I took Friday off (with some tired legs) and went to CamRock3 with Mike Darlington on Saturday. There was a ton of new trail that was built this Spring with an IMBA grant and some serious trail hours. It was super twisty and totally makes up for how boring and flowless the field trails are.
Sunday morning I did some intense intervals through Sun Prairie for a little under two hours. I'd planned on doing an MTB ride after work, but we didn't get out of the shop until 6:30 and I was pretty tired. I went home and slept.
On Monday I had a great opportunity to meet and design a trail with Jay Hoots. We also went for a ride at Jim's, and it was one hell of a time. Jay's a super friendly guy, but what impressed me even more was his ability to teach what he knows and make it all very fun.
We designed and flagged a flow course on the new property (think of a 4x or mountain cross course for a single rider) and it'll get dug and built throughout the rest of the week.
I then went and rode a full 8-mile lap of Jim's, and while coming around on my second lap found Jay and Dewayne riding with Dacko. I jumped on and tried my best to follow three guys who are all faster in technical stuff than I am. Also, they were on Roscoes and Remedys, while I was on a Procaliber. I rode some tough lines by accident and really pushed myself to keep up with Dacko. Jay's one hell of a rider. He manualed most of Pine Shadows and was boosting every little bump he could find.
My current dilemma: XO-1 or Roscoe?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
heat training
Monday, June 2nd was a rest day after The Subaru Cup.
Tuesday I did 3 hours in the hot hot heat and pretty well cooked myself.
Wednesday I did hill sprints on Burke road a topped out at 42.5 MPH on my new Bontrager Classics training wheels. Those things are nice, but noticeably heavier than the RLs. The wider rim profile made my 23s feel wider and a little softer.
Thursday I went to Jim's trails for 2 hours to test my new Bontrager XR-1 team issue tires. I slid out on a few sandy corners with the low-profile lugs, and actually nailed my right leg with the bars once. My legs were tired, and my back even got sore. Once I was done, I decided Friday needed to be a rest day. It was a long, hot week of training.
Saturday: more MTB riding in the heat.
Tuesday I did 3 hours in the hot hot heat and pretty well cooked myself.
Wednesday I did hill sprints on Burke road a topped out at 42.5 MPH on my new Bontrager Classics training wheels. Those things are nice, but noticeably heavier than the RLs. The wider rim profile made my 23s feel wider and a little softer.
Thursday I went to Jim's trails for 2 hours to test my new Bontrager XR-1 team issue tires. I slid out on a few sandy corners with the low-profile lugs, and actually nailed my right leg with the bars once. My legs were tired, and my back even got sore. Once I was done, I decided Friday needed to be a rest day. It was a long, hot week of training.
Saturday: more MTB riding in the heat.
The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 3: short track shortcomings
After winning the Super-D, I had a snack and waited for short track to start. I changed into a clean kit, got my Super-D medal, and watched the cat 1 guys race.
When Comp got to the start line, the clouds rolled in and it started raining. Also, the temperature dropped. I got a preferred start from my Super-D finish and was 4th or 5th to the hole-shot.
With the rain, my tires, my spent legs, and a few loose turns on the course, I had a hard time sitting in with the in crowd. Each lap I'd slide out and then have to chase back on, resulting in hard efforts when I needed them least. Unable to respond to the other riders' attacks, I quickly fell back into the pack, and finished mid-pack.
On the weekend, I learned a lot, grabbed a medal and nailed 4th in the omnium. It was a good weekend, but I was completely spent by the end.
When Comp got to the start line, the clouds rolled in and it started raining. Also, the temperature dropped. I got a preferred start from my Super-D finish and was 4th or 5th to the hole-shot.
With the rain, my tires, my spent legs, and a few loose turns on the course, I had a hard time sitting in with the in crowd. Each lap I'd slide out and then have to chase back on, resulting in hard efforts when I needed them least. Unable to respond to the other riders' attacks, I quickly fell back into the pack, and finished mid-pack.
On the weekend, I learned a lot, grabbed a medal and nailed 4th in the omnium. It was a good weekend, but I was completely spent by the end.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 2: Super-D redemption
Sunday morning I woke up in Madison and drove the 1.5 hours back to Mt. Morris. My legs only felt a bit tired; most of my concern was regarding my stomach. Those Accel Gels were still fighting through something in my digestive tract.
I did two practice runs, one of them with Jesse Bell, the other guy in Comp who I know can destroy the technical sections. It was going to be a hole-shot kind of race, where the first one into the woods would probably take it. There was only room at the bottom for passing.
We lined up our bikes at the start, in a grid of 3 x 5, and walked down a small incline for a le-mans style start. I hate running. So does everyone else in my start wave. The usual 19-29 age group suspects were there, as well as a few freeride goons who had no clue what the were doing. They didn't know the rules and they didn't know why we had to run. I was slightly concerned by their ignorance.
Don called "GOOOO!" and it was on.
I was probably mid-pack in arriving at the bikes, and 4th going into the woods. Here is where preriding and helping with course setup came in handy. The idiot on the freeride bike who had never raced before blew the first corner and headed for a different trail some 40 feet off in the woods. The other guys in front of me followed him.
I didn't even give them a WTF. I just hammered and kept my hands off the brakes. I think the guys behind me hesitated because I was the only one who didn't blow the corner. I never looked back: just listened for anyone coming up on me. My legs didn't hurt, my lungs didn't burn: I was just completely focused and read every turn.
I was, as they say, in the zone. I took every corner outside-inside-outside. I floated over rock gardens, cleared logs in smooth jumps. Toward the end of the lower singletrack, before you head past the wakeboarding area, I heard Ryan Carlson coming up behind me, but as soon as we got into the open I laid it all out.
From the prerides I knew that no matter how smoked my legs were I could sprint that last section into the woods, through the rocks and back out on adrenaline alone. And trust me, I had plenty of it.
Coming out of the woods the final time, I threw it into the big ring and kept the pressure on. Across the line, I looked back and couldn't see Ryan, so I threw a hand up and gave myself a cheer.
Winning felt great. So did standing on the podium. Even though Jesse Bell beat me in the overall, he wasn't in my heat so I got the 1st place medal. With some better training under my legs and perhaps some better nutrition, I knew that I could compete.
Next up: Short track, unexpected rain, and what it feels like when you leave it all on the super-D course.
I did two practice runs, one of them with Jesse Bell, the other guy in Comp who I know can destroy the technical sections. It was going to be a hole-shot kind of race, where the first one into the woods would probably take it. There was only room at the bottom for passing.
We lined up our bikes at the start, in a grid of 3 x 5, and walked down a small incline for a le-mans style start. I hate running. So does everyone else in my start wave. The usual 19-29 age group suspects were there, as well as a few freeride goons who had no clue what the were doing. They didn't know the rules and they didn't know why we had to run. I was slightly concerned by their ignorance.
Don called "GOOOO!" and it was on.
I was probably mid-pack in arriving at the bikes, and 4th going into the woods. Here is where preriding and helping with course setup came in handy. The idiot on the freeride bike who had never raced before blew the first corner and headed for a different trail some 40 feet off in the woods. The other guys in front of me followed him.
I didn't even give them a WTF. I just hammered and kept my hands off the brakes. I think the guys behind me hesitated because I was the only one who didn't blow the corner. I never looked back: just listened for anyone coming up on me. My legs didn't hurt, my lungs didn't burn: I was just completely focused and read every turn.
I was, as they say, in the zone. I took every corner outside-inside-outside. I floated over rock gardens, cleared logs in smooth jumps. Toward the end of the lower singletrack, before you head past the wakeboarding area, I heard Ryan Carlson coming up behind me, but as soon as we got into the open I laid it all out.
From the prerides I knew that no matter how smoked my legs were I could sprint that last section into the woods, through the rocks and back out on adrenaline alone. And trust me, I had plenty of it.
Coming out of the woods the final time, I threw it into the big ring and kept the pressure on. Across the line, I looked back and couldn't see Ryan, so I threw a hand up and gave myself a cheer.
Winning felt great. So did standing on the podium. Even though Jesse Bell beat me in the overall, he wasn't in my heat so I got the 1st place medal. With some better training under my legs and perhaps some better nutrition, I knew that I could compete.
Next up: Short track, unexpected rain, and what it feels like when you leave it all on the super-D course.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 1: Mayor of Bonktown
This last weekend was my first A-Priority race of the season: The Subaru Cup. Held at Mt. Morris, just north of Wautoma, The Subaru Cup is Wisconsin's big race weekend with Cross-country, short track, Super-D, and Downhill. I participated in the Stage race, which included Saturday's XC, and Sunday's Super D and short track.
I'll say this again later on, but this was the coolest race I've ever participated in. The course was unique (as in I've never raced something quite like it), the course was quite challenging, and the entire event was super fun and put on amazingly well.
Part 1 of my post regarding this race will cover the cross country. In short, it was a train wreck for me. I hope this is my worst result of the year. I got 44th of 67 finishers (81 starting). A few things contributed to this:
In my training I haven't gotten the really long miles in for the last two weeks. The longest I've ridden was probably 2.5 or 3 hours. Also, the weather was in the 80s and I went through the chills after lap two. My body body couldn't get acclimated.
Probably the biggest thing that got me was my Accel Gel: it must have spoiled or gotten frozen or heated up too much, as the consistency was abnormal. Usually Accel Gel is thinner than other brands and pretty easy to take in on hot days, but this new case was thicker than Gu and had a granulated texture. It gave me little to no energy, and made me feel sick after I took the second one. I think I went through five bottles of Accelerade in four 4.5-mile laps.
I owe a big thanks to Gehling, The Cannon, and Bitches for keeping me hydrated through my 1 hour, 41-minute bonk ride. I also want to thank Liz Braun for being a mom and checking in on me after the race.
After lap two my goal changed from winning (which was a pre-seaosn goal of mine) to simply finishing. My head was swimming, I had the chills, and my legs were just not going. It took a lot of focus to keep the pedals turning. When I crossed the finish line I went to the Keanu, halucinated that the ceiling was moving, drank a few bottles of water, and took a three hour nap. Not my best moment.
After nap time, I jumped in and helped Lex and her crew with race support for a bit during the Citizen race, and then rode a four-wheeler up to the top of the hill and did Super-D setup with The Don, his brother, and some of the full-time Subi-Cup volunteers. Those were some cool kids, and they deserve big ups for making this event what it was.
After Super-D course setup, I drove back to Madison, showered, and slept for ten hours. In the morning I felt okay. I'd had about a gallon of water and Accelerade before going to bed, and hadn't had to pee all night.
With some rest, time to compose myself, and an internal pep-talk, I returned to Mt. Morris with one thing in mind: Super-D. I am not as fit or fast as most of the Comp men, but I can do one thing better than almost all of them: descend technical, twisty singletrack.
That's enough writing for now; It's time to train.
Up next: The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 2: Super-D Redemption.
I'll say this again later on, but this was the coolest race I've ever participated in. The course was unique (as in I've never raced something quite like it), the course was quite challenging, and the entire event was super fun and put on amazingly well.
Part 1 of my post regarding this race will cover the cross country. In short, it was a train wreck for me. I hope this is my worst result of the year. I got 44th of 67 finishers (81 starting). A few things contributed to this:
In my training I haven't gotten the really long miles in for the last two weeks. The longest I've ridden was probably 2.5 or 3 hours. Also, the weather was in the 80s and I went through the chills after lap two. My body body couldn't get acclimated.
Probably the biggest thing that got me was my Accel Gel: it must have spoiled or gotten frozen or heated up too much, as the consistency was abnormal. Usually Accel Gel is thinner than other brands and pretty easy to take in on hot days, but this new case was thicker than Gu and had a granulated texture. It gave me little to no energy, and made me feel sick after I took the second one. I think I went through five bottles of Accelerade in four 4.5-mile laps.
I owe a big thanks to Gehling, The Cannon, and Bitches for keeping me hydrated through my 1 hour, 41-minute bonk ride. I also want to thank Liz Braun for being a mom and checking in on me after the race.
After lap two my goal changed from winning (which was a pre-seaosn goal of mine) to simply finishing. My head was swimming, I had the chills, and my legs were just not going. It took a lot of focus to keep the pedals turning. When I crossed the finish line I went to the Keanu, halucinated that the ceiling was moving, drank a few bottles of water, and took a three hour nap. Not my best moment.
After nap time, I jumped in and helped Lex and her crew with race support for a bit during the Citizen race, and then rode a four-wheeler up to the top of the hill and did Super-D setup with The Don, his brother, and some of the full-time Subi-Cup volunteers. Those were some cool kids, and they deserve big ups for making this event what it was.
After Super-D course setup, I drove back to Madison, showered, and slept for ten hours. In the morning I felt okay. I'd had about a gallon of water and Accelerade before going to bed, and hadn't had to pee all night.
With some rest, time to compose myself, and an internal pep-talk, I returned to Mt. Morris with one thing in mind: Super-D. I am not as fit or fast as most of the Comp men, but I can do one thing better than almost all of them: descend technical, twisty singletrack.
That's enough writing for now; It's time to train.
Up next: The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 2: Super-D Redemption.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A bad week, a great week, one more week.
The week after Rhinelander was a tough one. Work got super busy and the boss and his wife had their second child (which is awesome). However, that means that I have to pick up the slack while he's gone, which makes training a little hard.
At first I was scrambling to keep everything scheduled and covered and wasn't getting on the bike. Then I hit a nice groove around Thursday and it prettymuch came down to this:
-get office stuff done before the store opens
-work a day on the salesfloor
-ride whenever you're not at work.
So last week's training wasn't very hard, but I kept at it. Taking Friday and Saturday off wasn't my first choice, but I've been doing great so far for week 2.
Sunday: Easy ride, one hour at endurance pace to get the legs open and get out that aching feeling.
Monday: Hill sprints on Observatory Drive. I felt great and absolutely destroyed my legs. I tried different sprint tactics, like holding a slower acceleration longer, or making a second jump, and found that I can jump and slow down and jump again and again pretty well. I also tried really hard to carry my speed over the top of the climb, as that is an area of weakness right now.
Tuesday: Practice crit. I rode to the crit, raced, and rode home. I felt awesome, covered a bunch of attacks, pulled in a few people, got 3rd in a pree, was 5th wheel with two laps to go, felt awesome, was right where I wanted to be, then PING! PONG PONG PONG. Broken spoke. I pulled out with a lap and a half left. I was really frustrated, but tried to not let it get to me.
Yeah, I'm still kinda pissed.
Wednesday I went on an endurance ride at Jim's and my legs felt tired. Monday and Tuesday were intense, and it showed in my riding. I couldn't sprint up hills as fast, but I was pinning it on the descents. Then I bent my derailleur and noticed my freehub body wasn't engaging. Time for a new rear der and a new rear wheel.
DANG!
It's been a frustrating week technically, but a great one in terms fo my training. I'm doing the kind of riding I need to do for next weekend's Subaru Cup.
At first I was scrambling to keep everything scheduled and covered and wasn't getting on the bike. Then I hit a nice groove around Thursday and it prettymuch came down to this:
-get office stuff done before the store opens
-work a day on the salesfloor
-ride whenever you're not at work.
So last week's training wasn't very hard, but I kept at it. Taking Friday and Saturday off wasn't my first choice, but I've been doing great so far for week 2.
Sunday: Easy ride, one hour at endurance pace to get the legs open and get out that aching feeling.
Monday: Hill sprints on Observatory Drive. I felt great and absolutely destroyed my legs. I tried different sprint tactics, like holding a slower acceleration longer, or making a second jump, and found that I can jump and slow down and jump again and again pretty well. I also tried really hard to carry my speed over the top of the climb, as that is an area of weakness right now.
Tuesday: Practice crit. I rode to the crit, raced, and rode home. I felt awesome, covered a bunch of attacks, pulled in a few people, got 3rd in a pree, was 5th wheel with two laps to go, felt awesome, was right where I wanted to be, then PING! PONG PONG PONG. Broken spoke. I pulled out with a lap and a half left. I was really frustrated, but tried to not let it get to me.
Yeah, I'm still kinda pissed.
Wednesday I went on an endurance ride at Jim's and my legs felt tired. Monday and Tuesday were intense, and it showed in my riding. I couldn't sprint up hills as fast, but I was pinning it on the descents. Then I bent my derailleur and noticed my freehub body wasn't engaging. Time for a new rear der and a new rear wheel.
DANG!
It's been a frustrating week technically, but a great one in terms fo my training. I'm doing the kind of riding I need to do for next weekend's Subaru Cup.
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