Pedal Harder

Training Camp day 2

2011-03-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Today I got my ass kicked on a road climb called Wayah. It was my first group road ride in a while and I made some good mistakes. Here's a map with elevation.

We rolled out of the NOC with a group of 17. After a two-hour spin to the backside of Wayah, I found myself in the faster of two groups as we headed toward the base of the climb. Little did I know I was pulling on a false flat, working my heartrate into a zone I didn't want to see until I was actually on the climb.

1. I pulled too hard, for too long, when I should have sat in.

2. I shouldn't have even been in the lead group. I should have gone my own pace into the start of the climb.

At mile 35 it really started to kick up and we entered a few switchbacks that blew me off the back of my group. I tried way too hard to stay with the lead group (the pain train portion of the ride) and probably should have just sat in with the second group.

My legs were still feeling pretty crappy from the 14 hours of driving the day before, so I was one of the last people to make the summit. Instead of doing the second portion of the ride with the lead group, I descended the front of Wayah, giggling with delight at the hairpin turns and high speeds. I reached 45 MPH on the way down and repeatedly dropped the other rider who headed back with me to the NOC.

We stopped a few times on the way back to stretch (we were both cramping a bit), and then Patrick (I think that was his name) dropped the hammer and we hauled ass into the NOC, averaging 25 MPH for the last 10 miles. It was mostly downhill, but damn were we cooking.

The first real ride was in the bag and my legs were shot from the nasty steep climb.

Monday we're riding Tsali: an old famous mountain bike trail system. Who's stoked? This guy.

Training Camp day 1

2011-03-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Friday March 11th Kathleen and I packed up my mom's mini van with two road bikes and 4 mountain bikes and headed south to The Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City, North Carolina. After an overnight stop in Indiana, we arrived mid-afternoon and joined the UW Cycling Team for their annual week-long Spring training trip.

After unpacking, K and I took a quick spin around the NOC's Flint Ridge MTB trail. It begins with 6 switchbacks up a steep climb that will pull your lungs into your mouth. The reward is a sweeping, fast descent with a few swoopy corners. The climb is worth it. The trail is fast and fun.

Pro tip: knobby tires will help you dig through the overbrush and grab onto the trail.

Sunday we're climbing a road called Wayah. I'm told it's a beast.

Where have I been?

2011-02-20T17:36:00.001-08:00

Thanks to a new acquaintance I've been reminded that I have a blog. And people attempt to read it. So here's why I didn't post after Rhinelander last year (and haven't posted since):

I did some serious training for the Wausau race in early June. I'll do a report on that later and then link to it here. Training was going well, but I needed some better base mileage to keep the pace high throughout the entire race.

The solution: a road trip with Kathleen to Colorado to visit friends and train at elevation. Big miles in the car to get some big miles on the bike. We rode in Breck, in Aspen, and then in Boulder.

Riding back to where we were staying in Gunbarrel, just outside Boulder, we rounded a bend in the road. My coach Aaron led, I was in the middle, and Kathleen was on my wheel. A four-inch piece of metal blew out my front tire while we were doing about 30mph and I hit the dirty blacktop on my left side.

Kathleen flew over me and landed on her head. Aaron turned around to stop traffic (fortunately there was a break in the flow of cars), and Kathleen pulled me out of the road. I quickly regained my senses (though I was never unconscious), but Kathleen's condition deteriorated. The EMTs arrived in 3 minutes (no joke), and by the time they had Kathleen strapped to a backboard, I was able to stand.

Once at the hospital, Kathleen was diagnosed with a pneumomediastinum (and a separated shoulder, but that was to be expected). Basically, she had a pocket of air in the tissue of her neck and mediastinum caused by the rapid expulsion of air from her full lungs when she impacted the ground.

All I had was some serious road rash (the left side of my left leg, hip to ankle) and eventual swelling. Some of the most astounding pain I've ever been in was experienced while scrubbing out my road rash in a hotel in Boulder.

So we packed it up, packed it in, and drove back to Wisconsin. I didn't ride a bike for two months.

Race Report WORS #2: Rhinelander

2010-05-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the quick and dirty:
Tires: Bontrager XR2s front and rear. The course was partly dirt roads and partly super rough technical singletrack. Lots of pumping and body-english. A five-mile stretch of singletrack with little to no passing room. Tons-o-fun!

Things that went better than they did in Iola: I nailed the leadout and stuck with the group. I didn't crash, my nutrition was spot-on (1 Hammer Gel per 45 minutes), I felt good on the power climbs, and I paced myself pretty well for a 2-hour (25 mile) race.

Things that didn't go so well: This was a 2.5-hour (33 mile) haul. Ouch. After 27 miles I felt a little low in the gas-tank, and when my group started attacking at 4 miles to go, I wasn't able to keep up. Losing 5 spots in the last 15 minutes was frustrating.

However, I did manage 30th ,which felt pretty good. I'm starting to wrap my head around the way these kids race, and I know what I need to do for next time: Long mountain bike rides.

Race Report: Iola: WORS #1

2010-05-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

May 2nd was my first cat 1/Pro XC race. I didn't get the result I was hoping for, however, I learned a lot.

When Don called "Go" we hauled out of the start chute faster than I'd imagined we would. I hung in mid-pack for the first lap and even managed to get into a group I could comfortably ride with.

I definitely didn't have the climbing legs these guys did, but I stuck with them through the first few burner hills, and into the sweet singletrack. We rode together for one lap. I was sliding corners and 3-pointing turns to make passes where I could. I was probably in the 40s in terms of positioning.

Then I crashed on lap 2. I don't know how I did it, but I planted my front wheel into a stump or something, and went over the bars. My back landed on something hard, which I soon learned was a tree stump. My group soon left me dazed and out of breath. My back hurt.

Although it took a moment, I got back on the bike and caught onto the second group that was passing. It took about a lap to get back into my groove, and then another lap to feel like I could race.

I bridged up to my previous group, back still hurting a bit, and latched on. Unfortunately, that was when the attacks started. A few guys started going off the front and I was dumb enough to attempt to go with right after I had bridged up to them.

Pop.

Soon I was at the back of the group, and losing a few spots here and there. It was the last lap and we were catching lapped traffic. I missed a few opportunities to pass. I got stuck behind some lapped traffic. I didn't go aggressively when I should have.

When I rolled across the line I thought I'd be DFL. I hadn't seen any other elite riders in a while and I knew I was off the back.

65th of 90 riders. My goal was top 30, which I did not get.

This race did, however, teach me a few valuable things:

1. Do more core work. Lots more.

2. Lose some weight. The fast guys are VERY lean, and you gotta get lean if you wanna be fast. That little extra on the core isn't doing anything for me.

3. Do more climbing. Hard climbing.

4. Eat less during the race. The 3 Hammer Gels were very filling. Time to try something with faster energy. Maybe Gu.

Tonight: a practice crit.

Calm after a storm

2010-04-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Woah, hey, it's been busy!

Work has been super busy, which is good. It's also been really fun lately, which, combined with being busy, is really good.

Training has gone well, and I've been hitting the mountain bike trails since Spring has arrived early in Wisconsin. My first time out at Jim's trails I set a new personal record lap time. Ba-Zinga!

I'll have a new tumblr posting soon from the team blog.

We're at the dress-rehearsal point of the season. A few of us have done a race or two, and it's almost time to start the big show.

I might race a criterium if time permits. Otherwise, Iola will be my first race.

Either way, Trek Store Racing is kicking into full effect this year.

No time to blog; gotta ride.

almost time to ride outside

2010-03-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend it's supposed to get above 40. That means I'm going outside. Time to put the road tires on the road wheels and ride the...cross bike for a while. Maybe I'll put the CX tires on and ride some rail trails.

Noteworthy News:

-Geof says he's riding the Hater. I hope he can turn off his survival instinct.

-JHK and Irmiger have a company I would patronize were I to own my own home.

-Those kids my shop sponsors are having a pretty big deal race in a few months. I hope those other kids I used to hang out with will come make a good showing.

-My racing season schedule is coming together nicely. What I once thought was a restriction imposed by my job has proven to create a nice two-peak structure. I won't be racing between the end of June and the middle of August. I will, however, be training.

Current training:

Weight steady at 156.

Flexibility noticeably improving.

Power going up while RPE going down.

Diet maintaining. Volume control has been good. (Volume of food, not volume of my voice. It's like my caps lock button has been stuck on for the last week.)

Sleep has been okay. I've been going to bed at 11 and getting up at 7 for a year or so, and changing that has been a bit difficult. I'm trying to go to bed at ten and get up at 6. We'll see how that goes. Early morning training sounds like a lot of fun.

New challenge at the shop: The employee who commutes to work by bike the highest percentage of shifts worked between March 1st and September 1st wins a big fat prize. It's a good one, too. Right now I'm at 50%, but I'm only two days in. Today I'm going to bump that 50 up to 66.6.

fortunate timing of a recovery week

2010-02-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

I had a low training load week, which was good. I had a high-workload week at my job. I was tired and busy. Although my sleep pattern has been steady, I've felt tired. Perhaps the quality of sleep I've been getting is low. The last few days I've tried stretching and relaxing for at least half an hour before bed. So far it's been helping.

I can't wait to get outside and ride. New music has helped on the trainer, but I think I need to bundle up and do some riding once the temp gets over 30.

the squirrels have gotten into my head

2010-02-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

This update will be brief, and focused on clear evidence of how my fitness has been coming along.

Cardiac drift over a time of 1.5 hours has decreased drastically in the last few weeks. This means my base is where it should be.

Top-end, short-duration wattage has dropped, and mid-line, middle-time wattage has gone up. I'm a time trialist, not a sprinter, so this is also good news.

Flexibility has increased. I can, for the first time in my life, see abdominal muscles. This is hilarious, in some ways. Mostly because I'm not trying to get a six-pack, but a strong core. This is all due to greater time spent stretching and training my core.

Weight has been steady at 156, which is where I was at the low-point of last Summer. If I can, I'm going for 150, but that is a pretty low-priority goal.

I've added some more protein to my diet. Dr. Maria Stewart noticed my diet was lacking, which I missed.

I ordered my road bike last week, though it won't be here for a while, and I'm planning on doing my first spring rides on my CX bike. I also have a singlespeed 29er I'm excited to train on. I think it will help with braking efficiency and building some core strength.

my knees, a freeze, and poppin' wheelies

2010-02-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

I put some Ultegra pedals on my CX bike for trainer use. Immediately my lateral right knee started freaking out. Brought the seat up 5mm and my knee really started tweaking. Dropped it back down and continued my workout. Saturday my knee felt sore, so I took the day off the bike. I'm going to take a look at the cleats today (Sunday) and perhaps reconsider the saddle fore-aft. Dang.

Riding outside when the temperature is below 30 degrees isn't an option for me; While living in the Mpls/StP. I developed some nice frostbite damage in my hands. I miss riding outside. Even just the commute to work would be nice, but numb hands and shooting pain after 15 minutes in the cold is a poor choice.

There's a nice new challenge at the shop: whoever commutes by bike the highest percentage of days worked between March 1st and September 30th gets $500 in store credit. I know Geo is the master of that, but I think I could give him a run for his money, as it were. I think it's time to pop a wheelie.

Oh, did I mention I now own a GF Rig?

Friday 2-11-10

2010-02-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Feb. 11th

Breakfast: Wheaties, OJ, Americano

Lunch: Spaghetti, carrot, apple, plum

Dinner: Salad with feta, calamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber

Workout: 1 hour at tempo

Feelin good on the bike. Been doing more stretching and more core. Also, the diet is on track to drop some weight. Lighter dinners, no snacks after dinner.

Friday, Feb. 12th

Breakfast: cinnamon scone and black coffee. Water.

Lunch: spaghetti, pica de gallo, chips.

dinner: pretzels, spinach, Capital Island Wheat.

Workout: 1.5 hours zone 2. 2x 20-minute at zone 3.

I had a long, difficult day at work and pretty much buried myself in this workout. My legs are tired, and I went a little harder than I should have at some points. The legs were shot with about ten to go, so I cut it short and spun it out.

My focus wasn't there, but the ride really helped quiet my brain. I foresee a good nights sleep.

Tuesday 02/09

2010-02-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: Oatmeal, coffee, OJ, apple.

Lunch: PBJ, carrots, broccoli, water.

Ride: 1 hr at tempo with 30 second accelerations every ten minutes.

stretching, crunches, some yoga thing that works my back and abs.

Weight: 160.

Sleep: Good. 8 to 9 hours, nightly.

Nutrition has been really good lately. Just gotta dial back the volume a bit and start losing the weight the right way. Previous weight loss was just water weight.

I really need to go ride somewhere warm.

Dietary habits of a fat fat fatty

2010-02-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

I used to eat like shit.

Now I don't.

While I wasn't a literal fatty, I definitely wasn't fueling my body with the best gas to get me to the finish line. It took about two months of serious discipline to break the habit. Now I can safely say that I'm not a fat fat fatty. The test? Friday I had a cheeseburger from Culvers and felt slow and sick and gross for the rest of the evening. Saturday I had a huge salad with cottage cheese, spinach, carrots, broccoli, etc. It felt good. It felt normal. I believe this the establishment of a habit.

A normal day of food looks something like this:

On a medium-volume training day: For breakfast: oatmeal or wheaties AND apple, banana, or plum. If it's a long training day I'll have some scrambled eggs with cheese and toast.

For lunch: plain pasta of some sort and yogurt, and at least one entire fruit (oranges, lately) and two kinds of veggie, usually raw.

Dinner: a large salad with just a bit of protein. Maybe cottage cheese or legumes.

This is all still very strange to me.

More product plugs

2010-02-05T06:04:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to talk about why I use the products I use. My only sponsor (and an unofficial one at that) is my employer, Trek Bicycle Corporation.

Regardless, they do make amazingly well thought-out saddles: The Bontrager inForm. I ride a medium RXL on the road,and a large RL offroad. The lighter foam density on the RL is better for bumpy dirt rides. Now, this is a road-rated saddle, and has some fangs on the back, so it's not ideally suited for off-road use. However, there is a mountain bike version on the way that I've been testing for a few months, and it is the most comfortable MTB saddle I've ever ridden. Hands down.

For pedals, I ride Shimano XTR. They're not the lightest, but I can bash them on rocks all I want and they don't break. I actually chipped a football-sized rock while knocking it out of the ground and the pedal remained intact. I spent some time in the air, and then some in the brush, but the pedals were just fine. If the pedals were the unstoppable force, I would say the rock reconsidered its role as the immovable object.

My drivetrain consists of a Shimano XTR crank, cassette, and front derailleur, SRAM X.O shifters and rear derailleur, and SRAM PC-991 chain. Coincidentally, the Fisher Procaliber had my ideal drivetrain setup when I was shopping. This was before XX came out, and before Top Fuel 9.9s came stock with the compact 20-speed option.

I use Fox suspension because it's smooth, stiff, and light enough. I also like the tuning and Propedal features. My Procal has a 32 RLC up front, with an RP23 in back. Depending on the course I'll use the different propedal settings. Learn your suspension: it makes a difference.

I'm mentioned two contact points, but the remaining two are the two about which I am the most particular: the grips, and where the bike contacts the ground.

For grips: I love ESI chunkies. They're light, comfy, and fairly durable. And they have a lot of grip, which is good when the name of a product is a quality it is supposed to have.

And tires: tires are a talk for another day.

My Training Tools

2010-01-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've been asked by many customers what I use for training. Here's a basic list:

2009 Gary Fisher Procaliber. Shimano XTR pedals.

2009 Trek XO-2 with SRAM Rival and Bontrager Classics Wheels. Shimano XTR pedals.

CycleOps Powertap SL+ on a Mavic Open Pro rim.

Trainingpeaks.com and WKO+ software for power analysis.

CycleOps Supermagneto Pro trainer.

I don't currently have a road bike, though I will by May.

Power test graph

2010-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

How to take a power/threshold/LT/zone test

2010-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1. Water.

2. Required music: Punkrocker by Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop.

3. Optional music: The Fire And Flames by DragonForce, Dance Dream (Lady Gaga vs. Eurythmics) by Divide and Kreate, I'm not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You by Black Kids, or anything by Silversun Pickups.

4. An empty 2-gallon or larger bucket.

5. Cheerleaders, hecklers, supporters and mourners.

6. A stationary trainer, bicycle, and some form of measuring effort (HRM, SRM, or Powertap)

7. Cytomax, Endurox, Recoverite, Bell's Oberon Ale, or Nesquick (chocolate).

Instructions:

1. Warm up on the bicycle approximately 10-15 minutes at a moderate pace. Be sure to hydrate. Place ingredient 4 on the ground behind the vertical plane of the handlebars, but in front of the range of the cranks.

2. Complete 1-2 warm-up sprints to get cardiovascular system ready for the effort.

3. Spin 5 minutes. Cue ingredient 3.

4. Turn inside-out. Do not pop, bonk, puke, stop, or black out, but come as close as possible without doing so.

5. Spin for 15 minutes at recovery pace. Drink some water.

6. Turn inside-out. Do not pop, bonk, puke, stop, or black out, but come as close as possible without doing so. Closer than in first effort in step 4. With 10% of time remaining, cue ingredient 5.

7. Cue ingredient 3. Spin until symptoms listed in 4 and 6 have subsided.

8. Consume your choice of ingredient 7.

Of training: momentum, weight, and power.

2010-01-16T05:50:00.000-08:00

Training indoors, for me, is a thing of momentum. I have a hell of a time getting going on trainer rides, and making a habit of riding the trainer each winter. Once I get into a ride, say, 15 minutes, it gets easier. After the first few brutal 45-minute spin sessions, it gets easier, and I can bring on the pain. Other things that help:

-Group trainer rides. Peer pressure or social fun, it gets me riding. My training buddies are awesome!
-Downhill racing movies by Clay Porter.
-Awesome music. Not good music, but super wicked-sick rad awesome bubblegum-poppy rock. I'll post more playlists soon.
-ABC's Lost on DVD. If I'm just spinning at tempo for a while, I can put down two episodes, which come out to between 1 hr 20 to 1 hr 30. Perfect for base.

Oh, and I've been eating pretty well lately; and not in the sense of eating large volumes of Cindy-cooked food. I've actually lost two lbs. since New Years, and have managed to effectively cut the quick dinners from restaurants. Though maybe I should try Taco Bell's new training regimen.

The Powertap arrived, but I haven't had time to learn where to put the squirrel food, where to sacrifice the goat, or how to extract the black magic it employs that will make me what Phil Ligget call "a hardman of the peloton."

In other news, I'm contemplating my next road bike. Major factors include price and timliness of delivery. P1 6-series Madone with Force is all I have so far.

Training smarter

2010-01-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping my training resolutions and my diet has changed drastically as a result. Also, I've been riding more, about 5-6 hours at tempo weekly as opposed to the 3 at endurance I was doing for a while. It feels great to ride more and harder. My motivation level has been really high in all aspects of my life, which helps in this midwinter lull.

My Powertap is on the way, which should help with a few of my specific goals for the year. The biggest is my ability to maintain a consistent speed on climbs. I have great initial acceleration, but can't maintain it very long. It's good for sneaky crit breakaways and drag racing kids around the neighborhood, but not much use on longer rides.

I'm also getting a new road bike in a few weeks. It's going to have a custom paint job, so I'm geeking out a bit.

Spring break? Yeah, that coin is still spinning mid-air, but I'm not worried about the outcome. If I have to, I'll just make it a brutal week on the trainer. If I can go, I plan on at least two days of 5 hours on the mountain bike.

On the iPod:
by Jay-Z: 99 Problems, Run This Town, Empire State of Mind
by The Killers: Sam's town (the album)
by Dot Dot Dot: Edge of the World
by Phoenix: 1901

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Top 5:

5. More wheelies.
4. Cooler sunglasses.
3. Hipper Hop.
2. Wordier words.
1. It doesn't get any easier, you only go faster.

dietary habits and timing.

2010-01-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

In my continued quest for a better diet, I have recently taken a look at my daily eating habits. The PSAs about smoking (You don't drive every time you smoke, so why should you smoke every time you drive?) got me thinking about how I always have a big latte in the morning. Why? It's simply a habit of mine. And on Mondays after a weekly meeting at work, we head to Einstein Brothers Bagels for breakfast where I habitually get some sort of breakfast sandwich.

No longer, though. I've switched the big rich latte (320 kCal) to a simple dark roast (0 kCal), and my bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (580 kCal) has become a toasted whole wheat bagel (260 kCal) with some fat free cream cheese (60 kCal). That's a net savings of 580 kCal.

On Tuesdays I usually have dinner with my parents, my brother, and his entire family. This involves some great food from my mom, snacks, beer, soda, etc. It's easy to over-eat. This Tuesday I had one beer, a sandwich with Turkey, veggies, and mustard, and no snacks, soda, or dessert. I also avoided the Christmas cookies and pie that were in full force.

The fight against the late-night snacking has been successful. I've timed dinner a bit later, and made sure I have appropriate (carrots, pretzels) snacks on hand so there are no late-night trips to T-Bell. Dilligence is the name of the game.

Now to start training. Happy new year.

going hard on the trainer, or hardly going?

2009-12-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

A boring appropriation of a tired joke; That's somewhat akin to the actual act of riding the trainer. If it weren't for the precision of training afforded by this method, the monotony of it would surely end my career on psychological grounds.

For Sale: 2008 Madone .52 Pro 58cm

2009-12-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Full Ultegra SL Gruppo.
Bontrager Race Lite Wheel (Regular front, Aero rear)
Bontrager Race Lite Stem and Handlebar.
Bontrager Race X Lite InForm Saddle.
Ultegra SL pedals.
Race Lite Cages.
RXL AC 23c tires.
Great condition, never crashes. Once cosmetic scratch on right of downtube.
$2000 OBO.

All Better!

2009-12-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

It took about a week to get over my lovely little cold. And I'll admit, large volumes of alcohol compromie the immune system, so it's my own fault. I was being lazy and stupid in the off-season. I did, however, end up with a net weight loss of 2.5 lbs. Yeah, party!

Back at it, I did 45 minutes at tempo Monday the 7th, as well as my sit-ups. Today, the 8th, I'll be doing an hour at tempo while watching Lost on DVD. Coach says I can ride however much I want whenever I want (as long as it totals 5 hours weekly) until January 1st, which is when I'll start structured training. My coach is awesome. My coach is Aaron Whalen.

I'm not sure I've addressed my seasonal plan for the year, so here goes:
A-priority races: Rhinelander, Eau Claire, Chequamegon.
B-Priority: Sheboygan, Subaru Cup, Franklin.

Still waiting to hear on team things for next year, so in the mean time I'm working on a Google Calendar of the WORS season, as well as what will be a team Google calendar for the year.

Illin’ and eatin’

2009-12-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Date: 12/04/09
Weight: 155!

Breakfast: Latte
Lunch: Half of a freezer pizza, Orange juice
Dinner: PBJ,
Snacks:

Workout:

Notes:

Since my post on my dietary challenges, I’ve gotten lots of offers of help. This is awesome. Obviously, I’m not the only one who has a hard time with diet (America, I’m looking at you and your 32% childhood obesity rate). But for this discussion let’s consider the athletes I know and with whom I pop wheelies.

My coach is currently trying to drop a few in order to fine tune his performance. He’s already a successful cat. 1 roadie in Boulder, but losing weight safely will help him out as he’s naturally built with a bit more muscle mass than most cyclists. The Gehling is hoping to cut some weight so that (he’s not such a fatty) he can move up the cat. 1 ranks. As for me, I’ve never really considered my diet very carefully as part of my training, and usually carry 5-10 lbs more than necessary. But now I need to look at all the variables in my racing, because next year I play on the big kids’ playground. And I want to rock out.

The diet plan is still on the way, but in the mean time I learned one of the worst ways to lose weight: I got a nasty cold this week and it took almost 5 lbs out of me. Naturally, some of that was water weight, but I also completely lost my appetite. Super duper.
So I haven’t ridden or done sit-ups. I have, however, had a ton of water and vitamins and naps. I’m getting fairly pro at napping.

trainer rides, and being a fatty-fatty-fat-fat.

2009-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

I've been riding the trainer about four hours a week, lately. It will ramp up once the coach and I can meet to discuss specific plans, but for now I'm playing video games and cleaning the bike fleet.

As the off-season has hit, I've tried to make it more of a transition season, but this has proven difficult. I've never raced a year as seriously as this past one, though I'm used to taking an entire month completely off of the bike. Also, in winter, my diet usually goes to hell, and I lose quite a bit of the fitness I'd gained as I pack on a few kilos. While I still eat way too much for the small training volume I'm doing, I've found a few keys to keeping semi-fit; They mostly involve trying new things.

This year I've managed to keep riding occasionally by getting a cyclocross bike and mixing up the training. In terms of motivation to ride, this new type of riding has been the biggest key to my success. Rail trails might not be the most exciting riding, but I've only ever ridden them a few times in the past, so it's something new. Cross bikes are a great way to explore south-central Wisco, and we've gotten some awesome group rides going as a result.

Now I'm transitioning to the trainer due to the mercury drop in the last few weeks. I've some frostbite damage in my fingertips from riding all winter in Mpls, so I can't ride outside much past freezing. G&C have a nice trainer studio setup, complete with projection movies and obese felines. I've also managed to improve my trainer setup by using my CX bike and buying a new television.

The greatest challenge I have in training (not just in the transition seaosn, but always) is my diet. My upbringing didn't include much nutritional education, so I've had to teach myself how to eat healthily. The three areas I've been working on are content, volume, and timing.

I know not to eat fast food, and have gotten better this eyar about packing lunches when I go to work to avoid grabbing Taco Bell (my dietary Achilles' heel). A healthy lunch is easy to make, in part because one can plan and choose ahead of time. Going out and making dinner at home when one is tired from a day at work are where it gets tricky. I've been known to eat a large bowl of salsa with chips and have a tall glass of chococlate soymilk for dinner because I didn't feel motivated to make a healthy meal.

Packing a lunch for work also lets once control the volume of the meal. The bigger challenge comes when going out with friends or making dinner myself. Most portions for hommade meals are made to be split into two or three meals, but it's easy to eat an entire container of Macaroni and cheese in one sitting. Listening to how hungry my body is before I start eating, as well as planning meals ahead of time (even if it just involves thinking about dinner o the way home) help greatly.

Lastly, I'm a nighttime snacker. The calories I eat just before bed are the most wasteful, and avoiding that last snack is a strictly disciplinary measure. I also need to make sure I eat filling food for dinner. Not a high-volume dinner, but one that will make me feel full enough for a few more hours. And if I need a snack, I shouldn't drive to Taco Bell for a Crunchwrap Supreme.

With those three ideas in mind, I'm developing a diet plan that should help me maintain my goal weight for next year's racing season: 150 lbs. I raced this year at 155, and between September and now have put on four more. I need to safely cut almost 10 lbs before May, and I'm going to set my Spring training trip (in May) as a halfway goal.

More on eating like a bike racer coming soon.

beautiful November weather

2009-11-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Date:11/21/09

Weather: Sunny and 40

Weight: 158.5

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese

Lunch: Snickers, honey roasted peanuts, MOJO bar

Dinner: Smoky John’s hamburger and potato salad

Snacks: a beer.

Workout: Rode to Belleville and back on the Hater with Abby, Gehling, and Claire.

Notes: We left at ten thirty with the intention of riding to New Glarus via the Hater. An incomplete multi-surface trail, the Hater is formally known as the Badger State trail. The first few miles leaving town and going south have yet to be completed and are ATV-style trail following an old train corridor. After an encounter with some dog poo, Abby turned back. The rest of us carried on and rode through the tunnel. It was totally metal. GEhling had a PROTOTYPE backpack along, so we made more clothing changes than Lady Gaga at the MTV awards.

back on the bike, but mostly inside

2009-11-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

Date: 11/17/09

Weather: Sunny and 45!

Weight: 157.5

Breakfast: Latte, Zucchini muffin (man it was good, but you could taste the butter!)

Lunch: ½ Chipotle Burrito

Dinner: Salmon pasta in a wine sauce at the Greenbush bar and restaurant.

Snacks:

Workout: commuter ride in and home, 100 sit-ups

Notes:

Date:11/18/09

Weather: 35 and rainy

Weight: 160.5

Breakfast: Cinnamon Scone and coffee. water

Lunch: other half of a chipotle burrito. Chips, guac

Dinner:

Snacks: GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!

Workout: 1 hour on the trainer, 100 sit-ups

Notes:

Date: 11/19/09

Weather: rainy and 45

Weight: 160

Breakfast: Quaker Oat Squares, milk, Latte, V8

Lunch: Turkey and Mashed potatoes. OJ

Dinner:

Snacks: chips and salsa. Banana.

Workout: 1 hour on the trainer and 100 sit-ups.

Most parts are gone

2009-11-18T07:17:00.001-08:00

Except the frame, fork, headset and stem. $100 and it's delivered in Madison.

Parts for sale

2009-11-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

My commuting bike from last winter (sans drivetrain) is probably the biggest thing listed here, and then there are some odds and ends. Here is the parts spec for it. If you want the entire thing, I’ll sell it for $250. Otherwise, the price listed next to each part is the asking price for just that part. All prices OBO, as the bike has some corrosion from a winter of riding. But hey, it's a winter cross commuter.

Frame: Nashbar aluminum cyclocross frame in a size 56. 130mm rear hub spacing. Comes with a disc-only fork, headset, non-QR seatpost collar and stem. 27.2 seat tube internal diameter. ($150)

Seatpost: Bontrager RXL carbon 27.2 x250($10)

Handlebar: Bontrager select flatbar. ($10)

Wheels: 700c/29” Bontrager Select disc (135mm rear hub spacing). ($80)

Brakes: Avid BB7 ATB disc brakes with Avid roundagon disc rotors. ($20)

Brake levers: Tektro ($10/pair)

Tires: Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 700x35c ($10 each)

Saddle: Bontrager select Black ($10)

Another wheelset I have for sale is a pair of 26” Sun Ditch Witch rims on Shimano Deore 6-bolt disc hubs. Come with no-name rotors and cassette, as well as some slightly used Bontrager Earl tires. ($80)

catch-up

2009-11-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

I store my training journal locally. This is an upload from the past few weeks.

Date: 11/01/09

Weather:

Weight:

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner

Snacks:

Workout:

Notes: Ankle almost better, still stiff

Date: Monday 11/02/09

Weather:

Weight:

Breakfast: Cracker Barrel pancakes, eggs, bacon.

Lunch: Chicken kebob with peppers, mushrooms, pilaf, juice and water

Dinner:

Snacks:

Workout:

Notes: I was at Trek Business School in Waterloo all day

Date: Tuesday 11/03/09

Weather:

Weight:

Breakfast: Whole Wheat Bagel and a Latte

Lunch: Shrimp Jambalaya, pasta salad

Dinner: Nachos

Snacks:

Workout: None

Notes: 2^nd day of Trek Business School and I was totally exhausted after getting home. I had some nachos and went to the first team meeting. When I got home at 9:30 I went straight to bed.

Date: Wednesday 11/04/09

Weather: Sunny, 45

Weight: 157 (I got a scale!)

Breakfast: Latte, Wheaties, OJ, grapes

Lunch: Banana, Carrots, grapes, water

Dinner: Chicken Pesto sandwich, salad, balsamic dressing

Snacks: Milk Duds (8)

Workout: Rode to work and back. Approximately 8 miles roundtrip.

Notes: My ankle is feeling good enough to ride on. No pain, just a bit stiff in the mornings and loosens up as the day goes on.

Date: 11/05/09

Weather: Sunny and 40s

Weight: 157

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Coffee, grapes

Lunch: hummus and carrots on whole wheat bread, grapes (I got some awesome grapes at the new Hy-Vee), craisins.

Dinner:

Snacks:

Workout: riding to work, sit-ups

Notes:

Date: 11/11/09

Weather: 45 and Sunny!

Weight: 152? Maybe I’m a little dehydrated.

Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese, latte, OJ

Lunch: yogurt, carrots, plum

Dinner: Glass Nickel with banana peppers and pepperoni, red bull

Snacks:

Workout: 1.5 hours on the MTB trails on my CX bike.

Notes: It felt good to get back out riding with a normal ankle. While it was a bit stiff after the ride, my foot loosened up with a bit of walking and stretching. The season-end burnout I’d experienced has subsided and I’ve been riding to work more than driving, as well as riding the CX bike around town and taking whatever paths I encounter.

This exploration type of cycling has done a few things for me. First, it’s created a new kind of cycling that I haven’t done since I first moved to Minneapolis. Discovering a new place via bicycle allows you to cover greater distances than walking, and affords a greater level of interaction than driving. Meeting Madison via bicycle is a great experience.

Another fun aspect of riding the CX bike around town is that it’s a casual approach to base-building training. I’m not going to do any directed training until December or January, but keeping in shape is important.

Date: 11/14/09

Weather: Sunny, 40s

Weight: 159 (After lots of hydrating, I’m back to normal)

Breakfast: Just coffee and water.

Lunch: Tur-duck-en, mashed potatoes,

Dinner: Toast with jam

Snacks:

Workout: none

Notes: Today was the Lake Family Thanksgiving celebration. Since John is having hip surgery Monday and we won’t be having a normal Thanksgiving, John and Cindy (my parents) had all of their long-time vacation friends to Madison for a Tur-duck-en. Yes, that’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey, and it’s amazing. I restricted myself to one small portion of each item I tried, but was still full enough after the dinner that I had toast with jam around 7 and just drank water the rest of the day.

I will call today day 1 of eating healthy again.

Date:11/15/09

Weather: Sunny, high of 50

Weight:158.9

Breakfast: Oatmeal, brown sugar, banana, coffee.

Lunch: chicken stir-fry

Dinner: Coffee, water, small bean burrito with tomatoes and onions. Mango orange juice.

Snacks: a beer!

Workout: Rode to work and took the long way home. Maybe 15 miles total riding? No hard efforts, just cruising. 100 sit-ups.

Notes: Soon I’ll be printing up lists of my goals for next year. I’ll print three; one for my bathroom wall above the scale, one for on the refrigerator, and one for right by my bedroom door. I’m also going to be putting racing pictures up around my house. I find these keep me motivated when the first race of the year is 7 months away. Racing goals will be on there, as well as a few other life-type-goals I have. So far this year I’ve reached all of my goals except two. One of those goals was to win the Subaru Cup overall for my age group.

I’m working on a Google calendar of the WORS races. Hopefully I can get that published this week. Google Calendar is an awesome tool that I use daily and it keeps things nicely organized in a visual way that I love. My training, racing, and work calendars are all on it and I can access it from anywhere.

To digress: I overhauled my Procaliber and pulled a bunch of leaves out of the cassette before running it through the parts washer. After replacing some housing and the drivetrain cables, it should be ready for a few winter rides.

Date: 11/16/09

Weather: sunny, 50

Weight: 158.5

Breakfast: Wheaties, coffee, OJ

Lunch: Chicken bacon spinach wrap

Dinner: n/a

Snacks: Lots of water!

Workout: 2 hour spin on the cross bike, 100 sit-ups.

train hard, recover harder

2009-10-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

The biggest thing I learned from my coach at Minnesota was how to recover. Getting faster is about recovery. When you're on a rest day, you need to rest. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.

This also applies to those time one gets sick during the season. When a cold is coming on, learn to recognize it and and stay off the bike. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.

When you're injured, let your body rebuild as fast as it can. Do NOT ride. Sit on your bum, play video games, drink a ton of water, and let your body rebuild.

Catch my drift?

Today I'm recovering from an odd ankle injury that I never saw coming. After Sunday's epic ride to Blue Mounds I had a stiff right ankle. Monday morning it was really hurting and walking was painful.

THEREFORE: I stayed off of my right leg and kept it elevated. I did not ride. I did not walk. I did light stretching that wouldn't engage my right ankle, and I did my situps.

Today (Tuesday) it feels much better, just stiff. While missing the beautiful weather is frustrating, prolonging an injury is even worse.

End of break

2009-10-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

My leg is finally feeling better, and it's been two weeks since Sheboygan. My trainer has arrived, and next Monday is the end of daylight savings. I've finished reading the Training Bible, and will soon be done with my first nutrition book. Other than one night of light spinning, I haven't been on th ebike since Sheboygan.

It is time to begin training for next year.

I've never started training this early, and while I'm not going to ramp it up for a month or two, I will be spinning 4 or 5 days a week, just to avoid putting on any extra weight. When it's nice I'll ride outside.

My eating has already changed a bit, and early and mid-day meal portions have shrunken to accommodate the lower number of calories burned, but I still have my lifelong bad habit of pigging out later at night. Perhaps meal planning will help me avoid that.

I've never felt so motivated this late in the season. Between this year's successes, my category upgrade, and my preliminary team plan for next year (which I cannot discuss quite yet), I've already generated goals for the off-season. While my training goals are a bit more abstract for the next few months, they'll become more concrete as we approach Spring.

Off-season goals:
1. Learn about nutrition. This may seem vague, but I've never known much about nutrition and tend to eat things that make my other mom (Denise Whalen) cringe. Beyond eating fruits and veggies and avoiding sugar and fast food, I don't know much.
2. Keep riding weight below 160 (normally I jump from 155 in-season to 165 off-season).
3. Purchase a Powertap and learn to train with power.
4. Learn about racing with the big kids from those who do it.

Next season's specific goals:
1. One top 15 finish in a WORS event.
2. A top 25 overall finish in WORS.
3. A top 75 finish at Chequamegon.

Less specific in-season goals:
1. Attend 10 WORS events.
2. Attend the Tuesday night time trials at Franklin.
3. Attend two large non-WORS MTB races, such as an MNSCS or Michigan event. Maybe SBF.

I'll soon be posting retrospective pieces about my races from this year. Writing is how I think about things, and I think it will help me process some of the less obvious skills I've learned from this year.

gettin loose

2009-10-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Date: 10/22/09 Thursday

Weather: Rainy/44

Weight:

Breakfast: Hazelnut scone, latte, OJ

Lunch: Yogurt, banana, carrots, granola

Dinner: Burger, fries, beer

Snacks: none

Workout: sit-ups, no riding.

Notes:

Date:10/23/09

Weather: 45/rainy

Weight:?

Breakfast: Latte, Scone, OJ

Lunch: don’t’ recall

Dinner: A Dotty’s burger.

Snacks: Beer. Lots of beer.

Workout: no workouts.

Notes: Went out Friday night with Geo and some other peeps. Long night. Not a training-friendly time, but definitely fun.

Date:10/24/09

Weather: 60, sunny

Weight:

Breakfast: Black coffee, pineapple, Cool Beans Classic Burrito

Lunch: Pasta Fresca

Dinner: Homemade nachos, light on the cheese

Snacks:

Workout: Sit-ups, no riding

Notes: See previous days’ activities. No riding today. Definitely not.

10/21/09 and setting goals for 2010

2009-10-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Date: 10/21/09

Weather: rainy/55

Weight: ?

Breakfast: Oatmeal with apples, brown sugar, water, latte

Lunch:two fresco bean burritos form TBell

Dinner: 1/3 plate of nachos/ Fat Tire

Snacks: 1c. Chocolate soy milk and lots of water

Workout: sit-ups and stretching. no riding

Notes: Cleaned up the Procaliber today. Got the drivetrain back on after putting it through the parts washer at work, but still need to do some detail work on the frame.

Reading the Cyclists’ Training Bible. On Chapter 9 and now I have a pretty thorough perspective of what goes into planning an annual training calendar. I’m also trying to set some goals for next year. Any suggestions for a first-year WORS cat1? Let’s be realistic and ambitious.

new training journal format with notes to myself

2009-10-21T07:03:00.001-07:00

Date:10/20/09

Weather: 55 and rainy

Weight:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar, Chocolate Soy Milk, vanilla latte.[AR1]

Lunch: PBJ on whole wheat, chips and salsa, apple, water

Dinner:

Snacks: water, 2 cups coffee

Workout: A little over an hour on the easy setting on the trainer and 100 sit-ups. And I watched Transformers 2, which counts as mental training.

Notes: Got my Super Magneto Pro winter training kit today. I’m not quite sure why one would want two climbing blocks, but it came with those as well as a sweat catcher and a trainer mat. Gave one of the blocks to Claire/Gehling/Carter. Right leg feels much better, still occasionally hitting one leg against the other while I sleep and waking up from the impact, but I can walk and ride normally with no discomfort.

[AR1]Lots of sugar! Maybe get some apple chunks or raisins in there.

smaller numbers can be good

2009-10-19T16:11:00.001-07:00

Racing mountain bikes is all about smaller numbers. Smaller times, lighter bike parts, lower tire pressure, carrying less body weight.

And now I have a very small number on my license: Category 1.

It's been a killer year and I'm excited to ride with the big kids in the next one. The last week has been a VERY off week, with lots of beer and fast food. Today I started eating well again and did my morning stretches. Tomorrow my trainer shows up and I'll begind the process of getting into even better shape.

Rock on.

Off-season days 2, 3, and 4

2009-10-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Day two I did my sit-ups again and ate like crap. I had pizza, beer, coffee, and a scone, and some water.

Wednesday, October 14th:
Taco Bell, two beers, PBJ sandwich, banana, carrots, water.
100 sit-ups.
My leg was starting to feel better. I still can't pedal very well, or with any power, but I can walk.

Thursday, October 15th:
Scone and coffee for breakfast,
Banana and carrots for a snack at work
Potato and leek soup, rye bread, and and water for dinner.
two beers at guy's night at Geo's.
No sit-ups.

I have Saturday off for a cross race, but I'm not going to enter. My leg is still pretty bruised and a bit swollen, so I'm going to take it easy on it. Today I order my stationary trainer!

And good luck to all the rock-starts at Collegiate Nationals! Pop a wheelie!

Off-season day 1

2009-10-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of the off-season:
Breakfast: McDonalds Bacon, Egg, and Cheese biscuit, hash brown, and coffee.
Lunch: Noodles and Co. Small Penne Rosa, Chicken, chocolate chip cookie, and coffee.
Dinner: Turkey leg, sweet potato, whole wheat bread, beer.
snacks: 1 more beer and twizzlers. Lots of water all day.

100 sit-ups and stretching. Still recovering from leg injury at Shevegas, so no riding.

Man, I ate like crap today. I haven't had McDs in a long time, and it sat in my stomach like an oil spill in a national forest. Enough of that, I'm not a 9-month-of-the-year racer: I'm an athlete.

Ah, the off-season.

2009-10-13T07:32:00.001-07:00

Time for beer and nachos.

The cross race was a good training exercise. I rode super hard for a few laps with the lead group and then popped. Cruised in for 14th of 40, I believe.

Shevegas was a ton of fun. That course has gotten even better since the last time I was there (perhaps 6 years ago) and has some very good, challenging singletrack.

The log drop is still in place, The Roots of All Evil, and The Equalizer as well.

This is a constructed course. It has a man-made feel, as though there were intent in each section's creation. And I know there was; The crazy man smoking cigarettes and handing out $5 bills at the top of The Equalizer told me so.

As the season gets on, I notice my start-line speed isn't quite what it was. I didn't have it at Alterra, and I didn't have it at Sheboygan. I was mid-pack going out, and started picking off people between singletrack sections. It was the usual formula: attack like hell in open bits and catch people in the singletrack. Catch and repeat.

Then some guy went down in front of me and the guy behind me plowed into my leg. I think his left pedal got me, or maybe his foot. I could spin and pump a bit, but not attack or get out of the saddle. My leg was done for the day, so I limped in for 8th.

Not a bad season, at all. I applied for my upgrade to Cat. 1 Monday morning and should be racing with the big kids next year. For as much training as I've done this year I don't feel burned out. The cold I got back in July/August that forced some time off was good for me and let me recover a bit and take some down time. I'm going to take as long as my leg needs to heal fully and then it's stationary trainer time.

Until then, It's back ot the training posts.

One more MTB race and off-season planning.

2009-10-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have both a CX race (in Grafton) and the WORS final (in Sheboygan). I'm just barely holding onto my fitness from the year and my rides are fewer and farther between. But I do ride harder than I have previously. I'm going to try some new tires just for shits and giggles.

I have a few early off-season goals, and they're mostly investments for next year.
1. Buy a stationary trainer.
2. Buy a Powertap wheel.
3. Maintain my fitness and get a good routine of indoor riding going.
4. Do some outdoor rides just to get outside.

On a final note: The Saris Gala to benefit the BFW is this Friday evening. You should attend and help a great organization that is doing a lot to help cycling in Wisconsin.

USGP #1 - Planet Bike Cup - Sun Prairie

2009-09-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my first cross race ever. I did a moderate amount of training the week previous and built my XO-1 with MOD (my boss) the night before the race. I had no prior experience racing cross, and had never attended a training clinic or even ridden a cyclocross bike for more than a jaunt around the parking lot.

This is the wrong way to do a race. Not that I had a bad race, but it is not the proper way to race. One should never race on a brand new bike without any test-riding, nor should one dive in head first without any sort of practice.

I began in 99th position of about 115 starters and raced in the 4s. Beginner class. When the gun went off, I in turn gunned it as soon as I could, and went for as many passes as possible in the first lap. This is racing aggressively.

I've always known how to race aggressively in the "attack and attack hard when the opportunity presents itself" sort of way. It was not until this year that I learned what it meant to always race aggressively, but it has made a huge difference. One needs to realize that in a cross or MTB race, sitting in when the pack is all together is a terrible idea. You need to always jockey for position, because it will eventually string out, and split up, and suddenly the opportunities to even race for a top 10 spot are gone.

So I rode quite aggressively the first lap and got back up in the field quite a ways. However, by the time I got back up toward the front, it had strung out and the many corners of the course made it string out far and fast. Recovering for a lap or two, I then had to be sneakier about my attacks and moves. I'd find a group, observe for a bit to decide where it would be best to attack them, and ride accordingly. Most of my moves were made in the tighter sections, or the greasey, off-camber areas that some tried to ride, and I would run faster. Many time it was line choice that determined how I would attack.

And then I met my match in David Studner. He is a product manager at Trek, fast roadie, and an all-around awesome dude. After seeing him just before the run-up, and being prompted by Carol to catch him, I drilled it to get on his wheel. He was quick through the power sections, and I fell back a bit. Then, at some technical, and off-camber parts, I got up next to him. Then it opened up again and he would pull in front of me. I knew, however, that I had him in difficulty in the tight, wooded chicane, and made my pass when he rode wide on a left-handed off-camber turn, and I ran the inside line. We were next to each other going into the right-hand hairpin, and coming out. Side-by-side in the squishy-ground straight, and I found the firmer line and drilled it.

I rode alone the rest of the lap and finsihed 16th. Not a podium, but I'll take it.

Chequamegon and the Epic poem

2009-09-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

In bicycle race reporting, the adjective “epic” has been repeated to the point of losing meaning. Today, I would like to explain why the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 can justifiably be called epic. To clarify:

Epic (definition)(Wikipedia) narratives are usually in a poetic format, and tell a story that is significant to the history of a culture. They begin “in media res,” which means “into the midst of affairs.” Epics include heroes who embody the values of a culture, broad, expansive consequences and settings, and long lists. They show divine intervention and include great, long, speeches. They also begin with the invocation of a muse. While this is not going to be an epic poem, I will provide examples of how a description of one’s particiation in the Fat Tire 40 could be justifiably described in this format.

An invocation of a muse could go something like this:

Shaw taught me how to race it. Shaw, the decade-long pro race tech, with multiple team wins under his belt, with NORBA championships, with knowledge beyond knowing. Shaw said to be careful on the road before Rosie’s field. That chains would drop on that hill, chains would snap. Shaw taught me where to push and where to recover. He taught me which tires, what food, when to suck wheel and how to know when to go. Shaw showed me how to finish The Chequamegon Fat Tire 40.

So then we’d jump “in media res” and get right to the action of the race. Not the fast road start, not the blast through Rosie’s Field as Ride Of the Valkyries plays on giant speakers. It would begin on the fast Birkebeiner Ski trails, where the real chaos starts:

Up a steep roller, ten riders wide, 1700 mountain bikers charged with a furious machination. 20 MPH on dirt and grass. Cresting the tree-lined hill, the momentum of our descent became more fluid, its fury waxing. 25 MPH. An endless river of helmets behind me, an endless river ahead. As many looked to be on the edge of control, a rider to my right locked his brakes and skidded his tires across the dew-slick Wisconsin Northwoods grass. He rotated right, whipped the bike back left, and went sideways, sliding out a few feet to my side. A shout, gears mashing, gears colliding, and I reminded myself to keep looking ahead. 30 MPH. Across the mass of bicycles and riders, near the front left of this hundred-rider group, I watched one drift closer and closer to the edge, eventually exploding into the trees. Before his cartwheeling body had crumpled to the ground, riders behind him were colliding with each other to avoid colliding with the downed rider. Crashing to avoid crashing; That oxymoronic madness is what briefly crept into my mind, until I shut it out, my mantra for the day settling into its rhythm:

Heads up, hands off the brakes, always have an exit line.

We continued our stampede, our spoke-flying rush, so often too close to one another for an hour before the training miles or hours in front of the television meted us into evenly-matched groups. At highway OO, the clock read 11:04. Were we halfway? Perhaps not in terms of mileage, and definitely not in terms difficulty.

What about lists? What could we list from Chequamegon? Well, bikes, duh. People show up on everything from prototype race bikes to 70’s tandem beach cruisers. One could also play with the fact that 29er bikes dominate this race, in particular Gary Fisher models:

A Paragon, Rush, X-Caliber, first-generation Stumpjumper, Barracuda, ARC, Superfly, Elite 9.8, Niner, Karate Monkey, Fuel EX, XTC, Hardock, Paragon, X-Caliber, Superfly, Remedy, Scalpel, ASR, Truth, F600, 8500, Cobia, a brand-new Stumpjumper…

Etcetera.

I think we could also list the winners of previous 40s. It's a who's who of Midwest mountain biking, and would also give a sense of the history of the sport in this state.

The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival first ran in 1983, in the dawn of mountain biking. The course itself consists of gravel road, ATV trail, and sections of rolling ski trail appropriated from the American Birkebeiner race. These trails are not what a modern XC mountain bike racecourse looks like, but the Chequamegon is still frequently called “The Midwest Mountain Bike World Championships.” Once everyone is finished, the Telemark Resort becomes a reunion party, where everyone’s accomplishments are re-lived, no matter the individual’s level of participation. This unity and diversity are core aspects of mountain biking culture. The versatility of the original Klunkers promoted wide use over all sorts of terrain, bringing together an odd assortment of road riders, thrill seekers, and outdoorsy families. The store of the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 serves as a strong reminder of what Mountain Biking is all about, even when it’s about racing.

And here we have everyone together, from all aspects of mountain biking. In a single start wave, world-level professionals begin with cube-dwelling weekend warriors. It covers a distance at least ten miles longer than a normal professional course, and for many, simply finishing is an achievement. Those who are in contention for a win are there to make a name for themselves and hope to go down in history. How’s that for a wide scope?

What of the battles? How about man vs. man in the race, man vs. nature on the racecourse, and man vs. himself when considering those who simply hope to finish before the time cut? How about Brian Matter outsprinting Cole House for the win? What about Doug Swanson riding off the front at Rosie’s Field and winning solo? The Eppens finishing with the pros on the fastest tandem The 40 has ever seen? And what about Steve Tilford always returning after decades of pro racing and still landing in the top 3?

I'm not quite sure where divine intervention falls into this story, but I bet it's there for some. I've met a few who compare finding mountain biking to finding God. I'm sure there are some who have been just ten miles out with their third flat and a guardian angel steps out of the woods to hand the another tube. Lastly, for the author, the euphoria of racing at speeds topping 25 MPH in a field of hundreds is oddly comforting. It makes one feel a part of something greater than oneself.

The battles of Schlecks and Contadors on alpine slopes are more akin to the Gods of Olympus battling amongst themselves than the stories of Gilgamesh or Beowulf. The history of The 40 is as deep as the sport of mountian biking, and plays the role of an annual reminder to us all that no matter our level of participation, our mileage or talent, our wheel diameter or suspension setup, or the vintage of our bikes, mountain biking a unifying sport. And in an age of increased discipline diversity, The 40 should stand out as most epic for bringing those dispersed disciplines and riders together.

Cheq Training, Cross building

2009-09-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I did 40 miles at the Kettles to prep for the midwest mountainbike world championships. Other than Gehling breaking a swingarm with about 8 to go, it was a good ride. I'm hoping Fosler will pull me through most of the open stuff next weekend, and maybe I can pace him through the singletrack. That would work well. My form isn't as bad as I'd thought, as I managed a solid attack at 2 miles to go and stayed away.

This week I've done a few 3-hour road rides at tempo, and Friday I did 30 miles at Jim's trail as a final long MTB ride before Chequamegon. This week I'll taper off a bit and get ready to go for it next Saturday. I'm aiming for sub 3-hours in my first Fat 40.

How bout them World Championships? The XC was kinda "meh," except for Willow Koerber's 3rd (which was metal as hell). The real action was in the gravity events. Peaty finally won and Graves was rewarded for his patience. Justice was served for each of them.

I'm building a cross bike with an XO-2 frame, Rival, and some Bonty Classics wheels. Once it's done I'm not buying any bike stuff again for a long time. Until I have to buy a stationary trainer.

Mountain bikes on the road

2009-09-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

After some pretty good mid-season burnout, I decided it was time to stop riding my road bike. I like group rides on the road, and can usually handle about 6 months of road riding in a year. Lately, I haven't been able to do the three-hour rides on the road bike. It's just gotten boring, and the mountain bike beckons. Fall is the best mountain biking season.

In an effort to make some change in my training attitude I took out my Procaliber the other day, for a nice 2.5-hour jaunt through Madison, Verona, and Fitchburg. The mountain bike was a blast on climbs, and bombing descents was hilarious! I also spun out pretty frequently, which really helped me keep my cadence up on flat sections. Lastly, the squishy ride was oh-so-comfy. Excessive claim of the day:

Mountain is the new road!

So I did 2.5-hours Monday, 2 at Jim's on Tuesday, and am taking today as a recovery day. Tomorrow I'll do some more road, and Friday I plan on hitting up Cam-Rock with The Geo. Maybe the Kettles this Sunday?

I'm still ramping up for Chequamegon, and still have a goal of top 10% (top 250, approximately).

hangovers and heroes

2009-08-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up promptly at seven, my head aching, my bedroom messy (normally it's not like that), and my helmet missing. How does one conquer a hangover? Hammer Heed! How does one know one is getting in better shape for cycling? When 3 Jack and Cokes give you a hangover!

After chugging a bottle of Heed, I slept until ten and woke to a beautiful day, lots of motivation to ride, and no more headache! After taking the Simply City to Ground Zero, I began to get philosophical about riding bikes. Buckle up, kiddos...

Who inspires me to ride? Let's start with my coach, Aaron Whalen. Whale dropped his entire life in Madison on 24 hours notice to move to Colorado and pursue racing. He knows a thing or two about sacrifice, and when I'm feeling conflicted about racing, he always has good advice.

Next, Doug Swanson. He's fast as hell, he's a normal guy, and even though I've only met him once he impressed me with how down to earth he was. I would love to be half as fast as he is and still have my head on that straight.

Chris Shaw. Yes, Shawzam. I've known the guy for about a year, and one time he said something that I repeat to myself during every race. We were talking about using the brakes as little as possible on singletrack, and I asked him how he manages to descend entire sections without the brakes. Did he take the roughest line, or accelerate less? His response was no, "Sometimes you just gotta go for it." or as I paraphrase "You never know what you can't do until you crash." This year I've had some really good bails, and a few solid crashes, but I am way faster in singletrack than in my more cautious riding years' past.

Oh, and Shaw introduced me to Tony Chachere's, which has become a staple of my training diet.

passive voice and passive training.

2009-08-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

I have been training. Or to use the passive voice, "Training has happened." The passive voice feels more appropriate, however incorrect, for the fact that I don't have a plan, and I've been riding without serious concern for where I'm going. I have been riding passively, so the passive voice can happen.

It's wonderful; I've simply been riding for the sake of riding.

A new favorite loop at Jim's, which I call the figure-8, rides as follows: Ascend The Old New trail, descend New New trail, ascend back up Old New, and then descend Five-Layer Cake and The Switch. Rinse, repeat, rip it.

I've been riding enough lately that I can drift the tires a bit in corners again. This is a skill I hope won't disappear with the leaves over the winter months. Gotta love gettin' loose.

Cyclocross? Maybe. Still a definite maybe.

Calling it a season

2009-08-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today we discuss the effective end of my season.

I haven't raced since Alterra, and won't be racing again until Chequamegon, which is at the end of September. It will probably be my last race of the year. I've achieved what I'd hoped to do, which was to upgrade to cat. 1 (I'll do that once the season is over) and got 5 top 5 finishes.

The last month has been a hard one for training and racing. I was sick for about a week and a half after Eau Claire, and the past week has been occupied by the Trek dealer show; I simply had no time to ride. Then at the end of the week I got a nasty head cold, from which I'm only now recovering.

Tough month. And frustrating.

My hopes for the rest of the year involve increased bicycle commuting, improved training, more mountain biking, and perhaps even trying out cyclo-cross.

I also have a freeride bike for sale if anybody is interested. I built it this spring and haven't used it yet, so it's gotta go: Gary Fisher Kingfisher with upgraded suspension and an LX/XT drivetrain. Bontrager Big Earl Wheelset and Hayes disc brakes. $600 OBO.

pedalhing hard(er).

2009-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I did a two-hour coffee ride on my road bike. This means that I rode my road bike for an hour or so, stopped for coffee, and rode home in about 40 minutes. My legs were still a little tired from Sunday's race, but not bad.

Wednesday I rode two very fast laps at Jim's trails. I felt somewhat on, but the dirt was so dry it was dusty and difficult to really dig the tires into it.

Thursday I rode for a little over three hours on my road bike. I went to the hilly area southwest of Madison and made sure I kept a good pace on the ride. By the end my legs were smoked and I was a bit sunburned.

Then I went to a trailday at Jim's and got to add a feature to the new trail called Trad.

Tonight: if there's no rain there will be more Jim's trails riding.

The Alterra MTB race

2009-08-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today's post is about not having a strong sense of what to do next:

After getting sick, getting better, moving, and not riding a whole lot, the Franklin WORS race felt like a mysterious mountain looming in the distance.

It turned out to simply be the trash heap that is the Crystal Ridge ski area, where the race is hosted. This year we climbed up the start hill, hammered around to the singletrack, and then dove into tight, twisty hardpack. Once you were in the woods there was no hope of passing, so a good start was important.

I missed my pedal, got bumped, clipped out, clipped in, and then realized I'd missed the boat. Most of the field was ahead of me. Going into the woods in nearly last position was frustrating, so I resolved to do the only thing I could do:

Save my energy for when I could pass and attack like a demon once I got the chance. The first lap was a waste, with a few complete stops in the singletrack for people who couldn't steer. I just kept my breathing under control and had some snacks while we were stopped.

On the second lap things started to open up, so I made up a few spots here and there. It wasn't until the final lap that I really started jamming and got a gap at the start of the singletrack. It was time to open it up, and boy howdy did I rip some singletrack.

After riding through most of the singletrack alone on that last lap, I caught Bruce Lagerquist (Trekie) as he rode behind a junior. Once we passed the junior, we were nearly at the long climb up the hill. I knew this was it, so I let it all hang out on the climb. After dropping Bruce, I quickly caught John Fang.

Coming off of the switchback sections near the peak, I dropped John and had a gap by the time we got to the last steep final climb. I gunned it and opened up the propedal for the descent.

I only caught and passed a few people for the rest of the lap, and rolled in for 6th. Not bad, considering I was almost last when the race started on a course with little passing room.

No more racing for this guy for a month. Work is busy, but I'll be busy training.

moving, movement, bike parts to move.

2009-07-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today's post topic involves movement.

I'm moving into my own apartment today. It's over on East Johnson Street near Teh Gehling and Claire, as well as near my brother's house.

In moving, I have found some bike things that I was unaware were still in my possession. I'll post a list here in a few hours and if you want to buy or trade for them, let a fella know.

Training has been difficult the last week. After my cold, I still had a hard time getting into the swing of riding again. I'd ride for an hour and a half and just feel spent. I couldn't put out any effort, or maintain any sort of speed. It wasn't until this week that I felt even remotely close to where I was at Eau Claire. I did 1.5 road hours Monday, 2.5 Tuesday, and 2 on the MTB Wednesday. While I wasn't climbing as strongly, I could ride at tempo pretty comfortably.

Today (Thursday) the weather sucks, with a chilly rain. I'll be packing and moving until the clouds pack up and move along, each in our respective ways.

This blog is about bike racing, but I'm thinking about bringing back the other blog I used to maintain while in school: the one about words.

Last week a poem happened to me while biking, between two single-letter roads, between two four-letter towns. It was the sort of bike ride that is done to ride away from something more than toward something.

Ars Graffitica

topping out and getting le sick

2009-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I don't get sick much, but when I do, I make it count. Last year I went without a cold the entire year. The year before that I only got sick once and had bronchitis so badly I was at the doctor every four days and missed the entire collegiate MTB season.

Last Monday (the 13th) I went on a two hour road ride and was just flying without even trying. The day before that I was jamming at Jim's and absolutely killing it and didn't even feel tired. I was starting to plateau in my training and needed some time off. However, I didn't recognize that I was starting to overtrain so the next morning I woke up with a nasty headcold. My throat was sore, sinuses clogged, and I even had a headache, which is quite uncommon for me.

The past week was spent in full-on recovery mode. I sat on my butt any time I wasn't at work. And even when I was at work I was chugging water. The winning combination went like this: Emergen-C every morning, tons of water during the day, sittging in bed or in front of the computer in warm clothing while at home, and getting ten hours of sleep each night.

On Sunday I turned 24. This year has been very challenging and full of change, and I wouldn't have guessed I'd be here if you'd asked me on my 23rd birthday. Racing (and being competative) at the top of cat.2 is something I never thought I could do even if I had the opportunity, so I'm really glad I've had the chance to do that.

At the beginning of this season I made a list of goals for the year:
-Pay off student loans. (On schedule to finish paying them by year end)
-Buy a car (Done in February)
-5 top-5 finishes (So far 3. 4th at Rhinelander, 2nd at Eau Claire, 1st in Super-D at Mt. Morris)
-Win the Subaru Cup (I didn't win it, but I learned I can throw down with the top Comp Racers)
-Move out in September. (I'm moving into my new place August 1st)

I'm going to add some goals for the second half of the season, as I've checked off a few of my current goals.
-Win a comp race.
-Learn to race cyclo-cross and complete three races.

more training, more thinking about cross

2009-07-12T21:02:00.001-07:00

So I have some fun stuff coming up in the next month:

Dealer show.
birthday.
new apartment.
new commuting bike.
maybe a cyclocross bike.

But for now: it's time for serious mileage. I'm not racing for a month, so Wednesday I did some hill intervals on Burke road in the rain and cold. It made me feel like it was Spring again. Thursday I rode Jim's, and then I took Friday off. My legs were tired, but not "OH GOD GIVE ME A DAY OFF" kind of tired.

Saturday I did two hours of intervals on the road. These were long intervals with moderate recovery in-between. It felt good, and in the tailwinds I could cruise at 32 mph without much effort. Gotta love it when the wind is on your side. On Sunday I did two burner laps at Jim's, and had to call it a night for lack of light.

Tomorrow: three hours on the road. Then Tuesday off.

I move August 1st. I'm pretty stoked on the prospect of living alone for the first time in my life. Alone, as in no roommates or parents. I also have little to no furniture for my house, so it's time to go to Ikea.

and I figure if I'm going to get a cross bike I might as well wait for the Y10 stuff to come out. That means I have an EP to burn on a commuter...

Back in the top ten

2009-07-08T07:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.wors.org/results/results.php?year=2009&type=s&cat=comp&code=o

racing to train, new goals, and cyclocross

2009-07-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Did I just say cyclocross? Yeah, maybe.

First things first, recovery rides rule. I spun for twenty minutes yesterday and then did a bike fit with Gehling on my MTB, and it made my legs feel great. Normally the day after races my legs hurt when walking up stairs, but not yesterday.

So Tuesday I did 2:45 at a moderate pace on the road bike. Here's my route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2984124

Legs felt good, lungs felt good (no congestion as I'd experienced earlier in the season), head felt good. I just cruised. Tomorrow I think I'll either ride Jim's (if the weather is good) or do sprints on Burke road (if it's raining).

I think I need to set a few goals for the rest of the season. I don't know if Chequamegon is going to be a goal race, since it's my first time riding it, but perhaps. I'd like to do well at Sheboygan and perhaps one more race before that. Any suggestions?

Finally, cyclo-cross. Yeah, cold weather, mud, short races, beers, and... running. That's my one concern. Running makes me tired, and I don't like dismounting the bike. I'd rather jump stuff. I'll have to see how busy the shop is when cross season starts and how easy or difficul tit would be to get into it. And I should talk to coach Whalen about it.

putting it together

2009-07-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

At Iola I had to re-learn how I race: when to push, when to recover, etc.

At Rhinelander I had to learn how to push at the start without blowing up.

At Mt. Morris I had to learn ym nutrition and how to race in the heat. But I did learn I had it in the singletrack.

At Eau Calire, this past weekend, I put it all together and took 2nd in my age group, and 6th overall.

At the start, I picked my position and didn't get pushed around in the start chute. When Don yelled "GO" I jumped, got clipped in fast and hopped on somebody's wheel. I drafted in fourth wheel on the long dirt road leadout and kept my breathing under control. There was a small hill before the singletrack and I drilled it to get off the front and try for the holeshot to the singletrack. Unfortunately, I slid sideways and eventual winner Scott Golomski got past.

I kept on it until we hit the stone switchbacks, and got a gap in the second section of singletrack.

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. I jammed out in the singletrack and really enjoyed myself. I'd pass everyone I could in the open by hammering hard and then catch the next group in the singletrack and have to sit in for a bit. Once it opened up again, I'd open it up and pull more people in.

A few moments of note: Jennifer Whitedog dropping the shit out of me on a technical descent. That woman can kill it!

Some kid in my age category who I caught on lap two absolutely broke when I passed him. He started crying and yelling about how much his stomach hurt. I told the next spectators I saw to check in on him.

On my last lap I cleared the Mr. Hyde rock garden and pulled around one more Comp rider.

The best part of it? I didn't totally bury myself to do what I did. It's time to keep training with one thing in mind:

Scott finished more then 3.5 minutes ahead of me.

exhaust, recover, repeat

2009-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

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?

heat training

2009-06-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

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.

The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 3: short track shortcomings

2009-06-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

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.

The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 2: Super-D redemption

2009-06-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

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.

The Subaru Cup: fail, win, fail. Part 1: Mayor of Bonktown

2009-06-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

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.

A bad week, a great week, one more week.

2009-06-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Race #2: Camp Tesomas, Rhinelander.

2009-05-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

Preface: I did 40 miles on the road bike Friday with our favorite customers and prerode the racecourse Saturday with Gehling.

Race #2 of WORS: Camp Tesomas, Rhinelander.
2x11 mile laps.
3 water stations, one hand-up from Bitches, 3 Accel Gels.
Bike Setup: Fisher Procaliber, stock. Fox RP23 Propedal setting 1, factory setup up front, 4 clicks from in on rebound and light on the propedal.
30PSI in the tires.

Rhinelander goes like this: Lots of wide open dirt roads, lots of wide open double track, and then some brutal singletrack, some double track, more brutal singletrack, dirt roads. 11 miles.

I had a shitty start position, and got caught behind some slow guys for the first few corners, so I was chasing from the gun. I caught what I thought was the lead group just before the first doubletrack, and hopped on.

The real lead group were the guys who were fast in both the open stuff and the technical stuff. The group I was behind was only fast in the open stuff. So I had to chill.

Then I started racing smarter, and more aggressively. I'd pass any chance I got in the singletrack. It didn't matter if I felt good or not; if the guy (or lady) ahead of me wasn't ripping my legs off, I went for his.

Toward the end of the first lap I got to the front of these singletrack slow-pokes, and got a gap before the doubletrack. After pushing hard to get the gap I looked back and saw nobody in sight, but knew they'd be coming for me. There was also nobody ahead of me. I knew I hadn't caught Brian Braun yet, so I found myself in no-man's land: no visible carrot to chase, and just my own legs as a pacer.

So I grabbed the big ring, tucked, spun and breathed. I was cookin on the road as I went through the lap and actually felt pretty well recovered from getting the gap. Right before diving in to the doubletrack, three guys with huge legs came powering through and I hopped on to draft for the last little open section. I felt awesome when we hit the technical stuff, and when things got really gnarly, they started splitting up. I passed the first guy when the started to drop, and caught the second on a small climb.

(side note: Gehling commented during the preride that my climbing was poppy, but I didn't do so hot a job maintaining it over the top, so if I was going to attack and try to gap people, I'd better go early on climbs.)

So that's what I did to guy #2, and I blew him out of the water. At the top of the climb it opened up a bit, so I set in behind hammerhorse #3 and let him pull me around. I told him we had dropped his homies and he should punch it. He pulled me up to the next group of people and I came around him just before the last nasty singletrack section.

I didn't feel so hot during this race. My legs and lungs were taxed earlier than normal and I haven't been training as much as I'd like between Iola and now. However, I was racing so much more intelligently than I did at Iola that I still did pretty well.

On the final open sections I just drilled it and buried myself, passing at least 10 more riders. I got nipped right at the finish line, but I still felt like I raced with my brain.

4th in my age group, 14th of 78 finishers in Comp. Today marks the first of my goal of 5 top 5 finishes. I made a big improvement over Iola, not just in my placing, but also in how in what Martin Whitely calls "race craft." I was smart, I was aggressive, and I knew when I could recover and when I had to push.

I now have a month off before my next XC race, which is one of my primary goal races for the season. It's time to put on some serious miles.

Memorial day, Tuesday, trying to get back on schedule, stress

2009-05-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day showcased the best TBSOM has to offer. We hit up Jim's trails with Pete, Shaw, Jake, MOD, Mary, Bryce, Abbie (or is it Abby?), Dan Coppola and myself. One big lap, including the new sections, and then chicken barbecue.

Tuesday I drove over to the practice crit but apparently it was canceled, as there was nobody there. I then drove home and tried to ride but hit such a mental roadblock that I turned around and went home ten minutes in.

I couldn't get my heart rate up, couldn't focus, couldn't go hard. It was "le disappointing."

Wednesday was rainy and cold and windy and generally the day was shit, so I only rode for an hour. But I made it count. I warmed up for 10 minutes and then hammered for 40 minutes. And I mean balls-out pain-face, hardest-sustainable-effort kind of riding.

There was lightening, otherwise I would have gone longer. This is hardening the fuck up.

le sick, le recovery, le Sunday morning TT

2009-05-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I went out to do jump intervals but my lungs felt funny ad my legs were smoked. I couldn't get warmed up so I spun for 2 hours and then went home. Active recovery, anyone?

Thursday I felt like shit. My lungs were rough, my head was swimming, and I was tired. Even after 10 hours of sleep. I guess that's what I get for pulling rookie mistakes (see previous).

So I took some mucinex, took it easy and took a nap. Friday I felt awesome and have been back at it since. 4 hours Friday, and 1 hard one Saturday were a good lead-up to a really hard 1.5 hour ITT Sunday.

I averaged 24 MPH in a 45 minnute 19-mile ITT around sun Prairie. I didn't feel great, but I didn't feel too shitty. Not bad to get in a ride before work. Tomorrow it's off to Jim's trails for 3 hours of XC and grilling with the Shawzam and TBSOM crew. east and West will both be present, and with our powers combined we will become Captain Planet.

Practice Crit, or, Rookie mistakes I've made

2009-05-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Certain things happen when you race a crit on 4 hours of sleep. Like you don't pay attention to the lap counter and totally miss the final sprint. Sure, you are able to respond to the accelerations just fine because your legs are present, but you don't realize when it's 100% go time. Maybe your legs even feel awesome, in spite of the lack of sleep and the fact that you did a comp MTB race two days before, but when you're dumb enough to stay up til 4 in the morning you're not gonna get on the podium.

After the neutral lap, you are able to sit in any time the group speeds up, and you can even stay in the attack group when they go without getting your HR up too high. So once over half the field is blown off the back by the fast kids who are controlling the race, you just kind of hang out in the breakaway.

You notice the preem bell, and you notice what you think is a second preem bell. Because you forgot your watch and aren't paying attention to the lap counter (because you're doing this on 4 hours of sleep) you don't realize that on the 2nd to last corner you should have jumped harder. Or that maybe you should have sprinted instead of waiting for the inevitable regrouping of the Bs field that happens after preems.

So you get pinched off the back and end up in 6th or 7th because you made a rookie mistake and raced on 4 hours of sleep.

Race Report: Iola

2009-05-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

This was interesting. I learned many things and know what I need to work on.

6th in age group, 20th of 112 overall in Comp.

My legs felt strong. They've never felt nearly this strong.

I pre-rode two laps Saturday. The first was with the learn-to-race clinic, as an assistant. That lap took over an hour. The second was supposed to be with gehling, but I had derailleur problems and did it on my own. I got the problem sorted out and kept riding, though I think my freehub is a bit jacked.

After sleeping 12 hours Saturday night I woke up to a beautiful sunny day and temps in the upper 50s. Perfect for me!

Breakfast was two bananas, two lattes, lots of Quaker Oat Squares cereal, dry, and some Accelerade. I warmed up with Gehling on the trainers and spun for baout 20 minutes with a few short bursts to get sweating and ready.

Don yelled go(oooooooo...), and we were off.

I felt very focused from the gun. Got clipped in, and stayed with the pack. Up the first climb, around the tower, and back through the start area and into the bowl. Still in the top few of my wave as we hit the second climb before another descent into the bowl.

I kept my hands off the brakes and carried lots of momentum into the short climbs. I also stayed aero on open secotions and passed tons of people without really working. That article on getting aero was spot on.

I've still got it in singletrack, at least compared to most Comp racers. Granted, I felt very focused and was taking risks one takes in races, but I was pinning it. My confidence was way up.

Then we hit the last nasty climb, and I learned that my riding style has changed. I am no longer a super speedy climber, and on the first lap this caught me off-guard. However, I soon learned where I can put the hurt on people and was making up spots.

Any open sections were an opportunity for me accelerate and move up a few spots. I still struggled on climbs, but keeping off the brakes in singletrack and hammering in the open sections made up for it. I kept making up spots on the last few laps and finished strong. Had I known how I needed to race I think I would have approached the first lap differently.

My legs did not get tired, although my lungs did. I think I could stand to lose some fat up top, as I have visible excess still around my stomach. Even though I'm doing the core workouts I'm having a hard time cutting that fat. However, I don't want to lose too much, so I think I won't worry aotu it and just keep riding and maybe watch what I eat a little better. I do need to work on power climbing. Maybe I can incorporate some more climbing into my workouts. I've never had my lungs hurt that badly in a race. While it was dusty, they were taxed before my legs.

Maybe coach Whalen can tell me if I need to do more hill climbs at high cardio effort. Also, I'm not used to having the power I have, so maybe I should just quit bitching an dpush a harder gear.

I ate one Accel gel on each lap, and one in the start chute. I also did one bottle every 1.5 laps.

I felt good. Bring on Rhinelander.

packing

2009-05-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

I'm packing for Iola. I'm thinking of the long leadout to the first bit of singletrack and how hard you have to go for the first part so you don't get pinched in the singletrack.

Monday I did 3 hours on the MTB at Jim's.

Tuesday I didn't ride due to work.

Wednesday I did sprints on the trainer because the weather sucked.

Thursday I rode to work and felt awesome. Tomorrow's going to be an easy day, and Saturday I'll preride.

I've been doing lots of sit-ups faster and faster now. My 100 don't take long. And the planks are getting easier. Not quite at six-pack status, but getting there.

one week until Iola

2009-05-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Between some faily events and my bike getting stolen (and returned), I haven't ridden this week since Monday. Now that it is Sunday, I thought I'd better at least go for an easy spin to get the legs ready for a week of racing.

So I did, and it was fun. And I stretched, and did sit-ups.

Tomorrow I'm headed out to Jim's trails for an attempt at four laps in a row. I don't know that I've done that before: 4 complete laps. I'm taking a lot of food and two water bottles and wearing my racing kit. I'm not treating it like a race, I'm treating it like an endurance ride, but all the same I'm going to use it as mental preparation for the race next Sunday.

Speaking of which,
Iola was the first place I went mountain biking in 2002. That race was my first ever, and my first time on real trails. I love the course and although it's not a goal event of mine, I'd love to at least step on the podium. The pine section toward the end is one of my favorite parts of mountain biking.

I dislike most cycling magazines (except Dirt Rag), but this month's Mountain Bike has an article on speed, cornering, and braking that is extremely helpful. Check it out if you get a chance.

The return of the Madone

2009-05-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

Without my road bike it's been a frustrating week. Beyond commuting and a few laps at a demo day at Jim's Trails on Monday, I simply haven't ridden much.

Then on Tuesday I got a call from Homer, my outside sales rep at Trek. It went a bit like this:

"Hey Andrew, Homer here."
"Hey Homer! What's happenin?"
"You used to have a Madone 5.2 Pro, right? 58cm Carrera blue?"
"Yes, I did. Until it was stolen."
"You want it back?"

Monday morning a man named Kevin (whose last name I don't even know) was biking to work from his house in the Atwood neighborhood, when he passed the corner of Atwood and Dunning, where he saw a very nice road bike leaning against a dumpster, unattended and unlocked. It looked lost, and Kevin knew that such bikes do not attend to themselves.

He stood in thought for about half an hour. Something about this situation seemed wrong. So he called his wife saying, "I think I should grab it." After she agreed, they called the police, although each agreed, the police probably wouldn't do much. They asked if the police had a database, and they said no. So they called Machinery Row Bicycles.

And that is where bicycle karma struck with brilliant force.

The folks at The Row told Kevin they hadn't sold the bicycle, but they could give the serial number to their inside sales rep, Homer, who was standing in the shop when Kevin had called. After hearing the description, Homer (who knew my bike had disappeared) thought it might be mine, and so he ran the serial number through Trek's system and found that the bike had been shipped to Boehm's cycle in St. Paul, Minnesota. The same shop I'd worked at for two years in college.

Thursday evening I drove over to Kevin's and picked up my bike, completely intact and functional, save for some torn bar tape. What a strange series of events, that Kevin would go to such lengths to get it back to me, that Homer would be in the right place at the right time.

I owe them both quite a lot. Tonight I'm doing a victory lap.

sleep, the kettles, goodbye Madone

2009-05-05T11:58:00.001-07:00

It has been quite the week! First off, my Madone got jacked out of the garage Saturday night, so my training plan has changed a bit. If I get any insurance money I'll just buy a new one. If not, I'll use the store demo bike for a while and get a new one later this summer. It's unsettling, and I keep trying to tell myself that a bicycle is merely a thing.

My training last week was as follows:
Wednesday: Intervals. I felt great and they were almost fun, even though I was tired by the last one. At the end I threw down a sprint just to see what I had left.

Thursday was a recovery day, so I cruised at an easy pace.

Thursday night I couldn't sleep. After work Friday I got home and went to bed instead of riding, so I shifted my schedule back a day.

Saturday I did a 2 hour ride at Jim's, and Sunday I went to the Kettles with Matt (Gehling) and Clare and Ashley and got my face melted for about fifteen minutes by Nathan Guerra. Then Matt and I kinda cruised the rest of it. I was fried by the end, but I popped an accel gel with 3 miles left and just drilled it to the end.

We werent' even going that fast out there and we passed tons of people. I feel good about the season. Gehling is faster than me, but that is a reality I have come to accept. 26 miles with somebody faster than me on mountain bikes is a good workout. Monday I rested.

A day to think.

2009-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Monday was my rest day, so Tuesday was my endurance ride day. I did 2.5 hours at an average of 158 BPM.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=277533

Once I got home, I noticed a police radar trailer was set up to display the speed of cars driving near Sandburg elementary. My legs were tired, but I decided to see how hard of a sprint I could throw down. I broke 30mph, but I could feel my legs saying "no thanks, we're done for the day."

recover, sunburn, recover, chunky lungs

2009-04-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday I did some active recovery and rode over to my brother's house and cruised by the lake. It was nice.

Friday I did 2.5 very hard hours in the wind and sun. Due to time constraints I couldn't do the full time I'd scheduled, but managed to have a good hard ride.

Saturday morning I spun out my legs in preparation for the Campus Crit in Minneapolis: a race I thought I had a shot at winning.

Sunday morning saw rain, and tons of it. The course had puddles that would get swept out by course marshals between rider gaps. The 4s race had 5 participants, and we went hard from the whistle. It strung out, and on the windy backside, we got split apart. I chased up to the front two riders, and as soon as I got up there, the 2nd place guy(Randy) drilled it. He got another gap, and the GP guy who was with us jumped and went right past Randy. I tried to chase and popped.

When I dropped back to the last two, they weren't talking to each other or me. They wouldn't work together, and they kept attacking, trying to get back up to the front GP rider. It sucked, big time. They kept attacking me until I couldn't respond. There was no recovery, and I rode the last five laps alone and discouraged. According to the official, it didn't even look like a race after the first three laps; Just one rider every five seconds, hammering on his own.

I was soaked, cold, and shaking when I got done. I warmed up, stretched a ton, and went to the Mall of America to get some shoes before driving home through terrible rain that night. The saddest part is that when there's a good field, that race is awesome.

Cold, damp weather always does a number on my lungs. I felt them constricting right away after the race and just for safety took some mucinex the next day. It got a bit of the congestion out, and I feel better today, but chunky lungs always make me nervous.

A year-and-a-half ago now, I was going into the collegiate MTB season feeling great. I felt strong and excited about the chance of qualifying for nationals (I would have gotten smoked at nats, but it would have been awesome). The last road event I was going to go was the campus crit. I had a bit of a cold, but I didn't think it serious enough to drop from the race.

I raced hard that year, and was a little hung over from the previous night, so my cold turned to serious bronchitis in a day or two. It took me off the bike for three months, out of the MTB season, and involved weekly visits to the doctor to check on my progress. The most frustrating cold I've ever had wasn't severe, but I put on 15 lbs, missed my last collegiate MTB season, and learned a big lesson the hard way.

Shitty weather: shitty movie!

2009-04-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Because I raced Sunday, my schedule got a little wonky: Monday I did a 60 minute active recovery ride instead of the planned 4x11 minute cruise intervals. I did my intervals on Sunday. And I did my core workouts Monday, as well.

Tuesday it was cold and rainy, so the trainer tire went back on and I watched Quantum of Solace while riding for 2.5 hours at 145. I know I was schedule to do 3-4 hours outside, but I got so freakin bored sitting in the basement that I had to cut it short. And the movie ended. It was a pretty good movie, I have to admit. Although there was less gadgetry and intrigue than on Bond movies, it was still fun.

You know what movie sucks? Transporter 3. There were a few good action sequences (including one on fa BMX bike that was just absurd), but the overall movie lacked any real plot. For as fun an pop-corn chompin silly as the first two were, the third just failed.

Wednesday I did hill sprint repeats. On a short hill out Portage road. With a headwind. It was really hard with that wind, and as hard as I was working I know I wasn't moving too quickly. 100 situps and big core workouts and stretching and all that good stuff.

First race of the season.

2009-04-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today I did a category 4 criterium at Research Park. The weather was chilly and windy, as it always is at Research Park, but the threatening rain waited until later in the day. The race was 35 minutes plus 2 laps, and I got 6th place in a field that started with about 30 people.

From the start, I sat in about 6th position. Sometimes I'd move up to 2nd or 3rd, but any time I ended up on the front I'd drop back ASAP. There were a few two-man teams, and one three-man team, but it was mostly a free-for-all. After four laps we'd burned out the guys who hadn't ridden all winter, and after six or so, we'd dropped the guys who hadn't trained much.

I was alone, so there were a few things I didn't do: I didn't jump on most of the attacks. I watched who was able to cover the attacks and figured out who was strong. One guy who was strong had an orange kit and one had an Alterra coffee kit. We'll call them Orangeade and Coffee from here on out.

Orangeade was pulling and covering attacks at the same time for most of the race, so I figured he would either win and upgrade or burn out. On the final straightaway the latter became true. Coffee was watching for attacks and chasing some, but not all. When one guy got a big gap, he made the pack pull the guy back in by ordering short, hard pulls. Orangeade did the final pull to bring him back, then I did a half-attack with four laps to go.

I was sitting halfway back in the pack of 18 and simply moved up along the inside on a flat. Somebody thought this was going to be an attack, so they went off the front. We reeled him in. As soon as we got him in, two guys did the double-pronged attack from the right and left. We tried to bring them back, but to no avail.

Coming around the 2nd to last corner on the last lap, I got bumped and was suddenly at the back of the pack. We made the final corner just as the two in the break crossed the finish line, so the spring started for 3rd. I had space to take the corner in the fastest way possible (being nearly off the back) so I grabbed two gears, shot through the apex, and grabbed two more gears.

Then I dropped the hammer. While I didn't win the sprint, I passed about 12 riders in the last 10 meters and we had to wait for the photos to sort out who got what place in the sprint. Four of us finished very close to each other. Some spectators commented that they thought I was going to win it from behind because of my acceleration. Sweet!

Lesson on the day: Keep that position you earned in the race even on the last lap. Had I done that, I think I could have gotten the bunch sprint and a podium spot.

All in all, it was a great race. Everyone was communicating attacks, communicating where they were, and nobody was sketchy. Except for the fact that we weren't going as fast as the 1,2,3 field, I think things went as well as any 1,2,3 race. There were lots of acceleration, and I was able to accelerate and recover, accelerate and recover with the group. I felt strong.

On my way home, I stopped at the capitol square to watch the UW Criterium. The men's A's got rained on halfway into their race and then everything went ot hell. The officials were pulling kids who had gotten lapped, and then started pulling kids who hadn't gotten lapped. Then they were letting kids who took a free lap jump into the breakaway. Then the rain really started coming down and the crashes started.

Saw Rambo, Art, Gehling and Claire, Mary and a few other usual suspects.

Today was a good day.

catching up on the week

2009-04-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I did hill sprints. My legs weren't really feeling it, but I still got in 13. How does one know when one has done enough hill sprints? When walking down a flight of stairs is hard the next morning.

Thursday was active recovery. I rode to the coffee shop very slowly. Then I rode home very slowly. Then I rode to work even more slowly than that. My legs were sore.

Friday was very fun. I got in 2.5 hours on the MTB while testing a new saddle for Bontrager. I think it's coming out in 2011, and this thing really worked out well for me.

I've been keeping up on the core workouts pretty well, but in the last week or so my eating has gotten bad. I've been drinking lattes instead of just coffee. I've had soda quite a few times. I've had fast food a few times. It's been bad, and I've been feeling the effects of the poor diet. So tonight I changed that. I had fruit for a snack, and I've been replacing soda with water again. I didn't really slow the water intake, but instead of juice I had soda or coffee this week. It's amazing how quickly my body slow down when I keep riding hard and eat like shit. Time ot get the diet back on track. I'm having an orange right now.

I was supposed to do a crit tomorrow. It's going to be 40 and pouring rain, which I think means it's okay to opt out. Maybe I'll go to a movie or do some backroom work at the shop. Monday night I'm headed to Minneapolis for two-day visit and some more crit racing if the weather holds up.

Intervals, long MTB rides

2009-04-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

Monday I got totally metal. The rain rain rain came down down down, so I sat in my basement and did 4x9 minute LTs. With the right music it's not that bad. My legs weren't too shot for a 2.5 hr MTB ride at Jim's today.

Riding with suspension is a very different feel. I'm getting used to it, but sometimes it catches me off-guard. I like the cornering traction and the ability to sit while climbing without losing traction. Sometimes, however, the rebound messes with me.

I got a little sloppy on Pine Shadows and while trying to get over a log and I only stayed upright because of my core muscles. I could feel them working when I had to yank the bars up and throw my weight back. Core-workouts FTW!

scheduling, mountain biking, fit, and crits

2009-04-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

My work schedule has made training difficult, so I've tried to get up earlier in the morning and now I'm working mostly evening shifts. Up at seven, riding by eight, at work at two. Sounds like a plan to me.

I have a crit coming up this Sunday at noon, and then another crit in Minneapolis the following Sunday. I think I need to talk to coach about adjusting my schedule.

In other news, I've started doing my endurance rides on the mountain bike trails. The Procaliber is sweet, and Propedal is pretty nice to have, but I need to change up the fit and check out other propedal settings.

I've been doing these core workouts pretty seriously. Partially because my coach has been on top of me to keep up with them and partially because I know my back is one of my biggest weaknesses. I am also very familiar with bicycle fitting. Even with all of this, my back was feeling a little taxed when I went out this morning with Geo. I'm going to drop my seat a bit and throw a shorter stem on and see how that goes.

I called it the Zombie Jesus ride. Geo rode most of the technical features, and then put his bike upside-down in a tree on something I've never been able to clean smoothly, but have never crashed on.

Question: Should I just ignore how much I weigh if I'm doing the training, eating well, and feeling fast? Or should I try and drop a few without losing power?

MOUNTAIN BIKING!

2009-04-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today I got out to ride for the first time in a week. Traveling and work have gotten in the way, but I hit the mountain bike trails for 1.5 hours. The first time on the Procaliber, I found it fairly different, but just as Shaw said ti would be:

"Just sit down more."

I tried to keep my HR down around 145, but sometimes it was hard. I was just having that much fun. I stretched a lot and think that I need to have somebody fit my MTB to me. I know how to do some pretty good bike fit work, but I need a second set of eyes to get me set up.

Today felt great. this year I am definitely stronger than I have been in the past. Once I get used to the different riding style of the full-suspension bike, I think I'm going to rock the downhills.

a welcome recovery week

2009-04-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday I rode 1.5 hours at about 145 BPM and did did my sit ups and stretching

Friday, April 3rd, 2009
ride time: just over an hour
Jumps workout. 2 sets of 5 reps and 1 set of 3.
That last set... ooh boy let me tell you. That was hard but fun. The wind was also there for my workout. IT was a kind of wind that blows constantly from all directions. I stretched and went to a performance of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). It was silly. and fun.

My legs were feeling it Saturday so I just spun for an hour at 145. Then I watched basketball and went to bed. Sunday was supposed to be my first crit of the year, but canceled due to snow. Monday through Wednesday of this week (a scheduled recovery week) I'm visiting my grandfather in Antigo, so I won't be riding for a few days. I'm still doing my core workouts and lots of yoga.

When I get back to Madison the dirt should be dry for me to head out to the trails and do some training on the mountain bike!

stir-crazy, and cat puke

2009-04-01T12:49:00.001-07:00

Monday, March 30th, 2009
60 minutes at tempo. I felt awesome!
100 sit-ups and stretching.

Tuesday I didn't get to ride. Work, family things, and more work got in the way.

Wednesday: 10 hour on the trainer at 145 BPM and 7x1 min cadence workouts.
I'm tempted to buy a cadence computer just to see how high I can get it. Today I tried scooting around in the saddle for slightly different positions while spinning it up, and I really flew when I got back a ways on the seat.

It was super frustrating to see snow when I thought I was going to ride outside today. Hopefully it doesn't last long. I guess today's trainer ride was okay.

However, at the 50 minute mark Sam the cat walked down to the basement and puked right next to the trainer. It was loud and smelly and totally ruined my ride. I stopped to clean it up and then spun out a cooldown.

100 sit-ups, stretching, etc.

Where's your head at?

2009-03-30T08:49:00.001-07:00

Friday was strange; I had great legs and did the climb near Brigham Park outside Blue Mounds four times, but my head was not at all in it. The first time I descended I probably went 25mph the whole way down because I couldn't concentrate enough to control the bike. I couldn't focus or wake up and my head felt half asleep. The second time I did it I went a bit harder and my legs felt even better, but my head was all over the place.

The third time I really pushed it. I rode a few gears harder and struggled to not stand up. My legs were shot by the time I got to the top. and I actually rode back to the car and hopped off the bike. My mind was fuzzy, but not so fuzzy that I couldn't tell myself to get back on the bike because my legs maybe had one more in them.

On the last climb I nearly popped. 3/4 of the way up I had to drop it into an easy gear to spin the remaining bit. You never know if you have one more left in you unless you try. I didn't quite have one more in me, but at least my legs were spent after that last attempt. I didn't feel awake until later in the evening, around five. It was a bad day in my head, but great for my legs.

Saturday I worked all day and sold nearly $9K at the shop. No riding, though, which was fine because IT SNOWED THAT EVENING. I was also pretty shot because my two days off last week ended up being 7 or 8 hour days at the shop. I need a vacation.

Sunday was a scheduled rest day and we celebrated John's birthday. He's 60.

I'm about to go do my 60-minute tempo workout on the trainer. It's just cold enough that I know I'd have a hard time getting warmed up. Also, I'm sneaking a workout in before I have to go to work and it might be hard to make it back in time if I do it on the road.

Outdoor, indoor, outdoor

2009-03-27T08:42:00.001-07:00

The weather's been all over the place this week.

Tuesday: 2.15 hours on the bike outside!
core workouts, stretching

Wednesday: 1 hour indoors on the trainer because it was COLD! Cadence workout.

Thursday: 2 hours at endurance pace. Nice cruise through Sun Prairie.
situps, core workouts, stretching.

Today I hope to go to Blue Mounds to climb the big hill. I'm feeling good, eating well, and having fun with riding outside.

On schedule

2009-03-23T16:53:00.001-07:00

I didn't get a ride in on Saturday, but I got up early Sunday to cruise out to Sun Prairie for coffee. 45 minutes out, 45 back.

Monday, March 23rd, 2009.
45 minutes at tempo. 15 warm up, 15 cool down, 45 of pure metal in between.
stretching and core workouts

While the weather didn't afford me the opportunity to do this outside, I felt fine doing it on the trainer. And even though I was totally off schedule last week I'm ready to get back on it this week and kick some ass. I know I'm training on my own, not racing or going on group rides, so I'm not sure whose ass will be kicked other than my own, but you get the gist.

Oh, and I acquired a DH bike on Saturday.

Burning calories, burning stress.

2009-03-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday my HRM calculated I burned 2500 calories. I usually don't worry about how many calories I burn, but that's a pretty serious amount.

Thursday, March 19th, 2009.
Ride time: .5 hours at cruising speed.
100 sit-ups, stretching
I had an awful time at work and couldn't concentrate to do any workouts. All I could do was try to clear my head. Thankfully this long week is almost over. Once the shop is operating on full again, I'll be able to ride more, and maybe the stress won't get to me. I can remember the only other time a customer has gotten to me while working in retail, and that last time was nothing compared to this.

Friday, March 20th, 2009
Ride time: 1hr 15 min.
3x10 minute muscle tension workouts
stretching, lots of stretching.
I had really hoped to go out to Blue mounds and do this workout outside today, but the temp dropped below 30, so I did it in the basement. It wasn't that hard, per se, just doing it in the basement and not on unglaciated hills made it boring.

If I don't get to ride tomorrow (which I probably won't) I think I'll use it as my rest day and get up early Sunday. We'll see what coach says.

windy and warm in March

2009-03-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009.
Ride time: ONLY 3 hours and 45 minutes.
route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2647953

Today's rookie move was ignoring headwinds.

I didn't get to ride yesterday, as I was at work from 9 am to 11pm, so I made up for it a bit today. After getting slightly lost on my ride from Madison to Sun Prairie, to Waterloo, to Cottage grove, I wound up in Lake Mills.

As soon as I turned west on county road B, the headwind back-handed me. It was a long haul back to Madison, but I had a great time.

60 degrees and sunny, 160 BPM and strong

2009-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 16, 2009: 30 minutes at tempo
100 sit-ups, planks, stretching.

The weather was perfect for me today, so I did the workout on the road. I took the Procaliber, and it all went smoothly. Straight out Portage for a 20 minute warm up, then 30 minutes between 160-174 BPM. I could breathe and focus, but keeping the HR under control was a little hard. Sometimes I'd spike on hills even when I'd dropped a few gears to spin up it. I had a tailwind on the way out, and a serious headwind coming back, but I was in such a great mood that I literally said out loud "hell yeah!"

Oh, and this morning I noticed somebody had used my check card to purchase $450 of things from NewEgg.com. It took all of ten minutes to get the charges removed, cancel the card, and get the fraud claim process started. Quite impressive.

Coach, where are your weekend results?

necessary schedule adjustments

2009-03-15T19:10:00.001-07:00

Riding after work will no longer... work. I'm usually too fried from a day at work to get on the bike. However, because the store opens at 10 I could ride in the mornings if I go to bed a bit earlier and get up at six. New bed time: 10pm.

Naturally the long rides will need to happen on my day off.

I missed Saturday's ride because of work, so that's two long rides I've missed in one week due to work. I can't change the fact that we've been busy, so I'll change my schedule.

I still stretched today. My IT bands get sore when I don't. If it stays dry this week I might be riding at Jim's by the end of the week! Here's hoping.

core workouts, outside riding

2009-03-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, what a day to ride outside!
Ride time: 1 Hr 20 @ 145 BPM
100 situps, core workouts (more on these later)
stretching

I cruised around Madison today on my Procaliber. I dig this bike. It's comfortable and quick. Maybe next week I can get the Madone out on the road. For now, however, I need to get to know the Procal. Man, I need to tune the suspension better.

Core workouts have been awesome! While I'm short of a six pack, my abs are flatter and more muscular than ever in my entire life, and I can feel the strength when I really sprint for it or get out of the saddle. Sweet! I usually do 100 sit ups every other day. Included in this workout are some planks (a pilates-style pose) and a side equivalent.

on the iPod:
Bone Thugs n Harmony- Crossroads
Teddy Bears feat. Iggy Pop- Punk Rocker
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones
More outdoor riding!

rough week, even with such little riding

2009-03-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 9^th, 2009

Ride time: 45 minutes

100 situps, core workouts,

Tuesday: didn’t get to ride. I was at work until 1 am. yeah....

Wednesday and Thursday: Rest days. I did a lot of sleeping. My sleep schedule is still a little wonky, but I should be able to get back to normal tonight.

Why does one do this bicycle thing?

2009-03-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ride time: 45 minutes at 145 BPM
core workout, stretching, sit-ups

Today, Coach Whale suggested I write about why I ride.

This is quite the topic, so I’ll try to give it the time it deserves. We’ll call this installation part one, and it will cover the basics. The obvious, clear, and easily understood motivations for a post-undergrad 23 year-old to spend an entire year living in his parent’s basement to train for a sport in which he has shown little previous talent.

As an outline:
Part 1: Personal motivations
2 Lifestyle
3 Culture
4 Competition
5 Health
6 Socially
7 Philosophically

The immediate gratifications I get, the most fleeting and temporary beauty I feel in riding a bicycle, come in racing. In a race I can focus like I cannot in any other aspect of my life. There is no outer world, no bike, no trail, and other riders are only peripheral. No longer am I the mastermind type with a hand in everything and invested in no one thing. A rider passing me quickly becomes nothing more than the urge to accelerate. Going as hard as possible, absolutely to the limit, gives me joy.

In a criterium, attacking just after the last preem sprint and doing the ITT for a few laps until the finish. It requires speed when I’m usually pretty spent, and it requires timing and forethought, cleverness, and the slightest amount of disregard for safety. When it works, everyone else it too smoked from the final preem to chase, and I’ve ridden away solo a few times. Occasionally some have come with me, but otherwise I can ride on my own.
In mountain biking, getting into the flow and rhythm of a trail is my goal. When I can stay off of the brakes through a corner and lean into it, keeping speed, and come out accelerating, it’s magic. It is necessary to focus, and the focus keeps me happy.

How about winning? I’ve only ever won one race; a practice crit in the 5s. Maybe it’s because I’ve never taken myself seriously as a racer. Last year, coming off of brutal bronchitis and an offseason plagued by schoolwork, I was somehow pretty quick on the bike. Suddenly, I could ride with the faster group on spring break, and I held my own in a cat. 5 road race coming in for 4th. I hadn’t raced the mountain bike in nearly a year, so I wondered whether I could stand up on my own in a WORS comp race.

It went reasonably well. My once-strong handling skills were rusty from all of the road riding, and my core muscles were weak, so I dogged it in for a mid-pack finish. But after a summer of riding the MTB, I had my handling skills back and landed a top 10 at the Fall Color Festival, 2nd in my age group.

So I’ve taken myself seriously, trained and stretched, done the sit-ups (I fucking hate sit-ups) and core workouts, and eaten better (I’ve only had Taco Bell once since 2008). However this season goes, I will someday look back and say I went for it and found my actual limits. I tend not to take many chances in other parts of my life. I am a calculating person, highly logical, and serious.

So I am focusing for this season. I am focused on winning, focused on always passing just one more person, focused on 2nd being a loss, focused on not letting the weather or course conditions influence my attitude. This season I have an opportunity that I will not have in other seasons, or perhaps ever again in my life.

For now, this is why I ride. More next time.

Saturday: back at it.

2009-03-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 6th, 2009
Ride time: 1.5 hours at 138-160BPM
Stretching.

It was hard to get back on the bike after a tough week. My sleep schedule was getting back to normal, but my stress levels were still up there. Work has been quite challenging as of late, and I haven't had much fun outside of work. I got home from a successful day at the office, did my ride and went out for a friend's birthday. As the designated driver, it was quite the entertaining evening.

Sunday I rested. This is a recovery week, so the riding will be easier. I look forward to some nicer weather, outdoor riding, and a great season. Even though this last week was difficult, I made it through and am ready to get back on track!

a long, hard week

2009-03-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

This was a difficult week for me. My sleep schedule was way off and prevented me from completing some of my scheduled workouts. Then I lost my heart rate monitor watch. Not fun.

Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Ride time: 1 hour at 155 BPM
stretching, sit-ups, core workout

Tuesday, March 2nd 2009
Ride time: 2.25 hours @ 145 BPM
stretching

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2009
scheduled ride time: 1.5 hours at 138-160- Was at work from 9am til 8PM. Got home and tried to ride. I was so exhausted I could only spin. Still did my core workout. My hamstrings felt super tight. Everyone at my work has this nasty flu, and I was worried I was catching it. Went to bed after an hour of easy spinning. Slept from 10pm to 9am.

Thursday: scheduled rest day. And I rested. My sinuses were a little stuffed up and I felt dehydrated. Did some stretching Thursday night I didn't fall asleep until nearly three a.m. Got up for work at eight.

Friday, March 6th, 2009
My scheduled ride was 2.25 hours at 138-160. I was so fried that I could only spin for an hour. Mentally I am exhausted. Tonight my plan is to go to bed at ten and get up at 7. Hopefully that puts me back on a normal sleep schedule, and I can do tomorrow's planned ride. My sinuses feel better and I'm hydrated again. This may have been a near-miss on catching the flu that everyone at work has. The weather is warm enough that next week I could ride outside if I wanted.

Sometimes it doesn't go according to plan.

schedule thoughts

2009-03-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 27th, 2009.
Ride time: 2.15 hours @ 145
stretching and 100 sit-ups, core workouts

Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Ride time: 1.45 hours @ 145 BPM
stretching. My legs were pretty tired from this ride. I don't think I ate too well between Friday's long ride and Saturday's shorter one.

Sunday, March 1st, 2009
REST DAY!

My work schedule can get really crazy. Occasionally it makes my evening workouts really difficult (see last Wednesday) either from exhaustion or just over-scheduling. Now that store hours are changing to 10am-9pm M-F and 9am-6pm Saturday, everything should get easier. I'm hoping to go up to Mpls sometime in the near future.

Got a USA cycling e-mail reminder that there are some early season Crits at Research Park coming up in April. We'll see what coach says, but those could be fun.