Training Again

Well, it's just about that time. I've been doing some lifting for the last 8 weeks or so to get the joints and muscles ready for heavier weights, and working quite a bit on spinning technique. But that's the boring stuff. The fun stuff is yet to come.

Like the email I got from Andy Kruse planning to set up a Team Pursuit team for 2007 to go after the challenge money. Like big gear hill climbs coming in January and beyond. Like tempos and sub threshold time trials. I really can't wait!

But days like today make it frustrating. It did the freezing rain/snow/sleet thing over the last couple of days, making the side streets too icy to get down (I don't have any studded tires. Yet.) Plus the snow is so bad that skiing doesn't even sound like fun. And it's too icy to walk. I did the Nordic Track for 40 minutes yesterday and that was about all I could handle. Plus it's sunny, so I can't seem to bring myself to hit the trainer for a couple of hours. I should probably just take off until Monday. I'm starting to get a little nervous about upping the volume in January, though. Still, I'm sticking with my philosophy for this year: enjoy it. Maybe I'll ride a little lighter schedule hours wise this year than last. Don't know. I did some really long endurance rides during the spring and I ended up over trained and I didn't see the benefit of it. I'm not planning on being in peak condition until August. Gotta keep those priorities straight.

Here's a little photo to keep everyone motivated for 2007. The last mile or so of Ken Woods 2006. Maybe the weather will be just as good this year.

The 2007 Season

Ok, it's probably a little early to start thinking about it, particularly with my plan to not over train and get burnt out. I did get some good philosophies this weekend reading through that sacred tome, Joel Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible. Like make sure you're recovering enough to be able to go hard on the days you're supposed to go hard. Like fitness isn't static; it's always either improving or declining. Like don't imagine you're going for some goal and then you can rest. That's not the way fitness works. That's been my mindset, though, for the last two years. "If I could just get to , then I will be there!" Whatever that means.

So with those thoughts firmly in mind, and the understanding that races this year, regardless of priority, are jewels on the string of my cycling journey, I took the MCF proposed 2007 calendar and started picking A races. It was easier than I thought. A nice solid 2 week peak for the hopefully Tour of 10,000 Lakes and the State TT Championship. Then a break. Yes, a break. I'm taking one this year. And then a build up to the Timed Events championship and the state RR at the end of August. Then a break and some cyclo-cross for fun.

Looks great! And I feel very differently about it this year, so maybe the dose of philosophy is working. I'm looking forward to riding for my new team and enjoying the commeraderie of bike racing again. I will definitely race far more often in 2007. But for now, enjoy the training, and be sure to get enough rest, increase the intensity slowly. I actually need to start some more structured training the first week of December, with my base and serious strength training starting January 1. Hard to believe.

Awesome Cycling Video

I was looking for some video of the recent World Track Cup Round 1 and I found this on Google. 20 minutes of track coverage, including men's and women's sprint finals, women's Keirin final and women's pursuit final. Then there's some World Cup Cyclecross coverage for the remainder.

Also, the finals of the Men's Team Sprint. Looks like they are starting on opposite sides of the track and racing at the same time. I think a little of THAT on Thursday at the Blaine velodrome would get the spectator enthusiasm going.

Enjoy!

New Team

I have been contemplating a new cycling team for quite a while. I'm not getting much out of Nature Valley. I have tried, repeatedly, to be more involved, to grow the club, to participate. But the club leadership is focused pretty much exclusively on the A team. Now many of the star players that I got to ride with in the winter are gone. And I didn't ride with them at all this summer, anyway.

Maybe it's as much my focus as much as anything that's changed. It may not be the club at all. In any case, a new environment is in order.

So, I'm riding for Loon State Cyclists in 2007. More (way more) guys at the track. Way more club involvement with the sport in terms of promoting races and participating in the community. I'm very grateful to Flat City and the A road team there for everything I learned, and to Penn Cycle and Nature Valley for their support. I would have never stayed this involved or probably achieved as much as I have without the incentive of the team.

I'm pumped for the 2007 season already. Now I just have to keep my self relaxed and enjoying the training, not increase the volume and intensity too early. I really want to be in top form the last week of July through the 3rd week of August. That's a long time from now. I've got a lot of time to enjoy myself before I get too intense. Time to loose 3 - 4 kilos. Time to improve my technique and efficiency. Time to enjoy my cycling and my training.

What Superhero am I?

Apparently, not Lance.

You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 70% Green Lantern 70% Robin 57% Iron Man 55% Hulk 55% Supergirl 50% Wonder Woman 45% The Flash 45% Superman 40% Catwoman 25% Batman 25%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Cross Training - Much Better

On Sunday, for reasons I still don't completely comprehend, I chose to begin my non-cycling exercise by running a short distance. In my worn out shoes. Even though I hate running. One of my "friends" had convinced me that running was the best way to get ready for the upcoming cross country ski season, since, like cross country, it is weight bearing exercise.

I figured I would run slowly and for a short time. How bad could it be? So I strapped on my heart rate monitor, just to see where I got to, and off I went. I started out with the kids in tow, Aaron and Hannah on their scooters. Then Aaron couldn't keep up on the scooter, so we went home and he got his bike. We went around about 2 blocks and it became obvious that he just wasn't up for this. So I ran maybe a total of 5 blocks between both outings, probably no faster than I could have walked. My heart rate never got over 100 bpm.

I dropped off both kids at home, with 15 minutes under my belt and headed out to get a little more speed on. Except that I was still "taking it easy" and I was still running in my broken down shoes. And when I say broken down, I'm not kidding. The outside edge of one or both shoes is actually coming unstitched from the sole and my sock pokes out periodically. Yes, I know I'm too cheap to buy new shoes. It's hard to get motivated to buy equipment to do something you hate. I ran for maybe 5 minutes. My heart rate was still in the 120's, but my quads hurt so bad that I realized I'd better stop and walk. And so, alternating between walking one minute and running 2 - 3, I completed another 20 minutes or so of exercise, for a grand total of under 40 minutes. Maximum heart rate - 134. Average heart rate - 113. Leg pain, excruciating.

I mean, really bad. My feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my quads hurt, my knees hurt. I couldn't walk down stairs without wincing. This clearly was not going to work. And so plan B came into effect.

The whole point of running was to cross train for cycling (my love) and get ready for cross country skiing (which is also awesome). Enter Craigslist. It occurred to me that people were always getting rid of Nordic Trac machines. I had been thinking about looking for one for about a month or so, but it wasn't pressing as I was still racing. Now it seemed a little more important. Wah-lah! Monday about noon I discovered a classic Nordic Trac Pro on sale in Eagan for $25.00. Great condition. The deal was done and I picked it up Monday night.

For whatever reason, I can't get motivated to ride outside in my cool weather gear. It's cold! I don't like it! I know it's in the 50's an in March I'll be loving it, but right now I'm pouting about not being able to wear shorts. So on Tuesday when I was going to ride, but I was stuffy and didn't want to go out in the cold, my new toy beckoned. Forty-five minutes later, I had averaged 142 bpm, done a solid set of 5 minutes plus at just below threshold, and had hit 161 bpm. Much better! And yes, my legs were sore, but it was the good sore. I have found my transition to skiing and some variety from the bike. I'm even looking forward to getting out on the snow. And dare I say it? I might actually RACE on skis this year for the first time ever.

No more HRM until after Thanksgiving. Maybe some Madison training at the track and some "dry land" ski training at Hyland Hills for variety. Wow. That actually sounds like fun....

Sophomore Slump

I wrapped up year two of my belated cycling career on Thursday night. The first, and only, race of the night was a Bavarian, a "backwards" win-and-out, where the first sprint is for 5th place, two laps later you race for 4th place, and so on until the first place sprint. If you wait to race for 1st and don't win the sprint, you get "no place". Which is what I did, but it was fun. Adam Bergman, former pro roadie, was back for the last night of the season, still racing as a 3 at the velodrome. No idea why I thought I'd duke it out for 1st with him, but I stayed in. It's the event that I won my first track race in last year, so I felt like I should go for it. Then I couldn't get around a rider that Adam and Chris Smith had just overtaken (and who almost rode Chris onto the apron) during the last lap, so I ended up 15 meters back with less than 100 meters to go. So I didn't end up with a maximum effort, which I sort of wanted to for the final night of the year, but what do you do.

I almost didn't race, and I ended up leaving after the Bavarian anyway. I am bushed. Fatigued. Tired. Dare I say, not interested in racing. It's been an interesting Sophomore year. I actually accomplished many of my goals, in spite of the fact I only raced 3 races on the road (not counting 2 weeks at Opus) and under 10 nights at the track. I won Ken Woods. I was very well positioned for Pearl Lake prior to my off-road excursion. I got my Cat. 3 upgrade at the track. And overall, I was faster, stronger, smarter (usually) and had noticeably more endurance than 2005. So why did it feel like such a bummer of a season?

I truly believe there is something to the Sophomore slump idea. I remember my 2nd years of both High School and College sucking. You're not new anymore, but you really don't have the whole thing down yet. Look at your favorite musicians. Did any of them have 2nd albums that were anywhere near as good as the first, or the 3rd for that matter? You work just as hard, or harder to get better, to do better than you did your first year, but you are smacked between the eyes by a combination of unrealistic expectations created by a successful first year (oh, yeah! Moving the next step on should be just as easy as smacking it the first year!) and the fact that you are in fact stronger, smarter, faster than you were your first year. But all the rules change. The competition changes. It's no longer about competing with everyone else who's out there for their first time. Now you're competing against everyone who ISN'T out there for their first time, which of course is a much larger, tougher, faster, smarter, more experienced group.

More than anything, I think I over trained. Partly I got burnt out from training all the way through winter without a significant break last fall, but also bike racing began to take it's rightful place in my life, properly balanced with other priorities. The first year was so engrossing that it ruled my thoughts and time. Now it's becoming a more normal part of my life. But what's odd about that realization is that as I think about next year's goals, I discover they are higher. As if I'd had a great season and I was building on my success, and in a way I am. My goals are around track, with some focus on road time trials. I'll race the road races with the 35+ crowd, which may mean I'm pack fodder, but I consider them low priority races anyway. And I'm ampped about next year. But for now, every time I think "Gee, I should really do a training ride," I know I shouldn't. And I don't. I haven't ridden with my heart rate monitor for 2 weeks. It's staying off until Thanksgiving, when the madness starts again. I'll ski more. I'll get my century in this fall. I'll do some Madison training and make my legs and lungs scream for mercy a couple more times this fall.

Junior year was WAY better.

Wicked Fun at the Track

I love chariot races. Way too much fun. A chariot race is a two lap race from a standing start. You drawn numbers to find your starting spot, the lower the number the closer to the center of the track. Sprint rule apply, so if you're in the sprinter's lane, anyone wanting to pass you has to come around the long way. I was probably riding a ridiculously large gear for this race(52x15, or about 93.5 gear inches), but being able to get that thing going from a standing start is one of my strong points.

I won the first heat and Andy Kruse won his heat. In the final, I drew 2 and Andy drew 4, so he was two up track from me. I figured I was going to just jump as hard as I could and hope he'd jump on. Sure enough, I was quickly a couple of bike lengths up on the person who drew 1 and I was in the lane. Halfway through turn one, I hear Andy yell "Wheel!" and I knew he was on. I just buried it from there. Worked like a charm. Coming into turn 3 on the second lap, out popped Andy and powered his way to the finish.

Now, up until this point, I had seriously considered making the 31st my last track day in 2006. I'm starting to get tired of being focused (on everything, food, schedule, recovery) and riding hard. I mean, I LOVE to ride fast, but at some point you start to get a little worn out. But now there's no way I'm going to stop with only 2 weeks of racing left. If I do, I'll regret it all winter. Especially after what happened next.

The last race of the night was a 50 lap scratch race. Some guys don't like scratch races, but I kind of enjoy them. It gives you a chance to try stuff and see what happens without throwing the whole race because you screw up every points sprint. I also like a scratch race because you can hammer down and TT and the field has less incentive to catch you until it's too late.

Andy and I talked before we started. He had won the first and second events of the evening (see above) and only need to keep Chris Smith from winning in order to win the omnium for the night. We figured I could take a flyer with someone and try to lap the field. About 10 laps in, I jumped on Mike Lyner's wheel, and all of a sudden, we were 50 meters out. Then we were 100. Before I knew it, we had half a lap. With some dogged blocking by Andy, we managed to pick up the lap by 27 to go. Now I just had to hang on! This was much easier said than done, as there were a couple of attacks, but I stuck to Chris like glue and held on. With a kilo to go, Skibby was setting the pace in the lane. For some reason I can't fathom, I thought he would pull up with 2 or less to go. Of course, this didn't happen. Mike Lyner is his team mate, and with about 2 to go, Mike came up along side me and I knew I was done. He had me trapped and no way I could get out and around him in time. Oh, well. 2nd place was totally awesome in my 3rd week as a Cat 3. Plus I got $30.00 out of the deal. That covers my last two weeks of racing. Now I have no excuses.

I will say I'm in no big hurry to move up to Cat 2 on the track. I know it's inevitable, as I will be training and riding to win next year, and with a full season of racing, even with 3rd or 4th place omnium finishes, I'll have the points to upgrade. Then I'll be pack fodder. Or I won't. There are so many different types of races that there will be events where I will do alright. Chariots, Handicaps, etc. play to my strong suit. Keirin should be interesting. And I'll have a ton more experience by then. Plus, to paraphrase another 35+ rider, I'll be on the podium if the right people show up.

Starting Cross Season Two Weeks Early

Well, the 2006 Road Racing season is over. Not quite, I guess. The Henderson Time Trial is in two weeks, but as much as I like time trials and will be focusing on them heavily in 2007, it's not the same as a road race.

Gluek was a fun race. A huge thanks to Loon States Cyclists for putting on yet another great event. Friday I went out to warm up and get the kinks out of my legs, since I hadn't ridden since Tuesday at the track. Ok, it's been a LONG time since I did a serious ride on the road. I've done several recovery rides, but not really put forth even an endurance ride effort for a couple of weeks due to the time spent at the track and my crash. I was concerned about my endurance for Saturday and whether I would have any problems. I resolved NOT to check my training log to see how long it had been since I rode more than 90 minutes on the road until AFTER the race.

Turned out to be no problem. An absolutely beautiful day. Perfect weather, perfect temperature. I was nervous at the beginning, especially when I started lining up and realized that the field had 72 riders! But it was sure nice to see everyone, and I decided it would be ok.

And it was. I stayed out of the wind for the whole race until the last kilo or so and a couple times up the climb. The climb never felt too hard, although my legs did start cramping the last time up. I jumped on one attack that had Charlie Townsend and another SPBRC rider in it, but they didn't stay out, so we just rolled back into the group. I think they were testing to see who would go and who could hang with them.

So, I raced smart (for a change). I think that I race smarter when I go into the race without a lot of expectations, or when I have doubts about my ability. When I'm feeling ampped and strong, I get impatient, and then I do stupid stuff, like pulling for 40 miles.

There was a sharp right turn 200 meters from the start finish line. At about 750 meters, I jumped hard and put the hammer down. There was a Gopher Wheelmen rider who was next to me and looked like he was working pretty hard, and I didn't want to get caught up in a pack in the corner. I gapped him off a little, but needless to say, Charlie was waiting for just such a move.

I was probably doing close to 40 MPH, spinning a 52x12 at 120+ RPMs. Charlie jumped around me about 50 meters from the corner and lined up to make the turn. I had left some in reserve and I was ready to hammer the last 200 meters. It was one lap to go at the velodrome.

unfortunately, we were both going WAY too fast. Charlie swung all the way left, and I followed him. His rear tire skidded out on the exit to the turn, which left him standing still right where I needed to be to make the corner. I probably would have skidded out, too except for the fact we both ended up in the alfalfa field. At least we were both upright and laughing! If I'd been thinking harder, I probably could have rolled back onto the road and picked up a couple of places, but I even unclipped and wheeled over to see how Charlie was. Matt Anderson, the lead official, came by in the chase car and says "Nice job keeping it up right guys". I still don't know if he was kidding.

I would have been much more disappointed if I had been counting on a good finish for the race, but I learned what I needed to: that I am still in the top 5 riders in our group and might even be ready for 35+. The race really wasn't that hard. I'm going to have to start riding road races like a sprinter. Keep out of the wind. Watch the moves and set up for the finish.

Needless to say, I got quite a bit of crap about the Cyclecross season being a couple of weeks out yet. I'm not a Cyclecross rider, although it would be good for my bike handling probably. And I need a rest. Three more weeks of track season. Just enough time to get a top 3 in the omnium. I've got the burn to win again. The main thing this race did for me was get me back on the map mentally after my crash. I'm psyched. I want to win. And I'm ready to hammer.

Winning as a Cat 3

Last Thursday night was my debut as a Cat 3 at the velodrome. I actually got the points to upgrade several weeks ago, maybe a month, but I have not been able to get to the track on a Thursday for a few weeks, meaning that I also hadn't raced for a while. On top of that, I've only raced 3 times this year, but I happened to take two 1st place and one 2nd in the omnium, resulting in the required points when adding in my carry over from last year.

In addition to just having scheduling conflicts for Thursday nights, I took a couple weeks recovery. I was getting burned out and my motivation was suffering. I have so much other stuff going on in my life (the typical work/family thing you get to do when you're 40), and I just wasn't getting to it. I tried to keep going even after realized I should take a break, but it only made it worse. I didn't realize it would make so much difference to take a break. Now I'm seriously motivated, and I didn't loose much fitness.

I also had the opportunity to think about what I want to spend my cycling time on. I've seen it said many places that in bike racing, there is no prize for who does the most work, just who crosses the line first. As many of my teammates and competitors know, I have hard time accepting that. I'm not very patient. I like to get out and speed things up and work my a** off. Well, there is one kind of race where that's what you've got to do. Time Trials. I also realized that I continue to love the velodrome. I have never, ever pushed myself as hard as I do at the track, that unbelievable effort that you somehow manage to muster to kick it just a tiny bit more on the final straight to nip someone or hold some one off. So there it is. From now on, I'm focusing my season on Time Trials and Track. I'm going to race Road Races because they're fun, but I'll probably race 35+, and I may skip Crits all together. I just don't like them that much.

So, back to the track. After all of the above revelations, I re-did my goals for the remainder of the year. One of the goals I set was to win one event as a Cat 3 at the track. Well, I accomplished that. The first event on Thursday was a 10 lap scratch race. At 6.5 laps to go, I jumped, figuring I'd get some one to come with me. I got almost 50 meters right away. A lap later I was still by myself, 50 meters ahead of the field. 5 laps to go. Ok, looks like it's time for a little 1500 meter pursuit. I paced myself, just below the point where I could feel my legs starting to fill with lactic acid, and settled in. At 1 lap to go, the field was down to about 20 meters, but I had saved just a little bit. I dug in, and I managed to hang on by about 1/2 a bike length for the win. Whoo hoo! I was psyched!

But, I failed to notice something that would become important later. All of my Cat 4 victories as well as that first scratch race had something in common. I tend to win by over powering the field. I had more endurance, more top end and/or better control of the sprinter's lane than the other riders. I didn't spend much time in the pack or working my way in and out of traffic. The next race was a miss and out. I got boxed in on the inside very early and I knew it was only a matter of time before I got trapped, and sure enough, I was 3rd eliminated. I didn't even break a sweat. But I did notice the tightness of the pack.

Next race was a 50 lap points race. That's the longest race I've done, but I wasn't worried about that. First sprint, I took 2nd (much better than I expected) and was feeling pretty good. I worked quite a bit in the 4 laps leading up to the second sprint to pull back a break, hoping that one of my team mates would be well positioned for the sprint as a result. Didn't work out that way and I just used a lot of energy. Then I had to dig deep again to get back on after the sprint. We were about half way to the third sprint when I happened. I was way up the banking in the north turn, working to get around the outside and move up. My front tire touched the back tire of the rider up track from me, and down I went. I was over half way up the track, going about 25-26 mph.

So, I rolled, slid and rolled. I got the bottom of the track and I knew I was ok. I also know Deana was in the stands and had just seen me crash, so I tried to sit up as quickly as possible. I felt like I did, but according to Deana, I took a little too long to sit up. So, long story short, no serious injuries, lots of splinters (even after 2 hours of picking) and track rash up my right shin and hip. I went to the ER at Fairview Southdale (the best care anywhere) the next morning to see if they wanted to pick the rest of the large splinters out, and to get a tetanus shot. The nurse I met with rides for Grand Performance, which was sweet. Nice to have someone look at my leg and say "if it was me, I'd just let them work their way out...". The doctor said the same thing. So, no picking, no cutting, just healing. It's amazing the way my body is already spitting out the splinters and healing the abrasions.

The hardest thing about having crashed is actually the mental factor. It wasn't anyone else's fault. That means it was mine. Does that mean people will not want to race with me? I'm I going to get a rep as a "bad bike handler"? I'm ready to go out and race again, but as I said earlier, I should have noticed what I was feeling like in the pack. I'm going to be going to all the structured training I can get to and racing every week if at all possible, just to get my comfort level up riding in a tight group. The difference between 3s and 4s so far isn't the fitness, it's the tactics. I have the legs and the lungs to win. I just need to get my comfort level up.

Timed events championship this weekend! I'm excited for the kilo and the 4000 meters. I'm gong to have to miss match sprints on Wednesday due to family commitments, but I'm planning on racing Thursday and Saturday.

Until I get around to writing again, keep the bike between you and the road!

Pun Intended

I'm Back on Track

As I've said before, my spring racing season didn't really turn out the way I wanted. Sickness and family commitments meant that by mid June, I had raced Ken Woods and 2 Opuses (Opi?). The good news was I won Ken Woods. The bad news was I really didn't feel like I had the stuff going.

So I headed into the memorial day weekend and the first part of June committed to turning up the training a couple of notches. I after a couple of painful weeks, I was starting to feel like the high end was coming back. I could repeat high speed efforts without feeling like I was going to hurl. Now I just needed a chance to try it out. One someone else.

Welcome to the track season! Last Thursday, I finally made it to the track. Despite having only ridden once, I got comfortable pretty fast. And scored 2^nd over all in the Omnium for Cat 4. This week, I was really back in form. I managed to win the first two events, so I had the Omnium already, since no one else had enough points to catch me in the last event. I thought maybe I'd take it easy and see what developed in the last race and try to place, but not work to hard at it. That's when the dynamics of a race at the NSC Velodrome kicked in.

If you haven't come up to race, you should at least come to watch. There were probably 80 or 90 people in the stands last night. One of the things they've started to do is have the audience pick the winner of a race. They write the number on a slip of paper with their name, drop it in a bucket and at the end of the race they draw names. If you are drawn and you picked the winner, you get a gift certificate to one of the local restaurants.

So, I roll up to the rail, which is where you start the races. I’m sitting on the rail when someone comes over to me. “What’s your number?” Then another person. And another. Ok, fine, now I at least have to try to win. Fortunately for me and one of the people who put my name in the bucket, I did pull off the win. But that tells you what’s so cool about the track: what was the last time a spectator you didn’t even know was rooting for you to win? As a Cat 4? If you like to race crits, you’ll love the track. Come on up and enjoy it while we still have it.

Next stop, Northfield, Hopkins, St. Cloud and a whole bunch of times around the track.

Bike Loser Part 2

Ok, I'm a little better now.

I did a long ride on Sunday afternoon. I averaged almost 21 MPH for over 3 hours. That's pretty hot for me. I think I realized that I'm at about the same stage I was at in early May last year: I could pull like a horse (or Ox), but my high end isn't there yet. I couldn't have done 3 hours at that pace last year, so progress is good. I just need to focus on training my speed skills and my high end power. Which is just where I was last year at the beginning of May. Since I haven't raced much (Ken Woods and 2x Opus), I'm just not there yet.

I forgot how much effort I put into sprinting and repeatability last year. The workouts where I thought I was going to puke, my lungs and legs screaming. Time to get back at it.

The good news: I got child care for Thursday, so time to race the track! See ya there!

Bike Loser

I'm so frustrated I could scream. I just am not motivated to race this spring, except for the track, and I can't seem to make it there. I was going to do the Capital Crit this morning, but I chose not to so that my beautiful wife could do a the Walk for Scleroderma, a benefit walk for a horrible disease that she's committed to every year. Yes, I could have ridden the Open Men 4/5 at 12:30. But the truth is I don't want to.

I really haven't been able to build up like I did last year. Sickness, vacation, conflicts, etc. All excuses, I know. Then I missed two early season road races (Durand and Avon) due to illness. My Opus performances were below where I thought I would be, given that my training sessions are showing I'm stronger than last year at this time. And I'm still bummed on the lack of the 10,000 Lake stage race.

I'm sure I'll get it together. It's just REALLY challenging at the moment. I rode the track yesterday to get my "track legs" back. After a few laps, the banking was feeling comfortable again. Can't wait to get up there to race. This week is:

Alex's Graduation
Aaron's end of year school party
Deana's parents coming into town
Alex's Graduation party
Alex's orientation to St. Kate's, including parents.

Track racing is definitely in danger, but I'm working it.

Ok, I'm done whining. Off to get some miles in and pound out the intervals tomorrow morning.

I'm ready, damn it!

Dang!

Well, last night was supposed to be the first night of racing a the velodrome. After slogging through traffic (I missed the window of time to leave my house), I got up there at around 6:00, giving me an hour to warm up and get my track legs back, since I haven't ridden up there since last September, in spite of my best intentions. I turned in my number from last year and was relieved to discover I wasn't the only one doing so.

Since it was the first night, there were waivers to sign, number to pass out and pin on, etc. etc. And I haven't had the chance to build up my new/used Bianchi Pista Concept frame, so I had to get the rental bike going. Long story short, I was ready to ride about 6:30, so now I was down to 30 minutes prior to the start. Our race was scheduled first, so at least I'd be able to stay out there until the last minute.

Only one problem. I completely forgot how to ride on banking. I got out there and I felt like I was all over the place. I was feeling pretty foolish, not to mention nervous. After about a lap and a half, however, Mother Nature put an end to my reacquaintance with the velodrome. As the rain started, they rang the bell, we came in and the rain just kept on going.

On one hand, I'm bummed I didn't get to race. On the other, I have the weekend to get my steed assembled and a couple days to sneak in some comfort building laps.

May do the Charity TT on Sunday. Anyone know if the velodrome is a not for profit? Maybe we can vote them in as next years donation.

A little help from my friends at Opus

Opus number 2 (on my personal calendar in which they are numbered by the ones I actually ride) was last night. My last Opus was pretty painful and depressing. I wasn't even close on any of the sprints, I pulled for 80% of the rest of the race and I just felt beat up.

If anyone doubted that my team is interested in developing newer riders, or thought that the A team wasn't interested in the rest of the club, you've got the wrong idea. Last night, the Sick Blogger rode as a coach with me in the Cat 4 race. Now, I thought I was going to take plenty of grief for having someone ride along. I got none. Andy, however, got royally abused by at least 10 different people in the pack at the start. I bet Andy knew he was going to get slammed. I didn't even think about it. But he helped me out anyway.

So a huge THANKS goes to him. My results weren't great last night (I was in the hunt for a couple of the sprints but didn't score any points), but thanks to the feedback, it was the best Opus I've ever ridden. I've got one more chance to get some results before the series is gone for another year and I've got some idea of what I need to do to try to make that happen.

Guess we'll find out next Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Tim Franz

Opus Tonight

The weekly industrial park crit is upon us:

I'm NOT going to race stupid...

I'm NOT going to race stupid...

I'm NOT going to race stupid...

Ken Woods

Sometimes things go your way.

In January when I planned my races for the year, I had it all worked out. I was going to try to peak for Tour of 10,000 Lakes, rest for June and be ready for the Masters Track championships at the end of July. Of course, peaking is kind of a subjective term when you're only into your second year of racing, but still, I had a nice plan, a nice structure that I could live with. I was excited for the year. I made a few other goals to achieve during the season, but they were all just part of the structure.

Then they canceled 10,000 Lakes.

Ok, fine, I can just race some other races. But there aren't really any after Avon until June. And it's just not the same. But I stuck to my schedule and started building anyway.

Then I got sick. Ok. Fine. 6 days off the bike, 12 days of sub threshold work to get back, just take it easy, I can do this..... I got to go to Western Maryland and ride 5+ mile hills the week after I got better. This was cool! This was good! My climbing was feeling really good. My threshold work was feeling great.

Then I got sick again. Ok. Fine. Take a few days off, it's just a cough, no real stuff nose, I don't feel too bad. But that easy 1 hour ride I did after 3 days off the bike left me coughing up a lung for twice as long as I rode. 4 more days off the bike, and 12 days of sub-threshold riding. My schedule is now irreconcilably screwed. I've still got the Masters Track Championships to look forward to. If I can find a bike on the budget I need to stick to. I can't even ride Opus, and that was going to be my chance to really build my sprinting back up.

Well, I guess I'm feeling better. Maybe I'll take a ride with the guys on Tuesday before Ken Woods, just to have someone to ride my sub-threshold miles with. Junior (Tim Franz) and Don “The Eagle” Hunley agreed to put up with my pace. About half way through the ride, I lost all self control. I felt GOOD. I felt STRONG. I felt FAST. And so I hammered. Often. And by the end of the ride, I didn't want to admit what Don kept saying to me. “You gotta go for the win at Ken Woods!”.

By now, everyone knows the weather was completely horrible for Ken Woods. I contemplated not going, but I wanted to race way more than I wanted to stay dry and warm. It's a sickness. There was also a good 15 MPH wind in your face on the climb and just as you left the roll out. I thought in the back of my head that someone might decide to go early. But the Nature Valley/Penn Cycle Masters 4/5 group was pretty well represented. We had 5 riders, and the Eagle and Junior started out up front to cover any early breaks. On rider for Gopher Wheelmen headed out with Don on his tail, but it didn't last long. I managed to control myself for the first lap and just kept out of the wind.

As we came around the corner to the first climb, I had decided I wasn't going to set the pace (thanks, Dano!). I waited until a rider from Peace Coffee came by and grabbed his wheel. For a big guy, he was moving pretty fast up the hill. By the time we crossed the start finish line, we had 7 people away. And we hammered. And we hammered and we hammered some more. We hammered into the cross wind (have you ever seen a group of 7 Cat 4/5 riders try to set up a rotation in a cross wind? I'm sure it was quite comical). By the middle of that stretch we had shelled out 3 riders. I thought I was going to be next. There were 2 guys from Birchwood and the same Peace Coffee rider that had set the pace on the climb and they were hammering away. I was having trouble pulling through. I realized later that they probably couldn't have dropped me. I was struggling to take my pull, but I wasn't going to fall off the back. I figured I was either going to finish with these guys and go for the win or get spit out the back of the peleton. No middle ground.

We took a little break on the tailwind section. Grabbed a drink and a gel (thanks Doug) and I started thinking about how I might go about winning this thing. I figured there was a good chance the Birchwood guys would set up a leadout, by the rider from Peace was pulling like a train. I figured he'd up the pace at the end and I should be able to sprint around him.

Meanwhile, The Eagle and Junior were blocking like crazy. The peleton came pretty close on the back stretch, but once we turned into the cross wind, break time for the break was over. I let one of the other riders lead of the short climb and one of the Birchwood guys started pushing us to keep the pace up. I kept looking back and couldn't see the peleton at that point, so I took my pulls, but made them short and tried to back it down a bit. I figured if we did get caught, I still had it in me stay with the pack on the climb and finish well in the sprint.

We turned the corner up the big climb. Still wasn't going to push it, but no one else would come around me. I was riding a 42x21 at like 60 RPMs and none of them came around me. I think they all thought I was working hard since I was in the front and taking the wind. I started shifting up as we crested the climb, waiting for the attack. It never came. They came up around me and Peace Coffee Guy started pushing into the wind way too early. I set up behind him, but he eased off. It was still too early. I don't know what anyone else was waiting for, but at about 250 meters, I buried it. I never even looked over my shoulder. I just rode as hard as I possibly could until I was across the line (thanks, Sickboy!).

I thought for sure someone was going to come around me. But it didn't happen. First place for the Green Team Masters! It was awesome. My first road win on the one year anniversary beginning bike racing. I had totally awesome team support, both from the guys in my group and the A team guys who have not only taught me a ton about strategy (thanks Sickboy and Dano), but have shown me what REAL power looks like (thank Doug, Dano, Mean Dawg, Matty, Sickboy).

So, I re-did my training schedule. Turns out that now it falls even better than it did before. And one of those “other goals” from the beginning of the year is already under my belt. Win one Road Race.

Thanks for the awesome support from an awesome team. Should be a great year for the Masters.