June "touring" trip
Plans have changed and solified further for this trip. I intend to rest, and well, after Dirty Kanza then race either the Woolly Mammoth on Saturday the 11th or Wausau on the 12th prior to heading up to Copper Harbor via Ironwood. I think I'll be able to make Copper Harbor by late Wednesday or early Thursday with no undue trouble, spend a day or two there and be back in Houghton for the Chain Drive on the 18th. That will leave me four days to collect myself and head home, which also sounds like a reasonable timeline. I'm not going to worry about making it all the way back here either- rather will focus on riding somewhere cool for those four days and, if necessary, getting a ride home across the relatively boring farmland that is the last 150 or 200 miles. If taking a ride home from Eau Claire gives me another day of good riding up north I see no reason not to take it.
This is a slightly shortened itinerary from my original plan. The changes are driven by my general lack of paid time off (and some things in the back of my mind that I hope to use it for) and my paranoia? about getting ready for my next set of goal type races. I know it will take time still, but I'm itching to get "fast" in XC. I felt my endurance schedule in the spring of last year somewhat prevented success in XC until late August. This year with more of an emaphasis on shorter rides and a couple of shorter races sprinkled in early I hope to avoid that. I think shortening this trip a bit fits with that plan. The Eau Claire WORS race in early July should be a good reference point barring other issues.
My 2nd option for this... Forget any of the riding in the "south" stuff. Race the Woolly, drive to Duluth or Ironwood and do the rest of the ride from there...
Again- if you'll be anywhere in that area from the 11th-22nd and want to hook up and ride... let me know! I'm just looking to hang out on my bike, camp and have fun.
In other news
We are finally making progress on our house. Walls painted, new flooring installed today. Couple more areas to be painted and then we are almost down to just the easy stuff (carpet, some new furniture, staining the deck).
I have decided not to keep my cx bike and road bike both built up all year. From now on I will have one set of high-end parts for both and will have the road bike built up March-late September, cx bike the rest of the time. I will ride my Trek commuter for gravel training in the summer and my classy Giant for road rides in the fall.
I picked up a open pro/powertap pro wheel that will find it's way onto my road bike after Dirty Kanza. I am not sure yet how I will use it (can't see myself planning too many intense workouts), but I think it will be of value.
I'm thinking about riding the 8 hour race at Afton this year. I can't take time off in order to travel to the Ore to Shore. It's between Afton and the Dairyland Dare at this point. Either one would be fun.
Hope you are having a good week
5.24.2011
Health stuff (once again)- Royal caught up
Total system failure over the weekend.
I felt pretty good after the Royal and pushed things way too hard- rest weeks cannot consist of staying out late drinking and/or riding.
By Friday I decided I felt like I wasn't quite recovered yet and would skip the Freewheel Frolic on Saturday. Instead I would ride with Trevor and Karlene up to the WORS race in Rhinelander, camp and race Sunday.
Put all thoughts of "sick" out of my mind (what choice did I have... I was already in Rhinelander) until about midway through the 2nd lap when it hit me that I had a pounding headache, some dizzyness and generally felt much worse than expected. I also only had access to about 3 gears on the rear after bending my hanger. I shut it down and decided to live to fight another day. Good thing too, I've felt pretty crappy the last two days. Even having trouble sleeping due to all the nasal drainage etc..
I should have known to rest more/better. I also should have known to start doing nasal flushes right from the start. For whatever reason they work wonders for me (finally started last night and already feel a whole lot better)! I can breath through both nostrils now and have banished the dizzy feeling. Really grateful that I'm feeling a bit better, a protracted illness right now would be a disaster. Almost pushed the beach cruiser to it's limits on the way down here to work.
I felt pretty good after the Royal and pushed things way too hard- rest weeks cannot consist of staying out late drinking and/or riding.
By Friday I decided I felt like I wasn't quite recovered yet and would skip the Freewheel Frolic on Saturday. Instead I would ride with Trevor and Karlene up to the WORS race in Rhinelander, camp and race Sunday.
Put all thoughts of "sick" out of my mind (what choice did I have... I was already in Rhinelander) until about midway through the 2nd lap when it hit me that I had a pounding headache, some dizzyness and generally felt much worse than expected. I also only had access to about 3 gears on the rear after bending my hanger. I shut it down and decided to live to fight another day. Good thing too, I've felt pretty crappy the last two days. Even having trouble sleeping due to all the nasal drainage etc..
I should have known to rest more/better. I also should have known to start doing nasal flushes right from the start. For whatever reason they work wonders for me (finally started last night and already feel a whole lot better)! I can breath through both nostrils now and have banished the dizzy feeling. Really grateful that I'm feeling a bit better, a protracted illness right now would be a disaster. Almost pushed the beach cruiser to it's limits on the way down here to work.
5.19.2011
Giant 980c commuter- follow up to Look 585 Review
New road bike/commuter. Absolutely loving it! Much better ride quality and handling than I'd expected. Picked it up for less than $200 and then sold a couple campagnolo and dura-ace parts off of it to get the cost down to about $0. Still has an awesome Suntour crankset, Cinelli stem/bars etc. etc.. Love the lugged carbon technology, love the look. Impressed with the quality of the shifting with friction down-tube shifters/10 speed--- with the 10 speed shifting is extremely smooth and easy with very minimal trimming needed.
There is the Look 585 sitting in my garage the night before the Almanzo.
I've now ridden it a few thousand miles in all sorts of conditions and events. All the way from the Almanzo in the mud to road races. It's the most comfortable bike I've ridden and at the same time it transfers the most power to the ground of any bike I've ridden. Remember back to when I was going to get that custom gravel bike and I wanted something light and fast with "road type" geometry... well, I found it. Don't know what else to say- buy/ride something similar if you get a chance.
5.17.2011
2011 Royal 162 report recap almanzo 100
I see a lot of posts about how great certain bikes work for races- usually solicited by some sort of friendship or sponsorship. I'll be riding this for all future gravel grinders- use your own judgement.
It's been six months since I first visited Royal's grave. It's become a regular stop for me when in the vicinity, as I often am while on to the heartland of cycling that is Iowa. I've watched the site through parts of 3 seasons now and everything has changed but the stone itself. Not the cold rains of early December, the deep drifts of January nor the youthful flowers of spring have had any power. Royal's stone mien has been the so constant that I was beginning to worry. What if my efforts were to be in vain?
Saturday morning came quickly. I'd like to say that it dawned bright and early, but it was more of a lessening of the dark than a dawn. The weather reports has slowly shifted to the worse and then worse again... finally calling for solid rain much of the day (and evening should it be necessary). I shoveled in potato pancakes knowing that this was what I'd prayed for, that our day had come and it was going to be as tough as anyone could have wanted. There would be no repeat of the cake-walk of 2010.
Metallica powered our drive south to the start and then the business of actually doing THIS began. I chose my Almanzo bibs and jersey plus my thin tights (the lucky ones that are duct taped together), a long-sleeve toko top, Almanzo windbreaker, regular long-finger MTB gloves and MTB shoes. I chose not to bring anything else due to weight/space concerns. Along those same lines I would send the majority of my water and food down to Preston and pick it up in the "feeding zone", rather than carrying it the first 40 miles. Further along those lines, and possibly of note to the reader, I was on my Look 585 with the only changes being aero bars on wide WCS Ritchey bars, an 11-28 cassette and 700x30 Schwalbe Marathon racers on Zipp 303 front/404 rear.
No time to think. The race started about 2 minutes after I got all dressed and ready to go. Pace was fairly easy early on as people settled in and tested the conditions. I tried to sit in the middle of the pack, but found myself getting covered in mud and losing visibility. We hit a couple early downhills and I watched the group string out in front of me as I picked my line. I would gain confidence in the narrow tires later in the race, but initially there was just too much uncertainty. I was surprised how easily I kept up as we labored up and over the first really large hill, but soon after I let a group of about 13 ride away. I would be basically alone for the remaining 145 miles, just me and Royal.
It was nice to see my Dad at mile 38 (and good practice for Dirty Kanza) but after stopping I felt sort of compelled to work my way back up near the front to where I felt I belonged. It was a struggle to keep the effort under control for the next 20 miles or so. Regardless, I found myself passing groups with ease and caught up to the first chase group prior to hitting the farm/singletrack/cyclocross/whatever section that Skogen was hanging out in. I felt I could ride faster than they were riding and decided to make a point to hit the singletrack first and make a gap. "On the farm" I passed 3 riders from the tail of the original 13 person lead group and made the gap I had hoped for. I would not see anyone behind me again for the duration. Although those behind me would certainly never be far from my thoughts, particularly as a started to pick off more and more riders. I'd ridden away from Doom, Farrow, Pramann etc. etc. and I didn't quite trust that I belonged or could hold onto being in front of them.
Soon after that section my mind basically turned off. The next 7 hours would be full of manic mood swings, talking to myself, insanity and suffering. I saw a lot of things, some of which were likely very real and some of which were not. I flipped mentally from wanting to quit to wanting to cry tears of joy to feelings of calm and strength. Through it all I pedaled like I was giving chase.
I saw a witch. She was on top of a barren hill next to an old farm house walking slowly towards me. My first though was that this must be some sort of trail magic, some sort of Almanzo chicanery. It was not, how could there be any of that this far away from where most of the riders would ever go? I was IN IOWA at the time for Royal's sakes. She continued toward me and waved as I passed. She was just a teenaged Amish girl/woman out for a walk in the rain. I looked back and she was gone, but my tracks were not. They were deep and filling up with water as I watched. The gravel had turned to soft sand (worse than the cheese country train for those who know about THAT, but not worse than TW) and it was so soaked with moisture that it was seeping almost immediately into the tracks I cut. I could count the riders in front of me by counting the shiny, slithers of their paths. One of them always went perfectly straight. I wondered what sort of evil that was and contemplated it for miles. I was stuck on one road for 8 miles riding up and over huge rollers directly into the wind at 5 or 6 mph and that silvery, streak of a track was teasing me. Finally it turned off into a farm and I realized it was nothing but a buggy wheel. I remembered reading about subistence hunting, how one trick to not die while doing it is to check your own track every once in a while. You need to see how wobbly you are getting and back off a bit if you are looking worse than the animal you chase. I ate a burrito and a tamale. I passed some people and some people dropped out, I felt I took their strength.
My mind would shift on every hour on the hour and make me eat a gel, drink some water. The rest of the time I just pedaled. It was hard to open the gel packs, hard to squeeze the bottles, but while riding I felt nothing.
I felt redeemed when I returned to the actual Almanzo 100 course. There was a track in the gravel from all the previous 100 mile riders. All I would need to do would be to follow it home. If I could keep my bike in that groove I would be golden. Riding straight became my focus- even as I was only moving 6 or 7 mph on flat ground, in my easiest gear, on my aero bars. I stopped only for gels and burritos. A bunch of my friends were at the checkpoint when I got there, but I couldn't care. I was chasing (at that point I knew I was in somewhere between 4th-6th).
I crossed the water and felt nothing. I cleaned my bike, at a gel, took a piss.
I had to walk a hill.
I turned to the final page and realized I only had a couple miles left. It was downwind, only one real hill. I felt no pain or tiredness as I flew down those familiar last roads. I crossed in 11:47 in 5th. I broke down at Royal's grave.
If you've got a picture of me I'd love to have it!
It's been six months since I first visited Royal's grave. It's become a regular stop for me when in the vicinity, as I often am while on to the heartland of cycling that is Iowa. I've watched the site through parts of 3 seasons now and everything has changed but the stone itself. Not the cold rains of early December, the deep drifts of January nor the youthful flowers of spring have had any power. Royal's stone mien has been the so constant that I was beginning to worry. What if my efforts were to be in vain?
Saturday morning came quickly. I'd like to say that it dawned bright and early, but it was more of a lessening of the dark than a dawn. The weather reports has slowly shifted to the worse and then worse again... finally calling for solid rain much of the day (and evening should it be necessary). I shoveled in potato pancakes knowing that this was what I'd prayed for, that our day had come and it was going to be as tough as anyone could have wanted. There would be no repeat of the cake-walk of 2010.
Metallica powered our drive south to the start and then the business of actually doing THIS began. I chose my Almanzo bibs and jersey plus my thin tights (the lucky ones that are duct taped together), a long-sleeve toko top, Almanzo windbreaker, regular long-finger MTB gloves and MTB shoes. I chose not to bring anything else due to weight/space concerns. Along those same lines I would send the majority of my water and food down to Preston and pick it up in the "feeding zone", rather than carrying it the first 40 miles. Further along those lines, and possibly of note to the reader, I was on my Look 585 with the only changes being aero bars on wide WCS Ritchey bars, an 11-28 cassette and 700x30 Schwalbe Marathon racers on Zipp 303 front/404 rear.
No time to think. The race started about 2 minutes after I got all dressed and ready to go. Pace was fairly easy early on as people settled in and tested the conditions. I tried to sit in the middle of the pack, but found myself getting covered in mud and losing visibility. We hit a couple early downhills and I watched the group string out in front of me as I picked my line. I would gain confidence in the narrow tires later in the race, but initially there was just too much uncertainty. I was surprised how easily I kept up as we labored up and over the first really large hill, but soon after I let a group of about 13 ride away. I would be basically alone for the remaining 145 miles, just me and Royal.
It was nice to see my Dad at mile 38 (and good practice for Dirty Kanza) but after stopping I felt sort of compelled to work my way back up near the front to where I felt I belonged. It was a struggle to keep the effort under control for the next 20 miles or so. Regardless, I found myself passing groups with ease and caught up to the first chase group prior to hitting the farm/singletrack/cyclocross/whatever section that Skogen was hanging out in. I felt I could ride faster than they were riding and decided to make a point to hit the singletrack first and make a gap. "On the farm" I passed 3 riders from the tail of the original 13 person lead group and made the gap I had hoped for. I would not see anyone behind me again for the duration. Although those behind me would certainly never be far from my thoughts, particularly as a started to pick off more and more riders. I'd ridden away from Doom, Farrow, Pramann etc. etc. and I didn't quite trust that I belonged or could hold onto being in front of them.
Soon after that section my mind basically turned off. The next 7 hours would be full of manic mood swings, talking to myself, insanity and suffering. I saw a lot of things, some of which were likely very real and some of which were not. I flipped mentally from wanting to quit to wanting to cry tears of joy to feelings of calm and strength. Through it all I pedaled like I was giving chase.
I saw a witch. She was on top of a barren hill next to an old farm house walking slowly towards me. My first though was that this must be some sort of trail magic, some sort of Almanzo chicanery. It was not, how could there be any of that this far away from where most of the riders would ever go? I was IN IOWA at the time for Royal's sakes. She continued toward me and waved as I passed. She was just a teenaged Amish girl/woman out for a walk in the rain. I looked back and she was gone, but my tracks were not. They were deep and filling up with water as I watched. The gravel had turned to soft sand (worse than the cheese country train for those who know about THAT, but not worse than TW) and it was so soaked with moisture that it was seeping almost immediately into the tracks I cut. I could count the riders in front of me by counting the shiny, slithers of their paths. One of them always went perfectly straight. I wondered what sort of evil that was and contemplated it for miles. I was stuck on one road for 8 miles riding up and over huge rollers directly into the wind at 5 or 6 mph and that silvery, streak of a track was teasing me. Finally it turned off into a farm and I realized it was nothing but a buggy wheel. I remembered reading about subistence hunting, how one trick to not die while doing it is to check your own track every once in a while. You need to see how wobbly you are getting and back off a bit if you are looking worse than the animal you chase. I ate a burrito and a tamale. I passed some people and some people dropped out, I felt I took their strength.
My mind would shift on every hour on the hour and make me eat a gel, drink some water. The rest of the time I just pedaled. It was hard to open the gel packs, hard to squeeze the bottles, but while riding I felt nothing.
I felt redeemed when I returned to the actual Almanzo 100 course. There was a track in the gravel from all the previous 100 mile riders. All I would need to do would be to follow it home. If I could keep my bike in that groove I would be golden. Riding straight became my focus- even as I was only moving 6 or 7 mph on flat ground, in my easiest gear, on my aero bars. I stopped only for gels and burritos. A bunch of my friends were at the checkpoint when I got there, but I couldn't care. I was chasing (at that point I knew I was in somewhere between 4th-6th).
I crossed the water and felt nothing. I cleaned my bike, at a gel, took a piss.
I had to walk a hill.
I turned to the final page and realized I only had a couple miles left. It was downwind, only one real hill. I felt no pain or tiredness as I flew down those familiar last roads. I crossed in 11:47 in 5th. I broke down at Royal's grave.
If you've got a picture of me I'd love to have it!
5.09.2011
Ready or not, Royal 162 approaches
The last bits of my bike set-up will arrive today. I've gone a bit on the "light" side for a long gravel race, but plan to fall back to the Mamasita last minute if need be. I've decided the cx bike is a bit overrated for long distance gravel now that I've seen the light and picked up some aero bars. I've already mounted my gps, computer, frame bag, tri style seatpost bottle holder, mountain feed bag etc., and I'm confident in everything working.
On the other hand- who knows where I am at. I've had some really strong rides recently and have had the brains to back out of a few things too (which is hard for me, but obviously very necessary). I didn't race the Sandwich 50 last weekend and instead put in about 60 miles on my Almanzo rig at faster than endurance race pace later in the day. I felt bad about not showing for a local race, but it just wasn't going to happen for me Saturday morning. If there is one thing I promised myself about this year it was that I wouldn't over do things.
This week I plan to hit the road group ride tonight to further test my set-up, the Eastwood MTB TT Tuesday, the Tuesday Night Ride with Revengeance, but other than that just hit the commutes and rest. I've found if I don't ride at all it doesn't usually make me feel stronger, so I figure riding 5-6 hrs during the week will put me right where I want to be.
Last loose end will be figuring out how to feed myself for this beast. 120+ miles with no opportunity for greasy hot food or red meat may prove to be the biggest difficulty.
Hope your feeling more ready than I am!
On the other hand- who knows where I am at. I've had some really strong rides recently and have had the brains to back out of a few things too (which is hard for me, but obviously very necessary). I didn't race the Sandwich 50 last weekend and instead put in about 60 miles on my Almanzo rig at faster than endurance race pace later in the day. I felt bad about not showing for a local race, but it just wasn't going to happen for me Saturday morning. If there is one thing I promised myself about this year it was that I wouldn't over do things.
This week I plan to hit the road group ride tonight to further test my set-up, the Eastwood MTB TT Tuesday, the Tuesday Night Ride with Revengeance, but other than that just hit the commutes and rest. I've found if I don't ride at all it doesn't usually make me feel stronger, so I figure riding 5-6 hrs during the week will put me right where I want to be.
Last loose end will be figuring out how to feed myself for this beast. 120+ miles with no opportunity for greasy hot food or red meat may prove to be the biggest difficulty.
Hope your feeling more ready than I am!
5.05.2011
BALLS 2011 Madison Wisconsin area rail to trail's at it's best
As usual, I suck and didn't bring a camera or take any pictures.
BALLS was as expected. Friday, FISH FRY night in Mt. Horeb, dinner meant I needed to be in Barneveld by 7. Didn't quite make it, but the road construction on the way down did allow me extra time to listen to coverage of the royal wedding. I parked at Scott's and hammered out to Mt. Horeb for Spotted Cows, mini tacos and a burger.
Saturday dawned very bright and early and I felt mostly like crap. It would be 7 trips to the toilet and approximately 7 hrs AND 75 miles later before I started feeling ok. Not many 100 mile rides where I remember feeling stronger towards the end (the same would happen Sunday too). Great to see all the riders out there! Tons of people I haven't seen for 7 or 8 months and some new ones too. Lots of fancy, fancy bikes this year- shows how the gravel thing is taking off... seems even last year people were generally on something cheap/simple/commuter-like and now more and more are on almost gravel specific rigs. I rode the Trek 720 with a cooler strapped to the back, I did not get the memo about the fancy bikes (in all seriousness, I was expecting pouring rain and drivetrain ruining sand everywhere).
I strapped a small cooler to my rack with bungee cords. It worked out so well that I plan to actually bolt it into the same position permanently on that bike. It's nice to know you've got a couple beers, some cold food and a soda or two at the ready. I did learn that glass bottles are a bad idea if you are going to fall.
Don and I hammered pretty hard out to Dodgeville and I used that extra time to pick up a cap gun from Walgreens. The possibilities associated with carrying a cap gun on bike trails are endless.
Rode with many different people throughout the day, but by the end it was almost the exact same crew as last year who hammered out the last few miles into Brodhead together. Almost the same stop at the last turn too- the E&J went down as well as ever.
ALE ASYLUM (thanks to them btw) was everywhere at the finish. I believe we had ten full cases to go around. Ambergeddon is about as good as it gets if you ask me. Consumed about 2 lbs of hot beef, pasta salad, chips, cookies etc. and sat by the fire until a little after 11. Great time.
Sunday am I woke up to Kevin joking with Nate about sneaking into my room and firing the cap gun, but fell back asleep quickly and they never tried it. Next time I woke up everyone was gone riding already. Hurredly put my gear on and put some effort into catching back up. We all got into a loose group by about mile 20 and would continue on as such to the finish. Again I felt like I got stronger as the day wore on- this time the wind also felt stronger as the day went on. We waged a sort of battle. I got a bit tired of the not-exactly-aero cooler and bike setup. Then I got close enough to the finish that it started to pull and finished feeling strong. More Ambergeddon.
Again I would highly recommend this ride to anyone. There is someone to ride with at almost any pace and everyone has a great time. The cabins in Brodhead are perfect and free Ale Asylum is great. Hope to see you next year.
BALLS was as expected. Friday, FISH FRY night in Mt. Horeb, dinner meant I needed to be in Barneveld by 7. Didn't quite make it, but the road construction on the way down did allow me extra time to listen to coverage of the royal wedding. I parked at Scott's and hammered out to Mt. Horeb for Spotted Cows, mini tacos and a burger.
Saturday dawned very bright and early and I felt mostly like crap. It would be 7 trips to the toilet and approximately 7 hrs AND 75 miles later before I started feeling ok. Not many 100 mile rides where I remember feeling stronger towards the end (the same would happen Sunday too). Great to see all the riders out there! Tons of people I haven't seen for 7 or 8 months and some new ones too. Lots of fancy, fancy bikes this year- shows how the gravel thing is taking off... seems even last year people were generally on something cheap/simple/commuter-like and now more and more are on almost gravel specific rigs. I rode the Trek 720 with a cooler strapped to the back, I did not get the memo about the fancy bikes (in all seriousness, I was expecting pouring rain and drivetrain ruining sand everywhere).
I strapped a small cooler to my rack with bungee cords. It worked out so well that I plan to actually bolt it into the same position permanently on that bike. It's nice to know you've got a couple beers, some cold food and a soda or two at the ready. I did learn that glass bottles are a bad idea if you are going to fall.
Don and I hammered pretty hard out to Dodgeville and I used that extra time to pick up a cap gun from Walgreens. The possibilities associated with carrying a cap gun on bike trails are endless.
Rode with many different people throughout the day, but by the end it was almost the exact same crew as last year who hammered out the last few miles into Brodhead together. Almost the same stop at the last turn too- the E&J went down as well as ever.
ALE ASYLUM (thanks to them btw) was everywhere at the finish. I believe we had ten full cases to go around. Ambergeddon is about as good as it gets if you ask me. Consumed about 2 lbs of hot beef, pasta salad, chips, cookies etc. and sat by the fire until a little after 11. Great time.
Sunday am I woke up to Kevin joking with Nate about sneaking into my room and firing the cap gun, but fell back asleep quickly and they never tried it. Next time I woke up everyone was gone riding already. Hurredly put my gear on and put some effort into catching back up. We all got into a loose group by about mile 20 and would continue on as such to the finish. Again I felt like I got stronger as the day wore on- this time the wind also felt stronger as the day went on. We waged a sort of battle. I got a bit tired of the not-exactly-aero cooler and bike setup. Then I got close enough to the finish that it started to pull and finished feeling strong. More Ambergeddon.
Again I would highly recommend this ride to anyone. There is someone to ride with at almost any pace and everyone has a great time. The cabins in Brodhead are perfect and free Ale Asylum is great. Hope to see you next year.
4.20.2011
pg13 rating cancelled
Turns out it was a setting issue associated with a blogger update that randomly coincided with the barely covered girls butt posting. I have unchecked that box, please still proceed with some caution when on work computers etc..
4.15.2011
Cold and beautiful for Durand
Not looking so great, right? Or is it shaping up to be just like my earlier races?
I know today should be the day to start making excuses... (wink) Just don't feel like it.
I know today should be the day to start making excuses... (wink) Just don't feel like it.
4.12.2011
Sunday April 17 and 24- "Almanzo course" rides
I'm going to ride both of these Sundays, either from my house or from the A&W in Spring Valley. I expect both days to be between 100 and 162 miles- likely about 100 this week and more like 130 the next. I know the area well and you are welcome to join up if you are interested. I'm thinking start time for this week will be 8 am and depending on how things go (and if anyone else wants to come with) I may start as early as 6:30 on the 24th in order to try to get as many miles in as possible. I can print maps if you are interested in riding at your own pace- they won't be detailed and will no reflect anything other than my own favorite gravels in the area between my house, st. charles and harmony.
4.11.2011
Ragnarok
My initial reaction that my postcard was not drawn from the bag was pretty ugly. I got over it and decided the best thing to do would be to do what I could to help support the race. Chris and I got to talking and made a tentative plan to head over there on bikes, get some solid miles in, have some fun and also support the race.
Three of us left Rochester at 5:30 Friday afternoon on what turned out to be an awesome ride. I was pleased to see that all my Almanzo kit had shown up earlier in the day- very happy with the fit/finish of this years stuff and absolutely love the light jacket. Weather was as good as it gets (even a slight tail wind) and the pace seemed to work for all of us. We started down highway 63, but with each subsequent turn we got further and further into the beautiful back road county and away from heavy traffic. 50 miles and 2.5 hrs later we rolled into Red Wing and headed straight to Fiesta Mexicana for some refueling, then caribou and finally a bit of a tour of downtown. Then the group retired to my parent's place to watch Leno and Craig Ferguson with a bottle of Darkness. It was as good a ride as I've ever been on.
About four hours later my alarm was going off and it was time to head down to Bev's for a breakfast of Biscuits and Gravy or Chorizo with eggs and potatos. The chorizo would stay with me for at least the next 4 hrs, but I did my best not to let it hold me back (my failing rear wheel would do enough of that). We were able to watch the start of the race, follow the racers over Lehrbach "pass" and then we took off for some Hills Dr., some rogue offroading in Frontenac State Park, town line sprints to both signs in Lake City and then a huge elevation gain back to the top of the bluff to the location from which we would set up shop to watch the race.
Photos (thanks Jony- I forgot my camera)-
We spent about 7 hours there beside the road cheering people on and offering our style of support- "beer, wine, coke, salami, brie, water, cigarettes"???. I hope we made some of the racer's days a little bit easier. I have a feeling we had the most fun of anyone involved. Maybe even more fun than if I'd been able to race.
I made it home around 8 pm with hopes of still getting out for the Revengeance ride to Millville Sunday am. I knew I'd have to rebuild my bike in order to do so. By the end of the ride Saturday I felt like I was dragging a sled and the rim was wobbling at least 2" from center. I unbolted the axle, pulled the wheel out of the dropouts and the guts of the hub slid right out to the drive side. I was still pretty buzzed. I took about a 10 second look at it and put it out of sight and out of mind. I did wind up getting the bike converted over to regular gears (attack gripshift with xtr/ultegra derailleurs similar to my 29er) but missed the group ride anyways, I was just too tired. I'm pretty scared to look into the situation with the nexus hub at this point- but would love to be able to use it for next winter as well.
Got in my first dirt singletrack ride of the year today! Eastwood is in surprisingly great shape. Thinking maybe I'll try to make it to Decorah on Sunday (racing Durand Sunday).
Three of us left Rochester at 5:30 Friday afternoon on what turned out to be an awesome ride. I was pleased to see that all my Almanzo kit had shown up earlier in the day- very happy with the fit/finish of this years stuff and absolutely love the light jacket. Weather was as good as it gets (even a slight tail wind) and the pace seemed to work for all of us. We started down highway 63, but with each subsequent turn we got further and further into the beautiful back road county and away from heavy traffic. 50 miles and 2.5 hrs later we rolled into Red Wing and headed straight to Fiesta Mexicana for some refueling, then caribou and finally a bit of a tour of downtown. Then the group retired to my parent's place to watch Leno and Craig Ferguson with a bottle of Darkness. It was as good a ride as I've ever been on.
About four hours later my alarm was going off and it was time to head down to Bev's for a breakfast of Biscuits and Gravy or Chorizo with eggs and potatos. The chorizo would stay with me for at least the next 4 hrs, but I did my best not to let it hold me back (my failing rear wheel would do enough of that). We were able to watch the start of the race, follow the racers over Lehrbach "pass" and then we took off for some Hills Dr., some rogue offroading in Frontenac State Park, town line sprints to both signs in Lake City and then a huge elevation gain back to the top of the bluff to the location from which we would set up shop to watch the race.
Photos (thanks Jony- I forgot my camera)-
We spent about 7 hours there beside the road cheering people on and offering our style of support- "beer, wine, coke, salami, brie, water, cigarettes"???. I hope we made some of the racer's days a little bit easier. I have a feeling we had the most fun of anyone involved. Maybe even more fun than if I'd been able to race.
I made it home around 8 pm with hopes of still getting out for the Revengeance ride to Millville Sunday am. I knew I'd have to rebuild my bike in order to do so. By the end of the ride Saturday I felt like I was dragging a sled and the rim was wobbling at least 2" from center. I unbolted the axle, pulled the wheel out of the dropouts and the guts of the hub slid right out to the drive side. I was still pretty buzzed. I took about a 10 second look at it and put it out of sight and out of mind. I did wind up getting the bike converted over to regular gears (attack gripshift with xtr/ultegra derailleurs similar to my 29er) but missed the group ride anyways, I was just too tired. I'm pretty scared to look into the situation with the nexus hub at this point- but would love to be able to use it for next winter as well.
Got in my first dirt singletrack ride of the year today! Eastwood is in surprisingly great shape. Thinking maybe I'll try to make it to Decorah on Sunday (racing Durand Sunday).
4.04.2011
cars and house
Little bit different post here!
I've been getting my rides in over the last week, but the focus has definitely been on house and car stuff. I figured I'd share what I've been up to.
We decided that my old Tahoe was just that. It was time to replace it with something nicer and more likely to be reliable for the longterm. We also wanted a little bit better gas mileage. I wound up purchasing a Toyota Sequoia limited. Went with one on the cheaper end of what they sell for used and right away had to put a little bit of money into making it nice. Added 20" Toyota chrome wheels with summer tires (I'll paint the stock rims for winter use). The factory cd player was broken so added a Pioneer avh-2300dvd source unit which gives me a little more control equalizer wise and allows dvd/ipod/pandora etc. to play and has a 5.8" touch screen. I will be adding a small subwoofer and installing a back-up camera sometime in the next few months to finish that up. It also had a "tick" from a cracked exhaust manifold so we added JBA Cat4ward headers. Obviously the headers also meant that the rest of the exhaust system had to be replaced... so rounded that out with a stainless magnaflow muffler that I had laying around and dual pipes- Can't do that without a new high-flow air filer, so did that too. It's actually still real quiet, but you can defitely feel the power improvement. Feels the same as if you cut 300 or 400 lbs of weight from the vehicle. Those changes should also increase the mpg a bit due to increased efficiency.
Here is a picture-
If you are interested in the Tahoe I'm looking for offers over $3000. It has 215k miles and drives very well. Likely has hundreds of thousands of miles left in it, these things last forever.
Continuing on the car things- I have more or less been neglecting my "fun" car and just letting it sit in the garage. The C43 needed a new battery and a couple other small things done in order to be driveable. Sadly, the front brake rotors alone are $500 a piece... small things can add up fast on that thing! Anyways, I figured if I was going to "hold" it and have it take space in the garage I may as well use it. Changed the oil, battery, drained the gas etc. and got her running. Wow is it ever fun to drive too! Got to thinking a bit and decided I may as well combine my two favorite hobbies. Luckily I was able to find this stock Mercedes roof rack and Bicycle Sports helped to round it out with matching wheel holders and wind fairing. For those who haven't seen it before (I haven't mentioned it much in this space) this car is a 1999 C43 AMG. I've added a custom side-mount Eaton mp90 supercharger, air-water intercooler system, tons of gauges, some custom tuning software that lets me do some stuff with it via laptop and a ton of nice stereo equipment. It makes somewhere between 400-420hp and a bit more tq. Doesn't have a lot of traction, but will still do 0-100 in about 10 seconds. Next step is to isntall the massive 14" drilled rotors that showed up last week- before then I had better stay away from the 175 mph gearing limited top speed.
Picture-
We are working on making our house nice too. Plan is for laminate flooring upstairs and new carpet down below. While we are making those changes we will also throw new paint on many of the walls, clean/redo/seal the grout on our ceramic tile, redo the floor in one of our bathrooms. Thankfully, my parent's came down yesterday and helped. We were able to tear out the upstairs carpet, install new dog control gates, clean the upstairs grout, tear down the old dog enclosure that we don't use, etc. etc., and of course make a whole bunch of plans for more things. Now I just need to figure out how to get all the junk out of my garage so the C43 can go back in.
Along with the house work I've also been trying to simplify my life and get rid of some extra posessions (this is not mean to be ironic with respect to the "extra" car as mentioned above). I've sold my large air compressor, car dollies, lawnmower, extra bike racks etc. on craigslist and still have many other items awaiting a buyer.
Perhaps you are in need of a 10 year old wakeboard, some air tools, 26" rim brake wheels, a flat bar Kona Jake the Snake or a 1988 Shasta Travel Trailer?
seriously, Jake the Snake is set up 2x9 and I'd sell for less than $400... you know you want it!
You can add this sweet trailer for another $3500, it's perfect for a 4 man team at a 24 hr race, and it weighs just 4500 lbs.
Hope you had a good weekend
I've been getting my rides in over the last week, but the focus has definitely been on house and car stuff. I figured I'd share what I've been up to.
We decided that my old Tahoe was just that. It was time to replace it with something nicer and more likely to be reliable for the longterm. We also wanted a little bit better gas mileage. I wound up purchasing a Toyota Sequoia limited. Went with one on the cheaper end of what they sell for used and right away had to put a little bit of money into making it nice. Added 20" Toyota chrome wheels with summer tires (I'll paint the stock rims for winter use). The factory cd player was broken so added a Pioneer avh-2300dvd source unit which gives me a little more control equalizer wise and allows dvd/ipod/pandora etc. to play and has a 5.8" touch screen. I will be adding a small subwoofer and installing a back-up camera sometime in the next few months to finish that up. It also had a "tick" from a cracked exhaust manifold so we added JBA Cat4ward headers. Obviously the headers also meant that the rest of the exhaust system had to be replaced... so rounded that out with a stainless magnaflow muffler that I had laying around and dual pipes- Can't do that without a new high-flow air filer, so did that too. It's actually still real quiet, but you can defitely feel the power improvement. Feels the same as if you cut 300 or 400 lbs of weight from the vehicle. Those changes should also increase the mpg a bit due to increased efficiency.
Here is a picture-
If you are interested in the Tahoe I'm looking for offers over $3000. It has 215k miles and drives very well. Likely has hundreds of thousands of miles left in it, these things last forever.
Continuing on the car things- I have more or less been neglecting my "fun" car and just letting it sit in the garage. The C43 needed a new battery and a couple other small things done in order to be driveable. Sadly, the front brake rotors alone are $500 a piece... small things can add up fast on that thing! Anyways, I figured if I was going to "hold" it and have it take space in the garage I may as well use it. Changed the oil, battery, drained the gas etc. and got her running. Wow is it ever fun to drive too! Got to thinking a bit and decided I may as well combine my two favorite hobbies. Luckily I was able to find this stock Mercedes roof rack and Bicycle Sports helped to round it out with matching wheel holders and wind fairing. For those who haven't seen it before (I haven't mentioned it much in this space) this car is a 1999 C43 AMG. I've added a custom side-mount Eaton mp90 supercharger, air-water intercooler system, tons of gauges, some custom tuning software that lets me do some stuff with it via laptop and a ton of nice stereo equipment. It makes somewhere between 400-420hp and a bit more tq. Doesn't have a lot of traction, but will still do 0-100 in about 10 seconds. Next step is to isntall the massive 14" drilled rotors that showed up last week- before then I had better stay away from the 175 mph gearing limited top speed.
Picture-
We are working on making our house nice too. Plan is for laminate flooring upstairs and new carpet down below. While we are making those changes we will also throw new paint on many of the walls, clean/redo/seal the grout on our ceramic tile, redo the floor in one of our bathrooms. Thankfully, my parent's came down yesterday and helped. We were able to tear out the upstairs carpet, install new dog control gates, clean the upstairs grout, tear down the old dog enclosure that we don't use, etc. etc., and of course make a whole bunch of plans for more things. Now I just need to figure out how to get all the junk out of my garage so the C43 can go back in.
Along with the house work I've also been trying to simplify my life and get rid of some extra posessions (this is not mean to be ironic with respect to the "extra" car as mentioned above). I've sold my large air compressor, car dollies, lawnmower, extra bike racks etc. on craigslist and still have many other items awaiting a buyer.
Perhaps you are in need of a 10 year old wakeboard, some air tools, 26" rim brake wheels, a flat bar Kona Jake the Snake or a 1988 Shasta Travel Trailer?
seriously, Jake the Snake is set up 2x9 and I'd sell for less than $400... you know you want it!
You can add this sweet trailer for another $3500, it's perfect for a 4 man team at a 24 hr race, and it weighs just 4500 lbs.
Hope you had a good weekend
3.28.2011
I Quit
On Saturday I quit.
I left the group and became "mr. 83" (out of 106), "mr. 9000 ft" (out of 1000), "mr. laying on the couch watching basketball" (rather than eating yesterdays pizza at Casey's). On my way back to Shockey's house, riding alone, I contemplated the finances of quitting cycling. I figured the value of each of my bikes, the savings on travel, what it would feel like to spend my days drinking and eating. I thought about Laura and the dogs, all the time I don't spend with them in order to race. I considered the effects of riding on my health; is endurance riding good or bad in that respect? I decided it was probably killing me slowly.
I was ready to pack up and go home and be done with it all. I showered for what felt like an hour, turning my thoughts over and over in my head. What had happened to me the last two weeks? I knew that my problems were partly due to a bad bike setup and a bad decision to leave my Jandd frame bag at home and to wear a backpack. My back was cramping and tight to the point of forcing me to quit. Regardless I felt so bad that I didn't think it could all be blamed on my bike, however convenient that might be.
Since that road race I had won in Hills I had taken a rest week then raced on Saturday. A race that went so poorly that I actually got off my bike during the first lap and started walking to my car. I'd known that there was something wrong with THAT (even though I had come back to get 3rd in the 4/5s that day) and taken ANOTHER rest week. Now here I was again, quitting. Was this just not fun anymore? Was I burnt out? Was I sick? What the fuck was going on?
I knew I couldn't just leave- my friends would be back soon and I'd look like a fool. I watched basketball.
We went to The Oaks for dinner and drinks. There was some sort of an "Upper Iowa NASCAR Racing Banquet" going on. We had a great time, too good of a time considering the 65 mile ride planned for Sunday morning. I didn't care, I was still looking for an excuse to skip it. We made it back to Shockey's much too late.
In the morning we got breakfast and then suited up for another day of riding. No backpack, no cx bike today. I rode the commuter with everything I needed in pockets.
Everything was different. The weather was beautiful, I was riding with friends, I was comfortable. I became stronger with each mile. By the end I felt almost normal. I was able to push, felt ready for the future.
I think I learned something about the importance of bike setup- but maybe it was more about being humble. I had taken for granted that I could ride the, very difficult, 106 mile route without "trying". I should have had my frame bag, I should have adjusted the fit of the bike after cyclocross season for more comfort, I should have changed to a wider range cassette for the almost constant climbs. I shouldn't have ridden 50 miles the afternoon before. I shouldn't have slept so little during the week. I'd set myself up to fail because I thought I was too strong to fail. Lesson learned. Looking back now I realize I'd likely just caught a bit of a cold, had a bad weekend last week and then made a bunch of mistakes leading into this century.
I also learned something about friends- Saturday night and the Sunday ride redeemed everything. Thank you! By Sunday night I was looking to ride more- went for a cruiser ride through the city as the sun set. Rode my bike to work today, likely hitting the road for a long ride Wednesday morning.
In less emotional news-
They upgraded me to Cat 4, so I'll be able to compete as a 4 at the Durand and Sogn Valley road races.
As a reward for reading this far (I know I wouldn't have)- I'm going to let you know that the picture that made my blog pg13 has now been put back up... scroll down if you missed it before. I take no blame if you are disappointed, you probably will be as it's not that great nor all that offensive.
3.14.2011
First road race experience and thoughts- I'm a cat 5 roadie
I was in a couple races here and have no pictures- someone took at least 30 pictures of my during the races, if I find those pictures I'll add them later.
The last two weekends I raced in the first two legs of the Iowa Spring Classic series. These were my first experience with road racing and I was nervous going in. I knew I'd have new competition, new rules, new situations etc. and experienced the fear of the unknown. That fear was also mixed with excitement. I've always been interested in road racing, it just didn't initially seem as inviting/fun to get into as mountain biking. Regardless, now is the time to start.
About the Iowa Spring Classic races
From their own Facebook-
"Grassroots racing, $15 entry fee, no late fee, on-site registration! Very simple and no limbo mumbo jumbo."
more-
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=270563394023
These races lived up to my expectations and then some. $15 for a sanctioned race (more on the importance or lack thereof of this later) with volunteers at all corners, good people, nice prizes and some cash payouts to almost all classes seems awful fair! It's obvious that the organizers, and all the riders too, are out there because they love cycling. Both courses were enjoyable and had unique challenges/conditions which had the potential for making good racing.
Race 1 (Colfax)-
Absolutely no clue what to expect. Lots of nerves. Figured I might get crushed, felt pressure because a lot of my friends (who have never been in a road race) sneer about the "cat 5" roadie and how slow they are. Didn't really want to have to explain they weren't all that slow. Also thought to myself that whether they like it or not THEY too are cat 5 roadies until they make themselves something else through racing. I've experienced enough in athletics to know that it's never easy to win and sometimes even harder to win when you are expected to do so. I also knew that knowing nothing about my competition wouldn't help. Mostly I just wanted to get this "first" over with, learn something and be able to better prepare myself for later races.
Pulled the Viner CX bike out of the car and decided on the Real Design wheels with the 32c IRD tires. Had the Zipps with but in a strange way my nerves made me want to leave them in the car. I figured I'd rather not get my ass kicked by a bunch of 4s and 5s while riding on $$$ wheels. That shows my state of mind basically right before the race. Pretty fucked up huh? It isn't so much that the wheels would actually be faster or slower (both are pretty aero and the RD wheels are lighter) it was just that I was thinking like a pansy.
During my warm up I realized the cassette was skipping and that I'd gotten two identical cassettes mixed up (one lightly used and one trashed). I would have to switch to the Zipp at least in the rear.
Race started and pace was easy. Stuck in third or fourth wheel, idling, for the first 2 or 3 miles. First hill came and I got antsy. Eight or ten solid pedal strokes and I was off. It was the nerves that made me do it and as the hill unfolded under me I started to rethink. There were 2 or 3 turns as we climbed up and up. I wasn't working real hard, but I was vaguely aware that only one other rider was really right with me. I was thinking that this was EXACTLY what everyone had warned me not to do in my first race. I'd spent a couple hours the night before tossing and turning then researching online. All the articles and forum posts all agreed and they all basically said "dont' do what you're doing right now".
The one rider beside me started to pull away a bit as we crested the top of the hill. I looked back and realized the field was strung out pretty good, but there were 4 or 5 guys near behind me. I let the lead rider go, I would head the advice of many and ride in the group.
The group was slow. I rode the next lap with the group, resting. While climbing the same large hill I realized I had made a mistake by falling back to the group. If I wanted to win I'd have to give chase alone. I rode the rest of the race solo and wound up a few minutes behind that lone rider and at least 3 or 4 minutes clear of third place within the Cat 4/5 field. I also caught the 1/2/3 race at the end of my 3rd lap and finished a few minutes in front of them (of course they were only on lap 3 of 6 when I caught them).
I'd lost to only one rider (who was a cat 4 fwiw) and was feeling pretty good. However, as I packed up and headed home I started to feel worse and worse about the experience. There was a pit in my stomache. I'd ridden like a wimp. Was the guy who beat me that much stronger than I, or did I lose the race by listening to the voices in my head instead of just riding?
Race 2 (Hills)-
This route wasn't all gravel so I brought my Look 585 as well as the Vigor Cross. There were quite a few new faces this weekend and a larger field, but guessed that the same rider from last weekend would be strong once again. At Colfax he had ridden a regular road bike and I figured that even if it were slower overall I'd have a better chance of beating him if our bikes had similar strengths and weaknesses. I didn't want to let him get away somewhere on pavement just because of his bike. I wanted to beat him pretty bad for beating me the week before. Probably more so because I was angry about beating myself the week before... No nerves this week. Legs felt good too, despite the long ride Thursday and the cumulative hours piling up since my last rest week (prior to CIRREM).
Start was a long downhill into the wind, a turn with a crosswind and two rollers then a turn directly into the wind with two sharp rollers. I went all out up the two sharp rollers. It was just the two of us from there on out. We were out of site of the field quickly and working our way through the masters guys and a few of the people who had been dropped from the lead in the 1/2/3 race. We worked together well for the first two laps. It was somewhat new to work with someone in a situation where I really wanted to beat them too (usually in 'gravel grinder' races, though the goal is the same, they are so long that I don't spend much time worrying about how to beat those around me). I noticed he was weak in the crosswind and on the one loose patch of gravel. I started planning how I could get away. Then I started questioning IF I could get away. Then planning how to get away again- I was willing to take a risk. Was a tenth of a second from putting the hammer down for most of the last lap. Kept myself from really doing so until a downhill with a cross wind with about a mile left. Hit it hard and it worked. 100-150 yard gap by the top of the next hill! He either hadn't expected an attack there or just wan't comfortable enough with the wind/speed. I made it to the finish with my gap.
After my cool-down ride I got to watch the finish of the 1/2/3 race. A few of my new friends from the lead pack at CIRREM were right in there! It was fun to watch. I'd hoped to learn something, but what I saw looked just like any town line sprint back home with velo-rochester or Trevor. I wished I would have been a part of it, or had the chance to be dropped somewhere out on the road by those guys.
Thoughts-
In theory I need 10 starts to move up to being a "4". I would then need to earn a bunch of points or else meet another minimum start requirement. I've got 4 road races on my schedule this year with the possiblity of 6, maybe 7 if I forgo rest weeks I have planned in May and August.
I'm hoping that the larger races on my schedule- Durand and Sogn Valley are more competitive in the 4/5 race. I know they are still quite short distance wise. Fast or not, I know I'm ready for "full" length road races. In fact, I'd probably be better in a cat 1 length race than in some mini-sprint. It certainly makes no sense that I should be doing road races that are shorter time wise than my XC mountain bike races.
I had a great time at these races, but if road racing is ever going to be something I do more than just before the big gravel races and mountain bike races start It's going to have to be longer races with more competitive riders. It's pretty much the suck that theoretically it would be something like 3 years before I'd even be a Cat 3 unless I'm willing to forgo something else in my schedule. Seems like someone at USA Cycling should rethink these rules.
In the meantime I intend to train some more and then race at Durand. I hope there are a bunch of people there in the 4/5 race who give me trouble, kick my ass, push me around. I need to get my ass kicked. If things go halfway decent at them I'll ask my local rep if I can upgrade then.
thoughts II-
Some who read this will think I've lost touch and I'm in dangerous water here... Talking about categories and aero wheels and all sorts of non-necessary bullshit. I say it's all two sides of the same coin. I love it all. The steel single speed mountain bike crowd isn't any cooler from an outside perspective than the roadies on carbon bikes. It's all two sides of the same coin. I'm caught up in this right now because I want to experience it all. I will have to work my way up some (and get faster too) in order to really experience what road racing is about. I love riding my bike and love competition. Until I'm far better than I am at any discipline currently I will push toward getting better equally at any and all discipline that looks like it might be fun. Why the hell not? You've missed the point if you are somehow against road racing yet consider yourself a cyclist, you know who you are...
For now- big ride with Meiser, Cody larson and who knows who else (read- I'm going to be the anchor, in the negative sense!) this weekend. Follow that with a rest week on the way into the STD ride with Shockey and then a bit of a break until Durand. Can't wait for the season to get going!
The last two weekends I raced in the first two legs of the Iowa Spring Classic series. These were my first experience with road racing and I was nervous going in. I knew I'd have new competition, new rules, new situations etc. and experienced the fear of the unknown. That fear was also mixed with excitement. I've always been interested in road racing, it just didn't initially seem as inviting/fun to get into as mountain biking. Regardless, now is the time to start.
About the Iowa Spring Classic races
From their own Facebook-
"Grassroots racing, $15 entry fee, no late fee, on-site registration! Very simple and no limbo mumbo jumbo."
more-
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=270563394023
These races lived up to my expectations and then some. $15 for a sanctioned race (more on the importance or lack thereof of this later) with volunteers at all corners, good people, nice prizes and some cash payouts to almost all classes seems awful fair! It's obvious that the organizers, and all the riders too, are out there because they love cycling. Both courses were enjoyable and had unique challenges/conditions which had the potential for making good racing.
Race 1 (Colfax)-
Absolutely no clue what to expect. Lots of nerves. Figured I might get crushed, felt pressure because a lot of my friends (who have never been in a road race) sneer about the "cat 5" roadie and how slow they are. Didn't really want to have to explain they weren't all that slow. Also thought to myself that whether they like it or not THEY too are cat 5 roadies until they make themselves something else through racing. I've experienced enough in athletics to know that it's never easy to win and sometimes even harder to win when you are expected to do so. I also knew that knowing nothing about my competition wouldn't help. Mostly I just wanted to get this "first" over with, learn something and be able to better prepare myself for later races.
Pulled the Viner CX bike out of the car and decided on the Real Design wheels with the 32c IRD tires. Had the Zipps with but in a strange way my nerves made me want to leave them in the car. I figured I'd rather not get my ass kicked by a bunch of 4s and 5s while riding on $$$ wheels. That shows my state of mind basically right before the race. Pretty fucked up huh? It isn't so much that the wheels would actually be faster or slower (both are pretty aero and the RD wheels are lighter) it was just that I was thinking like a pansy.
During my warm up I realized the cassette was skipping and that I'd gotten two identical cassettes mixed up (one lightly used and one trashed). I would have to switch to the Zipp at least in the rear.
Race started and pace was easy. Stuck in third or fourth wheel, idling, for the first 2 or 3 miles. First hill came and I got antsy. Eight or ten solid pedal strokes and I was off. It was the nerves that made me do it and as the hill unfolded under me I started to rethink. There were 2 or 3 turns as we climbed up and up. I wasn't working real hard, but I was vaguely aware that only one other rider was really right with me. I was thinking that this was EXACTLY what everyone had warned me not to do in my first race. I'd spent a couple hours the night before tossing and turning then researching online. All the articles and forum posts all agreed and they all basically said "dont' do what you're doing right now".
The one rider beside me started to pull away a bit as we crested the top of the hill. I looked back and realized the field was strung out pretty good, but there were 4 or 5 guys near behind me. I let the lead rider go, I would head the advice of many and ride in the group.
The group was slow. I rode the next lap with the group, resting. While climbing the same large hill I realized I had made a mistake by falling back to the group. If I wanted to win I'd have to give chase alone. I rode the rest of the race solo and wound up a few minutes behind that lone rider and at least 3 or 4 minutes clear of third place within the Cat 4/5 field. I also caught the 1/2/3 race at the end of my 3rd lap and finished a few minutes in front of them (of course they were only on lap 3 of 6 when I caught them).
I'd lost to only one rider (who was a cat 4 fwiw) and was feeling pretty good. However, as I packed up and headed home I started to feel worse and worse about the experience. There was a pit in my stomache. I'd ridden like a wimp. Was the guy who beat me that much stronger than I, or did I lose the race by listening to the voices in my head instead of just riding?
Race 2 (Hills)-
This route wasn't all gravel so I brought my Look 585 as well as the Vigor Cross. There were quite a few new faces this weekend and a larger field, but guessed that the same rider from last weekend would be strong once again. At Colfax he had ridden a regular road bike and I figured that even if it were slower overall I'd have a better chance of beating him if our bikes had similar strengths and weaknesses. I didn't want to let him get away somewhere on pavement just because of his bike. I wanted to beat him pretty bad for beating me the week before. Probably more so because I was angry about beating myself the week before... No nerves this week. Legs felt good too, despite the long ride Thursday and the cumulative hours piling up since my last rest week (prior to CIRREM).
Start was a long downhill into the wind, a turn with a crosswind and two rollers then a turn directly into the wind with two sharp rollers. I went all out up the two sharp rollers. It was just the two of us from there on out. We were out of site of the field quickly and working our way through the masters guys and a few of the people who had been dropped from the lead in the 1/2/3 race. We worked together well for the first two laps. It was somewhat new to work with someone in a situation where I really wanted to beat them too (usually in 'gravel grinder' races, though the goal is the same, they are so long that I don't spend much time worrying about how to beat those around me). I noticed he was weak in the crosswind and on the one loose patch of gravel. I started planning how I could get away. Then I started questioning IF I could get away. Then planning how to get away again- I was willing to take a risk. Was a tenth of a second from putting the hammer down for most of the last lap. Kept myself from really doing so until a downhill with a cross wind with about a mile left. Hit it hard and it worked. 100-150 yard gap by the top of the next hill! He either hadn't expected an attack there or just wan't comfortable enough with the wind/speed. I made it to the finish with my gap.
After my cool-down ride I got to watch the finish of the 1/2/3 race. A few of my new friends from the lead pack at CIRREM were right in there! It was fun to watch. I'd hoped to learn something, but what I saw looked just like any town line sprint back home with velo-rochester or Trevor. I wished I would have been a part of it, or had the chance to be dropped somewhere out on the road by those guys.
Thoughts-
In theory I need 10 starts to move up to being a "4". I would then need to earn a bunch of points or else meet another minimum start requirement. I've got 4 road races on my schedule this year with the possiblity of 6, maybe 7 if I forgo rest weeks I have planned in May and August.
I'm hoping that the larger races on my schedule- Durand and Sogn Valley are more competitive in the 4/5 race. I know they are still quite short distance wise. Fast or not, I know I'm ready for "full" length road races. In fact, I'd probably be better in a cat 1 length race than in some mini-sprint. It certainly makes no sense that I should be doing road races that are shorter time wise than my XC mountain bike races.
I had a great time at these races, but if road racing is ever going to be something I do more than just before the big gravel races and mountain bike races start It's going to have to be longer races with more competitive riders. It's pretty much the suck that theoretically it would be something like 3 years before I'd even be a Cat 3 unless I'm willing to forgo something else in my schedule. Seems like someone at USA Cycling should rethink these rules.
In the meantime I intend to train some more and then race at Durand. I hope there are a bunch of people there in the 4/5 race who give me trouble, kick my ass, push me around. I need to get my ass kicked. If things go halfway decent at them I'll ask my local rep if I can upgrade then.
thoughts II-
Some who read this will think I've lost touch and I'm in dangerous water here... Talking about categories and aero wheels and all sorts of non-necessary bullshit. I say it's all two sides of the same coin. I love it all. The steel single speed mountain bike crowd isn't any cooler from an outside perspective than the roadies on carbon bikes. It's all two sides of the same coin. I'm caught up in this right now because I want to experience it all. I will have to work my way up some (and get faster too) in order to really experience what road racing is about. I love riding my bike and love competition. Until I'm far better than I am at any discipline currently I will push toward getting better equally at any and all discipline that looks like it might be fun. Why the hell not? You've missed the point if you are somehow against road racing yet consider yourself a cyclist, you know who you are...
For now- big ride with Meiser, Cody larson and who knows who else (read- I'm going to be the anchor, in the negative sense!) this weekend. Follow that with a rest week on the way into the STD ride with Shockey and then a bit of a break until Durand. Can't wait for the season to get going!
3.02.2011
My first road group ride
An early photo of my riding with my Dad's bike
It was Spring of 2008 that I purchased a 2003 S-Works E5 road bike off of the classifieds on a twin cities car forum. Prior to that the only road bike I'd ever ridden was my Dad's 1960s Legnano- interestingly although not relevent to me at the time equipped with nuovo record and some of the first ever Phil Wood hubs. I rode it a few times that summer, never venturing further than 20 or 30 miles. August of 2008 a few co-workers and I planned a trip to do some mountain biking, camping and hiking. I pulled the trigger on a new mountain bike at that time- my 1996 Marin was stock, fit me poorly due to a 130mm stem, and sort of falling apart at that point in time. Not long after that trip I decided I wanted to become a "cyclist" for lack of better things to do here in Rochester. Mountain biking seemed the most fun and accessable option. I participated in the Halloween race at Hillside and then at the Cold Bear Series races at Hillside over the winter. I was slow! I had a great time and I was hooked. I kept riding all winter, even indoors on a trainer and on the exercise bike at the gym. I read a few books about how to train and how to eat, but didn't take any related action.
The first weekend in March of 2009 (almost exactly 2 years ago as I write this) rolled around and I decided to join a local road group ride. As we were leaving town my chain broke. I was able to fix it, and cover myself in grease, but that ride was done for me. I was disappointed, but motivated to get my road bike back going ASAP. I figured there would be no substitute to riding it when it came to preparing for the upcoming season of races. I tracked down some tools, my recently purchased Big Blue Park Tools book and a new cassette/chain. While I was at the bike shop I heard there was another group ride the next morning as well. I'd be there!
Of course the Saturday group ride had been a huge group of riders with varying abilities. As a RASC ride it had a no drop policy and a group for almost any pace. Little did I know that the Sunday ride was not quite the same thing...
Looking back on it now I should have seen it coming. We left from Dunn Bros. South and down circle drive to 8 then up the hill. The pace felt insanely high, we were climbing at 15 or 16 mph and my lungs were screaming. Keep in mind that I'd never even been in a paceline so I also had a bit of learning to do there, all while climbing out of town faster than I'd ever gone. I hung on. I rotated through and followed the lead of the other rides. I had no clue where we were, where we were going or when we'd be back to town. I was working so hard I couldn't speak, my motor skills were so low due to the exertion that I couldn't even get my water bottle from it's cage. I couldn't believe how fast the group descended. After ~35 miles I just couldn't keep up with the group on a small hill. Dan Gaz came back for me and helped me catch back on. It happened again on the next hill. I thought about quitting the ride and finding my own way in. Two more excruciating climbs, embarassment!, but now I could see the water towers and knew I was close. I felt real fucking alive spinning back into the Dunn Bros parking lot (I'm pg13 now remember?). I can't imagine what the other riders thought, I think they let me ride with them because I was willing to try. I certainly had no business there. It must have taken me an hour to pick my way the 5 or 6 miles back to my house.
I didn't ride with that same group again for another year, but I sure as hell kept riding.
2.28.2011
CIRREM metric gravel grinder ride report and review
CIRREM was even better than expected!
All the other Rochesterites backed out so I wound up taking the Mini Cooper and leaving fairly late in the night Friday. Stopped when I got tired and filled up on Applebee's then made a bed in the back of the car. Turns out it is possible for a 5'11" tall human to stretch out in a Mini Cooper if they do things just right! I'm not going to give away any secrets here though...
Woke up around 8 on Saturday and had a breakfast of XXX Vitamin water and Chia "fresca". I eyed the wonderful spread set up at the Cumming Tap, but knew eating any of it would come back to haunt me.
CIRREM EXPERIENCE-
Thanks Jed and Kent for putting this thing together. The Cumming tap is a perfect start/finish (other than the spring across the only "busy" road the riders see all day), and all the details that go into the race are excellent. Providing food before the race, at the checkpoint and after the race is awesome. It's also convenient to finish somewhere with excellent beer on tap. The course is great. Lots of rolling hills on secluded gravel roads. It's very similar in feel to the area between Spring Valley and Decorah which I consider some of the best gravel riding I've experienced.
The thing that really sets this race apart though is the riders. 101 people showed up this year despite the "crappy" weather (snow and colder than expected isn't ideal). Everyone was friendly. Not too many cycling events I've been to where you can go in only knowing a couple people and leave with a new nickname and a couple handfulls worth of new friends... especially not when you're the jerk who fell and took out a bunch of innocent bystanders. This is what will keep me coming back to race/ride in Iowa.
Wish I had some pictures of all the awesome prizes and giveaways or of the after party in general, great stuff!
RACE REPORT-
The temperature was colder than expected overnight- hovering around 14. The weather report had called for 18 and a high later in the day around 28 or 30. I had 700x42 Specialized Borough CX Pros on my Viner- figuring that the biggest potential issue would be sloppy/wet gravel and wanting to float on top rather than sink. At the last minute before leaving home I'd thrown in my IRD Crossfires just in case it seemed that traction would be more important than glide. For some reason I didn't even consider swapping them out, even after I noticed it was a bit slick on the road in front of the Cumming Tap. In retrospect I have no idea what I was thinking, but I think I was thinking that I wanted the faster roll of the semi-slicks (this would eventually be my undoing). I'm sure if the race had been on pavement the combination of my semi-slick tires and "aero" wheels would have given me an almost unfair advantage. The race wasn't on pavement, it was on gravel roads with 3-5" of snow over them and then somewhere between 3 and 10 sets of car tracks through that.
The race started and I was happily comfortable with the pace up front. Felt good too! It wasn't long ago that I would have been struggling just to keep up at the beginning of a race like this. I noticed it slicker than I'd expected and began to spend a lot of time at the front to minimize the chance of someone falling in front of me and maximize my visibility of the good lines. My sunglasses became covered with freezing rain and I could hardly see anything- but my bike felt good. Eventually I had to pull the Sunglasses off for better visibility (wow had I ever left them on too long- I could see great after removing them).
There were a few mini-attacks etc., but nothing major. Then at mile 26 or so we came to a long downhill. I was out on the far left of the road, noticed there was a car coming and almost immediately went into a 2 wheel drift back across the road to the right. I was off the brakes the whole time, but had caught a bit of a ridge from where a few cars had driven and once both wheels weren't tracking I knew I was in trouble. After crossin the road in slow motion, I laid it down and 4 or 5 other bikes followed me. I felt terrible about taking people out. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, although I've been taking a lot of Advil and ice ever since.
The group waited for us all to catch back on at the bottom of the hill, thanks! However, when I got to the next uphill I realized that I had knocked my shifting enough out of wack that I would have to get off again and mess around. By the time I got going again I was surely 3-4 minutes back.
It was a long road back to the front (now a group of 8-10?) but I eventually got there. Three or four miles later someone told me that the next climb was long and winding. At that point I felt pretty shaky going downhill and I knew I had to make the best of the uphills. I put in a solid, albeit careful due to the 18 miles left, effort and there were only 4 of us in sight at the top. We crested the next uphill with just three. Then we started hitting some longer downhills with lots of snow on them and one guy flew by me on the way down then the whole group pulled away from my scared ass more and more on each subsequent hill.
I tried to pull them back in after it got flatter, but I'd burned too many matches catching up the last time to chase down a group again. I was happy to notice that I didn't have any back pain despite spending a lot of time in the drops. Eventually I got a bit lost, but finished under 4 hrs and feeling happy overall. Might have been different if I'd swapped tires (or just not fallen and shaken my confidence). Overall though, I am very happy to have rode as strongly as I did at this point in the year.
Congratulations to all that finished- particularly Guitar Ted... he stuck it out despite having frozen feet with a lot of mileage left to go. As always it's the guys who are out there the longest who are the most impressive. I know I didn't feel like riding any longer than I did!
Next up is the Iowa Spring Classic Race this Saturday.
what not to ride when racing on snow
what you may regret leaving in your car while racing on snow
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