Trainer Time: or how I learned to love television

We need a new TV so I can take the existing one and put it square in front of my tethered carbon-aluminum jewel. That would be smooth. Real smooth. Imagine the joy of not using my laptop for that purpose, or the joy of having a new HD television to enjoy 4 PBS stations in my living room!

I also need a $100 mountain bike.

I accept gifts from strangers.

Ok, I'm ready.

After a few weeks of not really thinking about training I have finally gotten bitten by the bug. I went for a nice long tempo ride yesterday and had a great time. After weeks of lethargy and dispassionate rides I finally feel some inspiration. I'll keep the structure off for still a while and then begin to properly organize my time at the start of next month.

CALL HOME. CALL PIZZA.

Ok, I’m going to sound the luddite alarm. Beware! The following text makes me seem like the grumpy old man complaining about the invention of the abacus or pacemaker.

The new DA electronic group is cool, but really – I mean just really. Ok, I understand this is cycling and that we buy all kinds of stuff for any kind of nominal gain (I love my carbon fiber brake levers!). And that’s totally cool. The electric group has a couple of major advantages with perfect, faster shifting and never needing to adjust the trim on your cables. I like that, really I do. But isn’t there something lost in that kind of perfection? I mean, we ride and race bicycles for god sake! A sport where the raw fundamentals are relatively unchanged, a sport where the terrain of the Paris-Roubaix is protected and the race itself is one of the most covetous prizes in all of cycling. Is this shift (‘scuse the pun) the same as making the leap from downtube shifters to brifters? Or, from DA to Red? Or is this working group a signal that cycling is falling down the rabbit hole of technological ridiculousness…or ridiculous technology?…whatever. To sound old and crotchety I must ask the same damn question every other stone wielding hominid asked when bronze was first tooled. What the fuck is next? Will we be able to program our shifting based on our power profile of the race course so then all we need to do is pedal and not ride up the RD of the pedal pusher in front? Or, to take an evil slant I like to be one of the first to bemoan a crazy scenario where if this technology becomes wireless, will I…ahem, I mean someone, be able to hack into a competitors group and exact a kind of 21st century version of team Cinzano brutality we all fear most? Or will the suffering we all love and hate take on new meaning?

“HAL, let me in…shift me to my 11 HAL. HAL?”

Chicago Criterium

Chicago Crit, 7/27/08
Race #14

12th/70ish (125 spots were sold, I don’t know how many people showed up to race)

Pre race BG: 167 (30 min after eating a granola bar, 18g)
Post race: 133

My blood sugar was way more stable and I felt pretty good. Nothing unusual or different, but I was able to ride to the course and that bit of activity helped calm me and stabilize my BG. Too bad not every race can be this close to home. I was fortunate to meet Bob Schrank of Team Type 1 and we got to have a really nice chat before his race. I was surprised to learn that there are FIVE Type 1 diabetic racers in the Chicago area. I know two, the other two I'd like to meet.

Gaining position. Check. Holding position. Fail.

I liked the course. It was long enough and somewhat technical enough to make it interesting. The turns and the bend at Congress forced me to plan my advances up the field.

One goal was to stay up front. I didn’t. Another was to work on positioning in the pack. On this I was able to do something. After two or three laps I was able to read the pack and determine how to move up and when; I did this rather easily on the outside. Once I got near the front I quickly lost ground and was midpack again. I must be a bit more aggressive in holding position.

I’m walking away from this knowing that I can finish 12th. If I learn to position myself better I can win another race before the season ends. I’m getting that same feeling I got after the second Great Dane, that I’m underperforming. I’m happy about that because I am regaining some race confidence and this will lead to progress.

SuperWeek madness.

There has been so much racing in July I don’t know how to manage my training during this thing. Well, I know what I need to do to prepare for next season, and I’m kinda excited about it. I mean, if I can do this well this unstructured, with a little more focus I can make some serious gains. A coach, however, would be really nice…so would a SRM or Powertap.

Results.

Dean, Can and Jonathan raced the 5s and had a great time. Vanessa (8th) raced the women’s 4s; Brian did the masters 1-3; Nate won (again) the Masters 4/5 and also won a prime in the 4s race; Alex (7th), Ernie (8th) and myself (12th) did well in the 4s.

That hill wasn't that bad...really, it wasn't.

ICC: Whitnall Park Road Race 7/23/08
Race #13

23rd of 70ish

Pre race BG: 256
Post race: 237

I didn’t adjust my basal rate for the 2 hour drive up and so I had to take a pre race bolus. That made me pretty nervous because I hadn’t done this before. I had gel so I’d be ok, but sensing a low blood sugar reaction while racing is not easy and nothing I want to experiment with.

On an up note, I met Alex Bowden of Team Type 1 at the race and spoke with him about glucose management on race days. He likes to over bolus at breakfast because he prefers his BG to be lower as the adrenaline of the race elevates his blood glucose. He also has a continuous BG monitor so he knows what is happening every 5 min. The sensor beeps when he is too high and vibrates when his BG drops below a certain threshold. I want that…

Bottom line: I’ve got to better manage my diabetes on race days because I think I will feel better and more confidence. I mean, at Monsters of the Midway I did and I won that race. A sure sign, I think.

…and the race.

Beautiful course. There was one section of rough pavement on one narrow part of the course, but everyone was extra cautious about holding their lines and not flying all over the place.

I really didn’t actively race this one. It felt like no one really did. I sat in. I played it safe. There were no attacks, few surges. Everyone pedaled along with an understanding. I went above LT once. My average hr was 155; my average for Blue Island was 168. Finished 23rd. Meh.

Alex did some work up front, but he didn’t take the hill strong enough on the last lap and couldn’t out sprint the 10-15 riders he normally would have dusted. He finished a sullen 20th.

My dad came up to this race. It was really nice to have the company. I think he likes it. I mean, he likes competition and seems to enjoy learning about cycling. This will be a good way to get some of my mom’s sandwiches for lunch, too. A win-win situation I think. Now, if I can only get him to take better pictures….

Evanston Grand Prix, or, how the "BK Stacker" earned its name

ICC: Evanston Grand Prix, 7/20/08, Cat 4/5
Race #12

30th/75

Firs off, Nate I don’t like your kind of counting. A racer like you probably already forgot how to count lower than “second” or, god forbid, “third.” A guy from the crowd said 8-10 seconds and I’m sticking with his take because I like it better than yours.

…to business.

Race started shitty. Moshe and I started at least 50 riders behind the line. As we were warming up we were admiring how hard the volunteers had to work to string up the barriers and how much work they still had left. Then we look up to see everyone lined up. Whoopsie.

We wait long enough for my mom to take dozens of pictures of me standing there trying not to look frustrated about having to work so hard just to move up the field so early in the race.

The field took the corners pretty well but turns 4 and 5 caused the field to spread out and unless you were in the first 10 or 20 riders to make it through you were only going to loose ground as the race progressed. I knew that before the race started. So in the first few laps I looked for ways up front by following this guy and that, and slowly I begin to get there. But…it was too late. Exactly what I though would happen had happened. The Cat 4 all-star team separates from the field. I was sitting perhaps 20 back when a xXx rider (I didn’t and still don’t know his name, but knew he is strong) made a move up the outside and I jumped on his wheel and followed him off the front. Dave (xXx) joined us and we become the chase group of three.
Here we all are feeling tough at the start of the short lived chase. I'm about to pull through on this stretch of road at about 28mph. Whew. The second lap of this kind of effort hurt pretty bad and it was not nearly as fast. Thanks for the photos Ken!

It is funny what you don’t think about when racing – especially chasing. I didn’t think about the riders in the break being strong enough and smart enough to not allow themselves to be caught. I didn’t think how great it was that the other two riders in the chase were xXx and that they had several more riders in the field hat will probably block for them. I didn’t think about what I would do when I eventually blow up for trying to push too hard on my pulls. I didn’t think about my parents and brother seeing all this. I didn’t think about what an exciting race we were creating. All I thought about was pulling and recovering.

I heard the announcer say the break was ~20 seconds off the front. Next lap I heard someone else in the crowd say we were 8 to 10 seconds back. After the race Nate said it was more like 15 seconds.
Here I am in the middle/end of a pull. Just after this point we started riding race tempo (25mph) and catching the break was still the goal, just not a very realistic one.

After only two or so laps off the front we pass through the infamous BK stacker with people waving at us to slow and I saw Nick Gierman and another rider are on the side of the road. I immediately think ‘ok, now the break is down two riders.’ We keep going. Then the officials at the next turn wave us down. The race is neutralized because the rider who crashed at the BK stacker ON THE PREVIOUS LAP remained on the course and this caused Nick to crash into him on the subsequent lap. I don’t understand why a guy can lay on the tarmac for 2 full min in the middle of a bike race and no one immediately helps get him out of harms way.

WTF? (insert several tons of apt criticisms here) Anyway…

The race stopped. We stood as instructed on the start line. The lactic acid in my legs just sat there doing what lactic acid does best. At least everyone else was in the same boat – well, almost. The race officials gave the break their 20 sec lead and then they restart us back with the field.

WTF??? (insert several more tons of apt criticisms here) Anyway…

Instant frustration. And the chase group? I guess we didn’t exist. Chase eliminated. Ok, fine at least I was right up front for the restart. It wasn’t too bad.

When we restarted, I missed my pedal and slipped. I must have bumped the chain because I also slipped gears. When I got back to speed I was once again at the rear of the pack with 5 laps to go (what happened to 7? or at least 6 laps???). I moved up but mentally was done. Frustrated, I didn’t have any race left in me. I placed 30th.

Other monkeys did great: Cat 4/5s: Moshe finished just behind me in the middle of the pack; Cat 4: Nate 2nd, Alex 4th, and Ernie 11th , Ken pack finish; Masters 40+, 1-3: Brian 12th (I think).

They stopped the pro 1/2 race that evening too. So, the officials were consistent and did their job the best they could. It wasn't perfect, but it really wasn't all that bad either.

Blue Island Pro/Am, 7/12/08 Cat 4/5
Race #10

5th of 40ish

One hour, 25 miles, lots of fruitless attacks and lots of bridging. There was little coordination until the last two laps where a few teams made very strategic and smart attacks to set up their mates for the podium.

I entered the race planning on attacking within the first few laps to stretch out the field and to carve a spot near the front. After the first few laps, I realized what a bad idea that was. I began to revise the plan when I saw the xXx coven at the start line conspiring and Beverly Vee Pack with a sizable group, Tati had a few along with Wild Card -- and there I am, alone, and feeling not so strong. Hmmm…why attack? Right. So the plan changed to a simple one: keep an eye on the stronger riders from each team and mark their position. I didn’t have extra juice to spare and it was still a hard race.

The last lap was interesting. The pace died on the back, and even around turn 3, this allowed us to bunch up and for me to gain position. This was super important because just going into the final lap there was a crash I was involved with. I was bumped from my left and went into the rider to my right, he touched the wheel in front of him and went down. I nearly gave up the race there because I nearly crashed too (my wheel also rubbed and I suppose my bumping that guy kept me upright.) After the crash I was pretty rattled, downshifted and didn’t think I’d be able to catch back on, but the field had been broke up by the crash and I was able to jump back onto the front group after turn two when the pace died. We all recovered for the sprint then after turn 4 we jumped up to pace.

Bunch sprint, I finished 5th. I nipped only one guy in the final 50 when I sprinted. I think I would have had a better chance if I jumped sooner and spun the 13 instead of mashing the 11.

Proctor

Proctor Il. State Championship, 6/29/08 Cat 4
Race #9

14th of 40ish

This was my first 4s race. Some short observations: it was far less twitchy than the 5s. Corners were smooth and fast, even in the back where I spent most of my time. I did use the breaks, but never more than to take a few mph off a turn to avoid overlapping wheels.

The course was an 8 turn, hourglass crit in the middle of downtown Peoria, Illinois. Not too much going on down there. Really.

I was nervous about the number of turns, but I felt way better after the first lap or two. There is a level of experience in the 4s that the 5/citizens just don’t have -- but I’m not a 5 anymore so, yippee!

This one was not faster than any others I have done. In fact, it was a bit slower. So, why did I do so much work just to hang on? Answer: 15 additional min or racing, but more importantly the accordion effect. I have heard people talk about it, but I have not felt it this dramatically and that was probably due to the additional time and my positioning. A sad data point from today’s race: my top speed was 33mph. I did reach it in the sprint; however, I also hit 32 mph in several separate efforts to stay with the group in laps oh, say 10-20.

Coming out of turn 6 was a great place to push the pace. The front took off here on almost every lap because it was into the wind and the longest stretch of the race save the finishing straight. I put my greatest effort into staying with the peloton here and not in securing a final position. I wasted tons of energy. Whatever. I was recovered enough by the final lap and so because of that, and a crash in turn 7, I placed well enough at 14th.

It was a revelation, this one. I mentally handcuffed myself: I walked into it planning on sitting in and keeping Nate and Alex in sight – that is not too hard when you’re 6’2” and sting on the very back of the field. I acted like I didn’t have any business racing with or against these guys (not just my teammates but everyone else). I do. I know I am faster and smarter than what I showed yesterday.

Alex finished right in front of me at 13th and Nate pulled 6th after doing work at the front. Not terrible grouping -- if we were playing darts.

What does it take to win? After the finish Chris probably was feeling something like cardiac arrest and seeing spots among other things—if he could see at all. Less than 100 m after the finish he fumbled off his bike and sat on the curb, spent. It was clear that he put 100% into his break and he had the guts to make it stick. His courage and heart/guts earned him the state champion jersey. Congrats!

upgrade...

Just put in for my upgrade to the 4s. No real reason not to. Superweek races are all straight 4s or 4/5 fields and the race director for the Chicago Crit said I can change my registration to the 4s race. I imagine/hope that Downers grove will have the same response.

Sherman Park Criterium

Sherman Park Criterium, 6/14/08
Race #8

4th place/50

xXx AthletiCo did a great job. I was (and still am) pissed about my result but my prize was by far the nicest trophy I have ever won for anything. Thanks, guys! Trophies like this make it easier to justify so much time and compulsive training on the bike to non-racers, people like my wife.

I really didn’t care about going for a result in this race until it started. These last two weeks I have been tired, bordering on exhausted or possible burn-out, and had been trying to focus on the end of school and being responsible there rather than preoccupied with my rather serious whims on the bike. Shirking my responsibilities for the bike must be mediated by some kind of maturity. So, I spent little time on the bike and it felt pretty damn good.

Report:
This was by far the sketchiest race I have entered. Iowa had crushing wind causing people to loose their line, today many riders just couldn’t hold their line. I was in midpack and in the back for most of the race so I saw nearly everything bad happen. I also got to quickly identify the nuts I should keep behind me and moved to the front half as the race progressed.

The course was a ~1 mile loop around Sherman Park at 55th and Racine. Nice park. Built in the same era as Humboldt park with separate changing rooms for men and women on either end of the park pool. Several Spartan cement pedestrian bridges linked the pool area with the playing fields banked by the park’s lagoon. The course was a closed park drive that circls the lagoon, with a slight downhill start and a slight uphill final 50m to the finish. There were no corners and just a few minor spots of rough pavement. The soft edge of the course caused a few close calls and the drenching rain we’ve had put a bit of mud in my eye. All in all a nice course, I’d rate it 8/10.

The race was not eventful. There were a few attacks, none stuck. From midpack I kept an eye on any breaks and they were all 1 or 2 riders and were eventually sucked back in. I felt pretty strong and with 10 min to go, I was confident I could earn a place. With two to go I was quite sure I could get a podium at least, on the bell lap I got caught out front and lost the sprint for 2nd and got toasted at the line for 3rd. I placed 4th and got a damn nice trophy for the effort.

Nice shot of Grant throwing the bike for 2nd and me about to finish 4th. After closely examining the photographic evidence, Grant must have been moving at light speed because he was pretty far behind me in the previous shot and then is more than a length in front in this one. I must have been more dead than I thought. (Thanks to Luke for taking a perfect finish line shot!)


So the last lap is all that really matters for me. As the bell rang, I was 3rd wheel crossing the line and before I knew it I was on the front. Fuck. I pulled off and grabbed 2nd wheel (perhaps I should have dropped back a few more, but I was concerned that everyone would have been too guarded). This guy was on the front for like 2 seconds, so I’m on the front again. Fuck.

Now my options were jump and go for it/try to hold ‘em off for 1k; not pull and hold for a bunch sprint; pull off and see what happens. I did the stupid thing: stayed on the front and didn’t do anything. I let the pace drop just a bit, but then nothing. The winning move came from a xXx rider who jumped at 200m and pulled away so damn strong and smooth that even as the race was happening I couldn’t help but admire it. It was so strong decisive that I knew it was the win. I tried to jump on his wheel but didn’t really "try" to jump it, I just accelerated a bit and held a higher pace but not enough to keep with him. Looking back, I think I had the strength; I didn’t have the -- I dunno, the blood lust, I guess. With 75m to go I jumped and thought I could hold for 2nd but at ~50m Grant (xXx) came around my outside. I was not holding my line too well because I was reaching my limit and we bumped shoulders while sprinting out of the saddle, but not badly enough to knock him off his momentum (congrats Grant!). I came into his lane and after the race joked that it was because I saw him coming around. That was not true, and not funny--though I didn't realized it until I was riding home later on. That shit is dangerous. I didn’t do it intentionally. Another xxx rider who was way on the inside took 3rd, we both threw the bike, he won the throw. (edit: he had me by a wheel, at least...damn. Two Half Acre guys (thanks for the beer!!) were watching the finish and one had me for 3rd, the other 4th. I guess it was pretty close.)

Once again, I was the lead out man for 2nd. I’m starting to feel like the horse that xXx rides in on. (I’ve got to upgrade so I can do this for Nate and Alex.)

fatigue...

I'm still tired. I'm have spent 30 min on the bike all week and I know I will pay for it.

I'm gonna ride to work tomorrow so I am not dead wood Saturday and Sunday. The semester will end next week and I plan to ramp up the time in the saddle then. Until then, I am going to forget that I want to race.

A glimmer of hope...

Here is a write up for the incident involving a drunk driver (villain), some young cyclists, a genius (Dean) and a hero (Matt).

Well done guys!

Winfield Twilight & ABR Championships

Winfield Twilight, 5/31/08 Cat 5
Race #6

10 of 33

The course was a bit less than a mile, evenly divided between ascent and descent. I thought it was really tough course. The hill is about 300 m and, according to a reliable source, about 3-5%. It was technical and despite the difficulty, really fun. It ran through a subdivision near a park and so it had a nice cozy feeling. Also, there were fans all over the place -- I needed all the support I could get.

Report:

I held on to the lead group of 9 riders until the last lap, where I was again gapped on the climb but this time I couldn’t get back on. I rolled in a very distant 10th place.

The focus of the longer version of the report is an answer to one simple question: how important is a warm up? Very important.

So, the race was to go off at 3:00. Cat. 5s were first, so we were on time. I pulled up at 2:35, changed, got the bike ready, ran to the bathroom (no time for a shit), registered, pinned my number on – now its like 2:55 and my HR is already in Z3. I rode the course for 5 min, two laps -- I had 5 min to warm up! Ok, not a good start. We lined up and waited for a guy to move his truck, and yet another guy to find the keys to his car so he can move it. The official blew the whistle, and we took off – well, not me, I was still trying to get clipped in. Shit. Not a good start…

We turn the corner and head up the hill. This hill really would come to be my enemy, far more than the other racers. I never found the proper gear (warm-up!!!) until 20 min into the race, by then my legs were wood and the race had been set for me. On each of the last 4 laps I was gapped on the climb and bridged back on the descent, meaning I never recovered as well as I should have. I cracked on the last lap.

Lots should have been done differently today, mostly a warm up. A disappointing result because I know I could have done better. I’m not going to cry over it, I still had a good but painful time.

Grant (xXx) and another racer took off on an attack at the second lap and was away for 2 or 3 laps, I thought he would have held it off for the win (he placed 5th), he and the other guy (the eventual winner, got reeled in at about the 18th min. Another xXx rider touched my rear wheel on the climb and went down (It happened after I got out of the saddle but I don’t think I induced it; sorry man.)

ABD gets an A+ for this event.

ABR National Championships, 6/1/08 Cat 5s (39 and under)
Race #7

3rd/18

I stayed up front and though about going with the attack with two laps to go, I followed the attack too late but broke away from the field and was 2nd on the crest of the hill, I lost the legs for 2nd in the final 100m and finished ahead of 4th by about 1.5 bike lengths.

Report:
This course had a steep hill, but it was not as long as the Twilight course. Overall I felt better today primarily because I had a proper warm-up. Amazing physiological effect a warm-up has: yesterday my ave HR was 171, today it was 161, and speeds were 22and 23mph respectively.

I was able to select a good gear for the climb and stuck to the point on the course where I should shift. God, that last 10 meters around turn three hurt, the grade feels a bit steeper there than the rest of the hill. I should have attacked there on the second to last lap.

An ABD rider attacked with two to go and made it stick. I watched him attack after turn 1 and thought he’d get reeled back in on the climb, so I didn’t go (mistake). I began to chase the two man break on the bell lap. I was up front of the field at the start of the climb and was able to ride a bunch off my wheel except for one xXx rider. I was strictly focused on catching the ABD rider who was now solo – I thought I could do it. I reached the top of the climb in 2nd place, and after a few kicks to clear my legs I shifted and began to pick up speed on the descent to the final turn. I took turn 4 hot and then began to kill it to the finish. What I did was provide a top notch lead-out for the xXx rider. Why would I do such a thing? Because I didn’t really know or care that he was there until the last 100 meters when he started to come around me. I should have looked back immediately after turn 4 and I could have been smarter about 2nd place, but I wanted to catch the leader – I wanted to win. So rather than looking after the turn to see who was with me I turned on the juice and pulled him toward the line at 28-32mph. With 100m to go he jumped, I shifted and feebly attempted to stay ahead of him. I held him for a few kicks, then realized I couldn’t hold him off and threw in the towel. I sat up feeling a bit defeated. A teammate who was watching the finish though I misjudged where the line was, I was simply done racing at that point. I coasted in 3rd.

I am happy to say that I did close a big chunk of the gap. And it hurt. Overall, I’m pleased with my result and performance. I earned my result by tactical decisions and not by physical limitations, this is kinda new. It was also nice to stand on the podium and be photographed. That was pretty damn cool as you can clearly tell by my big goofy smile.


Next race: Sherman Park. Flat and fast, so I’m told.

Blah, blah, blah...

Coming up: Winfield twilight and ABR championships next weekend, 5/31 & 6/1.

This last week was pretty hectic. Work was a bit nutty and I felt, oddly, a lack of control of my subject matter. Really strange feeling because I know it so well--I just couldn't figure out how to teach it well enough. Luckily it was a rest week and I didn't have the fatigue of training wearing me down. I still rode 175 miles and other than the group ride on Saturday, I took it nice and easy.

Tour de Cure/Bike the Drive was a lot of fun. Maria and her father came out to ride with us. I also got a chance to meet the director of the Tour de Cure, Eric Goodwin (Vitaminwater-Trek/Burnham racing). He mentioned something that I have not been able to let go...that Winfield's course has a "real" hill. I have no idea what that means, but he is a 3 so I assume he knows what he is talking about. I am excited because I know I am strong enough to do well, I wonder how I will be able to use a "real hill" -- if at all.

These two 30 min crits will help round out a step-up in my build phase. My race strategy so far has been to sit in and kill it in the last lap. My readjusted goal for this season is to be strong enough to jump with real attacks and eventually break away -- and stay away. I'll need to check the calender and see how much time I have because I sure as shit can't make this happen now (for long anyway). But this weekend will be a nice testing ground.

Training notes: Last week was a recovery week (175 miles base, zone 2 mostly). Sunday and Monday off. Tuesday (am): threshold. Wednesday (pm): over/under (30:30), Thursday (pm): Tempo. Friday: nice and easy. Saturday & Sunday: race.

Monsters of the Midway. 5/17/08

Thanks to the most prolific cycling photographer in the Midwest, John Wilke, for this photo!

Result: 1st/60

Preface:
Three weeks ago when I dropped out of the Iowa City Road Race, I became upset that I had lulled myself into a state of denial. I ignored my training and thought I could get away with barley doing the minimum. On the long drive back to Chicago, I vowed to earn my next result.

For the last three weeks I had been training with focus and intensity, driven by the embarrassment of earning a DNF. That drive helped me earn the win at Monsters.

All week I had been feeling pretty relaxed thinking only of how I may be able to break away from the field on the Midway, knowing that the wind would play into it. Friday, I was relaxed, had a good dinner and went to bed at a reasonable time. Saturday I woke up early, made a good breakfast and sat around drinking water. That is when the nerves started to build.

By the time I rode down to Hyde Park, I was more calm but still edgy. Warming up I was thinking about how stupid this is, why do I put myself through this, why do I stress out just to race by bike—why don’t I just ride around for fun?

Report:

...cause winning is fun.

On the start line, I realized that I should, first, finish upright; second, I should aim for the podium. If I lowered my intention then, that would have begun the slippery slope to never winning and being comfortable with that. I put that crap aside. I wanted to stay near enough to the front and keep an eye on things.

The race goes off and I didn’t let anyone get too far, and anyone that passed me I got a good look at ‘em to see how long they could keep up the work. Luckily, people looked tired, and didn’t like the fast pace on the backside. I felt strong and even got to chat a bit with Grant (xXx-Athletico) and my teammate Can Meral. I also didn’t have my Garmin working (forgot to charge it!) and so I listened to my body rather than micromanage my HR. I think I may do this from now on. I want to know the data after, but not during.

The racing was sketchy, the first few turns caused lots of problems. One rider went down because – I think – pedal strike. I was sideswiped and almost taken out by a rider who was obviously reaching too far and does not know how to hold a line or a lane (this was on the straight too!); dropped riders also became a real hazzard. Alex almost ran one over after his sprint in the 4s race. But, after 15-20 min in our race the field was strung out enough to where there was plenty of room to maneuver.

On the final lap, I moved up into the wind and was not able to hold a wheel for most of the backside. Mostly because people were fading. There were several pair of riders and a few solos in front of me (99% of them xXx)—I knew would have to turn it on and hold it out. Just before the turn, I ramped up the pace wanting to carry momentum around the turn into the wind. At the turn I was in 6th position. I hit the turn hot, really hot, and made it through in one piece. After the turn on the straight home, I caught up to my buddy Grant (5th position) and hollered his name (I was cutting by him pretty close and he was weaving a bit.) His reply: “fuck!” I pass him and dropped into, I think, my 13 or 14. I stood to get the momentum in the new gear, to get the rpm’s up, and then sat and ground it down. At about 50 meters out, I realized I could take it. I stood again and pushed it, hard. In all the last two min. were hard, but I could have gone longer, meaning I could have gone sooner and crossed uncontested. Though it was fun to catch everyone in the sprint…

I hit the line first by about ½ a bike length. I won a red GP4000 tire. Yippie!

...one week.

Good training last week. I did 60 min of threshold total, and some good tempo & SST rides in between. I felt pretty strong on the group ride yesterday. I hope to continue that build to Saturday for Monsters of the Midway. This week, I'm going to throw in some shorter efforts to round out the threshold work.

I also need to work on my sprinting form. I was causing my rear wheel to skip--dangerous. Now, I am attempting to lift my hips and keep my head low and torso level to maintain enough weight to keep traction and speed. Thing is, this position is bit uncomfortable because I have never worked my muscles in that position before. I will be slipping this form/posture training into the end of my workouts to learn how to generate the most power like that. Right now I feel like I am pushing the pedals forward, from 1-4 or 5pm on the clock, though I am not sure if that is actually true of if it just feels this way. Bottom line: it does not feel efficient, so it probably is not. I'll play with it a bit and work it out for next weekend.

I really want to come to form in late May/early June and again in July for the Chicago Crit. By "form" I mean a proper racing base training level, strength and body position and tactics based around race goals. My goals this year are simple: learn how to become a racer. I think I'm on my way there. Iowa was an invaluable lesson.

So far...

Twelve days to go...

I did some good, solid work last week. I didn't put in large volume of time, but the quality was there. Sat and Sunday I took off to travel with my family to Springfield to remember my mom's brother, Tim, who was killed in Vietnam, 40 years ago Friday. Hearing the vets and especially the POW speak of honor, put things in perspective. Namely, that this racing thing is for my personal growth and enjoyment--nothing more.

That is an important perspective because of the physical strain that goes into training. It is hard, and it is easy to wimp out. It is hard, and it is easy to not do it. But if I want to, and choose to, then I should follow through with the commitment to myself and be reminded that many are unable to make that choice. Not that I race for them, that view is pretty condescending, but that I am simply put, fortunate. That is all.

I rode to work today and got about 15 min of SST in on both trips. Tomorrow morning I'll work threshold for about 30 min, and Wednesday evening an hour of SST. Thursday I'll ride to work, weather permitting. Friday morning, V02 work. Saturday and Sunday, I'd like to get in a very long ride, or two. I'll need to play that one by ear.

ouch...

Iowa City road race: DNF.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad day all around. I didn't have the fitness or the mental strength. I failed.

The next two weeks will contain many pain filled sessions to make up for lost training time this last month and especially for the poor performance at Iowa. I am pretty angry with myself. I rationalized what I did prior to the race and I never want to let myself get into a situation like that again. I took my last few results for granted. I ignored the signals at GD#2.

I know what I needed to work on, yet I didn't. I earned that DNF.

Next race: Monsters of the Midway May 17

I'll be training hard for this one. I have not finished out of the top 10 in a crit. This one, I'm going for the win. I will be training to win it.

Great Dane #2

On paper, my third race was a relative success: 6/39

I wanted to leave everything on the course for this event. I didn’t. I think I worked harder than I needed to at the wrong times and, as a result, yielded places to five “lucky” racers.

I didn’t want to move to the front. I stayed in the middle to rear because the field would bunch up at two choke points on the course. At those times I didn’t see the point in making the effort. Mistake.

The course was a short 1 mile loop with four corners and a few winding turns, and two short hills. The start/finish was on the first hill, the second was ½ way through course on the backside. After the downhill start the first corner turned us into a (light) headwind and the entire field slowed and front to midpack was 20 riders and perhaps 20 feet. The second choke point was after the second corner and a short hill. Because I didn’t move up I was caught in the headwind as a result of being on the outside way too often. So, I was doing just as much work as the leaders but without the benefit of field position. Mistake. Well, I still earned 6th.

Notes: I warmed up more thoroughly than at the Burnham Super Crit two weeks ago. That was helpful and the difference from the was noticeable.

My limiters are my power at threshold and my recovery. I can motor away and do well to hang on, but I cannot really lead—mentally speaking. I didn’t want to go to the front. I can compensate for my fitness with better race tactics: I need to learn how to be up front (by going and being there) rather than in the middle or back. Until I raise my threshold and increase my ability to recover under stress I may be a top 10 guy, but I won’t win any races.

I also need to figure out this diabetes stuff. I began the race with a BG of “160something” this was after a steady rise from 120 1.5 hours out, 140 1 hour out, 160something 20 min out and I finished the race at 310. I wonder if this is the result of nerves or of cortisone released from the physicality of the race. If it it’s the latter, then I should be able to train it and lower the curve. If my nerves get me in the beginning, I will need to figure out ways to dose prior to the race so that elevated blood glucose does not impede my performance. (I don’t think it did today…)

My average HR was 167 (threshold is 168-9), average speed was 24.5mph.

Side note: I saw an amazing thing in the third or fourth lap. A 2o0lb rider lost control of his bike for a few seconds and went way outside the field right into a 70lb junior. He bumped this kid hard…HARD!...and the kid stayed upright. It was amazing. It happened right after the second turn, going up hill, the kid was still leaning to his right and this guy lost it and slammed into him. The kid went from a 30* right leaning position to a 20* left leaning position and still stayed upright. Badass. (There were these gaps in the asphalt filled with this rubbery goo, typical stuff seen everywhere, but when you ride parallel with the gap and cross over it you can loose control and can create a really bad day). Also, a guy touched my rear wheel today. No crash.

I didn't charge my camera battery...pics next time.

Next week is the Iowa City Road Race, cat 5s go for 26 miles. The Bike is in the shop; I hope Alex can get it back to me soon so I can get some training in before Saturday.

Team Spidermonkey

I joined Team Spidermonkey this week.

These guys seem pretty cool. I rode with Dean and Nate three weeks ago and they didn't leave a bad impression. Also, Nate won the 4/5s race at the Super Crit a two weeks ago (congrats!), so the racing end seems to be pretty serious. I also like that they seem balanced, they have casual riders and organize fun rides and such--basically, they like riding and racing. I think I'll be happy with them. I ordered my kit and paid my dues...I'm on.

I'm racing Grate Dane #2 tomorrow and hopefully I won't get crushed. It will be a fast race (20 min +2) and so I've got to get some palls and kill it from the second or third lap.

First blog post...

So, welcome to my blog.

I started this thing because I want a way to profile my training and results so I don't need to bore my wife, friends and coworkers with all kinds of cycling nonsense. I figure you came here on purpose, so I can rant and ramble and "you," lovely reader, can take it--or not.

So, I began my base training in January 2008. Each week I put in about 3-4 hours on the bike. Most of my workouts included sub-threshold intervals along with SST durations of aprox. 1 hr. In February I increased my training volume to 6-8 hours per week. One day of SST, one day sub-threshold and L2-3 spinning for the remainder. I began a weak "build" phase in March including sets of 5 min VO2 intervals, and more strength training (higher gear work for SST).

My first two races were in the first weekend of April, the Mississinewa Reservoir Road Race on the 5th and Burnham Racing's Super Crit. on the 6th.

My goals were modest: 1) don't crash, and 2) stick with the peloton. I didn't crash and I did pretty well. I placed 9 of 15 in the road race (28 miles) and that was due to a tactical mistake (I went waaaaaaaaaaay too early for the finish.). At the Super Crit I placed 10/47 (35 min.) and was pretty pleased with my result. I was a bit fearful of the peloton though, with so many turns many riders were holding different (read: crossing) lines. I stayed near the back till the bell lap then moved my way up the outside.

I have my third race this weekend, Great Dane #2 (Cat 5, 20 min +2), and though I have not put in the right training over the last two weeks, I am confident I will learn a great deal. My goals are similar as above, but rather than attempting to stick with the peloton, I am going to attack them and burn all my matches within those 25 or so min.

Unless I really try to dig deep and leave everything on the course, I won' t ever know how.

Wish me luck...