Three nights, three races, two categories! BikeWorks showed up at Bryan Park ,Richmond with racers for both cats. In the 4/5 races Ken & Jack were ready to show the BikeWorks logo, and Bill & myself were sloted in the P,1,2,3!
In the first night for the 4/5's Bill & I showed up to find the boys already racing. Jack on the front Ken tucked in nicely in about 5th. We didn't see them again til right after they crossed the line . Jack came home in the pack, Ken in what I thought was about 15th place > 6th ( I believe the frist cat 5) . Night Two & again the horses were on the track when we arrived. Both boys around the front as Bill & I warmed up near the course. In position to see the finish. Frist two in from a break. Pack next in a full out sprint our boy Ken right there. I'm sure he was 15th. > 8th in a sprint that if he had a longer landing strip quite possibly could have been a first !! Jack in with a strong pack finish. The third & last night had the lads in there usual spot at or need the front. ( Jack riding with one shoe flapping open from a early lap get off) . Again we stop our warm up to witness the last few laps. Two laps to go & are boys are storming the front. Ken takes the last prime, in what looked like a winning effort ( Ask Ken how he won the second to last lap) . Boys make it in for a third night in a row. How it all shook out . Ken finished 8th over all, Both Jack & Ken won primes, Jack when down once and was at the front in the next few laps. Both are boys are cat 5 riders ( not for long ). Super showing in the 4/5 races!!
More on the P,1,2,3 shortly...
In the P,1,2,3 was also three nights of throw down. The first night had us attacking the course in a clock wise fashion (the tougher of the two directions). The speed of this race was pushing the courses limit of containment for the first handful of laps. As we settled in the challenge of the race for me began to be the drag race up the hill. Bill seemed to be tolerating this much better than I and about half way through I was forced to take a free lap. It was this or the bench. The good news was after getting back in I felt 100% better. Able to complete all but that one free lap. Was able to witness Bill at the front in the late stages of this one. End of night one Bill and I both in with the pack.
The second night switched directions still plenty of speed. The whole thing felt a lot easier this night. Bill experiencing mechanical problems (bike stopped shifting) was forced to take a true free lap. Unable to resolve the issue, raced the last 10 or so laps as a single speed. Again both in with the pack, although this time I believe I was closer to the front than the back.
Night 3 and they saved the best for last. A modified course in the tougher of the two directions with a 120 degree turn thrown in for a real separation. This course took victims Cat 3 and pro alike. For me some 15 laps in (of 27) and my card was punched. There were a good amount of riders already watching by this time. Bill was not only able to hang the whole way but was able to ride in what appeared to be 15th to 20th place finish.
In the pedals, Jinks
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Racing Pleasure
How proud! Our guys stormed the State TT and made up for a "Ground-Breaking" day before(crashes). The picture below was taking by Joe's wife. Thank you!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
See Greg turn, See greg fall
Go here, http://gs166.photobucket.com/groups/u97/J5KFC8ZN5O/?start=all
Greg had a great recovery. I was shottong pict on the 180, Greg was #4 going in, I'm snappin fotos and here metalish carbon fiber rubbing, crashing noises. There is a sequence in here that shows a fuzzy image topling into the grass.
Greg had a great recovery. I was shottong pict on the 180, Greg was #4 going in, I'm snappin fotos and here metalish carbon fiber rubbing, crashing noises. There is a sequence in here that shows a fuzzy image topling into the grass.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
State TT
Loooks like I'm going. I have one open seat. I'll be in the Cat 4 group, probably won't stay after for more than an hour.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Scott - June
Sat 5/30 - Pulled my damn back and spent the rest of the day wondering why my bedroom ceiling fan has 4 blades and my family room has 5 blades. Missed the race Sun and spent most of the time jamming my thumb between my ribs to stop the spasm and breathe - happy birthday.
* MHR=193, Z1 116-125, Z2 125-135, Z3 135-154, Z4 154-164, Z5 165+
Thu 6/4 - 1 Hr Z2 on the trainer.
Fri 6/5 - 1 Hr Z2 on trainer.
Sat 6/6 - Massaponex ride with Ben & Jose "El Gato" (as he bats me around on the hills like a cat toying with a mouse). In true Ben fashion, he dashed my hopes of a warm-up by going off the front within 3 minutes. I bridged up with El Gato in tow (cat chasing mouse he knows he can catch) - joined by Bill from Bike Fred and the 4 of us stayed away and rode hard. Hung for 40, then Bill and I got dropped and paired for last 7. I love my bike!
Sun 6/7 - 1 Hr Z2, stretching the leggs out for Richmond
Mon 6/8 - No time, trvl for work. Good guys 1, bad guys 0 - Inshalla
Tue 6/9 - Used 2 hours of vacation time, reserved the family car a week ago and drove down to Bryan park. Trng race cancelled at 1715, as I sat in the rain in the parking lot.
30 Min Intervals on trainer, 20 sec max, 40 sec rest x 5, 4 sets
Wed 6/10 - geez...in-laws from Scotland out today and friends/German family in. Managed another 30 min interval thrash before doorbell rang.
Thu 6/11 - Off
Fri 6/12 - 1 hr Z4. resisted the urge to do interval work for tomorrow's ride.
Sat 6/13 - Massaponex ride - thank Goodness Gus showed up. Had a great ride. Some very nice up & off pulls, 5 sec pulls and feel like I'm riding the hills much better. Great day, great burn, bring it.
Sun 6/14 - Sun /21: In-laws over from across the pond and invited family down to the OBX. Surf Camp with my older son, who was on his feet everytime I looked! Although I spent quite a bit of time on a commercial gill-netter in high-school and can tell the difference between a dolphin and a shark, a black fin in the water still freaks me out! Brough the bike and still managed:
Tue 1 Hr Z4
Thu 1.5 Hr Z4 with terrible head-wind. A real slog-fest.
Mon 6/22 - 6/26: Sweep week in PG County, meaning 0330-1800 daily. Ouch. Dragged myself onto teh trainer on Thu for an Hr. Good guys 35, bad guys 0.
Sat 6/27 - glad those 2 weeks are over. Back on schedule.
1 Hr Z4 with interval 10 sec max effort, 50 sec recovery x 10
Sun 6/28 - 1.5 Hr Z4 with interval 20 sec max effort and 2-3 min recovery x 8
Mon 6/29 - 1 Hr Z4
Tue 6/30 - Bryan Park. Off the back, picked it up next lap and pack finish. Come on intervals!
* MHR=193, Z1 116-125, Z2 125-135, Z3 135-154, Z4 154-164, Z5 165+
Thu 6/4 - 1 Hr Z2 on the trainer.
Fri 6/5 - 1 Hr Z2 on trainer.
Sat 6/6 - Massaponex ride with Ben & Jose "El Gato" (as he bats me around on the hills like a cat toying with a mouse). In true Ben fashion, he dashed my hopes of a warm-up by going off the front within 3 minutes. I bridged up with El Gato in tow (cat chasing mouse he knows he can catch) - joined by Bill from Bike Fred and the 4 of us stayed away and rode hard. Hung for 40, then Bill and I got dropped and paired for last 7. I love my bike!
Sun 6/7 - 1 Hr Z2, stretching the leggs out for Richmond
Mon 6/8 - No time, trvl for work. Good guys 1, bad guys 0 - Inshalla
Tue 6/9 - Used 2 hours of vacation time, reserved the family car a week ago and drove down to Bryan park. Trng race cancelled at 1715, as I sat in the rain in the parking lot.
30 Min Intervals on trainer, 20 sec max, 40 sec rest x 5, 4 sets
Wed 6/10 - geez...in-laws from Scotland out today and friends/German family in. Managed another 30 min interval thrash before doorbell rang.
Thu 6/11 - Off
Fri 6/12 - 1 hr Z4. resisted the urge to do interval work for tomorrow's ride.
Sat 6/13 - Massaponex ride - thank Goodness Gus showed up. Had a great ride. Some very nice up & off pulls, 5 sec pulls and feel like I'm riding the hills much better. Great day, great burn, bring it.
Sun 6/14 - Sun /21: In-laws over from across the pond and invited family down to the OBX. Surf Camp with my older son, who was on his feet everytime I looked! Although I spent quite a bit of time on a commercial gill-netter in high-school and can tell the difference between a dolphin and a shark, a black fin in the water still freaks me out! Brough the bike and still managed:
Tue 1 Hr Z4
Thu 1.5 Hr Z4 with terrible head-wind. A real slog-fest.
Mon 6/22 - 6/26: Sweep week in PG County, meaning 0330-1800 daily. Ouch. Dragged myself onto teh trainer on Thu for an Hr. Good guys 35, bad guys 0.
Sat 6/27 - glad those 2 weeks are over. Back on schedule.
1 Hr Z4 with interval 10 sec max effort, 50 sec recovery x 10
Sun 6/28 - 1.5 Hr Z4 with interval 20 sec max effort and 2-3 min recovery x 8
Mon 6/29 - 1 Hr Z4
Tue 6/30 - Bryan Park. Off the back, picked it up next lap and pack finish. Come on intervals!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Jeff /June racing/ training
Ride Sally, Cat 4-5 35+was just that I took one look at the teams and how well they were represented and my first though was there will be a break that suvies.75 riders leave the line a few two man breaks go, nothing to worry about as we reeled them in. at lab 7 five got away secured their gap and started their rotation. I sat tight and watched at least 4 riders attempt to bridge and all of them were cracking half way there, the big teams were in the break and not interested in chasing, So now I know what I must do , (Go To IT) surprise hard jump to make sure I don't bring unwanted baggage settle in for a long bridge, crossed with out any problem, settled in with the rotation after about 6 labs the break was self destructing and it was down to me and one other rider, we agreed to wait and try again latter. Some Dum A$$$ ridding from some A$$$ started a chain reaction of bikes falling over( to put it mildly) A rider swerved in to me and pushed me hard right as we entered a left hand turn, I had to ride a 180 in order to stay upright. Now guess what, off the back time to chase 1.5 laps latter back on. grab some rest sitting in as the laps are falling of faster then I can keep up with, it’s time to look alive 6 to go and there it went 3 riders off the front and 3 more starting to bridge, but not with out me I'm on it, we all settled in, all is looking good, but the riders are starting to drop off, its down to me and one other rider two man break and I would not give up. another rider crossed the gap as he went to the front I heard him say “see if he can hold this wheel” as he jacked the pace with only one lap to go both of the riders in the break sat up and motioned me thru, that is when I realized they were trying to drop me. And were not going to the line in a sprint with me, Man only one lap short of a break away finishes the pack absorbed me and I held on with a 23rd out of 75.
Race points I was in 2 break a-ways, had to bridge back to the pack.
How fast 20 miles under 46 min arvg. Speed 26mph
Race points I was in 2 break a-ways, had to bridge back to the pack.
How fast 20 miles under 46 min arvg. Speed 26mph
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Jordan's Training & Racing
Ace of Base
Today, another 53 miler keeping power steadily in the tempo zone as much as possible for the middle 2 hours. I felt great for this entire ride, even with the heat of the day pressing down on me. Tempo riding, while hard to sustain for 2-3 hours, really boosts my fitness without the serious fatigue that comes from heavy-duty LT work. So there will be more of it this week, to be sure.
Bringing Home the Bacon (er, Prosciutto)
Still, it was a great race overall. There was the satisfaction of knowing you have won by virtue of being the last to start and then catching and passing everyone in your age group. It was a feeling of excitement followed by the lingering question, "So what do I do for the last 10K?"
"Try to set a new PR, dummy," was the reply. I was on-target for a new best time, so I told myself to get focused and keep pushing out that steady rhythm I seem to be good at. The end result was indeed a new personal best for the course, some cool prizes, and another win to add to the palmares.
This week will be all about pumping up the volume to bring back some base fitness, which has seen a slight decline with all the race tapers of the past 3 weeks. Since the 2-man TT is not a major goal, I should be okay going into it with some fatigue, do 3 more good workout days, then taper for the 3-day race weekend in Roanoke.
PLT on Wheat
I have decided to give all of my non-monetary prizes away to my students - we have a monthly raffle drawing. This time, I cannibalized my prize pump (which was all plastic - not as nice as the metal barreled one I already have) for the hose and valve (my pump's presta valve was getting worn, and the fittings were an exact match!). Then I installed my old parts on the prize pump and gave it to one of my kids today who is really into his bike - and who will use the schrader valve anyway, so a worn presta doesn't mean squat to him. Now I just need to figure out what to do with $25 of gift cards to a bike store that's 3 hours away from home. Maybe if I save them for 20 years, I can accumulate enough $$ to make it worth the trip...
Strada Bianchi
More TT...
Totally TT Training
Bryan Park Circuit Race
An exciting Category 4 race, as Jeff, Steve and I worked the field in what I feel was the strongest and most effective display of teamwork thus far this season. Between the three of us taking turns near the front, covering breaks, and attempting to block when one of us was off the front, we really made our presence felt, especially given that there were several other larger teams that weren't as present as they could have been.Personally, the 14th place finish was a best placing for that race, in which I have historically finished in the upper 20's, so I am quite satisfied with the improvement. Looking back over the past 4 years of mass start races here in VA, my placings this season are a significant improvement. Who knows, they may make a crit racer out of me yet...
Ben's June Training - Racing
June 30 - 3X3X3 VO2 Max, ugh. No battery on garmin, It is just me, my bike and my IPOD. I've got a 3 min int playlist. I blast off, and cross paths with a Rostello (sp?) rider. I abbreviate that loop and pull in about a mile back. Now I got a rabbit to chase on my intervals, very bennificial. I'm friggin tore up from the floor up. No work out tomorrow, but I do hit the gym with Joe.
June 2 Recovering from a pretty good Bryan Park Cicuit on Monday lead to a terrible LT workout Tuesday. I had thought I bonked due to lack of preride nutririon and low fluids. I got one and two in the bag but it was extreemly hard to get HR up and hold effort. Three I began to fall off but, did manage low LT high Tempo, # four was aweful.
June 3 Wednesday - 3X3 VO2 MAx - I head out to the park hit the top of the hill and see Bill and Steve's vehicles. As I roll out, here they come. It is always good to see you guys during a workout, very motivating. I tend to work harder if I convince myself you guys are watching what I'm doing. Three minutes doesnt seem so bad after all the longer LT work. The high intensity was brutal though. After the first two reps, Jeff rolls by. We begin to chat, then the computer tells me, "Heart Rate to low." Gotta go , sorry Jeff, I'm sure you understand. Third one in the bag feeling it deep but, hit the HR target. Catch back up with Jeff, then the damn computer goes off agin, I bolt, two and a half minutes into it I realize it was the start of my last spin down. Damn. The ride home was brutal.Bring on the compresion tights!!!!! Oh yea, my previous bonk, may have been fatigue. Steve, Bill and Jeff all had similar LT workouts on Tuesday. Bring on the Hill Sprints.
June 3 Wednesday - 3X3 VO2 MAx - I head out to the park hit the top of the hill and see Bill and Steve's vehicles. As I roll out, here they come. It is always good to see you guys during a workout, very motivating. I tend to work harder if I convince myself you guys are watching what I'm doing. Three minutes doesnt seem so bad after all the longer LT work. The high intensity was brutal though. After the first two reps, Jeff rolls by. We begin to chat, then the computer tells me, "Heart Rate to low." Gotta go , sorry Jeff, I'm sure you understand. Third one in the bag feeling it deep but, hit the HR target. Catch back up with Jeff, then the damn computer goes off agin, I bolt, two and a half minutes into it I realize it was the start of my last spin down. Damn. The ride home was brutal.Bring on the compresion tights!!!!! Oh yea, my previous bonk, may have been fatigue. Steve, Bill and Jeff all had similar LT workouts on Tuesday. Bring on the Hill Sprints.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Jack Training June
Race day -
Good job to Joe and Ken today. I had a good race, but in the end the podium places went to better men. Hopefully the guys from Rt 1 velo forgive me for egging them on during the race - sometimes I just can't help it. I get super excited during the races . . . . I'm glad that I now know I need a 53 - thanks Jeff for finally counting it for me. Had you not done that I would probably have ridden that crankset until it fell apart. So, it was a good race day, made better by Bens beer and getting to watch everyone else race. I'm going to recover as best I can tonight, e ride tomorrow, and then do my best to terrorize the B race on tuesday.
The day after the race found my legs feeling decent . . . . . which is a good sign for tomorrow. Did an E ride today, just to get out and sweat a little. Nothing really interesting to report there.
Race day - 6/2 - Not too shabby . . . . but I'm hard headed until the end. I did too much work and pulled a 7th or 8th place. Its ok though - I did race smarter this time. Sadly, no one I knew was there, and even sadder was that the girl I had been admiring in the B race moved to the A race. Oh well, thats motivation enough to train harder and move up.
6/3 - A coworker was arrested so I had to cover his shift. I left work (in Fred.) at 6, and from there went to the park. There had been rumors of rain all day, but whats a little rain? Upon hitting the park everything started to go downhill quickly. Fat drops of rain started showering down, followed by quick gusts of wind which led the way for marble sized hail. Quickly realizing that I would be the only rider out, I hung a left on the road that bisects the park. It was pretty brutal - the hail was hammering my arms and neck, and the heavy rain made it hard to see. Many cars stopped and or took refuge - I just kept on hammering. I figured if I made it to the shop I could call for a ride, finish my spike shooter and laugh about it. Funny thing was that by the time I made it into town the rain had really slowed. So, I pointed the bike towards Spotsy and went home. It was an interesting day, but in the end the rain stopped me from training with and BWR guys or other gades . . . . oh well. There is always tomorrow.
6/4 - Nothing interesting to report - it was a recovery day for me, so a short ride was in order. When will this rain let up? Tomorrow will be my renegade equivalent of a hard day, so there should be something interesting to read then.
6/5 Got a good ride in, but this rain has to go. Its one thing to have a rainy day where you can ride on the trainer, but after a certain point it just gets old. I rode in the rain this morning, and upon arriving at work realized I had brought all my dry clothes except for boxers. So it was a commando day at Honeybaked. After work I headed over to GNC to discover that they had hired a nice looking blonde - that brought a little light heartedness to the day. I bought some new protein, which is made entirely out of beef protein isolate - no soy or whey, just bovine goodness. The fruit punch flavor tastes strange, but hey, if it helps recovery I'm game. Drank some down and continued the ride home, trying not to gag the whole way. Today the legs felt pretty dead, but my guess is that once the weather clears up the spirit will as well. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend . . . . .
6/6 - Kinda of a junk mile day, even though I didn't intend for it to be. A sleepless night had me convinced that a ride would be better put off til a later date, but the change in weather brought a strange euphoria which led to an aimless E ride. It was an interesting day - when I pulled into the park I was greeted by Ed leaving and by the flashing lights of a park ranger. Seems he felt I didn't pay enough attention to a stop sign. I had to bite my tongue, because I didn't want to get banned or anything. Decided to chase Ed. We rode around for a bit, speculated whether or not the gay pride parade was in town, and then parted ways. I continued to ride, and ended up getting in some good time in the saddle which will be sure to have me snoring tonight.
6/7 - Had a good ride with Joe this morning. He was a little tired from riding with Ben on Sat, and I was looking for a low to medium intensity ride to end the week with. Joe thoroughly defeated me in every sprint, so after we finished riding together I did a little work on my own. Ended up dehydrated and hungry, but that was solved by going out and getting some Italian.
Before I really started racing I had no idea how addicting it really was . . . . . now I'm looking forward more and more to every race. Its frustrating sometimes to race and know while I'm racing that I should be more conservative during the early and mid stages, but all in all its been rewarding. Looking forward to the training race this week . . . . . hope to see some more local guys out!
6/8 - Looks like I'm leaving for the wild west tomorrow. If you see me on Wed, it was a no go . . . . I've got a lot on my plate this week and I'm praying that my travel plans work out. I signed up for this training camp a while ago, back in December, before I had a taste of racing. Hopefully I will be able to find computer access so that I can post and keep my blog current.
Riding today was a simple commute to the Fredericksburg store and back. No need to be fatigued now.
Hopefully my girl at GNC doesn't forget about me while I'm gone . . . . .
6/14 - Not back in VA yet, but done riding for now. Did the 500 miles I came to do, and am ready to get back. It was hard, and probably not the smartest thing to do in the middle of a racing season, but it was fun. I would switch my focus to longer events like these, but to tell the truth, these past four days have been like E rides, only much longer. A lot of the time when another rider and myself would go hard, we would be scolded at the following rest stop and told we needed to slow down. It was a struggle, but I finished. Now I'm looking forward to getting back to Fred and seeing some familiar faces. Thanks to everyone who gave me tips and advice throughout all the rides - without those I would have probably have had to jump in the sag wagon and cry.
6/16 - Back in VA! After an all night flight, I arrived back in DC. I'm glad to be back. After work I rode to my house . . . . quite the short ride because I was working in Fred. My legs started off feeling great, but soon after I noticed that there was some residual pain in my right knee, and an overall fatigue. Once I noticed that I wasn't 100% I stopped by GNC and tried to flirt with the girl there . . . So, today was an easy day, and tomorrow I get back to business. Hope to see all the BWR guys and renegades . . . . its been too long!
6/17 - Since the Fredericksburg store is doing more business, thats where I commuted to and from today. Upon returning home I switched to biking gear and went by GNC. Seeing as how the weather was rapidly declining, I shot over to the park . . . only to be passed by a BWR guy TT'ing by so fast I couldn't tell who it was. I chased until he hit the hill, where I hoped it would stop or I would never learn who it was. Fortunately, Greg stopped, and we did a half loop in the park, then rode back downtown. I did a little road bike TT practice myself on River Road, in preparation for the TT I'm doing with Jordan. Didn't he say he was TT state champion or something? I'd better put in more practice, or buy some EPO. Seriously though, I'm looking forward to getting back out in the race scene . . . . .
6/18 - After an eventful meeting at Hyperion I rode home a new man. Now the only thing on my mind is to not disappoint. Everyone at my house checked out the new jersey, asking who all the sponsors were and all. The ride home was a little faster, feeling like nothing could stop me.
This week will be busy at work, so I can't race the upcoming weekend, but next week I'll be TT'ing with Jordan and in Richmond for the WMC.
Thanks to everyone who helped me to improve . . . . and God willing we will all improve in the future!
6/19 - Nice E ride today. Work was really beating my spirits down, so after work I did a longer ride hoping the endorphins would clear my head. It did the trick . . . . now I'm sitting here wishing that I could race this weekend instead of working. Luckily next week I'll be in Richmond for the Working Mans Classic and then TT'ing with Jordan that weekend. The TT should prove to be interesting because besides for a quick warm up / photo session at Ft Lee, Jordan and I have never ridden together. The three day in Richmond for me will be a test of patience - chasing riders off the front isn't where its at. Plus I'm pretty familiar with alot of the guys who will be there from all the practice races I went to.
6/20 - While everyone else is racing, I'm laying low and waiting for next week. Long day at work, short ride to and from, water, vitamins, pizza. Tomorrow will be another work day, maybe and E ride, then I'll jump into the prescribed workouts Monday. Until then good luck everyone, see you soon.
21/6 - While everyone else was doing big things I was E riding and later meeting with my family for Fathers Day at Castiglias. Ended up with about three hours in and later a nice bellyful . . . . my sisters fiance showed up and we had a beer or two together, which was nice because I don't work tomorrow. Truth be told I need to get another job, one that will put more money into my pockets. One that will allow me to get off my tired old Lemond and onto something new and shiny, something that will help me take it to the next level. Until then I'm just going to do my best and help put some hurt onto the pelotons I'm racing with . . . . . . Working Mans Classic here I come!
22/6 - Woke up, thinking I would be a little hungover, but I felt fine. There wasn't really too much for me to do today - just prep work for tomorrow, which includes getting the bike in tip top shape. There had been some sort of problem which I thought was due to an old cassette, but after Andres inspection turned out to be a really worn down big ring. There wasn't much he could do because the parts had to be ordered, so at first I just told myself I would just race in my smaller chain ring. Then I realized what a fool I would look like riding around in the small ring with a super high cadence . . . . so I called Uncle Ben and explained my dilemma. He agreed to look at it, and luckily for me he had an old 54 that would fit. I hope it makes a difference tomorrow. I really need to do more preventative maintenance and all, and not just try to fix stuff after its all fubar'ed . . . . .
WMC Day 1 - Falter. First race with the team and I faltered . . . . . this was due in part to my confusing the number of laps to go. I went for a preme, thinking that there was one lap to go after that. Turns out there were two, which threw my rhythm off. I could sit here and type any number of reasons why it wasn't my day, but let me try again tomorrow before I bring them out. Good job Ken, who brought in a sixth place - I need to learn to be patient like that. The race itself wasn't too fast or too hard, but going at the wrong time cost me alot. In another note I really tried today to be respectful when I was racing. Someone said something slick to make me mad when I was racing, and I slipped, but caught myself after remembering my actions now reflect upon the team, not just me. I went and spoke to him afterwards, and squared things away. So, tomorrow if I feel energetic I'm going to try to pull Ken to a win . . . . . or at least be a better teammate.
WMC Day 2 - What a day! Had a better time today. Started in the back of the peloton, and learned first hand that working your way up in the 4/5 is no joke. Once semi close to the front I jockeyed for a good sprinting finish i.e. with two to go I settled behind a rider who I thought was strong enough to pull me home . . . . . only to find out his energy was waning. So, coming around the last corner I was close enough to try to urge Ken on . . . . I couldn't tell if I was motivating him or just being annoying, but nonetheless he finished well in 8th. I noticed that afterwards a few young ladies were looking disappointed that he left early . . . . it seems he has developed quite an entourage in Richmond. In the A race Bill and Jinks were looking strong . . . . at one point Jinks was working to close a monster breakaway that consisted of three Harley guys and one Richmond Pro . . . . Bill came to a stop with what I first thought was a flat, turns out that his shifter was malfunctioning. I wanted to run behind him and give him a push when he was going to join the peloton again, but he was off too fast for me. In the A race a Mountain Khakis guy won . . . . and soon afterwards looked like he was going to pass out.
I'm psyched for tomorrow . . . ..
WMC Final Day - Crashed in the first corner. Not sure if there was debris or if I hit a wheel or what, but the only thing on my mind was get up and get going. One foot was still clipped in, so I unclipped and got up, did my best to catch the pack. Someone from the sidelines yelled "Free lap!", but I didn't know the exact etiquette - so I just gritted my teeth and caught the pack. Once there I settled in, and maybe 5 laps later raced a Natures Path rider for a prime lap. Won the lap . . . . from then it was trying to find a good position . . . . when I was mid pack there were shouts for someone to catch a rider who had been off the front for a while - no one went. I waited and went, figuring any rider off the front would be taking all the good prime prizes - better to spread the wealth. For the final sprint I didn't have the juice, but Ken had a magnificent sprint with about one or two laps to go. Had the timing been different he would have taken it all. Anyway, the three days were fun, and hopefully in a couple weeks time it will pay off.
June 26th - Short recovery ride . . . . sweated like crazy while riding. Legs felt ok, but I noticed some fatigue like feeling overall. I'm looking forward to the TT though . . . . Jordan has me psyched. So I'm off to bed early, wish us all luck for tomorrow.
June 30 - My internet is out, so I'm posting from work. will post again tomorrow when it gets fixed. Until then good luck everyone, train hard . . . .
Good job to Joe and Ken today. I had a good race, but in the end the podium places went to better men. Hopefully the guys from Rt 1 velo forgive me for egging them on during the race - sometimes I just can't help it. I get super excited during the races . . . . I'm glad that I now know I need a 53 - thanks Jeff for finally counting it for me. Had you not done that I would probably have ridden that crankset until it fell apart. So, it was a good race day, made better by Bens beer and getting to watch everyone else race. I'm going to recover as best I can tonight, e ride tomorrow, and then do my best to terrorize the B race on tuesday.
The day after the race found my legs feeling decent . . . . . which is a good sign for tomorrow. Did an E ride today, just to get out and sweat a little. Nothing really interesting to report there.
Race day - 6/2 - Not too shabby . . . . but I'm hard headed until the end. I did too much work and pulled a 7th or 8th place. Its ok though - I did race smarter this time. Sadly, no one I knew was there, and even sadder was that the girl I had been admiring in the B race moved to the A race. Oh well, thats motivation enough to train harder and move up.
6/3 - A coworker was arrested so I had to cover his shift. I left work (in Fred.) at 6, and from there went to the park. There had been rumors of rain all day, but whats a little rain? Upon hitting the park everything started to go downhill quickly. Fat drops of rain started showering down, followed by quick gusts of wind which led the way for marble sized hail. Quickly realizing that I would be the only rider out, I hung a left on the road that bisects the park. It was pretty brutal - the hail was hammering my arms and neck, and the heavy rain made it hard to see. Many cars stopped and or took refuge - I just kept on hammering. I figured if I made it to the shop I could call for a ride, finish my spike shooter and laugh about it. Funny thing was that by the time I made it into town the rain had really slowed. So, I pointed the bike towards Spotsy and went home. It was an interesting day, but in the end the rain stopped me from training with and BWR guys or other gades . . . . oh well. There is always tomorrow.
6/4 - Nothing interesting to report - it was a recovery day for me, so a short ride was in order. When will this rain let up? Tomorrow will be my renegade equivalent of a hard day, so there should be something interesting to read then.
6/5 Got a good ride in, but this rain has to go. Its one thing to have a rainy day where you can ride on the trainer, but after a certain point it just gets old. I rode in the rain this morning, and upon arriving at work realized I had brought all my dry clothes except for boxers. So it was a commando day at Honeybaked. After work I headed over to GNC to discover that they had hired a nice looking blonde - that brought a little light heartedness to the day. I bought some new protein, which is made entirely out of beef protein isolate - no soy or whey, just bovine goodness. The fruit punch flavor tastes strange, but hey, if it helps recovery I'm game. Drank some down and continued the ride home, trying not to gag the whole way. Today the legs felt pretty dead, but my guess is that once the weather clears up the spirit will as well. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend . . . . .
6/6 - Kinda of a junk mile day, even though I didn't intend for it to be. A sleepless night had me convinced that a ride would be better put off til a later date, but the change in weather brought a strange euphoria which led to an aimless E ride. It was an interesting day - when I pulled into the park I was greeted by Ed leaving and by the flashing lights of a park ranger. Seems he felt I didn't pay enough attention to a stop sign. I had to bite my tongue, because I didn't want to get banned or anything. Decided to chase Ed. We rode around for a bit, speculated whether or not the gay pride parade was in town, and then parted ways. I continued to ride, and ended up getting in some good time in the saddle which will be sure to have me snoring tonight.
6/7 - Had a good ride with Joe this morning. He was a little tired from riding with Ben on Sat, and I was looking for a low to medium intensity ride to end the week with. Joe thoroughly defeated me in every sprint, so after we finished riding together I did a little work on my own. Ended up dehydrated and hungry, but that was solved by going out and getting some Italian.
Before I really started racing I had no idea how addicting it really was . . . . . now I'm looking forward more and more to every race. Its frustrating sometimes to race and know while I'm racing that I should be more conservative during the early and mid stages, but all in all its been rewarding. Looking forward to the training race this week . . . . . hope to see some more local guys out!
6/8 - Looks like I'm leaving for the wild west tomorrow. If you see me on Wed, it was a no go . . . . I've got a lot on my plate this week and I'm praying that my travel plans work out. I signed up for this training camp a while ago, back in December, before I had a taste of racing. Hopefully I will be able to find computer access so that I can post and keep my blog current.
Riding today was a simple commute to the Fredericksburg store and back. No need to be fatigued now.
Hopefully my girl at GNC doesn't forget about me while I'm gone . . . . .
6/14 - Not back in VA yet, but done riding for now. Did the 500 miles I came to do, and am ready to get back. It was hard, and probably not the smartest thing to do in the middle of a racing season, but it was fun. I would switch my focus to longer events like these, but to tell the truth, these past four days have been like E rides, only much longer. A lot of the time when another rider and myself would go hard, we would be scolded at the following rest stop and told we needed to slow down. It was a struggle, but I finished. Now I'm looking forward to getting back to Fred and seeing some familiar faces. Thanks to everyone who gave me tips and advice throughout all the rides - without those I would have probably have had to jump in the sag wagon and cry.
6/16 - Back in VA! After an all night flight, I arrived back in DC. I'm glad to be back. After work I rode to my house . . . . quite the short ride because I was working in Fred. My legs started off feeling great, but soon after I noticed that there was some residual pain in my right knee, and an overall fatigue. Once I noticed that I wasn't 100% I stopped by GNC and tried to flirt with the girl there . . . So, today was an easy day, and tomorrow I get back to business. Hope to see all the BWR guys and renegades . . . . its been too long!
6/17 - Since the Fredericksburg store is doing more business, thats where I commuted to and from today. Upon returning home I switched to biking gear and went by GNC. Seeing as how the weather was rapidly declining, I shot over to the park . . . only to be passed by a BWR guy TT'ing by so fast I couldn't tell who it was. I chased until he hit the hill, where I hoped it would stop or I would never learn who it was. Fortunately, Greg stopped, and we did a half loop in the park, then rode back downtown. I did a little road bike TT practice myself on River Road, in preparation for the TT I'm doing with Jordan. Didn't he say he was TT state champion or something? I'd better put in more practice, or buy some EPO. Seriously though, I'm looking forward to getting back out in the race scene . . . . .
6/18 - After an eventful meeting at Hyperion I rode home a new man. Now the only thing on my mind is to not disappoint. Everyone at my house checked out the new jersey, asking who all the sponsors were and all. The ride home was a little faster, feeling like nothing could stop me.
This week will be busy at work, so I can't race the upcoming weekend, but next week I'll be TT'ing with Jordan and in Richmond for the WMC.
Thanks to everyone who helped me to improve . . . . and God willing we will all improve in the future!
6/19 - Nice E ride today. Work was really beating my spirits down, so after work I did a longer ride hoping the endorphins would clear my head. It did the trick . . . . now I'm sitting here wishing that I could race this weekend instead of working. Luckily next week I'll be in Richmond for the Working Mans Classic and then TT'ing with Jordan that weekend. The TT should prove to be interesting because besides for a quick warm up / photo session at Ft Lee, Jordan and I have never ridden together. The three day in Richmond for me will be a test of patience - chasing riders off the front isn't where its at. Plus I'm pretty familiar with alot of the guys who will be there from all the practice races I went to.
6/20 - While everyone else is racing, I'm laying low and waiting for next week. Long day at work, short ride to and from, water, vitamins, pizza. Tomorrow will be another work day, maybe and E ride, then I'll jump into the prescribed workouts Monday. Until then good luck everyone, see you soon.
21/6 - While everyone else was doing big things I was E riding and later meeting with my family for Fathers Day at Castiglias. Ended up with about three hours in and later a nice bellyful . . . . my sisters fiance showed up and we had a beer or two together, which was nice because I don't work tomorrow. Truth be told I need to get another job, one that will put more money into my pockets. One that will allow me to get off my tired old Lemond and onto something new and shiny, something that will help me take it to the next level. Until then I'm just going to do my best and help put some hurt onto the pelotons I'm racing with . . . . . . Working Mans Classic here I come!
22/6 - Woke up, thinking I would be a little hungover, but I felt fine. There wasn't really too much for me to do today - just prep work for tomorrow, which includes getting the bike in tip top shape. There had been some sort of problem which I thought was due to an old cassette, but after Andres inspection turned out to be a really worn down big ring. There wasn't much he could do because the parts had to be ordered, so at first I just told myself I would just race in my smaller chain ring. Then I realized what a fool I would look like riding around in the small ring with a super high cadence . . . . so I called Uncle Ben and explained my dilemma. He agreed to look at it, and luckily for me he had an old 54 that would fit. I hope it makes a difference tomorrow. I really need to do more preventative maintenance and all, and not just try to fix stuff after its all fubar'ed . . . . .
WMC Day 1 - Falter. First race with the team and I faltered . . . . . this was due in part to my confusing the number of laps to go. I went for a preme, thinking that there was one lap to go after that. Turns out there were two, which threw my rhythm off. I could sit here and type any number of reasons why it wasn't my day, but let me try again tomorrow before I bring them out. Good job Ken, who brought in a sixth place - I need to learn to be patient like that. The race itself wasn't too fast or too hard, but going at the wrong time cost me alot. In another note I really tried today to be respectful when I was racing. Someone said something slick to make me mad when I was racing, and I slipped, but caught myself after remembering my actions now reflect upon the team, not just me. I went and spoke to him afterwards, and squared things away. So, tomorrow if I feel energetic I'm going to try to pull Ken to a win . . . . . or at least be a better teammate.
WMC Day 2 - What a day! Had a better time today. Started in the back of the peloton, and learned first hand that working your way up in the 4/5 is no joke. Once semi close to the front I jockeyed for a good sprinting finish i.e. with two to go I settled behind a rider who I thought was strong enough to pull me home . . . . . only to find out his energy was waning. So, coming around the last corner I was close enough to try to urge Ken on . . . . I couldn't tell if I was motivating him or just being annoying, but nonetheless he finished well in 8th. I noticed that afterwards a few young ladies were looking disappointed that he left early . . . . it seems he has developed quite an entourage in Richmond. In the A race Bill and Jinks were looking strong . . . . at one point Jinks was working to close a monster breakaway that consisted of three Harley guys and one Richmond Pro . . . . Bill came to a stop with what I first thought was a flat, turns out that his shifter was malfunctioning. I wanted to run behind him and give him a push when he was going to join the peloton again, but he was off too fast for me. In the A race a Mountain Khakis guy won . . . . and soon afterwards looked like he was going to pass out.
I'm psyched for tomorrow . . . ..
WMC Final Day - Crashed in the first corner. Not sure if there was debris or if I hit a wheel or what, but the only thing on my mind was get up and get going. One foot was still clipped in, so I unclipped and got up, did my best to catch the pack. Someone from the sidelines yelled "Free lap!", but I didn't know the exact etiquette - so I just gritted my teeth and caught the pack. Once there I settled in, and maybe 5 laps later raced a Natures Path rider for a prime lap. Won the lap . . . . from then it was trying to find a good position . . . . when I was mid pack there were shouts for someone to catch a rider who had been off the front for a while - no one went. I waited and went, figuring any rider off the front would be taking all the good prime prizes - better to spread the wealth. For the final sprint I didn't have the juice, but Ken had a magnificent sprint with about one or two laps to go. Had the timing been different he would have taken it all. Anyway, the three days were fun, and hopefully in a couple weeks time it will pay off.
June 26th - Short recovery ride . . . . sweated like crazy while riding. Legs felt ok, but I noticed some fatigue like feeling overall. I'm looking forward to the TT though . . . . Jordan has me psyched. So I'm off to bed early, wish us all luck for tomorrow.
June 30 - My internet is out, so I'm posting from work. will post again tomorrow when it gets fixed. Until then good luck everyone, train hard . . . .
June for Jinks
The Bryan Park circuit race brought BikeWorks out in force. Cat 5 had Ken taking second and with that the man to be for the rest of the day!! Image the joy of instead of going through the in's & out's of what happen to you in the race you just have to say second . How you do today, second. Phone call to the wife , second. Going up and checking posted finish, still second!!
Cat 4 was BikeWorks most attend with Jeff, Jordan ,& Steve in the mix. This was probably BikeWorks most dominate presence. The boys were at or on the front for the whole race . The finale execution of the race plan didn't come off has hoped. Just being there at the end to try something is more than half the battle . I would take those odds every time and sooner than late good things will happen !
The 1,2,3 was left to Bill & myself. This was a fast affair, with some 70 of us all willing to race in a park that I believe was intended for nature walks! The striking features of this was the speed,which I suppose in a race is expected. The closeness of your neighbor and the consideration needed to the course itself! For me I wouldn't say I didn't have it today, more like I didn't bring enough of it !! Felt like I had settled into a bit of a" Can fly zone" but was still concerned with the numerous rocket attacks going on at the front? I was left to fate with about 8 to go. There where two back to back hard efforts and before I could kiss the bride the train was out of the station ! No catching that train. Bill on the hand faired much better. Able to stay in the mix and to the front in the later stages. Until one to go Bill was trailing more to the back but was able to pull off his now infamous last lap shuffle sliding up the field into a seemingly top 15 pl finish. Great result went you look at just how many didn't make it in !!
In The Pedals Jinks
Cat 4 was BikeWorks most attend with Jeff, Jordan ,& Steve in the mix. This was probably BikeWorks most dominate presence. The boys were at or on the front for the whole race . The finale execution of the race plan didn't come off has hoped. Just being there at the end to try something is more than half the battle . I would take those odds every time and sooner than late good things will happen !
The 1,2,3 was left to Bill & myself. This was a fast affair, with some 70 of us all willing to race in a park that I believe was intended for nature walks! The striking features of this was the speed,which I suppose in a race is expected. The closeness of your neighbor and the consideration needed to the course itself! For me I wouldn't say I didn't have it today, more like I didn't bring enough of it !! Felt like I had settled into a bit of a" Can fly zone" but was still concerned with the numerous rocket attacks going on at the front? I was left to fate with about 8 to go. There where two back to back hard efforts and before I could kiss the bride the train was out of the station ! No catching that train. Bill on the hand faired much better. Able to stay in the mix and to the front in the later stages. Until one to go Bill was trailing more to the back but was able to pull off his now infamous last lap shuffle sliding up the field into a seemingly top 15 pl finish. Great result went you look at just how many didn't make it in !!
In The Pedals Jinks
Bill's Training/Racing
Amphib Racing picture by Lydia Netzer
That's a race! I did the Bryan Park race today with a 75 rider field that was star-studded. The 1.8 mile loop was tackled 26 times for more than 40 miles of good, old-fashioned bumpy critin'. The race started about as slowly as possible and guys were low-swinging for the spots that mattered when the hitting began. I thought that the last third was best(not by choice, but by dumb luck and a dropped gel). I did not feel like the bad start was putting me into to much difficulty, so I took the time to figure how the pack was morphing each lap. I saw three possible spots to move up without adding danger to an already sketchy place.
For the first half of the race, I was completely a passenger on a rollercoaster. I began to get POed about that role(good for others/not me). I took my three spots and got up to the front in two laps(probably too quick from where I was). While there, I could see the break of 5 drop to three as two guys up there crashed hard! I did a little to get up and across, but it was(admitingly) half-hearted and exhusting. I assumed my position as the red lantern.
It was at this moment that I noticed that Jinks was absent. He had been my motivation and bulls-eye the first half of the race. I might also point out that he was surfing up there a good 20 spots ahead of one Johnny "The Cat" Sundt. Great job Jinksy. With two to go, I was sitting 5 from the back and not getting anywhere on that crowded course. I really needed some calories right then and felt light-headed from that dropped gel in the 1st frakin lap.
I took some calculated riskes in my three movement spots and watched for exiting riders through the field and found my way up,inside the top 30 for the bumpy sprint. I wish my position for the mele at the end was better, for I had to break twice in the sprint. I finished in the top 15 and felt pretty good given the field size on that fractional course.
The lessons were many in the race too. Six major things to watch or do better.
STEVE'S JUNE TRAINING AND RACING
June 30
I am starting to think the damage is more muscular than strutural. After ibuprofen and stretching I was able to ride for an hour this afternoon. Some easy, some hard efforts, but nothing of any duration. By the end of the hour, my back and shoulder were beyond the discomfort stage into something more, so I shut it down. I can feel the fitness slipping and the weight creeping up with this reduced work load and being back in the office. More ibuprofen on tap for Wednesday's ride.
June 28-29
Ribs, shoulder and back all ache and keep me awake at night, but the pain seem to be getting less acute. So what will I do? Go for a ride on Tuesday. Probably nothing too hard, but at least some miles to keep the legs going. Could have been much worse. Poor Jeff Lawson really got torn up at the HAMmerfest. Makes one think!
June 27
Hammered No Fest. Friday evening, promised my youngest daughter we would go for a bike ride together. Riding down a path on a beach cruiser, minor decline, no brakes, daughter blocking my only survival line, CRASH. Can't breath, back and ribs compressed.
No sleep, but can't let Bill down for TTT. Late to the race, oldest daughter needed multiple pit stops. Can someone help get my skin suit on? I can't seem to use my left arm without severe pain and back spasms. Fraking power tap not working again. What warm up let's go. "Bill this is a 27 mile race why are we pushing VO2 max in the first 4 miles?","Sorry Bill, I just don't have it." "Hey Bill, this is a team TT, we are only as fast as the slowest rider, which is me. The trick now is to make me faster." "OFF", "OFF", "Sorry, I suck". "Has anyone seen my dog?" That was the TTT. The ride home and rest of the day was a blur of fatigue and pain. Congratulations to Jordan and Jack for a tremendous ride and helping find my dog. Those two are pure power. Bill, again my apologies for slowing you down, but it was fun having a teammate. Retirement looms!
June 25
Today was tempo day and the final interval although not hard physically did take mental concentration to not fall into the endurance zone. Today is packing day for the return to the 'Burg. Hope to see the BWR crew in the coming days. Great work by all of the WNC racers, wish I was there.
June 24
First, thanks to Jordan and Bill for feedback on my last post. I noticed the wind effect again today so it is no fluke. Today was sprint day and telling myself this was for the prime at the WMC. 3x5x15 all out sprints. I have not checked power numbers yet, but preliminarily I was able to keep power up throughout all sprints. In fact I must have put so much power out at one point that I pulled my rear wheel loose from the dropout. Although I felt good during the sprints, I surely felt them afterwords. Thanks to the BWR riders for the race reports. Although I am not there it still makes me feel part of the team.
June 23
Too far from home to do the WMC I am trying to boost the training this week by working hard on the training schedule. 2x10 tempo and 2x15 LT. The second LT was into the wind and was puzzling. I expected the power numbers to be higher and easier to reach but the opposite was the case. Despite a greater perceived effort the power numbers were lower. Interestingly whenever the wind let up or I was in a shielded area the power numbers were where I would expect them to be. Anyone have an explanantion for this?
June 21
The State TT was run in it's usual location, the Stony Creek wind tunnel. I will never figure out how you can have a quartering headwind in both directions, but that is how it was. My power tap acted up just prior to the start so I had to ride the TT old school with no speed, cadence or power information, only feel. I tried using the Levi Leiphiemer approach and break the race into thirds. Go hard, settle in, go hard. I may have settled in a little too easy but without telemetry it was hard to tell. At the end Jeff Lawson who won said I was 45-50 seconds behind him at approx 56:20 and Tim Starky was about 2:00 behind him. Tim also said he did an extra lap at the turn around trying to get some water, because his bottle fell out near the start of the race so that appeared right to him. I could only rely on that because I had no timing myself. I left before the results came out thinking I had second place. Jordan called and said I was third at 58:00 and Starky was second. How does that happen you ask. NO FRAKIN CHIP TIMING IN A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! It is getting very tiring how the times keep getting screwed up. Rant over, it was a good exercise since I learned my perceived exertion was pretty close to actual work. Be assured that I will have some form of timing ready to go for the next TT. Bill may have wanted a ten, but I find that low gear mashing tires the muscles pre-maturely and results in gradual loss of speed. I prefer to vary gears and cadence by condition. It will be interesting how our two styles mesh in the two man TT next week. Should be fun. Hey Jinks, no flat!
June 17
2x10 tempo 2x3 VO2 Feeling the fatigue but still able to get the work done. Easy rides from here to TT day. Wish I was closer to home, the crit on Saturday looks like it would be fun. Good luck boys see you Sunday.
June 16
Maybe I am working too hard, but instead of E, I did 1x10 LT and 1X15 LT, the first interval was definitely the hardest to maintain, interval 2 I felt good. Because it has been cloudy and cool here in the OBX fewer people are on the beach and more idiots and morons are on the road. A woman with her ipod plugged in and playing with her cell phone was walking and would not look up to my various shouts and warnings as I approached her at 27 mph. I barely managed to squeeze into the traffic lane and around her without being hit by the cars traveling in my direction. As I blew past her she screamed at me A$$hole. The shoulder is six feet wide with a grassy area next to it. An easy place to move to the side. But she wanted to be in the middle and I am the A$$hole? I sorely wanted to let her have a piece of my mind but let it go in the name of training. Hope everyone else stays safe.
June 15
An hour of easy spin for active recovery. Although I feel some fatigue the legs feel like they are coming around into some form of fitness.
June 14
RACE DAY FOR STEVE
Drove up from the OBX to the PLT. The old guys were either dissed or given a favor with an early start time. Unfortunately the wind did not wait for long enough to pick up and the last leg of the course was a swirling headwind that took its toll. That and being so screwed up that I forgot to charge up with a Gu meant that last leg was a suffer fest. All in all not the best ride for me but in context of others not bad. Third in the 50+ and according to fast man Jordan 5th in all age categories. (Jordan was 3rd with a frakin' fast time in the conditions. I guess his FTL was Cylon enhanced.) Thanks to Jinks and Ed for hooking me up with a replacement wheel after mine blew prior to the TT, could not have competed without your great support.
June 7
Managed to hook up with some BWR boys for a fast paced ride. Some good attack, counter attack practice with a little bit of TT effort thrown in. Too bad I did not have my race wheels on like Bill, but I guess it was even since his filled with water while fording the river. Nice to know this old Cat 4 can hang with the young Cat 3's in a break. Time to power up the FTL and jump on the next three weekends of TT racing.
June 3
Bill- "How you feel?" Steve- "Like doo." Bill- "I'll chase you first." Steve- "Not much to chase." Bill- "Wussy." Steve- "Go." A hard but fun workout 5x3 max efforts. It was very interesting noting where time and distances were made up and lost and just where that sweetspot of power, cadence and speed come together. Chasing Bill down and passing in the sweetspot, Bill coming back around as it is lost, finding it again and moving back past. Holding the work level for the FULL 3 MINUTES! The revised TT position is feeling faster with every ride!
June 2
Remember the movie Bull Durham? In the movie the team is burned out on a road trip. Bull decides they needed a rain out to recover, but there was no rain predicted. Being creative Bull breaks into the ball park and turns all of the sprinklers on full and "rains out" the game. I didn't need to turn on the sprinklers, but I was sure glad to use the big storm that rolled through on Tuesday to my advantage. Bill and I joined up in the park for the 4x9 LT intervals. First interval slightly low but no worries, second interval not as high as I hoped, but in the acceptable range, third interval the same as the first despite pouring every ounce of effort I could get into it. After Bill rolled up looking like someone just ran over his dog and him, I said look at the storm coming, let's get the frak out of here. Rain outs can be a beautiful thing!
BRYAN PARK GRAND PRIX
So it really was May 31, but today is June. After spending the morning worrying if I could stay with the pack and avoid crashing, the answer came back with a resounding YES. Except for two moments in the race it really was rather unexciting. I stayed in the top five for most of the race except for the time I moved back to "encourage" Jeff. After which we had the pleasure of drifting Jordan off into a break that should have gone clear but for the dumb a$$ racing of teams not to be mentioned. From there it was a matter of sticking to the plan. Exciting moment 1 was watching a TNP have his front wheel taken out directly in front of me. I broke left and Jordan, who spent most of the day either right in front of me or just behind me, broke right. Exciting moment 2, with three and a half to go, according to plan, I countered an attack by the eventual winner to try and set up Jordan for a counter, counter attack. It was perhaps my only tactical error of the day. I attacked just a little early and burned too much fuel by jumping too hard to sustain the gap long enough to really help Jordan. As the pack caught back up I went to re -accelerate back into the pack, but my calves decided to cramp right at that moment. It was just enough of a lag that I lost contact with the pack. I tempoed in the rest of the way, but even then managed to pass several stragglers. It was the most fun having Jordan and Jeff in the group, seeing the race and working as a team. To all the BWR and Gades racers great frakin job!
I am starting to think the damage is more muscular than strutural. After ibuprofen and stretching I was able to ride for an hour this afternoon. Some easy, some hard efforts, but nothing of any duration. By the end of the hour, my back and shoulder were beyond the discomfort stage into something more, so I shut it down. I can feel the fitness slipping and the weight creeping up with this reduced work load and being back in the office. More ibuprofen on tap for Wednesday's ride.
June 28-29
Ribs, shoulder and back all ache and keep me awake at night, but the pain seem to be getting less acute. So what will I do? Go for a ride on Tuesday. Probably nothing too hard, but at least some miles to keep the legs going. Could have been much worse. Poor Jeff Lawson really got torn up at the HAMmerfest. Makes one think!
June 27
Hammered No Fest. Friday evening, promised my youngest daughter we would go for a bike ride together. Riding down a path on a beach cruiser, minor decline, no brakes, daughter blocking my only survival line, CRASH. Can't breath, back and ribs compressed.
No sleep, but can't let Bill down for TTT. Late to the race, oldest daughter needed multiple pit stops. Can someone help get my skin suit on? I can't seem to use my left arm without severe pain and back spasms. Fraking power tap not working again. What warm up let's go. "Bill this is a 27 mile race why are we pushing VO2 max in the first 4 miles?","Sorry Bill, I just don't have it." "Hey Bill, this is a team TT, we are only as fast as the slowest rider, which is me. The trick now is to make me faster." "OFF", "OFF", "Sorry, I suck". "Has anyone seen my dog?" That was the TTT. The ride home and rest of the day was a blur of fatigue and pain. Congratulations to Jordan and Jack for a tremendous ride and helping find my dog. Those two are pure power. Bill, again my apologies for slowing you down, but it was fun having a teammate. Retirement looms!
June 25
Today was tempo day and the final interval although not hard physically did take mental concentration to not fall into the endurance zone. Today is packing day for the return to the 'Burg. Hope to see the BWR crew in the coming days. Great work by all of the WNC racers, wish I was there.
June 24
First, thanks to Jordan and Bill for feedback on my last post. I noticed the wind effect again today so it is no fluke. Today was sprint day and telling myself this was for the prime at the WMC. 3x5x15 all out sprints. I have not checked power numbers yet, but preliminarily I was able to keep power up throughout all sprints. In fact I must have put so much power out at one point that I pulled my rear wheel loose from the dropout. Although I felt good during the sprints, I surely felt them afterwords. Thanks to the BWR riders for the race reports. Although I am not there it still makes me feel part of the team.
June 23
Too far from home to do the WMC I am trying to boost the training this week by working hard on the training schedule. 2x10 tempo and 2x15 LT. The second LT was into the wind and was puzzling. I expected the power numbers to be higher and easier to reach but the opposite was the case. Despite a greater perceived effort the power numbers were lower. Interestingly whenever the wind let up or I was in a shielded area the power numbers were where I would expect them to be. Anyone have an explanantion for this?
June 21
The State TT was run in it's usual location, the Stony Creek wind tunnel. I will never figure out how you can have a quartering headwind in both directions, but that is how it was. My power tap acted up just prior to the start so I had to ride the TT old school with no speed, cadence or power information, only feel. I tried using the Levi Leiphiemer approach and break the race into thirds. Go hard, settle in, go hard. I may have settled in a little too easy but without telemetry it was hard to tell. At the end Jeff Lawson who won said I was 45-50 seconds behind him at approx 56:20 and Tim Starky was about 2:00 behind him. Tim also said he did an extra lap at the turn around trying to get some water, because his bottle fell out near the start of the race so that appeared right to him. I could only rely on that because I had no timing myself. I left before the results came out thinking I had second place. Jordan called and said I was third at 58:00 and Starky was second. How does that happen you ask. NO FRAKIN CHIP TIMING IN A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! It is getting very tiring how the times keep getting screwed up. Rant over, it was a good exercise since I learned my perceived exertion was pretty close to actual work. Be assured that I will have some form of timing ready to go for the next TT. Bill may have wanted a ten, but I find that low gear mashing tires the muscles pre-maturely and results in gradual loss of speed. I prefer to vary gears and cadence by condition. It will be interesting how our two styles mesh in the two man TT next week. Should be fun. Hey Jinks, no flat!
June 17
2x10 tempo 2x3 VO2 Feeling the fatigue but still able to get the work done. Easy rides from here to TT day. Wish I was closer to home, the crit on Saturday looks like it would be fun. Good luck boys see you Sunday.
June 16
Maybe I am working too hard, but instead of E, I did 1x10 LT and 1X15 LT, the first interval was definitely the hardest to maintain, interval 2 I felt good. Because it has been cloudy and cool here in the OBX fewer people are on the beach and more idiots and morons are on the road. A woman with her ipod plugged in and playing with her cell phone was walking and would not look up to my various shouts and warnings as I approached her at 27 mph. I barely managed to squeeze into the traffic lane and around her without being hit by the cars traveling in my direction. As I blew past her she screamed at me A$$hole. The shoulder is six feet wide with a grassy area next to it. An easy place to move to the side. But she wanted to be in the middle and I am the A$$hole? I sorely wanted to let her have a piece of my mind but let it go in the name of training. Hope everyone else stays safe.
June 15
An hour of easy spin for active recovery. Although I feel some fatigue the legs feel like they are coming around into some form of fitness.
June 14
RACE DAY FOR STEVE
Drove up from the OBX to the PLT. The old guys were either dissed or given a favor with an early start time. Unfortunately the wind did not wait for long enough to pick up and the last leg of the course was a swirling headwind that took its toll. That and being so screwed up that I forgot to charge up with a Gu meant that last leg was a suffer fest. All in all not the best ride for me but in context of others not bad. Third in the 50+ and according to fast man Jordan 5th in all age categories. (Jordan was 3rd with a frakin' fast time in the conditions. I guess his FTL was Cylon enhanced.) Thanks to Jinks and Ed for hooking me up with a replacement wheel after mine blew prior to the TT, could not have competed without your great support.
June 7
Managed to hook up with some BWR boys for a fast paced ride. Some good attack, counter attack practice with a little bit of TT effort thrown in. Too bad I did not have my race wheels on like Bill, but I guess it was even since his filled with water while fording the river. Nice to know this old Cat 4 can hang with the young Cat 3's in a break. Time to power up the FTL and jump on the next three weekends of TT racing.
June 3
Bill- "How you feel?" Steve- "Like doo." Bill- "I'll chase you first." Steve- "Not much to chase." Bill- "Wussy." Steve- "Go." A hard but fun workout 5x3 max efforts. It was very interesting noting where time and distances were made up and lost and just where that sweetspot of power, cadence and speed come together. Chasing Bill down and passing in the sweetspot, Bill coming back around as it is lost, finding it again and moving back past. Holding the work level for the FULL 3 MINUTES! The revised TT position is feeling faster with every ride!
June 2
Remember the movie Bull Durham? In the movie the team is burned out on a road trip. Bull decides they needed a rain out to recover, but there was no rain predicted. Being creative Bull breaks into the ball park and turns all of the sprinklers on full and "rains out" the game. I didn't need to turn on the sprinklers, but I was sure glad to use the big storm that rolled through on Tuesday to my advantage. Bill and I joined up in the park for the 4x9 LT intervals. First interval slightly low but no worries, second interval not as high as I hoped, but in the acceptable range, third interval the same as the first despite pouring every ounce of effort I could get into it. After Bill rolled up looking like someone just ran over his dog and him, I said look at the storm coming, let's get the frak out of here. Rain outs can be a beautiful thing!
BRYAN PARK GRAND PRIX
So it really was May 31, but today is June. After spending the morning worrying if I could stay with the pack and avoid crashing, the answer came back with a resounding YES. Except for two moments in the race it really was rather unexciting. I stayed in the top five for most of the race except for the time I moved back to "encourage" Jeff. After which we had the pleasure of drifting Jordan off into a break that should have gone clear but for the dumb a$$ racing of teams not to be mentioned. From there it was a matter of sticking to the plan. Exciting moment 1 was watching a TNP have his front wheel taken out directly in front of me. I broke left and Jordan, who spent most of the day either right in front of me or just behind me, broke right. Exciting moment 2, with three and a half to go, according to plan, I countered an attack by the eventual winner to try and set up Jordan for a counter, counter attack. It was perhaps my only tactical error of the day. I attacked just a little early and burned too much fuel by jumping too hard to sustain the gap long enough to really help Jordan. As the pack caught back up I went to re -accelerate back into the pack, but my calves decided to cramp right at that moment. It was just enough of a lag that I lost contact with the pack. I tempoed in the rest of the way, but even then managed to pass several stragglers. It was the most fun having Jordan and Jeff in the group, seeing the race and working as a team. To all the BWR and Gades racers great frakin job!
Breakout Racing
A huge congrats to the BikeWorks Racing Team and to the 'Gades. The mission was accomplished just by trying to do the Team's plans. It was great to see Andre make a surprise visit. Read each rider's post to find out the drippy details. Watch out for Bryan Vaughn's video of the race as well. -BILL
http://bryanvaughan.blogspot.com/
http://bryanvaughan.blogspot.com/
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