Well it was this morning at 5:30am when I showed up for the daily ride out of the Food Lion at mile 1.
Problem is we're staying at mile 14.5 that's kind of far to ride in the morning on vacation. Hell riding at 5:30 is bad enough.
Got there in time to roll up to the group only to roll off within seconds of me putting my foot down.
"Mark give the new guy the run down of the rules and the ride."
So Mark did.
Great bunch of guys. Warm up this morning was 20mph, (normally 18). With a 20+ mph wind blowing from west to east and we headed south. Echelon it was. That is a few miles of just going, then the pace picked up.
I was good for most of it, but i was paying the price for bringing the tires I did. Yall already know Marathon Plus tires in 28 size are 740grams each. They roll like monster truck tires. IE they don't.
The second part riding with "Jay" he said he knew today was going to be really fast when a couple people showed up on their race bikes (good number of Tri dudes). Seriously. It was dark so I don't remember what they were riding but they were riding them fast and they had deep section carbon rims.
Couple of strong guys on road bikes though. I was fine for a while until we rode through some sewer overflow across the road.
With the wind I was sitting on "Mark's" wheel, right up close - i was near the end, and got sprayed, literally with shitwater. Went up my nose, all over me. (had glasses on fortunately). But then the hurl response started to kick in and it was too much.
And then they shelled Omaha beach.
I mean I got shelled like Omaha beach.
Along with another guy but the other guy wasn't shelled quite as bad and he knew where he was going. I hit an intersection and was forced to wait. A good 2/3- 3/4 of the ride was behind me. After a while of waiting I could see "Jay's" headlight winding up towards me. And then we rolled on and then waited for the rest of the B group. Yeah. I got dropped from the A group and wound up waiting. Raining sweat off me while we were sitting there. Sitting there long enough that Jay was ready to leave and give up when they appeared.
Regrouped we headed on and it wasn't so bad except the smallest dude, who happened to be riding a tri-bike w/aero bars wound up in the pace line in front of me.
So i got an AWESOME draft below my knees. But sadly that isn't very much of me. But god damn i held the pace and pulled off and wound up back behind him.
Fun.
Jay and I wound up dropping the rest of the group (it had started to rain) and just rode back to the parking lot.
Got there at 7am. ??
weird.
it felt like an hour on the bike, maybe 45 mins.
90 min? no way. I'd never have guessed it.
Good group, and according to Jay (who says he stays with the A group about 2/3rds of the time) this morning was a FAST morning. Way faster than normal. 27+ after the 'neutral.'
Another tip he gave me was to head to the bike shop (Outer Banks Cycles) and be there at 6:10. That way i can skip the drive up there and not drive to a ride.
I hate driving to bike rides. Races are different. This wasn't much different than a race though.
So yeah. I'm on vacation. Maybe the couple extra beers I had last night didn't help either. Or being woken up at midnight, can't say why, but I can say it was impossible to go to sleep for a minute or five.
Woke up way early yesterday to try and make the ride but man the lightning was intense as was the rain, and they did cancel it.
So I've been up at 3:45 (sat am) 5:15 (sun am) 7:30 (mon am) 4:45 (tues am) and 4:45 (this morning)... sleep has not been something i'm getting much of.
I'd still rather be doing more of nothing on the vacation but hey, it is what it is.
The fish market has been the source for dinner every night down here. Mahi-mahi seems to be one of the more popular options. Last night it was shrimp and scallops. Tonight we're back to Mahi-mahi with grouper instead of the previous combo of Yellow fin.
despite the lack of sleeping - things aren't nearly as bad as i had expected it to be... the vehicle and the stop at a friend's in MD on the way down is what I'm crediting to a super positive start.
I'm hoping tomorrow's ride is a bit slower.
If not, well, I hope I'm faster.
heddwch
G
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
shattered
My arms and shoulders are pretty achy today. Bench pressing a transmission and then trying to deal with 5 bolts that were torqued down to over 90 ft-lbs (remove, install hitch, re-torque). That hitch is a heavy sumbitch. Class III ones generally are. That and trying to apply 92 ft-lbs of torque on a bolt laying on your back just kind of sucks.
So why was I putting a hitch on something? Certainly wasn't the Passat. But the transmission was the Passat's.
We've got a road trip coming up. Fingers crossed that it is not too insane. Hopefully i'll get a chance to write over the next week...
Oh and that Thule T2 hitch rack is F'n HEAVY and awkward to assemble...
So why was I putting a hitch on something? Certainly wasn't the Passat. But the transmission was the Passat's.
We've got a road trip coming up. Fingers crossed that it is not too insane. Hopefully i'll get a chance to write over the next week...
Oh and that Thule T2 hitch rack is F'n HEAVY and awkward to assemble...
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
now i'm in pain
tears running down my face at the end of that - sides killing me from laughing.
i feel better already
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
overwhelmed
so on monday a huge weight was lifted, but tuesday it settled back in place. the enormity of what has to be done between now and friday night.
i'd take a day off of work, i've got vacation days, but well - every day is scheduled solid, like any week before you're about to be gone for a week.
yay.
Memorial service for my grandmother was today. Held at the Wellesley College Chapel. Those of you around here know, it was damn hot today. Triple digits in some places. But 92 or 102, that's way to hot to sit inside an un-air-conditioned space in a suit (not even ceiling fans) for over an hour.
This is the second Quaker memorial service/meeting i've been to in the last 3 months.
I have to say, I think they are a great way to do memorial services.
Car situation is alieviated. Well at least the primary vehicle is no longer that rusty crappy wagon of mine, that has the transmission sitting wedged because I thought i could get it out without removing the driver's side drive shaft or the passenger side flange on the transmission. And the way it is now, well I can't get either of those off without getting it un-stuck. The started blew not the throw out bearing, but the clutch is pretty close to gone and the bearing is making noise so might as well get those changed while it is apart. Except it is not a part.
Joy.
The car is on ramps, hood up with engine hanger holding the engine up (detached from motor mounts), and I can't really leave it like that while i'm out of town. AND if i want to bring bikes to this vacation destination using the new mode of transport, well i have to install the hitch and put the rack together.
Should be asleep but well, driving down from Wellesley and trying to get on 95S/128 was NOT a good idea (Parking lot). Need sleep but I can't sort out how things are going to go trying to survive the week.
feeling very overwhelmed...
i'd take a day off of work, i've got vacation days, but well - every day is scheduled solid, like any week before you're about to be gone for a week.
yay.
Memorial service for my grandmother was today. Held at the Wellesley College Chapel. Those of you around here know, it was damn hot today. Triple digits in some places. But 92 or 102, that's way to hot to sit inside an un-air-conditioned space in a suit (not even ceiling fans) for over an hour.
This is the second Quaker memorial service/meeting i've been to in the last 3 months.
I have to say, I think they are a great way to do memorial services.
Car situation is alieviated. Well at least the primary vehicle is no longer that rusty crappy wagon of mine, that has the transmission sitting wedged because I thought i could get it out without removing the driver's side drive shaft or the passenger side flange on the transmission. And the way it is now, well I can't get either of those off without getting it un-stuck. The started blew not the throw out bearing, but the clutch is pretty close to gone and the bearing is making noise so might as well get those changed while it is apart. Except it is not a part.
Joy.
The car is on ramps, hood up with engine hanger holding the engine up (detached from motor mounts), and I can't really leave it like that while i'm out of town. AND if i want to bring bikes to this vacation destination using the new mode of transport, well i have to install the hitch and put the rack together.
Should be asleep but well, driving down from Wellesley and trying to get on 95S/128 was NOT a good idea (Parking lot). Need sleep but I can't sort out how things are going to go trying to survive the week.
feeling very overwhelmed...
Friday, July 02, 2010
send some good thoughts
Our one and only old car went kablooey... well not real kablooy and I kinda know what happened (throw-out bearing or something in the clutch let go). Planning to drop the transmission tomorrow morning.
car is being towed to the house now.
Oh joy.
new car sooner than later? more than likely
anyone got a Eurovan they are looking to sell?
car is being towed to the house now.
Oh joy.
new car sooner than later? more than likely
anyone got a Eurovan they are looking to sell?
Moulton's words today
Ring so true.
In the past I've talked about those "statistics" maybe sololunchbreak can remember every one or roto rooter has a script that does something - yeah just gratuitously pulling in results boy into the mix not linking either one of those mofos just because i can, or don't have to or something.
40,000 people a year roughly dead from automobile wrecks. Most of them are self induced. Pretty much every morning around these parts you hear about some poor young idiot who flew off the road and wrapped their sort of fast car around a tree and killed themselves and sometimes a passenger or two. Dave's right, it is sad but ultimately no one gives a shit except their family. Yeah-So GeWilli - posting the obit of my grandmother then being flippant/frank and callous about death. I never did have a good sense of certain things. Obliviously naive.
Heck add in the deaths related to health, cancer for one. That book I read added to what I knew and had a "hunch" about sort of make me feel strongly that cancer is just as preventable as type 2 diabetes. No not all cancer certainly. Just as there is Type 1 there is Type 2 diabetes. I'm going to go out on a very short and sturdy limb and say at some point Cancers will be divided up the same way. Just as Type 2 is primarily tied to eating disorders (because lets face it - eating too much shitty food should be a mental disorder) most cancers dealt with in Oncology wards now are a result of how people eat. Or more specifically what they don't eat.
Preventable. Certainly we can prevent casualties in Iraq and Afgan by not being there, and yes I'm pretty convinced we shouldn't be there or if we are there certainly not fighting with weapons, but working with words.
Dave's final line is important.
Heddwch
G
In the past I've talked about those "statistics" maybe sololunchbreak can remember every one or roto rooter has a script that does something - yeah just gratuitously pulling in results boy into the mix not linking either one of those mofos just because i can, or don't have to or something.
40,000 people a year roughly dead from automobile wrecks. Most of them are self induced. Pretty much every morning around these parts you hear about some poor young idiot who flew off the road and wrapped their sort of fast car around a tree and killed themselves and sometimes a passenger or two. Dave's right, it is sad but ultimately no one gives a shit except their family. Yeah-So GeWilli - posting the obit of my grandmother then being flippant/frank and callous about death. I never did have a good sense of certain things. Obliviously naive.
Heck add in the deaths related to health, cancer for one. That book I read added to what I knew and had a "hunch" about sort of make me feel strongly that cancer is just as preventable as type 2 diabetes. No not all cancer certainly. Just as there is Type 1 there is Type 2 diabetes. I'm going to go out on a very short and sturdy limb and say at some point Cancers will be divided up the same way. Just as Type 2 is primarily tied to eating disorders (because lets face it - eating too much shitty food should be a mental disorder) most cancers dealt with in Oncology wards now are a result of how people eat. Or more specifically what they don't eat.
Preventable. Certainly we can prevent casualties in Iraq and Afgan by not being there, and yes I'm pretty convinced we shouldn't be there or if we are there certainly not fighting with weapons, but working with words.
Dave's final line is important.
"I am both proud and grateful to belong to a small section of our society who care enough about each other that we are affected by the still relatively rare event that one of us is killed"I am too. I am too.
Heddwch
G
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Hair Dresser, Personal Chef, and Chauffeur
oh and masseuse. I guess a regular old time Soigneur.
That's my current job description. Well the other than work job.
Every morning is like a stage in a Tour. I get up before everyone else, spend 15 minutes catching up online, get cleaned up and start in with it.
Breakfast needs to be made. Each of the team members have slightly different preferences for the first meal of the day. Today for example it was a couple mini-bagels with some Nutella for one, a breakfast sandwich on some pan de mie with Jarlsberg and parmigiana cheese one fried egg and two pieces of pan fried salami (brings out the flavor and removes some of the fat) for the second who will be dancing all day and an omelet with the afore mentioned cheeses sheathed in a flame toasted tortilla (a two egg omelet out of my pan is exactly the same size as the 365 organic tortillas) for my wife.
Then it is an immediate switch over to packing the musette bags, i mean lunches. Care has to be made to keep a balance between desires and needs. The youngest seems to have the highest caloric demand lately and the most challenging to find a "main" focal point for the lunch. So it is a chaotic balance of getting fresh fruits in there (mostly seasonal and organic and, if possible, local but almost completely domestically sourced) and some balanced sources of other fuels. Sort of a mad packing/then checking to make sure it meets with approval. Yes I know, I shouldn't offer them a choice, but we have enough family meals where there is no choice that Lunches kind of get a pass.
Once those are all sorted it is basically time for the mechanic to check the bikes for the day. Unload them all from the bike room. Prepare the trailer, check the tires, chain and shifting on my wifes bike, address any issues (if possible) noticed on the ride home and generally get them all out and ready to go. Bottles get filled, bags get double checked and stowed in the trailer and then it is time to get kitted up into the chauffeur uniform. Today I decided to give some exposure to the CX sponsor from last season. Make sure teeth are brushed and we are out the door.
The ride in for my client and charge for the rest of the day, or at least the beginning and end of ballet intensive, essentially gets a leg warm up on the way in. Esp as we are progressing in the week and she's tired and sore from dancing all day, the ride in really for her is a way to move the legs and let some blood flow circulate and clean them out without any exertion. Which means, yes, she's mostly just dead weight on the tandem and when the wind, like today, is slightly to the left of a headwind, a wind drag as well. The trailer does a good job of being a parachute even if the wind is dead on, so it is pretty much a constant drag. There aren't many hills but the few of them that are between destinations are pretty tough. Short fortunately but 13% is still 13% even if it is only for 10-20 feet. Momentum is your friend but it isn't always available to push it up over. Heck even 5% isn't easy with this rig.
Then once we get to the destination, well time to get the hair ready. It is essentially impossible to have a ballet bun under a helmet, esp with all the bobby pins needed to hold it together.
And well. Time to be hair dresser. I'm actually getting better. If you don't know to make a bun you have to start with a pony tail. And there is a hell of a lot of hair to corral and try and make look somewhat presentable. Today it went better than previously. Got the the pony tail up, then wrapped and twisted the pony tail around the hair tie and then used a hair net thing to wrap around the ball of hair to keep the loose ends in. Then the ball has to be flattened and secured to the back of the head with bobby pins. Once it is tight and immobilized, well then we break out the hair spray. Gotta tame any flyaways and lock that bun in for the whole day.
Then I get to turn into a Microscopist for 7.5-8 hours or so before returning as Chauffeur for the trip home.
But it isn't straight home. The way home we have one extra passenger to pick up. She sits in the trailer, but today we've had a request to get the trai-a-bike to replace the trailer. Which if we have time on the way there we can do. Timing though is everything.
So after that it is time to get cleaned up and fed. Then feet up and massages. I've been using the Weleda stuff. And that's why i'm an old school soigneur, I'm not an LMT or anything, but I've got smelly oils and i can identify muscle groups that are going to be sore. Once all massaged and relaxed it is off to bed, sleep and repeat.
And yeah that's pretty much the full day. Time for training in there? Not a freaking chance. Do I care? Right now not even a tiny bit. It is great. Besides - hauling that tandem and trailer is enough muscle tension work. The hills are like heavy weight training, the rest is just static load work.
Tomorrow I think the Soigneur is making pancakes. Maybe waffles, but probably pancakes. So that's going to change the dynamic and make it important to start the day even earlier. Which i'm sure the dog will not mind.
Couple good links:
how to teach your kids to ride I agree with JLS, good points. Unfortunately it is all pretty flat withing easy pedaling distance of the house (which is nice when you're riding home from a leg ripping ride).
And mr self promotion himself talking about the new UCI rule changes over at Cyclocross magazine. Sort amazing that Myerson can put together a thought with more than 140 characters.
Oh and my favorite phrase right now:
Cheap Food = Expensive Health care (cheap as in poor quality high caloric/dollar value - not inexpensive, because obviously there is inexpensive quality food out there)
heddwch
G
That's my current job description. Well the other than work job.
Every morning is like a stage in a Tour. I get up before everyone else, spend 15 minutes catching up online, get cleaned up and start in with it.
Breakfast needs to be made. Each of the team members have slightly different preferences for the first meal of the day. Today for example it was a couple mini-bagels with some Nutella for one, a breakfast sandwich on some pan de mie with Jarlsberg and parmigiana cheese one fried egg and two pieces of pan fried salami (brings out the flavor and removes some of the fat) for the second who will be dancing all day and an omelet with the afore mentioned cheeses sheathed in a flame toasted tortilla (a two egg omelet out of my pan is exactly the same size as the 365 organic tortillas) for my wife.
Then it is an immediate switch over to packing the musette bags, i mean lunches. Care has to be made to keep a balance between desires and needs. The youngest seems to have the highest caloric demand lately and the most challenging to find a "main" focal point for the lunch. So it is a chaotic balance of getting fresh fruits in there (mostly seasonal and organic and, if possible, local but almost completely domestically sourced) and some balanced sources of other fuels. Sort of a mad packing/then checking to make sure it meets with approval. Yes I know, I shouldn't offer them a choice, but we have enough family meals where there is no choice that Lunches kind of get a pass.
Once those are all sorted it is basically time for the mechanic to check the bikes for the day. Unload them all from the bike room. Prepare the trailer, check the tires, chain and shifting on my wifes bike, address any issues (if possible) noticed on the ride home and generally get them all out and ready to go. Bottles get filled, bags get double checked and stowed in the trailer and then it is time to get kitted up into the chauffeur uniform. Today I decided to give some exposure to the CX sponsor from last season. Make sure teeth are brushed and we are out the door.
The ride in for my client and charge for the rest of the day, or at least the beginning and end of ballet intensive, essentially gets a leg warm up on the way in. Esp as we are progressing in the week and she's tired and sore from dancing all day, the ride in really for her is a way to move the legs and let some blood flow circulate and clean them out without any exertion. Which means, yes, she's mostly just dead weight on the tandem and when the wind, like today, is slightly to the left of a headwind, a wind drag as well. The trailer does a good job of being a parachute even if the wind is dead on, so it is pretty much a constant drag. There aren't many hills but the few of them that are between destinations are pretty tough. Short fortunately but 13% is still 13% even if it is only for 10-20 feet. Momentum is your friend but it isn't always available to push it up over. Heck even 5% isn't easy with this rig.
Then once we get to the destination, well time to get the hair ready. It is essentially impossible to have a ballet bun under a helmet, esp with all the bobby pins needed to hold it together.
And well. Time to be hair dresser. I'm actually getting better. If you don't know to make a bun you have to start with a pony tail. And there is a hell of a lot of hair to corral and try and make look somewhat presentable. Today it went better than previously. Got the the pony tail up, then wrapped and twisted the pony tail around the hair tie and then used a hair net thing to wrap around the ball of hair to keep the loose ends in. Then the ball has to be flattened and secured to the back of the head with bobby pins. Once it is tight and immobilized, well then we break out the hair spray. Gotta tame any flyaways and lock that bun in for the whole day.
Then I get to turn into a Microscopist for 7.5-8 hours or so before returning as Chauffeur for the trip home.
But it isn't straight home. The way home we have one extra passenger to pick up. She sits in the trailer, but today we've had a request to get the trai-a-bike to replace the trailer. Which if we have time on the way there we can do. Timing though is everything.
So after that it is time to get cleaned up and fed. Then feet up and massages. I've been using the Weleda stuff. And that's why i'm an old school soigneur, I'm not an LMT or anything, but I've got smelly oils and i can identify muscle groups that are going to be sore. Once all massaged and relaxed it is off to bed, sleep and repeat.
And yeah that's pretty much the full day. Time for training in there? Not a freaking chance. Do I care? Right now not even a tiny bit. It is great. Besides - hauling that tandem and trailer is enough muscle tension work. The hills are like heavy weight training, the rest is just static load work.
Tomorrow I think the Soigneur is making pancakes. Maybe waffles, but probably pancakes. So that's going to change the dynamic and make it important to start the day even earlier. Which i'm sure the dog will not mind.
Couple good links:
how to teach your kids to ride I agree with JLS, good points. Unfortunately it is all pretty flat withing easy pedaling distance of the house (which is nice when you're riding home from a leg ripping ride).
And mr self promotion himself talking about the new UCI rule changes over at Cyclocross magazine. Sort amazing that Myerson can put together a thought with more than 140 characters.
Oh and my favorite phrase right now:
Cheap Food = Expensive Health care (cheap as in poor quality high caloric/dollar value - not inexpensive, because obviously there is inexpensive quality food out there)
heddwch
G
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Where is your milk from
interesting - the 365 milk jug in the fridge is 25-100
where is that made?
Check it out, and then check your milk out.
oh yeah milk is bad - it is the ultimate way to ruin your health with breakfast cereals and all that...
but you can't make good pancakes or waffles w/o it...
and if you are Skinny white dude apparently you can't make a Bolognese sauce w/o it...
and if you are a native Rhode Islander you can't have coffee without equal parts milk and sugar. Yes Coffee:Milk:Sugar ratio seems to be 1:1:1
where is that made?
Check it out, and then check your milk out.
oh yeah milk is bad - it is the ultimate way to ruin your health with breakfast cereals and all that...
but you can't make good pancakes or waffles w/o it...
and if you are Skinny white dude apparently you can't make a Bolognese sauce w/o it...
and if you are a native Rhode Islander you can't have coffee without equal parts milk and sugar. Yes Coffee:Milk:Sugar ratio seems to be 1:1:1
commuting
that's all i'm doing and i'm feeling pretty close to wrecked and it is only wed morning.
the tandem with the trailer is not so easy to haul around. takes a bucket load of watts to make that thing move, and even more torque.
Monday night's ride home in the thunderstorm was beyond epic. But that tandem and trailer motored through it like a tank. Nothing got in the way and I just pushed those pedals over.
The itty bitty short cranks on the captains setup aren't helping matters. Man it sucks riding short cranks. That with the weight and the couple of hills are killing me. In a good way. Trying to put it positively because I haven't raced since purgatory and won't be racing well until maybe the end of July at this rate. Missing the smack downs too.
Tall Tatar went out and joined the boys and he said it was HARD when I ran into him this morning riding in. Okay so I didn't run into him - he caught up to me as I was navigating the Tandem and trailer down the Washington Bridge off ramp on the PVD side, a series of U-turns after a 90-90 turn to get off it. Lots of people have problems with it on a single bike, but so far i've been okay with the tandem and the trailer.
All that practice with the trailer on the single bike must have honed my skills a bit and I seem to be okay at even dealing with the extra length in the trailer.
This is really the first time I've ever been on a tadem. Yeah. And K's proving to be a good stoker to break me in with the whole deal of two people on one bike. There's a decent bit of communication that has to go on. But mostly if I want to stop pedaling I can. And K's just a marionette on the back. But when she decides to help, usually fortunately on the hills, it is noticeable. And that's pretty cool.
I had deluded myself into thinking I was decently fast on it. Making good time with the big ring and such on the flats. Until last night, trying to keep up with one of the regular commuters. I popped it into the 56 and thought maybe I had a chance of keeping up with him. Nope. I guess I have a hard time holding backpack-guy's wheel with the trailer when he's heading home, add the tandem and well, yeah I suppose it makes sense that I'm slower.
Oh well. I haven't felt this much fatigue in my legs in a long time. I'm calling it a good thing - i don't care what anyone else says about it.
I've got two weeks of this before two days sitting on my butt in the car and then hanging out at the beach for a week and coming back before I can actually start doing anything serious towards building for cross. I'm hoping my knee holds out and I don't wind up screwing it up like last year and not being able to do anything intense until the end of August.
Here's a good little bit saying not much new but in a different way about sports drinks and gels and excerise form the NYTimes. They did a nice summary of the article (and cite the source).
I found that from reading this one about the difference between men and women. Yeah we know there are differences. Duh. Awesome ones. But aside from the obvious yay-bies the muscles work differently. Why do I care? well I've got that stoker and maybe after the fall the next mia hamm to consider feeding and helping. So yeah, I care a bit more than the dude w/o kids or one w/o girls. It is interesting.
Maybe that's why results-boy is so fast and has such a high voice and never EVER ever stops talking... extra estrogen.
But hey how about a steak, nice lean grass fed one... or something of the free range wild jumping beef variety... sounds good to me. Esp fried in some butter or bacon fat.
Oh and you duck fat lovers. Let me tell you. Duck fat ain't got NUTTIN on BACON FAT. Oh man is there a better fat source than some nice cancer salt free smoked bacon? Deeeeelicious.
There
G-ride - tossed some food in there for you. Yeah. It is now noon and I just finished eating lunch.
Oh and G-ride being totally bored depressed and buried under heaps and piles of pissyness decided to read the comments.
And then i had to. Some good stuff and not so good stuff.
Hit this comment (in the first Times link i posted, not the second one = as a rule i generally don't read the comments from articles like these).
Look at that bit there after #7. Feltslave or what ever he's calling himself now days swears by that fluorescent blue gatorade, he's fast, faster than me. But that dude says you're screwed if you use it.
Would be nice if you had to sleep in a Holiday Inn Express before posting there.
But hey - they let anyone on the internet. Look at me? I use words like Prolly and many incomplete sentences and references that no one gets but me hell sometimes I even confuse myself... where was i? hell i'm already confused and am pretty sure i haven't made any sense here starting with the links... maybe even starting with the first word.
the tandem with the trailer is not so easy to haul around. takes a bucket load of watts to make that thing move, and even more torque.
Monday night's ride home in the thunderstorm was beyond epic. But that tandem and trailer motored through it like a tank. Nothing got in the way and I just pushed those pedals over.
The itty bitty short cranks on the captains setup aren't helping matters. Man it sucks riding short cranks. That with the weight and the couple of hills are killing me. In a good way. Trying to put it positively because I haven't raced since purgatory and won't be racing well until maybe the end of July at this rate. Missing the smack downs too.
Tall Tatar went out and joined the boys and he said it was HARD when I ran into him this morning riding in. Okay so I didn't run into him - he caught up to me as I was navigating the Tandem and trailer down the Washington Bridge off ramp on the PVD side, a series of U-turns after a 90-90 turn to get off it. Lots of people have problems with it on a single bike, but so far i've been okay with the tandem and the trailer.
All that practice with the trailer on the single bike must have honed my skills a bit and I seem to be okay at even dealing with the extra length in the trailer.
This is really the first time I've ever been on a tadem. Yeah. And K's proving to be a good stoker to break me in with the whole deal of two people on one bike. There's a decent bit of communication that has to go on. But mostly if I want to stop pedaling I can. And K's just a marionette on the back. But when she decides to help, usually fortunately on the hills, it is noticeable. And that's pretty cool.
I had deluded myself into thinking I was decently fast on it. Making good time with the big ring and such on the flats. Until last night, trying to keep up with one of the regular commuters. I popped it into the 56 and thought maybe I had a chance of keeping up with him. Nope. I guess I have a hard time holding backpack-guy's wheel with the trailer when he's heading home, add the tandem and well, yeah I suppose it makes sense that I'm slower.
Oh well. I haven't felt this much fatigue in my legs in a long time. I'm calling it a good thing - i don't care what anyone else says about it.
I've got two weeks of this before two days sitting on my butt in the car and then hanging out at the beach for a week and coming back before I can actually start doing anything serious towards building for cross. I'm hoping my knee holds out and I don't wind up screwing it up like last year and not being able to do anything intense until the end of August.
Here's a good little bit saying not much new but in a different way about sports drinks and gels and excerise form the NYTimes. They did a nice summary of the article (and cite the source).
I found that from reading this one about the difference between men and women. Yeah we know there are differences. Duh. Awesome ones. But aside from the obvious yay-bies the muscles work differently. Why do I care? well I've got that stoker and maybe after the fall the next mia hamm to consider feeding and helping. So yeah, I care a bit more than the dude w/o kids or one w/o girls. It is interesting.
Maybe that's why results-boy is so fast and has such a high voice and never EVER ever stops talking... extra estrogen.
But hey how about a steak, nice lean grass fed one... or something of the free range wild jumping beef variety... sounds good to me. Esp fried in some butter or bacon fat.
Oh and you duck fat lovers. Let me tell you. Duck fat ain't got NUTTIN on BACON FAT. Oh man is there a better fat source than some nice cancer salt free smoked bacon? Deeeeelicious.
There
G-ride - tossed some food in there for you. Yeah. It is now noon and I just finished eating lunch.
Oh and G-ride being totally bored depressed and buried under heaps and piles of pissyness decided to read the comments.
And then i had to. Some good stuff and not so good stuff.
Hit this comment (in the first Times link i posted, not the second one = as a rule i generally don't read the comments from articles like these).
Look at that bit there after #7. Feltslave or what ever he's calling himself now days swears by that fluorescent blue gatorade, he's fast, faster than me. But that dude says you're screwed if you use it.
Would be nice if you had to sleep in a Holiday Inn Express before posting there.
But hey - they let anyone on the internet. Look at me? I use words like Prolly and many incomplete sentences and references that no one gets but me hell sometimes I even confuse myself... where was i? hell i'm already confused and am pretty sure i haven't made any sense here starting with the links... maybe even starting with the first word.
Monday, June 28, 2010
first run
on the borrowed Tandem...
With all the ballet stuff my bag was pretty inflated and not terribly light so I hooked up the trailer.
Ready for pick up this afternoon.
It isn't as cool as all three of us riding with it and one of these days we'll get that shot.
The tall aspect one is in respect of out 2010 kits with MLFN on the cuff. Mark L. F. Nicholson. Had to leave that one in there.
We saw a fox dart across the path on the way in, and had a bitching tail wind. And for a while I was able to turn over that 56 stronglight pie plate that skinny white dude stuck on there for nationals.
It really isn't so bad going up hills. But then I don't exactly have the heaviest stoker and her power to weight ratio is probably pretty decent, if not outstanding, and I she was able to add a few watts going up the couple hills.
We'll see how the ride home goes.
With all the ballet stuff my bag was pretty inflated and not terribly light so I hooked up the trailer.
Ready for pick up this afternoon.
It isn't as cool as all three of us riding with it and one of these days we'll get that shot.
The tall aspect one is in respect of out 2010 kits with MLFN on the cuff. Mark L. F. Nicholson. Had to leave that one in there.
We saw a fox dart across the path on the way in, and had a bitching tail wind. And for a while I was able to turn over that 56 stronglight pie plate that skinny white dude stuck on there for nationals.
It really isn't so bad going up hills. But then I don't exactly have the heaviest stoker and her power to weight ratio is probably pretty decent, if not outstanding, and I she was able to add a few watts going up the couple hills.
We'll see how the ride home goes.
Friday, June 25, 2010
more than just cycling...
Sports wise. World cup of course this week. The USA pulled out a well deserved win inspite of the atrocious officiating.
And the longest tennis match ever happened.
That was maybe the biggest story of the week, maybe the month. Should have been anyway. The determination and stamina and all that to keep going that long over 3 days was amazing.
Sadly the 6'9" 245 pound Isner showed up today and promptly recorded the shortest match of the tournament so far.
That's tough - to win so big and then just fall apart. esp in a tournament like Wimbledon.
beyond sports - hard to get wrapped up in that when the reality of life is that we aren't here all that long, well we can all hope to be here as long as my grandmother and to live as full of a life as she did.
I thought maybe there were a few quotes from her out there. I found one great one. And then a handful of ones from her husband, Grandpa Kenneth. The pair of them were amazing and left an unimaginable legacy.
There is no time left for anything but to make peace work a dimension of our every waking activity.
Elise Boulding
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.
Elise Boulding
but on a lighter note check this image that G-ride showed me so true... so true...
And the longest tennis match ever happened.
That was maybe the biggest story of the week, maybe the month. Should have been anyway. The determination and stamina and all that to keep going that long over 3 days was amazing.
Sadly the 6'9" 245 pound Isner showed up today and promptly recorded the shortest match of the tournament so far.
That's tough - to win so big and then just fall apart. esp in a tournament like Wimbledon.
beyond sports - hard to get wrapped up in that when the reality of life is that we aren't here all that long, well we can all hope to be here as long as my grandmother and to live as full of a life as she did.
I thought maybe there were a few quotes from her out there. I found one great one. And then a handful of ones from her husband, Grandpa Kenneth. The pair of them were amazing and left an unimaginable legacy.
There is no time left for anything but to make peace work a dimension of our every waking activity.
Elise Boulding
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.
Elise Boulding
but on a lighter note check this image that G-ride showed me so true... so true...
kenneth quotes
Disappointment, failure, and frustration are the main agents of change. Success is a poor teacher, for it usually only confirms us in what we thought we already knew.
Kenneth Boulding
Hatred injures the hater as well as the hated. Love blesses the lover as well as the loved. This is hard economics as well as good common sense.
Kenneth Boulding
I have invented something which . . . I have been calling "Senesh's Law" - That if you can't teach it to the second grade it probably isn't true.
Kenneth Boulding
In the case of highly complex realities . . .ignorance, if not bliss, is at least cheap.
Kenneth Boulding
Legitimacy is like the air we breathe; we only notice it when it is not there.
Kenneth Boulding
Peace is the skillful management of conflict.
Kenneth Boulding
The besetting sin of most clever people is that it is much easier to say clever things than true ones.
Kenneth Boulding
The infusion of a sense of righteousness into the common urge to bash things around has always proved to be a powerful stimulus to action.
Kenneth Boulding
The man who goes into the world believing that everyone is his enemy will very soon find his suspicions confirmed.
Kenneth Boulding
The only final good is the quality of human life.
Kenneth Boulding
The trouble of half-truths is the other half.
Kenneth Boulding
Kenneth Boulding
Hatred injures the hater as well as the hated. Love blesses the lover as well as the loved. This is hard economics as well as good common sense.
Kenneth Boulding
I have invented something which . . . I have been calling "Senesh's Law" - That if you can't teach it to the second grade it probably isn't true.
Kenneth Boulding
In the case of highly complex realities . . .ignorance, if not bliss, is at least cheap.
Kenneth Boulding
Legitimacy is like the air we breathe; we only notice it when it is not there.
Kenneth Boulding
Peace is the skillful management of conflict.
Kenneth Boulding
The besetting sin of most clever people is that it is much easier to say clever things than true ones.
Kenneth Boulding
The infusion of a sense of righteousness into the common urge to bash things around has always proved to be a powerful stimulus to action.
Kenneth Boulding
The man who goes into the world believing that everyone is his enemy will very soon find his suspicions confirmed.
Kenneth Boulding
The only final good is the quality of human life.
Kenneth Boulding
The trouble of half-truths is the other half.
Kenneth Boulding
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Elise M. Boulding 1920-2010
She passed away earlier today just a few days short of her Birthday on the 6th of July.
She was my grandmother. She was an incredible strong woman. She wrote a few books.
There's more about her online than I can hope to capture here.
She has a special case at The Peace Abbey located in the Chapel where we all last saw her at the concert.
That's her, front and center, surrounded by friends and family on what turned out to be her last outing. She loved every minute of it. Smiling like she was below.
For such a well written and involved woman the worst thing that could have happened did. Her mind failed long before the body. She's been struggling with Alzheimer's for years now, but her struggle is over.
She is in peace now.
She was ready and has peacefully waiting from what I heard. She was not in any pain, had even recovered from Pneumonia that came on a week or so after we saw her. She also had an infection in her foot that healed in the stretch of time. But she passed in peace.
Her laugh at the family reunions delighting in the little ones or the antics of the talent/variety show. She positively loved the skit where one person hid behind someone else and their hands tried to do simple things like brushing teeth, eating food, brushing hair. Her smile and laugh will live in me forever.
She was rarely angry, always willing to listen. Even with the disease she wanted to hear what I did where I work. I pulled out a book of images and we talked, she asked amazing questions demonstrating that even with the disease her mind was still sharp and inquisitive.
I will miss you Grandma.
hvile i fred
She was my grandmother. She was an incredible strong woman. She wrote a few books.
There's more about her online than I can hope to capture here.
She has a special case at The Peace Abbey located in the Chapel where we all last saw her at the concert.
That's her, front and center, surrounded by friends and family on what turned out to be her last outing. She loved every minute of it. Smiling like she was below.
For such a well written and involved woman the worst thing that could have happened did. Her mind failed long before the body. She's been struggling with Alzheimer's for years now, but her struggle is over.
She is in peace now.
She was ready and has peacefully waiting from what I heard. She was not in any pain, had even recovered from Pneumonia that came on a week or so after we saw her. She also had an infection in her foot that healed in the stretch of time. But she passed in peace.
Her laugh at the family reunions delighting in the little ones or the antics of the talent/variety show. She positively loved the skit where one person hid behind someone else and their hands tried to do simple things like brushing teeth, eating food, brushing hair. Her smile and laugh will live in me forever.
She was rarely angry, always willing to listen. Even with the disease she wanted to hear what I did where I work. I pulled out a book of images and we talked, she asked amazing questions demonstrating that even with the disease her mind was still sharp and inquisitive.
I will miss you Grandma.
hvile i fred
click click click
so for a while the commuter/cross bike has been making a bit of a racket.
not the normal fender rattle that it has, or the hum of constantly under-inflated tires (it is a cross bike - tires never go above 60psi)... this was a pedal stroke sensitive click.
I couldn't feel it in my shoes, but i'm running some 3-4 year old two strap Sidi mt bike shoes i bought new for $25 with toe straps to keep the velcro attached and the shoe somewhat secure (velcro is completely worn out). Yeah it is either ride with these or ride with my Specialized 3 velcro strap mtb shoes that I raced in for a year or two and that are serving as my road shoes. My other pairs of Sidis have self destructed and i'm down to two pair. Oh and with the worn cleat of who know what vintage and the Shimano 747 pedals from '96 or something with the aluminum on the end totally smashed from CX remounts and bashing rocks it is hard to feel clicking like you can sometimes.
The BB is pretty new, replacing the old '95-96 vintage 7400 square taper BB. But the Ti bolts that hold the crank arm on can stretch and sometimes loosen up.
Over the last week it hasn't really been getting worse I've just been progressively more annoyed with it. So I had to do something to it this week.
Before taking the crank arm off to clean the square taper surfaces i checked the chainring bolts. Nope they were all good. Pop the crank off. Hmm the pedal has a bunch of play. Clean that junction up, grab a normal 14mm crank bolt and tighten it way down (maybe the sugino angle is slightly different than the dura-ace, i think they are supposed to be the same though). Take the 14mm bolt out and stick the Ti one back in.
So rather than just leave it at that to see if I fixed the ticking I pulled the pedal off.
Shimano pedals are nice. Those 747s you just grab the shimano tool and take out the spindle. There was a bunch of play. So i grabbed a 7mm wrench and a 10mm cone wrench and adjusted the play out of the bearings, stuck a touch of grease in the pedal body and put it back together. No play and smooth as silk.
Man i love me some adjustable bearings.
I'd isolated the creak to the drive side doing some one legged riding. Got passed by a handful of pathletes while I was doing the investigations over the last week. Of course i was almost matching their pace with one leg to their two, not that anyone is keeping track or it matters.
I also went Adam Craig on the bike. Yeah that dark XTR gray and no cable hanger in the back works pretty damn well. Sleek too. All that canti talk got me to take the xtr v-brakes off the mantra (that hasn't been ridden since the 24 hours of great glen i raced) and put em on. Only had time to put them on the rear. But i did that after actually installing the travel agents correctly on skinny's tandem. So it is all ready to go for the new two weeks of commuting.
finally got some batteries for the one working bike computer, an old sigma BC 800 for my wife's Lemond. I had walked into CVS and saw the $5 price tag and walked back out. Found the LR44 from a battery place, 10 for $6.85. Shipped free. And placed the order earlier this week, they were at the house last night. Crazy.
That and my sunscreen has been sold out for a while. I guess all the press they got as one of the only "safe" sunscreens out there flew the stuff off the shelf. It is pricey and we tend to try and stretch it out. But you can't stretch a 3oz tube out forever. And with the 3, 5, and 9 oz sizes out of stock at every online retailer i could find I broke down and bought the one size left. the 128oz size. holy hell of a lot of sunscreen. We'll see if it actually was in stock and if it ships. It was a bit of cash but with a week coming up on the beaches of the Outer Banks in NC can you really have too much sunscreen? And unlike last years cloudy rain fest of the early summer and the cool weather, it has been sunny and hot. More skin time.
Time to make the mad dash to the summer camp. I'm getting my TT efforts in now anyway. I should just start timing them...
heddwch
G
not the normal fender rattle that it has, or the hum of constantly under-inflated tires (it is a cross bike - tires never go above 60psi)... this was a pedal stroke sensitive click.
I couldn't feel it in my shoes, but i'm running some 3-4 year old two strap Sidi mt bike shoes i bought new for $25 with toe straps to keep the velcro attached and the shoe somewhat secure (velcro is completely worn out). Yeah it is either ride with these or ride with my Specialized 3 velcro strap mtb shoes that I raced in for a year or two and that are serving as my road shoes. My other pairs of Sidis have self destructed and i'm down to two pair. Oh and with the worn cleat of who know what vintage and the Shimano 747 pedals from '96 or something with the aluminum on the end totally smashed from CX remounts and bashing rocks it is hard to feel clicking like you can sometimes.
The BB is pretty new, replacing the old '95-96 vintage 7400 square taper BB. But the Ti bolts that hold the crank arm on can stretch and sometimes loosen up.
Over the last week it hasn't really been getting worse I've just been progressively more annoyed with it. So I had to do something to it this week.
Before taking the crank arm off to clean the square taper surfaces i checked the chainring bolts. Nope they were all good. Pop the crank off. Hmm the pedal has a bunch of play. Clean that junction up, grab a normal 14mm crank bolt and tighten it way down (maybe the sugino angle is slightly different than the dura-ace, i think they are supposed to be the same though). Take the 14mm bolt out and stick the Ti one back in.
So rather than just leave it at that to see if I fixed the ticking I pulled the pedal off.
Shimano pedals are nice. Those 747s you just grab the shimano tool and take out the spindle. There was a bunch of play. So i grabbed a 7mm wrench and a 10mm cone wrench and adjusted the play out of the bearings, stuck a touch of grease in the pedal body and put it back together. No play and smooth as silk.
Man i love me some adjustable bearings.
I'd isolated the creak to the drive side doing some one legged riding. Got passed by a handful of pathletes while I was doing the investigations over the last week. Of course i was almost matching their pace with one leg to their two, not that anyone is keeping track or it matters.
I also went Adam Craig on the bike. Yeah that dark XTR gray and no cable hanger in the back works pretty damn well. Sleek too. All that canti talk got me to take the xtr v-brakes off the mantra (that hasn't been ridden since the 24 hours of great glen i raced) and put em on. Only had time to put them on the rear. But i did that after actually installing the travel agents correctly on skinny's tandem. So it is all ready to go for the new two weeks of commuting.
finally got some batteries for the one working bike computer, an old sigma BC 800 for my wife's Lemond. I had walked into CVS and saw the $5 price tag and walked back out. Found the LR44 from a battery place, 10 for $6.85. Shipped free. And placed the order earlier this week, they were at the house last night. Crazy.
That and my sunscreen has been sold out for a while. I guess all the press they got as one of the only "safe" sunscreens out there flew the stuff off the shelf. It is pricey and we tend to try and stretch it out. But you can't stretch a 3oz tube out forever. And with the 3, 5, and 9 oz sizes out of stock at every online retailer i could find I broke down and bought the one size left. the 128oz size. holy hell of a lot of sunscreen. We'll see if it actually was in stock and if it ships. It was a bit of cash but with a week coming up on the beaches of the Outer Banks in NC can you really have too much sunscreen? And unlike last years cloudy rain fest of the early summer and the cool weather, it has been sunny and hot. More skin time.
Time to make the mad dash to the summer camp. I'm getting my TT efforts in now anyway. I should just start timing them...
heddwch
G
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
new to the would love to have
These... so sexy
Not cheap - and I'm somewhat between the 195 and 200 sizes based on measurements.
But man - that would be awesome. Would work great on the Q Pro with the wicked high bottom bracket.
That project big CX bike looks pretty sweet too.
I have been thinking about "the next bike" in so much as just wondering what the hell I would replace either the Giant with or the Klein if I had to. Tough call.
Not cheap - and I'm somewhat between the 195 and 200 sizes based on measurements.
But man - that would be awesome. Would work great on the Q Pro with the wicked high bottom bracket.
That project big CX bike looks pretty sweet too.
I have been thinking about "the next bike" in so much as just wondering what the hell I would replace either the Giant with or the Klein if I had to. Tough call.
making good time
I had an obligation to stop by and water some plants at a team-mates house on the way home. Some mis-understanding about timing made it a necessary stop on the way home. Damn stupid Impatiens, they don't do well right away in a pot w/o water.
Got that finished, turned off the hose and checked the time 4:52. I made the pick up last night at 5:25, I had a 6pm deadline. And last night I didn't exactly light it up but still took nearly an hour to get home, grab the trailer and then make it to the Y. It was going to be close.
No smack down but I got a solid bit of threshold all the way home. I feel pretty good about knowing what my threshold is w/o metrics. I made a quick release the dog, give her some water, grab the trailer and hook it up and head down. Sure enough tonight was a headwind all the way home. Not too strong but compared to last night I was working way harder tonight three or four cogs up.
Made it there by 5:31. Took almost as long to get home in a cool down ride, esp once I noticed my passenger had fallen asleep.
No, it doesn't fit into J-hole's "training plan" but who the f cares? I did some thinking about the Zin "Q&A/marketing" article over at velonews.
Esp after talking with equally towering Tatar before the Purgatory race about crank length.
oh...
That grumpy bastard up in VT is turning as old as I will be in August today.
Happy Fucking Birthday Dillhole.
Got that finished, turned off the hose and checked the time 4:52. I made the pick up last night at 5:25, I had a 6pm deadline. And last night I didn't exactly light it up but still took nearly an hour to get home, grab the trailer and then make it to the Y. It was going to be close.
No smack down but I got a solid bit of threshold all the way home. I feel pretty good about knowing what my threshold is w/o metrics. I made a quick release the dog, give her some water, grab the trailer and hook it up and head down. Sure enough tonight was a headwind all the way home. Not too strong but compared to last night I was working way harder tonight three or four cogs up.
Made it there by 5:31. Took almost as long to get home in a cool down ride, esp once I noticed my passenger had fallen asleep.
No, it doesn't fit into J-hole's "training plan" but who the f cares? I did some thinking about the Zin "Q&A/marketing" article over at velonews.
Esp after talking with equally towering Tatar before the Purgatory race about crank length.
oh...
That grumpy bastard up in VT is turning as old as I will be in August today.
Happy Fucking Birthday Dillhole.
Raffle for a cause
Head over here and buy a ticket or two.
why?
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Track management plans and promote pro-bicycle policies at the local, state and federal levels
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ONLY 200 RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE!
10 winners will be chosen for the prizes below.
the prize list is pretty solid too...
Snap
there was a good bit of snap in the legs this morning. Felt nice.
Perfect morning riding in, not alone either. Saw a few other people on the path on bikes. It was good.
Last night's pick up was fun too. Headed home and was expecting a headwind like there almost always is off the water when it gets that hot, but found a slight cross tailwind. Turning over the 46x12 was pretty easy. Grabbed the trailer, let the dog out and rode down to pick up the little one at Camp.
Last summer she would fold her arms across the handle bar on the trail-a-bike and rest her head riding home because she was so tired. So that's why I went with the trailer, she was indeed pooped. But with the headwind she cooled off and was in remarkable spirits when we got home. And my legs didn't feel like junk. yeah I suck compared to Results boy and his 8.3 w/kg over 30 seconds. No wonder. But like I said in my comments. What I feel I don't have compared to mid-CX season is power and sprint. Stuff that seems to develop with good sprint workouts, high short intensity stuff. I haven't been focusing on that. Sure maybe I should be building it all year. But part of my uncoachability and desire to figure it out myself first hand leads me to want to test the theory. I guess if I really wanted to test it I would have to also try actually doing those workouts much earlier. Maybe that's next years plan. Who knows.
Got a ton of pictures still to sort through, should work on getting at least a representative of them all up before I completely forget the context of the photo.
heddwch
G
Oh yeah - smack down tonight. Keith Kelly has threatened to show up and rip everyone's legs off. I can't make it. Got something important to pick up from the Y camp instead.
Perfect morning riding in, not alone either. Saw a few other people on the path on bikes. It was good.
Last night's pick up was fun too. Headed home and was expecting a headwind like there almost always is off the water when it gets that hot, but found a slight cross tailwind. Turning over the 46x12 was pretty easy. Grabbed the trailer, let the dog out and rode down to pick up the little one at Camp.
Last summer she would fold her arms across the handle bar on the trail-a-bike and rest her head riding home because she was so tired. So that's why I went with the trailer, she was indeed pooped. But with the headwind she cooled off and was in remarkable spirits when we got home. And my legs didn't feel like junk. yeah I suck compared to Results boy and his 8.3 w/kg over 30 seconds. No wonder. But like I said in my comments. What I feel I don't have compared to mid-CX season is power and sprint. Stuff that seems to develop with good sprint workouts, high short intensity stuff. I haven't been focusing on that. Sure maybe I should be building it all year. But part of my uncoachability and desire to figure it out myself first hand leads me to want to test the theory. I guess if I really wanted to test it I would have to also try actually doing those workouts much earlier. Maybe that's next years plan. Who knows.
Got a ton of pictures still to sort through, should work on getting at least a representative of them all up before I completely forget the context of the photo.
heddwch
G
Oh yeah - smack down tonight. Keith Kelly has threatened to show up and rip everyone's legs off. I can't make it. Got something important to pick up from the Y camp instead.
Monday, June 21, 2010
tough monday
still feeling some lingering fatigue. i headed out this morning in the same easy gear that I used to ride back from the pool towing the little one on the trail-a-bike.
I thought, "I'm going to warm up in this gear, switch over the big ring in Riverside."
Got to riverside and kept ticking the same gear over. No change. And that's how I rode in. Took me an extra few minutes but it was just a walk of the bike on the first day of summer.
A slow walk of the bike.
While riding it.
Results are out. I'm feeling neither disappointment nor excitement about my results. If the times are to be believed I would have been in the top ten of the Cat 5 35+ race, heck either one likely. So by that metric I'm a Cat 4, plus the fact that the last lap was the one spend alone more than working with someone else, and the lap I feel was likely the slowest for me. And all that makes me wonder, I can't really suck that much, there's a hell of a lot of cat 4s who are fast enough but never move up to the 3s. They should be racing 3s no? No point worrying about everyone else. I've got enough to deal with just keeping myself going.
I wonder if I could have gone faster up the first time. Maybe if I'd left it in the big ring and tried to power through standing instead of sitting and spinning my head out. If I'd done that might I have stayed with a group? It was a tough course. And yes, I need to do more long - not flat - road races to really get better at them. One or two a year isn't cutting it, at least if I hope to improve.
There is a better feeling in my legs now than last year. I think I might be stronger and faster. I'm hoping so. But it is time to start building and focusing. Last summer i managed to do too much muscle tension work in a short period of time and that set me way back with the knee injury that took nearly 6 months to go away completely. Actually now that I think of it I was feeling pretty strong going into the Thompson Speedway race. But that's canceled this year.
Summer schedule also means smack downs will have to be without me for most of them. Time to switch up and start doing focused work or hard rides in the morning. Time to sit down with a calendar and make it work. I think the plan from last year was successful, but peaked a bit late. I hope maybe that I can turn it around and start the season somewhat higher and peak a bit earlier, not right around Nationals hoping that luck helps me finish well. I had good legs just a shit start position and the wrong attitude on that first lap. Post crash? Game the fuck on man. A little too late. oops.
---
wrote all that yesterday - had some idea to tie it all together and finish in some creative writing theme like stuff that sometimes I do but I forget right now.
Trying to switch over to a new computer here in the office among a massive pile of other stuff hanging down.
going to post and start over
I thought, "I'm going to warm up in this gear, switch over the big ring in Riverside."
Got to riverside and kept ticking the same gear over. No change. And that's how I rode in. Took me an extra few minutes but it was just a walk of the bike on the first day of summer.
A slow walk of the bike.
While riding it.
Results are out. I'm feeling neither disappointment nor excitement about my results. If the times are to be believed I would have been in the top ten of the Cat 5 35+ race, heck either one likely. So by that metric I'm a Cat 4, plus the fact that the last lap was the one spend alone more than working with someone else, and the lap I feel was likely the slowest for me. And all that makes me wonder, I can't really suck that much, there's a hell of a lot of cat 4s who are fast enough but never move up to the 3s. They should be racing 3s no? No point worrying about everyone else. I've got enough to deal with just keeping myself going.
I wonder if I could have gone faster up the first time. Maybe if I'd left it in the big ring and tried to power through standing instead of sitting and spinning my head out. If I'd done that might I have stayed with a group? It was a tough course. And yes, I need to do more long - not flat - road races to really get better at them. One or two a year isn't cutting it, at least if I hope to improve.
There is a better feeling in my legs now than last year. I think I might be stronger and faster. I'm hoping so. But it is time to start building and focusing. Last summer i managed to do too much muscle tension work in a short period of time and that set me way back with the knee injury that took nearly 6 months to go away completely. Actually now that I think of it I was feeling pretty strong going into the Thompson Speedway race. But that's canceled this year.
Summer schedule also means smack downs will have to be without me for most of them. Time to switch up and start doing focused work or hard rides in the morning. Time to sit down with a calendar and make it work. I think the plan from last year was successful, but peaked a bit late. I hope maybe that I can turn it around and start the season somewhat higher and peak a bit earlier, not right around Nationals hoping that luck helps me finish well. I had good legs just a shit start position and the wrong attitude on that first lap. Post crash? Game the fuck on man. A little too late. oops.
---
wrote all that yesterday - had some idea to tie it all together and finish in some creative writing theme like stuff that sometimes I do but I forget right now.
Trying to switch over to a new computer here in the office among a massive pile of other stuff hanging down.
going to post and start over
Saturday, June 19, 2010
ooph
What a day.
Starting off with little and disrupted sleep transitioning into "shit I gotta move or i'll be wicked late" and finally getting there. Picked up Dr. Flats-a-lot on the way and got there in time to stand in line for a while getting numbers.
First off, What the HELL was I thinking signing up for a 42.5 mile road race with a f'n killer climb in it and a bunch of rollers? Seriously? Have I NOT learned anything in the last 5 years trying to do road races in New England? seriously. WTF? But hey Dr Flats-a-lot suggested we go do it, being close and all that, and I figured sure, what the hell, how bad can it be.
Then Myette posted his review, and Brent posted his damn Brentacol rating of that hill and, well too late. I had sealed my fate.
Hey but maybe things have changed. Maybe I can hang this time. I'm delusional enough to think I still have a chance.
Who isn't?
Besides Solobreak of course.
So we have this nice neutral start. Right up to a hill. And around the first turn some jackass f'n jams his chain/wheel/wiener and comes to a complete stop right in front of me pinning me to the curb and about another half dozen guys behind me. Yeah it was AWESOME. The whole field is riding away with Brier's "goal" to go ape shit right from the gun to whittle down the field. Fucking AWESOME.
So yeah. By the time I get extracted from the jackass with the f'n mechanical and the rest of the guys behind me the pack is f'n gone. Great. So 'we' spend the next couple miles and all of the downhill reeling them in. Wonderful way to start.
Yeah that is EXACTLY how I planned it. Awesome.
But hey we all managed to re-integrate (I assume we all did), then we turned up that horrible hill. I think Myette took us up that on that infamous Tour of Blackstone Valley way back a handful of years ago. That hill sucks. I hung with the pack for a good bit of it but really only about 1/2 of it. And well. I can only breath so hard and pedal so many watts. And it wasn't enough.
Commence 3 laps of riding with one or two other guys or alone.
Yeah.
It was awesome.
Sort of.
Jiggles was the only redeeming factor. That and Myette's family there. I am sore. Worked my ass off. And for what? I dunno.
Placing? No f'n clue.
I do know that the 35+ guys came through me, the leader very early in the final stretch of the last lap and then the tiny gaggle of uber fit freaks came past. Sealing my fate. They did 5 laps in the same time I did 4. Ah hell that really sucked.
Oh well.
I survived. Didn't flat, worked my ass off, raced hard (if you can call it racing) and I finished. I did seriously consider just riding back to the car after one lap for a bit. But no, I kept going.
At least it was shady and not so hot.
I sucked down gels, I ate clif blocks and I still had fuel in the tank to make the final climb. Not much but about what I can muster. Yeah I still suck road racing. It is f'n hard.
But
BUT
considering I don't train right now (aside from the occasional smack down and short flat 20 mile crit) how hard can I be on myself. Most of those guys are out there busting their ass with Power meters doing regular work outs and shit. Me? Not so much. Pass me a beer. Or not. Riding I'm doing. But focused, road racing beneficial stuff? Not so much. No coach, no "A" races, no plans for doing well on the road, just looking at cross.
Cyclocross. Time to start making progress. But then hell with Myette, Rowell and mother fucking BOLD going as well as they are - shit, kind of depressing, almost a "why bother."
So race report:
I started - got stuck, chased, sat in, got popped, rode around mostly alone, finished, went home.
I have not a CLUE how I finished. Were results posted? I have no idea. Made it home - went for a walk with L and Lucy, said hi to Frank. Drove out to the farm for a party, had a couple beers (not to many) ate too much food and now my feet are up, and I think all the damn coffee and double espresso gels are going to haunt me for a few more hours, if not all night. F'm i'm wired.
I did spot that Solobreak dude. I yelled at him but his deaf and blind ass must have been too focused on spotting his special friend Eric (I've been told by him not to use any of the other names, just Eric) to notice the big tall freak yelling at him as I rode by just before the finish.
Great seeing Alan, man he cracks me up at the finish line, I think maybe I was cracking him up too, anyway.
I survived. I raced my weakness, I feel I did better than in the past, and I do feel I'm making progress, but man, I still just don't have the raw watts/kg to survive with the freaks in Cat 4 racing, hell in any road races. Gotta take the lead of the rest of the big guys in New England and stick with the flat crits.
Or really stick with cyclocross. Why? Well because CX makes sense to me, I kind of figured out how not to be abysmally slow in it. It feels right. It is hella fun.
And maybe, just maybe I can figure out how to not be as slow as I have been in the past.
Life is tough enough without entering a road race.
And no, it isn't the bike. Sure I'm riding components from 1998, and I'm Lucky that Kenny had ONE 9 speed wheel in the SRAM Volvo, but then he did pass me 1/2 through the second lap. No the bike isn't slowing me down. I'm just doing the best I can with what I've got and it isn't good enough to contest hilly road races. So next time I even THINK about entering one, remind me that they just aren't my strength.
It still was fun and worth going up there for. The race was really well done. Well Marshalled, really well done. Nice job Green Line Velo. The Moto's were great. Too bad I didn't get a chance to watch them work more than I did.
We'll see how the results shake out. I doubt I made to to 75th like the race predictor said. I'm guessing more like 80-90th.
And happy father's day (yeah it is tomorrow - so i'm jumping the gun)
heddwch
G
Starting off with little and disrupted sleep transitioning into "shit I gotta move or i'll be wicked late" and finally getting there. Picked up Dr. Flats-a-lot on the way and got there in time to stand in line for a while getting numbers.
First off, What the HELL was I thinking signing up for a 42.5 mile road race with a f'n killer climb in it and a bunch of rollers? Seriously? Have I NOT learned anything in the last 5 years trying to do road races in New England? seriously. WTF? But hey Dr Flats-a-lot suggested we go do it, being close and all that, and I figured sure, what the hell, how bad can it be.
Then Myette posted his review, and Brent posted his damn Brentacol rating of that hill and, well too late. I had sealed my fate.
Hey but maybe things have changed. Maybe I can hang this time. I'm delusional enough to think I still have a chance.
Who isn't?
Besides Solobreak of course.
So we have this nice neutral start. Right up to a hill. And around the first turn some jackass f'n jams his chain/wheel/wiener and comes to a complete stop right in front of me pinning me to the curb and about another half dozen guys behind me. Yeah it was AWESOME. The whole field is riding away with Brier's "goal" to go ape shit right from the gun to whittle down the field. Fucking AWESOME.
So yeah. By the time I get extracted from the jackass with the f'n mechanical and the rest of the guys behind me the pack is f'n gone. Great. So 'we' spend the next couple miles and all of the downhill reeling them in. Wonderful way to start.
Yeah that is EXACTLY how I planned it. Awesome.
But hey we all managed to re-integrate (I assume we all did), then we turned up that horrible hill. I think Myette took us up that on that infamous Tour of Blackstone Valley way back a handful of years ago. That hill sucks. I hung with the pack for a good bit of it but really only about 1/2 of it. And well. I can only breath so hard and pedal so many watts. And it wasn't enough.
Commence 3 laps of riding with one or two other guys or alone.
Yeah.
It was awesome.
Sort of.
Jiggles was the only redeeming factor. That and Myette's family there. I am sore. Worked my ass off. And for what? I dunno.
Placing? No f'n clue.
I do know that the 35+ guys came through me, the leader very early in the final stretch of the last lap and then the tiny gaggle of uber fit freaks came past. Sealing my fate. They did 5 laps in the same time I did 4. Ah hell that really sucked.
Oh well.
I survived. Didn't flat, worked my ass off, raced hard (if you can call it racing) and I finished. I did seriously consider just riding back to the car after one lap for a bit. But no, I kept going.
At least it was shady and not so hot.
I sucked down gels, I ate clif blocks and I still had fuel in the tank to make the final climb. Not much but about what I can muster. Yeah I still suck road racing. It is f'n hard.
But
BUT
considering I don't train right now (aside from the occasional smack down and short flat 20 mile crit) how hard can I be on myself. Most of those guys are out there busting their ass with Power meters doing regular work outs and shit. Me? Not so much. Pass me a beer. Or not. Riding I'm doing. But focused, road racing beneficial stuff? Not so much. No coach, no "A" races, no plans for doing well on the road, just looking at cross.
Cyclocross. Time to start making progress. But then hell with Myette, Rowell and mother fucking BOLD going as well as they are - shit, kind of depressing, almost a "why bother."
So race report:
I started - got stuck, chased, sat in, got popped, rode around mostly alone, finished, went home.
I have not a CLUE how I finished. Were results posted? I have no idea. Made it home - went for a walk with L and Lucy, said hi to Frank. Drove out to the farm for a party, had a couple beers (not to many) ate too much food and now my feet are up, and I think all the damn coffee and double espresso gels are going to haunt me for a few more hours, if not all night. F'm i'm wired.
I did spot that Solobreak dude. I yelled at him but his deaf and blind ass must have been too focused on spotting his special friend Eric (I've been told by him not to use any of the other names, just Eric) to notice the big tall freak yelling at him as I rode by just before the finish.
Great seeing Alan, man he cracks me up at the finish line, I think maybe I was cracking him up too, anyway.
I survived. I raced my weakness, I feel I did better than in the past, and I do feel I'm making progress, but man, I still just don't have the raw watts/kg to survive with the freaks in Cat 4 racing, hell in any road races. Gotta take the lead of the rest of the big guys in New England and stick with the flat crits.
Or really stick with cyclocross. Why? Well because CX makes sense to me, I kind of figured out how not to be abysmally slow in it. It feels right. It is hella fun.
And maybe, just maybe I can figure out how to not be as slow as I have been in the past.
Life is tough enough without entering a road race.
And no, it isn't the bike. Sure I'm riding components from 1998, and I'm Lucky that Kenny had ONE 9 speed wheel in the SRAM Volvo, but then he did pass me 1/2 through the second lap. No the bike isn't slowing me down. I'm just doing the best I can with what I've got and it isn't good enough to contest hilly road races. So next time I even THINK about entering one, remind me that they just aren't my strength.
It still was fun and worth going up there for. The race was really well done. Well Marshalled, really well done. Nice job Green Line Velo. The Moto's were great. Too bad I didn't get a chance to watch them work more than I did.
We'll see how the results shake out. I doubt I made to to 75th like the race predictor said. I'm guessing more like 80-90th.
And happy father's day (yeah it is tomorrow - so i'm jumping the gun)
heddwch
G
Friday, June 18, 2010
New Cyclocross rules
Cyclocross Magazine has a new story up online about it. Seems to be a similar take compared to Colin's NECX list. And if you are really astute you will see Chip Baker listed as the author of the article published there just ahead of the UCI changes. I would almost call him "new england's own..." but i'm not sure he's fully purged that Cali influence.
But New England's Own, no ifs ands or buts, Mr Myerson himself, gets a renewed shout out from The Church of the Big Ring. Reviving the doping thread. A good read from Mark Twight.
Now these new UCI changes mean you can run Disc brakes. I'm not a fan. Mostly because I don't have any disc brakes. And changing over would be silly.
I think it is cool you can grab just any old tubular wheel and slap a cross tire on there. Except now I guess you can't have a tire wider than 33mm. But then these are all UCI rules. Hopefully everyone will listen to Myerson's reasoning on FB about why you shouldn't run Disc brakes and leave them on the Mt Bike.
Rules can be top down but it is just a rule after all, not a mandate. Maybe people will realize that they are overkill, heavy and make wheel changes tough and getting neutral wheels even tougher. Not to mention you'd have to run Cable actuated discs until hydraulic ones come out.
I am actually pretty anxious about tomorrow's race. Good or bad anxiety I can't quite tell. I hope it I can focus it into a productive hyper aware direction instead of the normal negative self defeating one.
And of course I'm going through the Open Tabs and I come across this post JUST after writing that line. The Yellow line is NOT something the cat 4 guys really are aware of much. I've become more comfortable with the gutter. Mostly because I trust myself in the shoulder dirt more than my ability to avoid an on coming car. That said maybe Results Boy can tag team attacking the pack with my team-mate Brier who always is on the attack it seems. Keep the pack stretched out and running fast and thin. faster thinner is best. But some how I've got this hunch that we'll do the whole puffer fish race... thin and fast then boom without warning Big and Fat and SLOW and dangerous.
I read this comment and got really morose. That's just a very scary analysis potential outcome, and it all makes way too much sense. If the Prez or people like that realize this and aren't telling us? Oh feck that's going to be some solidly massive backlash.
I'm downgrading my "BUY BUY BUY" recommendation for BP stock to a cautious "we're fecked but they probably still won't go under so it is still a decent time to buy it." But then being broke and in debt doesn't really put me in a position to follow my own advice. Funny that. The people who could benefit never can take advantage, but those who don't need it just rake in the dough hand over fist. *shrug* make do with what we've got and try and stay positive.
I should probably start figuring out where this race actually is going to start, IE where to park other than at Matt's house. I had almost hoped I could ride home after the race. Why? Well it is all downhill. Seriously. Going down Douglas or whatever that road is from that area to PVD is literally all downhill. And it would make a nice high mileage day. But. Stuff to do, my wife wants to go running before we head to a party, and well, honestly it sucked riding home from Ninigret after only a 20 mile crit, the suck-factor probably would be off the charts if *I* tried to ride home after Purgatory. Best sticking to getting there early and getting a hard warm up in. Hell maybe a lap might not be a bad idea. Not sure I can get there THAT early. We'll see what happens in the morning. All I gotta say is my money is on JONNY BOLD for the 35+ race.
be safe
heddwch
G
But New England's Own, no ifs ands or buts, Mr Myerson himself, gets a renewed shout out from The Church of the Big Ring. Reviving the doping thread. A good read from Mark Twight.
Now these new UCI changes mean you can run Disc brakes. I'm not a fan. Mostly because I don't have any disc brakes. And changing over would be silly.
I think it is cool you can grab just any old tubular wheel and slap a cross tire on there. Except now I guess you can't have a tire wider than 33mm. But then these are all UCI rules. Hopefully everyone will listen to Myerson's reasoning on FB about why you shouldn't run Disc brakes and leave them on the Mt Bike.
Rules can be top down but it is just a rule after all, not a mandate. Maybe people will realize that they are overkill, heavy and make wheel changes tough and getting neutral wheels even tougher. Not to mention you'd have to run Cable actuated discs until hydraulic ones come out.
I am actually pretty anxious about tomorrow's race. Good or bad anxiety I can't quite tell. I hope it I can focus it into a productive hyper aware direction instead of the normal negative self defeating one.
And of course I'm going through the Open Tabs and I come across this post JUST after writing that line. The Yellow line is NOT something the cat 4 guys really are aware of much. I've become more comfortable with the gutter. Mostly because I trust myself in the shoulder dirt more than my ability to avoid an on coming car. That said maybe Results Boy can tag team attacking the pack with my team-mate Brier who always is on the attack it seems. Keep the pack stretched out and running fast and thin. faster thinner is best. But some how I've got this hunch that we'll do the whole puffer fish race... thin and fast then boom without warning Big and Fat and SLOW and dangerous.
I read this comment and got really morose. That's just a very scary analysis potential outcome, and it all makes way too much sense. If the Prez or people like that realize this and aren't telling us? Oh feck that's going to be some solidly massive backlash.
I'm downgrading my "BUY BUY BUY" recommendation for BP stock to a cautious "we're fecked but they probably still won't go under so it is still a decent time to buy it." But then being broke and in debt doesn't really put me in a position to follow my own advice. Funny that. The people who could benefit never can take advantage, but those who don't need it just rake in the dough hand over fist. *shrug* make do with what we've got and try and stay positive.
I should probably start figuring out where this race actually is going to start, IE where to park other than at Matt's house. I had almost hoped I could ride home after the race. Why? Well it is all downhill. Seriously. Going down Douglas or whatever that road is from that area to PVD is literally all downhill. And it would make a nice high mileage day. But. Stuff to do, my wife wants to go running before we head to a party, and well, honestly it sucked riding home from Ninigret after only a 20 mile crit, the suck-factor probably would be off the charts if *I* tried to ride home after Purgatory. Best sticking to getting there early and getting a hard warm up in. Hell maybe a lap might not be a bad idea. Not sure I can get there THAT early. We'll see what happens in the morning. All I gotta say is my money is on JONNY BOLD for the 35+ race.
be safe
heddwch
G
24 hours away
from the start...
i bailed on trying to get to the Bikeworks TT last night. Timing would have worked but the ride home was somewhat of a TT riding with one of the Marks. The trail-a-bike is much easier to pull than the trailer. And yes that was three days this week of parking the car. Today it gets driven.
Seems like a pretty low level goal but tomorrow my plan is not to see the 35 or 45 fields unless it is the 35+ passing a neutralized cat 4 field.
Man 100 people. We'll see if i can finish higher than the race predictor is suggesting.
i bailed on trying to get to the Bikeworks TT last night. Timing would have worked but the ride home was somewhat of a TT riding with one of the Marks. The trail-a-bike is much easier to pull than the trailer. And yes that was three days this week of parking the car. Today it gets driven.
Seems like a pretty low level goal but tomorrow my plan is not to see the 35 or 45 fields unless it is the 35+ passing a neutralized cat 4 field.
Man 100 people. We'll see if i can finish higher than the race predictor is suggesting.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Lignum vitae legs
Might be great for making carving mallets out of but man, might as well have lead in the legs.
Riding in was a challenge. Esp since the little one decided to squeeze into the trailer instead of riding the trail-a-bike. Oof that think is a lot more work to pull. Monday the legs still felt pretty good and it wasn't such a struggle. This morning oh man the smack down did a number on me. Got shelled at the second sprint line (but easily made it up Austin for a change. Got gapped a bit more on Douglas Hook. And gapped again up on Tourletot hill. But thanks to the guys for waiting up for me before drilling it. We took the longer way around and I just love it. Pops us out on elmdale? then Snake Hill there by the orchard. And from where we got back on Snake Hill until just before the light at 44 I drove it hard, pushed it. And yeah it was mostly down hill but hell it is a butt load of work pushing the pace above coasting, lots of watts. So when we hit the hill up to the T where we turn right on Greenville and AD attacked and then blew up I couldn't quite respond and AD and I spent the rest of the time riding has hard as we could to try and catch the other 4, slowly making up ground for a bit then Dr Flats would go to the front and drive the pace up a bit. We almost caught them, but at least we were back in the group before they hit the bike path.
It was pretty tough for me. My heart rate wasn't going back down as quickly, staying elevated far too long. I also felt like i wasn't getting enough oxygen into the blood, deep rapid belly breathing wasn't making me light headed like it does sometimes. Probably due to the excessive amounts of peanut sauce chicken rice carrots and cabbage I had for lunch (i made it so it was bad stuff free and the rice was medium grain brown ride). I could feel the lump in my belly for the first half of the ride. Timing the eating and drinking and all that is much easier for a race/ride before noon. Or I should phrase it: i'm much less likely to undermine my riding with improper eating if I ride in the morning.
The cool down was much needed and was pretty slow. It also just took me a very long time to get warmed up it seemed. That whole ride didn't really offer any encouragement for Saturday. It is going to be ugly esp with Results boy attacking like a monkey on crack the whole race.
heddwch
G
Riding in was a challenge. Esp since the little one decided to squeeze into the trailer instead of riding the trail-a-bike. Oof that think is a lot more work to pull. Monday the legs still felt pretty good and it wasn't such a struggle. This morning oh man the smack down did a number on me. Got shelled at the second sprint line (but easily made it up Austin for a change. Got gapped a bit more on Douglas Hook. And gapped again up on Tourletot hill. But thanks to the guys for waiting up for me before drilling it. We took the longer way around and I just love it. Pops us out on elmdale? then Snake Hill there by the orchard. And from where we got back on Snake Hill until just before the light at 44 I drove it hard, pushed it. And yeah it was mostly down hill but hell it is a butt load of work pushing the pace above coasting, lots of watts. So when we hit the hill up to the T where we turn right on Greenville and AD attacked and then blew up I couldn't quite respond and AD and I spent the rest of the time riding has hard as we could to try and catch the other 4, slowly making up ground for a bit then Dr Flats would go to the front and drive the pace up a bit. We almost caught them, but at least we were back in the group before they hit the bike path.
It was pretty tough for me. My heart rate wasn't going back down as quickly, staying elevated far too long. I also felt like i wasn't getting enough oxygen into the blood, deep rapid belly breathing wasn't making me light headed like it does sometimes. Probably due to the excessive amounts of peanut sauce chicken rice carrots and cabbage I had for lunch (i made it so it was bad stuff free and the rice was medium grain brown ride). I could feel the lump in my belly for the first half of the ride. Timing the eating and drinking and all that is much easier for a race/ride before noon. Or I should phrase it: i'm much less likely to undermine my riding with improper eating if I ride in the morning.
The cool down was much needed and was pretty slow. It also just took me a very long time to get warmed up it seemed. That whole ride didn't really offer any encouragement for Saturday. It is going to be ugly esp with Results boy attacking like a monkey on crack the whole race.
heddwch
G
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
about The DNF Green Monster Challenge
I'm thinking we should just hand the award to Solobreak, on the sole basis that he's got way more DNF's than any other blogger this year.
is this elevation correct?
I mean it kind of looks flat to me. I know it says it isn't on the race description and a friend (Kirk) who rode it said it was pretty rolling and steep in places and the finish hill sucks, but...
Myette, clue me (us) in here. The course certainly is tougher than the MapMyRide elevation graph shows. No?
3 in a row?
Saturday a woman on the Mystic Velo team comes up while I'm standing there with my bike next to Dr. Flats and his fancy brand new super awesome carbon Colnago ('10 dura ace and all) and she compliments me on my bike. "Love that paint." Doc got a kick out of that.
Then heading back up here from down the hill and I am surprised to realize that Legend is open on Tuesdays (have been for months i guess) and I swing in. I guess Jack hadn't ever seen the Quantum Pro. And he called me a sand bagger and just like Graham Garber the ultimate bike part geek did, he remarked about the stem, wondering what it was and saying that it is pretty cool (and yes it is very light too). Oh and Jack called me a sand-bagger. He didn't realize I had such a nice bike.
So maybe that's already three.
But the final one came leaving Legend. Before getting back to the office I'm slowly rolling down one of the off street paths on the campus and I pass a sharp looking young woman just before crossing the street. But with heavy traffic I'm held up and she says as she walks past, "I really like the color of your bike."
Shy awkward GeWilli came to the surface and graciously and simply said, "Thank you."
I am very lucky to have this ride. It has served me well and hopefully will for a while. I complain about bits and parts and wheels. All of which I have are no where near the median quality level of even the Cat 4 pack around here. But the frame really isn't so far off the mark, and it fits. And it has a really wicked fucking cool paint job. I wonder if you can still get the pigment. The way it works is pretty cool. I took a paint chip once and imaged it on the confocal microscope and the flakes are pretty cool and not really very numerous as far as pigment goes.
Very neat process IMHO. Well it was 12 years ago when Gary wanted to use that on the Quantum Pro. Damn. My "A" bike is 12 years old.
Oh and yeah - mandatory food link
And listen/watch the the Keith Kelly interview posted over here and instead of hearing Cross country replace it with Cyclocross, and running with Cycling. Passion. That's some amazing passion coming out of that dude's mouth. Yes it isn't a short interview but it is well worth watching.
Smack down time. Positive (or at least not negative). Will I make it? Will I not get dropped? Will I?
if i don't get my shit in gear i won't make the start
yikes - busy afternoon
heddwch
G
Myette, clue me (us) in here. The course certainly is tougher than the MapMyRide elevation graph shows. No?
3 in a row?
Saturday a woman on the Mystic Velo team comes up while I'm standing there with my bike next to Dr. Flats and his fancy brand new super awesome carbon Colnago ('10 dura ace and all) and she compliments me on my bike. "Love that paint." Doc got a kick out of that.
Then heading back up here from down the hill and I am surprised to realize that Legend is open on Tuesdays (have been for months i guess) and I swing in. I guess Jack hadn't ever seen the Quantum Pro. And he called me a sand bagger and just like Graham Garber the ultimate bike part geek did, he remarked about the stem, wondering what it was and saying that it is pretty cool (and yes it is very light too). Oh and Jack called me a sand-bagger. He didn't realize I had such a nice bike.
So maybe that's already three.
But the final one came leaving Legend. Before getting back to the office I'm slowly rolling down one of the off street paths on the campus and I pass a sharp looking young woman just before crossing the street. But with heavy traffic I'm held up and she says as she walks past, "I really like the color of your bike."
Shy awkward GeWilli came to the surface and graciously and simply said, "Thank you."
I am very lucky to have this ride. It has served me well and hopefully will for a while. I complain about bits and parts and wheels. All of which I have are no where near the median quality level of even the Cat 4 pack around here. But the frame really isn't so far off the mark, and it fits. And it has a really wicked fucking cool paint job. I wonder if you can still get the pigment. The way it works is pretty cool. I took a paint chip once and imaged it on the confocal microscope and the flakes are pretty cool and not really very numerous as far as pigment goes.
Very neat process IMHO. Well it was 12 years ago when Gary wanted to use that on the Quantum Pro. Damn. My "A" bike is 12 years old.
Oh and yeah - mandatory food link
And listen/watch the the Keith Kelly interview posted over here and instead of hearing Cross country replace it with Cyclocross, and running with Cycling. Passion. That's some amazing passion coming out of that dude's mouth. Yes it isn't a short interview but it is well worth watching.
Smack down time. Positive (or at least not negative). Will I make it? Will I not get dropped? Will I?
if i don't get my shit in gear i won't make the start
yikes - busy afternoon
heddwch
G
Monday, June 14, 2010
speechless
I'm really rarely at a loss for words right? Mr Motor Mouth right? Talk right the hell up to the point when it seems i'm about to do my Omaha beach impression.
So Dr. Flats-a-Lot and I were talking while warming up on the trainer before the race yesterday. Across the parking lot Giulia was getting ready. So Dr Flats mentions something about this infamous Keith Kelly guy being 6'5" and 155 pounds. Now I was taking aback, I was expecting him to be some short skinny Irishman runner build. That was me in High School when I was running XC. I said as much and said man I'm too fat or something to that effect.
Giulia, hearing this, pipes in, "FAT? You're wearing a skinsuit and talking about being FAT?" (or something like that).
I didn't have a retort. Nothing to fire back at that moment. Both caught off guard by the cross parking lot quip and the verity of the statement, well, all I was able to stammer when I recovered, "compared to my College self (6'6" and 165#) i am fat." Although really i'm not i guess, i just put on some muscles compared to that twig 16-20 years ago that I was.
I was so flustered that I don't really actually remember exactly what she said. But it was funny.
And true... us male bike racers all thing we are way too fat - except we aren't. We gotta work on that, both being thinner AND not saying we are fat.
G
So Dr. Flats-a-Lot and I were talking while warming up on the trainer before the race yesterday. Across the parking lot Giulia was getting ready. So Dr Flats mentions something about this infamous Keith Kelly guy being 6'5" and 155 pounds. Now I was taking aback, I was expecting him to be some short skinny Irishman runner build. That was me in High School when I was running XC. I said as much and said man I'm too fat or something to that effect.
Giulia, hearing this, pipes in, "FAT? You're wearing a skinsuit and talking about being FAT?" (or something like that).
I didn't have a retort. Nothing to fire back at that moment. Both caught off guard by the cross parking lot quip and the verity of the statement, well, all I was able to stammer when I recovered, "compared to my College self (6'6" and 165#) i am fat." Although really i'm not i guess, i just put on some muscles compared to that twig 16-20 years ago that I was.
I was so flustered that I don't really actually remember exactly what she said. But it was funny.
And true... us male bike racers all thing we are way too fat - except we aren't. We gotta work on that, both being thinner AND not saying we are fat.
G
Back to Racing
Got a chance to hear Paul give me some more publicity on the P.A. system at the Whaling City Cyclone. Race report?
Okay well we line up, and Bill Dolan gives us the whistle and one of the CL Noonan juniors who just finished racing and barely finished the roll out in time took off from the gun at mach 5, or as Roy-turd points out the faster of the two Cat 4 speeds (27 or so). I think it had to be faster than 27 that first lap but maybe not. It obviously wasn't so fast as to pop me. But it was a shock to the system. Boom. We're racing boys.
Typical bit of line dodging. The kids trying to apex the corner in a pack instead of holding their line. Bunch of guys trying attacks off the front, I won't go into one attack in so much as I might say something I shouldn't. Rolled around at the limit for the first 4 short laps, but then settled down into a nice rhythm. It was fun. It wasn't easy but despite the doubts I held on and finished with the pack. Yes I did tail gun most of the race. I moved up a couple times on the finishing stretch (which is slightly up hill but I wouldn't call it anything close to a hill). Or i should say I jumped around people every time we went up the hill, sometimes passing 1/2 the field for the hell of it (and maybe because they were slowing down).
Erin and L were there watching and in the handful of pictures they got you can see this kid in black and pink just sitting on my wheel the whole time. The whole race.
This kid sits there. And then with 1.5 laps to go he launches gets a 20 meter gap going into the final turn and takes the bell with a decent sized gap and the front of the cat 4 pack is caught with their shorts down. And they hit the line with the bell full gas and I hit the afterburners to stick with the group and pass what seemed to be people popping left and right. I probably didn't need to do that though and didn't have much there after the lolly pop on the backstretch parallel to the start finish road. Came around the corner to see bodies and bikes piled up on the curb and I motored on up to finish 22. There were 35 starters and 27? finishers. And really didn't touch the brakes at all. I like that. The whole Cat 4 road racing phenomenon of yelling "Braking" or "Slowing" annoys the hell out of me. Just shut up and pay attention. If you run into the back of someone because they slowed down and you didn't notice? Too bad. Maybe you'll learn to pay attention next time and not rely on someone to yell "slowing" to make you aware that the pack is being retarded.
So yeah with my fervent love of cat 4 road racing styles documented now and my adoration of any sort of race with a killer hill well known, I decided to cave into some peer pressure and go race up in the land of Zanc cycles and Lego Lord on saturday. You know, I thought, why not, a 4 lap 40+ mile hilly road race with a crazy descent in it is perfectly suited to me. Also you know I've just got to make sure I don't get too cocky with all these pack finishes I'm getting. Side note, i'm not feeling like embedding links today. Maybe if i feel like it later. I'm also not feeling like making sure i capitalize everything absolutely perfectly either. What's new eh?
Purgatory here I come. I hope only to descend into purgatory and not any further on Sat morning. Oof. Hopefully Results boy has a Mt Bike race or something to do on Saturday. I suppose I should check the start list to be sure.
So one thing that's been happening is all these people are taking the bike challenge. Use your bike instead of your car and get "prizes" and stuff. And my biggest issue is what if you already use your bike all the time, and second what if your car burns recycled veggie oil? I'm not burning fossil fuels when I drive it. But yesterday I actually did replace a car trip with a bike trip. B double E double R U N. And this morning we left the car parked and my wife rode in with us. Us being my youngest on the trail-a-bike. I had to take the masterpiece seatpost off the giant and spend some time getting it ready to hook up, but man o man is it way easier to pull the trail-a-bike into the city than the trailer.
It was a great ride in. L had a blast on the back there and i could actually feel her helping pedal going up to the india point park bridge. Pretty cool.
Sunday was just a great day. The race left me feeling awesome. It was just flat out fun. Good intensity, pushed me to the limit, i stuck with the pack. Afterwards we headed over to our alma mater and walked around the Arbo. Man that place just feels like home to me. it looks great, names of the plants came back to me almost like i haven't been gone for 16 years.
All told a fantastic day.
I have some pictures but it will be a random roll of the dice to see if I get them up here in a timely fashion or at all for that matter.
Starting what will hopefully be a really cool projects. It is something I've been passionately wanting to do for years and years. I'm too close to the start to really feel like it is actually going to happen but it should be pretty cool.
Hoping to get out to the smack down tomorrow. Speaking of it. Check out Keith Kelly's write up about it. Background information is that Keith was they very last person to ever ride with Mark Nicholson. Nicholson and Dr Flats-a-lot rode back to the Doc's house and then as Nicholson was headed home up the BLVD he ran into Keith and suggested he come out to the smack down ride. I guess they talked about training and other things. Keith showed up at the smack down only to find the person who suggested the ride to him had died.
Keith is apparently a local legend, former (pre-injury) Pro Runner sponsored by Reebok, missed going to the Athens games in the 10k by 3 seconds. He's one of these JONNY BOLD!! types. Dr Flats was trying to ride with him last week and Keith was just chatting away, not breathing hard and Dr Flats looks down and sees 600 watts on the Garmin Edge 500. If he decides to start racing bikes he'll do very well. In the mean time hopefully I can make it on a ride that he's been on. So far all I've heard about this guy is from everyone else. His music selections are all over the map.
Oops. I added a link. All you other's who could be linked are over on the old need to be updated and organized sidebar somewhere.
Do Good out there
heddwch
G
Okay well we line up, and Bill Dolan gives us the whistle and one of the CL Noonan juniors who just finished racing and barely finished the roll out in time took off from the gun at mach 5, or as Roy-turd points out the faster of the two Cat 4 speeds (27 or so). I think it had to be faster than 27 that first lap but maybe not. It obviously wasn't so fast as to pop me. But it was a shock to the system. Boom. We're racing boys.
Typical bit of line dodging. The kids trying to apex the corner in a pack instead of holding their line. Bunch of guys trying attacks off the front, I won't go into one attack in so much as I might say something I shouldn't. Rolled around at the limit for the first 4 short laps, but then settled down into a nice rhythm. It was fun. It wasn't easy but despite the doubts I held on and finished with the pack. Yes I did tail gun most of the race. I moved up a couple times on the finishing stretch (which is slightly up hill but I wouldn't call it anything close to a hill). Or i should say I jumped around people every time we went up the hill, sometimes passing 1/2 the field for the hell of it (and maybe because they were slowing down).
Erin and L were there watching and in the handful of pictures they got you can see this kid in black and pink just sitting on my wheel the whole time. The whole race.
This kid sits there. And then with 1.5 laps to go he launches gets a 20 meter gap going into the final turn and takes the bell with a decent sized gap and the front of the cat 4 pack is caught with their shorts down. And they hit the line with the bell full gas and I hit the afterburners to stick with the group and pass what seemed to be people popping left and right. I probably didn't need to do that though and didn't have much there after the lolly pop on the backstretch parallel to the start finish road. Came around the corner to see bodies and bikes piled up on the curb and I motored on up to finish 22. There were 35 starters and 27? finishers. And really didn't touch the brakes at all. I like that. The whole Cat 4 road racing phenomenon of yelling "Braking" or "Slowing" annoys the hell out of me. Just shut up and pay attention. If you run into the back of someone because they slowed down and you didn't notice? Too bad. Maybe you'll learn to pay attention next time and not rely on someone to yell "slowing" to make you aware that the pack is being retarded.
So yeah with my fervent love of cat 4 road racing styles documented now and my adoration of any sort of race with a killer hill well known, I decided to cave into some peer pressure and go race up in the land of Zanc cycles and Lego Lord on saturday. You know, I thought, why not, a 4 lap 40+ mile hilly road race with a crazy descent in it is perfectly suited to me. Also you know I've just got to make sure I don't get too cocky with all these pack finishes I'm getting. Side note, i'm not feeling like embedding links today. Maybe if i feel like it later. I'm also not feeling like making sure i capitalize everything absolutely perfectly either. What's new eh?
Purgatory here I come. I hope only to descend into purgatory and not any further on Sat morning. Oof. Hopefully Results boy has a Mt Bike race or something to do on Saturday. I suppose I should check the start list to be sure.
So one thing that's been happening is all these people are taking the bike challenge. Use your bike instead of your car and get "prizes" and stuff. And my biggest issue is what if you already use your bike all the time, and second what if your car burns recycled veggie oil? I'm not burning fossil fuels when I drive it. But yesterday I actually did replace a car trip with a bike trip. B double E double R U N. And this morning we left the car parked and my wife rode in with us. Us being my youngest on the trail-a-bike. I had to take the masterpiece seatpost off the giant and spend some time getting it ready to hook up, but man o man is it way easier to pull the trail-a-bike into the city than the trailer.
It was a great ride in. L had a blast on the back there and i could actually feel her helping pedal going up to the india point park bridge. Pretty cool.
Sunday was just a great day. The race left me feeling awesome. It was just flat out fun. Good intensity, pushed me to the limit, i stuck with the pack. Afterwards we headed over to our alma mater and walked around the Arbo. Man that place just feels like home to me. it looks great, names of the plants came back to me almost like i haven't been gone for 16 years.
All told a fantastic day.
I have some pictures but it will be a random roll of the dice to see if I get them up here in a timely fashion or at all for that matter.
Starting what will hopefully be a really cool projects. It is something I've been passionately wanting to do for years and years. I'm too close to the start to really feel like it is actually going to happen but it should be pretty cool.
Hoping to get out to the smack down tomorrow. Speaking of it. Check out Keith Kelly's write up about it. Background information is that Keith was they very last person to ever ride with Mark Nicholson. Nicholson and Dr Flats-a-lot rode back to the Doc's house and then as Nicholson was headed home up the BLVD he ran into Keith and suggested he come out to the smack down ride. I guess they talked about training and other things. Keith showed up at the smack down only to find the person who suggested the ride to him had died.
Keith is apparently a local legend, former (pre-injury) Pro Runner sponsored by Reebok, missed going to the Athens games in the 10k by 3 seconds. He's one of these JONNY BOLD!! types. Dr Flats was trying to ride with him last week and Keith was just chatting away, not breathing hard and Dr Flats looks down and sees 600 watts on the Garmin Edge 500. If he decides to start racing bikes he'll do very well. In the mean time hopefully I can make it on a ride that he's been on. So far all I've heard about this guy is from everyone else. His music selections are all over the map.
Oops. I added a link. All you other's who could be linked are over on the old need to be updated and organized sidebar somewhere.
Do Good out there
heddwch
G
Friday, June 11, 2010
Some links
'cause i'm too tired and busy to do much gewilli'ing.
Farm Truck in The Atlantic
Small Bites
Disappearing act
Oh and before I forget - if you HAVEN'T voted for Thom because you are scared of FB (but somehow you are here - like they are the only ones leaking information to the world about you) Read this note from the President of Thom Parson’s fan club
No. We. Don't.
More links:
Better Rice through Fungi? Fungi are a huge help for plants. No denying that at all. Just wish the chemical companies would worry less about trying to sell a _____icide and more what it does to the whole ___system.
I've been told many times that since I'm a guy and can't breastfeed that I am not allowed an opinion regarding the subject. For some reason because I can't means I can't feel strongly about it. Nothing to do with being a freaking over educated biological science person... nope. Anyway. Formula is bad. I'm appalled that Govt money is being spent to replace the healthiest thing babies can drink (breast milk). But that aside this article doesn't say many nice things about formula. And hell if babies could do better with lycopene in their food then don't you think breast milk might contain it? Formula is bad.
How about this? A life engulfed by pesticides. Certainly most people aren't going to have received that same exposure but many have and nothing is being done about it. Pretty tragic. Also pretty damning evidence regarding all that stuff...
If you aren't going to buy everything organic at least avoid the Dirty Dozen.
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php For you iPhone people there is even an App that will help you remember.
a little preachy i guess maybe i've been lately. also channeling yoda there.
but it bugs me... and i get preachy... and well that's that eh?
Oh - here's the more informative link about the cyclist in Portland from Bikeportland.org.
Be safe out there.
maybe i'll see some of yall in New London on Sunday. We'll see.
Farm Truck in The Atlantic
Small Bites
Disappearing act
Oh and before I forget - if you HAVEN'T voted for Thom because you are scared of FB (but somehow you are here - like they are the only ones leaking information to the world about you) Read this note from the President of Thom Parson’s fan club
Hi All:So yeah- go click the link and vote for thom! If just to make sure he gets there. We don't want to see a last minute surge from some other contender do we?
First off, thanks to all of you that have voted, reposted, and twittered. This has been social networking at it’s finest. To those of you who don’t want to vote out of concerns with privacy settings and the need to “give permission” for the poll application, fear not! I have done a little research to ease your minds and according to the Facebook Privacy guidelines “Applications can only see information you've already made visible to everyone. To access more, applications have to ask for permission for each piece of information, and it can only be information that's needed for them to work.” In other words, you already gave it up, so there is no (additional) harm in giving it up again.
At this point, he is doing great in the poll and it seems very likely that he will be a finalist. I still urge those of you who have not yet voted, to click on Thom "Rocky Donizetti" Parsons for two reason. 1. Winning is fun, but crushing the competition is even more fun. 2. Thom will be riding 240 miles at altitude in 6 days with 40,000 feet of climbing. He is very excited to be given this opportunity, but there will be dark moments, moments where he will need to go to his “happy place.” I know that he is fueled by people’s support and each one of you that votes for him gives him that much more impetuous to push himself and accomplish his goals.
Thanks again for your time and consideration.
http://apps.facebook.com/opinionpolls/index.php?pid=1274762830
-Miriam (President of Thom Parson’s fan club)
No. We. Don't.
More links:
Better Rice through Fungi? Fungi are a huge help for plants. No denying that at all. Just wish the chemical companies would worry less about trying to sell a _____icide and more what it does to the whole ___system.
I've been told many times that since I'm a guy and can't breastfeed that I am not allowed an opinion regarding the subject. For some reason because I can't means I can't feel strongly about it. Nothing to do with being a freaking over educated biological science person... nope. Anyway. Formula is bad. I'm appalled that Govt money is being spent to replace the healthiest thing babies can drink (breast milk). But that aside this article doesn't say many nice things about formula. And hell if babies could do better with lycopene in their food then don't you think breast milk might contain it? Formula is bad.
How about this? A life engulfed by pesticides. Certainly most people aren't going to have received that same exposure but many have and nothing is being done about it. Pretty tragic. Also pretty damning evidence regarding all that stuff...
If you aren't going to buy everything organic at least avoid the Dirty Dozen.
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php For you iPhone people there is even an App that will help you remember.
a little preachy i guess maybe i've been lately. also channeling yoda there.
but it bugs me... and i get preachy... and well that's that eh?
Oh - here's the more informative link about the cyclist in Portland from Bikeportland.org.
Be safe out there.
maybe i'll see some of yall in New London on Sunday. We'll see.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
ID 10 T
pre-reg closed at 8pm not 10pm as I thought
damnit
day of
too bad this wasn't one of those $5 late fee races
but then maybe this is a good thing.
I had held off registering to see if the shoulder/neck would be okay...
oh well
more $ for the promoter, and I can hem and haw about which race I'll enter a little bit longer...
damnit
day of
too bad this wasn't one of those $5 late fee races
but then maybe this is a good thing.
I had held off registering to see if the shoulder/neck would be okay...
oh well
more $ for the promoter, and I can hem and haw about which race I'll enter a little bit longer...
test ride/maiden voyage
Here it is... thanks to skinnywhitedude and his baby mamma for the loan. Needed to test it with the oldest before she heads to VA for two weeks to spend with Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle and Cousins. Last day of school for them today so we spent some time this afternoon tweaking it to make it work for us. And it does work. Almost at the limit up front and close to the limit in the back but it works.
And they had a freaking blast riding it to the playground there where this shot was taken. I changed the angle of the stoker saddle and flipped the stoker bars back forward and it was good. Bars are a bit narrow but they work.
All ready for two weeks of riding the tandem to the Ballet Summer intensive.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Dennis Hopper...
Read Kent's Bike Blog just now while sucking down some lunch.
And I have to post the whole entry... very apropos right now thinking about death and those who've left their mortal coil far too soon, or for those who've lived life to the fullest and are moving on with peace knowing they did all they could.
Link here- full text below
And I have to post the whole entry... very apropos right now thinking about death and those who've left their mortal coil far too soon, or for those who've lived life to the fullest and are moving on with peace knowing they did all they could.
Link here- full text below
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 09, 2010
The Ghost of Dennis Hopper
Some folks wonder what I think about when I'm riding my bike. I think about lots of things. I think about everything.
How if you could choose your heaven it might look a lot like this road.
How the guy going the other way on that Harley looked just like Dennis Hopper.
How quickly storms come and go in the mountains.
Sometimes all these things whirl around in my head and something pops out. And at the end of the day, I write it all down.
This is what came out on June 8th, 2010. I wrote it in my little yellow notebook while sitting in a Tim Hortons (how Canadian, eh!). I typed it into my Peek in the Dry Gultch Campground. I'll blast it to the blog the next time I get a Peek signal.
I hope you like it. Keep 'em rolling, I know I will.
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
On the road to Banff and beyond.
--------
The Ghost of Dennis Hopper
I met the ghost of Dennis Hopper
on a small road in B.C.
I said "I think I know you."
He said "that isn't me."
I'd pulled over at an old barn,
the farm failed long ago,
but one roof still was standing,
sometimes that's enough, you know.
The old man on the old bike
watched me pull in from the rain.
"You're smart not to mess with lightning,
I try to do the same."
His bike was a well-worn Harley
half as old as time.
I told him that I liked his wheels,
he said the same of mine.
He asked "Where you headed, man?"
I told him where I was bound.
"Those wheels of yours will get you there,
just keep 'em turning 'round."
I asked his destination,
he said "I'm already there."
I asked him what he meant by that,
he asked me about prayer.
I tried to change the subject,
"Aren't you a movie star?
You were the Easy Rider..."
"I never went that far."
And then he said "You know, man..."
in a voice that made me know
that he was the Dennis Hopper
I'd seen in all those picture shows.
"You know," he said "that God's not dead.
He's weirder than folks say.
They try to put him in a box
and sell tickets to a play."
"The man upstairs, he's got it clear,
it's all clear in his mind,
but you and me we wonder,
we seek, but never find."
"I don't think Heaven's what we're after
and Hell's not what we know to fear.
Heaven isn't where we're going,
Heaven's already here."
And then he laughed that Hopper laugh
and said "I'm messing with ya, man!"
I don't know squat of God or death
or any master plan."
The clouds moved on quite quickly
so we commenced to do the same.
I said "so long, Dennis Hopper."
He said "that's not my name."
I said "I think you're Dennis Hopper."
He said "you'll never know.
Just keep those wheels turning, man.
Try to enjoy the show."
The old man gunned the throttle
and the Harley roared away.
And I was left to wonder,
I wonder every day.
Some souls don't burn in brimstone
or find bliss in heaven's grace.
Some souls are meant to wander,
for heaven's not a place.
And I can't say for certain,
but here's the tale I like.
Dennis Hopper's in his heaven,
on a long road, with a bike.
POSTED BY KENT PETERSON AT 12:44 AM
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
long painful handful of days
But before I say anything introspective go read Jonny's CT stage race entry. Holy shit. Now we all know how good he is at racing bikes, and how racing bikes is racing bikes, he wins no matter what kind of bike or what kind of race. But not only does he win but he writes very well, and is just one of those solidly class act/good guys. Even when he is kicking your teeth in on the bike ya can't but help cheer for him.
anyway... go read his entry...
I wish I could say it was painful from doing the CT stage race. But no. It was painful because waking up saturday Morning I couldn't turn my head to the right.
My neck was locked up and it got progressively worse through out the day. I had arm functions and I was mobile and able to deal with the pain drug free but I really couldn't turn my head. It was messed up.
How did it happen? I dunno. But I'm going to guess that my efforts at recovering from the 360km weekend and then the wed night smack down-ish ride were doing a good job of holding down any major muscular stress from the silly saddle time. Friday came around and I coupled dehyrdation, maybe not best anti-inflammatory food (i don't remember what lunch was - i do remember, and no it wasn't the best choice). Made dinner, had a couple glasses of win with the in-laws and then fell asleep. And I must have slept funny enough to allow the muscles in my neck and back to lock up and contract. And stay that way. It sucked.
Finally got into the doc's office (my GP is an OM practicing DO) and poof, I could move my head again monday afternoon. There's still a good deal of muscular pain. But I do have full range of motion back with really very little work on my DO's part. My spine is already pretty ugly (you don't grow this tall and skinny w/o some issues) but for the most part it is very functional. Now it just hurts. But I can ride the bike comfortably. At least to and from work.
But I need to get better and not make it worse until my body fixes itself. So it means I'm going to have to bail on the Smackdown ride tonight.
Tonight is the anniversary of Mark Nicholson's last ride.
Last year he joined myself and a handful of teammates and others and we hit the course. He had to make a rest stop before the Chepachet left turn on 44 and we waited for him. And then he proceeded to unleash a big can of whupp-ass on all of us.
Going back through the archives I'm kicking myself for not writing about that smack down ride.
Seriously. WTF was I thinking not writing about it?
I had hoped to find the entry and reflect on some of the details. But no, now i have to be satisfied with the memories from a year later.
Mark was a person bigger than life. He lived in a way so buoyed by positive energy and boundless enthusiasm that you couldn't help but have it rub off on you.
I'm reading that Anti-cancer book still. Many distractions have kept me from finishing it as fast I might normally. But the pace of reading it has brought me to the section on how to deal with death, how to cope with the potential that your time is coming to an end. Mark embodied the book pretty much in every way.
My grandmother is approaching the end of her life as well. An incredibly remarkable woman, one of the most published people i know, someone who was involved in the highest intellectual pursuits until the onset of Alzheimer's. There isn't another person who used her brain more than she did. So the whole activity, use your brain or get old-timers, is a crock. At least that's my current opinion, based on her life. She went into Hospice a month ago. She had hoped to hold on until her 90th birthday on July 6th. Based on the last family report she likely won't make it quite that far. She isn't eating much if anything right now. And is just staying in bed. Her body is preparing for the end, in peace and in no visible pain.
Preparing for loss is different than having someone suddenly taken away. We all suspected Mark was battling cancer again last spring, hoping for the best but even the worst I certainly didn't think I would be riding with him one day and then getting a phone call saying that he had died a few days later.
This weekend was filled with family and all sorts of stuff. It was good. But even before I realized, after reading an email, that today was the anniversary of his last ride, Mark has been in my thoughts.
Cancer is an evil bitch.
be well...
anyway... go read his entry...
I wish I could say it was painful from doing the CT stage race. But no. It was painful because waking up saturday Morning I couldn't turn my head to the right.
My neck was locked up and it got progressively worse through out the day. I had arm functions and I was mobile and able to deal with the pain drug free but I really couldn't turn my head. It was messed up.
How did it happen? I dunno. But I'm going to guess that my efforts at recovering from the 360km weekend and then the wed night smack down-ish ride were doing a good job of holding down any major muscular stress from the silly saddle time. Friday came around and I coupled dehyrdation, maybe not best anti-inflammatory food (i don't remember what lunch was - i do remember, and no it wasn't the best choice). Made dinner, had a couple glasses of win with the in-laws and then fell asleep. And I must have slept funny enough to allow the muscles in my neck and back to lock up and contract. And stay that way. It sucked.
Finally got into the doc's office (my GP is an OM practicing DO) and poof, I could move my head again monday afternoon. There's still a good deal of muscular pain. But I do have full range of motion back with really very little work on my DO's part. My spine is already pretty ugly (you don't grow this tall and skinny w/o some issues) but for the most part it is very functional. Now it just hurts. But I can ride the bike comfortably. At least to and from work.
But I need to get better and not make it worse until my body fixes itself. So it means I'm going to have to bail on the Smackdown ride tonight.
Tonight is the anniversary of Mark Nicholson's last ride.
Last year he joined myself and a handful of teammates and others and we hit the course. He had to make a rest stop before the Chepachet left turn on 44 and we waited for him. And then he proceeded to unleash a big can of whupp-ass on all of us.
Going back through the archives I'm kicking myself for not writing about that smack down ride.
Seriously. WTF was I thinking not writing about it?
I had hoped to find the entry and reflect on some of the details. But no, now i have to be satisfied with the memories from a year later.
Mark was a person bigger than life. He lived in a way so buoyed by positive energy and boundless enthusiasm that you couldn't help but have it rub off on you.
I'm reading that Anti-cancer book still. Many distractions have kept me from finishing it as fast I might normally. But the pace of reading it has brought me to the section on how to deal with death, how to cope with the potential that your time is coming to an end. Mark embodied the book pretty much in every way.
My grandmother is approaching the end of her life as well. An incredibly remarkable woman, one of the most published people i know, someone who was involved in the highest intellectual pursuits until the onset of Alzheimer's. There isn't another person who used her brain more than she did. So the whole activity, use your brain or get old-timers, is a crock. At least that's my current opinion, based on her life. She went into Hospice a month ago. She had hoped to hold on until her 90th birthday on July 6th. Based on the last family report she likely won't make it quite that far. She isn't eating much if anything right now. And is just staying in bed. Her body is preparing for the end, in peace and in no visible pain.
Preparing for loss is different than having someone suddenly taken away. We all suspected Mark was battling cancer again last spring, hoping for the best but even the worst I certainly didn't think I would be riding with him one day and then getting a phone call saying that he had died a few days later.
This weekend was filled with family and all sorts of stuff. It was good. But even before I realized, after reading an email, that today was the anniversary of his last ride, Mark has been in my thoughts.
Cancer is an evil bitch.
be well...
Friday, June 04, 2010
quiet
watching the BP ROV feeds live...
mesmerizing in a way - sad in others, amazing the quality of the video of some of the cameras:
http://mxl.fi/bpfeeds2/
check it out
mesmerizing in a way - sad in others, amazing the quality of the video of some of the cameras:
http://mxl.fi/bpfeeds2/
check it out
Thursday, June 03, 2010
rebuttal
Of course if you really want the full science behind it all check the definitive bike tech web page: http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/
best to turn down the music on that youtube embed...
thanks to the Rev's twitter feed for that link.
Time trial starts tonight
Bikeworks 8 Mile Time Trial Starting in June
05.21.10
The time trial will be starting on Thursday June 3rd, and will continue every Thursday For 8 weeks. Registration will be 6:15 where Carters auto salvage use to be (Tremont/Woodland st). (which is the starting line) With a 6:30 start time. Entree fee will be $6. There will be lottery prizes just like last year. Rain dates will be determined.
per the web page
a great event put on by some great guys and a fantastic shop...
Head over and get some TT action in on a deceptively tough course.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
smack down with Nicholson's extra bit
He tossed the right turn in for the summer days. And day's are still getting longer.
Just got back to the office - grabbing the bag and a drink of water before trying to slog home into the bitching headwind. Big dark clouds too. Looks pretty ominous.
But my legs are buzzing, tingly, and cooked. As it was Paul S. and I avg from Atwells back to the bottom of Greenville only 19.5mph. But he put the screws into me a few times and even after his tough tempo coming up to tourletot hill I found something to come around and attack him with. We just kept laying punches. But he's fitter than I am and a good bit smaller and the elevation gain wasn't hurting him nearly as much as it was me.
Still it was fun, hard and felt great to be out there.
I really like the loop though. Cuts out one section of the ride I'm not wild about (snake hill - every time I'm on that stretch stupid Marcus bunny hopping the big grates comes to mind).
It was tough and a great ride.
I hope all you ninigret racers enjoyed that wind. ooof.
time for the cool down ride home, now that I'm at one of the highest points in PVD. Ugh. At least it is all mostly down hill (into the wind) home.
-G
So getting home it was wicked cold, the wind must have been in the 50s - it cooled down from 80 on the west side of town in the sun down to 61 when I got home. The wind off the water full of fog made it gorgeous riding but also pretty damp.
Oh and Paul got the reference when I said "My Button doesn't work!" I kept pushing the shifter but nothing happened, I needed the boost but it didn't work. It was still pretty funny.
Just got back to the office - grabbing the bag and a drink of water before trying to slog home into the bitching headwind. Big dark clouds too. Looks pretty ominous.
But my legs are buzzing, tingly, and cooked. As it was Paul S. and I avg from Atwells back to the bottom of Greenville only 19.5mph. But he put the screws into me a few times and even after his tough tempo coming up to tourletot hill I found something to come around and attack him with. We just kept laying punches. But he's fitter than I am and a good bit smaller and the elevation gain wasn't hurting him nearly as much as it was me.
Still it was fun, hard and felt great to be out there.
I really like the loop though. Cuts out one section of the ride I'm not wild about (snake hill - every time I'm on that stretch stupid Marcus bunny hopping the big grates comes to mind).
It was tough and a great ride.
I hope all you ninigret racers enjoyed that wind. ooof.
time for the cool down ride home, now that I'm at one of the highest points in PVD. Ugh. At least it is all mostly down hill (into the wind) home.
-G
So getting home it was wicked cold, the wind must have been in the 50s - it cooled down from 80 on the west side of town in the sun down to 61 when I got home. The wind off the water full of fog made it gorgeous riding but also pretty damp.
Oh and Paul got the reference when I said "My Button doesn't work!" I kept pushing the shifter but nothing happened, I needed the boost but it didn't work. It was still pretty funny.
I will vs Will I
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100528092021.htm
affective?
or effective...
i'm a notoriously crappy speller and habitual wrong word user but even I feel pretty confident about the proper use of affect vs effect. And I think Joe got it wrong.
But that article he links brings up interesting bits. Brent picked up and blogged about my "positive" mental attitude, or attempt. Which really was not so much, "I am fast enough, strong enough," as not saying, "I always get dropped here."
Something more [for me] to think about.
And I think it is important to make the distinction between positive and positive while questioning. Often it seems we are predisposed to negativity when questioning.
random thoughts while scarfing down a tiny bit of lunch before coasting down the hill to the remote facility for a good handful of hours.
Joe Friel
Is positive self-talk affective for athletes? Or better to question your capability to succeed? http://tinyurl.com/27d2b9c
about 1 hour ago from web
affective?
or effective...
i'm a notoriously crappy speller and habitual wrong word user but even I feel pretty confident about the proper use of affect vs effect. And I think Joe got it wrong.
But that article he links brings up interesting bits. Brent picked up and blogged about my "positive" mental attitude, or attempt. Which really was not so much, "I am fast enough, strong enough," as not saying, "I always get dropped here."
Something more [for me] to think about.
And I think it is important to make the distinction between positive and positive while questioning. Often it seems we are predisposed to negativity when questioning.
random thoughts while scarfing down a tiny bit of lunch before coasting down the hill to the remote facility for a good handful of hours.
bit of this and that
Jonny Bold's write up on the KSR is the best one i've read. Don't really want to read any of the others after that.
Bike Hugger goes into the whole Cancellara Conspiracy, doing a nice review of the published reports and comments.
I will say this morning I found myself pushing the "button" on my Levers to try and get a little assist on the hills today. It didn't work.
Many of the vegan arguments about why they don't eat meat are starting to sound like creationist rhetoric, based on mis-information or deliberate twists and omissions of salient facts. I am an omnivore. I do have many friends and family who are vegan, and with all the reading over the last many years I'm not sure that it is the healthiest way to exist, nor the most environmental.
The Atlantic popped up one of three great articles today. A home run "web publishing" day for them IMHO. The first of which, "Can Meat Eaters Also Be Environmentalists?" touches on the the vegan thing. I wonder what the VegNews take was (as a counter point to the article I just linked).
And yeah, Jerry. All about food. Go read Jonny's blog again.
Second article is about our favorite corporate yogurt maker. And yes i've said a few disparaging things about them, I still think their product is over sweetened and I question certain additives beyond milk and bacteria, but you have to give them props for what they are doing, and have done. And we all have to be grateful for the path that Gary is publicly blazing for this planet.
Thanks Gary.
Finally.
Coffee (G-ride you could read this if you want to but maybe not). That first Atlantic article about espresso from the illycafe Master Barista was great but from reading the second there was a bit of debate and he's made an attempt to clear it up.
Reading these couple articles really sort of makes me want to get a nice lever espresso maker thingy like baby-hill junkie has. Maybe it has to do with how tired I've been the last couple days. But then if I think about what I did these last couple days, yeah, no wonder I'm tired. Coffee won't help me get the sleep I need and is it really worth the trade off? Jury is still out on that. For now I'm muddling through with a reasonably busy schedule to keep my brain from falling asleep during the day. But still finding myself dreaming about having a Pavoni/Gaggia hand pump machine at home. Something like this would be awesome. Although I think honestly I'm more of a chrome person. And since, for that price point, I can get a decent new cx frame and maybe some carbon hoops on ebay, I'll probably keep dreaming and waiting until I win the lottery. Which if I have hopes of winning I will eventually have to buy a ticket... but then my odds of winning are about the same if I spend the money on a ticket or not.
Love the punch line here:
So the weather is nice, and missing the smack down last night combined with the fact that the Ballet schedule means the girls will be gone before I can get there and in rehearsal for most of the "dinner hour" means I'm going for a ride. I'd contemplated trying to get a ride down to Ninigret. But as much good as an hour of hanging on for dear life at Ninigret would do me, I would rather skip the time in the car and just ride. And that's what I'm doing. Sticking around local, couple hours on the bike, then ride home.
It just feels like the right thing to do. Not quite piling on from the weekend but getting a decent volume in an every other day sort of way. Have fun on the bike before the structure starts. Also, it fits with the don't pass up an opportunity to get out for a ride (IOW don't be a lazy fatass).
Not that many would care but it looks like my nice pleasant commute will be messed up next year for a couple years. Maybe the RIBike folks can work out a deal to have it open when it can be, I hope so.
But man when they finish? Ooooh that will be nice.
-G
Bike Hugger goes into the whole Cancellara Conspiracy, doing a nice review of the published reports and comments.
I will say this morning I found myself pushing the "button" on my Levers to try and get a little assist on the hills today. It didn't work.
Many of the vegan arguments about why they don't eat meat are starting to sound like creationist rhetoric, based on mis-information or deliberate twists and omissions of salient facts. I am an omnivore. I do have many friends and family who are vegan, and with all the reading over the last many years I'm not sure that it is the healthiest way to exist, nor the most environmental.
The Atlantic popped up one of three great articles today. A home run "web publishing" day for them IMHO. The first of which, "Can Meat Eaters Also Be Environmentalists?" touches on the the vegan thing. I wonder what the VegNews take was (as a counter point to the article I just linked).
And yeah, Jerry. All about food. Go read Jonny's blog again.
Second article is about our favorite corporate yogurt maker. And yes i've said a few disparaging things about them, I still think their product is over sweetened and I question certain additives beyond milk and bacteria, but you have to give them props for what they are doing, and have done. And we all have to be grateful for the path that Gary is publicly blazing for this planet.
Thanks Gary.
Finally.
Coffee (G-ride you could read this if you want to but maybe not). That first Atlantic article about espresso from the illycafe Master Barista was great but from reading the second there was a bit of debate and he's made an attempt to clear it up.
Reading these couple articles really sort of makes me want to get a nice lever espresso maker thingy like baby-hill junkie has. Maybe it has to do with how tired I've been the last couple days. But then if I think about what I did these last couple days, yeah, no wonder I'm tired. Coffee won't help me get the sleep I need and is it really worth the trade off? Jury is still out on that. For now I'm muddling through with a reasonably busy schedule to keep my brain from falling asleep during the day. But still finding myself dreaming about having a Pavoni/Gaggia hand pump machine at home. Something like this would be awesome. Although I think honestly I'm more of a chrome person. And since, for that price point, I can get a decent new cx frame and maybe some carbon hoops on ebay, I'll probably keep dreaming and waiting until I win the lottery. Which if I have hopes of winning I will eventually have to buy a ticket... but then my odds of winning are about the same if I spend the money on a ticket or not.
Love the punch line here:
So the weather is nice, and missing the smack down last night combined with the fact that the Ballet schedule means the girls will be gone before I can get there and in rehearsal for most of the "dinner hour" means I'm going for a ride. I'd contemplated trying to get a ride down to Ninigret. But as much good as an hour of hanging on for dear life at Ninigret would do me, I would rather skip the time in the car and just ride. And that's what I'm doing. Sticking around local, couple hours on the bike, then ride home.
It just feels like the right thing to do. Not quite piling on from the weekend but getting a decent volume in an every other day sort of way. Have fun on the bike before the structure starts. Also, it fits with the don't pass up an opportunity to get out for a ride (IOW don't be a lazy fatass).
Not that many would care but it looks like my nice pleasant commute will be messed up next year for a couple years. Maybe the RIBike folks can work out a deal to have it open when it can be, I hope so.
But man when they finish? Ooooh that will be nice.
-G
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
interesting
that's pretty crazy, but really how much juice can actually be stored in there, good for three or four acceleration??? or more...
interesting at any rate...
(i'm not making the call that Fabian was using it - just interesting what people think)
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