2 days ago
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
i need to dig these bad boys out of the closet. at least i think they are in the closet. i have got grand total of zero miles on them for 2010.
every year, this very same time of the year, things change. the wife is headed back to work, the kid is starting school & the days are getting shorter. the grind is back in full effect.
in order to deal i bust out the running shoes. running takes up less of my time and allows me to hang onto my fitness a bit longer. i enjoy it, sort of. running and me have an odd relationship. i love the feeling of a great run. gliding, hovering, just above the ground. however, about the time i reach some form of, well, running form, i transition to the trainer for the winter.
cyclo-cross is all the buzz right now with PSIMET Racing. i am sure it is something i would fully enjoy and even be decent at, but time is not going to permit it. it is all about balance.
"Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
the 100
last week i logged 1300 miles, behind the windshield of a car. most for work, some for fun. either way that seems like a lot.
after a nice get-a-way weekend in St. Louis with family and good friends i was free and clear on Monday. i knew exactly what i needed to do. what i must do.
the solo self supported century sufferfest (SSSCF) or the 100. no, the ride did not take place on the 9, but my trusty 06 Giant TCR C2. she and i have seen many a century, but none this year.
i departed at 8am in perfect conditions. the 70 degrees were fall like, but that is to be expected after weeks in the 90s. i felt good, rested, but leery of how the mind and body would handle the long haul.
the goal for the day was modest, under six hours. looking back at my past solo attempts i really did struggle with them. i have completed close to 20 single day rides of 100 miles or more since 2006. slow and fast ones. i know what to expect. as much as one can know what to expect when one plans to ride a bike for 6 hours.
the rundown
-legs were good, not great, & i faded near the end.
-i was oddly focused & motivated for this effort.
-had to improvise my planned route due to gravel.
-stopped around mile 60 to refill the bottles.
-Assos plus DZNutz is the only way to go long.
-5 hr 36 min total time / 5 hr 20 min ride time / 101 miles.
-consumed 5 bottles of water, 1 HEED, 1 Cliff Bar, 1 Kashi Bar, 2 Hammer Gels
-mixing Hammer Chocolate & Raspberry is a good idea.
a great day on the bike for sure.
after a nice get-a-way weekend in St. Louis with family and good friends i was free and clear on Monday. i knew exactly what i needed to do. what i must do.
the solo self supported century sufferfest (SSSCF) or the 100. no, the ride did not take place on the 9, but my trusty 06 Giant TCR C2. she and i have seen many a century, but none this year.
i departed at 8am in perfect conditions. the 70 degrees were fall like, but that is to be expected after weeks in the 90s. i felt good, rested, but leery of how the mind and body would handle the long haul.
the goal for the day was modest, under six hours. looking back at my past solo attempts i really did struggle with them. i have completed close to 20 single day rides of 100 miles or more since 2006. slow and fast ones. i know what to expect. as much as one can know what to expect when one plans to ride a bike for 6 hours.
the rundown
-legs were good, not great, & i faded near the end.
-i was oddly focused & motivated for this effort.
-had to improvise my planned route due to gravel.
-stopped around mile 60 to refill the bottles.
-Assos plus DZNutz is the only way to go long.
-5 hr 36 min total time / 5 hr 20 min ride time / 101 miles.
-consumed 5 bottles of water, 1 HEED, 1 Cliff Bar, 1 Kashi Bar, 2 Hammer Gels
-mixing Hammer Chocolate & Raspberry is a good idea.
a great day on the bike for sure.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Rubbing is Racing
Grayslake Cycling Classic 8.7.10
i went to a race and a monkey fell in front of me.
someone needs to tell me why i spend the first 5 laps of every race near the back of the pack. do i like the pain that comes with the surges? do i like the fear of the back of the pack crash? am i just really dumb? could it be a bad combination of them all?
anyway, i was racing, getting comfortable with the turns, when 2.5 laps into the race a rider went down in front of me. he almost made a spectacular save, but didn't. i think we all avoided him, but we did it very slowly. race over.
i wanted to drive us back to the pack, but the pack was flying and few were interested. they let our little group of maybe 10 race around for about 27 minutes. they even gave us the one to go (when the main pack had about 4 to go). that was cool. with that signal i rode away from our group to stomp out some frustration.
27th out of 50 starters. John & Kyle were smart, rode at the front, and finished with the lead pack. nice job boys.
the Boss let me sulk and pout a bit after my race before he reminded me; "Dude, that's racing."
secretly i only toss my helmet around because i want a new one.
next up i watched the CAT 3s. we had 5 in the race. some young, some old, some new, some just back from injury. they all rode really well.
my day was not done. typically i pre reg for these events and always think the longer the drive, the more racing i need to do. Masters 30 CAT 1 thru 4.
oh no he didn't.
i think there were three 4s the race. me, my teammate Joe, and one xXx rider, but i could be wrong. there was some talent there. 30 riders and i knew half of them, which means their reputations preceded them.
i lasted 2 laps before falling off. it took me 3 more laps to catch Joe. i won't drag this out. i mean we were lapped once. i finished last of the finishers. yet, it was extremely satisfying for me.
that's racing.
i went to a race and a monkey fell in front of me.
someone needs to tell me why i spend the first 5 laps of every race near the back of the pack. do i like the pain that comes with the surges? do i like the fear of the back of the pack crash? am i just really dumb? could it be a bad combination of them all?
anyway, i was racing, getting comfortable with the turns, when 2.5 laps into the race a rider went down in front of me. he almost made a spectacular save, but didn't. i think we all avoided him, but we did it very slowly. race over.
i wanted to drive us back to the pack, but the pack was flying and few were interested. they let our little group of maybe 10 race around for about 27 minutes. they even gave us the one to go (when the main pack had about 4 to go). that was cool. with that signal i rode away from our group to stomp out some frustration.
27th out of 50 starters. John & Kyle were smart, rode at the front, and finished with the lead pack. nice job boys.
the Boss let me sulk and pout a bit after my race before he reminded me; "Dude, that's racing."
secretly i only toss my helmet around because i want a new one.
next up i watched the CAT 3s. we had 5 in the race. some young, some old, some new, some just back from injury. they all rode really well.
my day was not done. typically i pre reg for these events and always think the longer the drive, the more racing i need to do. Masters 30 CAT 1 thru 4.
oh no he didn't.
i think there were three 4s the race. me, my teammate Joe, and one xXx rider, but i could be wrong. there was some talent there. 30 riders and i knew half of them, which means their reputations preceded them.
i lasted 2 laps before falling off. it took me 3 more laps to catch Joe. i won't drag this out. i mean we were lapped once. i finished last of the finishers. yet, it was extremely satisfying for me.
that's racing.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
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