Better, I think...

So I went out and rode yesterday. I did a slow, careful loop of the Fort. The back seems to be healing nicely, although I can feel when I bend a weird way or attempt to really push hard on the pedals. I can climb standing and sprint with reasonable effectiveness, but seated climbing is still the sticking point and will likely continue to befor a short while...
I do plan on riding with the group tonight, but pride will probably prevent me from going all the way to Elon. I don't want to get shelled out in the middle of the nowhere, just before darkness falls. We'll see how the back feels. I'm definitely not going to let misguided testicular fortitude cloud judgment and injure myself further...

Now for our weekly product review...

Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires.
These aren't even available in the US yet, but I managed to get a pair from England. These are the new and improved version of the venerable GP4000. The biggest complaint with the GP4K was the poor wear and high rolling resistance. Continental addressed these issues with a new rubber compound with an additive they are calling, "Black Chili." The Black Chili additive will be making it's way into all high-end Conti offerings, but is only available in these tires and some high-end MTB rubber.
I ride Vittoria Open Corsa CX tires most of the time and have grown accustomed to fast rolling, smooth riding, good turning tires. The GP4000S lives up to the billing. They seemed to roll very well and turn in was positive. I could only push so hard yesterday, so we'll see how they perform when my injured back allows me to ride with any anger.
The ride quality was right on par with the Vittoria tires, maybe even a bit better. Conti claims 330tpi versus 290tpi for the Vitts. They seem to ride a bit softer at 120psi than the Vitts...
The absolute BEST riding tire is still the Deda RS Open Corsa, but these GP4000S shoes aren't too far behind.
I've put in service dates on them and will report back about their wear and resistance to road hazards.

See you guys tonight...

I'll be in for the whole enchilada on Saturday...

Same old, same old

The back in getting better by the day. I really have no pain in my spine and the muscle pain is little more than a dull ache. The radiating pain in my legs is all but gone. My legs just feel heavy now, from a week of inactivity. I feel fat(ter) too, as I haven't exactly been watching what I eat. Well, I've been watching it...go right into my piehole.

The H.O.'s sister got married off on Saturday. It was a nice affair. Their father is a retired USAF pilot and he chose to wear his dress blues to the wedding, because the day was about him...(rollseyes). Anyway, it was amusing because he kind of looked like a cross between Captain Steubing from "The Love Boat" and Richard Dreyfus in the movie, "Parador". Instead of the standard service ribbons, he wore all of the little medals that come with each one. I will admit, he's seen some serious shit, but the ribbons were too much. I really think he kept pulling to the left when he walked.
The reception was interesting. The Frankengroom's guests were a bit wacky. They are all Southern Separatists and do that 'dress up and re-enact the WAR' thing. The were more than a few "The South will rise again" bumper stickers in the parking lot. As I was leaving with #1, I actually heard a conversation that included the words, "Slavery wasn't a bad thing..." Scary stuff people, scary stuff...

Now for some cycling content...

Reports are trickling in that some old behaviors are re-emerging from our favorite rider. I've yet to corroborate the report, but the source is solid and the behaviors in question do not seem out pf place. Evidently, he thinks everything is hunky-dory with him and the group. The are rumblings coming from a few folks, and I'm not even included in the count this time.
Maybe it's time to just run the old boy off for good, before he takes out the entire group.

I plan on doing a loop Wednesday morning to test out the back. We'll see how it goes...!

Injury update

So the X-rays tell me that the skeletal issues are all resolved, which is good. The muscles surrounding the area of injury are mighty sore though. I told my Chiro and he said it was from a combination of the injury to my back and the movement/re-aligment of the spine. Either way, the shit is sore. I didn't take a Flexaril last night...I also didn't sleep very well. I'll be medicated this evening... ;)- Sleep is a commidity whose value only superceded by gold around here...

I got an email from Mandrus about last night's ride. It seems that I missed another good one. Fast and steady seems to be the theme for group rides around here lately. Personally, I like it that way. Although, noodling through the countryside sometimes has it's merits...
I'm sure I'll get my ass handed to me next week!

RW put together a blog for racing wattage and discussion. www.sufferfest.wordpress.com
It's kind of cool to see the graphs and data. It makes me want a PowerTap, even though it'll show me how much power I'm NOT making...

The H.O.'s sister is marrying Timenstein tomorrow. Oh will those be some big, tall, lumbering half-wit children. It seems everyone has been drafted to help with the wedding and reception. I have gracefully bowed out citing a grevious back injury. Darn.....!

Still waiting for my Conti tires to arrive from Europe.

Mid-week check

So, I've pretty much given up on the Crit, as I've grown quite bored with it. I really enjoy the Thursday ride better. Tuesdays will now be morning rides through the Fort for me. I rode this morning, only to encounter horrendous back pain. The only time my back felt good was in a standing, climbing position. If you know me, you will see the irony in that statement. I muttled through a counter-clockwise lap of the big loop and came home.
I didn't bother to get underderessed before I called the Chiro. I went to see him @ 12:30 and got popped, cracked and stretched. I'm having the same issue as before with the bulging disc, only not as crippling. I can pee standing up this time. Evidently, I have what's known as a "wedge" pressing down on one side of the disc, causing terrible pain in my back that radiates down my legs. It feels fan-flipping-tastic. I must have aggravated it over the weekend building the playset and shoveling sand. The Chiro said it's a 'twisting' injury of the spine. I can tell you, I did some serious twisting and lifting during the construction of #1's play area.
I took a Flexaril to relax the muscles in the area. It's GOOD stuff...! I can honestly see why people get hooked on pain meds. I'm not high in the truest sense of the word, but the sharp edges are much softer with the muscle relaxer on board. The whole driving/operating machinery sticker on the bottle is a warranted one.

I plan on riding tomorrow night, if the back feels better. If I feel like I did this morning, I'll take some time off.

I rode the (f)Ibis this morning. The new crank bolt seems to have done the job. I'll give the FSA cranks one more swing. The next issue is strike 3 though. I'll get some D/A from Crusty and be done with it. The bike does ride really well though...

This week's new product review: Bell Sweep R helmet
The helmet itself is very nice looking and easy to adjust. The straps took some wrangling, but once the rear straps were properly adjusted, there were no issues. The inside of the helmet is VERY lightly padded. The forehead pads are about the same as any high end helmet, but there are only (2) two inch long pads on the top. I added two longer, slightly thickerpads from a Giro Atmos helmet and the issue was solved.
On the bike, it felt substantial on my head. It seemed to be a bit heavier than my Giro Pneumo.
The Pneumo seemed to be have better airflow through the vents as well.
The Sweep looks about the same on my bullet-shaped skull as the Pneumo, maybe a bit better.
Overall, it's a nice helmet that can be had for $90-ish on Ebay.
******** of 10 stars.

Next week: Continental's new 4000S road tire

#2 is starting to fire up. Time to feed the little, fat man...

Weekend fun for everyone

Saturday's ride was another well attended event and was a very quick, very fun jaunt through Lower Richland. I ended up with right at 60 miles in a tick over three hours. When we left the Fort, the wind was in our faces. As it usually happens though, the wind was in the process of shifting. I just cannot fathom how the wind shifts direction in the exact amount of time it takes us to ride to the end of the road and turn. The route was rather triangular in shape, yet somehow, we had a headwind on every leg of the journey. Not a bad headwind mind you, but enough to make it that much more difficult.
I got home, ate, took a quick shower and went back to work in the backyard. #1's playset is now finished, replete with a 8'x8' sandbox with seats and a ramp for his dumptruck. He seems to like it considering he was pointing at it this morning BEFORE breakfast. I ordered WAAAY too much sand. It seems that 1.5 yards of sand was about .75 yards too many, thus there is a big pile in the driveway. It's starting to look like a landscape supply business out front. Giant pile o' sand...giant pile o' mulch...

The gray hairs came into town yesterday and we all had dinner out after the H.O. told me I had toiled enough.
Woke up this morning with tired legs and core muscles. I wasn't going to ride, but a 75 degree morning filled with sunshine isn't something you let pass by. I got dressed and rolled through the parking lot @ Outjokin'. Lo and behold, there were actually people there. They were planning on doing Screaming Eagle, so I tagged along until the split at the end of Dixie in the Fort. I did the Big Loop and came home. I felt pretty tired, but pretty good at the same time. Maybe the legs are starting come back around....maybe!

The new wheels are fan-fricking-tastic. Smooth, stiff, and pretty. Maybe there's something to be said for a straight up set of handbuilt wheels. Special thanks to Shrews at Cycle Center for the build. Best wrench in town, bar none...

Does a body good...

Some time off the bike was, evidently, just what the Doctor ordered. After 5 days of relative inactivity and low motivation, I was a bit worried about last night's ride. Thursday has been drawing bigger crowds and all of the HP has been showing up.
On the way out, we had three flats between the gate and the escape on Wildcat. The trip down Ridge was slower than usual. The punctures took some time away from the ride, so we chose to go right to the flats instead of left towards Elon. Let's just say that this decision didn't break many hearts, including mine.
The first test came when we got the light to cross 378. Jed and Francisco attacked down Horrell Hill. RW jumped and I went with him. A 40 mph chase ensued and we closed it down. The first half of the ride went like this...
After the jumpiness got out of everyone's systems, we settled in for a nice 25+ mph paceline for the remainder of the ride.
The ride stayed together for the most part and was really good. I had great lungs and heart and heavy legs. Between 5 days off the bike and chasing a 2 year old, coupled with building a wooden playset in the yard, this was to be expected. They started to come around at the end though.
The real comedy of the ride was at the very end. Osama is very soft-spoken and never complains. He led out the last sprint at 30+ only for everyone to sit up and not even go for the sprint. His quiet demeanor turned Alaskan fisherman. Hearing him curse a blue streak was really amusing. I had nothing for the last sprint as I closed the gap to the front 5 at well over 30 mph...crossing the I-77 overpass. That's a leg deadener if there ever was one.
Everyone's favorite was out again last night. He actually seemed to be making an effort to ride like he has a brain. Steadier than ever in the line and the dumbass moves only numbered one for the evening. I remained silent...
I am taking the high road and will continue to do so. It's really not worth getting all bent over such an inconsequential person and their inane behavior.

Resting comfortably, thank you!

I'm resting this week. I haven't ridden since Saturday and feel good about it. After feeling TERRIBLE Saturday afternoon, I felt even worse on Sunday. Feeling bad and low motivation do not make for a pleasant ride. Sometimes it's better to just stay off the bike until the feeling comes back. I'll ride tomorrow night and it's supposed to be nice this weekend, so we'll see.

I'll go down to the ManHole(tm) tonight and get the Ridley ready for action. I'd ride the (F)Ibis, but the FSA cranks have let me down yet again. I don't know why you would ever spec an aluminum bolt to affix a crank to the BB. I stood up on it, to ride up through the backyard and the bolt sheared off. The crank came off, still attached to pedal and shoe and I feel over in the grass. Thankfully, St. Augustine grass is very soft. A new steel bolt is coming. If this doesn't fix the problem, it's Shimano cranks for me.

I want to sell the full suspension rig too. I think a 29er would get more use. 5 bikes is the limit right now, so one has to go. Email if you want details...! I'll sell it for way less than I have in it. I've ridden it less than a half dozen times...

Going to pick up my new glasses and look for dress shoes this morning...Big Fun!

Yet another good ride...

We had another really good ride on Saturday, even though I felt like complete crap, but I'll get to that later.
The group was small for the 9 o'clock ride, as a lot of people had other things going on. We had a good group though, which led to another steady ride. Thankfully, certain folks have decided to stay home, which is fine, as I really don't enjoy spending the entirety of a 3 hour ride worrying about being taken out.
We went out through the Fort and progressed through Lower Richland into Eastover, down to the G-Mart and back in on Cabin Creek. RW was doing some wattage work, so he would take huge pulls, which was fine with me. I took the town limit sign into Eastover and the bridge on Shop, which I shouldn't have tried. I may have won the sprint, but it made me feel about 3x worse than I did before. Francisco made me work for it too. It wouldn't have been much trouble on a normal day, but on a day that I felt really bad, it was too much. I think it was the heat that exacerbated the situation too. It was the first day I've really ridden in anything over 80 degrees and my body just wasn't ready for it. I've felt worse after rides, but not much...! Still a good day out though...

I got home, showered and went to Lourie's to get a new suit. I know, the thought of me in a suit is comical and begs the question, "When's the court date?", but I haven't bought a new suit in many moons, so I figured it was time. The whole ordeal was quick and painless. I highly recommend the fine folks at Lourie's.

Once I returned to house, I took a well earned nap. The H.O. and I went to Miyo's for Mother's Day dinner. It was quite good.

And no, I didn't even bother to wake up for the ride today. I need the rest more than the miles.

Here are some funny cartoons...

Waxing poetic

WOW! We had a really good ride last night. The group started out really big, but whittled itself down to a final selection of 8. All had just about equal strength and all were very steady on the bike, which is a welcome change as of late. Once the selection had been made, the 8 of us rode the old Tuesday night loop through lower Richland in a nice, fast tempo, rolling paceline. Good equal pulls and no slow downs.
As we were coming in on Airbase, I starting thinking about how good it really was to be on my bike at that moment. It was about 75 degrees, the wind was blowing on our backs, the sun was directly ahead (setting), we had 8 guys taking pulls and rolling at 26 mph and the road was smooth. It really put the day in perspective. Riding a bike is good! There are times I loathe riding and times I absolutely don't want to do anything else. Last night was the latter. I told Mandrus and he asked me if I was going to cry.
I felt pretty good last night, albeit still pretty tired. My legs were much better, but my HR still wouldn't come up. Max last night was still shy of 170. Hopefully, I can get some sleep tonight so I don't completely suck on Saturday. I can tell you, I'll be napping Saturday afternoon. Il Bambino Uno is going to Grandma's on Saturday...

I won a few sprints last night as well and taught one of the Young Jedi a valuable lesson in sprinting...

OOOOOOHHHHHH! My hubs came at CC yesterday. White Industries makes some beautiful stuff. Shiny and LIGHT. The front hub was 75 grams and the rear was 225. The hoops were heavier than advertised, but only 20 grams per...! Should be same damn nice wheels...under 1400 grams for a straight up 32 hole, 3x, box section wheel...

See you on the road...

#9

Crit number went off last night and had a pretty big turnout, considering the wind was blowing at a steady 20 mph, with gust at 25-30 mph, on the front stretch. The neutral lap was postively slow, but immediately after turn 1, a group of about 8 decided it was time to go and the initial break was formed. The main group chased and chased and brought it back to about 20 meters, which lead some of the break to sit up and re-integrate, while others from the group chased across. The break went away again with this new infusion of blood and was gone. It came down to a heads up, 5 man sprint. Some guy who we've never seen before ended up pipping Jay Charles at the line. It was a good sprint, spread out 5 across the road...
The wind was the biggest deciding factor tonight. Someone else would come off the back almost every lap. There were few times that the group wasn't lined out, single file.

I have come to the conclusion that trying to race on very little sleep, combined with the energy exerted from chasing a 2 year old, is a very hard thing. I rode in the front for 30 minutes before sitting up. Normally, my max HR is 185-188. Last night, I'd get to about 170 and feel like I was having a stroke. The legs are there, but the heart has gone on sabbatical. Or it might have been the two Naprox I took @ 2 o'clock...! Either way, I could feel that I'm tired...not overtrained tired, but just physically whipped.

Hopefully, Thursday will bring better times, and less wind.

The H.O.'s sister came over last night. She's getting hitched in two weeks and is STRESSING. Between the wedding, her parents, her moron fiance and her job as a Prosecutor for the State of SC, she's got a full plate. I really feel bad for her...

As an aside, if ANYONE has issue with anything I have written on this blog, feel free to leave comments. Don't be passive/aggressive and just mumble to those who will listen. If you are offended, maybe you should be...
Or, just hit the back button on your browser and don't come back to my little corner of the internet.

Or, fill out this form and turn it in to Human Resources...

It's a C-O-N-spiracy

Man, time and responsiblity conspire against me some days. I had planned to out with Il Professore and TVH yesterday, but that plan got shanghai'd before I even pulled the bike out of the building.
Two kids under 2, one who sleeps and one who doesn't, will change plans...quickly. I finally got all of my poop in a group @ 9:30 and went down to the ManHole(tm) to get on the trainer.
I switched out the mag unit, which is worn out, for the wind unit and did 60 minutes. 30 minutes of that 60 was big gear, 150+ HR, which actually didn't feel all that bad. My legs are stiff today though...
People who buy high dollar trainers are just fooling themselves. A wind trainer is the way to go. The harder you go, the more air resistance there is, just like riding the road. I need a new trainer and will be looking for another wind unit. They are loud as heck, but I'm in the building, alone, so who cares...

The Crit course is getting cleaned this afternoon...you're welcome...


Oh, and I picked up a 32" LCD hdtv yesterday. Did I mention it was for the bedroom? You naysayers might call it overkill, but I call it just right...;)

Rainy cross day

Somes days, just fooling around on the bike is more fun. When it came time to leave for the 9 o'clock ride, it was drizzly. Upon consideration of the fact that I just burned an hour cleaning both road bikes, I chose to forego riding the road and ride the crosser. I didn't feel like going into Ft. Jackson, so I went down to Owens Field and blew about a 1/2 dozen laps of the cross race course. The two middle laps were at as close to race pace as I can get when riding alone. That notwithstanding, my HR was above 170 on both laps, so I did do about 10-12 minutes of good LT training.
I rode through the acreage that used to be the projects and up the big, ugly climb into USC. The climb isn't bad on the road bike, but sucks on 40c tires w/50 pounds of air. I meandered through campus, admiring all of the young chippies, then made my way down to 5 points, and up across Shandon. Of course, I flatted about a mile from home...and didn't have a kit. Rode it home on the rim...the trifecta is in play. I'm sure I'll flat tomorrow too...

Going out with the Il Professore and TVH in the a.m.
I'm sure there will be much talk of TheDinkNut. Evidently, he's figured out that he's a menace...
It could either be good or bad. Good is him not showing for rides. Bad is him in a belltower with a rifle...

It was a full afternoon and evening...

My day was going along swimmingly until about 4 o'clock. It seems #2's breathing was becoming more and more labored as the day progressed, so the H.O., being her overprotective, mother bear self, decided to call the Doc. We got it about 5 and it seems that the poor little fella had big giant boogers blocking his nasal passages. We got home at 5:45 and I extracted the aforementioned schnot.
I figured I could eiher A)chase onto the group, or B)cut the route and meet them out in the country. I flew out of the house and time-trialed to the Fort. I got there at 6:08 and the group was waiting, thankfully. We rolled out right as I got there.
The group was HUGE tonight and was one of pretty similar skill and ability, except for one person. ThePeanut was out and should have really stayed home. I knew we were in trouble when he couldn't get into his pedal when we rolled out. I don't want to turn this into a bitch session, but he really doesn't need to come out for group rides anymore. He endangered the entire group tonight, on several occasions and just generally rode like a complete idiot. There is no way on this big green and blue sphere we call Earth, that he was EVER any kind of bike racer. The dumbshit can't ride in a straight line or maintain pace. He pedaled like hell to close the gaps HE opened and then hit his brakes...in the middle of the bunch. He sat up more than once...while riding 5th or 6th wheel and created a huge gap to close.
I know that I'm the jerk of the group, but tonight, I was not the only voice of dissent and disapproval. Il Professore, TVH and Mrs. Der Kaiser all said something to ThePeanut. He's just dangerous and stupid, which together are a combination that can breed disaster. Solo riding is probably the best idea for him from here on out. I don't want to play the asshole, but I will if it comes to that...

Other than the fact that my fingers were on my brakes all night, and being on ThePeanut's wheel caused great fear and consternation, it was a good, hard ride. I felt pretty good and closed a few gaps at high speed. It started to rain about 30 minutes from home, which spread even more trepidation. Fortunately, no one hit the ground and I got home to see my family. I apologize to those who thought that any of my disapproval was aimed towards them. All of my furor was meant for ThePeanut, and ThePeanut only.

See everyone on Saturday morning. I'll be going to the crit course at some point this weekend to hit it with the leaf blower. The corners are looking a bit rough. It'll be back to top shape for Tuesday (round 9).

The FIbis is back on the road and performed well tonight. I really like the way that thing rides...

#8

So number eight went into the books last night with Jay Charles showing that he's a freaking hard, hard man. The race started calmly enough, with the group noodling past at about 14 mph on the first race lap. That pace got shot in the rear on lap 2. A small break jumped away and the race was on. The initial break of four lasted 15-20 minutes and was reeled back, only to be replace by a break that would be a launchpad for Jay to win. As the 50 minutes drained into the bottm of the hourglass, the 4 man break became 3 and then 2. RW and Jay stayed out together until 3 laps to go. As soon as I yelled three to go, RW sat up, leaving Jay to got it alone for 6km, with the whole group chasing. Jay, being the local stud that he is, kept the throttle on the mat and soloed for the win, even sitting up in the final straight and saluting the assembled crowd.

The entire field came into the final 400 meters together and, of course, started to sprint just after the corner. Guys, pros don't sprint from 400...you can't do it!!! Anyway, Beano jumped across the road with 200 to go and showed the group a clean set of wheels to win the bunch sprint.

I didn't ride, as this is A) a bit of a rest week, and B) I took Bambino #1 out to the crit to give the H.O. a break. #1 and I rode the course (well, I pulled the trailer while he sat in the back like Trump) for about 30 minutes. I wanted to ride for an hour, but a flat ended the fun. I didn't have a kit on the cross bike, so it went back on the roof. #1 and I sat on the tailgate of the truck and he ate dinner while watching the race. He did his usual post-dinner walk-about and we got back to the start/finish line with about 4 to go. It must be sensory overload out there for a 21 month old. Guys racing bikes, planes flying over, big trucks going by on the highway and acres of green grass...

All in all, a good time was had by all...

I'll be out Thursday night...