the snow is here

I got my first dose of snow yesterday and now I've committed myself to moving back to VA next spring/summer. I hate snow, at least I hate driving in it. I'd love to do a cyclocross race in it but I think this weekend was my last weekend to give it a shot and since I'm not racing it's looking like it may have to be another year. Today was my first 2 hour trainer ride. It was truly a trying task. Being on the trainer for 2 hours is a killer both physically and mentally. Even with the TV to watch and a fan blowing on me it seems like a long time. Florida in February seems like a long time away but maybe I'll make it down there in January for some out long outdoor training;-)

2009 season starts now

My 2009 season started today with a one hour trainer ride after a month off of the bike. That was a long time off after going more than two years without missing back to back days on the bike.
So today I was back on the trainer in my parent's basement, the same place where I started my odyssey to try and become a bike racer 5 years ago. For the last two years I've spent the winter doing power based, steady state workouts on the trainer and it has worked out pretty well but this year I'm going to try to add some shorter and more intense intervals to my plan to try and make 2009 a break through year. I'm not even sure what definition I want to use for "break through" but in the coming weeks I'll jot down some ideas and let everyone know how things are progressing. It's good to be back;-)

Ironcross VI

In every race there is a story to be told. No one does this better than my teammate Dirty Mike. I, on the other hand, will just tell it like it is.
My race weekend started on Thursday afternoon when I got off work. This is because I was of Friday-Sunday so I had plenty of time to enjoy the Ironcross race weekend. Things started off on a bad note on Thursday evening when I broke a mirror in my bathroom. Jump ahead to Saturday when I showed up for Ironcross Lite. I went to the registration table to pick up my packet and I was handed #13. Now I'm not superstitious but this was just ridiculous. I really didn't have huge expectations for this race because mass start races and racing off road isn't really a strong point for me and cyclocross has both. I've done cyclocross races before but it never fails to surprise me just how fast these races start. I had a pretty good start and was mid field and starting to settle into a rhythm. It was an awesome course complete with 4 log jumps and a pumpkin orange Cannondale death spiral to go along with the normal cyclocross stuff like barriers and a sand pit. After a few laps and managing to clear all of the logs and not face plant I somehow managed to pinch flat my rear tire when I was sitting my bike down after carrying it over a set of barriers. RACE OVER! That quick I was done. I thought to myself, "this is disappointing but I guess I'll just save my energy for tomorrow." So I went into recovery mode to prepare to put my best foot forward for Ironcross VI on Sunday.
Saturday evening Dirty Mike, Doug Milliken and I went to Olive Garden for dinner and then watched Transition 2: 'Cross the Pond to get pumped up for the next days race. Then it was off to bed early.
Sunday wake up time was 06:00am. Breakfast for me was pancakes. Dirty Mike opted for waffles (I think he was trying to gain some Belgain 'cross magic). Time to head to the race!
The race was staged so that the first group were the past winners of the event and the winners of the Ironcross Lite races. Then came all of the the races who thought they could finish in less than 5 hours. Next it was the races with an approximate finish time of 5-6 hours and the final group were racers with an approximate finish time of >6 hours. The crazy thing about this race is that even though it was >62 miles long it started just as fast as the Ironcross Lite race the day before. I was in a good place at the start and stayed close to DM through the cross course and onto the first section of trail. Then we started up the first big hill and I, of course, crumbled. I stayed steady and caught back up to DM's group on the hill but another acceleration left me in their wake. Then Doug caught me and we joined up and started a paceline to try and catch DM's group and were making good progress when Doug went down in some loose gravel on a tight turn on the downhill road section. I slowed down but he yelled that he was OK and told me to push on. I did but it wasn't long before Doug and a paceline of about 10 strong guys (many of whom were in DM's group and flatted on the first hill/trail) came blowing by me and I was unable to hang on on the series of hills we were on and then once again I was all by myself. I hit the first section of downhill of single track where I was subsequently passed by what seemed like half of the race. I stopped once during the single track and once later on to lend my pump or a tube to racers who had neglected to prepare for the course. Which brings me to my next image of how disappointed I was when I came across DM walking down a hill with a flat tubular clincher tire and no replacement. We refilled it with a CO2 and the tire sealed for a minute but went flat pretty quickly. He told me he was going to walk back to the last checkpoint and I was on my own again but this time it was until the end. I ran out of water soon after passing the final checkpoint and little did I know I still had an hour to ride. I was in pretty bad shape by the end but managed to finish in 5:01:xx. I missed my goal time of no worse than a 5 hour finish but would have made it if I didn't stop to help a few people so I'm OK with it. I arrived at the finish line a few minutes after DM. We had some burittos and coke, then jumped into the lake to cool off and clean up before the drive home. It was a fun day but only now am I realizing how disappointed I am with not being able to do well in mass start races. I'm now starting my month awake from biking. I'm looking for a coach for to work with next season that can help me with this problem. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

IronMike's Ironcross Death March II

This was m second attempt at IronMike's Ironcross Death March. On the first attempt 3 years ago I had my pedal cross threaded and fell off around 45 minutes into the ride. I was hoping that this time around would go better. Mike had been spending time over the prior 2 weeks planning a course that would closely mimic the actual Ironcross course and hopefully be just a little bit harder.
He did an exquisite job right down to the minor details. There was a little paved road, lots of gravel roads, washed out mud/gravel descents, an awesome excursion onto a new trail sponsored by the folks at TMR. Mike was even nice enough to throw in a nice muddy, wash out "run up", similar to the climbs "Insult" and "Injury" (the two killer power-line climbs in Ironcross) and not only did we get to ride it, when we got done trudging to the top we immediately rode back to the bottom made 3 left turns and did it again just to accurately match Ironcross.
Mike asked me at the beginning of the ride if I considered us to be friends. Of course I answered "yes." Then he said "I hope you still say that at the end of the day." It was an awesome day and great ride. It was one of those epic rides that you talk about for years and everyone wonders how you can remember such miniscule details about a seemingly meaningless training ride. I'm sorry more people couldn't make it out to ride with us. The ride ended up lasting 4.5 hours and included less than 10 feet of flat ground (I think). I just want to take one last second to thank Mike again for planning such a great ride. Great ride, great fun! Now I'm Fast Like Pancakes for Ironcross.

Peanut Butter Festival

Now I realized going in that I haven't been riding my MTB. I mean even less than normal so I was ready to go in with absolutely no technical skills but that is OK since there are none (or next to none) required for this wide open course. I was thinking my fitness could carry me through for a decent finish and that is right when m fitness failed. I do believe that this could be classified as my worst race ever. Even after my 10 hour cramping experience at the Wilderness 101. I had an asthma attack and got lost in this race. I don't understand why it is but when I get on a MT bike it just feels like all of the power is sucked right out of my legs. Oh well, I guess there is always next year. It was cool that Sam got the race win, Rich got third in his age group, and although I'm not completely sure I think I managed to win the "male nurse" category. It was painful and my worst race ever but I'll be back next year.

I was actually pretty happy about how I did on the MTB parts of the course like stream crossings and logs. I didn't have to put a foot down on any of them which is a major accomplishment for me. However not being able to breathe will quickly put an end to chances of doing well in any bike race


And now it's time to reveal............................................................................................................

Ironcross Weaponry

atleast until I save up the $$ for my dream bike

2nd place, State TT championships

During the winter I was sitting in Indiana Cycling and Fitness talking to Rich on a cold snowy day and I told him, "This year I'm actually going to train hard and not just ride a bunch of junk miles." Problem is that is the exact thing I told him last winter and it never happened. Fast forward 9 months and I'm in my top condition and totally prepared for this race. I actually did train this year but how would it all play out. I had a good warm up and I felt ready. I started out into a slight head wind and I could see it reflected in my time. I was 15 seconds slower to the turnaround than when Rich and I had done this course in July. I was really hurting but I guess that's good because it means I was going hard enough. I may even have gone out too hard. On the way back I managed to make up some time and I ended up finishing 30 seconds faster than the TT in July on the same course. I was happy with my time but now came the long wait to see how it compared to the others. Long story short it was good enough (only good enough) for second place. I guess training with a purpose really does pay off. I just like to say thank you to everyone who has helped get me started into racing and all of the knowledge you all have shared. I'd gladly split my metal with all of you but the thing is so small it looks more like a key chain.(Medal shown here larger than actual size)

Nicest looking bike ever!

It's not that great of a picture but I got my hands on the new 2009 Cannondale catalog today and their new cross bike is beautiful. The back is lightning white, the front is patriot blue, it has race red highlights and decals, and the whole thing is high gloss. It's way too pretty to be a cross bike but I love it. If anyone at Cannondale reads this and wants to donate a frameset or a complete bike to me I'll need a size 54 and will do everything in my power to make a good showing on the bike.
Ladies and Gentleman here it is, the Amazing, Exploding Stem. It's adjustable so you have to tighten it enough so the pivot point won't move. The problem is that in trying to do that I had to make it so tight that the bolt snapped in half. I did the same thing to one of the bolts that attaches the faceplate. I guess it's back to the drawing board for this stem design and to the garbage can with this stem.

Giant preview: 2009 TCX

Well, mine will be red instead of blue but the new Hydroformed frame and 1 1/4-1 1/8 headtube looks impressive.

Back on the bike

I was back on the bike today after 2 days off. Sunday I didn't have time to ride between church and work. Then I had to work overtime Sunday night so all I did on Monday was sleep until it was time to go back to work. So today I was back on the bike and it felt great. I did a long ride at a pretty mellow race. This week I'll be tapering for he State Championship ITT this weekend. So it's just a few hard efforts and lots of easy riding.

New Weapon is on the way

I ordered my new cross bike today. I can't wait to put some miles on this thing. I'll post real pics once it arrives.

Nice day for a ride

It was a chilly 67* at the start of the ride but quickly warmed up. I did a fast tempo ride from Mechanicsburg to Ski Roundtop and back.


I always pass this little bike shop on this ride. It's just some guy's garage with 100-150 used bikes (mostly of the walmart variety) outside.

All group rides are not created equal

I showed up at a new group ride tonight. I should have seen bad things coming because of the lack of the usual banter that usually occurs before these rides. We rolled at an easy pace and continued that way for about 7miles and then things started to pick up a little. It still wasn't what you would call a hard ride, just cruising at around 23-24 mph. Then I feel my rear tire get squishy. I signal to the rest of the group that I'm pulling out of the paceline and yell the same so they know my intentions. Well, one of the people in the paceline somewhere behind me yells at me asking "what do you think you're doing?" So I pull off the road to fix my flat. Turns out I ran over a sliver of wire and it went straight through my tire. Anyway, none of these jerks even stopped or asked if I was OK. So, I fixed my tire and luckily I knew where I was and knew how to get back. What a way to welcome a new rider to the group. So I just wanted to say "Thank You!" to all of the people who I have gone on group rides with who are pleasant and helpful. It's people like the ones I rode with tonight who people talk about when they say how roadies are jerks. RANT OFF

Carlisle 40k ITT

Sunday started early @ 5:30am. Even though the TT was only 15 miles from my house My start time was 7:55am so it was still an early day. I was excited because it was my first time using my new Hed Jet disc (I'll review that later). When I was loading my car to leave I remembered that I hadn't put a magnet on the new disc yet so I ran back into the house and grabbed the extra magnet and decided to put it on once I was at the event and got my bike set up on the trainer for my warm up.

I had a good warm up and the conditions were close to perfect. Temps in the mid 60's and almost no wind. The course was an rolling out and back. There were more uphill sections on the way out and then a bit more down hill on the way back. I started out and felt good but every time I looked down it seemed like I was going really slow so I kept pushing harder and harder to try to get up to the speeds I thought I should be reaching. I hit the turn around and was happy to see that it was on a slight uphill so speed wouldn't be a problem and it was sitting at a section of the road with a turning lane on each side so you had 4 lanes to make the u-turn and carry some speed. This was especially good for me since I'm usually the guy you see locking up his brakes and power sliding around the cone. I looked at my speedo at the turn around and it was 28:xx. I wasn't really sure how this was possible with the speeds I was seeing on my way out.

I started my back to the finish and felt fast but my speeds still looked low. Then I realized that the magnet wasn't registering every time it passed the computer sensor, only like 2 out of 3 times. I was truly turning myself inside out and I was really hurting. When I passed the 35k mark I turned up the pace a bit more and then at 3k I went all out. I was really happy the final 1k had only a small rise and then a gentle down slope to the finish because I was spent.
I finished with a 0:54:37. The only reason I can imagine for this good time was that my computer had tricked me into going out extra hard on the slightly uphill section of the course and then I kept pushing hard on the final half of the course.

Wilderness 101 (my worst day on a bike, ever!)

There are a lot of things I could say about this race. It was a beautiful day for a race 85 degrees and not a cloud to be seen. Mike had convinced me that this race had enough gravel roads that I might be able to finish in around 10 hours. So, 10 miles/hour for 10 hours, I can do that. At least that’s what I thought. We got started at 0712 and I was excited to get started. I was feeling strong and not starting out too hard. Everything was feeling good until 0900 when I got my first leg cramp of the day. Things went down hill from there. Between checkpoint 1 and 2 is where Mark Nicoll caught me for the first time. I heard someone behind me shouting “hello pretty lady” and then BOOM! For a second I thought we were riding through a hunting area or something until I realized that it was Mark’s tire. After my first cramp all I could do was soft pedal up hills in my granny gear. I managed to make it to checkpoint #2 and refuel with hopes that I would start feeling better.

When you leave checkpoint #2 there is a hill that seems to keep going forever. I don’t know how long it really was but I heard someone say 6 miles and it felt like it. I was really starting to hurt at that point and I couldn’t even make it up the hill soft pedaling and had get off of the bike and walk several times. It was on the following downhill, single track section that Mark caught and passed me for the last time. I arrived at checkpoint #3 at the 60 mile mark in 6 hours. I was hurting but I figured I was still making pretty good time so I grabbed a hearty snack of some orange slices, apple slices, half a banana, and some gummy fish. I refilled my water and I was gone. The way I had things figured I needed to save time and hurry through the rest stops because moving forward slowly is better than not at all and it may make the difference between me finishing and being pulled out of the race.

This is the point where my race started to get really long and really started to spiral downhill and out of control. The hill leading out of checkpoint #3 was the only quasi-technical uphill that I can remember in the whole course. It’s too bad that I only rode about 150 feet of it before I was off my bike and cramping for the rest of the climb. After the climb there was some relatively easy and nice flowing single track but once again I was cramping too bad to ride any of it. From this point on it was all about walking up hills and coasting down. The only good thing about this was that I figured that I needed to make up time on the descents and I did this by simply refusing to use my brakes. It greatly improved my descending ability and speed. Most of the journey from checkpoint 3 to checkpoint 4 was a blur deep in the pain cave. I thought about quitting a lot during this time. After covering 60 miles in the first 6 hours I only covered 15 miles in the next 3 hours on my way to checkpoint #4. I ran out of water a couple miles before I arrived at the checkpoint. Luckily for me from the time I was out of water until I arrived at checkpoint 4 it was all flat and down hill. When I finally reached the short downhill road section leading up to checkpoint 4 I was relieved to finally have a break and figured I could recover a little. I got on my bike and started pedaling easily down the hill. Then I cramped in my left leg and had to unclip and only pedal with my right leg so my left one wouldn’t seize up. I finally arrived at checkpoint 4 at 1600. I refueled on apples, gummy fish and as much salty food as I could get my hands on. Once again I tried to make it a quick stop to avoid missing a cutoff time.

When I left checkpoint 4 I coasted the rest of the way to the bottom of the hill and then cramped as soon as I saw the next large climb that lay ahead. I spent the next 40 minutes walking up that hill. I stopped walking a few times and tried to get on my bike but my legs seized up when I tried to lift them over the bike. I don’t really remember much of what else happened between checkpoint 4 and checkpoint 5. I only remember lots of cramping and hoping that the cramping would stop. I managed to make it from checkpoint 4 to checkpoint 5 in a little over 2 hours.

I arrived at checkpoint 5 (final checkpoint) and my spirits were instantly lifted. At the checkpoint I filled up with 4 endurolyte capsules and more gummy fish. I must admit that I’ve never used them nor did I read the directions (great healthcare professional that I am) but I just wanted lots of anything that may help me stop cramping. Then I asked one of the aid station attendants about the remaining 12 miles. His reply, “it’s an easy trip from here on in, except the big hill.” It didn’t really matter because whether it was the excitement of finishing or the endurolytes I was flying out of checkpoint 5. I was in my biggest gear and flying. I was able to pull back everyone who had passed me coming out of checkpoint 4 by the middle of the last climb and from there on I was on my own. My legs were finally functioning again and I was able to pedal again. On the final flat section to the finish I was pushing hard and I started to cramp again as I was hitting the finish line. I fell over right after finishing and lay on the ground with both legs cramping again, but it was OK. I had made it through and I’d like to think that all of the day’s adversity has somehow made me a stronger person, but it’s been said that adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. On that note I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has done their part of torturing me and helping me complete this.

Random thoughts during the race:

1) I’m quitting at 1900 no matter what, I figured Mike told me I’d be done by 1700 so why should I keep going after that

2) If I quit and don’t complete this I may have the urge to do it again someday just to see if I can do it

3) I really miss my grandma who died 4 years ago, she wouldn’t want me to quit

4) I’m selling my mountain bike once this is over

5) If I sell my mountain bike I’ll just want to buy another one and why would I ever want to buy another mountain bike

6) I’ve still only got 2 testicles (you’ll have to ask Mike if you want to know the story behind this)

7) I’m going on a diet

*If this sounds like rambling and doesn’t make sense that is because my thoughts were jumbled during the race and they didn’t make sense then either.

**If any of my descriptions of the course or events described are incorrect it’s because I was delirious.

New WMD!

Competition beware, I've reloaded!