This past weekend saw several of the BikeWorks Racing members enjoying a well earned vacation. The rest of the team did the Lost River Road Race and the PLT Time Trial. Jack did an amazing job in his 1st cat 4 race and finished in a select lead group for 14th, while Joe crushed the top ten to finish 7th. Great job, men.
The TT was a fantastic team effort overall. Not one of our 4 riders present finished worst than 4th place. We had two 2nd places, a 3rd, and a 4th. All four of our times were within 1:30. That it targeted training! Great work team and hope we get some riders out for the State TT on Sunday. Remember the cat 5s can also race in the Master's in the TTs. Who's in? Every rider counts!!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
recovery update
After one week of rest in my recliner, I'm back to work on some light duty slow movement.I’m still sore and if I move the wrong way I know it, but overall I'm feeling pretty good.Not able to sleep in a bed yet but the recliner is not bad. I’m walking about 2 miles a day just to try and speed up the process and keep from getting stiff. My biggest fright over the next month will be my weight; I have already picked up 15 lbs. I really believe I will be back on the bike by the end of August. Hope to see some of you guys at the PLT, Savannah will be racing
Tour De France
If one of my teammates made a deal with another team and then attacked a fellow teammate despite being in no danger of losing position, I think there would be blood on my fist from punching his lights out. Contador is a little dirt bag, although a talelented dirt bag. I know my teammates would not do that to me. Especially in a KOM competition. I would not want to be Contador on another team from Armstrong and Bruyneel next year. They are cold blooded killers when it comes to being crossed.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Important Subject Team
It's that time of year and we are going to be actively seeking sponsors for the 2010 racing year. Of course I'm assuming that you are already keeping some sort of individual resume, but we need to get our formal resume completed in the next few weeks. Below will be the guidelines for the resume, which can just be typed on a Word doc. If you need help, call me. If you did not finish a race, put "DNF". If you are not sure of a finish, put "pack finish". You do not need to include number of riders in the race for our purposes.
Full Name
USCF license number
Categories racing(such as cat3 and 30+)
Occupation(such as 4th grade teacher)
Bike related activities(such as charity ride etc)
Team position(if one is held-we can always give you one!!!)
Races:
Race date-Race "official" Name-Category raced- result
ex.
11 April-Casey Auto Criterium-Cat1,2,3-18th place
Please put them in chronological order and make sure you have the name of the race(look at vacycling website for results and names if needed). Results are only looked at for tabulation team-wide. E-mail those to me when you get the chance. We have a lot to be proud of both on and off the bike.
Full Name
USCF license number
Categories racing(such as cat3 and 30+)
Occupation(such as 4th grade teacher)
Bike related activities(such as charity ride etc)
Team position(if one is held-we can always give you one!!!)
Races:
Race date-Race "official" Name-Category raced- result
ex.
11 April-Casey Auto Criterium-Cat1,2,3-18th place
Please put them in chronological order and make sure you have the name of the race(look at vacycling website for results and names if needed). Results are only looked at for tabulation team-wide. E-mail those to me when you get the chance. We have a lot to be proud of both on and off the bike.
Monday, July 13, 2009
crash update
First off I need to thank friend Team mate Steve as I laid on the pavement trying to asses the damage it was great to hear him Say ( "Jeff we are right here") knowing there were family and friends near made it much easer, and then some how Steve was able to pack all of my stuff up including my Pop up tent. THANKS! And then all of the concern for my condition from the team members is a wonderful feeling. That is part of why our team is so special. As for and up date two broke ribs on my left back side, road rash and just sore. Dr gives me 3 months for recovery and says to take it slow. Time for pain Meds:) SEE you guys soon!!
Racing in Mabra
BikeWorks again brought its self north to race in the Mabra domain. First off in what I'm sure will be the most dramatic piece of racing you may ever see (Gamjams.com) was our boy Jeff. Jeff was contesting the 35+ 4/5 event and was about to win the thing, when what looks to be a bomb going off took Jeff and five others to the pavement!! Unreal pictures of this on gamjams.com. I haven't seen that much air under a bike since Evil Knievel tried the fountains at Caesars Palace!! Jeff is in good spirits, but does have two broken ribs and is officially the baddest Mo Fo you know!
Next up was Steve in the 50+ event. Sounds as if Steve had a day of trading blows, chasing down breaks and basically being out numbered. Steve was able to give a very helpful course report before our race.
Greg, Bill and myself made it 3 for the P/1/2/3 event. What had first looked to be a small affair turned out to be a full on mid-Atlantic elite race. Last minute entries included Richmond Pro, the rest of Harley-Davidson and the fast boys from DC Velo. The course which was advertised as a 2.1 mile circuit turned out to be a 1.1 – apparently a misprint in the flyer. The good news on the circuit was the hill was easy. The bad news is there was a head wind that attempted alone would redefine your red zone. With the racing under way BikeWorks settled in nicely in the pack. There were sightings of the Fredericksburg trio front, center and back. Eventually a break went off the front and stuck. BikeWorks did have three different attempts to run it back. Bill and Greg leading the more significant efforts. The end had us all finishing strongly in the pack but not before showing the BikeWorks colors in a few significant moves.
In the pedals, Jinks
Next up was Steve in the 50+ event. Sounds as if Steve had a day of trading blows, chasing down breaks and basically being out numbered. Steve was able to give a very helpful course report before our race.
Greg, Bill and myself made it 3 for the P/1/2/3 event. What had first looked to be a small affair turned out to be a full on mid-Atlantic elite race. Last minute entries included Richmond Pro, the rest of Harley-Davidson and the fast boys from DC Velo. The course which was advertised as a 2.1 mile circuit turned out to be a 1.1 – apparently a misprint in the flyer. The good news on the circuit was the hill was easy. The bad news is there was a head wind that attempted alone would redefine your red zone. With the racing under way BikeWorks settled in nicely in the pack. There were sightings of the Fredericksburg trio front, center and back. Eventually a break went off the front and stuck. BikeWorks did have three different attempts to run it back. Bill and Greg leading the more significant efforts. The end had us all finishing strongly in the pack but not before showing the BikeWorks colors in a few significant moves.
In the pedals, Jinks
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Jordan's Traing and Racing
July 19-24
Out of town all week, with the youth from church. Managed to get in 3 45-minute workouts on the stationary bike in the fitness center. A forced rest week is probably just what I need, I haven't had many days off the bike this season - but it's hard for my mind to accept that I am not going to lose 9 months of training and racing fitness in one week. It's good to get off long enough to want to get back outside and ride. Keeps away the burn-out for the remainder of the season. And hopefully I will have a really strong TT on Sunday to confirm the value adequate rest.
July 18
It's disappointing to see the BAR slip through my fingers in a single weekend of races. Today's time trial widened the distance even more. My strength is definitely not the shorter course TT, I need more VO2 training on the TT bike, I think. 35-40K, I'm good to go, I've got the endurance and the pacing skills, but I go into the red at just 10-20 watts above threshold - I need to try to widen that to 40-50 watts if I'm going to be able to master the 20-25K efforts.
July 6-12
No races this week saw me focused on a bit of recovery during the first 3 days and then an increase in intensity and duration for the last 4 days. Thursday was a top ten 60-min normalized wattage of 335 watts - I had just done a 15-minute threshold effort, then when I got to the usual meeting place discovered I was late for the group ride and found myself chasing all-out for another 13 minutes @ 350 watts to get within shouting distance. I recovered a bit as my partners waited for me, sat out just one pull in the rotation (there are usually 3 of us) and then proceeded to ride like I normally do - until the weakest guy begs me to slow down. I saw that normalized power was looking great so I kept the pace high during my pulls.
Friday I went out and did a couple of hours of sweet spot tempo, at about 91% of FTP (88% for the first hour, 94% for the second). Saturday saw an increase in duration to 3 hours and a decrease in intensity to about 80%, although I fit in a solid hour of tempo in there and the rest was endurance. Sunday was a relatively easy-going ride of 2 hours at about 75% with one 4-minute VO2 effort at 400 watts on the final long hill and one 45-second hill attack at around 600 watts on the final short steep hill.
ID3 Race Report: A decent weekend of racing in the ID3 Master's 30+ Omnium. While there were only 10 of us racing the whole omnium, with guys like the King Brothers, Mike Hosang, Pat Raines (former Time Pro, now w/ Mtn. Khakhis), Frank Deal, and Bill Short (Vision Screen Printing) racing, it was going to be a hard 3 days for this lil' Cat 4, but I was going to give it my best.
July 3-5
ID3 Race Report: A decent weekend of racing in the ID3 Master's 30+ Omnium. While there were only 10 of us racing the whole omnium, with guys like the King Brothers, Mike Hosang, Pat Raines (former Time Pro, now w/ Mtn. Khakhis), Frank Deal, and Bill Short (Vision Screen Printing) racing, it was going to be a hard 3 days for this lil' Cat 4, but I was going to give it my best.
I turned myself inside out on Mill Mountain, knowing that I might be able to get the most points there. My personal goal - to break 11 minutes. Last year was 11:26. To summarize, I put out 411 watts average power for the entire climb - 40 watts more than last year. To be able to put out 11% more watts - I'm still in shock. That 40 watts shaved 30 seconds off my time, and I just skirted in under my goal with a 10:56. 4 points in the omnium.
Saturday was a beautiful day, and I was excited to be racing a course that I hadn't raced in 10 years, back when they had the Saturn Cup/Tour de Festival, and this was the state senior championship crit course. The race saw Dan King and Pat Raines gun it from the start (which I knew they were going to do), and Mark King executed the perfect little block that slowed me just enough to give them a gap. I tried to bridge to them at first, but to no avail, and nobody else seemed terribly interested either, so they lapped the field. The pace was swift, and the small field made it feel more like a chase group than a peloton. Several riders were dropped, but I hung on strong. Then Pat Raines and Hosang went - so it was put up or shut up time. Dan King, who was a lap up but just saw first place go off the front, Mark King, and myself were the only 3 who were either willing or able to put in some hard work. The break stuck, and I ended up 6th in a war of attrition. 2 points.
Sunday was light, then medium rain, which when combined with the road grit made us all look like we just finished the Tour of Flanders. With 2 long straightaways and quick double 90-degree turns at either end, plus a chicane, the corners were slower, but we were still accelerating to 30+ mph on the straights each lap. Hurtsville for me, I would get gapped just a touch during the accelerations, but easily make it back on as they slowed for the turn. The flat front tire and the going down fortunately didn't cost me anything in terms of position, it did disrupt my mojo and made it hard to get back into stride. 2 points.
At the end of it all, my 8 points in the omnium was suitable for 5th overall, which basically meant I got my race entry fee back. However, the real benefit was having the fitness to be able to hang with racers that, just last year, were dropping me within 10 laps. It's all about progress - and I think the best is still yet to come.
Out of town all week, with the youth from church. Managed to get in 3 45-minute workouts on the stationary bike in the fitness center. A forced rest week is probably just what I need, I haven't had many days off the bike this season - but it's hard for my mind to accept that I am not going to lose 9 months of training and racing fitness in one week. It's good to get off long enough to want to get back outside and ride. Keeps away the burn-out for the remainder of the season. And hopefully I will have a really strong TT on Sunday to confirm the value adequate rest.
July 18
It's disappointing to see the BAR slip through my fingers in a single weekend of races. Today's time trial widened the distance even more. My strength is definitely not the shorter course TT, I need more VO2 training on the TT bike, I think. 35-40K, I'm good to go, I've got the endurance and the pacing skills, but I go into the red at just 10-20 watts above threshold - I need to try to widen that to 40-50 watts if I'm going to be able to master the 20-25K efforts.
July 6-12
No races this week saw me focused on a bit of recovery during the first 3 days and then an increase in intensity and duration for the last 4 days. Thursday was a top ten 60-min normalized wattage of 335 watts - I had just done a 15-minute threshold effort, then when I got to the usual meeting place discovered I was late for the group ride and found myself chasing all-out for another 13 minutes @ 350 watts to get within shouting distance. I recovered a bit as my partners waited for me, sat out just one pull in the rotation (there are usually 3 of us) and then proceeded to ride like I normally do - until the weakest guy begs me to slow down. I saw that normalized power was looking great so I kept the pace high during my pulls.
Friday I went out and did a couple of hours of sweet spot tempo, at about 91% of FTP (88% for the first hour, 94% for the second). Saturday saw an increase in duration to 3 hours and a decrease in intensity to about 80%, although I fit in a solid hour of tempo in there and the rest was endurance. Sunday was a relatively easy-going ride of 2 hours at about 75% with one 4-minute VO2 effort at 400 watts on the final long hill and one 45-second hill attack at around 600 watts on the final short steep hill.
ID3 Race Report: A decent weekend of racing in the ID3 Master's 30+ Omnium. While there were only 10 of us racing the whole omnium, with guys like the King Brothers, Mike Hosang, Pat Raines (former Time Pro, now w/ Mtn. Khakhis), Frank Deal, and Bill Short (Vision Screen Printing) racing, it was going to be a hard 3 days for this lil' Cat 4, but I was going to give it my best.
July 3-5
ID3 Race Report: A decent weekend of racing in the ID3 Master's 30+ Omnium. While there were only 10 of us racing the whole omnium, with guys like the King Brothers, Mike Hosang, Pat Raines (former Time Pro, now w/ Mtn. Khakhis), Frank Deal, and Bill Short (Vision Screen Printing) racing, it was going to be a hard 3 days for this lil' Cat 4, but I was going to give it my best.
I turned myself inside out on Mill Mountain, knowing that I might be able to get the most points there. My personal goal - to break 11 minutes. Last year was 11:26. To summarize, I put out 411 watts average power for the entire climb - 40 watts more than last year. To be able to put out 11% more watts - I'm still in shock. That 40 watts shaved 30 seconds off my time, and I just skirted in under my goal with a 10:56. 4 points in the omnium.
Saturday was a beautiful day, and I was excited to be racing a course that I hadn't raced in 10 years, back when they had the Saturn Cup/Tour de Festival, and this was the state senior championship crit course. The race saw Dan King and Pat Raines gun it from the start (which I knew they were going to do), and Mark King executed the perfect little block that slowed me just enough to give them a gap. I tried to bridge to them at first, but to no avail, and nobody else seemed terribly interested either, so they lapped the field. The pace was swift, and the small field made it feel more like a chase group than a peloton. Several riders were dropped, but I hung on strong. Then Pat Raines and Hosang went - so it was put up or shut up time. Dan King, who was a lap up but just saw first place go off the front, Mark King, and myself were the only 3 who were either willing or able to put in some hard work. The break stuck, and I ended up 6th in a war of attrition. 2 points.
Sunday was light, then medium rain, which when combined with the road grit made us all look like we just finished the Tour of Flanders. With 2 long straightaways and quick double 90-degree turns at either end, plus a chicane, the corners were slower, but we were still accelerating to 30+ mph on the straights each lap. Hurtsville for me, I would get gapped just a touch during the accelerations, but easily make it back on as they slowed for the turn. The flat front tire and the going down fortunately didn't cost me anything in terms of position, it did disrupt my mojo and made it hard to get back into stride. 2 points.
At the end of it all, my 8 points in the omnium was suitable for 5th overall, which basically meant I got my race entry fee back. However, the real benefit was having the fitness to be able to hang with racers that, just last year, were dropping me within 10 laps. It's all about progress - and I think the best is still yet to come.
Monday, July 6, 2009
July for Jinks
Sunday's ride felt like a true one day classic!! The lite rain just added to the euro feel of the day . It's was great to have BikeWorks out in all its numbers.(Impressive to see the blue train rolling down RT2). Having the race/ride seem to succeed in a few ways. The evidences of everyone fitness was apparent. Each time we would go at it in the race situation ,I could hear the thoughts come out of every ones head on who to chase, if I do that where will that leave me, who can we trick into pulling us up !! The doing of racing can never be replaced by a verbal plan !! The few times I made it into a break it was great to look at all who were present to see there faces and know "Time to let the dogs run "
In the Pedals, Jinks
In the Pedals, Jinks
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Ben's Work and Race notes
July 29th
I've been hitting it consistantly. Today may be the most significant training day I've had.
I'm training with power! Now If I knew how.
July18th
Headed out to the Giro De Coppi. I have had a tough week at work and at home. I didn't get any easy rides Wednesday - Friday. I arrived about an hour early, set up trainer, pinned number, all prerace stuff. Then I realized, 35+ 4s and 5s were first so, warm up on the road. Ihead out the race route, nice easy downgrade to a sharp left turn, facing a friggin vertical wall.This is just a percursor of the entire route. I checked online, the terrain map looked relatively flat at 500 ft. Oh boy, was that ever wrong. This is going to be a skinny guys delight. I scoped out some big fellas and we agreed to work togather once spit off the back. By the third hill, I was considering withdrawing and heading home. I stuck it out though. Amazingly, about half way through the second lap, I started pulling in straglers and spitting them out. My legs had come to me. Same thing on the third lap. I did get passed by the 123 ladies though. The were flying up the hills. POWER to WEIGHT! Damn those genetics. My dad is fit as a fiddle at 76 years old and is between 190 and 200lbs. I saw Jose at the parking lot, he finished around 12th. No confirmed report from Ken. Jose thought he might have been spit off too. This was a brutal course; 39 miles, 4300 ft gained, 15 mph winds from west, not one single flat section over a mile. Rollers my butt. These were more like foothills. I wish Jeff could have been there. This has to be a great prep for Page County (which I am passing on). Bring on PLT TT and Chesepeake Crits. This 220 lb flatlander yearns for the old Pungo rides where if you wanted to climb, you went over the bridge.
Bill, can you help me improve sprinting between now and the Ches. Crit?
July 15th
Need rest. Broke cardinal rule. I just purchased a Power Tap. I'm lacing it up to a Velovity 2.1.
Should be on power in three weeks max.
July 14th
Lunch ride, I'm thinking I really need to stay home, no Bryan Park for me. I check the schedule, 2X10 Tempo 2X15 LT. OK, I'm off. First, I don't rest inbetween the two Tempos. Feeling great, keeping HR near top end of zone. Five minutes rest, then; LT #1 - I go to a power gear and start grinding it out. My HR slowly climbs to zone, I stick it about 4 beats from topend, ten minutes, whew, five rest, gotta hit it again, I grab an even bigger gear and start turning over the BIG muscels. * minutes in, I'm cooked. I pulled the plug. rolled into the gym, shower and head to a 1300 meeting across base. On the way, I call wifey, see how things are. Her sister is coming up for the night. I think Great, I can go to Bryant Park.
Part Deux - Tuesdat at the races. I drag Jack down sans kit, and we enter. Ken's there already so, its gonna be a good race. We toe the line, and the race director executes a sinister plot. Not only are we racing the shitty direction, he starts all 5s 45 seconds ahead of the 4s. The 4s vow to paceline till we catch the 5s. I head up front, and, there are about 7 - 10 of us pacelining. Who do you think hit the hill on his rotation? Yep, happened twice. I also closed about four gaps as they developed. My VO2 HR is around 155-157, I had an avg HR of 157 with over half of the race above 163. I hit 177! After closing a 25 meter gap on the hill, I gassed and fell off the back, a consous decision. And saw Jack screaming of the front of the 5s about two laps later. I jumped into the pack as the 4s and 5s combined and finished the last 4 laps to a field sprint. I passed Jack but ken was two spots up.
All in all, a pretty good day of work. Resting today. Giro is Saturday w/Ken and Joe.
July12
Sorry Jack. Yard work, wife and rain.
Hope the BWR guys had better luck in bowie.
July 11
Time for some alone time. I head out around noon and get a couple of hours heading down to Jackson Shrine. Good ride, cleared the head. Gonna hit it a bit on Sunday, then a week of preps for the Giro de Coppi. Tuesday I'm gonna do some hill intervals then easy roll the rest of the weeek.
July 9th
21 miles in one hour three minutes. HEAVY head winds allow for some high tempo, low LT.
July 8th
An hour and a half at E-low Tempo. Legs are feeling great. I also scoped out a crit loop and a road loop on base. Jinksy, NSWC Dahlgren wants to host a bike race, Bill told me to get with you.
July 7th
I'm excited to get an easy rolling lunch ride in. When I show up at the gym to meet up with Ed M., I meet a new guy. He seems nice enough, then he mentions he's a MTB racer. OK, I've got five sprints today, let's see. Four of us head out. There's too much testosterone for an easy ride. I behave most the ride, take some long headwind pulls in my TEMPO Zone. They're hurting. As we roll into the last few miles, I have managed to get four sprints, about twenty minutes of good tempo and the rest E. The new guy says something like, do you have anything left in the tank? I think, hell yea, lets go. I grab a big gear and turn out a steady 80 rpm and bring it up to about 28 mph for the last 2-3 miles. DAMN, Bill's gonna be pissed. That wasn't keeping it easy AND I blew up a young(ish) MTB'r at the same time. : )
July 5th & 6th off, yea! Legs feel great. Easy week coming up.
July 4th
Scott came over, we hit the White Oak Loop plus. It was good to get 30 miles and flush out the legs. Sunday is rest and recovery, Monday starts a new week of suffering.
p.s. How do I get an invite to the Blue Train rides?
July 3rd
Meet at the shop for a couple E hours. I head out a couple hours early and get in my 3X30 Tempo then meeet at the shop. Scott, Bill, Steve and I head out. Ends up being a total of 4.5 hours of saddle time. One hell of a ride, fresh legs and a sore ass.
I've been hitting it consistantly. Today may be the most significant training day I've had.
I'm training with power! Now If I knew how.
July18th
Headed out to the Giro De Coppi. I have had a tough week at work and at home. I didn't get any easy rides Wednesday - Friday. I arrived about an hour early, set up trainer, pinned number, all prerace stuff. Then I realized, 35+ 4s and 5s were first so, warm up on the road. Ihead out the race route, nice easy downgrade to a sharp left turn, facing a friggin vertical wall.This is just a percursor of the entire route. I checked online, the terrain map looked relatively flat at 500 ft. Oh boy, was that ever wrong. This is going to be a skinny guys delight. I scoped out some big fellas and we agreed to work togather once spit off the back. By the third hill, I was considering withdrawing and heading home. I stuck it out though. Amazingly, about half way through the second lap, I started pulling in straglers and spitting them out. My legs had come to me. Same thing on the third lap. I did get passed by the 123 ladies though. The were flying up the hills. POWER to WEIGHT! Damn those genetics. My dad is fit as a fiddle at 76 years old and is between 190 and 200lbs. I saw Jose at the parking lot, he finished around 12th. No confirmed report from Ken. Jose thought he might have been spit off too. This was a brutal course; 39 miles, 4300 ft gained, 15 mph winds from west, not one single flat section over a mile. Rollers my butt. These were more like foothills. I wish Jeff could have been there. This has to be a great prep for Page County (which I am passing on). Bring on PLT TT and Chesepeake Crits. This 220 lb flatlander yearns for the old Pungo rides where if you wanted to climb, you went over the bridge.
Bill, can you help me improve sprinting between now and the Ches. Crit?
July 15th
Need rest. Broke cardinal rule. I just purchased a Power Tap. I'm lacing it up to a Velovity 2.1.
Should be on power in three weeks max.
July 14th
Lunch ride, I'm thinking I really need to stay home, no Bryan Park for me. I check the schedule, 2X10 Tempo 2X15 LT. OK, I'm off. First, I don't rest inbetween the two Tempos. Feeling great, keeping HR near top end of zone. Five minutes rest, then; LT #1 - I go to a power gear and start grinding it out. My HR slowly climbs to zone, I stick it about 4 beats from topend, ten minutes, whew, five rest, gotta hit it again, I grab an even bigger gear and start turning over the BIG muscels. * minutes in, I'm cooked. I pulled the plug. rolled into the gym, shower and head to a 1300 meeting across base. On the way, I call wifey, see how things are. Her sister is coming up for the night. I think Great, I can go to Bryant Park.
Part Deux - Tuesdat at the races. I drag Jack down sans kit, and we enter. Ken's there already so, its gonna be a good race. We toe the line, and the race director executes a sinister plot. Not only are we racing the shitty direction, he starts all 5s 45 seconds ahead of the 4s. The 4s vow to paceline till we catch the 5s. I head up front, and, there are about 7 - 10 of us pacelining. Who do you think hit the hill on his rotation? Yep, happened twice. I also closed about four gaps as they developed. My VO2 HR is around 155-157, I had an avg HR of 157 with over half of the race above 163. I hit 177! After closing a 25 meter gap on the hill, I gassed and fell off the back, a consous decision. And saw Jack screaming of the front of the 5s about two laps later. I jumped into the pack as the 4s and 5s combined and finished the last 4 laps to a field sprint. I passed Jack but ken was two spots up.
All in all, a pretty good day of work. Resting today. Giro is Saturday w/Ken and Joe.
July12
Sorry Jack. Yard work, wife and rain.
Hope the BWR guys had better luck in bowie.
July 11
Time for some alone time. I head out around noon and get a couple of hours heading down to Jackson Shrine. Good ride, cleared the head. Gonna hit it a bit on Sunday, then a week of preps for the Giro de Coppi. Tuesday I'm gonna do some hill intervals then easy roll the rest of the weeek.
July 9th
21 miles in one hour three minutes. HEAVY head winds allow for some high tempo, low LT.
July 8th
An hour and a half at E-low Tempo. Legs are feeling great. I also scoped out a crit loop and a road loop on base. Jinksy, NSWC Dahlgren wants to host a bike race, Bill told me to get with you.
July 7th
I'm excited to get an easy rolling lunch ride in. When I show up at the gym to meet up with Ed M., I meet a new guy. He seems nice enough, then he mentions he's a MTB racer. OK, I've got five sprints today, let's see. Four of us head out. There's too much testosterone for an easy ride. I behave most the ride, take some long headwind pulls in my TEMPO Zone. They're hurting. As we roll into the last few miles, I have managed to get four sprints, about twenty minutes of good tempo and the rest E. The new guy says something like, do you have anything left in the tank? I think, hell yea, lets go. I grab a big gear and turn out a steady 80 rpm and bring it up to about 28 mph for the last 2-3 miles. DAMN, Bill's gonna be pissed. That wasn't keeping it easy AND I blew up a young(ish) MTB'r at the same time. : )
July 5th & 6th off, yea! Legs feel great. Easy week coming up.
July 4th
Scott came over, we hit the White Oak Loop plus. It was good to get 30 miles and flush out the legs. Sunday is rest and recovery, Monday starts a new week of suffering.
p.s. How do I get an invite to the Blue Train rides?
July 3rd
Meet at the shop for a couple E hours. I head out a couple hours early and get in my 3X30 Tempo then meeet at the shop. Scott, Bill, Steve and I head out. Ends up being a total of 4.5 hours of saddle time. One hell of a ride, fresh legs and a sore ass.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Jeff /July racing@training
I was out two days this week due to my daughter’s softball tournament games as I started back after two straight rest days. I rode Tuesday and missed wend- thru, back on the bike Friday I had another visit from the high HR, my hr jumped to 224 during warm up. well DR says I'm fine so on with the program as I was putting in some good efforts my legs were feeling good but my brain was telling me it was hurting. I ended cutting the intensity off early and going Low E. When I down loaded the work out, I was surprised at the increase in power #. So at lease I can start today’s ride off on a good note. By the way It looks like I can make the Sunday ride and I can't wait sounds like fun, fun, fun!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Jack Training July
This month started off with a bang for me. Riding to work yesterday, on Cowan, I saw that I was about to pass a cute girl that I often pass on my commutes - I think she walks to work in Central Park or something. So, seeing that I was about to pass her, I put on a little burst of speed to try impress her. It ended up backfiring - my left crankarm fell off and I nearly crashed. After my jewels recovered a little I went back and retrieved the arm, and pedaled the rest of the way with one leg. After Andre fixed me up I decided to just call it a recovery day, which left the legs feeling a little stiff. Today on the second I finally got the Internet fixed at home, which has been out since last weeks thunder storm. When I saw that there was an intense ride planned for Sunday, I just put in E miles. I was going to race this weekend down in Roanoke, but money and time wise it would be too much of a strain right now.
July 3rd
Met with Joe to make sure he would get the right size jersey. I
bought new cleats, and then E rode for forty miles. Getting ready to race tomorrow with Joe and for the Kom competition on Sunday. Hope to see Andre there. Late dinner at downtown restaurant, saw Bill there- my sister was surprised he chose the car over biking on such a nice night. Last race as a cat five tomorrow, wish me luck.
July 4th - I caved to peer pressure after the race. My sister and her hard drinking boyfriend convinced me to drink beer after beer, when I only wanted to conserve energy for tomorrow. They don't understand the dedication to a cause, only the instant gratification that comes with a Miller Light or Heineken. So, I will do my best tomorrow . . . . but if I look green in the face, it’s not my fault.
July 4th Race report - Compared to the Working Mans Classic B race, the ID3 Crit was easy. The course had 6 turns and one slightly significant uphill. Wind was also a factor, as were the numerous manholes that dotted the course. I removed my computer clock beforehand so that I could ride by feel. My feeling during the first couple of laps was that everyone was doing a slightly accelerated warm-up. So, I went off the front and picked it up. Every couple of laps I would do this in hopes that I could pick up the pace and punish the peloton, and then could Joe sprint for the finish. We got the first part but not the second bc of a lap count mistake. However, we did shatter the pack from 23 to 6 who finished as one. I was the last in that group, Joe was 4th. So all in all it wasn't too bad. Overall my feeling was that WMC really was more intense, and in a sense it will be good to race with the 4's, even if I get punished. Joe said he wasn't looking forward to it because it meant no more trophies . . . . I know it will make us all better.
July 5th - What an intense ride! Today really drove home for me today that tactics are just as important as the engine. Everyone offered good advice, especially Steve explaining how to keep the peloton complacent when there was a breakaway. Working with Jinks in the two man breaks really wore me out . . . . I was quite happy when Bill told me to setup so that he could drift off. When I came home I fell right asleep, and spent the rest of the day reading and recuperating. Joe and I predicted that the real effort this weekend would be on Sunday, and he was right. Anyway, I wish that I had enough energy to blog more, but I left it all out in Caroline County. Good luck to everyone going to Haymarket this week, and to everyone racing this weekend.
July 6th - Did an E ride today - tried to take it slow after yesterday. I wanted to take it off totally, but that was a no go because I had to get to work. It felt good to sweat a little though, almost felt like all the toxins were leaving my system. I've also been concentrating on hydration, because it seems like I'm perpetually dehydrated. Not really that interesting to blog about.
I'm also waiting to hear back about the upgrade . . . . I hope to race as a 4 this weekend!
July 7th - I was hoping to race as a 4 this weekend, but no word on my upgrade yet. Hopefully I'll get some word by tonight, so that I can register for this Sundays race online . . . .
July 8th - Feeling quite beat up today. Good thing that it called for an easy spin because anything else might have left me in a state of shock. I'm not sure why I was hit with such intense fatigue - felt fine riding to work, felt fine for the first half of the day . . . somewhere after lunch I noticed a persistent ache/tightness in my left quad, followed by a overall sleepy feeling. Then the right hip flexor called for attention. Soon it took everything I had to not take a nap. As the fatigue intensified, so did the aches and pains, which seemed to become more and more numerous. I made it though, and upon returning home soaked my legs and then put them up. Drank enough water to make myself a few pounds heavier on the scale, and called it a day.
July 9th - Woke up early to get the workout in. Did half before work, and then half after followed with some E style commute time. Then, when I was almost home, I stopped in a wooded patch to relieve myself. Back on the road I was itching all over. Soon small dime sized welts started to pop up all over, like 5 or 6 on each leg, and a few on my arms. I tried to wash them off with what water I had left in the bottle, but it didn't work. At home I popped a benadryl, and rubbed some calamine on, which seemed to help. The swelling subsided somewhat, but the benadryl is making me drowsy. See everyone on Saturday . . . . .
July 10th - You know the show the "Dog Whisperer"? I think Andre is like the bike version of that dude. Today I was riding the trainer while watching the tour. I wasn't training but was just tooling around, killing time while I waited for an important phone call. Wasn't even in kit, just some khakis and a T shirt. But as the tour progressed, I started to get more and more engrossed, and started to hammer. Just as I told myself to slow down because today was an off day, I snapped a shifter cable. Sadly for me, I had no other cable handy. So I made my way to the shop with my now two speed bike. At the shop Andre quickly took a look, diagnosed the cause of a couple noises I couldn't identify, and sent me on the way. Now everything is ready for tomorrow - hopefully it won't rain.
July 11th - Rode with the crew, and afterwards looked for Col Ed to do some extra miles because I'm not sure if I will be at the race tomorrow. After I didn't find him I did a few miles solo and called it a day. During the last sprint of the ride I did my best to get ahead, but everyone caught up, letting me know I'm getting better, but not that good.
July 12th - Some stuff came up with my sister last night so I was without a ride this morning. Did my E ride, half in the rain and then half on the trainer. Went to see the girl at GNC and sadly she will be moving back to Blacksburg soon. This news, combined with the soreness I felt today, and with the news of Jeffs injury has me in a funk. Jeff, if you read this I hope you're ok. You're strong though man, you'll be good again in no time.
July 14th - Rode to work thinking that I would just finish the training and call it a day. Wrong. During lunch I got a call from Ben - "are you racing?" I answered yes before I gave it any thought. After I hung up I realized I had no team kit, no money, nothing. Ben picked me up and off we went. I was a little embarrassed to ride in a white tee, but at least it wasn't boxers and a tank top or anything. I tried to work as best I could during the race, and it worked for a while - everyone was trading pulls and all. However, the synergy failed when I flicked a team PMA rider throughand received the answer "I don't have it - keep pulling." So I did, and developed a little gap. When I saw Ken was blocking, I went all out. I went even harder when the race promoter guy yelled at me to pick it up and ride away. I tried my best, and Ken did a great job of blocking, but I was caught with two left. I sat in, and faded a little, but was pushed forward by Ken. It was a extremely strong push . . . . thanks man. All in all I tried but faded . . . . oh well it was a good time. Big thanks to Ben for the ride - and good job to Ken for winning another prime. Hopefully the card is worth the hundred and not 4 $!
15th - Today was two ten minute intervals. I opted for a different route and headed out into deep Spotsy County. If you make a right at the intersection of River Road and Spotswood Furnace onto the gravel road, you'll end up on some roads which are perfect for training because there is hardly any traffic out. However, as I was mid interval I took a few turns quickly and at random in order to keep my pace up. Ended up on yet another gravel road which I had never seen before. It was then that I completed the sprints and ran out of water. Dreaming of a full bottle, out in the middle of nowhere I thought that if some hunter of whoever shot me it would be a while before they found my remains. Luckily the gravel gave way to pavement, and I found my way back to Route 3. That 7 mile stretch of gravel road was sketchy, and I doubt I'll be out there again, but it was fun. From 3 I crossed over, filled my bottles with a little churhes garden hose, and made it back into civilization.
July 16th - Finally became a CAT 4! I'm so excited that I've come this far . . . . anyway I have to get to sleep so that I can get up early and get to work . . . I'll post about the training tomorrow . . . .
July 18th - Stressful yet fulfilling day.Working all day I didn't have time to check the Internet to see what the training schedule called for, so after work I rode for three hours at a good pace. Rally wished I could have raced the Giro with Ken and Joe, if for nothing else to see how the legs felt during a RR. There was the one I did at Ephrata, but that seems like eons ago. I'm really trying to do everything I can to succeed during the race in West Virginia next weekend. It will be my first straight four race, and I don't want to disappoint. I have in my possession the training bible loaned me, so I've been doing my homework . . . . if nothing else I'll be a well read cat 4 . . . . .
see you guys tomorrow for an E ride!
July 19th - Good E ride with Ed, Greg and Andre. The conversation and nice weather made the miles flow by. I did a few miles by myself afterwards because I had no other obligations to family or work. Arriving home I refueled and started researching what was online about the weekends RR. Riding today made me think about how nice it would be if we had a RR out in the county. If I ever win the lotto I'm going to buy some land and build a course for racing.
21st - Did my workout monday and used today to rest. Monday was a good workout but the rain and combined effort left me drained today. Physically I wasn't feeling too sore or strained, but I was quiet all day, and quite slowmoving. It wasn't even raining too hard when I started, but sure enough I was soggy as hell afterwards. I'm glad that I did it like that because tomorrow is sure to be a real effort with everyone in the park. I know I suggested in the email that the losing team buy beer for the winning team tomorrow - I went ahead and threw some money in my jersey pocket . . . . . hopefully recovery comes quickly.
22nd - Today was a day off from work for me, so I tried to make the most of it. Before I left the house I got everything ready for the KOM i.e bottles, nutrition, etc etc. Also, wanting to look sharp I (re) shaved my legs. Must have picked the dullest razor in the house though, because I came out of it all cut up. So, after applying some neosporin (which later picked up plenty of grit from the road), I headed out around 1pm to get some fresh air and hit GNC. At the store I downed some cytomax and chatted up a friend of mine, who said that the girl I go to see would be closing tonight. With something to look forward to after the KOM I did a few more miles and hit the park. It was way too early though, and after 2 laps I sat down and stopped a fellow cyclist headed towards town. I told him that if he saw anyone in the BWR kit he was to let them know that I was in the park. Funnily enough, this turned out to be one of the guys who is known to never wave or acknowledge anyone. Once Steve and Bill showed up we did a few laps of KOM, and some three man pacelining. The big thing that I picked up was that my gearing and cadence needs some work . . . . . riding alone alot one tends to develop some bad habits which go unchecked unless noticed by more veteran riders. Anyway, after all Bill and Steve went home I shot back to the park to see if Greg was still working out. He was, and smoked me in one hill sprint. It was a good day. Good luck to everyone TT'ing this weekend, and wish me luck when I'm in WV.
July 23rd - Met up with Greg while he was practicing TT'ing in the park. For such a mild mannered guy he is a beast on the TT bike. We rode a couple of laps together, and afterwards I did a few cools down miles before calling Joe to consolidate our plans for this weekend. Tomorrow I'll be concentrating on getting ready for Sat - plenty of water, plenty of carbs, plenty of protein. And as seen fit, a prayer or two. Hopefully I can come back and tell everyone I did well, if not . . . . . well I'm not going to go there.
July 24th - Quite sore today . . . . . ! I did a few miles just for the heck of it, and then came home and felt sore. Tomorrow is the big day, so I'm praying and wishing that it goes well. Meeting with Joe at 7:30 to head down . . . . . here goes nothing!
July 25th - Rode today in my first cat 4 race. It was a real beast, with two significant climbs and some quick downhills where it was possible to reach speeds in excess of 40 mph. Each lap was ten miles with the two climbs, rollers, and a few flat sections (which no one really used to gain position). In my mind it was a strange race because no one gunned it from the start like a crit, which left me wondering when the strongers riders were going to stop playing games and put the hammer down. It seemed everyone was content to let the hills take their toll on the weaker riders, though. So, as the pack split into smaller and smaller groups, I found myself amongst the first group, feeling quite fresh. I took a pull at the front on the last section of flats before the uphill finish to drop and riff raff still hanging on, and then got ready to race to the finish. With 200 meters to go a young rider (maybe 15) shot towards the line, with everyone following. I was caught a little unaware, and ended up in 14th, at the back of the first separation of the pack. Overall I was pretty content, this being my first cat 4 race and all. Good luck to everyone tomorrow!
26th - This morning I woke up quite sore, especially in the hips and buttock muscles. Must have been all the climbing at speed . . . . . my thighs are usually most painful after a race. Anyway, this morning Joe and I went out on a ride I've never been on - down past Fairview Beach, into the country, and then back into town. Afterwards we had a coffee, and it was there that I realized that chasing Joe had left me much more sore. At one point Joe left to get some cream and sugar for his coffee and when he came back he asked me if I had been asleep . . . . I was that bushed. At home I put my feet up and tried to recover for the rest of the day. Looking back I should have consumed more water before and after the race . . . . and perhaps should look into buying some compression tights . . . .
28th - Signed up for the Page Valley RR, and am going to sign up for the TT tomorrow. Other than that I've been out training, doing my best to stay hydrated. Today I did a few laps in the park after chatting with Steve, and then came home and read the book Bill loaned me. If anything the last races of the season will be about racing smart, because whether I like it or not my fitness isn't going to improve dramatically anytime soon. At least I'll be racing with blue socks from here on out though . . . . . !
29th - Rain. No work today, so I did some morning E miles before the park in the afternoon. I did around 2 hours in stiff winds before the rain really started to hit. At this point I wasn't sure if anyone would be in the park later or not, so I went home and rested a bit. Around 4:00 it was getting a little sunnier outside, but I was feeling quite drained and zombielike. Knowing that I would see everyone at the TT this weekend I went ahead and kept resting. At 4:45 however, a friend called and asked if I wanted to meet in Central Park for some food. Never one to pass on free food, I threw some dry clothes in a bookbag and shot down River Rd. Halfway there I started to get drenched, but all the traffic was home bound, so it wasn't too bad. The only mistake was my thinking we were meeting at 5:15 when he had said 6:15. Used the extra hour do sprints in the lot behind Borders Books. I gradually wore myself out, then had some grub and called it a day.
30th - Recovery day . . . . only rode back from work. I'm not a TT beast like everyone else, so I'm trying to play it smart and have some juice for Sunday. Hopefully my legs will have forgiven me by then and I'll have decent form.
July 31st - Good luck on Sunday guys. I messed a few things up and will not be TT'ing Sunday.
July 3rd
Met with Joe to make sure he would get the right size jersey. I
bought new cleats, and then E rode for forty miles. Getting ready to race tomorrow with Joe and for the Kom competition on Sunday. Hope to see Andre there. Late dinner at downtown restaurant, saw Bill there- my sister was surprised he chose the car over biking on such a nice night. Last race as a cat five tomorrow, wish me luck.
July 4th - I caved to peer pressure after the race. My sister and her hard drinking boyfriend convinced me to drink beer after beer, when I only wanted to conserve energy for tomorrow. They don't understand the dedication to a cause, only the instant gratification that comes with a Miller Light or Heineken. So, I will do my best tomorrow . . . . but if I look green in the face, it’s not my fault.
July 4th Race report - Compared to the Working Mans Classic B race, the ID3 Crit was easy. The course had 6 turns and one slightly significant uphill. Wind was also a factor, as were the numerous manholes that dotted the course. I removed my computer clock beforehand so that I could ride by feel. My feeling during the first couple of laps was that everyone was doing a slightly accelerated warm-up. So, I went off the front and picked it up. Every couple of laps I would do this in hopes that I could pick up the pace and punish the peloton, and then could Joe sprint for the finish. We got the first part but not the second bc of a lap count mistake. However, we did shatter the pack from 23 to 6 who finished as one. I was the last in that group, Joe was 4th. So all in all it wasn't too bad. Overall my feeling was that WMC really was more intense, and in a sense it will be good to race with the 4's, even if I get punished. Joe said he wasn't looking forward to it because it meant no more trophies . . . . I know it will make us all better.
July 5th - What an intense ride! Today really drove home for me today that tactics are just as important as the engine. Everyone offered good advice, especially Steve explaining how to keep the peloton complacent when there was a breakaway. Working with Jinks in the two man breaks really wore me out . . . . I was quite happy when Bill told me to setup so that he could drift off. When I came home I fell right asleep, and spent the rest of the day reading and recuperating. Joe and I predicted that the real effort this weekend would be on Sunday, and he was right. Anyway, I wish that I had enough energy to blog more, but I left it all out in Caroline County. Good luck to everyone going to Haymarket this week, and to everyone racing this weekend.
July 6th - Did an E ride today - tried to take it slow after yesterday. I wanted to take it off totally, but that was a no go because I had to get to work. It felt good to sweat a little though, almost felt like all the toxins were leaving my system. I've also been concentrating on hydration, because it seems like I'm perpetually dehydrated. Not really that interesting to blog about.
I'm also waiting to hear back about the upgrade . . . . I hope to race as a 4 this weekend!
July 7th - I was hoping to race as a 4 this weekend, but no word on my upgrade yet. Hopefully I'll get some word by tonight, so that I can register for this Sundays race online . . . .
July 8th - Feeling quite beat up today. Good thing that it called for an easy spin because anything else might have left me in a state of shock. I'm not sure why I was hit with such intense fatigue - felt fine riding to work, felt fine for the first half of the day . . . somewhere after lunch I noticed a persistent ache/tightness in my left quad, followed by a overall sleepy feeling. Then the right hip flexor called for attention. Soon it took everything I had to not take a nap. As the fatigue intensified, so did the aches and pains, which seemed to become more and more numerous. I made it though, and upon returning home soaked my legs and then put them up. Drank enough water to make myself a few pounds heavier on the scale, and called it a day.
July 9th - Woke up early to get the workout in. Did half before work, and then half after followed with some E style commute time. Then, when I was almost home, I stopped in a wooded patch to relieve myself. Back on the road I was itching all over. Soon small dime sized welts started to pop up all over, like 5 or 6 on each leg, and a few on my arms. I tried to wash them off with what water I had left in the bottle, but it didn't work. At home I popped a benadryl, and rubbed some calamine on, which seemed to help. The swelling subsided somewhat, but the benadryl is making me drowsy. See everyone on Saturday . . . . .
July 10th - You know the show the "Dog Whisperer"? I think Andre is like the bike version of that dude. Today I was riding the trainer while watching the tour. I wasn't training but was just tooling around, killing time while I waited for an important phone call. Wasn't even in kit, just some khakis and a T shirt. But as the tour progressed, I started to get more and more engrossed, and started to hammer. Just as I told myself to slow down because today was an off day, I snapped a shifter cable. Sadly for me, I had no other cable handy. So I made my way to the shop with my now two speed bike. At the shop Andre quickly took a look, diagnosed the cause of a couple noises I couldn't identify, and sent me on the way. Now everything is ready for tomorrow - hopefully it won't rain.
July 11th - Rode with the crew, and afterwards looked for Col Ed to do some extra miles because I'm not sure if I will be at the race tomorrow. After I didn't find him I did a few miles solo and called it a day. During the last sprint of the ride I did my best to get ahead, but everyone caught up, letting me know I'm getting better, but not that good.
July 12th - Some stuff came up with my sister last night so I was without a ride this morning. Did my E ride, half in the rain and then half on the trainer. Went to see the girl at GNC and sadly she will be moving back to Blacksburg soon. This news, combined with the soreness I felt today, and with the news of Jeffs injury has me in a funk. Jeff, if you read this I hope you're ok. You're strong though man, you'll be good again in no time.
July 14th - Rode to work thinking that I would just finish the training and call it a day. Wrong. During lunch I got a call from Ben - "are you racing?" I answered yes before I gave it any thought. After I hung up I realized I had no team kit, no money, nothing. Ben picked me up and off we went. I was a little embarrassed to ride in a white tee, but at least it wasn't boxers and a tank top or anything. I tried to work as best I could during the race, and it worked for a while - everyone was trading pulls and all. However, the synergy failed when I flicked a team PMA rider throughand received the answer "I don't have it - keep pulling." So I did, and developed a little gap. When I saw Ken was blocking, I went all out. I went even harder when the race promoter guy yelled at me to pick it up and ride away. I tried my best, and Ken did a great job of blocking, but I was caught with two left. I sat in, and faded a little, but was pushed forward by Ken. It was a extremely strong push . . . . thanks man. All in all I tried but faded . . . . oh well it was a good time. Big thanks to Ben for the ride - and good job to Ken for winning another prime. Hopefully the card is worth the hundred and not 4 $!
15th - Today was two ten minute intervals. I opted for a different route and headed out into deep Spotsy County. If you make a right at the intersection of River Road and Spotswood Furnace onto the gravel road, you'll end up on some roads which are perfect for training because there is hardly any traffic out. However, as I was mid interval I took a few turns quickly and at random in order to keep my pace up. Ended up on yet another gravel road which I had never seen before. It was then that I completed the sprints and ran out of water. Dreaming of a full bottle, out in the middle of nowhere I thought that if some hunter of whoever shot me it would be a while before they found my remains. Luckily the gravel gave way to pavement, and I found my way back to Route 3. That 7 mile stretch of gravel road was sketchy, and I doubt I'll be out there again, but it was fun. From 3 I crossed over, filled my bottles with a little churhes garden hose, and made it back into civilization.
July 16th - Finally became a CAT 4! I'm so excited that I've come this far . . . . anyway I have to get to sleep so that I can get up early and get to work . . . I'll post about the training tomorrow . . . .
July 18th - Stressful yet fulfilling day.Working all day I didn't have time to check the Internet to see what the training schedule called for, so after work I rode for three hours at a good pace. Rally wished I could have raced the Giro with Ken and Joe, if for nothing else to see how the legs felt during a RR. There was the one I did at Ephrata, but that seems like eons ago. I'm really trying to do everything I can to succeed during the race in West Virginia next weekend. It will be my first straight four race, and I don't want to disappoint. I have in my possession the training bible loaned me, so I've been doing my homework . . . . if nothing else I'll be a well read cat 4 . . . . .
see you guys tomorrow for an E ride!
July 19th - Good E ride with Ed, Greg and Andre. The conversation and nice weather made the miles flow by. I did a few miles by myself afterwards because I had no other obligations to family or work. Arriving home I refueled and started researching what was online about the weekends RR. Riding today made me think about how nice it would be if we had a RR out in the county. If I ever win the lotto I'm going to buy some land and build a course for racing.
21st - Did my workout monday and used today to rest. Monday was a good workout but the rain and combined effort left me drained today. Physically I wasn't feeling too sore or strained, but I was quiet all day, and quite slowmoving. It wasn't even raining too hard when I started, but sure enough I was soggy as hell afterwards. I'm glad that I did it like that because tomorrow is sure to be a real effort with everyone in the park. I know I suggested in the email that the losing team buy beer for the winning team tomorrow - I went ahead and threw some money in my jersey pocket . . . . . hopefully recovery comes quickly.
22nd - Today was a day off from work for me, so I tried to make the most of it. Before I left the house I got everything ready for the KOM i.e bottles, nutrition, etc etc. Also, wanting to look sharp I (re) shaved my legs. Must have picked the dullest razor in the house though, because I came out of it all cut up. So, after applying some neosporin (which later picked up plenty of grit from the road), I headed out around 1pm to get some fresh air and hit GNC. At the store I downed some cytomax and chatted up a friend of mine, who said that the girl I go to see would be closing tonight. With something to look forward to after the KOM I did a few more miles and hit the park. It was way too early though, and after 2 laps I sat down and stopped a fellow cyclist headed towards town. I told him that if he saw anyone in the BWR kit he was to let them know that I was in the park. Funnily enough, this turned out to be one of the guys who is known to never wave or acknowledge anyone. Once Steve and Bill showed up we did a few laps of KOM, and some three man pacelining. The big thing that I picked up was that my gearing and cadence needs some work . . . . . riding alone alot one tends to develop some bad habits which go unchecked unless noticed by more veteran riders. Anyway, after all Bill and Steve went home I shot back to the park to see if Greg was still working out. He was, and smoked me in one hill sprint. It was a good day. Good luck to everyone TT'ing this weekend, and wish me luck when I'm in WV.
July 23rd - Met up with Greg while he was practicing TT'ing in the park. For such a mild mannered guy he is a beast on the TT bike. We rode a couple of laps together, and afterwards I did a few cools down miles before calling Joe to consolidate our plans for this weekend. Tomorrow I'll be concentrating on getting ready for Sat - plenty of water, plenty of carbs, plenty of protein. And as seen fit, a prayer or two. Hopefully I can come back and tell everyone I did well, if not . . . . . well I'm not going to go there.
July 24th - Quite sore today . . . . . ! I did a few miles just for the heck of it, and then came home and felt sore. Tomorrow is the big day, so I'm praying and wishing that it goes well. Meeting with Joe at 7:30 to head down . . . . . here goes nothing!
July 25th - Rode today in my first cat 4 race. It was a real beast, with two significant climbs and some quick downhills where it was possible to reach speeds in excess of 40 mph. Each lap was ten miles with the two climbs, rollers, and a few flat sections (which no one really used to gain position). In my mind it was a strange race because no one gunned it from the start like a crit, which left me wondering when the strongers riders were going to stop playing games and put the hammer down. It seemed everyone was content to let the hills take their toll on the weaker riders, though. So, as the pack split into smaller and smaller groups, I found myself amongst the first group, feeling quite fresh. I took a pull at the front on the last section of flats before the uphill finish to drop and riff raff still hanging on, and then got ready to race to the finish. With 200 meters to go a young rider (maybe 15) shot towards the line, with everyone following. I was caught a little unaware, and ended up in 14th, at the back of the first separation of the pack. Overall I was pretty content, this being my first cat 4 race and all. Good luck to everyone tomorrow!
26th - This morning I woke up quite sore, especially in the hips and buttock muscles. Must have been all the climbing at speed . . . . . my thighs are usually most painful after a race. Anyway, this morning Joe and I went out on a ride I've never been on - down past Fairview Beach, into the country, and then back into town. Afterwards we had a coffee, and it was there that I realized that chasing Joe had left me much more sore. At one point Joe left to get some cream and sugar for his coffee and when he came back he asked me if I had been asleep . . . . I was that bushed. At home I put my feet up and tried to recover for the rest of the day. Looking back I should have consumed more water before and after the race . . . . and perhaps should look into buying some compression tights . . . .
28th - Signed up for the Page Valley RR, and am going to sign up for the TT tomorrow. Other than that I've been out training, doing my best to stay hydrated. Today I did a few laps in the park after chatting with Steve, and then came home and read the book Bill loaned me. If anything the last races of the season will be about racing smart, because whether I like it or not my fitness isn't going to improve dramatically anytime soon. At least I'll be racing with blue socks from here on out though . . . . . !
29th - Rain. No work today, so I did some morning E miles before the park in the afternoon. I did around 2 hours in stiff winds before the rain really started to hit. At this point I wasn't sure if anyone would be in the park later or not, so I went home and rested a bit. Around 4:00 it was getting a little sunnier outside, but I was feeling quite drained and zombielike. Knowing that I would see everyone at the TT this weekend I went ahead and kept resting. At 4:45 however, a friend called and asked if I wanted to meet in Central Park for some food. Never one to pass on free food, I threw some dry clothes in a bookbag and shot down River Rd. Halfway there I started to get drenched, but all the traffic was home bound, so it wasn't too bad. The only mistake was my thinking we were meeting at 5:15 when he had said 6:15. Used the extra hour do sprints in the lot behind Borders Books. I gradually wore myself out, then had some grub and called it a day.
30th - Recovery day . . . . only rode back from work. I'm not a TT beast like everyone else, so I'm trying to play it smart and have some juice for Sunday. Hopefully my legs will have forgiven me by then and I'll have decent form.
July 31st - Good luck on Sunday guys. I messed a few things up and will not be TT'ing Sunday.
BILL'S JULY RACING AND TRAINING(POSSIBLY)
MY CYCLING HERO IN DOWN! Jens Voigt crashed so hard at 70kph. Get well soon so I have a reason to watch professional cycling once more.
I'm beginning this month with a great deal of racing in the legs. I feel like I hoped this time in the schedule(completed 19 races and training races to date). I'm using the lull in the calendar this month to rebuild and recharge in an effort to race into mid Aug. I plan to pull the plug no matter what at that point. Doing different training has been welcome, but an occasional afternoon nap is the biggest treat(I think I've had 4).
I missed my intensity days this week and concentrated on a bunch of E miles instead. Today was a good test for the legs, opening them without much structure. I wanted a ride about two hours and that challenged mostly my tempo, but also the Vo2 and PC systems. It was my first solo hammer ride and I was a bit unsure what I was getting into. I dealt with a wind from the west, which only hit me on the small axis of my route. I varied the cadences from 75-85rpms and felt quite taxed above or below that within in minutes.
I attacked the hills and managed to accelerate over and off the tops. Dirt yard hill(coming back from Rozelle) proved to be a real challenge, as I ran out of steam about 30 meters from the top, but still got into my rhythm quickly. Great ride and the 1st ride where my body really hurt afterward. 46 miles in 2:06:25
Scott - July
* MHR=193, Z1 116-125, Z2 125-135, Z3 135-154, Z4 154-164, Z5 165+
Wed 7/1 - Leggs a little heavy from Bryan Park, but hit the much-needed intervals
1 Hr Z2 with intervals: 10 sec max effort, 50 sec recovery x 10
& 20 sec max effort, 2 min recovery x 8
Jack - Congrats on making the team. Well earned.
Thu 7/2 - 1 Hr Z3, tempo with Intervals: 10 max, 50 off X 10. 20 max, 2 min rest X 4
Fri 7/3 - BW ride w Bill, Steve and Ben from shop. 2 Hr 20 E in Z1 (122 avg)
Sat 7/4 - 1 Hr 30 with Ben Z4 (155). In classic Ben fashion, 20 min warm-up was conducted at 24.6 mph; up-hill.
Wed 7/1 - Leggs a little heavy from Bryan Park, but hit the much-needed intervals
1 Hr Z2 with intervals: 10 sec max effort, 50 sec recovery x 10
& 20 sec max effort, 2 min recovery x 8
Jack - Congrats on making the team. Well earned.
Thu 7/2 - 1 Hr Z3, tempo with Intervals: 10 max, 50 off X 10. 20 max, 2 min rest X 4
Fri 7/3 - BW ride w Bill, Steve and Ben from shop. 2 Hr 20 E in Z1 (122 avg)
Sat 7/4 - 1 Hr 30 with Ben Z4 (155). In classic Ben fashion, 20 min warm-up was conducted at 24.6 mph; up-hill.
STEVE'S JULY TRAINING & RACING
July 31
After being on the program for almost a year and having a little bit of race experience now, I know what to do in the days before a race that works for me. So today were short intensity efforts and a total ride of just over an hour. Tomorrow will be a check ride with only a couple of 15 second sprints in the morning and then try to avoid honey do's for the rest of the day.
Lawn mower intervals, followed by mole whacking. Little critters have invaded.
July 29
As Maxwell Smart used to say: "missed it by that much". A brief texting conversation with Bill had us linking up for a ride in the park. My prediction was rain by 6:00 so we better get going. So at 4:15 we headed out. A bet involving beverages was made as to whether we would get wet just to keep it interesting. Easy spin to loosen tired sore legs and some conversation about all things. A couple of drops but no rain. At 5:30 we are sitting at the traffic light at Lafayette and Blue Gray when a lady says,"you better git inside quickly, there's a tornado warning". I replied "on our way". We pedaled through the light and were about halfway up the rise to the cemetary when the skies opened. A quick "talk to you later" and Bill split off for home and I sprinted for the barn. Completely soaked and in debt one adult beverage I arrived home. Next time we start at 4:00!
July 28
Back in the saddle, back in the park, back to work. Yep, on the TT bike working the tired legs, trying to coax a couple more big efforts out of them. To keep things different I went to shorter efforts: 5min at tempo followed by 5 min at LT followed by 5 min at tempo then 5 min rest, then repeat. I certainly felt the effort during and after the work. A couple of goal races looming so let's see if I can maintain form for three more weeks..
July 26
Another sweltering hot and windy PLT TT. Although my time was not what I would have liked, the effort was more along the lines of my expectations. It was good enough for second in the 50's and third in the 40-50's, but still significantly slower than my goal. One last chance to finally have that break through day next week. Congrats to Bill, who has become a time trialer, with a little coaching from his friends. Now if he would only HTFU.
July 23
Lawn intervals today. Pushed the beast for an hour and a half. Today is TT bike prep and spin.
July 22
KOM in the park with Jack and Bill and a quick shout to Greg. The legs felt like wood but I could not let Jack and Bill have all of the fun. The ultra high end stuff is harder for me and it takes a bit longer to recover. Still it does allow for sneak attacks from way off the back!
July 21
Easy E spin on TT bike around town. Stopped in to see Dre' and my disc wheel hub is dead. It will have to go back to Saris. But not until after August 2nd and the last TT of the summer. Until then I will try to install a back up computer so that I will have at least time speed and cadence to work with. KOM Wednesday
July 19
I fully intended to ignore the bikes and crawl into a hole of self pity, but, after watching old man Tom Watson choke away the British Open and a young Pistolaire ride away from Lance on the Verbier, Bill convinced me to go for a fun ride through south Stafford County. I expected an E ride but what we had was tempo to high tempo up and over rollers through some beautiful countryside. I felt strong. An unexpected feeling after such disappointment the day before. Upon the return home I registered for the next two TT's and am making plans for the age graded crit on my birthday. Ain't nothin' but a number.
July 18 TNP TT
After 24 hours the bile from this race still tastes sour in my mouth. But first let me say I would not have even been in the TT if Dre' had not worked his usual magic the Friday evening before. Doing a check ride Friday, I found my disc wheel not shifting and again not sending any info to the cpu. Dre' was able to replace a cable to resolve the shifting, but the hub was dead. Another old school TT with nothing to tell me how I was going. I had hoped to better my time from last year since I had stopped and turned around but still managed second. But instead I added over a minute and fell into fourth place. I can't begin to say how utterly disappointed I am in my performance. The bright spots are that Bill, Jordan and Greg all rode very well and BikeWorks Racing is recognized and respected by the other teams. Deep cleansing breath and on to the PLT.
July 15
3x5 sprint intervals, followed by 1.5 hrs behind the push mower = tired. I actually enjoy the sprint intervals for some reason. It probably means I am not working hard enough, but frak it. I am going to take it easy for the next couple of days in preparation for the Saturday TT. Let's hope for dry roads.
July 14
No time to race, so it was into the Park for 2x10 tempo and 2x15 LT on the TT bike. The second LT I lost focus due to traffic of all kinds. Walkers, runners other bikes and cars were all over the place making it hard to keep at LT. I also did an experiment, I blasted up one of the rollers to see what an over LT effort would do to the remainder of the ride. As I experienced with Bill in the Hammerfest, it had a very negative effect on my ability to stay at higher numbers later into the interval. Lesson learned, for my style, I need to keep the efforts within a range so that the entire ride will be at a higher more consistent power level.
July 12
"Could of done one of two things, flip or fly, did neither one, hung him up." After watching Jeff get taken down in the midst of a full on sprint, it was a little disturbing to toe the line for the start. (More on Jeff later.) But I did and off we went. Outnumbered by four different teams I could employ one of two strategies. 1, chase anything that had the main teams, or 2, let the teams chase and hope it came down to a bunch sprint. This time, and because it was not a VA BAR race, I went with the chase and attack mode. I managed to get into three ill fated breaks and chased down another four or five. Following the last break, I was coming back into the pack when I experienced something for the first time. I was actively blocked from reintegrating with the pack. This resulted in being shuffled towards the rear and being only about five riders from the tail. That is, of course, when Clif Bar, Clean Currents, Latitude and Artemis punched the burners. The two guys in front of me let a gap open so I was trying to jump back around. That's where the headwind combined with the last pitch of the hill left me twenty yards off the back with 5 out of the 13 laps to go. I was not going to let go so I went into full TT mode. I held the gap at first and even made up some ground downwind, but each headwind section saw the gap spread ever so slightly. I could not make it back to the pack. As I chased, however, I watched as a number of riders got spit off the back and pulled off the course instead of continuing the fight. The big teams used there numbers to rip the legs off the group and have their sprinters in the final, using their riders like booster rockets. I kept at my work and trailed the pack in knowing that I had in impact on the race at least briefly. For what it's worth, a couple of guys did come up to me afterwards and say good job. The good news is I feel some form growing for the next several weeks. Now as to Jeff/Ironman. He is one tough hombre. The first question he asked when I got to him was, "how are my wheels?" Last report was that he has several broken ribs and is pretty bruised, but an amazingly low amount of road rash for a crash at that speed. The right drop on his handlebar was completely broken off. My last contact was that they were going to do another x-ray of his spine to make sure that his back pain was not something broken. Keep him in your thoughts.
July 11
Easy spin with a few sprints thrown in to open the legs before race day. Then up on the roof to oversee a fix to a leaking window. Jack probably thought I was nuts being up there in my kit. It will be interesting riding against riders I have not seen before and a couple known by reputation.
July 9
2x20 high tempo low LT intervals in the back side of the Park. During these intervals I experimented with cadences going up and over the rollers in anticipation of the TNP TT. I know what worked in the past and this practice confirmed for me the method I will use for the TT. Off topic, my daughter is in today's local paper balancing a lacrosse stick on her nose. Think I can balance a bike?
July 8
An EASY spin on the TT bike became very difficult when an over fed woman on a hybrid passed me and giggled as she did so. My pavlovian reaction was to hit the burners. Instead I just nudged up the speed to come along side and say "Beautiful day for some sightseeing!". The sweaty, red faced woman could not respond, so I said, "Even a better day for exercise, enjoy." At which point I braked and turned around to leave her alone in her suffereing. Another victory was to get the anti- social guy who rides every day to wave back at me. It took three waves and a "hey" with a smile, but he finaly responded on the last crossing. Cheers to all.
July 7
On the TT bike for some tempo work. At first thought I was still fatigued from Sunday, but the rust fell off and I was able to "git er done" and felt even better by the end. My ribs remain sore but the shoulder/back condition seems to be clearing. Back on the TT bike today for some easy spinning.
July 5
Witness the firepower of this fully operational BikeWorks Racing Team. After years of two or three guys being fit and ready to ride today was near the culmination of hard work and fun packaged together. All ten of Fredericksburg BWR powered up and riding strong. Team tactics and the "let's see if I can rip your legs off" efforts were just the cure for training burnout. Thanks to all for a good time. Now if I can just get Jose' unglued from my rear wheel so I can clean and drain my bike.
July 3
Easy fun ride with Bill, Ben and Scott. Good to "Discover" Jose on the road as well. Not sure if ribs and back/shoulder will hold up to the BWR assault coming up.
July 1
The legs are getting better, but the time frame for pain still is hovering around 1 hour. Although I pushed much heavier gears and did more climbing. Looking forward to riding with people this weekend.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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