I am SO done

That's what my legs felt like after today's ride. Those messed up weeks affected me more than I thought. Today's ride kicked my ass. I'm mad at myself for letting my training get so screwed up. Even though there were some things that happened that were out of my control, I could've shoehorned some saddle time in.
I'm even going so far as to restart Build 2 on Monday. This week I'm just gonna get some more long rides in and try and get my endurance back on track before starting high intensity stuff. I tried some LT threshold intervals today, and after the first one my legs said in so many words "Oh, hell no!"

I'll get there though.

On a more positive note...
I'm looking VERY hard at a road bike. I've pondered, and ruled out a couple brands already (for various reasons).
The LBS is building up one of these for me to test ride.

They're also building a TCR Composite 3

I'm partial to the TCR1, due to the better components selection. The TCR has mostly Ultegra, while the TCR composite is made up of Shimano 105.
If I do prefer the ride of the aluminum TCR, the shop is gonna order a Cannondale R1000 for me to try as well.

Moving on

It's been 4 days since the race, and I'd like to say I'm still basking in what is my most satisfying race to date, but there's no rest for the weary. I have 2 important races over the next 2 months, so training resumed the day after the race.

Despite a good performance at the race, and faster and faster times, my training has been in a slump for the 3 or so weeks prior to the race. It was a case of life getting in the way. Why do I mention that? I got back out on the road on Monday to continue my training for my upcoming events...and it's been so long since I've gotten some quality/high intensity rides that between Mon and Wednesday's rides it has left my legs a little lifeless. I noticed it the most on the group mtb ride today. Between now and my next race I've got to be super strict on my training so I can be totally prepared come May 20th.

The final results were put up from the race, and I beat 2nd place by just over 3 minutes. I'm very very pleased with how the race turned out. Now I just have to step it up a notch for the rest of the season.

UWF Fat Tire Challenge- Race Report

The first race of the season took what seemed like a long time to arrive. April 9th was finally here, and it was time to see if my training was taking me in the right direction. I labeled this as a C priority race, as I intended to maintain my training volume/intensity and I'd use the race as a measure of my race fitness.


The day started early...too early. I had to be up at 5am, on the road by 6, to be at the venue and ready to race by 8am. It's something to be able to see the sunrise in your mirror. I'm of the opinion that if God had wanted man to see the sunrise he would've made it later in the day.


Upon my arrival at the University campus I got registered, suited up, and got some warm-up time in. The call-up for the beginner class was announced and a total of 60 people lined up for the 10 mile race. The race organizers chose to have a mass start instead of sending the racers out by age group, which I thought was a mistake, but they didn't ask my opinion.


The horn sounded and...mass chaos ensued, or at least that's what it felt like. In the above picture I'm the second one on the left(next to the guy in the yellow jersey) and the kid (whom I'm going to refer to as "beanpole" from here on out) who was my nemesis is on the far right.

I got an assy start. There was a quarter mile or so run to the singletrack, and because of my lousy start I got into the singletrack in 7th position overall. That was NOT what I had in mind. My pre-race plan was to be in the top 3 going into the singletrack, so I could get ahead of any impending crashes due to an early bottleneck at a bridge. So, I don't get a good position and the crash that I knew would occur happens. Upon entering the singletrack, the trail descends down to a creek. About halfway down to the creek there is a nice size log pile. It's not a huge obstacle, but trying to navigate it at speed is a recipe for disaster. There are detours on both sides of the pile, but yet one guy decides to go over it. As he goes over it, another rider is going around it and gets funneled right into Mr Log Crossing. Log Crossing guy ends up on the losing end. Fortunately for me I watch as it happens, and am not involved in the wreck. All I see is legs and assholes as log crossing guy goes over his handlebars.

That wreck puts me in 6th position. We pass over the bridge without incident. About 75ft past the bridge the course makes a hard right up a steep, sandy rise. On my pre-ride it was almost too sandy to ride and so I was prepared to run up it, but as I clear the bridge and make my turn towards that section of trail I see people riding up it. The fella in front of me stalls out on the climb and because I'm able to ride up it I'm now in 5th position. Over the next few hundred yards I pass 3rd and 4th. "Beanpole" has been leading from the start. I've not yet seen Beanpole, but I'm on the wheel of 2nd place. Like Beanpole, the 2nd place rider is a kid (16-18yrs old). He's a fairly strong rider, but shifting problems give me the opportunity to scoot around him. So, after a couple miles I'm in 2nd place overall. It'd be a bit longer before I'd discover that Beanpole was a teen, but I knew for sure that I was leading my age class, so I felt pretty good.

I finally catch up to Bean and except for getting stalled in some sand, I stick on his wheel. On the flats he was damn fast, but I was stronger on the climbs. When he could get some speed up, he'd get 4 or 5 bike lengths ahead of me, and when the trail started climbing I'd reel him in, almost to the point of clipping his back tire. Due to his speed on the flats I was hesitant to try a pass as I wasn't sure I could make it stick. That line of thinking would lead to my one big mistake in the race.

I played this cat-n-mouse game with beanpole for quite a while. We enter Greenbriar and it is all climbing. Bean is suffering on this section of trail and I'm practically recovering on it. Several times I have to ease off to keep from rubbing his tire. At the top of Greenbriar I decide to make my move. As we exit the trail the course crosses a powerline break which gives me plenty of room for a pass. The next section of singletrack is appropriately labeled "The Chute". It's all downhill and fast. Throughout all of this I've felt really good, legs have been strong. At the end of the Chute there is another short section of a powerline break to navigate before crossing the creek and making the end run.



This is where things took a turn from my plan. I overcooked the turn onto the bridge and missed the line onto the bridge. As a result I had to actually stop and get my bike on the bridge. Beanpole was right there to get ahead of me. I'm back on my bike in seconds, but it felt like I had stopped for a picnic lunch. In a cruel twist, the steepest, nastiest climb of the entire race is heading back up the trail after exiting the bridge. Being the better climber, I am back on Bean's wheel. Because he's so fast on the flat stuff I realize that this climb is my only shot to get out front. We're coming up on that same logpile that caused so much grief earlier, and I am going to take him as soon as I get past that obstacle. What I didn't notice was that I was already overtaking him and when I went to move to his left, my front tire clipped his back wheel and..can you guess the punchline? Over I went. Not hard mind you, but the damage was done.
Before I could get up and get some momentum Bean was on his terrain and kicking it into overdrive for the finish.
I gave it all I had left, and in the end I finished a mere 6 seconds behind Bean. That is something I'm quite proud of, considering that I have about 20yrs, 6 or so inches of height, and 45 or 50lbs on Bean.

Now, back to the mistake I alluded to. As the race went on it became clear that I was the stronger rider. My mistake was in not passing Bean earlier in the race. If I would've passed him before we got to Greenbriar, I have no doubt I could've gapped him on that climbing section. He more than likely would've caught up on the fast stuff, but I would've been in a better position to stick with him on the final run to the finish line. That's race strategy, and it's a mistake I won't make again.

That said, I'm extremely happy with my performance. My battle with Bean for that fastest overall spot was just for bragging rights. No prizes were awarded for it, and no mention was made of it during the award ceremony. I saw I had an opportunity to have the fastest time of all the racers in my wave, and by God I was gonna shoot for it even if it was just for bragging rights.

At this stage I don't know how far off my closest class competitor was to me, but I hope to find that out in another day or so.

As far as a fitness test, that was a success too. I look to be on track with my training, as is. I will make one adjustment, and that is to work more on my top end power (sprinting, etc). I'll never be able to match someone like Bean in a flat out sprint, but if I can minimize the damage and keep the gap in check then I'll be pleased with my sprinting ability.

Course distance: 9.95 miles
Race time: 51:18

I'm hoping someone got a picture or two of me out on the trail. If and when I find out I'll add the pic.

V is for Victory

Call me Agent V.

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet, but the race went extremely well. The weather was perfect, the course was FAST, and it all came together for me. Chalk up one in the W column.

In the coming days I'll have a full write up on the race, complete with pictures. For now though, me needs rest...I'm tired.

Race day

It's 5:23am and I've already been up 23 minutes. It's too early for this sh*t. As soon as I finish my breakfast and get dressed I'll be outta here. *Yawn.

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow is it, the first race of the season. I'm happy to report that I have all my ducks in a row and I'm ready to head out early. I took the bike in for a re-adjustment of the rear derailleur, and it was once again gunked up in that rear section of cable housing. It happened after only a few rides. I'm thinking I'm gonna have to switch to a sealed system, like the Avid Flak Jacket.

Time to head to bed. I need some serious sleep...5am is gonna come quickly.

2 more days to go

Not too much to tell, other than I'm workin' on getting my daily saddle time in. I was due for 3 days off the bike and I have two more days I can take, so I'm thinking that I'll go ahead and take Friday and Saturday off. This way I'm still sticking to my schedule, but I'm giving my legs a chance to be fresh come Sunday.
If I ride at all over the next couple of days, it'll be Friday when I do it.

T-Minus 5 and counting

I got some time in yesterday on the mtn bike. I included some Power jumps, to work on my explosive power for sprints and stuff. I can already see that I want to make some more gains in the power department. I think I'm gonna step up the weight routine. I'm capable of producing some pretty good power, but I think it could be a bit better. I was surprised at how cooked I was yesterday, after Sunday's marathon race pre-ride session. I kept a good pace, but my legs were really feeling a lack of love.

I can't get over how dry and dusty it is out on the trails. Here in Florida we have a problem with sand, but throw in a lack of rain and the sand really becomes nasty.
Speaking of dry and dusty. The dry conditions were/are the one downside of the course for the upcoming race. I haven't ridden in such dry conditions since the Tom Brown stop on the Florida State Series. I'd like to think we'll get a little (emphasis on "little") rain on Friday evening or Sat morning....pack things down a bit. That might be asking too much though.
Check how dirty my legs were after Sunday's ride...

Pay no attention to the goofy tan thing going on.

Today will be a rest day, gonna need it after yesterday's lackluster ride.

Seven days and counting

Next Sunday is my first race of the season, and I must say that I'm quite excited about it. This is an early season fitness test, so I'm anxious to see how my training is working out.
Today I rode the race course so I could make sure I was familiar with the layout as the trails there can be confusing at times. I started riding at 9:30am and left for home at 2:30pm, with over 2hrs of actual riding time. I managed to get two laps in, and I'm now confident in my knowledge of the course layout. I hope that it is a bit cooler next Sunday. It was in the mid 80's today. I'll be racing early in the day, but the cooler the better.

Ride totals:
2hrs 17 min
23 miles
25mph max

Now for a couple of pics.

Part of the crew I rode with this morning. The guy in the center is Cal, he's like from another world...super fast.

Some wildlife seen on today's ride. For those with an inquiring mind, it is a Gopher Tortoise.

I've decided to keep my schedule "as is". This will be a R&R week with 3 days off the bike and 5.5hrs of riding. I'm gonna make it a nice mix of road riding and mtn bike. I think I'm gonna work on power this week....do some sprints and stuff in preparation for the race.

Big day of riding

Today I'm gonna be putting in some serious miles on the mtn bike. I'm heading over to P'cola to ride the race course. I'll probably be putting in 3 or so hrs of riding, which I need after the stinky week of riding I had, or didn't have.

I see myself getting stronger/faster, but it still is hard to not obsess over missing valuable training time. I almost feel like lost days set me back, despite the improvements I've been seeing. Right now I'm torn between re-doing this past week's training schedule or just letting next week's planned routine move forward.

A big surprise

There was a big group ride today out on the road, and we had a surprise guest. It was none other than Lance Armstrong. For being retired, he's as fast as ever, although a couple of us were able to keep up with him for a time. Speaking of retirement, he said that he might come back in a year or so and again compete in the Tour, "just to prove that I can win anytime I want, AND not need any f**king drugs are doping to do it!"

It was fun riding with him, right up till he dropped the hammer on us. The sonofabitch even gave us "the look" too!

Here's the one pic that someone got from the ride.



For those that may still be reading this, and have not realized that I'm full of sh*t....April Fools!

Gettin' my act together.

I'm slowly getting back into my routine. It's weird, it feels like it's been weeks since I was last on a bike. Doesn't take much of an interruption in your training to really throw you off. Tomorrow I've got a meeting, so it's going to take some creative thinking to get saddle time in...or at least the amount I WANT to get.

My first race is just over a week away, and despite the fact that my training plan has been a mess lately, I'm feeling really strong.
I think it's time for me to include one of the fixtures of cycling blogs everywhere...

The self (while riding along) portrait:


Hey, if it's good enough for Kerkove and "The Goat" then why shouldn't I do it too?

With my first race so close, I'm trying to decide if I'm gonna run a bottle or my Camelbak. I'm leaning towards the bottle, as there are numerous places where you can drink and not run into a tree or knock a tooth out because of bumps, roots, small forest creatures, etc. I like the idea of using a bottle as it's less weight (especially since that additional weight would be on my back). The topic has even come upon mtbr. Decisions, decisions.

This is more like it

It sure was good getting back on the bike, I almost forgot what it was like. I don't normally like having 3 days off the bike in a row...I typically feel like that many days off the bike does more harm than good, but today was an exception. It was very evident on the mtn bike ride. I could do no wrong, my game was on. I even found myself keeping up with a buddy, who can usually drop me on this particular trail. Today though, he didn't get more than 50-60ft ahead of me. I had tons of top end power too.
It was one of those days that makes all the training worth while. If I can have a day like this on the 9th, I'll be very happy.

Back home

I made it back home. Finally.

I think I know why Oklahoma is called the Sooner State... the "sooner" I could get home, the better!

I'm anxious to get back on the bike, and get some good training in. My first race of the season is just under 2 weeks away, so I need to get back on the program. The next few days are gonna be some intense ones. I've not been riding since I spent some saddle time on a stationary bike Sunday night. Today I wanted to ride, but I had to go pick up the Santa Cruz from the bike shop. I was having some shifting issues that I couldn't get sorted out. Tomorrow though, it's all about the riding. I'll be doing both an AM and PM ride in addition to the usual Thursday night group mtb ride.

This is the event T-shirt for my first race. Pretty cool, huh?

A quickie

I've been absent as of late. I've been in the happening burg of Oklahoma City on business. Not much to tell, other than I'm sick and tired of seeing a stationary bike. I've logged almost 100 miles on the damn things since I've been gone. Gimme a trail, a road, anything that is outdoors.

I'm outta here. Need. Sleep.

Time Trial #2

Today was the second of three mtn bike TT's. The first time around, I completed the 4.62 mile course in 23:08. I was hoping I could shave some more time off and get in under 23 minutes. My specific goal was 22:50. I've been battling some allergy related congestion and sniffles, so I was concerned how that might affect my performance today.
I started the TT feeling pretty good. I got a good start and found my rhythm early on. But once I started hitting the climbs and pushed my HR closer to my threshold, that's when some problems developed. Trying to take some deep breaths I'd hear my chest rattling, and that would make me cough some. In order to get some much needed air into my lungs, it caused me on a couple of occasions to back off ever so slightly. I just knew that those moments of easing off my pace was gonna cost me a good time. I was certain I was gonna be slower than the first time. Giving in wasn't an option. I kept pushing myself, trying to get some breaths without breathing so deep that it brought on coughing.
I come off of "Carbo", turn left onto "Speed Demon", get in the big chainring and I turn those cranks for all I'm worth. I make it across the finish line and turn to hear the bad news. Surprisingly, there wasn't any bad news. My time was 22:54. Backing off those couple times cost me some precious seconds...I'm sure I could've shaved another 10 seconds off that time had I been totally healthy.

14 seconds faster than last month. I can live with that. In April I'd like to aim for a time of 22:15, or thereabouts.

Less is more?

If the saying "less is more" is in fact true, then I'm on my way to a successful racing season. A second attempt at 11.5hrs of training has been a disaster. The weather has cooperated, but I've been goin' a few rounds with my allergies. I've made two attempts to do my V02 threshold intervals this week, and I just couldn't complete them...I felt like I was working with one lung. I'm gonna get as many hours in as I can over the weekend, and then focus on the hard intervals next week. Ohh, and I'm not restarting the period again. I'm sayin' the hell with it.

Next week should even prove to be challenging. I've got to go out of town on business next Wed, and won't be back till Monday evening...to Oklahoma City, of all places. The stationary bike at the hotel fitness center is already calling my name.

Ups and downs

This past week and a half has been full of ups and downs. Weather, namely wind, prevented me from getting some of my vital road miles in, and eventually necessitated me restarting my Build 1 phase. Sunday I was planning on getting one last attempt at getting some good road miles in, but for reasons too numerous to list, I ended up hitting the trails. Of course, having some "downs" are can be made bearable by having a corresponding "up". Check this out...

For the first time since I've been riding on these trails I cracked the mythical 13mph average mark. At one point during the ride my average was as high as 13.6mph. The great thing is, I wasn't even trying to go for a personal best. I was just out with the plan of getting a good, continuous time(no stopping) on the bike. It wasn't till about the midway point that I realized I was riding at such a pace. The discovery came after a couple of wipeouts in corners. The first slide out in a corner had me thinking I used a little too much body english, the second one had me scratching my head. Right after that is when I took notice of my avg speed, then it hit me(lightbulbs turn on, fireworks go off, the skies part)...Aha! I was going too fast for the corners. So, not a bad discovery, especially in light of how the week had been going.

That brings us to the current week. My sinuses have been messing with me (damned pollen!), so I just didn't have the desire/energy to ride on Monday. Tuesday came and I was all set to get back out on the road, and start up my intervals again...except that I had a 20mph N wind goin' on. Back to the mtn bike and the trails. *Sigh. The good news is that despite not feeling 100%, I still managed a 12.9mph average speed out there.

Today is a new day, and by God I'm gonna get out and do my intervals even if it hairlips Lance Armstrong.

Ohh yeah...congrats to Floyd Landis. He's won Paris-Nice (I know, it's kinda old news, so sue me!)! Couple that with his win at the Tour of California, and Floyd's lookin' very good for this season.

It's official...

I'm restarting Build 1.

This past week has to go down on record as being the most f&%ked up training week I've had. It got off track with those windy, err, blustery days and went downhill from there. Today I didn't ride at all, I woke up with my sinuses really affecting me, making me uber drowsy. If I looked the way I felt, then this is what I looked like today...
I didn't have any discomfort or anything, I just felt exhausted. Fortunately I'm feeling more alive now. Tomorrow I'll get a couple hours in, but save the hard efforts for Monday and Build 1: Reloaded

Blow

Nope, not that kind of blow. I'm talkin' wind. Lots and lots of wind. Yesterday I was under the impression that it was gonna be rainin' like crazy today. In what first appeared to be divine intervention, the storms had slowed. I thought I had dodged a bullet, or as Maxwell Smart would say...

Missed me by THAT much.

What I didn't know was that I was the subject of a cruel joke... we didn't get any rain, but we get a wind advisory instead(Thanks, thanks a lot). 25mph winds with gusts in excess of 40mph. Dammit!
I typed all this to get to this... I got an hour and a half in on the mtn bike, so technically I'm still on target for the week, but I think that the rain will finally catch up with me tomorrow. If so, I'm just gonna restart the Build 1 period next Monday.
Maybe I could've told this story better with a really neato Viking analogy?

I'm feelin' it

Another hour and a half is in the books. After yesterday's intervals my legs weren't snappy, or at least they didn't seem snappy. Despite the less than peppy legs I still managed a new personal best to the second stop sign...38:55. I wasn't even trying to go hard, I was actually taking it easy after the intervals yesterday. I'm not gonna complain though.
We're looking at some potential rain over the next two days, and if that's the case I'm gonna restart this build period next week. I'm not gonna stress over it, I'm just gonna do what needs to be done. Must. Stay. Relaxed.

It's late. I'm goin' to bed, I'm beat.

This is more like it

I was good to my word today. I got out for my first day of the Build 1 phase. I kicked it off with some pyramid intervals, designed to increase my anaerobic threshold. The intervals went well. I need to fine tune some things, but overall I was pleased with how they went. I didn't feel like my chest was gonna explode, but they were tough, to be sure. I need to ask around to see what kind of exertion level I should be shooting for...maybe I should be close to puking when I do them. Kinda flyin' blind with this. I'll figure it out though.

This will help

USA Cycling has instituted yet ANOTHER program geared towards increasing America's mtb chances at the Beijing games in 2008. It will be interesting to see how it works. I'd love to see America do better(in mtn biking events that is) in international events.

Awww, dammit

Today is/was supposed to be the start of my first build period, and how did I begin it? An easy spin? Some intense Anaerobic intervals? Nope, none of the above. I didn't even get on the bike, how's that for a novel approach to training?
I'm actually quite pi**ed about it, to be honest. I had every intention of riding, but a quick flight/pricing check for an upcoming business trip turned into a mind numbingly long session of checking every airline ticket site known to man. What I'm most ticked about is, after all that time wasted checking prices and I STILL am no closer to a airline ticket. Hmmmph.

Write this down...tomorrow I'm getting some quality saddle time, if it's the last thing I do! There's not a friggin' thing that's gonna stop me!

If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go sulk some more.

What are the odds?

I just read that there will be a Pro purse at the NORBA events this year, and they're even gonna throw in UCI points too. As cool as it is that the pros will make some money for winning, the awarding of UCI points is HUGE! For anyone that saw the awesome documentary Off Road to Athens knows that it was the chasing of UCI points that created most of the drama in the film. To get a slot on the 2008 Olympic team, you need to amass lots of UCI pts. The highest point awards are still only available at the European World Cup events, which means a number of US pros will be heading to Europe over the next 2 years.

I think that chasing points is still the wrong way to go about the selection process. If someone who is very talented, even possibly the best rider that year, and they sustain an injury that keeps them out of the running for a couple months in the year/s preceding the Olympics, then they're gonna be way behind in the point race. So, that means that someone with less skill could make the team, just because they got more pts than others. There should be a couple of Olympic qualifier events, or, the coach of the team SELECTS the best riders for the team.
Personally, I'd like to see the Olympics go back to the days of all amateur athletes. That was a format that made the Olympics accessible to anyone, and offered much better competition...it left some room for surprises.
The point method that USA Cycling uses for team selection is a perfect example of making the Olympics inaccessible to most. If you're a privateer, then you're gonna have your hands full getting to all the NORBA races to gather those all important UCI pts, and the World Cup circuit? Fuhgetabouit...unless you're independently wealthy. Even a sponsored pro isn't assured of all the opportunities to gather the points. There aren't too many companies that are keen to pay for their riders to compete in Europe. Europe is hell and gone from a US company's target market.

At least the prize money and awarding of UCI points is a step in the right direction.

No more base

As of today, my base training is done.W00t!

Over the course of the last 3 months I've logged some heavy duty miles, and made some big gains in my aerobic fitness. When I first started, I could keep my HR in the mid 140s fairly easy, but to go much higher took some work. Fast forward to today and I can get my HR into the 160s without much thought. As a matter of fact, I did my TT test today, and then continued on with the remainder of my ride. After the test I noticed that while I was pedaling a good steady cadence and my RPE was around a 5 or 6, my HR was hovering around 165bpm. Riding on the road has done some great things for me, and I'm anxious (I might not be this enthusiastic after the more intense efforts to come next week) to get to the high intensity work of the coming weeks. It's just over a month till my first race of the season, and about 2 1/2 months till my first high priority race.

Trail obstacles

How's that for a trail obstacle? That's an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake- about 4 1/2 ft of rattlesnake at that. Came across this badboy today. It was initially stretched out across the trail, but as soon as we rode up, he struck a pose, and started a rattlin'. Get bitten by that will put you in the hurt locker, for sure.
Other than the wildlife sighting, it was a good ride. I'm feeling really good out on the trails these days, very strong.
I'm working on my bike handling skills, things like bunnyhops, etc. My bunnyhopping has improved dramatically. I'm progressing to bigger and bigger obstacles. I still have room for improvement, but I'm actually pretty decent at bunnyhopping now, where I used to suck at it...to the point where I didn't even try for fear of catching my back tire on the obstacle and stacking it up as a result.

Crossmarks, under the microscope

I thought it was time for a long term review of the performance of the Maxxis Crossmark UST tires. I've been running them for about 3 months now.


The Tread
The Good: The tread pattern of the Crossmark is a good one. The almost constant center ridge offers good acceleration and low rolling resistance, and the aggressive side knobs mean you're gonna stick to that turn like velcro.
The Bad: The tire cleans itself fairly well, with the exception of the center ridge- that takes a bit longer to clear out.

The Hard Stuff
The Good: In hardpack conditions this tire rules! It gives you gobs of confidence, encouraging you to go faster and faster. The tire offers decent rolling resistance, so as a result it is snappy and accelerates very well... I'd say on par with the Kenda Nevegal, perhaps even a bit better, which is pleasantly surprising considering that the Crossmark is a 600+gram tire.
The Bad: Bad? On hardpack there is nothing bad about this tire. Period.

The Wet Stuff
The Good: In wet sand, the Crossmark still offers you some traction, which is no small feat. For not being full blown mud, wet sand can pack up tires in a heartbeat, leaving you with no traction. The mud that I've encountered has packed up the center ridge, but the outer knobs got cleared and left me with some traction. I'm gonna cover pine straw in this section, as riding on pine straw can be like riding in real wet conditions. We have copious amounts of the stuff. Like every tire I've ever used, the Crossmark does lose traction on the pine straw, but it finds the solid ground beneath very fast. I've found myself tackling out of the saddle climbs on ground covered with pine straw, and there'll be moments of spinning back tires, but I always find some traction and maintain my momentum on the climb.
The Bad: Wet roots really scare me on these tires. Anything but a straight line over some and the back tire starts going in any number of directions. Now, to be fair to the Crossmark, I've not found too many tires that handled wet roots very well. These tires handle the roots best when they're aired down. If you're running normal pressure be prepared for some scary riding.

Final Thoughts
I've been very impressed so far. In dry, hardpack conditions these tires rule! Even our notorious Florida sand doesn't deter these tires, you can float across/thru it without the bike getting all squirrely on you. These tires love to go fast, and rail corners...it shows, they do both very well. They do a great job with most conditions. The bottom line is that the Crossmarks are confidence inspiring. I've found myself going faster and faster, even to the point where I go faster than the tires and bike can cope with (a turn loaded with pine straw- can you say "wipe-out"?!?).

Note: On the UST version, the amount of air pressure you use on a standard tire will offer a completely different ride. On standard tires I ran 38psi, and it offered a medium ride- not hard but not plush either. That same 38psi in the Crossmark gives a hard ride. Since I'm running a F/S bike it doesn't bother me, and I run that pressure in dry conditions. Thru pure happenstance I found that you can go quite low on the pressure and still not bottom out the tire on the rim, or offer a super squishy ride. I can easily run 22 or so psi in these tires and have no problems (which is a real bonus when its wet out).

Dragon Ass

That's what I feel like today...jello. I don't know what it is, whether it's my sinuses, or the fact that it is one of those spring fever kinds of days. It's about 70 degrees out, with a nice southerly breeze. Perfect for opening the windows, AND being lazy.
I just don't have it in me to get out for a ride, my ass is definitely draggin'.

This will be my second day in a row with no training. Tomorrow though, I'll be back at it, regardless of how I feel. I can't/won't take all my rest days at one time. Gotta save something for the weekend. I need to be plenty rested before the start of the harder intensity efforts to come next week.

Dancing

I've heard the term "dancing on the pedals" before, but never really knew what it entailed...until today. I've had so much fun on my mtn bike lately that I decided to use the Blur on my shorter days (1hr rides) during the rest weeks. Hell, I might even use the mtn bike for ALL short rides.

Anyway, I did an hour today, and what a ride it was. I quite literally was dancing on the pedals. I was in the zone, I had my flow on. I was railing the corners, I was hopping over obstacles with ease, I was surfing thru the trees. It's days like this that make you love riding a mtn bike. Gimme some races like that and this fella will be standing on some podiums! Boo-yah!

Not feelin' the love

My sinuses must've been bothering me, because most of the day I was wanting to stretch out on the sofa for a nap. I forced myself to go ride, and then it was out on the trails. The wind was up around 20mph or so, and I just couldn't see myself battling that today. Despite being draggy the ride went well. I cleaned every obstacle, and kept up a good steady pace. Add in the fact that it was a gorgeous day and I don't really have anything to complain about.

This past week's hours didn't add up like I planned, but I'll focus on this coming week, which is the last week of base.

This past week really affected me, or wore on me, if you will. I don't mean physically either. This was mental. As the week progressed I'd start dreading the longer rides that were still to come. Between the mental "psych out" of progressively longer rides at the end of the week and the seemingly inevitable weather jinx that hits right when the long rides are to happen, I'm thinking of trying to get at least one of my longer rides in during the week...if time/work will permit.

A cruel joke

As of last night we were supposed to have a big day of rain in the forecast, and from the radar images I was seeing that forecast was gonna be accurate. So I wrote off my riding for the day, although, when I got up this morning I checked the radar just to be certain. While not in immediate danger of rain, there was a huge mass of storms just to our north and west of us, "no way we're gonna miss that!"
How wrong can I be.
Other than it being cloudy, we didn't get any rain all damn day long. "Maybe I'll get a ride in anyway!" I head home in hopes of getting some riding in, even if its just on the mtn bike. Here's the humorous part. The rain started on the way home. I sh*t you not. Over 4hrs of zero rain, and when I decide to go ride, it pours. Talk about a kick in the nuts.

At least tomorrow is gonna be nice, so we'll see what I can salvage.

Waxing philosophical

I just finished waxing philosophical about pushing your limits, now I'm going to go the opposite direction and bitch a little...

It appears that there is a minor breakdown in communication. I distinctly asked for one week of decent weather (I wasn't even asking for great weather), so I could get my last big week of base riding in. It looks as if I've been punked... the weather is supposed to be a big pile of crap tomorrow.

I think I'm used to it by now. It used to really frost my cookies, but now...well, I just move on and think about the next day's workout.

Pushing yourself

During Friday's workout I included some more cruise intervals, and by the time I finished the first 7 minutes session I was wondering if I shouldn't just pull the plug on doing the intervals for today. After my 3 minutes of recovery I decided to give a second interval a go. I almost quit about half way thru the second interval, but like the first one, I pressed on. I would eventually do my alloted 4x7 min workout.

I rode for an hour and a half, and got my interval in, but it wasn't a day that stood out, at least not in respect to setting any kind of personal best in speed/distance, etc. But I was extremely pleased with the workout today. I felt like canning the intervals, but yet I pushed thru and completed my tasks, and completed them very competently...I didn't shuffle my way thru them, despite having some serious doubt early on if I was in the right frame to do them.

Ya know, I think that's why so many people pursue endurance based sports... not to garner praise and recognition, as much as seeing how far you can push yourself, and come out the other side a stronger/better person for it.

Sandbagging...what can you do?

A friend of mine competed at last weekend's 12 hrs of Reddick. He was competing in the Solo Sport category. Pat came in 4th, which was very respectable. He said he didn't have anything left...which is what you want. You want to go out and leave everything out on the course. What was unfortunate, was that he was robbed of an even higher placing. The guy who won this year, won it last year. He should've moved up to expert, but he didn't. Another guy who came in 3rd competed in the expert class last year, and was competing in the sport class because he said he hadn't trained much. That was wrong. It's nobody's fault that this guy didn't train. He competed in expert class last year, he should've gone back to it.

I posted all that to say this...the above story is exactly why you can't/shouldn't make rce goals that involve getting first place. You never know who is gonna show up and be racing with you, either legitimately or sandbagging. That's why you should always focus on racing your own race. When I make my solo debut at the 12 Hrs of Tsali, I'm gonna set a goal for a certain number of laps to complete, and let rankings fall where they may.

For today's ride, I made it a recovery ride, and did it on the mtn bike. So, nothing too dramatic to report. 1hr completed, and so far I'm still on schedule for the week.

Better

Today's ride went a bit better, I learned my lesson after yesterday. No impromptu race efforts for me. Despite the ride going well, before heading out I was having a hard time getting motivated to go. I felt really lethargic. Maybe it was my sinuses, but for some reason I just felt kinda, 'blah'.
I once heard someone say that the hardest part of going running was putting your running shoes on. Of course, he was saying that the hardest part of doing ANYTHING is getting started. Today was a perfect example. Once I got my gear on and got out the door my lethargy was forgotten and I was ready to log some miles.

I'm sitting at 3.5hrs for the week so far. Only 8 more hrs to go. Yippee. We're having some typical Florida weather, so that's a nice bonus. None of this freezing my as...butt off. Today it was a balmy 74 degrees, or 23 degrees, for those of you doing that whole Celcius thing.

In other news...
I see that Floyd Landis has taken the lead in the Tour of California. Go Floyd!

Retard...

Idiot, dummy, dipsh*t!

Yes, I'm refering to myself. During my ride today, I let my competitive juices start flowing, and I paid a price. I had been out an hour into my 2 hr ride, and was heading for home when I saw a fellow cyclist pass me going in the opposite direction. After two or three minutes I look back and see this fellow has turned around and is heading in the same direction as me. Well, I know this guy isn't trying to race me or anything, but I make a decision...this guy is NOT gonna catch me, and no way in hell is he gonna close that gap! So, for the next hour I keep up the pace. Here's where the stupid part comes in. I had already done cruise intervals in the first hour of my ride. That last hour was essentially an hour long cruise interval. Retarded, I know.

I'm paying the price now. My legs are expressing their displeasure with me. Now, that said, the ride went pretty well. My avg HR was within the proper zone, the intervals went well, and I got my alloted time in.

Somebody remind me not to push myself like that during training.

Last week of base

Today started my last week full week of base training. How did I start it off? With a day off the bike...how's that for a commitment to training?

Seriously though, the weather wasn't really ideal, and...my legs just felt kinda heavy. I took it as a sign to take a break, even though I don't like taking my only day off this early on in the week. Tomorrow I'll be back at it, and finish out the week strong.

Tip of the week

Gloves need to be washed frequently. If not, they tend to become a little gamey. I noticed mine were....aromatic, to say the least.

No need to thank me, I'm just doing my part to raise the bar of the blogging world.

Time trial

I woke up this morning to chilly 41 degree temperatures. It's a good thing this TT was being done in the woods and not out on the road. This TT was over a 4.62 mile course. The competitors were going at 2 minute intervals, and I was the second to the last person to go. I didn't want to go too hard too early, so I made a concerted effort to pace my efforts for the first 10 or so minutes...long enough to get into a rhythm. At around the 10-12min mark I caught, and passed the person who went before me. I kept a good, strong pace and finished with a time of 23:08. Looking back, there were places that I could've stepped up the pace, but I'm pleased with this effort. In the end I had the second fastest time of the day. The guy with the fastest time is the Florida State Champion Time Trialist 40+ age group, and expert class mtn bike racer. I was 41 seconds off his time. Maybe he was holding back some, maybe not...either way, I'm quite pleased with the results. This TT was for fun, but it's more proof that I'm on the right track with my training.

There will be another one of these in March, and in April. I'm hoping I can get my time down to around 22:50 by the March TT.

I was planning on hitting the road this afternoon, but between the weather and the fact that my legs are not feeling really snappy after that effort, I think I'm just gonna chill out. Tomorrow I'll pick it up. This will be my last full week of base.

Soggy

3hrs was the plan. 1hr was the reality. Despite my best efforts to get a solid training week in, Mother Nature had other plans. About 20 minutes into my ride, the skies opened up...and unceremoniously dumped on me. The weather wasn't going to totally get the best of me...I was gonna get a decent workout in, come hell or high water (Editorial note- Pun fully intended).

I'm slowly learning to deal with these interruptions to my training, so tomorrow I'll get a couple of hours in and call it a week. Next week will be a biggy, at 11.5hrs.

Bicycles and bank robbers

The hour and a half ride went well, nothing dramatic to report. I was hoping to get a second 1.5hr ride in this afternoon(thought I'd be clever and split up my 3hr ride), but my schedule just didn't permit. That means I've gotta do 3hrs tomorrow(the Oak Mtn trip was cancelled due to bad weather-cold and rainy). Yippee.

A local club is starting a mtb time trial on Sunday and there will be two more in March and April. They're doing them for fun, so it's not like there are any prizes...unless you count personal gratification and perhaps bragging rights. I'm thinking about giving it a go as it would be a good race pace test for me, another way to test my progress to date, if you will.

Now, for the local update. We had a bank robbery the other day...right here in my little ole town. A town of about 12,000 people and we have a bank robbery. Here's the best part. The thief robbed the bank in the middle of the day, and without any kind of mask. What a retard! I'm sure that if the police have not caught the guy, they at least know who he his. Can we make stupidity a capitol offense?

Twice in a row.

As strange as it may seem, I am up early two days in a row to go riding. Don't believe me? Just check out the time stamp on this post? Uh huh, need I say more?

I'm downing some Optimum cereal (yummy!), then it's off for an hour and a half of fabulously boring road work.

The weather is only showing a 2mph wind (if you can call 2mph a wind...a breeze perhaps?), but does anyone want to take bets on how hard it will be blowing when I start riding? Effing wind.

Bright and early

Due to some work related issues later this afternoon, I had to go against my religion and get up early for my day's ride.

After some oatmeal and an English muffin, it was off to get an hour's worth of saddle time in.

Other than dealing with the aforementioned wind on my way back, it was a good ride. With that Oak Mtn trip on Saturday, I'm gonna have to do my big 3hr ride tomorrow. I just love those 3hr ones...can you tell I love them?

Conspiracy!

How come I can leave the house with the wind blowing at a paltry 5mph, but get out riding and it's like a gale force wind? The trees are barely moving with the wind, yet I'm fighting a headwind. A mystery wind...I smell a conspiracy.


*puts on foil hat.

Cruise control

Today was a really good ride day. Everything was clicking. I got my time in, and even did my cruise intervals. I managed a couple of personal time/distance bests as a result of those cruise intervals. Two hours went by really fast...which is surprising, as the 2hr and longer rides seem to go on forever. Not today though. I was in the zone!

My schedule has freed up to allow me to go with a group up to Oak Mtn State Park on Saturday. I've never been to Oak Mtn, but I've heard great things about the trails there.

I've got a 1UpUSA trainer, and I've been noticing that while riding on it, at times the resistance will jump sharply, as if I applied the brakes. After an email exchange with one of their reps, they have sent me a UPS shipping label to send the unit back. They say they'll repair it and send it back the same day. That's good customer service!

I just found out the UWF Fat Tire Challenge will be on April 9th. That's the same weekend as the Bryson City stop of the SERC series. I'm thinking of staying close to home and doing the UWF race. Get a little early season racing in, but stay close to home at the same time.

Threads

If you've not seen some of the newest entries in Primal Wear's Rock n Roll jersey line-up, do yourself a favor and check them out.

I'm not a Led Zeppelin fan, but this is one totally cool jersey!



What do you think of this one?



The moment I saw it, I had to have it. It's just too cool for words. Gotta have it!

Meh.

The back is feeling better today, so I got a little ride time in. It was a little brisk out, so I opted for an hour on the trainer, which sucked river rocks...but what can you do?

Change of pace...it's all downhill from here

Saturday was too cold to ride on the road, so I opted for the mtn bike and some singletrack.




Other than the wind, it was a gorgeous day. Even the temperature wasn't that bad... it was just that dang wind! The ride was going well, I had a good rhythm happening, it was almost making up for the lack of real training time I'd been able to get in during the week. It was about this time that I got brought back to reality. I don't know what it was, maybe a stump, but something stopped my bike dead. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that I went over the handlebars. The post crash assessment revealed a couple of bruises and a scrape, and a slight muscle twinge in my back, but no real damage. My handlebars needed some straightening, but all in all no harm done. Although...when I got home I discovered that I had really jacked up a muscle in my back. There was a spot on my back that was VERY sore. Any pressure on that spot and a wave of pain would spread that would just about take my breath away.
The good news is, today my back is a lot better, while still sore, that spot can at least be pressed on without it sending me to my knees. The bad news is that muscle injury put the kibosh on any riding today. So, week 1 of base 3 goes in the toilet. I think this coming week will be much better.

Crash and burn

I woke up this morning to this...


To say that I'm more than mildy annoyed about this development would be an understatement. I was expecting the rain to be over, and it be windy. Well, in a strange turn of events, it's not windy. If it wasn't for the fact that it's currently 48 degrees, I'd brave the rain, but something about rain and 48 degrees that doesn't seem like a good combination for riding a bicycle in. I'm seeing this week's training going down in flames. Must. Not. Get. Upset.

1st week of Base 3- All ass.

This week has not been a good week for training. Trying to get some warranty work done on my vehicle really f&^%ed up two days worth of training, and then some work related issues kept me from getting in my ride today (Friday). The only bright spot was that I got about 45 minutes in on the mtn bike this afternoon, with some friends. It wasn't quality time, but it was fun hangin' with some buds.

I'm hoping to salvage my week's training with long rides on Saturday and Sunday. It looks as if the weather might be against me for Sat. though. We're looking at a wind advisory for most of the day, so that means winds in excess of 20mph. Riding in a 20+mph headwind...that's some major suckage right there.

I'm tempted to restart the Base 3 period next week. I know life can change my training plans, so I'm trying not to obsess over missing a day here and there...maybe I shouldn't restart the period, and just move on as if nothing had happened.

Changin' it up!

Got another hour in the saddle, although I would've much prefered that to be an hour and a half in the saddle, but beggars can't be choosers.

Despite the ride not being as long as I wanted, it was still an hour well spent. Incorporated a new workout into the ride. Cruise intervals...


No, not THAT Cruise. These are intervals of 6 minutes done in the 4 or 5a zone. I did 4 sets for a total of 24 minutes(4x6). In addition to HR I also used RPE to gauge how hard I was working. I need to get used to using Perceived Exertion because that will be an important tool in my races.

On a related note, I'm really starting to see some changes to my fitness. When I ride in zone 2 and get my HR up into the 150s I used to be able to tell. My breathing would get ever so labored, but today I was cruisin' along and glanced down and noticed my HR was in the mid to upper 150s and I was breathing easy and not winded at all. It's awesome to see more and more progress from this training.

On an UNrelated note...my site got some free press from that 24hr Superfreak, Jeff Kerkove. I guess I'm gonna have to get more creative and witty in my posts. The pressure is on, can I handle it?

Turnin' those big gears

Anyone who's read my posts regarding "big gear climbs" knows that I've had a challenge with this particular exercise, due to my lack of suitable climbs. Well, today I tried a different approach.
I decided to ride into a headwind, using my hardest gear. I'm not sure how effective it's gonna be, but I'll give it a few more times before I pass judgement. Due to terrain issues, I couldn't get my cadence into the 50-60rpm range, instead I was between 65-70rpm. Also, instead of using HR for this, I went with RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). For this interval/s my RPE hovered around a 7 out of 10. I think with a little more fine tuning of this I might be able to do the interval and do it with an RPE of 8 or better. One thing that will help will be a stronger headwind. How's that for a reversal? I was cursing headwinds just the other day, now I'm needing a stronger one. I tell ya, there's no pleasing me!

Other than that, I had a rather uneventful ride. 19 miles and 1hr...only 9 more to go for the week.

Base 3: Not off to a good start

Today is the beginning of my final base period and...it's raining. I guess I take my one rest day today. Oh well, I'll just have six straight days of riding.

If it wasn't for the fact that a Feb rain is still kind of chilly, I would've been tempted to brave the rain, as I can't expect my races to always take place in perfect conditions. But riding in the rain right now could end up making me sick, then that would mean time off the bike, which would be self defeating.

The good news is, tomorrow is gonna be nice.

Good and the bad

Saturday ride summary:

20mph headwind. Sucks.

20mph tailwind. Yeehaw!

I finished up the week with 2hrs today, for a total of just over 5.5 hrs for the week. Thus ends the 2nd base period. One more base period to go.


From the "Who gives a flip" files...
Apparently, Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow are history. I can't say I'm surprised. I am always amazed at how many Americans are obsessed with fame. I truly believe there are some people out there, that if you gave them a choice between wealth or fame, they'd take fame. Me? Just gimme the money and we'll call it a day!

Weapons of Mass Destruction

I have found a weapon, a weapon of such destructive capability, it should only be used in the most extreme situations...but it is sure to be an effective weapon. What is this new weapon?

*looks around to make sure no one is looking. Here it is... the song Barbie Girl, by Aqua. I'm sure that after one use, it will be forbidden under the Geneva Convention.

In case you're wondering, I was unfortunate enough to hear this song on the radio earlier today, and now the damned thing is stuck in my head!

On a different note, I got my wheel back and immediately went out on the trails for some night riding. It sure is good to get out on the mtn bike.

Nothing in particular

Not much happening on the training front, just making the most of this easier week. I got the wheel fixed on my mtn bike...just in time too, tomorrow night is the weekly group ride.

Speaking of the group, some of the crew are talking of going to Oak Mtn on the 18th. I'm seriously thinking of going, as I've never ridden at Oak Mtn. It would also be a good test of how my training is going...see how well I'm climbing, etc.

No guilt here.

Normally I'd feel guilty about taking a day off the bike, but not today. The very fact that I didn't have any misgivings about not getting on the bike tells me that I probably pushed myself too hard over the last few days. I'm not sore, and I'm not overly tired, I think it was pushing myself mentally.

Tomorrow will be an easy 1hr ride followed by another day off on Wed.

For now, I'm gonna kick back, relax, and watch 24.

It's in the bag

Got my final 2hrs in today, totalling 11hrs and 200miles. There were times when I didn't think I'd make the full 11, and there were a number of times where I was ready to say the heck with this road training thing.


This coming week is a recovery week, with 3 days off the bike. After last week I'm looking forward to a lighter load. Although, I do have to do a test on one of the days...gonna make sure I'm thoroughly rested before I try it.

One more Base period after this.

Humans...we're a curious lot

Humans are indeed a curious bunch. We have a dark side, but we are at our best when we are trying to push the limits of what is possible.
That can be especially true when you are talking about pushing the limits of human endurance. You don't have to look far to see instances of people pushing themselves practically to the breaking point, and in some cases, beyond the breaking point.

An event/race can be gruelling, leaving you physically and mentally wiped out, but yet, people will return to compete again, or to climb another mountain, etc. What is it that drives people to go back for more pain and punishment? I believe that the pain and punishment is part of the equation. You are testing yourself, suffering, and at the end you emerge... having beaten the suffering. Today, I was suffering with a headwind (my personal nemesis) and I was having thoughts of turning in my road tires to pursue my training on the trails, but no sooner had I finished my ride and started the drive home, than I was already thinking of the next day's riding. During the ride I was ready to throw in the towel, but once I got done I had a totally different outlook than I had 20 minutes earlier.

There's the old saying, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". While I would like to find the person who coined that phrase, and slap them, there are many times when that saying does in fact ring very true.

Can I do it?

I got in a good 55 mile/3hr ride today, but the big question is...will the weather hold for me to get my last two rides in over the weekend? Saturday seems doable, but Sunday is kinda iffy. We'll see.

In the course of my training I've seen how beneficial training with power would be. Training with HR can be a real frustration. If I back off even for a moment on my intensity, my HR will drop 5 or 6 bpm in seconds...of course, that is a benefit when racing, but it makes training more difficult. When I say "back off", I don't mean taking a breather. For example; I climb a hill and my HR is...we'll say 150bpm, and my cadence is 94rpm. I crest that hill with my cadence still around 94rpm, maybe even up to 97 or 98rpm. At this point, unless I accelerate, my HR will be down to 142 or lower within seconds. I haven't technically 'backed off', I've kept the same intensity that it took to get up the hill, but the moment the road descends, I need to rapidly accelerate to keep my HR in the proper zone. Now maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe it's because I'm using a mtn bike and the gearing is all wrong, or perhaps it is totally normal, but for whatever reasons, I have to be on my toes less my HR takes a nose dive.

I'm learning throughout this process though. I've already seen some things that I'll do differently next season. Despite the...challenges, I know I'm getting stronger, and that's what is most important.

Time for some sleep, I'm tired.

Too many races, too little time

Today was another good ride. Attempted the big gear climbs again, this time on a different hill. This hill is a little longer, but lacks a place to be able to get the HR up prior to hitting the climb. Instead, I just focused on turning a big gear and said "the hell with the heart rate". Also, I made a point of turning a lower RPM than the exercise calls for. I think it might be a decent substitute...all things considered.

I just learned of a new race. The Santos Triple Bypass, which takes place on April 22-23. The idea of a stage race sounds very cool, but earlier in the month (the 9th, to be exact) is the Bryson City (Tsali) stop on the SERC series. Since I'll be in the midst of a Build period, I don't want too many races early on. I was planning on using the SERC race as an early season test of my fitness level. I'm afraid that if I do another race a few weeks later that would do some harm to my long term race fitness, despite having a blast doing the race. Of course, I could bypass the SERC race and just do the Triple Bypass instead. That is definitely something to consider.

Decisions, decisions.

Hump day

It's Wednesday and I only have 2.5hrs in. I was hoping to get a 2hr ride in today, but life had other ideas. John Lennon was right..."life is what happens when you're making other plans." I usually plan my longest rides for the weekend, but with our recent weather, that proposition makes me a little nervous. I'm thinking of moving my 3hr ride to Friday, and do a 1.5hr ride tomorrow. That will put me at 7hrs by the end of Friday.

I know I'm obsessing over the amount of hours I'm getting in right now, but I'm just trying to do my best to get as much riding in as possible. I want my aerobic capacity to be at the best I can get it by the time I start upping the intensity in later periods. If I can get thru the next 5 1/2 weeks with as few disruptions to my schedule as possible, I'll feel really good.


Ohh, here is that pic of my poor spoke.


From the Random Files...

If you've not seen "Off Road to Athens", then you need to do yourself a favor and get it. I got ORtA as a Christmas gift, but if I had to I would've bought it myself. It's about several riders chasing 3 slots on the US Olympic Mtn Bike team. The story is very compelling, as there is some real drama taking place, especially among the women. The racing action is some of the best I've seen, and I can't say enough about the music. Haik Naltchayan did a great job of capturing the mood of the races and the locations that they take place. This is a first rate documentary, one guaranteed to entertain as well as ellicit some real emotion.

Trail Carnage

It was a beautiful day today, the kind of day that was meant for riding. No big surprise that I took the opportunity to log some miles. 30 miles in 1.5hrs made for a good workout, and a good start to the week's training.

In the late afternoon I did a night ride on the mtn bike with a group of friends. Felt pretty good considering I'd already logged a fair amount of miles. Early on in the ride I caught something, that for a split second brought me to a stop. I looked down but didn't see any problems. Near the end of the ride we were all stopped, waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. As I was getting on my bike, I thought I saw a stick or some pine straw stuck in my spokes. Unfortunately for me it was neither... it was a broken spoke (picture to follow). That really annoyed me, which goes without saying. But at least it is just a spoke. Those can be replaced fairly easy and without any major costs. What can you do?

I've got 9.5hrs of ride time to do over the next 5 days. I'm almost regretting having taken my one rest day already. 5 straight days of riding...I'm gonna be one tired fella.

Finding time

Yesterday finished up my required hours for the week, but it left me wondering...As I mentioned yesterday, I had plenty of time to "wonder" about things.

Besides wondering why I go thru this much trouble, I got to thinking about how hard it is to get even a small number of hours in, consistently. This year, my weekly hours will not go over 11.5 on any given week. Now, compared to expert and pro level riders, that number of hours is measly. It's not hard to imagine that a pro can/does have time to fit in their necessary training time...they're getting paid (more or less) to ride their bike. But for everyone else...how do you do it? I'm single, and I couldn't imagine jockeying family and training. All I really have to worry about is work, and that's more than enough to cause me grief in trying to get my necessary ride time in.

If you've got a family and still have time to train, I take my hat off to you. Hell, if you have a day job and train more than 13-14 hrs per week, you deserve some credit!

That's enough for now. Got things to do and people to annoy. Tomorrow training will resume, for now...recovery.

Thoughts from the Edge

I got my 3hrs in today, but it was a tough 3hrs. To call it a suffer fest would be fairly accurate. It started off bad when I realized I left my ipod at home. I had plenty of time to think about all manner of stuff during that time.


00:02:00-
I really wish I had my ipod.

00:05:00-
I'm feeling really strong, this should be a good ride.

00:10:00-
Hearing nothing but wind is getting old.

00:30:00-
I'm makin' really good time, but I've still got 2 and a half hours to go. Sigh.

00:40:00-
40 minutes to the second stop sign. Yes!

00:45:00-
Wind has started. Crap!

01:00:00-
Answer me this. How can I be getting a headwind in opposite directions?

01:15:00-
This old road is gonna beat me to death. Between the road and the wind I'm ready to smack someone. Wish I had my ipod.

01:20:00-
The wind is picking up. Figures.

01:30:00-
I am only half done.

01:40:00-
I hope that is fog, and not rain.

01:55:00-
F&%KING WIND!

02:00:00-
Only one hour left to go! Wish I had my ipod.

02:05:00-
Time for some Perpetuem.

02:20:00-
My legs are giving out. Fighting this friggin' wind has taken its toll.

02:22:00-
I think may be the only person on the planet right now. Am I in The Matrix?

02:25:00-
I see some people. Fellow riders! I am not alone.

02:30:00-
Aero bars on a mountain bike?!? Bwahahaha. That has to be the most retarded thing I've ever seen.

02:45:00-
I'm feeling a bit better. I think the Perpetuem is kicking in. I actually feel like I can finish this and not lay down on the side of the road.

02:50:00-
I'm almost done. Just. A little. Farther.

03:00:00-
Finished! No thanks to the damn wind. My legs are toast.


I'll write more later, but for now, I've gotta go raid the kitchen, and replace some calories.

Plan B it is

My luck held out and the rain subsided, so I was able to get 2hrs of riding in. 38 miles in 2 hours was a good workout. Tomorrow I'll shoot for my 3hr ride. I think I'll have a chance of making it, as the rain should be over already. Starting Monday I'll have 2 weeks of Base 2 left, then it'll be on to my final Base period.

Plan B

Today, this morning to be exact, was to be my day for a 3hr ride. The weather has other plans.

Time for Plan B I guess. If the weather breaks any I'll shoot for 2hrs this afternoon, and save the 3 hr ride for tomorrow.

Want to buy: Mtn for climbing intervals

I just want to do some good big gear intervals, is that too much to ask? I have had nothing but trouble, trying to do these friggin' intervals! As I previously wrote about, I have to get a running start so I can get my HR up and get it into the proper zone once I hit the climb. When I first started doing these, I found that if I hit 169-170bpm by the time I hit the base of the hill, I could finish the interval with my HR around 175-177bpm. Well, yesterday I would start the interval with my HR in the neighborhood of 169-171bpm and I only got over 174bpm one time. My heart rate would only climb 3 or 4 beats at best before I crested the hill.
To be honest, I'm not sure why either. Having only done big gear intervals 3 or 4 times so far, I wouldn't chalk it up to getting stronger, not in that short amount of time. But I can't really say why it is.
I have a couple ideas I'm gonna experiment with the next time I do these intervals. Maybe I'll find something that works, otherwise I'll have to look at an alternative exercise.


On a side note, I've decided to do the Endurance 100 in Utah. I'll be sending in my registration in the coming week. Some people might be wondering why a relative newcomer to racing would want to attempt a race like the E100... I'm doing it to test myself. I'm not looking to stand on the podium, but I just want to finish it, and not finish dead last. Considering that in September of '04 I weighed 310lbs and was in no condition to do ANY racing, much less a 100 mile race, and then less than 2yrs later compete and finish a 100 mile race... that would/will be a major victory for me.

Same ole, same ole

Not too much to tell, just more and more miles, day in, day out. The good news is, I'm on track to get my 10hrs in this week.

Saw that Sager got owned by a hacker today. I'm sure he's not too amused, but I got a chuckle out of it.

Where's the snap, crackle, and pop?

The last two days on the bike have been kinda weird. On Sunday and Monday's rides my legs have lacked that "snap"... you mtn bikers out there know what I'm refering to. It's that liveliness, a certain zing in your legs that makes it possible for you to ride really hard, or ride all day long. If you have that "snap" in your legs come race day, good things are in store for you. Having done "big gear climbs" and some "tempo" work on Sunday, it's no surprise that yesterday my legs felt lifeless, but here's the weird part... On both days I had some of my best average speeds. Averages were in the 19mph range. I felt sluggish and expected my speeds to reflect that, but instead I had some times/speeds that were dang near personal bests.

That's just one of those things that makes you go, "hmm."


Over at The Biking Hub, there is a good article on losing weight... from either you or the bike. The article talks about how expensive it can be to drop weight from your bike, compared to dropping the same amount off of you. A couple of months ago I decided to see how much weight I could drop from my bike, and how much it'd cost to do it, just for grins. It would've cost me around $1100-$1200 to drop a pound and a half. That same $1200 could probably net me about 5 or 6 lbs off of my old Giant hardtail(even then I could buy a whole new bike for that much), but since my Santa Cruz is spec'd out so well it's hard to get much more than a couple of pounds off it.
I'm planning on getting a second set of wheels to use for racing, so that I can change tires to suit the course I'm racing but still be able to do my training rides/fun rides on my non race tires. I'll take that opportunity to get some uber light ones, but other than that I'm not gonna spend mega bucks to drop a pound or two off the bike. It's cheaper to take it off of me.

Not off to a good start

My second Base period has not started well. What should've been a 9.5hr week will end up an 8hr week instead. A 20mph wind and the resulting windchill screwed up today's plan for a 3hr ride. Sigh.
Does everybody have this much trouble getting their hrs in the saddle?

Big Gear climbs- Ghetto style

On the menu today was some force work...big gear climbs to be exact. As I previously noted, doing this particular interval was gonna be a challenge.

The tortuous, 45 second, N Florida version of the Alp D' Huez.

The exercise called for a climb that takes 1-2 minutes to complete, but this "hill" will have to do. In addition to doing the climb at 50-60rpm, I should be doing this at the 5a HR level, which is in the mid 170's (bpm) for me. To do that, I had to get a running start, and push my HR to around 168 at the base of the hill. That way I could be at or near 178bpm by the time I hit the top. Not the most effective way to do this interval, but you gotta work with what you got.

Base 2: The Sequel

My second Base period started today. After that high intensity group ride yesterday, I kept it low key today, and did an hour. Included in that hour was 20 min. of Tempo. Tempo rides are done at a bit higher HR, higher than a standard endurance pace ride. For me, that translates to a HR between 156-162bpm. I'm glad to be getting into some different exercises within a given workout period. Along with the Tempo rides this week, I'm supposed to do some big gear climbs...and I'm not sure how effectively I can do them. I'm from "F is for Flat" Florida, and we're not blessed with many places to do any kind of climbing training. Granted, we've got a bit more elevation than my Southerly neighbors but that's of little consolation.


The exercise calls for a steep grade (8% or more) *that's problem one!, that takes one to two minutes to climb *that's problem two. Get in 6-30 minutes of climbing within a workout. Our "climbs" should probably be labeled "rises in elevation."


The route I take has some elevation gain, and the two longest "climbs" take probably 45sec-1min max, depending on how much speed you carry into it, or if you have a headwind/tailwind.

I HAVE to get some Force exercises in, so I'm either going to have to 'big gear' it no matter how big or small the climb, or do repeats on one particular climb. I might try both methods this week, and see which one I like better...not that I'm gonna enjoy either one.