It has begun

My first Base period began today, and damn if I didn't end up doing my first hour on the friggin' trainer. It should be obvious by now that I'm not a fan of trainers. They're Bo-ring!

Anyway, I've got 1hr down and only 7 more to go for the week.

Only in the South

You know you're in the south when you can see streets named after animal parts and pieces.

Thankful

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, getting your fill of some delicious food...and more importantly, takes some time to think about what you're thankful for.

For me, I'm thankful that I have my family to share Thanksgiving with, and I'm thankful for being more fit than I've been in my entire life. The bottom line is, we all have something to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Groovin'

It was a beautiful day today, and there was no way I was gonna pass up some nice weather. I logged a solid 2hrs/41 miles. I had company in the form of; Muse, The Foo Fighters, Low Fidelity All-Stars, Better than Ezra, to name a few. Yep, I finally remembered to grab my ipod as I walked out the door. It's nice when I remember it, it really helps the time go by quicker.

The new saddle is working out well. So far so good.

Take a seat

Not long after getting my road bike I put on a new seat. It seemed I had lucked out and found a good seat on my first try, but as I logged more and more miles, the saddle didn't break in like I had hoped. After 1200 miles on this saddle I decided it was time to try yet another one.
For this go 'round I went with the Fi'zi:k Arione. I installed it and went for a 30 mile spin, and while I'm not gonna make any comments about how it felt (don't wanna jinx it), I will say that it has more padding, which is what ended up being the downfall of the Signo. Minimal works for me, but in the end the Selle Italia was just too damn minimal. The extra padding certainly works in favor of the Arione, but the next few days should tell the story.

The Anti Blog

Not much has been happening in my corner of the world...just been loggin' some easy miles and trying (albeit a lame attempt) to do some weight training.

Beyond that I've just been trying to keep up with all the drama in the world of pro cycling.

Blogging is kinda stinky right now, not much to write about without taking some artistic license. I'll be up in N Carolina over Thanksgiving, so maybe I'll be able to wax philosophical about riding in the mtns or freezing my asset off up there...who knows, the sky's the limit.

They're dropping like flies!

What the hell is up with USADA?!?! Do they have like a quota that they are behind on, or somethin'? First, Sager and one other fella get sanctioned for missing a doping test, now Bartman has been nuked by the doping nazis at USADA for the same exact thing.

There's just no pleasin' me

As of Saturday I put in a mellow 6hrs for the week. The day was really gloomy, but no threat of rain so I was planning on 2hrs of saddle time. On Friday I was lamenting our strange Nov weather. What can happen in 24hrs. As soon as I stepped out of the car I knew I was in for it. The wind was heavy duty, and I noticed that the temp, while not uncomfortable, had a little chill to it. The wind was blowing in my face, or provided a nice crosswind, for most of the ride. It was so bad that I cut my time short by 30 min., and during that time the temperature started dropping (the wind didn't help matters either). Keep in mind that I did not have armwarmers because when I left the house it was fairly warm. Bottom line, I froze my nubs off! It was around 74 when I left to go ride, and an hour and a half later it was 59.

Damn weather.

What month is it anyway?

Got out on the roadie today and it was a balmy 77 degrees. Nov 10th and it's damn near 80. This kind of weather is great for cycling but it's not the best for helping one to get into the holiday type spirit.

Junk

Did some junk miles today, hitting up the Thursday group night ride. Junk miles at this time of year is no big deal. The ride went well...

Had some fun.
Shed some blood...

Looks worse than it is.

And that brings me to "Sean's first rule of mtn biking at night"
The true severity of a root is diminished under the light of a single headlamp.

On a side note: Sager really got screwed over by USADA. It sucks that USADA metes out treatment like that.

WTF?!?

This is totally messed up. USADA are a bunch of retards.

It's done

Can you believe it, I finally had the planets align so that I could conduct a proper FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test today. I would've preferred less wind, but I put in a good solid effort and I'm pleased with the results. Now I can focus on the actual training now that I can properly calculate my training zones. Towards the weekend I'm gonna do one other test that will help me see what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Rain, rain go away...

You're screwing up my schedule.

It ain't called the toughest mtn bike race for nothin'

The famous, or I should say infamous, La Ruta de los Conquistadors is taking place right now. On Saturday's stage 2, Jeremiah Bishop stacked it hard and got a visit to the hospital for his troubles. It's a hell of a way to cap off the season.

JB, I hope you heal up quickly man.

The need for speed

I've read that many cyclists don't do enough of the long slow rides, or even recovery rides, because it's so slow and easy. I'm logging base miles right now, and I have to admit that it's damn tempting to drop the hammer. I can't tell you the last time I did a ride where my HR averaged 132bpm and didn't get over 145bpm.
You want to justify going harder/faster by telling yourself that you're losing fitness by going so easy. That's some bad thinkin' to get into. I've got to focus on the bigger picture...otherwise I'll not make it without screwing up my routine.

Ohh, have I mentioned that I hate lifting weights? Well, I do.

NRC style calendar for Mtn biking?

USA Cycling has unveiled plans for a new national racing schedule for mtn biking, similar to the NRC road calendar. It'll be interesting to see how it develops. Anything that helps our sport is a good thing.