Snap (again)

First WORS race. I even got a callup to the starting line as one of the points leaders for MNSCS. Cool. I got a fairly good start, but was having trouble breathing with all of the dust. I entered the first section of singletrack in the top 10-15. First lap was fast. Second lap there was a train of about 10 riders going up the singletrack climb to the rock garden. That's the first time I can recall recovering on a climb. It was so slow that it was hard to ride without falling over. Third lap I had settled in and was getting into a good rhythm. Final lap, I'm feeling good, just passed some people in the last clearing and can see teammate and age-group leader Kevin Supple about 1o yards ahead of me. Pop it in the big ring and fly towards the singletrack. Must have hit the 90 degree turn a little hot, because I hit the deck hard. Dropped my chain, took forever to get it running. Got back on and managed to catch the two guys who passed me. Get through the downhill and to the switchback climb. I shift gears and SNAP, my rear derailleur is broken. Race over, season over (I won't have enough races for series points now). To say I'm bummed is an understatement. I was riding well, feeling surprisingly well. I had a couple of minutes on Rich Omdahl, somehow managed to pass and drop Walters and had the most difficult sections behind me, with nothing but fast flowing singletrack and the finish line ahead of me. Wasn't meant to be I guess.

So, today I get to go to the shop and assess the damage. New XTR rear derailleur for sure, hopefully the XTR wheel isn't toast as well. I've got some serious trail rash and bruising on my hip, knee, and arm. And I'm pretty sure my goal of a podium spot for the series is shot. No Maplelag this weekend, since the repair bill will be $$$. Could have been worse.

(I've decided to delete my rant about a certain rider and let it go.)

White Tail Ridge

"Raced" WTR last night. It's fun to ride but it's definitely not my type of course for racing. It's pretty flat and on the one or two climbs where I could make up some time there's no place to pass. Last night I got stuck behind 2-3 guys on the climb to the rock garden, then got behind someone who didn't clear the rock garden. By the time I got out to the field to pass, the next guy up was already heading into the next section of singletrack. Game over a few minutes into lap 1. Doesn't bode well for Sunday when there will be a ton of racers. That holeshot is going to hurt...

On the road again

Finally able to ride again after being sick for 2 weeks. Got 40 in on Tuesday and another 40 miles last night. Finally found a decent northern route that isn't a narrow no-shoulder road, hillbilly jamboree.

Distance: 40 miles
Average Watts: 200
Average Speed: 20 mph
Calories burned: 1550

No Race

This cold is an ass-kicker. I've been sick for a week with no real signs of improvement. Just mowing the lawn killed me on Saturday so I decided to not even bother thinking about racing at Buck. Went for a 45 minute spin yesterday just to get one ride in for the week and not lose too much fitness. Hope this crap goes away soon.

Cold

Summer colds suck. 85 degrees and sunny outside and you can't go out and play. For two months I've been putting in some serious overtime on this catalog, and I think those 16 hour workdays have finally kicked my ass. No riding this week, hopefully I can race on Sunday. Not sure that's gonna happen.

MNSCS Standings

I know it won't look this way in a few weeks, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Powder Monkey

This was a favorite spot for the vultures, I mean spectators. Bottom of the expert course, sick rock garden at the bottom of a pretty nasty drop. I survived it twice, and from the look on my face thoroughly enjoyed it. Dana's photos continue to kick ass.

Bike Survey

Questions sent to me by Janet. Here goes...

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
Easy, a cyclocross rig. Road, dirt, mud, snow. Bring it on.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?
You never have the dream bike because once you do you want the next one. That being said, my KHS Team XC is pretty fly. And the ladies love my 1972 Schwinn Stingray.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
I'd start at the Slickrock Cafe after breakfast (Hungry Biker + lots of coffee), head down Main St and up towards Slickrock to Porcupine Rim. Rock the PR all the way down to the highway and follow the river back to Moab. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to to do for the rest of her / his life?
I'll have to say, Yo Momma.

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrowminded.
Both. I prefer road bikes on the road and mountain bikes off road. I'm funny like that. Both have their own unique vibe, and doing both makes you appreciate the other even more. Either way, you're not on the couch or in a car, so it's all good.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent?
No, no, and Hell No. I also do not make eye contact with or acknowledge the existence of anyone riding a R-Word.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?
I only run when being chased by someone trying to take my lunch money. Although I do look good in my Fishnet Speedo Junior...

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why.
Ice cream, because bikes don't give me brain freeze.

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.
If a train leaves Chicago at 9:30am traveling west at 60 mph and another train leaves Seattle at 10:30am traveling east at 50 mph, what is the name of the passenger sitting in the 3rd seat of the dining car on the eastbound train? Answer: Yo Momma.

What do you drink during the post-ride social? Beer or wine?
Water. Endurox R4. Heineken or Fat Tire Pale. Not necessarily in that order.

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?
If I'm on the road, I sit in and draft off the bear. If I'm on the mtb I slow down to see if he really does shit in the woods.

Powder Monkey

This race has destroyed my bike the last two years in a row: wheel in 2006, and a snapped rear derailleur last year. So, goal number one was to finish. This course was a beast in the Sport class, and the upgrade to Comp/Expert makes it epic. I can't think of a harder, more technical trail in Minnesota. Rocks everywhere, from babyheads to bus-sized boulders. Tight, twisty, tree-lined singletrack with lots of punchy, technical climbs. Climbs, climbing and more climbing, broken up by more climbing sections. Brutal (but in a good way).

Comp did one full expert lap, plus a half-lap. We started just up from the chalet, climbed to the top and made our way towards the bottom of Spirit Mountain (somehow climbing during the entire descent). Rode everything pretty well considering the expert sections were all new to me. I made the sketchy rock garden downhill at the bottom both laps, disappointing the spectators who were lined up waiting for carnage. Then we climbed back up to the top for what seemed like an hour. Wicked, technical uphill insanity. I made it through all but one section where the rise was so steep I didn't see anyone even attempt to ride it (walking it was a challenge). Just when I could hear traffic and see cars and thought we were at the parking lot we plunged down for more singletrack and more climbing. I was suffering like a dog, but could see some of the group leaders around me, so I figured either they were hurting just as much or I was doing okay.

Made it back to the start/finish for the final half-lap. Was doing fine until I clipped a tree with my handlebar and got launched over the bars and about 10 feet down the side of the hill. Smacked my calf and thigh on the frame, lost about 2 minutes in the process of climbing back up to the trail and got passed for 2 places. Rode with Kevin until the fireroad and then he lost me. Nice recovery, Kevin! I felt good enough to floor it near the parking lot climb but had major chainsuck which took a bit of time to fix. Got it rolling and hit the line for 5th in my group. The crash probably cost me a podium spot (missed 3rd by about 45 seconds), but considering I had to DNF the last two years, I'll take it.

Red Wing

The bottom of the Quarry at Red Wing. You careen down the bluff in a narrow ravine, around and over rocks, between trees, lots of tight turns. At the bottom there's a sharp right turn with rocks to negotiate before a drop (you can get a sense of the steepness and direction change by looking at the two guys standing in the top of the photo. The trail goes right through there, then switches back where I'm riding). Big rocks cushion your fall if you miss the turn (see Dana's photos for some nasty crashes). The full-suspension has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. This is a prime example. On the hardtail, I'd have to find a line around the rocks or risk getting bounced off my line. On the KHS, I can plow right over. Thank you, technology. Thanks to Gus and Company for making this one of the best trails anywhere.

Red Wing haiku

Hot humid pukey
Stupid rock must go to hell
Threw up in my mouth

Where am I ??

Not too hard to guess, but do you know where I was today?
BTW, totally did not expect to find a fixie from the 1800's with wooden wheels and tubulars here. I only wish I had a camera other than the one in my phone for this bad boy. Now THAT'S retro!

Ricco not so sauve

I always thought he was an arrogant jerk, and now we have confirmation. It takes a real special kind of d-bag to talk that much trash while cheating the entire time.

Red Wing

Hit Memorial Bluff yesterday for a good 2 hour ride. Trails were in great shape, as usual. A few downed trees from Friday's storm, but I'm guessing those will be taken care of by race day. I've ridden here so many times I didn't really need the preride, but it's such a fun trail that it's worth the drive. I mainly worked on the Stairway to Heaven climb and the climb out of the Quarry. Got Stairway dialed, had one crap ride out of the Quarry but got it dialed so that I cleaned it 3 out of 4 times. The trick will be not getting stuck behind someone who can't ride either one during the race. That, and getting into the singletrack ahead of the traffic jam at the start. I'll be following Clayton "Holeshot" McLagan for the lead out.

Tour de France thoughts

I could really care less about this year's Tour. The doping scandals were bad enough, but when you exclude the best riders and arguably the strongest team (Astana), what are we left to watch? The French haven't had a winner since Hinault and the Tour organizers have gone out of their way the past few years to stack the deck in hopes of dumbing down the race enough to give themselves a chance. They've eliminated the Team Time Trial (arguably one of the most entertaining and exciting days of the Tour) because they've had their asses handed to them. When Lance and the Disco squad dominated the mountains, they changed the route year after year to try to take away the advantage. Cancellara grabbed the Maillot Jaune in the Prologue last year and held it for far too long for French liking, so this year, no Prologue for the first time in decades. Oh yeah, no time bonuses this year either. They should rename this the Tour de Lowest Hanging Fruit.

Adding to the lack of quality on the road is the further decline of broadcasting standards by Versus. Al Troutwig used to annoy the bejeezus out of me because he clearly knew nothing about cycling but had the American sportscaster vibe, so they brought him in, presumably to appeal to Joe Sixpack sports guy. Craig Hummer is so terrible that I've become president of the Al Troutwig fan club. At least Troutwig was a broadcasting professional who knew how to speak in something other than a whiny, droning monotone for 3 hours. Hummer was barely tolerable when he was doing 3-minute interviews, how the hell did he get this gig? Next year will it be Frankie Andreu and Craig Hummer? That would be a freaking Dream Team. Secondly, I'm all for the American teams and riders, but I don't need to see the same pieces on Garmin-Chipotle and Columbia everyday. Considering there are only 4 American riders in the tour, that is a very disproportionate amount of coverage for a European event. Is there nothing interesting going on with any of the other teams? Apparently not. The most exciting thing so far in this year's Tour was Jonathan Vaughters dropping an F-Bomb on live TV while driving the team car in the TT. Finally, the media buyer at Versus must have the greatest job on the planet. All you need to do is buy one ad for Bacardi, another for Saab, slap together a Tour promo spot and your work is done for the year. It makes me want to "do the Mojito" in a Saab "that recycles exhaust into energy" right over the edge of L'Alpe d'Huez, while singing, "I'm gonna get my head straight".

I think I just took the Black Jersey for points leader in ranting.

Afton Gravelfest

route map here

Had a flat before I even started riding. Hole in the tire had to be booted, first tube didn't hold air. Frantic search for another tube. Fast group leaves while I'm fixing tire. Roll out with the second group. I'm on the front pretty much the entire way down Lake Elmo, feeling ok. We roll towards Afton and the Afton Hills climb. I stand at the base of the climb to drop the hammer only to discover they have just tarred and graveled the road, and my bike slides out from under me. Luckily I didn't hit the deck, but it kind of put a damper on the climb. (Note to Afton lovers: gravel EVERYWHERE) Halfway up the fast group is on their way down, so I pull a 180 and latch on. We roll through Afton and hit the Coulee. I sit about 5th wheel, and for once I fight the urge to attack from the very start of the climb. It stays together until the first false flat, then someone attacks. I see John T move to attack him and I react. I follow John and we crush it the rest of the way up, attacking and counterattacking until we reach 50th street. First test of the day, and I got an A- (would've been A+ but John rolled by me at the very end).

Up 50th to Trading Post and more gravel. Detour out to Neal with craters and pavement the consistency of a cheese grater. Luckily, we're all experienced riders and no one makes any foolish moves. 20mph tailwind down Valley Creek to Stagecoach and I'm spinning out in my biggest gear. Super strong head/crosswind the rest of the way back, but we've got a very organized paceline of about 7-8 guys, and it's smoother than Billy Dee Williams. 350-450 watt turns on the front the rest of the way home with a few attacks at the end. Brian and I led the charge for the last few miles, trading pulls back to the parking lot. Rolled in just behind Brian for the "finish". Second and most important test of the day, not getting dropped, and I boost my GPA with another A, with extra credit for a strong finish. (It would have been great to be able to grade myself like this when I was in school.)

GREAT ride. I was hanging on for dear life after the Coulee, but recovered and found enough power to keep everyone honest. I need to find a way to translate this to mountain biking. On a road bike I can "reach deep into my suitcase of pain" as Paul Sherwin would say, but haven't been able to do the same thing on the mtb consistently. Some day...

Training

Had 4 days off the bike last week. Went for a spin Thursday, felt okay. A couple of laps at Hillside on Saturday in the hot, hot heat, felt pretty good. 2 hours on the road bike yesterday in the even hotter, hot heat, not so good. I'm sure the Fat Tire Ale from Saturday night didn't help the hydration in the 90 degree heat. Just didn't have much power in the legs, especially into the wind coming home. Flatted and cooked in the sun changing the tube. 50 mile hilly hammerfest to Afton on Tuesday. Hopefully the legs make a comeback.

Snap

As in: the legs have no snap.
As in: my chain just snapped.

Warming up for Mankato I could tell I just didn't have the energy for a good race. Start was poor, but passed a lot on the first climb. I tried to keep the speed up to maintain my position and was sitting top 20 after first lap. First half of Lap 2 I was just trying to recover. Then about halfway up the Staircase climb my chain seized, then it snapped. Game over. Oh well. 3-4 weeks until next race and I'm glad. I need some time to recover and train.

Mud Spanker

First photo: dry trail, shades. Second photo: grease trap, and contact lenses being dried onto my corneas. I think I was telling Dana (thanks for the photos and encouragement during the race) to get a shot of me falling on my ass.

Dirt Spanker

Working 10-14 hour days for the last 3 weeks then being sick the last 3 days didn't bode well for the Dirt Spanker. But, I raced anyway. Last year was super hot, this year it was cloudy, mid-70's with off and on rain. So, temperature-wise it was perfect. Trail-wise, not so much. The race starts at the bottom of the ski hill and shoots you all the way up with no warm up. A quick bomber descent then a super steep, rooty climb and you're in the singletrack. Or in this case, the grease. I had zero traction and was sliding all over the place. Every corner, root or log was an extreme effort to stay upright. Nothing like putting all your energy into staying upright instead of moving forward. The brand new trail was the worst. Several times I just about ate it. Then it started raining and it only got worse.

I was riding sideways as much as forward and I heard someone behind me and let them pass. It was Longley. D'oh! He kicked my ass pretty much every race last year and I was determined not to let it happen today without a fight. I did what I could to keep him in sight, and on the climb out at the end of the lap, I gave it some gas and passed him. One small victory for the day. Second lap went a bit better, still no trust in the tires though. Third lap I was feeling fairly good all things considered. I caught up to a Kenwood guy and used him as a rabbit. We caught up to about 3 other guys by the downhill, and I was praying that we could get around them. Instead, it was brakeville all the way down. Plan B was to sit on until the climb and go for it. All of the sudden I'm on my frigging back with my bike on top of me. My front wheel caught some grease in a corner, turned 90 degrees and launched me over the bars into the woods. I smacked the inside of both knees on the bike (I think) in the process. It was one of those deals where you don't even have time to check to see if your bike is still in one piece (or if you are in one piece), you just get on, ride and hope everything works. My knees were killing me and I just lost 3 places. I struggled up the climb one last time, survived the slip-and-slide downhill finish and was done.

4th in my age group, 23rd or something overall. Not bad considering I pretty much flipped a coin as to whether or not to race while sick. I had ice on my knees the whole drive home and still could not move by the time I went to bed. Mankato may not happen next Sunday. We'll see how mobile I am.

Props to Kevin for winning our group and 2nd overall. Jamison continues to rock. Big props to CJ for riding with the experts today (it's like his 3rd race or something ridiculous like that).

Rest Week Recap

After last Sunday's Afton race, I was supposed to have a week off the bike. That lasted until Tuesday, when I put in 70 miles. I stayed off the bike again until Saturday, mostly because I felt like crap. Saturday I still felt lousy, but it was my only chance to go to Mankato and preride the course before the race. So, I packed up and headed south.

The comp/expert course has at least 2 sections that aren't in sport. I've ridden "Mad Squirrel" before, which consists of a rutted, rooty downhill with some wicked switchbacks. I hadn't ridden "Quick Release" before. Yikes. The pictures on MORC don't really do it justice. SUPER steep, with tight turns covered with roots, meaning you've got to keep your fingers off the brakes and let it roll. The bottom drops out to the base of the ski hill with a big pile of loose dirt at the bottom to get through at high speed. 4 times through this outta be fun. If somebody in front of you doesn't make it you're screwed, because I don't know that you can walk this section. I'm hoping to not be that guy. I cleaned it both times I rode it, but decided not to push my luck any further since I was the only person out riding.

Yesterday, no ride, just a long walk with the family. No ride today, hills tomorrow.

Afton, again...

Rode into work yesterday morning to try to wake the legs up since I was still feeling pretty tired from Sunday's race. I'm supposed to be in a transition week, which means no riding. So what do I do? A 60+ mile ride from the Birchwood to Afton and back. See map and elevation profile here. Over 70 miles total yesterday. Ouch.

Afton

Brutal. 2 hours, 11 minutes of suffering. Prologue ran us through a rim-deep bog (see 1st photo above), which bunched everyone back together right before the singletrack. Of course that meant a big traffic jam. After getting out of that mess I gave it some gas to try to get in a good position for the Bridge Loop climb, where there are always people getting caught in the wrong gear and stalling out right in front of you. Gave it some more gas up the Shady Lane climb, passing some people and tried to settle into a rhythm. Made it through the technical sections and was feeling okay. The sun came out just in time for the Manhandler/Whistler climb, and I cooked. The last technical loop was cut out because of the rain, so there was a big bomber downhill instead, leading to the start/finish. 2nd lap I was just trying to maintain my position and not blow up. All the short technical climbs were wearing me down. 3rd lap I was dying. Running out of gas and the legs were on the verge of cramping and total shutdown. Played leapfrog the entire lap with rockstar singlespeeder Ben. Don't know how the hell you can ride Afton with one gear. I granny geared Shady and Manhandler, not sure if my legs were going to function in the middle-ring. Popped it in the middle for Whistler and passed 2-3 guys, putting a nice little gap on them. Gave it what little I had left and rolled into the finish. My left leg totally cramped when I stopped to take off my timing chip (still cramping this morning). Tough race. Loving my bike more and more each time I ride it. New tires did quite well in the grease. 4th place in my age group, 21st overall.

Had our team pot luck: burgers, brats, beer. It was great to see a lot of people still hanging out at the end of the comp/expert race. This is why I joined PCR: bad-ass riders who have as much fun suffering on the bike as they do hanging out together off the bike.

Photos courtesy of Skinnyski.com

Recovery products

NY Times has an interesting article on recovery products and energy drinks/food.

I think it makes sense for the average Joe who only does a short, low-intensity workout a few times a week. But, and maybe it's just a placebo effect, I can definitely tell the difference in the hours and day after an intense workout or race if I don't take Endurox right after the event. Especially if I've got another hard effort that following day. It's also much more convenient to have a bottle of R4 ready to go right after a race than it is to have an actual meal.

Or, you could use Gary's preferred recovery drink: Heineken.

Afton

Hit Afton for a couple of laps Sunday afternoon. Saw quite a few others out doing top-secret training. Low 80's and sunny, pretty much like most race days there. Manhandler/Whistler was brutal, baking in the direct sun all the way up. Trail was mostly dry, except for start area and the gravel road. 2 days of potato salad and beer didn't bode well for training.

Looks like rain all week and severe weather forecast for Sunday. Good times.

Como

Fun studies for another day with a better camera and morning or evening light. I could spend all day in the Japanese Garden.

Stillwater ride

Original plan was to roll with the slow group and use this as a slow burner. Of course that didn't happen. I rolled with the fast group, which consisted of more new faces than familiar ones. The first 15 miles were relatively flat, but everyone was taking flyers, trying to split things up. I knew the big climb out of Stillwater on 11 would splinter everything so I saved my matches for later.

We caught the slow group right at the base of the climb, so we had to weave our way through 20 people and up the first part of the climb. This thinned things out a bit, but the faster guys came back together before the big hill. I decided to try keeping it in the big ring and sprinting up the climb. So, I stood up and went. Stayed standing all the way to the top (that was some good pain), looked back and I had about a 100-150 meter gap. Didn't get caught until Stonebridge (stupid stop sign), but by then we had shelled all but 6 guys.

The newbies didn't quite grasp the whole rotating paceline concept. When they got to the front they would hit the gas and fly off the front, instead of keeping the same pace and letting the guy who just did all the work catch a break. After a little coaching things smoothed out and we were flying between 25-30 mph through the rollers. I took one more flyer on the final hill, staying away until the descent. Then the cat and mouse for the sprint started. I thought I was finally in a good spot, about 4th wheel with 1,000 meters to go. Then 2 guys sat up and I was in the worst position possible. If I took a short pull and sat up I'd get attacked. So, of course, I went for it with about 600 meters to go. Legs were burning, got caught at about 100 meters to go but managed to catch a wheel. Was still in it but got boxed in for about 4th place.

Overall, legs felt pretty good. If the temp ever gets above 70 I may be able to breathe and we'll see how things improve then. Hopefully no repeats of last weeks total body shutdown (I'll be working on recovery the next few days).

Max Watts: 957
Average Watts: 210 (next ride I will try to hit the interval button to get more accurate averages, excluding the warm-up and cool-down parts)
Average Speed: 22.5 mph
Distance: 40.34 miles
Calories burned: 1575

Recovery Ride

Took an easy morning spin yesterday to keep the legs alive. Turned into a harder effort coming back into the wind, but not a hammerfest. Tonight we hit the hills by Stillwater for 40 miles. Can't decide if I'm gonna sit in with the slow guys and just get some miles in or if I'm gonna do the usual race effort.

Holy close call, Batman

We just missed the tornado by about 10 minutes. We were at Home Depot in Blaine and the sky was doing funky things so we headed home. By the time I turned on the tv the tornado warnings were out. Missed us by about 5 miles. Funny thing is it didn't even rain here until the second storm rolled through. Going outside now to see how much hail damage we have.

Where were the sirens? They didn't go off until the storm was well past us.

Lebanon Hills

I took it easy, skipped the Afton ride, and went to Leb instead. Did two full laps plus the warm-up loop for a cool down. Cleaned the entire Tedman's Curve section for the first time, so that was nice. I rode the whole trail with a bit more confidence on the new rig. It's nice having a bike that fits and that has full-suspension. I took some lines in the xx loop I never would have dreamed of on a hardtail, and the boing-boing saved my bacon in the rocks a few times. Perfect day for riding, hopefully the energy levels return to normal soon.

Obey the recovery week

I think I'm paying the price for overtraining. Yesterday morning I woke up and felt horrible. Super weak, nauseous and out of it. It took everything I had to get Owen to daycare and get back home. I crawled into bed to rest for a minute. I woke up 4-1/2 hours later. Better today, but still super tired. Hoping to ride this weekend, but will definitely take it easy.

Aw yeah

I hate penalty shoot outs, it's kind of like deciding the outcome on a coin toss. But, I guess you've still got to put the ball in the back of the net. Man Utd are Premier League and Champions League champs. Awesome.
In the "This could only happen to me" department: I set the TiVo for the match and Jen and I are watching the highlights. I fast forward to the penalty shootout. Good stuff. Even though I knew what was coming it was still nerve racking to watch. Hargreaves makes his penalty kick, then the TiVo cuts out. Thank God for the internet, where I found some video from Australia posted to Youtube.

Nason Hill

Super windy and I got gutterballed about 5 miles in (literally, blown off the road into the gravel). I latched back onto the pack, but as I was doing that there was a break of 6 guys at the front. We started chasing but only me and 2 other guys would pull through. I got frustrated and went for it, trying to bridge up. Didn't work. Sat up, waited for the chasers. Same deal for the next 15 miles: 3 people out of 8-9 took turns pulling, and if anyone else did pull through they went way too fast for anyone to follow (after they'd been sitting in forever).

Well, I put up with this until the big climb, Nason Hill. Dropped the hammer and shelled the dead weight. Passed lots of shredded riders from the original escape. Eventually, the stronger, cooperative riders from the previous chase group caught me. But, the 5 of us got a smooth paceline going and drilled it for the next 20 miles. I felt great on the hills and took a few monster turns on the front. Legs were absolutely screaming for me to stop, but I was able to ignore it for once (holy crap am I paying for that now. Ouch). Took one more big pull up the last twisty hill on 7 before the sprint. Dwight gave me the secret sign to follow his lead out for the sprint, but that was game over for me. Sat up and watched the sprint unfold. Good times. Great ride. This is what was missing from my training last year.

Max Watts: 795
Ave Watts: 225
Miles: 43.36
Calories burned: 1654

So much for my recovery week...

I was only supposed to ride 3-1/2 hours this week, all short recovery rides with a 40 minute TT today. I did a 40 mile hammer ride on Tuesday and a 3-hour leg ripper on the mtb at Afton today (including 5 times up Manhandler). I'm feeling pretty cooked, but it was a fun week. I'll take it easy tomorrow...

Fun facts from today's ride:

Guy sitting next to his bike on the switchback climbs, smoking a cigarette yells "You guys are ANIMALS!" as we ride by. He was in flavor country.

Some other dude was out riding with a cat. Yes, a cat. As in fluffy, litter box using, Meow Mix eating feline.

We got road raged by a guy in a golf cart.

Commute

I drove Owen to daycare, then went home and grabbed my bike and rode to work. It took me about 2-1/2 minutes longer to ride in at a recovery pace than it does to drive. It's only 3 miles each way, but with the extra trip home and back for lunch, I can get in 40-60 minutes of spinning every day and stick it to the man.

I certainly needed the spin, I'm feeling Wednesday's ride today worse than yesterday. Do you experience the 2-day lag? For me, the second day after a big race or a bad night's sleep is always worse than the day after.

Hey there legs, welcome back!

Did the R&G hammer ride last night. 40 miles from White Bear Lake north to Hugo, up and around Big Marine Lake, then back on the rollers via Norell and 7. I was able to hang with the fast group and actually put in some attacks on a few hills. Made the mistake of taking a huge flyer with John Thompson and burned a bunch of matches, almost got dropped, but recovered before the first climb. I didn't get dropped by the Oftedahl brothers (although I'm guessing this was a recovery ride for them) and had enough left in the tank for a long lead-out at the end.

I miss the group ride. There's nothing quite like a smooth paceline slicing through the wind at high speed. When I was taking my turn at the front the watts were in the 300-375 range on the flats. A few times even when I was sitting 3rd or 4th wheel I was ticking over 275-300 watts (my threshold is about 260). We caught the first group right before Big Marine and blew by them like they were standing still. I think Mealhouse was the only one to latch on and I think he fell off after the hill. Good times. Great night. Hopefully the fitness is coming around. Even if it's not, that was my best ride of the year so far.

The Stats (including warm up and cool down)
Max watts: 805
Average watts: 205
Calories burned: 1355
Average speed: 22.9 mph
Max speed: 38.75 mph
Distance: 40.68 miles

No Style Points

Another of Dana's shots from Sunday, showing me working on my cyclocross skills in the mudpit of death.

This is why I didn't ride through it...

http://gallery.mac.com/dana.schoppe#100047&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Check out Dana's photo sequence of the mudpit of death from Sunday's race. This is precisely why I ran it and didn't ride it. Dana Schoppe is the new series photographer, and she's already kicking butt right from the start. Nice job. Check out her blog for links to her galleries.

Glory, Glory Man United!

Back-to-back Premiership titles is pretty sweet. 10 titles for Ryan Giggs, not too shabby. Hopefully we crush Chelsea in the Champions League final.

Erik's Spring Cup

First mtb race of the year, first time in Comp. The staging area was moved and by the time I realized it I was in about Row Z for the start. The prologue was a traffic jam, as was most of the first lap. I got behind a train of riders going painfully slow with nowhere to pass. Tick, tick, tick... the clock was running. There was a bike-swallowing mud pit on the north loop that I ran through rather than ride (so many endos, the photos should be spectacular) but other than that the course was pretty solid considering all the rain yesterday.

Still have this allergy/cold thing going on, which is tolerable except for trying to drink on the bike. I can't breathe through my nose so every time I tried to grab some fluids I'd start hyperventilating. Sweet. I eventually settled into a good rhythm and cranked out my 4 laps. 35th overall and 6th in my age group. I even beat Longley for once. Not bad considering I'm at least a month out from being race fit, and my number one goal today was not to get lapped by the pros. Next stop: Afton.

Photo by Skinnyski.com

Hills

Max Watts: 713
Average Watts: 180 (includes warm up and cool down)
Distance: 18.51
Calories burned: 710

Did the Fridley/Columbia Heights loop tonight (previous post has map). The hills are nothing major, but they're good for intervals (more like really hard jumps than climbs). The race on Sunday is pancake flat, which means dirt time trial for 4 laps. I can feel the burn already...

Tonight's ride??

We'll see, looks like rain...

Ready??

Kevin looks ready. Jamison looks ready. I'm not ready. Legs feel like burning Jello. Pretty sore today from yesterday's ride. Definitely need some more endurance rides.

Ouch

4-1/2 laps at Harmon today, trying to keep Matt and Andy in sight. Lungs felt good, legs were nowhere to be found. Still felt good to be out on the dirt. Trail had a few muddy spots, but mostly good to go. I can already tell that next week's race is going to be a training ride. I'm nowhere close to race fitness yet.

New Badass PCR Kits

We're probably all going to get heatstroke once that July sun hits, but we'll look badass . The jerseys have this funky mesh thing going on, so maybe they wont get too hot. And as Homer Simpson would say, "...this racing stripe here I feel is pretty sharp".

On the road again

Got out for my first ride in 8 days. Skipped the hammerfest and went solo for about 40 miles. Kept the watts mellow, felt surprisingly good. Nice to have the road bike back.

Whoo Hoo!!

I step outside with the dog for 5 minutes at lunch and Scholes knocks in the winner. At least I TiVoed it. We're in the finals!!!

Ride?

Can't decide what to do... Go on a 40 mile hill ride to Afton (just sitting in, no attacking) or just do an easy 2 hours solo. Today is the first day I've felt somewhat human in over a week. The lack of riding is killing me, but I don't want to push it either and get sick all over again.

What color is your phlegm??

I'm going with Pantone 368. Despite constantly horking up blobs of this color, I hit the trainer yesterday for 45 minutes and this morning for a half-hour spin. I missed 6 days of riding last week and have my first mtb race in 2 weeks. I'm pretty much screwed. A good reason not to pre-register for races too far in advance.

KWMRR

Ken Woods Memorial Road Race
Krappy Weather Means Rainy Ride
Kold Wet Monsoon Road Race
Ken Woods Means Rainy Race
Killer Winds Make Racing Rough
Keep Wishing Minnesota Road Race season wasn't in April.

Rain and accumulating snow forecast for tonight. Cloudy, windy and 38 degrees tomorrow. No thank you. I've done the epic weather races plenty of times. Dues paid. Sick already and off the bike for a week, so I'm sitting this one out.

That explains alot...

I brought my hardtail in for a tune-up and found out the rear hub was basically seized. So in effect I was riding with the brake on for who knows how long last season. I'm already slow, definitely don't need to make it worse. Anyway, I'm picking up the hardtail and the newly fixed and rebuilt road bike tonight. Now if my cold goes away and the weather clears I'm in business. I'm hoping to spin this weekend and hit the R&G ride Tuesday.

Illin

Got the road frame back today, just in time to get sick. I'm hoping it's just allergies, but it feels like I'm on the verge of a massive cold. Looking like no Ken Woods road race for me this weekend. No ride tonight either.

New Ride

Took the new rig out to Elk River today. Me likey.
First dirt ride of the year felt great, even if the legs didn't. Trail is in great shape, nice work by the Hillside Crew.
Good to see familiar faces, and a few new ones. Season starts in a month. Ouch.

New Rigs

Got 2 new rigs today.

The new Mac Pro for the office.
The new (well, just about new) KHS mtb. Thanks Wah!

Mac Pro is crazy fast, let's hope the mtb is too.

Mapmyride

Tuesday's windfest.

Group Ride

I rolled out with the hammerheads last night, a mountain bike amongst spanky light carbon fiber aero roadie rigs. It didn't last long. 30mph winds meant the gutterball was on. I was feeling okay, took my turn at the front, but the gaps were already forming behind me. When I swung off the front and dropped back, the attack was on. I got gapped and it was game over. Our group started 5 minutes after the first group. We had just caught them but it all got strung out and blown apart from the wind. I was able to pick off quite a few, but nobody was willing or able to work to catch up with the group. So basically it turned into a 25 mile time trial. The crosswinds would catch those fat tires and blow me off the road. Crazyness. All in all, I was happy with how the legs responded. Long ways to go before race day, but good to get the rust out.

Worked

Even after a recovery day I'm feeling worked. Gonna try to make the R&G ride tonight. I'll be on the mountain bike trying to hang with a bunch of time trialers and roadie hammerheads. If you ever did the Gopher Wheelmen ride back in the day, this one's just as fast, but not nearly as flat and usually longer. Route changes every week. It's either that or some solo hill/cruise intervals. Or maybe a nap...

Man Utd vs Arsenal

The Big One

The back line looked shaky at best (Wes Brown, please find a new team), Ronaldo was not at his best, Scholes and 3 Lung Park were terrible. But, despite all of that, we pulled out the 3 points. When Tevez and Anderson came on you could sense the change in attitude. Owen Hargreaves' free-kick winner was awesome. Where has he been all year? 4 matches left, with the probable title decider at Stamford Bridge in 2 weeks. It's gonna go down to the wire.

Miles

Spring is all about base miles. Saturday was cold, blustery and snowy, but at this point I'd rather ride into the 25 mph headwind for 45 minutes (and enjoy the 35 minute tailwind home) than ride one more minute on the trainer. Sunday was still a little chilly and windy, but sunny. Got 41 miles in, about 75 total for the weekend. All on the mtb.

Note to dumbass drivers: if you're going to mouth off to cyclists make sure you don't do it right before you come to a stoplight. I hope you enjoyed our conversation while waiting or the light to change. I sure did.

Just...can't...do it...

I skipped this morning's recovery ride and played with my son instead. Normally he naps while I'm on the trainer. Today he was wide awake and I just didn't have the energy or desire to get on the bike. Let's see, 45 minutes of drudgery in the basement on the trainer or hanging out with a super happy, giggling, playful little dude...

Spring?

Looks like I'll be on the trainer all weekend. Outstanding.

Statement as of 4:36 AM CDT on April 10, 2008

... Winter Storm Warning in effect from 4 PM this afternoon to
7 am CDT Saturday...

The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen has issued
a Winter Storm Warning... which is in effect from 4 PM this
afternoon to 7 am CDT Saturday. The Winter Storm Watch is no
longer in effect. This includes the Twin Cities metropolitan
area... Rice Lake and Ladysmith.

Precipitation will move into the area this morning and begin as a
mix of rain and snow. This mix will turn over to all snow this
afternoon and increase in intensity late this afternoon and this
evening when heavy snow is expected. However... the cutoff from
snow to rain will be in close proximity to southeastern portions
of the Twin Cities Metro area and along the Highway 8 corridor in
west central Wisconsin. These areas may see precipitation
oscillate between rain and snow... and possibly sleet... this
evening which will dramatically reduce snow accumulations.
Visibility in the heavy snow this evening will be reduced to a
quarter mile or less at times with the possibility of several
inches of snow accumulating over a short period of time. This will
make travel hazardous this evening and tonight. Snowfall intensity will
decrease Friday... but additional accumulation will occur.

Snowfall amounts from Gaylord to Minneapolis to Cambridge and
eastward to Rice Lake and Ladysmith are expected to range from 6
to 12 inches by Friday night... with lower amounts possible to the
southeast of this line where there is a better chance for mixed precipitation.

In addition to the snowfall accumulations... there will be very
strong northeast winds with speeds of 25 to 35 mph with higher gusts. This
will cause considerable blowing snow and poor visibility in open
areas Thursday night and Friday.

The heavy snow is in response to a low pressure system moving
northeast from the Southern Plains. The low pressure system is
forecast to reach southern Wisconsin by early Saturday.

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow...
sleet... and ice are expected or occurring. Strong winds are also
possible. This will make travel very hazardous or impossible.

Weather

I'm trying to psych myself up for some hills tonight. It's very dreary: 40's, cloudy, windy and the threat of rain and/or snow. Tonight's ride better pay off during a race sometime later this year...

Urban Loop

I think I finally found a reasonable route to St. Paul and Minneapolis from my place. Traffic wasn't too bad until I hit Minneapolis. I couldn't take the Main St. shortcut under 35 since the bridge is under construction. So, from campus to the other side of Central was a bit heavy. But, you could ride across the river and use River Road up to Broadway, then cross over.

No Road Bike

Frame is on the way to Orbea for repair. Note to self, and anyone else who owns a Starship: do not use on a trainer. Apparently this is what causes the stays to work loose. Did 35 miles on the mtb today. Good ride, just not the same.

Houston, we have a problem...

When you're on the trainer and you smell smoke and suddenly come to a screeching halt, that either means your brain has finally fried from boredom or something has seriously malfunctioned. The carbon seatstays have pulled out on both sides. Just in time for spring. At least it happened in the basement and not during a race, or the seatstays aren't the only things that would have separated.

March Madness

Saturday was nice, yesterday it was in the 50's. I got about 55-60 miles in outside this weekend. Today we are supposed to get 8 inches of snow. When will it end? I could really use a Moab trip right about now...

On the road again

Got out for the first time on the road bike this year. Despite the 25-30 mph winds, it felt good. Legs still aren't close to being there, but they'll come around. I've still got a month and a half until race day.

Trainer

I just started my Build 1 phase this week. I cannot wait to be done with the trainer -- my mind is officially numb. I really can't crank out the watts indoors while watching tv. I need a rabbit to chase and I actually need to be moving to stay focused and motivated. I just can't get a true feeling of my fitness level on the trainer, so I really don't know where I stand right now. Desperately need a group ride, outdoors, soon.

Whrrr whrrr whrrr

2 hours outside on the mountain bike today. Wasn't too bad. Toes got a bit cold and I was a bit tired towards the end, but considering yesterday was a pretty hard day, not too bad. Long way to go before race day, but getting there.

Snooze Intervals

Nothing like crawling out of bed at 5:45, slamming down some toast and oatmeal then jumping on the bike for 45 minutes of cruise intervals. Ouch.

2 days in a row

Got out again yesterday for about an hour and a half on the mountain bike. The whir-whir-whir of knobbies on pavement kind of puts you in a trance. The big meats came in handy: major ice and slush everywhere. With all the potholes, sand, snow and ice, an already crowded shoulder (or extreme right side of the lane) gets even smaller. On the mtb you can plow right through it and stay to the side, instead of having to swerve into the lane on a road bike. Even with the fat tires my average speed was only slightly lower than it would have been on the road bike.

Thought about a group ride but this time of year for me it's about base miles. The "easiest" group rides always degenerate into a hammerfest. That and the constant sludge in the face from the bike in front of you makes going solo worth it. Back to the trainer for the next 5 days or so.

Outside

Got out for about an hour on the mountain bike this afternoon. Mostly spinning and tempo, with a couple of hill repeats. Sucks riding knobbies on the road, but better than riding in the basement. It would have been a crashfest on a road bike, lot's of ice and major puddles.

Getting tired of the trainer...

I'm getting really tired of riding in the basement. Spring cannot arrive too soon, but it's Minnesota, so that could be 2 months from now. Unless the weather goes completely pear-shaped this weekend, I'm riding outside, even if it's on my singlespeed on the road.

Base Week 3

Started Base 3 today. I missed the last week of Base 2 due to illness. That was followed by a recovery week, so basically, I haven't ridden much in two weeks. I tried to do a 30 minute power test on Saturday and felt like I was going to die, so I bailed. Patience, young grasshopper.

Let Levi Ride

I think the ASO and Tour organizers are sick of American podium dominance since 1999, and figured one way to keep it from happening again is to not invite the American with the best shot at winning. To ban Astana and not ban Cofidis, Rabobank or any of the other teams with past doping scandals is nothing short of hypocritical. But, in a country where Richard Virenque and Christophe Moreau are heroes, what else would you expect? Bob Roll has a great article on this here.

Training

Only managed 2 out of 8 scheduled hours this week. I'm hoping this is the last time I'm sick for a long, long time. Then, I hit it a little too hard yesterday and tweaked my back. This next week is a recovery week, I need it.

FA Cup

So I didn't get to see the game I wanted to, Man Utd vs Arsenal, but I did see one hell of a match between Liverpool and Championship side Barnsely. Injury time winner for Barnsley at Anfield to send Liverpool out of the Cup. Awesome. This is a team in the bottom half of the division below the Premiership, taking out one of the world's big clubs. This is why the FA Cup rules.

Top that off with a 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal by Man U, and it was a great day for football. At least for me. If Chelsea had lost it would have been the hat trick. I'm just guessing Man U and Chelsea will get drawn in the quarterfinals. We'll see.

TDF: Here we go again...

Already banned from the Giro d'Italia, Astanta and others may be watching the Tour instead of racing in it. Is it a case of the sins of the father being visited upon the son? Or is it a sign that promotors are serious about cleaning house?

Obama

Of all the candidates out there, he would truly be a change for the better. I've been going back and forth between Obama and Clinton. I'll vote for whoever ends up with the nomination, I'm just hoping it's Obama. Throw away voting records, experience, rhetoric and soundbites, and give me someone who can inspire others. Hopefully Bush won't issue an executive order making himself president for life. You know he's got at least one last major kick in the groin of the Constitution before he's done.

Brutal

This bug is brutal. I got it 3 weeks ago, lasted about a week and now it's back again. Owen's sick too.

Sick, again.

I haven't had the stomach flu for over 5 years, but I've had it twice now in the last 3 weeks. Good times. No ride today, but I'll count the "ab work" towards my core strength workout.

$100,000/second for this?

This year's Super Bowl ads are the worst I can remember. You're supposed to bring your A Game here. Most of these looked like they were dreamed up by a junior high marketing class. Racial stereotypes, more talking babies, and GoDaddy's Danicka Patrick "striptease" promo? A bloody human heart flying out of a woman's chest is supposed to get me to "follow my heart"? Smelling like Planters peanuts is supposed to get you some action? Craptacular.

The only ad I remember that didn't make me cringe was the Stewie vs Underdog Coke commercial. Coke then ruined it with the Carville/Frist ad, which has been done so many times already. I get it, they hate each other, but Coke makes it all good. Who approves this stuff? Puppy Bowl IV was more entertaining (and better branded, somebody gets it).

Watts

Been using the Powertap for a couple of weeks now. I need to do my critical power tests to get all the zones dialed, but I can already tell it's a pretty great training tool. This is the first week of my training plan with some actual intervals, and it's been interesting to watch the numbers.

Cold, with a chance of death

Statement as of 3:00 AM CST on January 30, 2008

... Dangerously cold wind chills continue through this morning...

A wind chill warning remains in effect until noon CST today.

Brisk northwest winds and bitterly cold air will persist across the
region this morning. Wind chills of 35 below to 45 below can be
expected.

A wind chill warning means the combination of very cold air and
strong winds will create dangerously low wind chill values. This will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia or death if precautions are not taken.

This is why I laugh every time I read an article on "winter" riding or see "winter" cycling clothing in the magazines. All that stuff is aimed at California winter, where 60 is chilly. Come up here and test your equipment or go for a 3 hour training ride, then write your articles. Gotta love living in a place where the weather forecast includes a chance of death.

24 Hour race training secrets revealed

After a week of being sick I think I've stumbled upon the ultimate 24 Hour race training: NyQuil. Waking up with a NyQuil hangover and a head full of mucous at 6:00AM and jumping on the bike is a pretty good analog for that first night lap after you've had a chance to "sleep".

I managed an hour ride yesterday and 100 push ups/100 crunches + a spin this morning. Starting to feel human again.

Sick

I guess this is a good time to get sick, since it's my Base 1 recovery week. Hopefully I'll be able to do the shorter training rides this week and my critical power tests this weekend. Right now, I'm just hoping to have enough energy to get through the day. There always seems to be a hitch in the plan this time of year.

Hello Antarctica?

Vertblog now has hits from 6 out of 7 continents. Mexico City, Rio, Paris, Sydney, Taipei, Johannesburg, just to name a few cities. Anybody at the South Pole with some free time and internet access, start clicking.

2008 Training

So far so good. The early morning trainer action has been consistent for the last couple of weeks. Owen hangs out and watches SportsCenter while I ride. Even did a 4+ mile run with Zoe on Saturday and didn't totally hate it. Hopefully the Powertap will be ready to go soon and I start crunching the numbers. Next up? New mountain bike shopping. Looking for a full-suspension XC racing machine that climbs like a mountain goat. Have to wait and see what kind of team deals are out there.

R.I.P. Sir Edmund Hillary

With the commercial expedition situation on Mount Everest today, a guide will get anyone with enough money to the top. No experience required, a Sherpa will drag you up and back down (dead or alive). There's even a "reality" show on Everest now. When Hillary and Sherpa Tenzig Norgay "knocked the bastard off" in 1953, they may as well have been walking on the moon. I think it's hard for most people to truly understand what they did and how they did it. Most people today wouldn't go camping with the gear they used, let alone attempt something like Everest. I have enormous respect for Hillary, both for his achievement and his humility (he refused to divulge that he was the first one to the summit until several years after Norgay's death). As great as his mountaineering resume was, his work with the Nepalese people was even greater. A far cry from most of today's "extreme" athletes. Truly a legendary man.

Kramarczuk's

Go eat here. This is the kind of food that will get you through the winter. I hadn't been here since they remodeled the deli. Pretty sweet.

January Singlespeed Ride

After a week on the trainer in the basement it felt good to get outside for a ride on the singlespeed. It doesn't hit 30 degrees often in January in Minnesota.

StatCounter

I've been using StatCounter to track user info for my blogs. Pretty cool stuff. A map of recent visitors to Vertblog.

Back on the bike

First ride since before Owen was born (way back in mid-October). First 5 minutes were brutal, but no problem after that. I've got a Power Tap wheel on the way, so I can give training with power a try this year. Also going to try getting up early to ride (at least during the winter). We'll see how it goes...

Snow Dog

Ready for a neighborhood cruise in the snow in her new boots. She hates when I put them on, but as soon as we get outside she's in a full-on sprint.

Snow lovers: You're Welcome!

Snowiest December in 50 years. Why should you thank me, you ask?

1. I sold all of my xc ski gear.
2. I have not bought my snowblower yet.
3. I have no snowboard trips lined up.
4. I had to drive 650 miles last weekend (12-14 inches of snow on Sunday alone).

So, snow lovers, bow to my weather-changing powers. Note to those in need of rain: send me a postcard and I will show up to your area and set up my tent. It will start pouring before I get the rain fly attached, or your money back.

Good Neighbors

Minnesota and Wisconsin got rocked by a blizzard this weekend. We were out of town, and when we got home yesterday we arrived to a snow-free driveway. Our neighbor Jim is the greatest. The guy is in his 80's and he cleared our driveway. Also the only guy I know with a custom built fairing for his snowblower, complete with a coffee holder. Awesome.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family.

Eagle

Unfortunately I couldn't take a photo as I was driving, but a huge bald eagle was flying above me on my way home for lunch. My office is in a house on Long Lake in the northern Twin Cities metro. The eagles fly above the lake where Rice Creek empties out, looking for fish. In the winter, deer walk across the lake on the ice and come up to my office window. I don't miss working downtown at all.


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Family Guy

FPA-I know you're a fan of the show. I can set you up with some of these if you want once I get final approval from Fox and we have some in stock. (2 more designs on my design blog, not sure which 2 will make final cut).

Google Images

So yesterday I linked a photo of Evel Knievel that I found on Google Images. Brad tells me that's not the image that appeared on the post. It looked correct on my system, and I didn't see the image he described, but if any of you did, sorry about that. Post has been deleted. Last time I post a photo using a URL link.