New bike alert

I have a new bike on the way. It won't be here for a couple weeks and I probably won't get to do my first race of the year on it but only time will tell.

Back riding indoors since being back from FL

It's been all indoors riding since getting back from FL last week. That's OK I guess it is still February after all. It's just hard to remember that after riding in 80 degrees for 2 weeks. First race of my season is in 2 weeks (4/14/09) in Reading, PA. With the new USAC policy on rankings by total number of points like what the UCI has done forever I need to do all of the TTs that I can fit into my schedule. Although this system sort of sucks for those of us who work some weekends and don't make it to as many races as we might like.

Just finished up with my last ride in FL before heading back to Mechanicsburg later today. It was a set 8 minute TT intervals with 2 minutes recovery between them and then a final 6 mile TT interval to finish it off. FL was fun but riding in PA is much better and less flat.

18 mile TT test

I did my first 18 mile all out effort of the year yesterday. The first 12 miles of it were into the wind and the final 6 was with the wind at my back. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt, alot. I don't know if I was fast or not but that wasn't really the point of this exercise. Just wanted to get that feel back. In the words of Greg Lemond, "It never hurts any less, you just go faster"

Greetings from sunny Florida!

Unlike the rest of my teammates who have been riding in the cold of winter and across frozen lakes and such I have spent the last 3 weeks in Southern Florida. I've been putting in some pretty big miles (by my standards, not Sam's) and I've finally got back on my TT bike. It seems to take a while after being off my TT bike for so long but things are finally starting to feel "right" again.It was really windy on my ride today and I got pretty beat up but considering it was also 74 degrees and sunny who am I to complain.
Been doing some cross training also................not really but I was forced to go so I figure I may as well make it sound like I was training. Don't worry, I rode 52 miles later that day when I got home

Sunny in Florida

Well, it may be sunny but it really isn't that warm. It's been as warm as 75 degrees on the cloudy/rainy day but today it is finally sunny and it's only 60 degrees. Oh well, it's nice to be outside riding again. I was on my TT bike yesterday, for the first time since Labor Day weekend, for a 50 mile cruise. It does feel strange after being off of it for so long. I'm glad I was on my TT bike because the wind was crazy.

bike-fit shoe wedges

I just got a set of shoe wedges from Bike Fit Systems. They are little plastic wedges that fit between your shoe and cleats. The idea is that most people apply perfectly flat pressure to the pedals (much like over or under-pronators in running) except these things cant the ball of your foot instead of the heel. They recommend installing two shims under each cleat and then add or subtract wedges overtime until you get to the point when your knees wobble back and forth as little as possible. I already had some expeirence with this idea because I used to have a pair of Specialized shoes that had this feature built in but I think the wedges are a better idea because it allows for adjustment. I found that I need 2 wedges on my left foot andn 3 wedges on my right foot. It really is amazing how much more comfortable this makes pedaling. They make claims of power gains. I don't know about increased power but increased comfort is gaurenteed.

4 hour trainer ride!

5 bottles of water, 4 hours of DVRed TV shows, 3 energy bars, 2 soaked jerseys, and 1 rearranged living room is just the recipe for a four hour trainer ride. As I told Henry on our New Year's day ride I started by dong my normal power testing routine and then just kept going for the rest of the 4 hours. The good news is my 20 minute power is up 8%. It was also my highest 20 minute power output ever indoors. Things seem to be going in the right direction. Maybe taking a month off was a good thing. So my 4 hour journey started off well and then got monotonous. Hopefully it'll help in the spring but my death stare (below) should tell the rest of the story of my experience.

I was out for a couple hours today. It is amazing how much warmer 30 degrees can feel after doing a 20 degree ride on New Year's Day. It was cold and windy but it sure beats work.

Power testing today

Power testing is a good thing, a really good thing. OTOH, it also has drawbacks. #1, it hurts to complete the test. If you are doing it correctly and going all out it should hurt. #2, if everything is working out correctly and your numbers are higher you have to increase your daily training goals which also hurts. I wish there was an easier way to get faster. If anyone has any ideas let me know, I'm open to easier solutions.
So how did my test go? Well, I'm 3% stronger today than I was 1 month ago last time I tested. I guess that is pretty good since I got sick for a week and could barely eat or drink anything for that time. I've been using the same winter training program for the last 3 years so my gains are pretty predictable. I have read an article about a new type of intervals that I'm planning on starting later in the off season that should be helpful when it's time for really hard intervals closer to the start of race season.
I've found that I'm a strange breed of person, for may reasons. The one I'm talking about today is because I'm one of the few people who actually enjoy riding inside on the trainer. It allows me to combine two of my favorite things, riding a bike and watching TV. Anyway, I enjoy it and I'm not afraid to say it;-)

winter updates are slow

I guess it's about time for an update. Nothing really exciting happening right now. Mostly indoor training which is going well. I was sick last week and that really sucked. I had a huge ulcer in the back of my throat and I lived on pudding for about 5 days. My throat is still healing but now I can eat normal food and I'm felling better. I've really started feeling better on the bike. I was finally able to get outside for a ride yesterday and I'll be outside again today. I'm really looking forward to going to Florida in February for some warmer extended outdoor sessions.

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.