While all those big guns were out racing in VT, I thought it best if I didn't do any racing this weekend at all. Maybe some riding here and there, but mostly not riding.
Plenty of thinking about it. Just not much riding, and no racing.
I keep thinking about the Blue and getting parts on it. It is all being held up at the moment. It would be really nice if the final piece of the puzzle fell into place so I felt comfortable buying the rest of the parts. New Kits look to be maybe ready for Loon, we'll see.
The Giant wasn't slowing me down that much last year, at least I didn't think it was. Comparing the Giant with the Blue I can see how the new front end and the BB30 will make a big difference. The lighter weight probably will help a touch too.
no fancy wheels though, not yet. We'll see how big the final puzzle piece is, maybe there will be a chunk big enough to push in that direction.
Untested and before somewhat less worried than I am now after the murmuring across the old masters twitters that JONNY BOLD decided to race the 35+ in Bedford. I think after a 3rd place at GMSR he should race the P/1/2/3 race, mostly because I really don't want to get lapped at the first race, again... But then VT is the next weekend and there's not enough time to get fast enough between the 12th and 18th to prevent getting lapped both weekends if it is going to happen. You know for damn sure I'm going to do what ever it takes to stay on the lead lap, but hey - sometimes my legs are just too easy to rip off.
Lots of other exciting stuff going on.
But less exciting is i think some ex-Pro tri-dude infiltrated my brain and my running has gone to hell. As in I haven't in weeks.
so i'll probably fall apart in a month or two unless i get this running back in gear...
heddwch
G
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Ranting about bike stuff posts
Last time it was about the frame. Trying to figure out if a Large would work. And I think the post helped. Some web log commenting shy tweeter made the crystalizing suggestion that pushed me towards what I have now.
After writing that other post earlier today, there was another moment of sun shining through the clouds.
First the Bars came through - surprising how hard it is to find 46 cm bars measured C-C with a 31.8 clamp that don't cost $200+. Bikeman has some older RaceFace Cadence bars. Davis C. confirmed the c-c measurements and I pulled the trigger on those. Finally something purchased just for that bike.
Then. THEN the cranks came through. With SRAM saying they didn't exist and everyone else saying they didn't I was skeptical that these were for real.
SRAM doesn't show them on the catalog. I called Casters and they said "no dice, don't exist." Got a part number from the supplier and then Anthony called them back and actually had the person there pull them out of stock to say absolutely, yes, they have 180mm stamped on them and they are exactly as advertised. Holy shit. The grail? These cranks actually exist? But the online retailer was going to be quite a bit cheaper, like a lot, than they could sell me even with the cycling team discount.
So I pulled the trigger on those cranks. Still waiting on a pile of other stuff, and the chance that it will all get here in time for Quad is slim to none but, still VT is looking better than average to get it built.
And it is positive. I think I drove G-ride to drinking heavily tonight with all my anxiety ridden vexing today. Not helping that there is a bit of complication unloading the last of the items that are helping to pay for all this.
But hey.
It will all fall in to place.
Things are looking up.
Those late friday rants kind of work i guess. Almost like i have to get the mess out of my head to see the writing on the wall.
Maybe this web log thing is still useful.
maybe
heddwch
G
After writing that other post earlier today, there was another moment of sun shining through the clouds.
First the Bars came through - surprising how hard it is to find 46 cm bars measured C-C with a 31.8 clamp that don't cost $200+. Bikeman has some older RaceFace Cadence bars. Davis C. confirmed the c-c measurements and I pulled the trigger on those. Finally something purchased just for that bike.
Then. THEN the cranks came through. With SRAM saying they didn't exist and everyone else saying they didn't I was skeptical that these were for real.
SRAM doesn't show them on the catalog. I called Casters and they said "no dice, don't exist." Got a part number from the supplier and then Anthony called them back and actually had the person there pull them out of stock to say absolutely, yes, they have 180mm stamped on them and they are exactly as advertised. Holy shit. The grail? These cranks actually exist? But the online retailer was going to be quite a bit cheaper, like a lot, than they could sell me even with the cycling team discount.
So I pulled the trigger on those cranks. Still waiting on a pile of other stuff, and the chance that it will all get here in time for Quad is slim to none but, still VT is looking better than average to get it built.
And it is positive. I think I drove G-ride to drinking heavily tonight with all my anxiety ridden vexing today. Not helping that there is a bit of complication unloading the last of the items that are helping to pay for all this.
But hey.
It will all fall in to place.
Things are looking up.
Those late friday rants kind of work i guess. Almost like i have to get the mess out of my head to see the writing on the wall.
Maybe this web log thing is still useful.
maybe
heddwch
G
ranting about parts
Why in the world are there no reasonable 180mm BB30 crankset out there?
SRAM doesn't list one (177.5 sure, no problem, but shorter is not the right direction)
Shimano? do they even bother with BB30
Campy same thing
Zipp Makes one but damn those things cost more than the Zinn. At least with the Zinn I could get a 200mm crank.
But not with a BB30.
SRAM DOES have plenty of options with a 177.5mm crank AND a BB30.
conundrums - just kind of want to get the bike built, ya know?
trivial thing to complain about, I know... It is just that when you have a nice new frame with a BB30 shell, it would be great to stick a real BB30 in there, and not an adapter sleeve...
SRAM doesn't list one (177.5 sure, no problem, but shorter is not the right direction)
Shimano? do they even bother with BB30
Campy same thing
Zipp Makes one but damn those things cost more than the Zinn. At least with the Zinn I could get a 200mm crank.
But not with a BB30.
SRAM DOES have plenty of options with a 177.5mm crank AND a BB30.
conundrums - just kind of want to get the bike built, ya know?
trivial thing to complain about, I know... It is just that when you have a nice new frame with a BB30 shell, it would be great to stick a real BB30 in there, and not an adapter sleeve...
BRING IT ON
I'm going steal a comment from Navy Boy Ted Essssssenfeld
"Feels like Liuetenant Dan in Forest Gump... waiting for this hurricane to show up. Is this all you got??!!"
At least that's what I'm thinking I'm going to be like on the ride home tonight.
A mellow light tail wind this morning. I'm kind of hoping for something crazy and epic and awesome for the ride home.
I love being out in the weather, being part of it. Mad Watts Mother Nature! FTW
Yeah. I used a twitterism in a blog. FML
keep it straight.
Eh?
Now, if you haven't talked with results boy then the interview really doesn't work quite as well. If you have you know he shoots words out faster than a .50 cal.
Read part one -- two and three. Unless you already have, then yah whatever. Read em again (no, don't try that - colin's not that exciting to read about)
Seriously. I'm excited for the ride home.
But, I'm afraid I might be disappointed. It isn't supposed to really be all that bad out there until later tonight. If anything.
"Feels like Liuetenant Dan in Forest Gump... waiting for this hurricane to show up. Is this all you got??!!"
At least that's what I'm thinking I'm going to be like on the ride home tonight.
A mellow light tail wind this morning. I'm kind of hoping for something crazy and epic and awesome for the ride home.
I love being out in the weather, being part of it. Mad Watts Mother Nature! FTW
Yeah. I used a twitterism in a blog. FML
keep it straight.
Eh?
Now, if you haven't talked with results boy then the interview really doesn't work quite as well. If you have you know he shoots words out faster than a .50 cal.
Read part one -- two and three. Unless you already have, then yah whatever. Read em again (no, don't try that - colin's not that exciting to read about)
Seriously. I'm excited for the ride home.
But, I'm afraid I might be disappointed. It isn't supposed to really be all that bad out there until later tonight. If anything.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
- George Carlin
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.
- Mary Wilson Little
Oh and it is great to find the President speaking on the TV and not feel the need to destroy said TV, turn it off or generally cringe. Thank you mr President. It isn't an easy job, keep up the good work.
- George Carlin
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.
- Mary Wilson Little
Oh and it is great to find the President speaking on the TV and not feel the need to destroy said TV, turn it off or generally cringe. Thank you mr President. It isn't an easy job, keep up the good work.
A Hound Dog Taylor afternoon
Oh yeah. Johnny Winter cranking on the pandora station now. Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Guitar Shorty.
Good stuff.
Although I should make an excuse to be outside. It is hot, all the students are back and the people watching is supreme. I find the mix in this area to be entertaining, from the artsy hairy hippies to the ultra super preppy prep and everything in between.
But no, not out there right now.
Okay - I had a couple excuses to go out, and everyone must be unpacking or something. Or hiding from the heat. Not so many people out there right now.
Kerry posted this link up on FB today. And then i had to go and get the whole PDF. Because I'm so into doing tests with my power meter.
Oh.
Wait.
I don't have a power meter. And I have no plans to get one. But this test seems to be pretty cool. The article has just enough math to make me feel uncomfortable but not totally lost. Me and complex math formulas haven't ever really gotten along very well.
But, being able to determine lactate threshold with a 3 minute test is pretty fucking cool. And w/o using any fancy compu-trainer or blood analyzer.
Cool.
Tonight is the smack down. It is going off on schedule, 5pm Faunce, 5:15 depasqualle square. and I'm not going to be there.
This morning turned into a trucker morning.
Okay - not trucker, that's the tandem. This was just delivery vehicle for the tube and then the pick up of G-ride's wheels, that are now on their way to Vermont.
The ride in started off mellow enough. Sort of. last night's ride with the tailwind was fast. rolled the 46x12 spinning it somewhat easily all the way home - ticked up to the 14 to pull in.
This morning pulling out with the trailer in the 14 set the tone.
Dropped it down to the 13 for the climb up the false flat to the Dairy Bee in Riverside Square. And I did something novel for me. Alternated about 10 pedal strokes standing and 10 seated. Then once I hit the under pass going along the treatment plant and it leveled out I dropped it down to the 12 and picked up some speed. It is only a 46 so the gear isn't that massive. But I went from 10/10 to 20/20. It hurt. Wanted to stop, so i kept going. Dug down and just kept pushing through the burn. Esp with the headwind. The trailer + headwind kind of made even more delicious.
Headed up and over the red bridge, alternating the standing and sitting. Picked up the box and headed up the hill. We'll see what the legs are like on the way home.
So with the trailer and the old bike, i'm not going to be doing the smack down. maybe next week. maybe not.
maybe today was my last chance, but well... it is a chance that has slipped past.
Be what it may. I'll get back to real training sometime soon. The new school schedule means if i want to get even a short run in, shower and get everyone turned around I have to wake up at 5:30 and right now, right now that just isn't happening.
And unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've heard about the passing of one of the greats. Laurent Fignon. I came to realize the cycling thing a bit late. And by that time I had no measure of history to appreciate The Professor's career. Only that he was Lemond's nemesis. Heck I didn't even know about the Badger and Lemond until much later. I was new to the sport then. We all were new at some point. My entry point is likely later than most of my competitors and friends racing around here but, that was still a looooong fucking time ago. I'm some what ashamed to say I never held him with enough respect to name my pet fish after him. Hell I never had a pet fish, and my small animal pets were named after Edward Abby or Farley Mowat. Yeah. Those two figured far more prominently in my development than Greg and Laurent (around that time in the mid to late '80s).
I need some bits to hang on the Blue to really get excited about it. Right now, with too many unknowns as a far as where the parts are for it, I don't have a completion date so it is just a pretty frame decorating the office. nothing more. I have a parts list on a piece of scrap paper here by the keyboard with the list of what i need on it. pretty short damn list. waiting on the sponsor to get back with prices and availability for all the stuff.
There. Season is officially underway. I've registered for VT weekend and G-ster. 50th for sat, 49th for sunday. Field is already pretty large and i expect it to get much bigger. Now to see about lowering this crossresults ranking a bit more before then. Better register for Quad i suppose. Maybe i should do the 1/2/3 race for the points, Off the back and lapped three times still might get me more points. Just kidding. I'm racing "my" race. Gonna be fun. Last time at Quad I signed up for back to back races and bailed on the second one. Not doing the double this time. Hopefully I have learned from the past and won't be repeated the back to back race double anytime this season. But we will see. Plenty of time for me to do something predictably stupid.
heddwch
G
Good stuff.
Although I should make an excuse to be outside. It is hot, all the students are back and the people watching is supreme. I find the mix in this area to be entertaining, from the artsy hairy hippies to the ultra super preppy prep and everything in between.
But no, not out there right now.
Okay - I had a couple excuses to go out, and everyone must be unpacking or something. Or hiding from the heat. Not so many people out there right now.
Kerry posted this link up on FB today. And then i had to go and get the whole PDF. Because I'm so into doing tests with my power meter.
Oh.
Wait.
I don't have a power meter. And I have no plans to get one. But this test seems to be pretty cool. The article has just enough math to make me feel uncomfortable but not totally lost. Me and complex math formulas haven't ever really gotten along very well.
But, being able to determine lactate threshold with a 3 minute test is pretty fucking cool. And w/o using any fancy compu-trainer or blood analyzer.
CONCLUSIONSThe 3MT can be performed using equipment readilyavailable to cyclists without the need for indirect calorimetryor blood sampling. The average power output overthe last 30 s of the 3-min test is correlated with poweroutputs at lactate and ventilatory threshold as well as poweroutput at VO2 peak. The EP from a single session 3MT canbe used to estimate the demarcations between bothmoderate to heavy and heavy to severe exercise intensitydomains.
Cool.
Tonight is the smack down. It is going off on schedule, 5pm Faunce, 5:15 depasqualle square. and I'm not going to be there.
This morning turned into a trucker morning.
Okay - not trucker, that's the tandem. This was just delivery vehicle for the tube and then the pick up of G-ride's wheels, that are now on their way to Vermont.
The ride in started off mellow enough. Sort of. last night's ride with the tailwind was fast. rolled the 46x12 spinning it somewhat easily all the way home - ticked up to the 14 to pull in.
This morning pulling out with the trailer in the 14 set the tone.
Dropped it down to the 13 for the climb up the false flat to the Dairy Bee in Riverside Square. And I did something novel for me. Alternated about 10 pedal strokes standing and 10 seated. Then once I hit the under pass going along the treatment plant and it leveled out I dropped it down to the 12 and picked up some speed. It is only a 46 so the gear isn't that massive. But I went from 10/10 to 20/20. It hurt. Wanted to stop, so i kept going. Dug down and just kept pushing through the burn. Esp with the headwind. The trailer + headwind kind of made even more delicious.
Headed up and over the red bridge, alternating the standing and sitting. Picked up the box and headed up the hill. We'll see what the legs are like on the way home.
So with the trailer and the old bike, i'm not going to be doing the smack down. maybe next week. maybe not.
maybe today was my last chance, but well... it is a chance that has slipped past.
Be what it may. I'll get back to real training sometime soon. The new school schedule means if i want to get even a short run in, shower and get everyone turned around I have to wake up at 5:30 and right now, right now that just isn't happening.
And unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've heard about the passing of one of the greats. Laurent Fignon. I came to realize the cycling thing a bit late. And by that time I had no measure of history to appreciate The Professor's career. Only that he was Lemond's nemesis. Heck I didn't even know about the Badger and Lemond until much later. I was new to the sport then. We all were new at some point. My entry point is likely later than most of my competitors and friends racing around here but, that was still a looooong fucking time ago. I'm some what ashamed to say I never held him with enough respect to name my pet fish after him. Hell I never had a pet fish, and my small animal pets were named after Edward Abby or Farley Mowat. Yeah. Those two figured far more prominently in my development than Greg and Laurent (around that time in the mid to late '80s).
I need some bits to hang on the Blue to really get excited about it. Right now, with too many unknowns as a far as where the parts are for it, I don't have a completion date so it is just a pretty frame decorating the office. nothing more. I have a parts list on a piece of scrap paper here by the keyboard with the list of what i need on it. pretty short damn list. waiting on the sponsor to get back with prices and availability for all the stuff.
There. Season is officially underway. I've registered for VT weekend and G-ster. 50th for sat, 49th for sunday. Field is already pretty large and i expect it to get much bigger. Now to see about lowering this crossresults ranking a bit more before then. Better register for Quad i suppose. Maybe i should do the 1/2/3 race for the points, Off the back and lapped three times still might get me more points. Just kidding. I'm racing "my" race. Gonna be fun. Last time at Quad I signed up for back to back races and bailed on the second one. Not doing the double this time. Hopefully I have learned from the past and won't be repeated the back to back race double anytime this season. But we will see. Plenty of time for me to do something predictably stupid.
heddwch
G
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