Fox River Grove

PSIMET Racing saves the day. Now, it is up to YOU to spread the word and make a big turnout happen. You know you want to see all us PSIMET riders stepping up on the podium so get your butts bikereg'ed.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=13365

simply hard

the 2011 Leland Kermesse was this past weekend. conditions were not good for this race. its flat, wide open, with 3 sections of gravel. it rained over night and during the race. oh yeah, it was windy too. just what the Organizers wanted.

pay attention, the winning strategy for this race is very simple; hit it hard, ride to podium.

simple, yet, oh so hard to execute. that is the beauty of this race.

i rode near the front as we approached the first section of gravel. i was informed of the men to watch, so i was, and when they ramped it up i did too. i hit that first section 3rd or 4th wheel. the two guys up front really were laying it down. i knew it was the winning move and i was close to grabbing on.

a couple turns later i got into a soft spot on the inside that almost took me down. i was almost at a stop. the group of 3 rode away and one rider passed me. i looked back to see the field imploded and i got moving forward again. i picked up the WDT rider who just passed me, he was hurting. i told him we had to go, we had to catch that move, that's the winning move. i rode on without him.

what a massive struggle that chase was. i kept them in sight with maybe a 20 second gap. after the 2nd section of gravel the WDT rider was back. recovered, he told me to ease up a bit as i could not close the gap alone. he was right and we worked well together. he would yell at me when i pulled too long. we closed the gap a bit, but never enough to make that final push.

my legs were good, but the rest of me wasn't. i was sick and up all night Friday due to it. head hurt, stomach hurt, breathing hampered, ect.... disappointing for sure, but that's life.

middle of lap two and we were still 4th and 5th on the road, but no longer closing the gap. WDT was now yelling at me to take my damn turn. i could barely stay with him now. lap 2, the second section of gravel, i let his wheel go. he rode solo the rest of the way to finish 4th. solid guy and great finish.

at the start of lap 3 i wanted to stop, to cry, the punch someone in the face, to do anything, but race this race. i sat up and a group of 4 picked me up. familiar faces including a teammate doing his first race ever. we rode together, racing for 5th place, the rest of way. near the end a few fell off and one move was made that i covered. it got two of us clear to race for 5th alone. we made the LEFT turn to the finish line & i made an attempt to ride him off my wheel. didn't work and he got me in the alleged sprint for 5th.

lap 1 = punish the first section of gravel to create gap. punish sections 2 & 3 of gravel to maintain gap. ride to podium with whoever is left.

oh Leland Kermesse i love you so.

2011 Leland Kermesse

MK3_0688.jpg, originally uploaded by never drown out.

me, solo, early in lap one chasing the winning move.

Sherman Park Crit

Near the front doing some work this past weekend at the Sherman Park Crit.

This was the CAT 4 race, my first of two. I flatted on the warm up lap. This ended those starting up front ideas. Luckily a teammate, not racing this field, was on hand to provide me his rear wheel. Much thanks Jesse.

I had good legs, but I followed the wrong wheel with one to go then took the wrong line for the sprint. At least 15 riders flew by me on the inside line. Live and learn. 25th / 71 starters.

Second effort was the the Masters 30+ 4/5. I wanted to start up front. We took the warm up lap, most of the field didn't, and I started at the back. Live and learn. My race lasted 6 minutes when a crash went down behind me & somehow a rider T-Boned my rear wheel. Impact was behind the rear derailleur and trashed the rim. I stayed up, but the wheel wouldn't spin and I was done. DNF.

That wheel will be missed. PSIMET originals, the second off his production line, built up in Sept 2008.

I doubt I go back to Sherman Park. The course was in horrible shape. The two races were so "nervous" and on "edge." Not sure what was going on.... Maybe someone else can explain it.

Not to mention cars were broken into and bikes were stolen.

Leland Kermesse is this Saturday (4/16). Last year as a 5 it was one of my favorite races. This year as a 4 it's longer and could be seriously interesting if the forecast holds true.

BANG!

We are off and racing.

Get over to PSIMET LLC's page on Facebook to keep up on the action.

Our Teams are already stomping on podiums!

DO IT NOW.

Pedaling To Qualify

crossed up

finally, it's March, but mother nature is not convinced. temps are well below normal for this time of year. i just want normal. 40 degrees would be nice. instead we get 25 and light snow on this weekend.

/weather rant.

despite the above, i have been logging some miles outside these past weekends. it's March, but we have had a group of 8ish strong riders. i see some June legs in this group. a solid mix of CAT 4 talent with some tough love from a 3, every now and then, sprinkled on top. honestly, a couple of these February efforts were almost "epic."

while i dont have June legs, i am ahead of last season's pace. my main goal the past couple of years is to be better than the previous year. no matter if i am attempting Bicycle Tour Colorado, Dairyland Dare, or the Leland Kermesse. being relatively new (5 years) to cycling this hasn't been a problem.

eventually we hit our peak, get old, and flat line; athletically speaking.

so, 2011 training is going well. its hard, very hard, and time consuming, very time consuming. the hours are up, the outside mileage is up, the power is up, my ability to suffer like a dog is up.

my family has allowed me to obsess, i mean focus, this off season. i hope to bask in the glory of a successful CAT 4 season with them, when its all said and done. first, let's just get it started......

14 days until the first race of 2011.

as the year 2010 rolled to an end i was well into 2011 training mode. i am more focused and dedicated this winter than ever before. it's that classic cycling evolution thing; guy gets fat, guy gets smacked by life, guy gets bike, guy gets skinny, guy meets crazy cycling addicted dudes on Internet, guy rides many centuries, guy starts racing, guy sorta gets fast, guy becomes CAT 4. you know that classic.

however, what i need from time to time is that ride. it has no set qualities or requirements or companions. it can not be dialed up like 400w. sometimes you don't even realize your ride was that ride until it is well done and over. its not confined to 4 right hand turns by the USAC or ICA. it's that ride.

i had a couple as the year came to an end. one on 12/23 and one on 12/31. it is not the trainer delusions either. these two rides would be that ride no matter the time of year (so to speak).

i snapped some iPhone pics of the 12/23 effort. me, the 9, and snow storm.








is it march yet?

2011 PSIMET Racing Announcement

PSIMET & ENZO Press Release

PSIMET Racing

is taking over the world. if you plan to keep up you better get signed up.

PSIMET has launched a new indoor training center in the Chicagoland area. brand spanking new CompuTrainers, fancy TrainingPeaks Software, and an accomplished coach are just a few of the highlights.

CompuTrainer Classes

Indoor Racing League

don't get left behind this off season. i know i wont. later.

i see you twenty eleven

first, i need to complete my 2010 Fall Fling race report.

i raced weekend two of the Fling. it was hard. i did not do as well as i wanted. however, a teammate won the overall podium (CAT 4s). that was sweet.

second, it is almost time to start training for 2011. almost i say, since i have a the Canal Connection 1ok this Sunday, then a week long business trip, then the Red Eye 8k when i return.

after that it will be me, the trainer, the plasma, and more base hours then i have ever dreamed of completing. EVAR!

twenty eleven, i see you baby.

Fall Fling

"You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting."

A disappointing statement of fact for my first two days of the 2010 Fall Fling.

For those not in the know, the Fall Fling is a four race series held over two weekends. This year we have a Crit, a TT & two Circuit races.

Up first was the crit at the Pelladrome (business park where Pella Windows is located). This is the same location ABD held its weekly training crits. This is a non technical oval course. I may have been the only person in the field who was riding the course for the first time.

The race was tame and uneventful. A basic 25 mph group ride waiting for the final 200meter sprint finish. Knowing this was coming down to a bunched sprint I figured I would give a flyer a go. At the start/finish, with one to go, a rider made a move from behind the pack up the left. I wanted to grab his wheel, but something happened, I didn't shift quickly, wrong gear, not sure.....but it took me a second to get going.

As a result it took me turns one and two to get the wheel. Too much effort was spent due to the miss. When he crapped out I couldn't respond. Now I was just dangling off the front going into turn 3 waiting for the swarm. I finished almost last.

Sunday was the TT. Just me and the 9. No TT bike or converted road bike. It was only 9.6 miles, but 6 of that was into a nasty little headwind. In the end I went hard, maybe not hard enough. My Garmin was off a bit and I thought I was faster then I was. Maybe I was just wishing I was faster....

Introducing The 9.

the only way to roll

PSIMET, originally uploaded by aham23.

Underway.

Power, originally uploaded by aham23.

the 9 is coming. the 9 is coming. the 9 is coming.....

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."

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.

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.

the 9

the 9, originally uploaded by aham23.

let the crit bike building fun begin.

A Wise Man Once Told Me

"You cant expect to finish 22nd every time."

7.31.2010 Tour of Elk Grove, Mens CAT 4, 35 minutes.

This isn't going to be all that complicated. I Did Not Finish the race. First DNF of the year and my fresh racing career.

I have been chasing something for a while and ignoring the obvious. The wife could see it, the mom in law could see it, the four year old could see it, but not me. Too much chart staring and confusion as to why the damn blue line wasn't going upward.

Eight efforts in Nine days leading up the race had me getting pulled with about 3 laps to go. I got the throat slash from USAC & pulled with 3 other riders despite working my arse off, 25 mph & 275w. I didn't take that very well. We weren't getting lapped or going to be lapped AND I like to finish.

However, I get it. I sucked today no matter how many laps I finished, or didn't, and a safe finish for the pack is more important.

This course requires a fresh set of legs and clear mind. The surges out of the tight corners were massive for me. The U-turn was, well, a U-turn and I never figured that one out. What hurt the most was the acceleration coming out of turn 2 & 3 onto a slight uphill back stretch. Not really my kind of course. No, I don't know what kind of course suits me best, but it aint Elk Grove Village. :)

A couple days off and a couple Fat Tire beers have been jotted down for this coming week. Up next for PSIMET Racing is the Grayslake Cycling Classic.