it and rode through off and on rain the rest of the way to East Lansing making it in before all other riders. Yes, I can honestly say we "won" the MS150! Well, stage 1 at least.
This guy was so darn strong I lobbied for two days to get him on our race team. I nick-named him "The Rocket" and believe me it is a fitting one.
Jean worked the rider check in at the dorm while I cleaned the bike and got us set up at the hotel. After Jean got off work, we melted into this incredible bed at the Marriott. I stay at Marriott hotels all the time but this bed was crazy, insane comfortable. I fell into a deep sleep that left me drowsy for about an hour after I stumbled back into consciousness.
Next up, we went back to the dorm and enjoyed mediocre food and a wonderful presentation by folks who have had to deal with an diagnosis of MS. While the program was great, I found the conduct of some of my fellow riders disturbing. MS is serious business but it isn't important enough for many to even lower their voices in conversation. There was an air of callousness and insensitivity that made me wonder if the only thing these people were here for was a bike ride. I suppose many were but come on, at least pretend you care about the cause.
Next day, I met up with the Rocket and we smoked the course for 100 miles. We averaged 21.6 mph. It was incredible, crazy and windy. On the face of it, it looked like we would have lots of tailwind but the straight distance from E. Lansing to Fenton is only about 50 miles. We milked 100 out of it so that means a whole lot of zigging and zagging. We rode against a direct 25 mph crosswind for what seemed like half the day. You just couldn't find a wind break no matter what you did. When it seemed like you were there the wind would gust and power output would spike to over 300 watts. Going downwind was just a riot though as we would average over 30 mph.
Overall, the trip was awesome and I look forward to next year. If you don't do these rides consider joining me next year. I promise a challenge and a cause to celebrate.
So, again this year, we began our trip in Fenton at the gala Holiday Inn Express. We once again dined next door at Lucky's. From here we ventured into uncharted territory and went to see "Hancock" at the local theater. Pretty funny movie if you haven't seen it. We both gave it two thumbs up. From there, over to Cold Stone then back to the room to prepare the equipment for the next day.
I left the hotel at 630am for the ride out location about five miles from the hotel. First thing after waking up I called up the radar on my Blackberry and to my horror saw a huge area of rain that was moving towards the route. This highly motivated me to get it in gear and head for East Lansing.
I was one of the first riders out at 650am. After passing a few riders I was out in front and all alone. This is nice since you don't have to endure as much from drivers frustrated by the delays the riders cause. I had to recycle coffee at the second rest stop and ran into Kevin there. (Kevin is the rider who is paralyzed on one side of his body.) The stop was min time and I was back on the road in five minutes.
After a couple of turns I looked back and saw a rider gaining on me. "No way", I said to myself. I had been riding a steady 250 watts which isn't hammer, hammer effort but a steady zone 3. How could this dude catch me? He must have been killing it to close me down.
Getting caught by a strong rider is all good since there is the possibility that we could share the riding effort and get to the dorm all that much quicker. I asked him if he wanted to ride together and he said, "Sure." We hit it and rode through off and on rain the rest of the way to East Lansing making it in before all other riders. Yes, I can honestly say we "won" the MS150! Well, stage 1 at least.
This guy was so darn strong I lobbied for two days to get him on our race team. I nick-named him "The Rocket" and believe me it is a fitting one.
Jean worked the rider check in at the dorm while I cleaned the bike and got us set up at the hotel. After Jean got off work, we melted into this incredible bed at the Marriott. I stay at Marriott hotels all the time but this bed was crazy, insane comfortable. I fell into a deep sleep that left me drowsy for about an hour after I stumbled back into consciousness.
Next up, we went back to the dorm and enjoyed mediocre food and a wonderful presentation by folks who have had to deal with an diagnosis of MS. While the program was great, I found the conduct of some of my fellow riders disturbing. MS is serious business but it isn't important enough for many to even lower their voices in conversation. There was an air of callousness and insensitivity that made me wonder if the only thing these people were here for was a bike ride. I suppose many were but come on, at least pretend you care about the cause.
Next day, I met up with the Rocket and we smoked the course for 100 miles. We averaged 21.6 mph. It was incredible, crazy and windy. On the face of it, it looked like we would have lots of tailwind but the straight distance from E. Lansing to Fenton is only about 50 miles. We milked 100 out of it so that means a whole lot of zigging and zagging. We rode against a direct 25 mph crosswind for what seemed like half the day. You just couldn't find a wind break no matter what you did. When it seemed like you were there the wind would gust and power output would spike to over 300 watts. Going downwind was just a riot though as we would average over 30 mph.
Overall, the trip was awesome and I look forward to next year. If you don't do these rides consider joining me next year. I promise a challenge and a cause to celebrate.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Best Training Ride of the Year
Yes it's true, I am going to write about a training ride. Not just any training ride but the best of the year. I rolled out last night to get in 3 x 15 LT's. I spent the day rolling paint in the basement and really didn't feel much like riding. That is, until I actually got myself out on the road.
I spun to a subdivision around here that is a perfect 2.5 mile circle with two stop signs that I can almost always blow without any cars in view. After a few warm up intervals I hit the first 15 minute interval. My target power of 285 seemed incredibly easy. I said to myself, "Don't get excited Darrell...it always starts like this. Be patient, you'll feel terrible within five minutes guaranteed." Well five minutes came and I felt very fresh like I was in zone 2. Hmmm. Heart rate is at 166 bpm, speed is around 25 mph, that means I must be doing something here, right? I decided that legs that felt this good had to be put to better use than 3 x 15's so I decided I would do 4 x 15's. But isn't that selling good legs short? No, let there be 3 x 20's because I can shorten the ride by 5 minutes and get home before dark. Yes, 3 x 20's it is.
As I cranked along, doubt kept creeping into my mind, "Easy so far but your power will probably fall off by the last interval and you'll be hurting like a dog." Not so. My power held rock steady at 285 watts and I rode home a content bike racer.
I lost a lot of form when I went on those two trips early in the season. My power certainly faded but I do believe things are coming back now. Old legs, sleepless nights and global travel form a toxic mix
for the bike racer.
For those of you in the EKH fan club, look who took her down at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia! Way to go Kacey!! Must have been a hot one.
I spun to a subdivision around here that is a perfect 2.5 mile circle with two stop signs that I can almost always blow without any cars in view. After a few warm up intervals I hit the first 15 minute interval. My target power of 285 seemed incredibly easy. I said to myself, "Don't get excited Darrell...it always starts like this. Be patient, you'll feel terrible within five minutes guaranteed." Well five minutes came and I felt very fresh like I was in zone 2. Hmmm. Heart rate is at 166 bpm, speed is around 25 mph, that means I must be doing something here, right? I decided that legs that felt this good had to be put to better use than 3 x 15's so I decided I would do 4 x 15's. But isn't that selling good legs short? No, let there be 3 x 20's because I can shorten the ride by 5 minutes and get home before dark. Yes, 3 x 20's it is.
As I cranked along, doubt kept creeping into my mind, "Easy so far but your power will probably fall off by the last interval and you'll be hurting like a dog." Not so. My power held rock steady at 285 watts and I rode home a content bike racer.
I lost a lot of form when I went on those two trips early in the season. My power certainly faded but I do believe things are coming back now. Old legs, sleepless nights and global travel form a toxic mix
for the bike racer.For those of you in the EKH fan club, look who took her down at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia! Way to go Kacey!! Must have been a hot one.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Important Safety Tip!!!
Hey all, make sure you check out Josh Tarrant's blog and the loss of his pinky finger. Be careful out there!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wolverine TT Report
We received word Saturday that the course would be changed racing to Middlebelt and back three times. Long story short, the water drained off the road and the original course was back on.
The course was wet and a little muddy. Everyone coming in looked like they had been in a cyclocross race.
My race went well. I felt no wind riding to Nankin but after the turn around it seemed like I was getting a good push. (Big Ray told me that it is actually slightly downhill on this section.) About four miles into the effort, my fancy new aero water bottle departed my bike. I felt something hit my leg then the bottle was jettisoned. My first thought was, "Can keep my time down with no water?" To make matters worse, I hadn't had a sip out of that bottle. After the second turn around I noticed some headwind. I struggled a little on this leg against the wind. I knew I just had to hang in there and keep my speed up because I was going to fly on the way back to the finish. After the last turn around I picked up the tailwind and proceeded downhill to Helms. My bike computer said 27.2 mph average by the time I was going under Telegraph Rd on the final stretch. I switched my computer back to elapsed time and I realized this number couldn't be correct. That speed would have me finishing around 55 minutes, I think and I was definitely going beyond that. Anyway, I hammered up to 400 watts to the finish and ended up with a 56:51 good for first in the cat 3's and sixth overall.
My normative power was 285 watts up 5 watts from the previous weeks effort. That small amount of added power doesn't account for the almost one minute off the earlier effort. The difference maker was the aero wheel I borrowed from Mike Sackett. He loaned me his Bontrager Aeolus. Thanks Mike!!
James "Bike Boy" Anderson had a rough go of it in his bid for a State title. He believes he was told to go "1 lap" but he understood that to mean one lap on the new course. When he got to the turn around there was no water and no turn around so he kept going. Eventually he became concerned that he missed and he turned before the official turn around. When he came in around :29 I knew something was messed up. We asked for and were granted another try so James went out a second time an hour and a half after his first effort. That effort yielded a 32:48. At the end of the day he was DQF'd. We learned a few more lessons through all of this.
My gentle sweet little girl, Abby, rode her first TT in wet muddy conditions and won! She is the champion!
The course was wet and a little muddy. Everyone coming in looked like they had been in a cyclocross race.
My race went well. I felt no wind riding to Nankin but after the turn around it seemed like I was getting a good push. (Big Ray told me that it is actually slightly downhill on this section.) About four miles into the effort, my fancy new aero water bottle departed my bike. I felt something hit my leg then the bottle was jettisoned. My first thought was, "Can keep my time down with no water?" To make matters worse, I hadn't had a sip out of that bottle. After the second turn around I noticed some headwind. I struggled a little on this leg against the wind. I knew I just had to hang in there and keep my speed up because I was going to fly on the way back to the finish. After the last turn around I picked up the tailwind and proceeded downhill to Helms. My bike computer said 27.2 mph average by the time I was going under Telegraph Rd on the final stretch. I switched my computer back to elapsed time and I realized this number couldn't be correct. That speed would have me finishing around 55 minutes, I think and I was definitely going beyond that. Anyway, I hammered up to 400 watts to the finish and ended up with a 56:51 good for first in the cat 3's and sixth overall.
My normative power was 285 watts up 5 watts from the previous weeks effort. That small amount of added power doesn't account for the almost one minute off the earlier effort. The difference maker was the aero wheel I borrowed from Mike Sackett. He loaned me his Bontrager Aeolus. Thanks Mike!!
James "Bike Boy" Anderson had a rough go of it in his bid for a State title. He believes he was told to go "1 lap" but he understood that to mean one lap on the new course. When he got to the turn around there was no water and no turn around so he kept going. Eventually he became concerned that he missed and he turned before the official turn around. When he came in around :29 I knew something was messed up. We asked for and were granted another try so James went out a second time an hour and a half after his first effort. That effort yielded a 32:48. At the end of the day he was DQF'd. We learned a few more lessons through all of this.
My gentle sweet little girl, Abby, rode her first TT in wet muddy conditions and won! She is the champion!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Hines Report
I rode Hines Drive with the AAVC juniors today and can report massive flooding at Middlebelt that is completely covering the road. The river that runs adjacent to the road is overflowing its banks onto Hines. April Yerge rode through and the water was up to her bottom bracket. She also reported a rather large silver fish that was keeping pace just in front of her!
April spoke with the race director who informed her that the race will go on. The course and distance may be adjusted but the race will proceed nonetheless.
April spoke with the race director who informed her that the race will go on. The course and distance may be adjusted but the race will proceed nonetheless.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
40K Effort
After Jr. practice today I put in a 40K at Willow on the Black Widow. She was feeling frisky even though I dressed her in her SL's instead of aero wheels. We turned in a and 30:15 for the Willow TT distance of six laps on our way to a 57:46 for 40K . With some rest this week, the aero wheels and the adrenalin rush, I hope to see something better at the Wolverine. Fingers crossed!
Calling all Michigan racers!!
So it is looking like the month of July will see no racing in Michigan. There are several races in OH, IN and IL so let's take our show on the road. James and I are going to go down to Troy, OH to race the Troy Criterium on July 19. We are looking at the Chicago Criterium on July 27. If you have any other suggestions post them up in the comments section.
Calling all Michigan racers!!
So it is looking like the month of July will see no racing in Michigan. There are several races in OH, IN and IL so let's take our show on the road. James and I are going to go down to Troy, OH to race the Troy Criterium on July 19. We are looking at the Chicago Criterium on July 27. If you have any other suggestions post them up in the comments section.
Friday, June 20, 2008
The week in progress...
Tuesday night - crit practice was crash free! Our team continues to work on lead-outs with varied success. Who knew this tactic took so much work? It all looks good on paper and when you work on it in non-race situations but through in a little oxygen deprivation and race confusion and it gets difficult. Looking over the power file, I chased for 10 minutes at 350 watts. That's a first for me. 350 has been a 4-5 minute power in the past.
Wednesday - Kensington was my training ground this day. Poor form to go hard again after the effort at Runway the night before but it was my only opportunity to train on that course this week. Force is my weakness. It is my weakness not because I cannot produce significant force on the hills but because repeated efforts almost always leads to the dreaded muscle cramps. I put in 70 miles again over 13 laps and normalized 242 watts. This is down from my power the last time out but I think the previous night's workout beat me up pretty badly. My heart rate would not elevate much over 160 bpm.
Thursday - BB really wanted to do the AAVC group ride. I didn't. Soooooo tired. We spent the afternoon in the Wayne State University area touring the Detroit Historical Museum while Jean did up the DIA. I am on vacation this week so we thought it would be nice to do some vacation type stuff locally. We met up with the group at Forsythe Middle School in AA. Thankfully, Rich wanted to lead the boys on some pace-lining work which meant no hammer-hammer. We took it easy riding to Chelsea. My heart rate was steady at 100-110 bpm which was good. Coming back down Dexter-Chelsea, Blaire cranked it up and we all followed. That was fun after the long ride at such low effort. Alexey and James dove up the pace on Joy Rd. along with Steven Christy then again on Zeeb. Once we hit HRD again, our pace line went a little anaerobic until we hit Foster hitting speeds close to 30 mph steady. This is always fun. There is nothing like flying along at those speeds in a group that can sustain.
I know what you're thinking...riveting! What do you want for nothing?
On the news front, I will be passing on Rockford. It was a hard decision but the 330pm start forced the issue. I had to choose which race was more important. If the TT were first that would have allowed me to do the crit. As it is, racing hard at 330pm then driving home, reloading and heading out to Hines early on Sunday would have certainly taken away from my season goal to ride :57. As it is, I have no idea what I am capable of at this point. BB and I will be at Willow tomorrow and I will attempt a 40K then. It will be without the aid of my brand new Ritchey Carbon wheels. I broke the front wheel at Allen Park last Saturday. This was the 4th time the wheel had been ridden. The tire didn't lose pressure and the wheel is hardly out of true. With all this, Ritchey wants $350 + shipping for the repair! Just a word to all of you out there, Ritchey wheels are cheap but they are obviously fragile and it seems Ritchey is not ready to acknowledge this. Buyer beware. I will probably have them do the repair but the wheels will be restricted to TT use...what a shame. I am going to apply for a Zipp sponsorship in the Fall. If that goes through perhaps I can get some 404's for next season and sell the Ritchey's.
Wednesday - Kensington was my training ground this day. Poor form to go hard again after the effort at Runway the night before but it was my only opportunity to train on that course this week. Force is my weakness. It is my weakness not because I cannot produce significant force on the hills but because repeated efforts almost always leads to the dreaded muscle cramps. I put in 70 miles again over 13 laps and normalized 242 watts. This is down from my power the last time out but I think the previous night's workout beat me up pretty badly. My heart rate would not elevate much over 160 bpm.
Thursday - BB really wanted to do the AAVC group ride. I didn't. Soooooo tired. We spent the afternoon in the Wayne State University area touring the Detroit Historical Museum while Jean did up the DIA. I am on vacation this week so we thought it would be nice to do some vacation type stuff locally. We met up with the group at Forsythe Middle School in AA. Thankfully, Rich wanted to lead the boys on some pace-lining work which meant no hammer-hammer. We took it easy riding to Chelsea. My heart rate was steady at 100-110 bpm which was good. Coming back down Dexter-Chelsea, Blaire cranked it up and we all followed. That was fun after the long ride at such low effort. Alexey and James dove up the pace on Joy Rd. along with Steven Christy then again on Zeeb. Once we hit HRD again, our pace line went a little anaerobic until we hit Foster hitting speeds close to 30 mph steady. This is always fun. There is nothing like flying along at those speeds in a group that can sustain.
I know what you're thinking...riveting! What do you want for nothing?
On the news front, I will be passing on Rockford. It was a hard decision but the 330pm start forced the issue. I had to choose which race was more important. If the TT were first that would have allowed me to do the crit. As it is, racing hard at 330pm then driving home, reloading and heading out to Hines early on Sunday would have certainly taken away from my season goal to ride :57. As it is, I have no idea what I am capable of at this point. BB and I will be at Willow tomorrow and I will attempt a 40K then. It will be without the aid of my brand new Ritchey Carbon wheels. I broke the front wheel at Allen Park last Saturday. This was the 4th time the wheel had been ridden. The tire didn't lose pressure and the wheel is hardly out of true. With all this, Ritchey wants $350 + shipping for the repair! Just a word to all of you out there, Ritchey wheels are cheap but they are obviously fragile and it seems Ritchey is not ready to acknowledge this. Buyer beware. I will probably have them do the repair but the wheels will be restricted to TT use...what a shame. I am going to apply for a Zipp sponsorship in the Fall. If that goes through perhaps I can get some 404's for next season and sell the Ritchey's.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Video
James and I hope to get some video up of Allen Park today. Bear with us as we fight for some time to get that done.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Weekend Summary
My blog has become an addendum to BikeBoy's. He covers all our happenings, includes pictures and does it all with superior quality.
Allen Park Crit
We spent most of the day with the crew at the race. Our whole family came with James, Abby and myself racing. Maria is on crutches and Jean was selling baked goods to raise funds for MS.
James and Alexey dazzled us with an entertaining junior race. They had a plan, executed it and lapped the 15-18 field. It really boiled down to two breaks. James sprung Alexey who formed up with Rudy Peterson. Later, James got away with a Maple Leaf rider. The problem for James was his breakaway partner had no interest in working with him. He sat on his wheel the whole time. James slowed then attacked but he just couldn't shake him. It was a good learning experience for him. He'll see this kid again and I think the the wheel sucking will make a re-appearance. I hope Aldo hears about this so he can straighten him out. If he makes that move too much, he can forget about anyone working with him in the future. He'll either reform or sit in the pack.
James got pipped at the line for 4th place. Alexey out sprinted Rudy for first. Overall, I thought they worked well together and got results.
I raced the 45+ and cat 3. I managed to get in a four man break in the 45+ that stayed away. We lapped most of the field except for a break that included two of my team mates. They entered their bell lap just as we hit the finishing straight. Our alliance held until the last lap when Terry Bandstra attacked. I jumped onto his wheel but he let up. From that point on I was on the front and I just let up. No one wanted to go so I was content to slow the pace and wait. It seemed that things were really lining up because I felt fresh and I would take the inside line on the last turn. The turn came and went and I jumped into the sprint and won! It is always a gas to win a race, even a practice race so this was nice.
The 35+ race came next so I laid down and drank fluids until I had to go to the "Honey Bucket". (No small feat by the way. It took considerable effort to get enough fluids down to make that happen.) The cat 3 race was fast and furious as every race has been this year. There were a few breaks but nothing has stuck this year with regard to criteriums. I was off for a lap or two with Chris Aten, a Maple Leaf and one other dude. We got reeled in pretty quickly. I wasn't very confident that I would be able to finish well. I have sort of a bad track record when doing two crits especially when the first one was a cooker. The second race usually ends up in some fabulous muscle cramps. I was cramping at the end but only when I stood up, so, I didn't jump or sprint. My goal was to help with the lead out. We couldn't get together so I grabbed Eric Hinderager and led him to the finish. It was a very long lead out for my tired legs but I gave him every last bit in the tank. It was good enough to get him around the last turn to the finish in 2nd place. It was at this point that an adjacent rider had his foot come out of his pedal and swerve disrupting Eric's sprint. He ended up taking 5th but after looking at the video, things might have looked different if the pedal thing didn't happen. Oh well, that's bike racing. Our team fared well with Giff finishing 7th and Chris in 10th. That means we had two riders in the money!
Allen Park Crit
We spent most of the day with the crew at the race. Our whole family came with James, Abby and myself racing. Maria is on crutches and Jean was selling baked goods to raise funds for MS.
James and Alexey dazzled us with an entertaining junior race. They had a plan, executed it and lapped the 15-18 field. It really boiled down to two breaks. James sprung Alexey who formed up with Rudy Peterson. Later, James got away with a Maple Leaf rider. The problem for James was his breakaway partner had no interest in working with him. He sat on his wheel the whole time. James slowed then attacked but he just couldn't shake him. It was a good learning experience for him. He'll see this kid again and I think the the wheel sucking will make a re-appearance. I hope Aldo hears about this so he can straighten him out. If he makes that move too much, he can forget about anyone working with him in the future. He'll either reform or sit in the pack.
James got pipped at the line for 4th place. Alexey out sprinted Rudy for first. Overall, I thought they worked well together and got results.
I raced the 45+ and cat 3. I managed to get in a four man break in the 45+ that stayed away. We lapped most of the field except for a break that included two of my team mates. They entered their bell lap just as we hit the finishing straight. Our alliance held until the last lap when Terry Bandstra attacked. I jumped onto his wheel but he let up. From that point on I was on the front and I just let up. No one wanted to go so I was content to slow the pace and wait. It seemed that things were really lining up because I felt fresh and I would take the inside line on the last turn. The turn came and went and I jumped into the sprint and won! It is always a gas to win a race, even a practice race so this was nice.
The 35+ race came next so I laid down and drank fluids until I had to go to the "Honey Bucket". (No small feat by the way. It took considerable effort to get enough fluids down to make that happen.) The cat 3 race was fast and furious as every race has been this year. There were a few breaks but nothing has stuck this year with regard to criteriums. I was off for a lap or two with Chris Aten, a Maple Leaf and one other dude. We got reeled in pretty quickly. I wasn't very confident that I would be able to finish well. I have sort of a bad track record when doing two crits especially when the first one was a cooker. The second race usually ends up in some fabulous muscle cramps. I was cramping at the end but only when I stood up, so, I didn't jump or sprint. My goal was to help with the lead out. We couldn't get together so I grabbed Eric Hinderager and led him to the finish. It was a very long lead out for my tired legs but I gave him every last bit in the tank. It was good enough to get him around the last turn to the finish in 2nd place. It was at this point that an adjacent rider had his foot come out of his pedal and swerve disrupting Eric's sprint. He ended up taking 5th but after looking at the video, things might have looked different if the pedal thing didn't happen. Oh well, that's bike racing. Our team fared well with Giff finishing 7th and Chris in 10th. That means we had two riders in the money!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Bikes
I have always loved riding my bike. When I was a kid my parents bought me a Western Flyer with a big banana seat and one speed. That bike was sweet! On one occasion, we had every kid in the neighborhood take part in a mass start race from one end of our street to the other. It was my good fortune to make an early move that worked and Brian Oddy and I were off to the 1-2 finish. When we were clear we looked back and the entire field went down in a massive pile-up. Just as we were sneaking a peak, my brother, I kid you not, rode over the pile of boys and bikes!! It is true! He didn't go down but simply rode over the pile like it was a hill. At the bottom of the pile lay Brian Owens whose family had moved to our city from Kentucky. He didn't believe in wearing shirts, shoes or socks. Helmets weren't even invented yet. Brian Oddy and I rode back after our sprint to witness Brian Owens' older brother tearing bikes away from the pile and pulled out his bloody little brother from the choicest spot. It was a sorry sight but he was okay. Some road rash here and there along with a bruise or two.
My family moved to Grosse Ile when I was entering 5th grade. We moved to a street that was a short dead end and unpaved. In our old neighborhood, we had kids everywhere but not so in the new digs. Instead of big mass start races, I turned to touring and bike jumping. I jumped everything I could. We had ditches so that was a natural choice. It was tough because you had to use a driveway to get enough speed up to make it. Directly across the street from us was a house with a concrete wall on the house side of the ditch. Eventually, I summoned up the courage to make an attempt. Grosse Ile was nice for riding around. I remember loading up an army backpack with a bag of potato chips and riding from my house to the airport at the end of the island.
As I became a teenager, the Western Flyer was replaced by an oversized Schwinn 10 speed. It was way too big for me but I loved it all the same. I rode it everywhere. It was my car. My friends and I would venture off the island and ride to Dearborn or Metro airport. Crazy. My parents didn't have a clue where I was.
Once I got my drivers license bikes moved to the back burner. It wasn't until I went to work for Ford that I had opportunity to rent bikes in cool cities and tear around checking things out. I rented a bike in Seattle and rode everywhere. I took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and rode all over. On another trip, I rode from Washington National Airport to Mt. Vernon and back.
My wife bought me a comfort bike when I as in my late 30's. I had about 1800 miles on that bike when she bought me my first road bike a Trek 2200. That bike served me well until I broke the chain, ripped the rear deraillure off and cracked the drop-out. I'll never forget how bad it felt to not have a bike. It was a month or so when I was trying to get some love from Trek and trying to convince my wife that I should get a new bike. She gave me her blessing eventually and I bought a Litespeed Solano which became my first race bike.
These are thoughts that were going through my head today as I put in 70 miles at Kensington. The first 50 miles were so much fun. Temperature was right where I like it. Warm to hot and humid. I felt terrific and the miles were just melting away. My goal was to ride hard to prepare for Maillot Juane road race. Last year I cramped on that course so I wanted to do some training on similar terrain. From mile 50 to mile 70 the fun evaporated and it became a suffer-fest. On the last climb of the last lap I cramped! Talk about great timing. It was a good one too. My right hammy and quad went simultaneously. My normalized power was 262 watts over three hours and twenty five minutes giving me an average of 20.3 mph. The park road that goes by the neutral zone is all blocked off so I rode the course to the round-about, turned around and re-joined the course. It took 13 laps to get to 69 miles so it was 13 times up Snot Hill. I hate that thing. It is by far the worst that course has to offer. If anyone wants to join me week after next let me know. Except for rest weeks, I plan on doing this mileage or more every week between now and MJ.
My family moved to Grosse Ile when I was entering 5th grade. We moved to a street that was a short dead end and unpaved. In our old neighborhood, we had kids everywhere but not so in the new digs. Instead of big mass start races, I turned to touring and bike jumping. I jumped everything I could. We had ditches so that was a natural choice. It was tough because you had to use a driveway to get enough speed up to make it. Directly across the street from us was a house with a concrete wall on the house side of the ditch. Eventually, I summoned up the courage to make an attempt. Grosse Ile was nice for riding around. I remember loading up an army backpack with a bag of potato chips and riding from my house to the airport at the end of the island.
As I became a teenager, the Western Flyer was replaced by an oversized Schwinn 10 speed. It was way too big for me but I loved it all the same. I rode it everywhere. It was my car. My friends and I would venture off the island and ride to Dearborn or Metro airport. Crazy. My parents didn't have a clue where I was.
Once I got my drivers license bikes moved to the back burner. It wasn't until I went to work for Ford that I had opportunity to rent bikes in cool cities and tear around checking things out. I rented a bike in Seattle and rode everywhere. I took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and rode all over. On another trip, I rode from Washington National Airport to Mt. Vernon and back.
My wife bought me a comfort bike when I as in my late 30's. I had about 1800 miles on that bike when she bought me my first road bike a Trek 2200. That bike served me well until I broke the chain, ripped the rear deraillure off and cracked the drop-out. I'll never forget how bad it felt to not have a bike. It was a month or so when I was trying to get some love from Trek and trying to convince my wife that I should get a new bike. She gave me her blessing eventually and I bought a Litespeed Solano which became my first race bike.
These are thoughts that were going through my head today as I put in 70 miles at Kensington. The first 50 miles were so much fun. Temperature was right where I like it. Warm to hot and humid. I felt terrific and the miles were just melting away. My goal was to ride hard to prepare for Maillot Juane road race. Last year I cramped on that course so I wanted to do some training on similar terrain. From mile 50 to mile 70 the fun evaporated and it became a suffer-fest. On the last climb of the last lap I cramped! Talk about great timing. It was a good one too. My right hammy and quad went simultaneously. My normalized power was 262 watts over three hours and twenty five minutes giving me an average of 20.3 mph. The park road that goes by the neutral zone is all blocked off so I rode the course to the round-about, turned around and re-joined the course. It took 13 laps to get to 69 miles so it was 13 times up Snot Hill. I hate that thing. It is by far the worst that course has to offer. If anyone wants to join me week after next let me know. Except for rest weeks, I plan on doing this mileage or more every week between now and MJ.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
What's Happening
I rode the MS150 over the weekend with Giff, Zach & Bikeboy. With extra miles due to a wrong turn, we ended Saturday's ride after 110 miles. BB worked his tail off riding in zone 3 for most of the day. We had the powertap on him set to average with our goal of keeping him under 120 watts. We finished the day with him at 123 watts average but this ended up being 144 watts normative meaning he really did a zone 3 century. No wonder he didn't want to get out of bed the next day! The second day we chose to do the 75 mile course to which BB gave his enthusiastic approval.
Last Friday I rolled the Black Widow out for 3 x 20's and man was it nasty. I felt like I was wrestling the bike the whole time. My power output was not good and my shoulders hurt. Yesterday I took the sled out again to do 4 x 15's and was very pleased to see my power more stable and my heart rate significantly lower at my assigned power. It was actually kind of fun as I felt much more like a part of the bike instead of an opponent. My plan is to continue to ride the Widow at least 2-3 times per week to get it all dialed in. One season goal I have is to ride the Wolverine 40K in 57 minutes or lower. It will be very hard to do this but I am more confident today than I was after Friday's workout that it could happen. Heck, after Friday I was beginning to doubt I could slip under 60 minutes.
Last Friday I rolled the Black Widow out for 3 x 20's and man was it nasty. I felt like I was wrestling the bike the whole time. My power output was not good and my shoulders hurt. Yesterday I took the sled out again to do 4 x 15's and was very pleased to see my power more stable and my heart rate significantly lower at my assigned power. It was actually kind of fun as I felt much more like a part of the bike instead of an opponent. My plan is to continue to ride the Widow at least 2-3 times per week to get it all dialed in. One season goal I have is to ride the Wolverine 40K in 57 minutes or lower. It will be very hard to do this but I am more confident today than I was after Friday's workout that it could happen. Heck, after Friday I was beginning to doubt I could slip under 60 minutes.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Vanderkitten Strikes Again
I know I shouldn't hang out with these people but what can I say??? I'm a fan.
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