WTF?

What the F happened over at Drunkcyclist? Good Lord! Jonny used to run a blog about bikes, beer and another stuff that ran through his head. It was light and fun.
It seems that Big Jonny is in Law School now and has given everyone and his brother a login. No longer do the contents give smiles, chuckles or even chortles. Now, it's filled with too much political commentary from guys who should probably not be talking about anything beyond an 8th grade level.
Back to the roots boys...it's called Drunkcyclist, not Drunk-leftleaning-whiney-politico!

No ride for me tonight. The H.O. is out of town. I'll be out Thursday for what will likely be the last Thursday ride of the year. Saturdays still leave at 8 a.m., for the time being. Personally, I'm all for just leaving the time at 8, even in the winter. It's not like there's a huge difference in temperature and weather at 9...
Just a thought...

Back in the saddle...

After 10 days off the bike, I choose to go out Saturday morning and give the cross bike it's post-overhaul/rebuild shakedown. Everything was good, except for the fact that I cut the front brake housing too short...and the stem is slightly off-center. Both problems were rectified immediately after the ride. Not much difference in ride quality from the stock Salsa fork to the Ouzo Pro Cross, but the front of the bike is waaaay lighter now.
I was muy stiff however! I rode about 75 minutes in the wet.
Sunday, a dozen of us met for the Sunday "Tour of LR" that Il Prof has put together over the past several weeks. Once again, we had a great ride. 3 hours and a tick over 90km. Nice and steady...of course, the pace picked up on Chaingang, but it's a must.
I got home and took the H.O. to lunch at the deli around the corner. Good food. We got home and I hit the bed for a nice 2 hour nap. I needed to charge the batteries before going out to the Blue Hairs to pickup the kids. Of course, they were like two feral chimps after two days at Grandma's house.

There's a new outlet to watch cycling on the intarweb too...
www.universalsports.com
They have a lot of highlights, including yesterday's Worlds...

Paul Newman 1925-2008

Actor, Race car driver, Humanitarian, Man's man...hell of a guy...

Lance...where to begin?

So by now, everyone has heard that L.A. is coming back with Astana and wants to do some the Tour again...
Let me be the 47,000th person to say...who really cares?
Like I said before, I guess he got tired of banging flat-chested blonde Hollywood starlets (very Freudian of him...) and living in his spacious new Spanish style house (if you call it that) in Austin, and decided to slide right back into his old comfort zone.
I don't malign him the right to come back, but at least surprise us. You want to do the Tour...well, NO SHIT! Never mind the fact that there are already 4 guys on Astana that could get on the podium and have a future in cycling. It's more than just an ego stroke for them.
If Lance really wanted to be considered as one of the all time greats, he needs to do something out of character. Go be a hardman of the North. Screw the Tour and all of that BS. Go back to his roots...the Classics. Go battle Bettini and Boonen. Go win Flanders and Roubaix. Hell, go kick it up over the Cipressa and the Poggio and cross the line in San Remo alone.
I've always been a L.A. homer, but this smacks of a grasp at former glory and faded youth.
Yeah, he's starting a U23 team and wants to be transparent, like Garmin/Chipotle and is going to raise money and awareness for cancer research...very admirable...BUT, and it's a big, Kim Kardashian sized BUT(T), it's all very formulaic.
Somehow, I feel like I'm watching a movie and the 'fix' is in...! It'll get people involved and watching cycling though, and that's a good thing.
The Tour of Cali will be interesting. Lance, Tyler and Floyd back in the same race? 2001 called and said, "Welcome home!..."

A good day was had by all...

So I skipped the ride yesterday so I could rip out the countertops and still have time to go down to the Vista for the races.
#1 and I got there right as the 3/4 race was getting underway. It started fast and stayed fast until the first break was reeled in. Of course, I'm assuming it started fast and stayed fast because I'd never really seen Doogie's face contorted in such a manner. He didn't look like he was enjoying the first 20 minutes or so.
He rallied for a strong 4th place finish though, in a field that was pretty stacked. Time to Cat up my little friend...! There were some surprises. A few people that I expected to do well got shot out the back @ halfway. Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug.
The women's race was thin, but Casey showed clean wheels in the sprint and won. Oh, and she did it on a borrowed bike...with junior gearing!! No excuses about borrowing bikes from that one.
She also sent me an email that she signed with FCS/Metro VW out of Dallas, Tejas.
www.fcscycling.com
Good for her!! Casey has busted her ass to move up and shows obvious talent. She'll do well with an actual team and more support.
Anyway, #1 and I stayed through the 2/3 race. The field was stacked with all of the local talent that I have the pleasure of riding and racing against. Everyone was doing well until a small excursion into the flowers occured, causing a split and a few locals to get popped off. Austin and Steve-o were right in the mix until it happened.
The course was really good, with a huge sweeping downhill corner that was being taken at 60-65kmh!! The finish was a nice little uphill grind that caused much pain. Scott did a good job with the organization and the race itself. I hope it becomes a regular event in Columbia.
Of course, it was a bit bittersweet. I really enjoy going to the races, hanging out and watching, but it stirs something inside of me. In the past 3-4 years, I stepped away from racing to take care of the Management Trainees, as a broken collarbone or road rash isn't conducive to childcare.
This winter, it seems there may be a bit of a Columbia contingent going to some cross races and I plan on being a part of it. I think it's time to get back in saddle, which means another bike...oh joy....!!! And the swap is coming....!!!
#1 was great yesterday. He was a real trooper...never a complaint or a whiney moment. He met a bunch of folks and never had a shy moment. I was very proud of the little man!!

Edit- I have a few pics of the races. I'll put together a web album and link it with the next few hours...
Edit#2- here you go...I had to size the pics down, but I have them BIG, if any wants me to email them...
http://s446.photobucket.com/albums/qq185/mmerrill-VistaGP/

Meh...

I woke up this morning, rubbed my eyes and put my bald head right back on the pillow. I felt guilty about bailing for about 15 minutes...until I went back to sleep @ 7:20. I rolled my big ass out of bed @ 9:50. 2.5 extra hours of sleep does a body good. I still feel like crap, but less so...
I may just ride in the morning...or I may not...

Tired...

It's official...I need a break from the bike. Not a protracted, 'I give up...this shit sucks' sort of break, but a few days of not looking at the thing. I've ridden a lot in the past month and between riding, working on this old house and running after the M.T.s, I'm just physically whipped. The kicker is the fact that I'm riding well, feel good on the bike and have some fitness.

Last night, the group was about as expected. It's getting dark earlier, so many folks have already bailed on the group rides. We started with 8 last night and the group pretty much stayed together, riding a nice 40kmh rolling paceline the entire way. Kevin decided to surge through and take longer pulls, so I just rolled in behind him and let him dangle on the front. The rest of the group (those who were pulling) fell in line behind me. When Kevin finished with his little showings of power (or lack thereof), the paceline fell right back into place.
We did the shorter loop across Minervaville and turned on Cabin Creek. The sun is getting lower in the sky @ 7 p.m. these days, but we had plenty of light to get home. I had the lights on the front of the bike, but really didn't need them. I just turned them on strobe so Francisco would feel like he was at Salsa Cabana.
I felt like crap. Bad legs do not a fun ride make...

I'll be out Saturday, but not Sunday. I have to demo the kitchen countertops. The granite is being installed Monday morning. Hopefully, it won't take more than an hour or two, but the way projects go in this house, I could be working well into the night. I'll likely venture down to the race on Sunday as well...as a spectator...

TNCWC

I'm thinking the TNCWC may be wrapping up for the season. We had @ 25 last night, even though it was a perfect night to ride. It was bit breezy up the front stretch, but you really can't complain about riding in 70 degrees.
The race started out and some NOOB kid that no one had ever seen before blasted off the front. His 'break' lasted exactly 1km. He was blown out the back of the group about 2 laps later. He was pretty sketchy and obviously new at the whole 'riding a bike' thing.
Anywho, the pace was over 40kmh for the entire distance. Little groups of twos and threes would get off the front, but quickly be pulled back. There was plenty of horsepower there last night, so nothing was going to stick.
Selix took off with three to go and hung out there until @ 1500m to the line. The group was lined out at this point and he got swallowed up. I don't know who won as I sat up with 1000m to go. I did my work, took some hard pulls and closed more than a few gaps.

I'm thinking we should go two more weeks and call it for the season. It's getting dark pretty early these days.

I rode in with Corbett and tried to get info out of him concerning Landis and HealthNet's new sponsor, but he was tight-lipped. C'mon man, I won't tell anyone... :)
See you guys Thursday...

Back from the Beach...now I can rest!

Oy Vey! I thought going away was supposed to be restful. 4 days in Litchfield gave me angina. Between the H.O., the management trainees and the BlueHairs, I've had my fill of family for a while.
Thankfully, I did a couple of good rides while I was down there. The was some drama on Friday night though. I locked my bike on the roof of the truckster and left my keys in Columbia!!! A frantic call to Grand Stand Bicycles and I was on my way. I borrowed a pair of ChannelLock pliers and coaxed the nut off the locking skewer.
The group meets @ 7:20 on Saturday in front of Grand Strand Bicycles (owned by Hawley's alum and former Columbia rider, Tim Woolford) and sets off promptly at 7:30. No waiting around for stragglers down there...
It was a meandering and convoluted way to get 60km, but it was a damn good ride. No fiddling around either...it was 35kmh out of the parking lot. Between the early start time (I was up @ 5:45...on vacation) and the lack of warmup, I struggled for the first 10 minutes or so. Once the diesel was warm, it was go time. The "A" group started with about 20.
The ride winds the Murrell's Inlet and into several big neighborhoods and ended up taking on a bit of a figure eight loop. I had no idea where I was or where we were going so I kept my mouth shut, took my pulls and didn't get invovled in the dynamic...until the end. Those guys just don't know how to ride in a paceline. Guys would hit the front and wind it as tight as they could for 60 seconds and pull left. The problem was the fact that rest of the group went left with the guy in front! No one was pulling through in the right line, so I started to...! I think they finally figured it out(kinda). Tim says he's tried to explain it, but he's not making much headway.
The ride was 60km and we were back in the parking lot with an average speed of 34kmh! Overall, a really good, steady, tempo ride with a bunch of really nice guys.
Sunday morning, we met @ 7:30 again, for a ride out of the middle of Myrtle Beach, down through Socastee and back. This ride was about the same speed, but had some stretches of open road, rather than diving into gated communties every 2 miles. There were 15 guys on it and we did another 60km in under two hours. Another good ride with nice dudes!
After both days, I went back to the condo and lounged on the beach, threw the kids around and lazed by the pool. The condo complex had a 'river' style pool that had a current in it. You sat in a floating donut and the current just carried you around the perimeter. Freakin' sweet!!!!!!!!!!! I kind of fell asleep and was jostled awake when I skipped of the side with my elbow. Yeeouch!
I tired and am going to bed. I'll be out tomorrow night, if no rain. I'll ride either way, but the rain will bring out the cross bike.

Dark...

Well, it seems that the Thursday night slugfest may be coming to an end soon.
We had a decent sized group last night and did the abbreviated loop down through the flats. The group stayed steady, except for when Dr. LP took longer and harder pulls than everyone else. Go right ahead, if you want to be in the breeze that long.
The group split a couple of times, including my little dig at the same place as last week. I just like that section of road. I think I may be channeling my inner Belgian.
Once back together, we rolled a nice, 40kmh paceline all the way to Old Hopkins. It split again and 5 of us went on to the store together. Sam flatted and we did a turbo change and were back on our way.
All together on Pineview, for safety's sake, as it was getting pretty freaking dark at this point. We had to slow at the 2nd level crossing for a train that was stopped up the tracks...only a few seconds though...
Once going, the pace shot up and the group split again on Shop. The same 5 rolled down and across the bridge to the sprint. Normally, I'd go for this sprint, but it was too dark and there was too much traffic, so I lead it out at 50kmh. It didn't deter a couple of folks, who came close to seeing the front of a 28' box truck. I've seen smarter moves on a group ride...
Next week may skip the Clarkson cut through and just go right and Cabin Creek. Time to find the lights...
We're off to the beach...see you at the TNCWC...

Interesting happenings

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...

HealthNet found a new, as yet un-named, sponsor for 2009...not so strange...
It seems they have signed Floyd Landis to the team...

Lance has decided he's bored with having random sex with blond, flat-chested Hollywood starlets and is coming back with Astana for a handful of races next year, including The Tour.

There was no TNCWC last night, as snorkels would have been de rigeur. The sun was out @ 5:30 as I aired up my tires. @ 6, it was getting dark and at 6:15, it was raining like some movie special effect.
The plan is to ride tonight...if it's not raining. I wish my new derailleur would hurry up and get here so I could actually get the Salsa back together!

#1 wanted to go play in the rain, but the thunder and lightning prevented it...at first. At the end of the storm, I put his raincoat and boots on him and let him splash around in the lake that had been created in the front yard. I hadn't seen lightning or heard the crash of thunder for a long while, so I figured there'd be no harm. About 5 minutes into the splash fest, thunder boomed (far away, but nonetheless...) and the boy turned into an olympic class sprinter. He booked it back to the porch! I've never seen a kid move that quickly, much less one in a dinosaur raincoat and matching boots. Funny stuff, I'll tell you what...

7 of 9

It's funny how people just pack it in during certain times of the year. Saturday was a perfect day and the ride was thin.
Anyway, we did a loop through the flats and back in on Airbase. Airbase was the only windy stretch during the entire ride, and to be honest, it's been worse on Thursday nights. I ended up with right @ 80km and spent almost all of that time with my nose in the wind.
Sunday, the group was actually a group. Again, we did a modified, meandering loop through Lower Richland and came back in on Airbase. It was pretty amazing that the bunch stayed together the entire time, riding 2x2 for 3+ hours at 32-35kmh. It was a very good ride. Another 90km in the books. Since the M.T.s were out at the spa for the weekend, I did get a gooooood nap on Sunday afternoon. You know it's a good one when you wake up confused and wondering what the hell just happened...and you're in your own bed!
I have ridden 7 of the last 9 days...20 hours...575km! I'm really tired. No ride today, just water and ibuprofen.
I'll see you guys at the TNCWC. Light week this week, as we're going to attempt to go to the beach again this weekend...

another good ride...

I don't know what's going on around here, but some of the rides lately have been, well, great. Last night was another example...
The group was small, as some are over it for the season and others seem to be afraid of coming home at dusk. However, it was a very cohesive ride. After going out through the Fort, we immediately (almost automatically) settled into a 40kph rolling paceline. Instead of doing Elon, which has probably seen us for the last time on Thursday until next year, we turned down Horrell Hill and went across to the flats. The pace picked up on the DH section, but the line still just rolled through.
We cut across to Mineraville and into the Roubaix section, where I pushed a bit on the rough, headwind, false flat section and split the group...sorry...
After a re-grouping, we rolled the paceline all the way home. It was a really good ride and the sunset on Clarkson and Shop was amazing.
It was a big mileage and time week on the bike for me. 14 hours and almost 400km...more than I've seen in a long while. I really want to ride tomorrow, but I'm almost looking forward to the rain...

The sillyness continues...

...almost every team is switching bikes for next year, even some that would really surprise you...

Silence-Lotto was on Ridley, now on Canyon...
Tinkoff/Katushka was on Colnago, now on Ridley...
Saxo Bank (old CSC) was on Cervelo, now on Specialized...
Rabobank has been on Colnago forever, now on Giant...
Columbia was on Giant, now on Scott...
Rock Racing was on DeRosa, now on Fuji...
Milram was on Colnago, now on Focus...

There will be more, as a few teams are going belly up at the end of the season...where will Cannondale go after HealthNet is gone?

TNCWC

I actually felt pretty damn good last night @ the TNCWC. My bike, on the other hand, evidently has some W.O.S.* on it and performed like a low-end Trek with 105.
I had shifting issues and just couldn't get it right yesterday, so I deferred to Shrews. He installed a new chain and it got a bit better, but not by much. My chainrings and cassette were both shot, but I was out of time, so I rode it as it stood.
The race started slow and gradually ramped up. Breaks went and came back. There seemed to be a lot of folks who wanted to ride and race, but didn't want to do any work. I must have closed 8 or 10 gaps over the course of the crit. Casey was flying last night, chasing everything that went. She's hard as fucking nails, that one...
About 30 minutes in, I got stuck in the 14 and the bike wouldn't shift up. I had to stop and make an adjustment to my W.O.S.* and I jumped back in the group. After that, the rig shifted, but it took some coaxing to get it to go up the cogs.
Osama Bin Ridin took off and stayed out until 2 to go. When he got pulled back, James from Harrell's nailed it and rolled away solo. I jumped with one to go, thinking that the group might want to pull him back. I got halfway across and looked under my arm for help...there was none.
He stayed out for the win and the group sprinted for second.
It was a good ride, but there are still a few folks that just don't have a clue out there. I threw a couple of flicks and don't feel bad about doing it. Ride with your heads up and settle down...it's a practice crit for cripe sakes...
Overall, I felt good and rode well, but could feel the previous three long days in my legs!
This morning, I switched out my chainrings and cassette and the bike actually shifts now...amazing...! I guess after three years and 20,000-ish miles, shit just wears out...even high $ Dura-Ace. I ordered some new rings and will bite the bullet and order a few cassettes when they become available from PBK.

*- W.O.S.= Worn Out Shit...
No beach this weekend...T.S. Hanna took care of that...
See you guys Thursday...bring blinky lights!

3 good days

It's really funny how 3 good, long days on the bike will actually make you feel better...well, for me at least!
Saturday I felt like complete ass on the bike after a week of barely riding. Two hours on Tuesday and nothing for the rest of the week. I was blocked up, couldn't breathe, couldn't get my HR up and just generally felt like crap for our 3 hour ride. I rode okay, but it was my base fitness that allowed me to survive, nothing more. We did the normal Eastover loop and ended with right at 3 hours on the bike.
Sunday, I felt better, but not at all like normal. The ride was supposed to be a slower paced affair, but turned into a paceline ride. It wasn't all the fast (35-37kph), but not quite as slow as we originally planned. We did a very modified loop through LR and ended with another 3 hours on the bike.
This morning, we met at TVH's house for a loop through Calhoun County. We took off right on time and headed across the river with considerable cloud cover...which was the weather M.O. for the day. The pace was a good one and we settled in for the run out. Instead of the full 120km, a group decision was made to turn at Big Beaver Creek and shorten the loop to 105km.
I felt really good on the bike. I could breathe, my HR was good and my legs were good. I felt it in my legs, but it was a good hurt.
We stopped at the store in Sandy Run on the way in to refill and TVH kept going, saying we'd catch him. Well, the old man must've been killing it, because we never saw him again and we didn't exactly dilly-dally.
I ended with another 3:30 on the bike. Total for the 3 days was right at 9.5 hours and 270km. The TNCWC will be the 4th and last day of my little mini-block.
We're supposed to go to Litchfield on Thursday, but the weather may have other plans...