Due to time limitations, I opted for the 64 mile route. Hmm, 64? Oh well. I was solo and just wanted to ride my own pace, hard where I wanted and easy where I wanted. Stop often for cookies. Not really much to report but when I got back to the parking lot I had 68 miles so I turned around and did the opening hill (pinnacle point) again which is 1 mile long and back down to get near an even 70 miles for the day. 70.11 miles took me almost 4 hours. 17.9 I think was my average. Couldn't exactly go fast due to the road situation. More below.
THE GOOD
Plenty of snacks
Plenty of rest stops
Great weather
Slightly rolling terrain
Great paint on the route for the most part
THE BAD
The absolute WORST roads I have ever ridden on bar none for that length of time. Preble County must have had extra gravel for their annual chip-seal party. Many times we were riding on roads that were not there over top of gravel/dirt. Then there was the miles of chip seal. From the first rest stop on the 64 mile loop back to that same rest stop, the roads were absolute crap.
I'm not doing that ride again, which is unfortunate. You can't control the county chip sealers, but you can control (at least I'm assuming) the fact that we had to ride over roads that were shit.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Battle of the Cows TT #29
What do you do when you go 25mph and finish near the bottom? You pout of course. Holy crap! I love the course that Craig set up and I think I'll be heading back for some training rides there.
I felt like crap for the whole ride and felt like I couldn't generate a watt to save my life. Burnout is right around the corner and it's been a long season with my first time trial of 2008 being last January. That being said, I was just a shade over 25 mph for the 9.1 mile course.
Notice the sweat dripping off my nose. Yes, I was working hard. I still have yet to ever beat Vince or Todd in a time trial.
I felt like crap for the whole ride and felt like I couldn't generate a watt to save my life. Burnout is right around the corner and it's been a long season with my first time trial of 2008 being last January. That being said, I was just a shade over 25 mph for the 9.1 mile course.
Notice the sweat dripping off my nose. Yes, I was working hard. I still have yet to ever beat Vince or Todd in a time trial.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday ride picture
Dobo looks as if he's chatting away with me. I'm sucking big air at that moment.
Blue Streak TT #28
Last night was my first attempt at the blue streak course. I've seen fast times, so I wanted to check it out at least once before I move. This was the last of the series for this year, but they are going to host 6 races next year.
I felt like crap most of yesterday and I have no idea why. Stresses with our building/my job/house sale are kind of building up (maybe I should be on the internet less, ya think). Weird shooting pains were hitting me all over. Suck it up cupcake and race. There are only 3 or 4 more races and this season is over.
Not knowing the protocol of being on a military facility, I kept the warm up mostly in the parking lot until I finally saw people on the road. I didn't want to do something wrong and end up in the "stockade"! The warm up was not typical of a usual time trial for this distance but felt ok throughout.
I started 17th on the day and wanted to catch Shayne who started 3 placed ahead of me. I passed around 9 or 10 riders, but no Shayne. The back stretch was brutal where I was giving it everything and holding only 21mph, but everyone was having that problem.
End result was a TIE for 9th out of 80+ riders (with Shayne) with an average of 24.7 according to the results. Never been that fast and felt like such ass. I'm discounting the guy who finished first because he was riding a missile (full aero HPV-recumbent). My powertap showed 24.4 average, but what scared me more is that I was over 190bpm for 15 minutes+. I usually TT at 180-185. No wonder I felt cooked and dead. It took about two hours for my heart rate to settle to normal, that freaked me out as my heart rate is usually in the 60bpm range just sitting around. For comparison, my heart rate right now is 54 after one cup of morning coffee. Last night it was around 100-110 for too long.
I'm not happy with a decent result when I raced and felt like crap. I'll chalk this down as the worst time trial I've ever done.
Ok, it took me a few minutes to realize what was up. I forgot that I ate a lot of mixed nuts yesterday for lunch and I have a low grade allergy to some of them. Nuts have tanked races for me before. That was dumb.
I felt like crap most of yesterday and I have no idea why. Stresses with our building/my job/house sale are kind of building up (maybe I should be on the internet less, ya think). Weird shooting pains were hitting me all over. Suck it up cupcake and race. There are only 3 or 4 more races and this season is over.
Not knowing the protocol of being on a military facility, I kept the warm up mostly in the parking lot until I finally saw people on the road. I didn't want to do something wrong and end up in the "stockade"! The warm up was not typical of a usual time trial for this distance but felt ok throughout.
I started 17th on the day and wanted to catch Shayne who started 3 placed ahead of me. I passed around 9 or 10 riders, but no Shayne. The back stretch was brutal where I was giving it everything and holding only 21mph, but everyone was having that problem.
End result was a TIE for 9th out of 80+ riders (with Shayne) with an average of 24.7 according to the results. Never been that fast and felt like such ass. I'm discounting the guy who finished first because he was riding a missile (full aero HPV-recumbent). My powertap showed 24.4 average, but what scared me more is that I was over 190bpm for 15 minutes+. I usually TT at 180-185. No wonder I felt cooked and dead. It took about two hours for my heart rate to settle to normal, that freaked me out as my heart rate is usually in the 60bpm range just sitting around. For comparison, my heart rate right now is 54 after one cup of morning coffee. Last night it was around 100-110 for too long.
I'm not happy with a decent result when I raced and felt like crap. I'll chalk this down as the worst time trial I've ever done.
Ok, it took me a few minutes to realize what was up. I forgot that I ate a lot of mixed nuts yesterday for lunch and I have a low grade allergy to some of them. Nuts have tanked races for me before. That was dumb.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Out of my league
Ever ride above your pay grade? That's exactly what happened to me for the first time Sunday. A 100 mile, 22 climb ride was on the schedule. The last century I did was May 1, 2005 and the longest I've ridden this year was around 65 at the Strawberry festival metric tour. So going in, I was pretty nervous about being able to keep up with the climbing AND the distance. The saving grace for me was that there was regrouping after the climbs. The quicker you get up the hill, the longer the regrouping time!
I packed a boatload of generic fig newton bars and started eating them about 6 miles in and didn't stop until the ride was nearly over. That was probably the smartest thing I did. I have a problem with being able to eat while I eat due to breathing issues, but I was able to eat during the regrouping periods with no problem. It's nearly impossible for me to eat during a road race. That's bad.
As the ride continued, everything felt pretty good except for some chafe issues. Luckily, my legs were able to hold out and I felt stronger as the day went on. I do have some soreness in my already bad right knee (thank you, stupid spin class on February 1st, 2005), but I don't see it stopping me from riding today.
One thing that did bother me is my lack of confidence in descending. Due to the nature of my training rides (mostly flat stuff), I don't have the opportunity to descend often. On each downhill section, I coasted my way to the back of the pack before it started so as to not get in anyone's way. My new brakes sure got a workout, and I slid out once, but was able to keep it upright. Of course after each downhill, I had to make an effort to close the gap I made and that was often at the bottom of yet another climb. Ouch!
Anyway, it was a great ride and on the final few climbs I did pretty well and thought I was climbing out of my pay grade. I'm not a small man, and my usual "climbs" involve overpasses, but I felt pretty good going uphill being able to keep up with the stronger riders for the most part. It was a great day and I'm glad there were a bunch of us to share in the suffering.
I packed a boatload of generic fig newton bars and started eating them about 6 miles in and didn't stop until the ride was nearly over. That was probably the smartest thing I did. I have a problem with being able to eat while I eat due to breathing issues, but I was able to eat during the regrouping periods with no problem. It's nearly impossible for me to eat during a road race. That's bad.
As the ride continued, everything felt pretty good except for some chafe issues. Luckily, my legs were able to hold out and I felt stronger as the day went on. I do have some soreness in my already bad right knee (thank you, stupid spin class on February 1st, 2005), but I don't see it stopping me from riding today.
One thing that did bother me is my lack of confidence in descending. Due to the nature of my training rides (mostly flat stuff), I don't have the opportunity to descend often. On each downhill section, I coasted my way to the back of the pack before it started so as to not get in anyone's way. My new brakes sure got a workout, and I slid out once, but was able to keep it upright. Of course after each downhill, I had to make an effort to close the gap I made and that was often at the bottom of yet another climb. Ouch!
Anyway, it was a great ride and on the final few climbs I did pretty well and thought I was climbing out of my pay grade. I'm not a small man, and my usual "climbs" involve overpasses, but I felt pretty good going uphill being able to keep up with the stronger riders for the most part. It was a great day and I'm glad there were a bunch of us to share in the suffering.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Out of reach
Being 38 years old, I've been flirting with the idea of riding across the United States in 2010 to celebrate my oldness of 40. Now, I'm not so sure that's anything more than a pipe dream. I've been searching for touring companies that offer varieties of rides, from the carry your own gear type to the hotel and buffet type. The underlying factor is cost. Even the carry your own crap and cook your own crap rides are $4,000+! Of course, I don't even want to carry my own crap! If I do this, it's going to be hotels and buffets, but not to the tune of $8,000-$10,000. The thing that makes the cost even more of a challenge is the fact that I have no vacation days, being self employed. Every minute I don't work, I don't get paid. Even if My wife's clinic exceeds beyond all expectations, it's going to be a struggle with me netting a ZERO income for 5 weeks.
So it's become apparent that this cross country thing won't be happening until later on in life, barring winning the lottery (which I don't play).
One idea I've been thinking about is doing as many state championship time trials as I can fit in. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc. That will account for several weekend trips, but still be fun (in an ouch sort of way) and I see what kind of results I can rack up in my first year being a 40+ rider.
Another idea is a winter training camp. Hammer (as in Gel), along with many other companies put these on in Arizona so us snowed in mid-westerners can get some consecutive non trainer rides under our belts. Probably what would be more fun is to just rent a house in Tuscon, buy a case of pasta and have 5-10 friends go out and ride for a week.
Yet another is do as many multi-day tours as possible. Goba, Rainstorm, TOSRV, etc.
Or simply fuck it and just ride wherever I please.
So it's become apparent that this cross country thing won't be happening until later on in life, barring winning the lottery (which I don't play).
One idea I've been thinking about is doing as many state championship time trials as I can fit in. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc. That will account for several weekend trips, but still be fun (in an ouch sort of way) and I see what kind of results I can rack up in my first year being a 40+ rider.
Another idea is a winter training camp. Hammer (as in Gel), along with many other companies put these on in Arizona so us snowed in mid-westerners can get some consecutive non trainer rides under our belts. Probably what would be more fun is to just rent a house in Tuscon, buy a case of pasta and have 5-10 friends go out and ride for a week.
Yet another is do as many multi-day tours as possible. Goba, Rainstorm, TOSRV, etc.
Or simply fuck it and just ride wherever I please.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
That which does not kill me...
...makes me wish I were dead.
Far be it for me to call in sick, I hit the pavement with little expectation. I gave it my all, got dropped, got back on, gave it my all, got dropped, gave it everything I had (Rudy) and died. I was resurrected minutes later only to commit cycling suicide on the rollers. Then had 10 miles worth of time trial practice.
From the time I got back on with the group on Rudy until I was dropped for the final time on the rollers, the average was 24.0. That included the cow hill, the unnamed hill, the long Rudy incline THEN the roller. Ouchies.
That earned me a nice cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin here at the coffee shop.
And now I'm sitting here trying to come up with a plan to be able to do the Ramble after moving to Cincinnati. Suffering is fun.
Far be it for me to call in sick, I hit the pavement with little expectation. I gave it my all, got dropped, got back on, gave it my all, got dropped, gave it everything I had (Rudy) and died. I was resurrected minutes later only to commit cycling suicide on the rollers. Then had 10 miles worth of time trial practice.
From the time I got back on with the group on Rudy until I was dropped for the final time on the rollers, the average was 24.0. That included the cow hill, the unnamed hill, the long Rudy incline THEN the roller. Ouchies.
That earned me a nice cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin here at the coffee shop.
And now I'm sitting here trying to come up with a plan to be able to do the Ramble after moving to Cincinnati. Suffering is fun.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Speedy Feet TT #27
Four for four! Even though I had to come to a complete stop on the course because of a family hogging the path, I ended up with a 24.8 average and won by 18 or so seconds over 2nd place. 295 watt average for the 17 minutes and change.
I started first, a position that most people hate. I wanted that spot because it minimized the amount of people on the course at least for the "out" section. The course being a small open bike path, I think it's important to have traffic at a minimum. The course today was lengthened to 3.6 miles out and 3.6 back, so it was about a mile longer than last month. At mile 3, I was barreling along at 28.7 mph and came upon a family of four walking the way I'm riding and the two young kids were wandering around. Crap! I yelled 'PASSING'. Luckily, they moved over but not before I had to shut it down. The wife said she was sorry, and I was able to get out a "no problem" before ramping it up again. This being an open course, I can't really get mad at people using the multi use trail as it was such a nice night out. Anyway, trying to get back up to speed in my 53x13 or whatever gear I was in, I hit my max wattage for the ride - about 930. Way too high for a time trial.
After the turn around, I saw the guy who started right behind me and it seemed like he was WAY to close, so I spent the "back" section wondering if we were starting at one minute or thirty second intervals. I was also wondering if I was going to get passed. I pushed as hard as I could and was in the red the whole way back.
There was actually more than a slight headwind coming back, confirmed by the data, as the course is flat. Maybe it's slightly downhill going out, I don't know.
Out
8:03
26.7 average
272 watt average
167 heart rate average
Back
9:20
23.1 average
313 watt average
179 heart rate average
Overall
17:23
24.8 average
295 watt average
174 heart rate average
Results
I started first, a position that most people hate. I wanted that spot because it minimized the amount of people on the course at least for the "out" section. The course being a small open bike path, I think it's important to have traffic at a minimum. The course today was lengthened to 3.6 miles out and 3.6 back, so it was about a mile longer than last month. At mile 3, I was barreling along at 28.7 mph and came upon a family of four walking the way I'm riding and the two young kids were wandering around. Crap! I yelled 'PASSING'. Luckily, they moved over but not before I had to shut it down. The wife said she was sorry, and I was able to get out a "no problem" before ramping it up again. This being an open course, I can't really get mad at people using the multi use trail as it was such a nice night out. Anyway, trying to get back up to speed in my 53x13 or whatever gear I was in, I hit my max wattage for the ride - about 930. Way too high for a time trial.
After the turn around, I saw the guy who started right behind me and it seemed like he was WAY to close, so I spent the "back" section wondering if we were starting at one minute or thirty second intervals. I was also wondering if I was going to get passed. I pushed as hard as I could and was in the red the whole way back.
There was actually more than a slight headwind coming back, confirmed by the data, as the course is flat. Maybe it's slightly downhill going out, I don't know.
Out
8:03
26.7 average
272 watt average
167 heart rate average
Back
9:20
23.1 average
313 watt average
179 heart rate average
Overall
17:23
24.8 average
295 watt average
174 heart rate average
Results
Monday, August 11, 2008
Found another event!
And it's sponsored by our team!
Project Velo Racing
Troy, OH
Saturday, September 06, 2008
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=6847
Waco Music Festival Bike Tour
Presented byProject Velo Racing
Troy, OH
Saturday, September 06, 2008
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=6847
FIAC National Championship TT #26
After not sleeping the night before due to ongoing digestive issues, I had no idea how I would feel. I knew Jim Matson would be there, but when I rolled up, I saw COBC's team van and saw Andys. He's in my age group as well and along with Jim, they both ride 2+ mph faster than I do. We were met with perfect weather with maybe just a slight "out" head wind. I rode as best I could and ended up with the EXACT same time as last month (via powertap). 29:27. After the lack of sleep I'll take it. I ended up 5th place in my division. Andys was 1st and Jim was 3rd with times in the 27 minute range.
Tuesday, I'm shooting to go four for four at the speedy feet time trial at Eastwood park.
Tuesday, I'm shooting to go four for four at the speedy feet time trial at Eastwood park.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My 'everything' hurts
After spending the weekend on the lake tubing, I got beat up. Not a way to prepare for the national TT. I took one real whipper Saturday and my neck hasn't recovered yet. Then there are my legs, which I left at home last night. After about 1 mile into the ride, I sat in and wasn't even able to put in my patented 'pull real hard on Wildcat so I can have a built in excuse for lacking a sprint on route 40' move. Sat in sucked wheel with 40.29 miles on the evening.
Today is supposed to be a TT day as I haven't been on that bike since the problem I had during the stage race. From the looks of it right now, it's going to be a wet one. Nuts.
Today is supposed to be a TT day as I haven't been on that bike since the problem I had during the stage race. From the looks of it right now, it's going to be a wet one. Nuts.
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