~Dead Dog Stage Race~
First off, props to Marty my teammate who finished 10th in GC at the Stage Race. Way to go buddy.
Day 1, 86 Mile RR with 7000+ feet of climbing. First off, what the hell was I thinking........No seriously, sane people dont do this for fun. The temps were high 80's to mid 90's the entire race. The race started in Albany Wy, and descended to a little valley before the town of Centennial. Once we hit Centennial the race went vertical. I managed to stick with the lead group for 3/4's of the 1st climb, which is an improvement from the last mountain RR. Once we hit the first feed zone, it was all over though. Off the back, so I settled into a rhythm and the 2nd group began to form. The group hung together through the descent, and back up the climb. A couple of guys attacked the group and no one was motivated to chase. The third feed zone was located back at the top of the major climb in the race, and from there it was a screaming descent back to Centennial, and from there some long painful rollers and a short but brutal climb back up to Albany to the Finish. Our group ended up catching the guys that attacked on the mountain, and promptly spit them out the back. On the final climb up Albany we were down to 6 guys including myself. The pace picked up towards the finish, the members of the group were sitting 22nd through 27 th place in the race. Then 200m from the finish this Kid, attacked. I briefly thought about telling him how much of a wanker I though he was after the race, but hey he's a kid and probably doesn't know any better. It is a race, and he was still racing, that stuff happens all the time. I think what bugged me most is the little dude was just sitting on our wheels, and skipping pulls in the wind on the strech back up to Albany. Attacking the gruppetto in my opinion is just lame. Enough of that. Sorry that bothered me a little and just had to vent.
We had a nice team dinner at a local restaurant after the race, and got some serious rest.
It looks like I'm still about 10-15 mins off the pace of the lead climbers in the 3's. I can see some more climbing repeats in my future.
Next day Crit, and TT..............
Monday, June 25, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Got Power?
I'm not sure yet, I just started training with a power meter for the first time this week, thanks to Killa B. I did a field test (aka, the 8 min Carmichael Puke Test 2x) on Tuesday, to set my power zones. The results were interesting, and are the first data set with many to follow. I have been training with heart rate and perceived effort for the past year, and this is just another tool to use to refine my efforts. It will be fun to see where this takes things.
I have heard different sides of the training with power story. You have the old school guys saying perceived effort is all you need, and the other side swearing by the meters. Regardless of what you are using, you still have to go out each day and do the work.
Having the data from training, and racing will be nice in tracking progress. I'll let you know how it goes.
One thing I have learned thus far is my power to weight ratio (W/kg)at LT has gone up. Last year in May it was measured at 2.6 at LT in the lab and by field test. I estimated it to be at 4.6 at LT from the field test results this week, which yielded an estimated threshold power of 275 W. Now I know this might be slightly off as the estimate from the field test is difficult to compare to lab work, but it is the best indication of progress I have thus far. I'll be doing a 20 min TT effort soon to see how those numbers look. Later this summer I have a session down at Carmichael for the lab LT test also. Ahhh, the numbers game starts.
I'm not sure yet, I just started training with a power meter for the first time this week, thanks to Killa B. I did a field test (aka, the 8 min Carmichael Puke Test 2x) on Tuesday, to set my power zones. The results were interesting, and are the first data set with many to follow. I have been training with heart rate and perceived effort for the past year, and this is just another tool to use to refine my efforts. It will be fun to see where this takes things.
I have heard different sides of the training with power story. You have the old school guys saying perceived effort is all you need, and the other side swearing by the meters. Regardless of what you are using, you still have to go out each day and do the work.
Having the data from training, and racing will be nice in tracking progress. I'll let you know how it goes.
One thing I have learned thus far is my power to weight ratio (W/kg)at LT has gone up. Last year in May it was measured at 2.6 at LT in the lab and by field test. I estimated it to be at 4.6 at LT from the field test results this week, which yielded an estimated threshold power of 275 W. Now I know this might be slightly off as the estimate from the field test is difficult to compare to lab work, but it is the best indication of progress I have thus far. I'll be doing a 20 min TT effort soon to see how those numbers look. Later this summer I have a session down at Carmichael for the lab LT test also. Ahhh, the numbers game starts.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
HUGO
80 Mile RR in gods country. Flat, to slightly down hill, with major wind.
The plan, get Chris on the podium. The players, myself, Chris, and Chris. This could get confusing but, after 18 miles it got real simple. Plans out the window, Chris flatted, and Chris dropped back in an attempt to tow him back on the back. The only problem, all shit hit the fan once the race turned west. At this point I was solo and planned to conserve as much energy as possible, while covering breaks. Things got fast in a hurry after an hour of soft peddling and pee breaks. I found myself at the front with a group of 10 trading pulls, apparently we had opened a gap on the field which only lasted about 15 mins. Our little break didnt last, there wasnt any real motivation to make the thing stick, and the remainder of the peleton was moving to keep us in check. We just eased back and break over. Turns out it was enough to shread 40-50 or so off the back. So the group was now about 35 guys, and we were moving at a descent clip. The accelerations were manageable, but the real test would be the mileage. Being Straight outa the FO's where we called 65 mi's a RR, 80 mi would be a test of my fitness level. We hit the north leg of the route, and had a sweet tailwind. Man we set sail, that sucker was strung out for the entire 20 miles. I held my position hovering around 5th wheel, working but not too much, faking pulls, as I had no team mates in the group for backup. Then at mile 14 it happened. One of the only uphill stretches on the whole course, I found myself starting to drift back a bit, I began to pick up pace to regain my position, and a dude from the right decided to drastically change lines. The result was the o'l buzz saw of his quick release on my wheel. I didnt go down, and quickly opened my front break to release the tension. The wheel was badly out of true, and in an attempt to stay with the group on a bum wheel I popped. I dropped back to get a wheel from the wheel truck, and the first wheel he gave me fell apart in my hand. The dude gave me a second, but at this point its Race over. I rolled back to the finish and finished 6 minutes of the pace of the group, and 10 mins off the winner. Thats racing. I'll tell you what though, I came away with some good indications of where my fitness is, and things are gonna get fun. This years goal has already been achieved, and the rest of the season is for next year. As for the Chris's, total bumber, but Dead Dog is in the Sights, and I have a feeling that's gonna be a different story. We gonna have a Full VC Team in the House.
80 Mile RR in gods country. Flat, to slightly down hill, with major wind.
The plan, get Chris on the podium. The players, myself, Chris, and Chris. This could get confusing but, after 18 miles it got real simple. Plans out the window, Chris flatted, and Chris dropped back in an attempt to tow him back on the back. The only problem, all shit hit the fan once the race turned west. At this point I was solo and planned to conserve as much energy as possible, while covering breaks. Things got fast in a hurry after an hour of soft peddling and pee breaks. I found myself at the front with a group of 10 trading pulls, apparently we had opened a gap on the field which only lasted about 15 mins. Our little break didnt last, there wasnt any real motivation to make the thing stick, and the remainder of the peleton was moving to keep us in check. We just eased back and break over. Turns out it was enough to shread 40-50 or so off the back. So the group was now about 35 guys, and we were moving at a descent clip. The accelerations were manageable, but the real test would be the mileage. Being Straight outa the FO's where we called 65 mi's a RR, 80 mi would be a test of my fitness level. We hit the north leg of the route, and had a sweet tailwind. Man we set sail, that sucker was strung out for the entire 20 miles. I held my position hovering around 5th wheel, working but not too much, faking pulls, as I had no team mates in the group for backup. Then at mile 14 it happened. One of the only uphill stretches on the whole course, I found myself starting to drift back a bit, I began to pick up pace to regain my position, and a dude from the right decided to drastically change lines. The result was the o'l buzz saw of his quick release on my wheel. I didnt go down, and quickly opened my front break to release the tension. The wheel was badly out of true, and in an attempt to stay with the group on a bum wheel I popped. I dropped back to get a wheel from the wheel truck, and the first wheel he gave me fell apart in my hand. The dude gave me a second, but at this point its Race over. I rolled back to the finish and finished 6 minutes of the pace of the group, and 10 mins off the winner. Thats racing. I'll tell you what though, I came away with some good indications of where my fitness is, and things are gonna get fun. This years goal has already been achieved, and the rest of the season is for next year. As for the Chris's, total bumber, but Dead Dog is in the Sights, and I have a feeling that's gonna be a different story. We gonna have a Full VC Team in the House.
This is gonna be fun.
Long time no blog, well after the visit from the family, I went straight back into flog thy self on the bike mode.
AKA super top secret training. With some back to back big weeks and at the height of my training block came the Colorado Cycling Festival Road Race. This is a road race that should have been well suited for me, however there were other plans apparently. The race was a 56 mi with some descent climbing. The race started at Hughs Statium in Fort Collins, went up Rist Canyon, around Horsetooth Res, and back to the stadium. Rist Canyon is a nice little 12 mile jaunt up mountain with the last mile pegged well over 12%. Horsetooth had some "Rollers", which were shorter leg breakers than Rist, but hurt just as bad.
I hit the line just straight up tired. My goal, stay with the climbers as long as possible, and finish. I'd never raced with the 3's in a mountain RR so there was the potential to come away from the race with some good indications of where my fitness is, and needs to be. Well, it was made very clear from the start of the climb, that this was going to be a struggle. I managed to hang with the lead group for about 2/3's of the climb, then the bod said enough. I dropped back and just missed the chase group over the top. Its amazing how a 50 gap can grow on a descent when you are solo, and are trying to catch a group. A small group of about 8 of su formed and we the second chase group, dangling about a minute behind the "real chasers". At this point it was just set cruise and head on back. Our little group shrank until there were only 3, but we managed to keep a strong tempo going. Two miles from home, my legs said " all stop!", wow that hurt, I endured spasms I had never seen or felt before. At this point I was in "just get back" mode. A teammate caught, and towed my sorry butt back to the line. Thanks Lance, I owe you a lead out BRO!. And to my surprise I only finished 8 min off the winner. No complaints here, you see last year at this point in the season I was 20 mins off the leaders in the 4's. I think there's been a little improvement with a year of training and racing. A little rest, and lets see what happens.
Long time no blog, well after the visit from the family, I went straight back into flog thy self on the bike mode.
AKA super top secret training. With some back to back big weeks and at the height of my training block came the Colorado Cycling Festival Road Race. This is a road race that should have been well suited for me, however there were other plans apparently. The race was a 56 mi with some descent climbing. The race started at Hughs Statium in Fort Collins, went up Rist Canyon, around Horsetooth Res, and back to the stadium. Rist Canyon is a nice little 12 mile jaunt up mountain with the last mile pegged well over 12%. Horsetooth had some "Rollers", which were shorter leg breakers than Rist, but hurt just as bad.
I hit the line just straight up tired. My goal, stay with the climbers as long as possible, and finish. I'd never raced with the 3's in a mountain RR so there was the potential to come away from the race with some good indications of where my fitness is, and needs to be. Well, it was made very clear from the start of the climb, that this was going to be a struggle. I managed to hang with the lead group for about 2/3's of the climb, then the bod said enough. I dropped back and just missed the chase group over the top. Its amazing how a 50 gap can grow on a descent when you are solo, and are trying to catch a group. A small group of about 8 of su formed and we the second chase group, dangling about a minute behind the "real chasers". At this point it was just set cruise and head on back. Our little group shrank until there were only 3, but we managed to keep a strong tempo going. Two miles from home, my legs said " all stop!", wow that hurt, I endured spasms I had never seen or felt before. At this point I was in "just get back" mode. A teammate caught, and towed my sorry butt back to the line. Thanks Lance, I owe you a lead out BRO!. And to my surprise I only finished 8 min off the winner. No complaints here, you see last year at this point in the season I was 20 mins off the leaders in the 4's. I think there's been a little improvement with a year of training and racing. A little rest, and lets see what happens.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Weekend In the Hills
You couldn't beat the weather this holiday weekend. I was able to get 13 hours in on the bike, two rides up north in Boulder, and one in the southern hills near Conifer, and Evergreen. In summary, we gots: Cool peeps, warm weather, big climbs, loose dirt, ghost flats, dropped chains, snow capped mountains, screaming descents, junior gears, dollar restrooms, well pumps, aerotuckers, sassy gf's, bouncing water bottles, 36 slog, headwind, tailwind, cross-tail-head-where the hell's that wind coming from, forgotten helmets, noodles, buritos, southern sun, door dings, ding dong ditches, little sisters got a boyfriend and some sore ass legs to boot! I wouldn't trade it for the world.
You couldn't beat the weather this holiday weekend. I was able to get 13 hours in on the bike, two rides up north in Boulder, and one in the southern hills near Conifer, and Evergreen. In summary, we gots: Cool peeps, warm weather, big climbs, loose dirt, ghost flats, dropped chains, snow capped mountains, screaming descents, junior gears, dollar restrooms, well pumps, aerotuckers, sassy gf's, bouncing water bottles, 36 slog, headwind, tailwind, cross-tail-head-where the hell's that wind coming from, forgotten helmets, noodles, buritos, southern sun, door dings, ding dong ditches, little sisters got a boyfriend and some sore ass legs to boot! I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
~REST~
–noun
1.the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night's rest.
2.refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest.
3.relief or freedom, esp. from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.
4.a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquillity: to go away for a rest.
5.mental or spiritual calm; tranquillity.
6.the repose of death: eternal rest.
7.cessation or absence of motion: to bring a machine to rest.
These, with the exception of #6 all describe my past week. Much needed, and deserved?, maybe. My parents have been in town and their visit has allowed me to get away from the bike for a couple of days. At first I was a little nervous about spending time off the bike, as I was concerned I might lose some fitness I have gained in the last couple of months. But I'll tell you what, spending time away has totally rekindled the flame. (sounds like I'm in some sort of relationship there) I am totally stoked that I had the opportunity to spend time with my family, and now that they have
–noun
1.the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night's rest.
2.refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest.
3.relief or freedom, esp. from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.
4.a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquillity: to go away for a rest.
5.mental or spiritual calm; tranquillity.
6.the repose of death: eternal rest.
7.cessation or absence of motion: to bring a machine to rest.
These, with the exception of #6 all describe my past week. Much needed, and deserved?, maybe. My parents have been in town and their visit has allowed me to get away from the bike for a couple of days. At first I was a little nervous about spending time off the bike, as I was concerned I might lose some fitness I have gained in the last couple of months. But I'll tell you what, spending time away has totally rekindled the flame. (sounds like I'm in some sort of relationship there) I am totally stoked that I had the opportunity to spend time with my family, and now that they have
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Wheels of Thunder.................
I kept it on the down low until it was official, and at 10 PM on Friday night I received the email from Yvonne tagged "Temporary Licence". So its for real now. I'm tagging along with the SM3's. First off I have to just say that all the grief that the ACA gets is absolute nonsense. This lady received my upgrade request on Friday and had it turned around later that night. Now that's dedication, these people have lives and sometimes we take what they do for us, and our sport for granted. I know I have been guilty of that for sure!
Well all the pressure of getting the upgrade is off now, so the plan was to go into the Wheels of Thunder Circut/Crit and just hang on. This was my 5th race in 8 days so there where no expectations, and honestly I just wanted to get through it without getting popped. There were 7 VC dudes lined up at the start, Jared, Casey, Marty, Lance, Brent, Jimmy (one of those super fast 45+Master guys) and myself. We were Scheduled for 20 laps on a 2 mile circut. The race pace I found wasn't all that fast, so I moved to the front, and tried to hold position, typically in the top 6-10, to avoid the dreaded accordion effect, and resultant sprints out of every turn. I did get caught in the swarm a couple of times, and just got out into the wind on the outside and moved back up into my position. Casey was active during the race he tried to work a couple breaks, and I tried to get some blocking going for him with Ertz, but nothing was gonna stick, it was too windy, and didn't seem like people were all that motivated. I tried to bridge a 3man break at one point and felt a match start to light, so being my first 3s race and anticipating that the pace would eventually pick up I decided not to waste any energy. In fact after all the racing in the past week there wasn't much of that to spare anyways. With 3 to go I gelled up and moved up into position, I didn't want to wait until the last lap to get on the front, as that is prime real estate, and everyone I'm sure was going to be digging for those top six spots going into the final lap.
This turned out to be for the best, as there was a big pileup on the last lap going through the chicane (s-turns). Casey and Brent moved up also, and it was shaping up to be a lead out for B at the sprint. Casey was hauling, Brent was following, and I was riding just outside his wheel on the right to make sure he didnt get boxed in from the wide side. In hind sight it may have been a better plan to get up and help Casey with the lead out. Next time, I'm sure our teamwork will improve as we race together more. So there we were sitting 3rd 4th and 5th wheel going into the downhill sprint to the finish. As we rolled through the sweeping left to the straight away, the pace picked up, and the full out sprint was on. I had absolutely no legs to sprint, and thats no good on a drag strip like that, Brent rolled a 5th, Casey 10th, I cruised in in 16th, Marty 18th, Lance 21st, and unfortunately Jared got caught behind the crash, and rolled in without a scratch, but had some white knuckles going on. All in all a very nice day for VC in my books. I placed way above my expectations, and had an absolute blast out there with the rest of the guys. Looking forward to some good teamwork in the up coming races, and learning how to ride with these guys.
Now there has been some talk after the race regarding the pace, the crash, and who or what was responsible. I cant spend any of my energy on that, so I am just going to leave that to the others who can. I'm just grateful to be able to race my bike, and that those IC3 guys put on such a good race, with some good eats afterwards. And above all, no one was seriously injured. Scrapes and bones will heal, broken carbon can be replaced. This is all a part of the sport we choose to participate in. See you at the RACES!!!!
I kept it on the down low until it was official, and at 10 PM on Friday night I received the email from Yvonne tagged "Temporary Licence". So its for real now. I'm tagging along with the SM3's. First off I have to just say that all the grief that the ACA gets is absolute nonsense. This lady received my upgrade request on Friday and had it turned around later that night. Now that's dedication, these people have lives and sometimes we take what they do for us, and our sport for granted. I know I have been guilty of that for sure!
Well all the pressure of getting the upgrade is off now, so the plan was to go into the Wheels of Thunder Circut/Crit and just hang on. This was my 5th race in 8 days so there where no expectations, and honestly I just wanted to get through it without getting popped. There were 7 VC dudes lined up at the start, Jared, Casey, Marty, Lance, Brent, Jimmy (one of those super fast 45+Master guys) and myself. We were Scheduled for 20 laps on a 2 mile circut. The race pace I found wasn't all that fast, so I moved to the front, and tried to hold position, typically in the top 6-10, to avoid the dreaded accordion effect, and resultant sprints out of every turn. I did get caught in the swarm a couple of times, and just got out into the wind on the outside and moved back up into my position. Casey was active during the race he tried to work a couple breaks, and I tried to get some blocking going for him with Ertz, but nothing was gonna stick, it was too windy, and didn't seem like people were all that motivated. I tried to bridge a 3man break at one point and felt a match start to light, so being my first 3s race and anticipating that the pace would eventually pick up I decided not to waste any energy. In fact after all the racing in the past week there wasn't much of that to spare anyways. With 3 to go I gelled up and moved up into position, I didn't want to wait until the last lap to get on the front, as that is prime real estate, and everyone I'm sure was going to be digging for those top six spots going into the final lap.
This turned out to be for the best, as there was a big pileup on the last lap going through the chicane (s-turns). Casey and Brent moved up also, and it was shaping up to be a lead out for B at the sprint. Casey was hauling, Brent was following, and I was riding just outside his wheel on the right to make sure he didnt get boxed in from the wide side. In hind sight it may have been a better plan to get up and help Casey with the lead out. Next time, I'm sure our teamwork will improve as we race together more. So there we were sitting 3rd 4th and 5th wheel going into the downhill sprint to the finish. As we rolled through the sweeping left to the straight away, the pace picked up, and the full out sprint was on. I had absolutely no legs to sprint, and thats no good on a drag strip like that, Brent rolled a 5th, Casey 10th, I cruised in in 16th, Marty 18th, Lance 21st, and unfortunately Jared got caught behind the crash, and rolled in without a scratch, but had some white knuckles going on. All in all a very nice day for VC in my books. I placed way above my expectations, and had an absolute blast out there with the rest of the guys. Looking forward to some good teamwork in the up coming races, and learning how to ride with these guys.
Now there has been some talk after the race regarding the pace, the crash, and who or what was responsible. I cant spend any of my energy on that, so I am just going to leave that to the others who can. I'm just grateful to be able to race my bike, and that those IC3 guys put on such a good race, with some good eats afterwards. And above all, no one was seriously injured. Scrapes and bones will heal, broken carbon can be replaced. This is all a part of the sport we choose to participate in. See you at the RACES!!!!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ok guys, its been a while since I posted, and quite a bit has gone on since. So where to start? Ok, cool stuff, I have been in touch with a couple of long lost friends via myspace. Now I know that MS gets a bad rap, but I have to tell you its a great way to find friends from High School, and College. My parents are going to be out to visit next week, and its been about a year since I've seen them so that's going to be very nice. Now on to bikes.
April was a tough month, after a quick start to the season in March and some good results, the results went down the tube with some not so smart racing and some heavy duty training time. The intent was to come out of the gate hot, and get some quick results, but when they start to go bye bye, you can start to question things.
The training in April consisted of a lot of days in the mountains doing climbing repeats, along with some long days in the saddle. Throw in a couple of races on the weekends, and I was pretty spent. All of this was in prep for the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico. www.tourofthegila.com For the Cat IV's its a 3-day stage race with a 62 Mile road race, with 4600 Ft of climbing on day 1, a downtown criterium on day 2, and the Gila Monster, a 72 mile road race, with 6000 ft of climbing on day 3. I ended up finishing 13th overall for the 3-days, about 3 minutes off of the winner. Now this is a huge improvement over last year. In most climbing races I finished about 20 minutes back from the leaders.
The stay in Silver City was something special. Last minute, I found myself with no one to share hotel costs with, so I contacted the housing coordinator with the race with the hope of finding a host family to stay with. Now this was extremely last minute, so I had no expectations. Within 2-days I had housing, WOW! The family I stayed with was absolutely amazing. These people let me into there house to stay for a couple of days with no worries what so ever. I actually had the house to myself for one night. That says a lot about people. And the Towns people of Silver City were another surprise. Every time we went out riding, or around town with the bikes on the top of the car, we would get the thumbs up, or a "good luck". You want to talk about some positive energy!!!! I was asked to sign an autograph for one fellow, and Im just a Cat IV starting out in racing. Needless to say the entire trip was incredible. If I could, I would register for next years race yesterday!
So, Im back in Denver now, and after this weekends race I will be taking it easy while my parents are in town. This works out great since I've have had 5 races in 8 days, and I'm about due for a little rest.
~Later!
April was a tough month, after a quick start to the season in March and some good results, the results went down the tube with some not so smart racing and some heavy duty training time. The intent was to come out of the gate hot, and get some quick results, but when they start to go bye bye, you can start to question things.
The training in April consisted of a lot of days in the mountains doing climbing repeats, along with some long days in the saddle. Throw in a couple of races on the weekends, and I was pretty spent. All of this was in prep for the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico. www.tourofthegila.com For the Cat IV's its a 3-day stage race with a 62 Mile road race, with 4600 Ft of climbing on day 1, a downtown criterium on day 2, and the Gila Monster, a 72 mile road race, with 6000 ft of climbing on day 3. I ended up finishing 13th overall for the 3-days, about 3 minutes off of the winner. Now this is a huge improvement over last year. In most climbing races I finished about 20 minutes back from the leaders.
The stay in Silver City was something special. Last minute, I found myself with no one to share hotel costs with, so I contacted the housing coordinator with the race with the hope of finding a host family to stay with. Now this was extremely last minute, so I had no expectations. Within 2-days I had housing, WOW! The family I stayed with was absolutely amazing. These people let me into there house to stay for a couple of days with no worries what so ever. I actually had the house to myself for one night. That says a lot about people. And the Towns people of Silver City were another surprise. Every time we went out riding, or around town with the bikes on the top of the car, we would get the thumbs up, or a "good luck". You want to talk about some positive energy!!!! I was asked to sign an autograph for one fellow, and Im just a Cat IV starting out in racing. Needless to say the entire trip was incredible. If I could, I would register for next years race yesterday!
So, Im back in Denver now, and after this weekends race I will be taking it easy while my parents are in town. This works out great since I've have had 5 races in 8 days, and I'm about due for a little rest.
~Later!
Monday, March 26, 2007
March 24 Cateye RR - Finished: 25th
I got a shot of humility this weekend. 40 Degrees, and constant heavy rain, a good ol New England soaking. To sum up the race in short it goes something like this:
No warm up= OFF THE BACK, and a little soreness to boot.
Colin my teammate however rocked an 11th place in the muck earning him the VC Mud Wrestling Champions Belt.
All in all not quite the results I hoped for, but the race itself was an absolute blast.
Here are some pic's:
I got a shot of humility this weekend. 40 Degrees, and constant heavy rain, a good ol New England soaking. To sum up the race in short it goes something like this:
No warm up= OFF THE BACK, and a little soreness to boot.
Colin my teammate however rocked an 11th place in the muck earning him the VC Mud Wrestling Champions Belt.
All in all not quite the results I hoped for, but the race itself was an absolute blast.
Here are some pic's:
This mud is a lot of work!!!
I did finally get it going, but it was a little to late.
All smiles before the race.
I'll tell you one thing I take more from of the "bad" results than the "good" results. Its all just experience, and this race went down just the way it was supposed to have, that is for certain.
March 11th, DU Crit 8th, 2nd race of the double dip weekend.
March 18th, Boulder Beer-CU Circut Race 3rd
Best result of the year, course worked for me, lots of climbing. I started a break after the 1st lap, 8 guys chased and the break stuck for the entire race. We had a little help in the peleton with some blocking from HART, their rider finished 1st, I was able to snag a 3rd in the sprint.
March 18th, Boulder Beer-CU Circut Race 3rd
Best result of the year, course worked for me, lots of climbing. I started a break after the 1st lap, 8 guys chased and the break stuck for the entire race. We had a little help in the peleton with some blocking from HART, their rider finished 1st, I was able to snag a 3rd in the sprint.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
March 11, Season Opener
Double dipped today, a term being thrown around describing racing 2-races in a day. For Me being a SM4 it is a rarity to have the opportunity to get in 2 races in one day, so I had to take full advantage of this.
Race 1-Stazio (training race).
Stazio is a local training race in Boulder, put on by Denver Boulder Couriers, Chris G, a big race promoter in the region, and the Mens Open can attract some big names if they are in the area. Tyler Hamilton was warned by the UCI for hitting these races while his license was under suspension. Lately the Tour of California boys have been in town so the Open has been a drag race.
Luckily for me, I get to hang with peeps my speed, in the SM4's (the guys just getting into racing). We had a 60 person field to start. The course is a rectangular loop around an industrial park, with 2 real corners, a short power climb just after the 1st corner, and a long, long flat drag strip finish stretch. Race Time 40 min.
The race started with a mellow 1st lap, everyone easing into it, but after that it was on, with a flurry of attacks on and after the hill. I took a couple of runs at the field after the hill on the downhill stretch, to open things up a bit. After the fancy pants riding settled down, the remainder of the race was pretty uneventful. I spent more time trying to avoid the bomb craters in the road at the top of the hill, those potholes made for a rough ride a times. We finally hit 5 laps to go, and the fun began. Speed picked up, and a couple of people tried to get off the front. One dude from Team Einsteins soloed 3 laps, we let him dangle out there just in reach and reeled him in with 2 laps to go. Last lap and it was on, full steam ahead leaving just enough for the sprint at the finish. The stretch to the finish is about 300-400m by best guess, and its a drag race, straight and wide. Going into the final sweeping turn before to the finish I was about 8th wheel or so. The drag race was on and I pulled out the 11th spot. Not so bad for a 130 lb midget against these big strong sprinters.
Race 2-DU, at Investco Field
To be Continued......
Double dipped today, a term being thrown around describing racing 2-races in a day. For Me being a SM4 it is a rarity to have the opportunity to get in 2 races in one day, so I had to take full advantage of this.
Race 1-Stazio (training race).
Stazio is a local training race in Boulder, put on by Denver Boulder Couriers, Chris G, a big race promoter in the region, and the Mens Open can attract some big names if they are in the area. Tyler Hamilton was warned by the UCI for hitting these races while his license was under suspension. Lately the Tour of California boys have been in town so the Open has been a drag race.
Luckily for me, I get to hang with peeps my speed, in the SM4's (the guys just getting into racing). We had a 60 person field to start. The course is a rectangular loop around an industrial park, with 2 real corners, a short power climb just after the 1st corner, and a long, long flat drag strip finish stretch. Race Time 40 min.
The race started with a mellow 1st lap, everyone easing into it, but after that it was on, with a flurry of attacks on and after the hill. I took a couple of runs at the field after the hill on the downhill stretch, to open things up a bit. After the fancy pants riding settled down, the remainder of the race was pretty uneventful. I spent more time trying to avoid the bomb craters in the road at the top of the hill, those potholes made for a rough ride a times. We finally hit 5 laps to go, and the fun began. Speed picked up, and a couple of people tried to get off the front. One dude from Team Einsteins soloed 3 laps, we let him dangle out there just in reach and reeled him in with 2 laps to go. Last lap and it was on, full steam ahead leaving just enough for the sprint at the finish. The stretch to the finish is about 300-400m by best guess, and its a drag race, straight and wide. Going into the final sweeping turn before to the finish I was about 8th wheel or so. The drag race was on and I pulled out the 11th spot. Not so bad for a 130 lb midget against these big strong sprinters.
Race 2-DU, at Investco Field
To be Continued......
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The eight-day, 1200km race will feature four days in Canada's Québec province, followed by one day in Vermont, two days in New Hampshire, with the finale in Massachusetts.
Taking place in August 2007, here's the article link: http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/11643.0.html
My 1986 Pontiac Sunbird Safari died on this trip once. These guys are going to be tearing it up by bike. Looks like the climbs are going to be in Vermont, from Jay Peak to Sugarbush. and a day from Franconia Notch to Concord. (I think that one may be all down hill?) And to finish it off, a Circut in the historic Boston Commons, just watch out for the pigeon crap, that stuff can be slick. Sounds like a bad ass week of racing.
EKYNOX SX - Perfect For Small Faces!
Built on the success of the Rudy Project Ekynox™ sunglass, the new SX has been designed with smaller faces in mind, incorporating geometric cubic styling for an unsurpassed fit factor and a hip contemporary look. Using Rudy Project's core platform technologies like adjustable 360° temples, adjustable ergonose™, Quick Change™ interchangeable lenses, optional RX-ability, optional elastic strap, the Ekynox SX™ is sure to be the definitive piece of equipment to enhance performance while offering cutting-edge style.
Ekynox SX (small face version of the Ekynox)
Im giving these Rudy's a run this year, At first I was a bit sceptical about the field of vision due to the frame shape. The Rydon and Rydon II and similar look like they would provide a litttle better field of vision to the side and when looking back. After a couple test drives I didnt even notice the frame. So Far an A as far as wind and debris protection and fogging goes. And you get some cool tan lines! The real test comes up as the season gets underway, check back for updates. Check out http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/ for other cool products.
Notice they have smaller frame sizes for people with little coconuts like me!
EASTON TEMPEST II RACE WHEELS
Wheel size
700C
Weight
Front: 656 g, Rear 844 g, Pair: 1500 g
Hubs
R3 series with patented Twin-Thread Technology. Gray annodized finish. Precision-sealed cartridge bearings with asymmetrical, low-drag seals.
Cassette Body
All alloy, inboard ratchet mechanism with three pawls. Low-contact vapor seal. Shimano and Campagnolo compatible.
Rims
30 mm deep section, parabolic, aero profile, black anodized, machined braking surface.
Spokes
Elliptical-profile aero, silver, stainless steel, T3 Twin Thread Technology
Spoke Count
18 front, 20 rear
Nipples
Nickle-plated brass
700C
Weight
Front: 656 g, Rear 844 g, Pair: 1500 g
Hubs
R3 series with patented Twin-Thread Technology. Gray annodized finish. Precision-sealed cartridge bearings with asymmetrical, low-drag seals.
Cassette Body
All alloy, inboard ratchet mechanism with three pawls. Low-contact vapor seal. Shimano and Campagnolo compatible.
Rims
30 mm deep section, parabolic, aero profile, black anodized, machined braking surface.
Spokes
Elliptical-profile aero, silver, stainless steel, T3 Twin Thread Technology
Spoke Count
18 front, 20 rear
Nipples
Nickle-plated brass
THEY SAID NIPPLES!, and nickle-plated brass at that.
The new wheel set is on order, Im excited!
Check out the Newest EC90 SLX they look like a bad ass all around wheel!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
More Snow!?!
I got up this morning to another 4 inches, and the weather peeps
are saying 8-12" total from this system. There may be light at the
end of the tunnel though. They are saying that we might be looking
at temperatures in the 40's after Monday. That would make me smile.
On a separate note I finally broke the infamous 130 lb mark. I hit the scale
this morning to a welcome 129 lbs. I didn't think I would ever get past
that benchmark. I cant wait to get out and start climbing in those canyons.
Finally GO PATS!
I got up this morning to another 4 inches, and the weather peeps
are saying 8-12" total from this system. There may be light at the
end of the tunnel though. They are saying that we might be looking
at temperatures in the 40's after Monday. That would make me smile.
On a separate note I finally broke the infamous 130 lb mark. I hit the scale
this morning to a welcome 129 lbs. I didn't think I would ever get past
that benchmark. I cant wait to get out and start climbing in those canyons.
Finally GO PATS!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
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