Week o'riding

Sunday- 3:15 100km
Tuesday- 3:00 85km
Wednesday- 2:30 in the woods on the cross bike 45km (equiv. to road km ?)
Thursday- 1:17 35km...a clusterfuck all the way around this morning...don't ask. The Cycling Gods didn't want Doog and I on the bike today, PERIOD!!!
Friday- off...laying low...
Saturday- 3:00 85km

Check back for updates

Crusty's back....and the Sunday ride

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/dec08/dec28news


Sunday ride report

I sent out an email about a week ago, thinking that some folks might want to do something different...I guess I was wrong. Mick, Timberlake and I met @ CC this morning, only to ride up the hill and join the assembled group at OutJokin'. I wanted to go to Calhoun County, but the best laid plans...you know the rest...! People just do not know what they're missing by not riding over on that side of the river. Doog and I will be over there a couple times this week.
It was a good ride nonetheless. We had a decent group of 8, including another guest appearance by Ben Jones. Timberlake and I rode on the front for pretty much the entire way. Nose in the breeze makes you strong like bull...! No great news to report from the ride itself. Old Tuesday across to the Swamp and back in. I ended up with right at 3 hours of ride time and just shy of 60 miles once I factor in the commuting from Point A to B to C back to B and finally returning to A...did you follow that? I think I lost myself...! :)
Doog and I are riding @ 9 in the morning from the gate. 2-ish hours...easy spin...

Don't forget, this coming Sunday, January 4th, is Toby Porter's New Year's Day ride. The ride leaves the Peak DMV @ 10am, SHARP!!!!!!! 60-ish miles of fun around Lake Murray. It's a good time! Ya'll come!

2009 NYDR

Alone

Today, I woke up in Chesterfield, ate brekkie and went for a ride...alone!
I rode for 2:45...alone!
I rode 90km...alone!
I rode 4500' vertical...alone!
I rode tempo for more than half of the ride...alone!
I rode in 45 degrees and rain for more than half the ride...alone!
I got chased by 9 dogs and outran them all...alone!
I got back to the house with a big, wet, cold, dirty, shit eating grin on my face!

I am, in fact, harder than you!

Merry Christmas

Screw all that PC crap! Merry Christmas!

Meat, Mick and I met this morning for a quick jaunt through the flats. I did some SST work and felt pretty good. Not great, but the form is definitely on the upswing after being sick for a week.
Ended up with 70km in right at 2:15.
We're going to Lexington tonight and Chesterfield tomorrow afternoon. I'll be on the bike Friday for at least 3 hours. I just cannot stand the H.O.'s father, so I'll be killing two birds with one stone! I'll get some quality miles in great terrain and get away from his neuroses for a while.
Don't know about Saturday. I'll likely come home Friday afternoon, so I plan to be out.
Sunday, we're planning to ride from Cycle Center @ 9. 60-ish miles through Calhoun County and back in up through Gaston and South Congaree (just in case anyone needs to score some crank).
It''ll be a tempo-ish sort of affair, but we'll all stick together. Everyone is welcome, but there will be no whining on this ride! There seems to be too much of it for this time of year! Eat your brekkie, put on your big boy/girl pants and come out to ride.

I hope everyone has a joyous and safe holiday! Peace!

It's just not built for that...

I rode the 29er this morning, but I just wasn't motivated to go ride in the woods. Instead, I did my urban assault loop...on the 29x2.3 tires. Wow, do those tires ride like complete shit on the tarmac.
It was cold and windy and I was rolling slow.
It took me a full 30 minutes longer to do the loop on the 29er than it does on the cross rig. I had a bit of an epiphany...not a full on, single ray of sunshine on a dark day, ate the whole chocolate cake moment of clarity, but just a sliver of sun or chunk of cake.
I really don't like mountain bikes. I don't like the position. I don't like fact that they handle like ill-steering dumptrucks. I don't like the complete lack of speed when riding.
Granted, I felt pretty empty this morning, but I just didn't enjoy my ride.
To be fair, I LOVE riding my cross bike in the woods, in bad weather, in the cold, on dirt roads...pretty much anywhere. If I was forced to own one, single bike, I'd build up a super-swank cross rig because it can do everything. I guess I'm just a roadie at heart.
I'll give the 29er another chance...next time in the woods, where it belongs, cause it just ain't built for the road.

You don't know Jack...

I was just reading another 'cycling' blog...not important which, as I feel that the owner of said blog now owes me 5 minutes of my life and I wouldn't saddle you nice folks with the same waste of time.
He was talking about GOOD tubulars and actually had the balls to utter the word "Tufo". Talk about a head scratcher. I know Tufo tubs are light and they have a high thread count, but that doesn't help the fact they they are prone to failure and ride...well, like complete shit.
If you want a good tubs, either go German or Italian. Conti, Vittoria and Deda makes absolutely the BEST tubs under the sun. There's a reason pro teams ride re-labeled Vittorias, and it ain't vanity.
If anyone ever utters the "Tufo" in your general direction, laugh at them, aloud, and simply turn and walk away.
I may not know much, but I know that the only use that a Tufo tub excels at is keeping my 6 foot fence gate closed in high wind.

I don't feel bad...

...but I can tell I have a head cold.
I was supposed to go out and ride with Bond and the NE crew Saturday morning, but I woke up @ 4:15am in a cold sweat and could feel the old sinuses draining down the back of my throat. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor, so I bailed. Doog and Coco went out and repped PV by dropping everyone but JB. Bond didn't ride either, as he was a bit sickly and was driving the porcelin bus all Friday night and into Saturday. Treze got shelled like a boiled peanut and hitch-hiked back to Bond's house. Who the hell picks up a guy in lycra, in Ridgeway, and drives them home? Wonder how the old boy renumerated his chauffer?
This morning, Doog, Coco, Meat and I went out for an easy 2+ hour spin in the wet and wind. It was really a nice morning to ride. I'd rather go out in the crap @ 9 than piss my whole day away waiting for the weather to clear. I just can't understand waiting until 10, or after, to go ride.
I feel much better today and fortunately, my cold hasn't migrated south, into my chest. I could breathe just fine and the legs felt pretty good. I'm a bit ahead of where I need to be, but hopefully, it'll pay divedends.
The H.O. is off for the next two weeks, so a good block of training is staring me in the face. Time to start doing some structured stuff...oh joy!

I just noticed, after Coco asked me, the SoPro's link disappeared. I deleted another link and someone three got wacked. SoPro's link is back up. Sorry for any confusion. I didn't kill it on purpose...

Pine Straw

That would be a good description of my riding style last night...as I was all over the trail. I felt really good on the bike, but my already limited mental abilities went on walkabout.
The ride started off with a resounding THUD, as I caught a downed tree with my front wheel and just couldn't pull it out. The bike went right...I went left. Fortunately, the wet pinestraw provided a soft cushion for my not-so-gradual stop. No injuries, but a good bit of laughter!
From that point, I was pretty worthless. I felt good on the bike, but my admittedly limited mental abilities went on walkabout. I just couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. I must have ridden off the trail, dead into the woods, at LEAST 6 times. Poor Doog...he just followed into the thicket.
I may have been a tad overdressed and overheated, which may, or may not, have contributed to my brainfade. A longsleeve, fleece lined jersey WITH a base layer is, in fact, a bit much for 65 degrees. Oh, and knee warmers...

We went all the way out to MM8 and turned back.

Other than crashing, riding like a mentally challenged orangutan, running out of lights (battery went dead) and flatting my front tire 4 blocks from home, it was a pretty good ride. Sure as hell beat the trainer!

As an aside...
Doogie, don't blame your compact gearing for losing the bridge sprint! You have a 50 big ring...I have a 48 and I still showed you clean wheels...and I wasn't even in the 12.

what a difference...

...a day makes!
Saturday wasn't necessarily a BAD day on the bike, but things just kind didn't go in my favor. The H.O.'s Christmas Party was Friday night, and as is tradition at these things, I ate waaay too much heavy food and, at minimum, one too many desserts. Saturday morning met me with heavier legs, a bloat and general malaise.
I felt okay on the bike, but there was no snap. On Old Leesburg, my pedal stroke felt really weird and I realized that my cleat had moved. After a week with the new shoes, the bolts obviously needed to be re-torqued. I stopped and tightened everything up, but the group had other plans. Lets just say that I chased all the way to the end...alone.
The rest of the ride was uneventful and I starting feeling better the longer we were out.
Coco had a mech and brought his C'dale to the house for a repair. I knocked it out in short order, of course...
Sunday was a crap day weather-wise, but I felt pretty good on the bike today. We left with Il Prof's group from OutJokin' and headed out through W.Cola towards Calhoun County. Too much fiddling about and people blowing on the second bump on 321, in combo with wind and pissing rain, led Doog, Coco and I to up the tempo on the run out to Gaston. We weren't going to wait and get wet(ter) and cold(er), so we turned right and headed across to Hwy6, then made our way down 6, back into Columbia.
We had a great tempo section of the ride, took equal pulls and stayed between 35 and 45 kmh for the hour or so before we got back into town. That may be our new loop to get some hard wok in...
8 hours on the bike makes a good rest week...

Ahhh...the weather...

The weather is just plain wacky around here right now. I'm sure the tree-hugging, Love your Mother, do-gooders will blame global warming, and to be honest, I'm fine with that...! Go drive your hybrids and shut up!

Nothing says lovin' like riding, at night, in the pissy rain, in a SS jersey and shorts.
Doog and I did a very easy urban loop last night. Pretty much just spinning around and yapping at each other. My legs were shit after the weekend, so I just needed to get them going around and spin out some garbage...and I did just that.

The H.O. is sick, so I'm on the VitaminC, Zinc, stay the hell away from her program. I slept on the pull-out last night in an effort to separate my self from the Harbor Seal-like coughing/barking that was coming from the bedroom. I actually slept for once. It's funny, when I'm sick or the MTs are sick, she's up my ass, and their little asses, with advice and medicine, yet she'll just lay around, coughing, snotty and miserable. If you don't want to do anything to either hurry the illness along, or eradicate it altogether, keep how bad you feel to yourself!

I think I'm gonna stay off the bike until Saturday...
Saturday 9am @ the Gate
Sunday ?? as of now...I'm sure Il Prof will throw something together.

Oh, and the Palmetto Solo New Years ride is on again...
NYDR 2009

Weekend and a passing...

First...my Great Uncle Tinker died last week. He was the Sheriff in his county for almost 50 years. This pic was taken in May of 1949. He was a hell of guy, a man's man and a certified badass! (Have you ever been shot?) Godspeed Tink!
Saturday-
42 degrees and FOG. Maybe 100 yards of visibility. VERY damp the whole ride. We did a big convoluted loop of Lower Richland and came back in reverse Thursday night. Coco, Doog and I pulled the group around for 3+ hours. It's getting easier and easier to tell who has been on the bike and who has been using it for a clothes rack. 3:05 ride time...95km and some good tempo riding. I felt really good. The carbon wheels ride very well on the Cannondale. I also proved my theory on riding them everyday... (don't do it...it's not good for you!)
Of course, as it always happens, the fog lifted as soon as I got home.
As an aside, if you don't show up, don't go around telling people that you did, but you missed the group because you were late. The group NEVER leaves on time. We left @ 9:15 Saturday and rolled out slow...! If people were late, they could have caught on with little effort. Show up or shut up!

Sunday-
32 degrees and bright sun with a little bit of wind. We did the first 1:45 of Il Prof's 5+ hour deathmarch. The vast majority went on to do the long way while Coco and I turned and headed for home through the hills and dales of LR. The wind was noticeably stronger on the way home.
Certain folks were MIA today...some expected, some not so...
3:30 ride time...100km of slow turnover...just what I needed.

Overall, a good weekend of riding! Back feels good, legs feel good, new shoes are great...!

Time to hang Christmas lights...

Darkness everybody, darkness...

DH and I did a road loop last night in the dark. I can say with certainty that 42 degrees in the dark in colder than 42 degrees in the sunshine. I think part of the issue was the fact that my feet were really cold. I rode my new Diadoras last night. They are light, stiff and fit very well. They are also ventilated better than my old shoes. I had on the white, oh-so-Euro shoecovers, but they were of little help. Looks like heavier covers are called for with these shoes in cold temps! Of course, I'll get white ones...like you had to ask...!

We did a modified loop in and out of the Fort and ended up with right at 90 minutes on the bike. This week will be a bit of an easy week. My back is starting to feel good again and the legs are coming around, so it's better not to push it. The spin last night was just the ticket.

I may take Thursday off as we're planning to do 3 hours on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. I think an easy week with 10 hours on the bike is good enough. :) Or I may do another road loop and have 12-ish hours for the week.

Saturday- 9a.m. @ the Gate
Sunday- 9a.m. @ Outjokin' for Dean's ride. He'll be sending an email shortly...

Yes, we did...

...no, not that dumbass Obama stuff!!!

Doogie and I waited for the break in the rain yesterday and rode in the wet, cold, pretty damn miserable weather. We decided to do the urban assault loop backwards. It was wet and the roads were providing less than optimal traction for cross tires, so there were exactly zero efforts made yesterday.
We did almost die at one point though. Doog pointed out a break in the trees down near the canal locks and queried, "I wonder where that goes...?". It was more than likely a rhetorical question, but I turned down the hill and headed for the break anyway. About 25 meters into the nearly cleared open area, the dirt turned to deep, deep mud. I rode into the heart of it and just stopped. I almost went over the bars. I would estimate the depth at @ 6 inches. We slogged out of the muck and while I stomped my feet and banged the Salsa on the ground, Doog headed for the canal to wash his bike.
After our excursion, we headed back up into downtown, made a slight detour to harass Dr. LP at his 'house of the month' and then headed back.
It was a pretty dreary day, but a good ride was had nonetheless.