Fun, fun, fun

So I did another really fun ride last night.

Tri-City Schwinn is long gone, but the night ride remains. 30+ folks met behind the strip center on 12th Street in Cayce last night @ 6:30. That's right, I said 30+! No racers, no egos, no pretense, no testosterone driven ass-sniffing, just a bunch of folks who like to ride. It about the purity of the ride. Other than being safe, nothing was really taken all that seriously, kinda the way riding should be...

We rode through the Avenues, down to the river trail. The trail wasn't open, per se, but we still, somehow, made it to the end of trail. I won't say that we snuck around a couple of gates, but certain things may, or may not, have occured that allowed us access to parts of the trail...just sayin'! We traversed all of the river trail, went up into Governer's Hill, through downtown, the State House and campus. At this point, I peeled off and headed home. I ended up with 2.5 hours on the bike. Not many miles, but a lot of smiles! Wow, that last statement was borderline...

I did get a good effort last night though. I didn't want to be late, as I was instructed the ride left AT 6:30. I blew out of the house @ 6:02 and made it to the meeting spot @ 6:18. 16 minutes from Rosewood to Cayce/West Cola on 38c tires is no mean feat. If I recall correctly, the dots were blue.

The H.O. is out of town, so I'm forced to ride in the morning. Oh, how I HATE riding in the sunshine...(can you feel the cynicism?)

The weather outside is supposed to be iffy this weekend, but I'll be out anyway. Are you listening Wiseman?



Oh, and if you think your bike is light, it isn't...

11.7 pounds complete...

Yes please....

New body Camaro turned into the iconic Trans-Am...screaming chicken and all! I'll take it!

Ah...that's the weather we've missed!

What a glorious weekend!! As our favorite over-educated hillibilly would say, "It's beautiful!"
Yesterday, we rolled out into LR in 60 degrees and sun. Not much exciting happened on the ride. We rolled around into Eastover and back the normal way. I felt like crap for pretty much the entire ride. The feelings just weren't there after being off the bike for a week, and off the ROAD bike for almost two weeks. No issues with pace or pulling through, just issues with comfort on the bike after a little layoff. The day more than made up for it! 3 hours and 90km in the bright, warm sun was NICE!
The H.O. and I spent the afternoon looking for houses in Blythewood, which led to the revelation that we're probably going to move out there when the time comes. More house for the $, good schools and it's not Lexington! I'd rather take several dozen shots to the nuts than live in that festering shithole.
A nice dinner @ Carabba's and some shopping made sleep come early and easy.
This morning, it was even nicer! Warmer and almost zero wind. The irony? No one bothered to show up for the standing 'Il Prof' ride...other than Il Prof and yours truly. No worries though! We rolled out Bluff, meandered around the long way through the Swamp and back in. Another 3 hours and 90km in 65 degrees and sun. We rode two up for the entire ride and conversations ranged from HDTV to the tenement in Beijing that his son calls home to why people ride their bikes.
I felt much better sitting on the bike today though. It wasn't a totally foreign feeling like Saturday. Back to back long rides on the weekend are goooood, plus...
I REALLY like having fresh tanlines from weekend rides, especially in November!

Off the bike tomorrow, but my cross-training will consist of raking leaves for most of the morning!

The tide is high

I rode outside today! The bad wing got taped up, boxer style, and I got on the cross bike for a tour of downtown and the over-flowing river. No plan today, other than getting some fresh air, trying out the injured wrist and checking out the flooding. And flooding there be...

The dam out at the end of the the canal had just a little bit of overflow! The walkway shown is the end of the fish run. No fishies getting upstream today!

This is part of the trail that goes under the River Drive bridge. I ran into a guy from the USGS down there who was taking flow measurements. In the middle of the river, under the bridge, the flow was 36,000 cu. ft per SECOND!!! You can see the top of a guide sign in the picture. It's @ 4 feet tall and normally about 4-6 above the level of the river, on the side of the trail.

This in on the Cayce side. Believe it or not, this is a high spot on the river trail! The water was right at 3 feet deep on the walkway pictured. By the looks of the water line on the trail where I was standing, the water level had dropped about a foot or so.

This walkway goes over one of the truly low/swampy spots of the trail. I've ridden this part dozens of times and NEVER seen more than a foot of water here. This portion is elevated and approximately 8-10 feet of the dry ground in the spot shown in the picture!

I made an effort to wind around to the far side of the trail to grab some shots of the old locks and the other portion of elevated trail, but the gate was closed and locked. Climbing an 8 foot fence in cycling clothes, while shouldering a cyclocross bike, next to a roaring river didn't seem like a horribly intelligent thing to do, so I headed home. I got a nice 90 minute spin and saw the river higher than I'd seen it in my 20 years in Columbia. I'd be interested in seeing the Swamp, but seeing as I have an aversion to large snakes and alligators, I'll just assume the water is high!

I think I see blue sky and sunshine...weird!

Have I mentioned...

...that I hate the trainer?
The weather wasn't as biblical as the worthless 'meteorologists' in town predicted, but I wasn't about to go outside in the wet and risk sliding out and crashing on an already bunged up wing, so I swallowed my hatred for riding indoors and hit the ManHole(tm) for an hour on the turbo this morning.
The trainer has it's place, but I just can't fathom how in the hell folks ride it for more than 90 minutes or so. That's my absolute limit!
I popped in the 2004 Tour and set my HR @ 170...60 minutes later, I was soaked...the bike was soaked...the floor was soaked, and my spirit was somehow diminished. Riding the trainer is a double-edged sword. Even though I hold it in such low esteem, I know that it's an effective way to get a fast, focused workout. I know for a fact that I wouldn't have ridden that hard outside, in the wet, this morning.
The positive from the ride? Watching the 2004 Tour. I'm a Lance homer. Sure, I know a lot of folks bash him and call him a doper, but haters are as haters do. The one thing that you can't discount is the fact that Ekimov and Hincapie flat fucking KILLED the other teams in Stage 3 of the 2004 Tour, when they got to the cobbled sections. If you don't like that, then you just don't like anything!

Peace...gotta go to Target with the fam!

I.R.

Well, I get a few days of forced rest.
I schlepped up to Charlotte yesterday to do the 35+/45+ masters cyclocross race @ Veterans Park. Great course, well laid out and pretty fun.
We had a huge field...about 35 in 35+ and probably more in 45+.
I got a BAD start, but had 45 minutes to move up, or so I thought. About 20 minutes in, I had gained about a dozen spots and was sitting somewhere around 12th, about 30 seconds off the lead bunch of 6.
Entering the tougher part of the course, I tried to move around a couple of guys to have a clear shot at the downhill, but chose a really bad line. Now for some math...
Wet grass + off camber + downhill + too much speed + a bad line = M2 in a wrist immobilizer for 7-10 days!
Yep, the front wheel just went away and I went down. It wasn't hard crash, but my left arm somehow got pinned under my chest and bent my wrist in, towards my forearm. I knew it was jacked, but jumped up and continued on. After another 1/2 lap, the pain was too much to bear. I couldn't hold, or pull, on the bars and every bump shot a lightning bolt of pain through my body.
Done and done!
I packed up and headed home, injured and dejected. I called my personal Doc and told him I was inbound. After a wrist/hand X-Ray, and a lot of poking and squeezing, I was told that nothing was broken. Pretty much all of the ligaments in my left wrist are strained though, which makes it about as useful as actually being broken.
I guess I'll be off the bike for a few days. Of course, it's 60 degrees and sunny, with zero wind today...F&%#$R!
To add insult to injury, the buckle broke off my shoe in the crash...super!
I think it's time for some new MTB shoes anyway. My M221s are 4 years old and smell like a stray dog that's been living inside of the turkey vulture's carcass...

No riding until Thursday, so I'll do a couple of reviews early in the week. DZ-Nuts chamois creme and the MagicShine 900 light...stay tuned! Maybe I'll try to run...

Friday commentary

I think all that frequent this place realize that I'm not a big fan of ball and stick sports. Out of all sports that involve throwing or catching, I dislike baseball the least. Sure, I still think that the vast majority of MLB players are di-anabol eating wankers, but every so often, I'll watch a baseball game. It's OK on TV, but actually quite fun to go to the park, especially a minor league park.

Anyway, Philadelphia just lost* the World Series to the Jankees. Let it be known from here to eternity...I HATE THE JANKEES! They are anti-thesis to what the game of baseball should be. Sure, maybe I'm a bit of a luddite. I quite enjoy watching the old documentaries about baseball with video sourced from decades gone by. A team was a team. The guys lived in the neighborhood. They didn't jet in for game day, and then catch another jet after the game to go home to their $7 million dollar, 12, 000 square foot, homage to too much money and bad taste.

I spent many formative years in the Philly 'burbs, and went to more baseball, football, basketball and hockey games than I care to remember, so I have a bit of nostalgia and love for those teams.

I watched the WS with rapt attention and was highly bummed when the Jankees took the series 4-2. The Phillies look, and play, like a TEAM. The Jankees look, and play, like a collection a high priced mercenaries, which is what they are...did I mention the Jankees payroll is $200 million!!!! That's $200,000,000! Eight fucking zeros people...

Again, Philadelphia sports teams have fans that don't exactly fit any mold, and can be huge douchebags, but they're homers. They aren't bandwagon jumpers or fair-weather fans. They come out in all sorts of horrendous climatic events and are there for the team, be it the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, or Flyers. If the team sucks, they boo, jeer, and are generally nasty. If the team is good, they cheer with reckless abandon, but they are always there! Asses in the seats, beer in hand! It's endearing in a sick and twisted sort of way.

Yankees fans, well....they're New Jorkers...need I say more?

Domestic duties call

So the H.O. is in NYC for a 'conference'. I'm talking to her on the phone as I write this and she's done nothing remotely resembling work, but she's walked the length of W. 34St. in Chelsea, hitting all of the stores. I have a sneaking suspicion that this 'all-day conference' with last until shortly after lunch, then our credit rating will take a small hit! I, of course, will receive no spoils from this 'trip'.
I'm single-parenting the boys, which is really nothing new. I would have enjoyed the trip to NYC, but my mother has to work for a living and it seems that my in-laws were 'too busy' to watch their grand-children. Did I mention the fact that they're both retired? Used pudding cups are more useful...

Anywho, I took Monday off the bike, went out last night in the dark and then spun my legs around early this morning.
Last night was a full moon, but it's still DAMN dark out in the middle of Ft. Jackson. I'd planned on just sort of riding, but felt remarkably good, so I pushed a little bit. I ended up doing a convoluted tour of the base that lasted nearly two hours. I was HORRIBLY over-dressed for a hard-ish ride in 60 degree temps and just couldn't figure out what to un-zip, remove, leave on, etc., so I just accepted that I would sweat like a mule for a while. The MagicShine 900 light was superb! I've used it enough now to have formulated an opinion, so I'll be doing a review in the next week or so.
This morning, I went out to the HoP2 loop and tried to make myself vomit. (10) 30/30s will, in fact, help remind one of the Kashi GoLean Crunch one had for breakfast. It wasn't a full body heave, but just enough to discern exactly which 7 grains they use to achieve the cereal's taste and texture. An hour on the bike and I was home. I returned the Salsa to it's cross/race form, went to the shop to hang out for a while and then started my dealings with the MTs.
Fortunately, I have good children who actually listen, so it's not all bad!
The H.O. is to return tomorrow night, LATE, so riding tomorrow is out of the question, unless I leave the boys here alone. Somehow, I think DSS would take issue with this, so a rest day it is.
I'll spin around Friday morning and try to loosen things up for Saturday. Drogalis (nickname pending) and I are leaving EARLY to go up and get our cross on...we'll see how that goes...

Colini out...(figure out that reference!)

Monday review

Well, it's that time of year...time has changed and the temps are dropping. What do you do when/if you don't feel like pulling on knee warmers, or the temps will go up during the course of your ride? Slap on some embrocation, that's what you do!

I've tried a few different formulas over the years, some worked better than others, but hadn't found anything worth recommending to others...until now.

I tripped over Mad Alchemy after reading a review on the old BKW website. After reading all of Padraig's reviews, I went to Mad Alchemy's site and read of their propaganda. Let's just say that it's not a product that's made by some faceless, greedy, soul-less corporation. It's made by ONE guy...in his house! All of MA's products are 100% natural, meaning there's no bad stuff or preservatives to harm your skin, or the environment.

After brushing up on all of the different styles of embro they offer, I decided to pull down on the Cold Weather Warming in Medium Heat. MA makes three different levels of heat in this particular style, so I figured the medium would be the best choice for all-around use in SC, where a 50 degree day can either feel really warm and nice, or ass-biting cold. I made my order on a Monday night and had my little package of warmth delivered, from Massachusetts, on Thursday. In keeping with the theme, it came in a little, brown, hand-addressed box. Inside that box was a brown, recycleable plastic jar. No frills, no extraneous packaging...nice!

Now that I've ridden it several times, in widely varying conditions and temperatures, I can honestly say that it's GOOD stuff! It smells almost edible, and seeing that it's all-natural, it very well may be. The beauty of it is the consistency. It's not watery, nor is it peanut butter thick. Because of this 'just right' smoothness, it isn't messy, goes on easily, and gives good coverage. All you need to cover your knee, and the connective tissue around your knee, is a little blob, about the size of a pistachio (in shell). Slap it on and massage it in well. The warmth will start shortly thereafter. And it looks PRO on your legs. A slight tint and sheen are evident when rocking it.

I've ridden with it on my legs about 6 times at this point and could FEEL the difference, especially last Sunday in the 55 degree rain. It seems to excel in the wet. It actually felt warmer once I was soaked...maybe that's the idea! Once home and in the shower, it washes off easily with soap and water. There's no greasy feeling or residue. The warm feeling remains for a little while though, which isn't always a bad thing after a cold ride!

It can also be used on other parts of the body...it works WELL on stiff backs! And yes, I speak from experience on this one!

There's a time and place for kneewarmers, but if it's between 50-60 degrees, the embro is the way to go.

It ain't cheap($22 shipped for 4 ounces), but as with all things cycling, the cost is relative. If you ride a top-shelf road/tri/cross/mountain bike, $22 bucks on something that works, and increases comfort levels, shouldn't really be a concern!

Buy some, save the planet, be more comfortable on the bike and support the little guy!

Post #666 (run away...run away...)

Well, if you missed Bond's Halloweener ride, you missed a good 110km loop through the country, North of Blythewood. The weather was borderline for the rollout, but got better as the ride progressed. A low, hanging fog followed us for the first hour or so, but cleared off. It never rained and the winds were light, but the humidity kept the roads nice and wet. This fact, coupled with the rural nature of the ride, made for a messy bike and kit. On the upside, the new Tide Stain Booster bombs work really well on cycling clothes! It was a really fun ride with a good group a guys. I really need to go out there to ride more often, for several reasons, with the biggest being that it will make me stronger on the bike.
We never really went all that hard, yet still averaged 33.5kmh for the 110km. It was just steady, for 3:15.
I got home, hit the mix1 (which if you don't know about, you should!) and spent a solid hour wiping road schmaltz and red clay mud off the bike. I also had to give the Ridley a fresh dose of handlebar tape, as the old tape was sullied by a rather large bird with an affinity for some sort of black berries, while attached to the roof rack on the ride home.
This morning, it was the same sort of day, with the added bonus of a light to moderate drizzle. I flatly refused to pull the Ridley out of the Manhole(tm), as it was fresh and clean, so I swapped road pedals and skinnies onto the Salsa, kitted up in my new TBR stuff, slapped on the
Mad Alchemy and headed out.
To say the ride was thin this morning would be generous...it was Kate Moss! Mrs. FK turned around before even making it to the meeting spot, so four of us rolled. That 4 became 3 about 2km later when TVH turned and headed home. FK and I turned off about an hour later and headed home, while Il Prof decided to stay out in the soup. More power to him!
I wasn't miserable or cold, just not quite in the mindset to wallow around in 55 degrees and drizzle for three hours. I ended up with 2 hours, just shy of 60km, and a realization. I really like riding the cross bike on the road during the winter. It fits just like the Ridley, yet isn't as twitchy, isn't as harsh and I don't mind getting it filthy. Everyone should have a cross bike...it's like a Swiss Army knife with wheels!

I have a couple of reviews to post up next week...DZNuts, Mad Alchemy, MagicShine light...stay tuned!

News

I figured out a new Hour of Power(tm) loop. It's got everything you can fit into an hour. A couple of long sections for tempo/efforts, a couple of short hills to big ring up, and options to make it longer, if necessary. If the prevailing wind is blowing, it's also headwind out and tailwind home, which is nice! It will known as HoP2 from here on out.
I didn't try to kill it yesterday, as it was wet, but I did the loop in 1:07. That time can, and will, be easily eclipsed with little effort. Everyone should have a loop like this...

I'll be out on the bike tonight and tomorrow morning, somewhere, if anyone wants to join me. Don't forget Bond's Halloweener ride on Saturday morning. 8:15 at the Food Lion in Blythewood. 8:15 is ROLL OUT! If you show up late, you're chasing us up 21! The planned loop is @ 110km and the pace should be tolerable...30-35kmh.

And if you're following it, the douchebag driver in L.A. took the stand finally. If ever there was a person who truly needed a Kershaw, he's it!

Dumb shit of the day: Courtesy of The Great State of Texas
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/2009/10/28/1028prisonflu.html
So asshole prisoners get preferential treatment over children, the elderly and pregnant women? Nice! Stay classy Texas!

And Contadork has to stay with Astana...ha-ha! Good luck winning Le Tour next year! He and Vino should be good roomies throughout the year. The "tension" between Vino and Alberto will make LeMond/Hinault or Lance/Alberto look like arguments between JV cheerleaders!

Whoa, look at the clock...it's nap time!

Jokey Monday

Courtesy of JB...

Here's a truly heartwarming story about the bond formed between a little 5-year-old girl and some construction workers that will make you believe that we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time:
A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot. One day, a construction crew turned up to start building a house on the empty lot. The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and spent much of each day observing the workers.
Eventually the construction crew, all of them "gems-in-the-rough," more or less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important. At the end of the first week, they even presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars.
The little girl took this home to her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars "pay" she'd received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.
When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at such a young age.
The little girl proudly replied, "I worked last week with a real construction crew building the new house next door to us."
"Oh my goodness gracious," said the teller, "and will you be working on the house again this week, too?"
The little girl replied, "I will, if those assholes at Home Depot ever deliver the fuckin' sheet rock..."
Kind of brings a tear to the eye - doesn't it?

I discovered something...

I've ridden more this week than I thought...
I gathered up all of my clothes to do a load of laundry and noticed that most of my riding stuff was in the pile. 5 jerseys, 5 bibs and 5 baselayers...did I ride 5 days this week? Yes, yes I did...
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Today!
I didn't race Saturday in Augusta, and feel moderately guilty about it, but I really didn't feel like driving almost 4 hours, roundtrip, solo. Instead, I got up and went out to do a 2 hour solo ride with some tempo-ish efforts. It was 70 and drizzley when I left the house. It was actually quite nice outside, especially the 300% humidity.
I did my normal 2 hour loop, but completely forgot that the State Fair is still in town. If the fair where you live is like the one here in South Crackalacky, then you'll know that it attracts the flotsam and jetsam of society.
Anyway, once I got down within about a mile of the stadium and fairgrounds, the weather changed, and not for the better. The aforementioned 70 degree drizzle turned angry. The wind shifted from a cross/tail to a bloc headwind...and the RAIN picked up. And by 'picked up', I mean that it began to come down in sheets, at a 45 degree angle. The temperature probably dropped 10-15 degrees in the course of 800 meters. It got epic in a hurry!
I decided then and there that I was ready to get the hell home, so I put my head down and went as hard I as I my big ass could go.
Between the weather, the fair/football traffic and the dumbf*ck Columbia cop that stepped out in front of me, it was the closest I've come to death in a long while! I made it home, kissed the Ridley for making it through, and said a small prayer to La Madonna Del Ghisallo.
I figure that my penance for not racing had been paid in full.

This morning, we rolled out on the Il Prof ride and met Ward and Clive from Glory Cycles at the gate. For there, the bunch rolled out on a meandering tour of Lower Richland. It was a really good, uneventful, drama-free ride. It wasn't a deathmarch, but we didn't exactly fiddle-dick around either.
It was nice to talk to Clive a greater length as well. We've ridden together before, but never had the chance to really talk about bikes, life, and all of the other BS that come up on a ride. AND he was riding a completely BADASS carbon Merckx. I'm getting a new bike for my 40th birthday in the spring, and had planned on just getting another Ridley Helium until I saw Clive's Merckx, and talking to him about it. Thanks for throwing that spanner in the works man...!!!

Time to go to the Merckx website and start figuring out geometries...

Review

Okay, I've gotten some schwag in the past few weeks and I feel the need to share it with you. Mind you, it's not as cool as the bike stuff that Bond has acquired (cough...Di2...cough...), so take that for what it's worth!
First- Easton EA70X tubular wheels. These are marketed by Easton as cyclocross/crit wheels, but I can tell you that the vast majority of folks who buy these hoops glue knobbies on them and rock them through the fall and winter fun that is cross season. This was my intention as well.
The good- Semi-aero rims laced to Easton's C3 hubset using Sapim DB, straight pull spokes. They were dead true and round out of the box. The wheels are handbuilt at Easton and even feature a small touch usually reserved for custom builds...alu NDS and brass DS nips on the rear wheel. You can actually see marks on the nipples where they received their final touch-up before shipping!
I decided that the subtleties of a $100+, cotton cased Challenge, Dugust or FMB tires would be lost of me, so I went with a set of 220 tpi Vittoria Evo XGs. Three thin coats of Conti tubular glue on the hoops, and two on the tires, the setup was ready to rock.
I did my initial shakedown at Owens Field and was impressed. The wheels roll extremely well and are VERY stiff, yet not at all harsh. The tires are handle very predictably, have plenty of give, and even though I was riding them with a bit too much pressure, they gripped the wet grass to the point that I could HEAR the grass tearing while I turned.
Cost for the whole setup? Less than $500!!!
The bad- Easton slams waaaay too much grease in the freehub. It seemed to be dragging when I gave them their first, out of the box tickle. Fortunately, the freehub is VERY easy to remove/service. I cleaned out about 75% of the sticky, Shimano-like grease and SHAZAM, the freehub spun smoothly! I'm quite sure they'll get even better once the break in a little.

I raced the Easton/Vittoria setup last weekend in Greenville and was dutifully satisfied with it's performance. The course was ROUGH and I crashed the living shit out of them, yet they are still arrow true! I like them alot!
They will be my main cross race wheels for the season, and will be under me in Augusta on Saturday...unless it's REALLY shitty and muddy...
I'll probably slap some nice Vittoria Evo CX road tubs on them in the spring and race them on the road as well. I may do a little spoke upgrade though...maybe some straight-pull CX-Rays...hmmm...

For the money, they're pretty hard to beat. Sure, you can buy lighter, fancier, more expensive wheels, but are they necessary? NOPE! Maybe I'll sell out and race some carbon tubs if I ever get super-fit and start kicking ass, but for now, these will be just fine!

Up next week...the Magicshine 900 LED light....

Gordon's garage sale

http://columbia.craigslist.org/bik/1430614648.html

This is GW's TT bike. Carbon P2C in great shape.

Also up for grabs:

08 HED tubular disc w/Tufo tubular

-(2) 10 mile TTs and (1) 40k on it

-will throw in a new Conti tub tire

$400!!! No, that's not a typo!

04/05 Zipp 303 tubs (non-dimpled)

-used

-$300

Northwave Aerator road shoes

-Size 44

-worn once (pics available)(I've seen them...they're basically new)

-$90

Contact me if you want more pics...

Good help is hard to find...

My painting contractor showed up today...

She's expensive, slow and does sloppy work, but there are some things I can see past!

Trying out the new 900 lumen light tonight...

Update

So you saw the race number. Best race number ever, period!
Anyway, Doog and I rolled up to Greenville bright and GD early on Saturday morning for a little cross action. Nothing says cross like 48 degrees, mist and wind...great...
We got there early, got kitted up and went out to ride the course. The race was at the old Millstone Golf club, which has obviously been closed for quite a while. To call it overgrown would be an understatement. The course was great, but NOT built for big bodies like me. I was okay, but the fact that it had two homely climbs and one just plain UGLY climb dictated that I would not be dicing for the W.
Once the gun went off, the front 8 stayed together until BIG UGLY. The front three, including our diminitive friend, rode away at this point. I was in the second group...spots 4 through 8. I was riding comfortably, biding my time, secure in the knowledge that I could go harder and maybe get away from the guys I was with. On the second approach to the double barriers, I chose to make a little move, went into the wet grass with entirely too much speed and ate a big, steaming pile of shit. I grabbed too much rear brake and the bike just came out from under me. I crashed HARD on my left hip, elbow and shoulder, which didn't scrub off as much speed as I expected. My forward momentum was finally arrested by the 20" high barrier. It looked a little like I was trying to break up a double play...while still attached to a cross bike! I laid there for a long moment, taking inventory of what, if anything was hurt, bleeding, and/or protruding. Luckily, I was okay, and continued on my happy way about 60 seconds later.
By this point, my little group had vanished, and I was 14th. The fight was pretty much taken out of me at that point, but I still managed to pass a couple of guys and ended up 12th.
As for Doog, he rode away and won solo, about 30 seconds up. It was a course that was tailor made for him and he flat killed it! Nice ride midget!
This morning, I woke up with a stiff neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and back. I have nice, softball-sized strawberry on my hip, even though I went down in the grass.
Doog and I met, with little fanfare, @ 9 to ride. We rolled through campus and across to 12th street. One big effort later and we decided, in unison, that dead legs and sore bodies were in abundance, so we turned and rolled home. A big 90 minutes on the bike!
As if I'm not stiff and sore enough, I proceeded to cut up, and split (BY HAND!) and entire oak tree. The chainsaw part was about 10 minutes. The balance of the 2 hours was filled with me swinging an axe. Several wheelbarrow trips later, the wood was stacked in a tidy pile and equaled about 1/2 cord. Rocky training MFer!

I have nothing left...empty...

Today's race number...race report to follow in tomorrow's weekend update!

Random Shite

I did another fun ride Tuesday with the CC boys...after I forced myself to suffer through a prolonged cross effort. Everything was good, except for my choice of route. Not thinking about the fact that it was 75 degrees, and that people are fair-weather exercisers, I dropped down to the canal trail. It was polluted with walkers, shufflers, dog walkers and others who only 'workout' when the sun is out and the temps are over 70. I did my effort in the gravel nonetheless. I'm coming, get the F out of the way!
I continued out of the park and did an effort up Washington until I ran into the bunch. We fiddled around down by the baseball stadium and river for a while, then rolled through campus and back to the shop.
I tried out my new Michelin Mud 2 tires as well. They work really well in pea gravel, wet grass, loose dirt and mud. The are for shit on tarmac, but then again, that's not exactly their intended use. The casing is tall and fat which likely allows them to be run at low pressures. The tread is narrow and doesn't venture far down onto the casing sidewall, so leaning the bike over into a corner was a little hinky. I don't think the fact that I was running them @ 50+ psi was helping matters either. Maybe 10 psi lower, but then they would virtually useless on pavement. They were soft and washy @ 50 psi...do the math...! These are definitely soft/wet condition RACE tires only.
Riding tonight and tomorrow morning and then Doog and I are going to G'ville Saturday morning for a little cross action. There's a seat open in the battle wagon, if anyone wants to go race, or just wants to go and take in the madness.

Random...

The Dems can spend $800+ billion on healthcare 'reform', another $1 trillion+ on various 'bailouts', but can't give folks on Social Security a cost of living increase. Douchebags! My 92 year old grandmother thanks you!

Bandwagon Jumpers of the Week: Those who have 'discovered' night rides. I've been driving that bus for more than 10 years. Welcome aboard...

If there was ever a GUY'S movie, this may be it...

R.I.P. VDB

VDB passed today. Frankie was, without a doubt, filled to the brim with talent, but as it happens all too often, he was also consumed by his demons.
A pro since 1994, he kicked everyone's ass in 1999. If you doubt this statement, please go watch Flanders, LBL, absolutely BROKE legs on the climb to Avila in the 1999 Vuelta, including Ullrich's!! There were ups and downs in his cycling career, yet teams kept signing him because the directors all hoped that the past flashes of brilliance would return. Unfortunately, those flashes were fewer and farther between.
Frank rode with style, suplesse and confidence that we all wish we could harness. Troubled or not, doper or not, he was always one of my favorites.

VDB was found dead today in his hotel room in Senegal, while on holiday. He was only 34!

The roads in heaven are freshly paved, the wind is always at your back and it's always a no chain day!

Okay, break's over...

I was feeling a bit punky last week, so I took it a little easier on the bike...that ended Friday.
Friday, I rode the Salsa and did a true, 30 minute cross simulation, including dismounts and mounts and a few run-ups. I concentrated on maintained a consistent effort and metering that effort at certain different points of my double secret practice loop. A certain very strong Cat1/Masters racer from out West turned me on to this idea. Figure out where on the course you NEED to go balls out and where you can recover a bit. It was a good effort, though I think I could have gone harder.
After that, I fiddled around on some singletrack down by the river. I found a KILLER, old-school, W121 Mercedes 190 that's crying out to made into a street-rod. And by old-school, I mean early-60s...! It begging for a ladder frame, tubs and a SBF. Makes me warm thinking about it!
Saturday, I rolled to the gate to see if anyone would show. Lo and behold, there was actually a good group. We did Double Elon across to the flats. On the transition into the flats, we traversed the Straits of Chihuahua. A completely different rodent, er, chihuahua ran out and attempted to remove TVH from his bike. I could have sworn I heard the little pup say his name was Inigo Montoya.

It was a fun ride with a good group. It was also punctuated by a couple of very crisp and painful efforts, courtesy of FK and BenJ. On, and BenJ got a new bike...I know, fucking SHOCKING! AND it's carbon!!!

This morning, the weather was crap. Breezy, overcast and low-60s. The MTs wanted to go to the Airshow @ McEntire ANG base, so I choose to do the road version of the HoP(tm). I did a Bond-style warm-up* and clicked it into the 52. I kept it in the 52 and the pace between 35-40kph until a passed Crusty's house 50 minutes later. A quick turnover and we were on our way to see some firepower!

Unfortunately, the ceiling was @ 1000ft, so the planes couldn't go up. The helicopters put on a good show and the MTs lost their collective shit when the tanks started bombing around on the field. The static displays were very cool as well. I got a special, one-on-one tour of a P-51D fighter. Un-GD-believeable warbird! The old fella that owned it was hella cool as well...how could you own a P-51 and not be?

Yoga and foam roller tomorrow....

*Bond-style warmup is the little ring to the end of the street...

For JB and the crew...

Denise Richards' Funbags from Denise Richards

A ride that was fun? Who knew?

In an effort to do something different, and fun, I went out for a little Urban Assault action with the crew from Cycle Center last night. And a motley crew it was...no two bikes were alike, but it didn't matter.
We went up through campus, down through the Vista, hit some of the Hobo trails, meandered over past the new USC baseball stadium and into Granby park. A big loop through Granby and back up into campus and home. All told, it was leg busting 20km, but it was FUN! There were a few crashes...cough, Shrews, cough...and many, many laughs. Truth be told, I had one near miss on the concrete path. Let's just say that wet leaves, a 90 degree corner and high speed create a high pucker factor. I need to get my 'night-ride-eyes' in shape too...

As a whole, there was virtually no training value, but to think of it that way would be missing the point. I came home with a clear head and considerably less stress than I had when leaving the house.

Sometimes a simple bike ride is needed. No plan, no BS, just a RIDE. There is joy in just going out and farting around for an hour or two. I think this fact is way lost on a lot of people these days...


Wait for it...

3 mo days

3rd day out of this 5 day stack is done and I'm starting to feel better.
Friday- Doog and and I did 2 hours at a relaxed pace, much like last week. Nothing big to report...
Saturday- Great ride! I went off into Calhoun County all by my little self. I rode out to the 176 split, climbed the big, very ugly hill up to the plateau and out to the cut-through. I stopped at the store in Sanday Run on the way back, yet did NOT partake in the World Famous Blondies that are sold out there. If you don't know what that is, you're missing out! Anywho, I kept the pace @ 35kmh for the entire ride and was tired, yet felt really good when I got home. The riding out there is perfect. 2.5 hours for 80 km...I'll take it.
Sunday- I planned on rolling out solo but ran into Il Prof, TVH and the Kaisers. Instead of another monotonous 3 hours alone with my own thoughts (scary!), I rode with them and had a really nice, pleasant ride. It was the kind of ride that is needed this time of year...an even pace, some good conversation, and a few laughs, punctuated by a couple of 5 to 10 minute sharp efforts to remind you that the business of riding a bike is supposed to hurt now and again. And what a beautiful day!!! 60 when I left and 70 when I got home, and no wind. Pretty damn perfect in my book! Oh, and Mrs. Kaiser's new Colnago is very nice...
It's supposed to rain tomorrow...we'll see where my motivation lies. Trainer in the dry of the ManHole(tm), or the cross unit in the wet...

As an aside, GW is selling his Cervelo P2C time trial bike. It's full Dura-Ace with an Ultegra crankset (he had a SRM on it). It comes with a FSA aerobar setup and Ksyrium SL3 wheels (the silver ones)...you can provide your own aero wheelset...or better yet, buy some of Bond's wheels at his "Everything Must Go, Super-Spectacular, Zipp Wheel Blowout Sale". Pics of the bike to follow...lemme know if you want more details...
He's asking $2k.

Two new links

Check out CX Republic and Velothreads

Both are subsidiaries of TCOTBR and produced by The Rev and Blaze Rippington. Real names will not be revealed to protect the innocent!

CX Republic is up and running. Velothreads will be up and full of product very soon.

If you have any questions about any of the above, give me a shout.

Tired and in need of a stretch

5 days on the bike has made this old man stiff. I feel okay, but my back and legs are protesting this morning.
I will be partaking in an hour of yoga as soon as I punch out this entry.
Friday- Doog and I rode for 2 hours at a pretty relaxed pace.
Saturday- I was supposed to go out with the fellas, but woke up feeling like crap, so I bailed. Yeah, I know, it was a pussy move, but the idea of 60+ miles of Calhoun/Lexington county roads, in the wet, while not feeling great, didn't exact light my fire. I ended up doing two hours on my cross bike. It didn't help the way I felt. My rear Ksyrium finally gave up on me about 20 minutes from home too. Of course, it's a 1st generation SL, I've beaten the shit out of it, and it's had multiple sessions of repair at the shop, so it's not surprising that it finally succumbed to the abuse.
Sunday- I went out solo again and felt shocking okay. I planned on going on and doing a 20 minute effort. That effort went from 20 to 30 to 45 to 60 minutes and I found myself all the way out in Gadsden. It was quite easy rolling along at 40-42kmh with the tailwind. I paid full retail when I made the turn home. A lovely head/cross to full headwind was the cost. My 40+kmh speed got knocked down to 32-35kmh on the run down Airbase. Our worthless weatherguy said the wind was 5-10mph...well, he's full of shit. It was easy 15mph with gusts to 25+. It made for a long slog home. I still ended up with almost 75km and a 35kmh average speed.
Monday- Something different. I did my road HoP(tm) loop on the cross bike with skinnies on it. I got to test the new Thorne 46t big ring that I got from Cyclocrossworld.com. It's a nice gear to roll over and very usable on the hills. It was windy...again!
Tuesday- 2.5 hours at the zoo w/the MTs will, in fact, make legs tired. The last TNCWC of the season went off and the turnout was light. I'm batting around the idea of mixing it up a bit next year by throwing in a road race or two and possibly even a time trial once in a while. I think the repetitive nature of doing the crit every week burns a lot of folks out by the end of the season. I know I'm tired of doing it...and I missed a bunch because of illness and my crash. Coco is the unofficial 'WC' since he won a third of the races and finish top 5 a few more times.
I'll have to come up with some sort of logo to put on his kit for next year...
Dr. LP's little one made an appearance last night as well...she's a cute, little, fat thing!

Thanks to everyone for coming out all summer! See you guys over the winter!

Yoga time...

For sale

Bond is lightening his load of Zipps...hit me up if you want more info about the wheels.

Zipp 404. Dimpled. Bought 2 seasons ago used. Very low mileage Continental Tubulars: $1,000

Zipp 808. Dimpled. New in the box, mid season 2008. Light mileage Continental Tubulars: $1,200

Zipp 900 Disc. Dimpled. Bought, used, in 2008. Vittoria Tubular: $900

Front Zipp 1080. Dimpled. New in the box, end of season 2009. 40 miles. Very, very low mileage Continental Tubular: $950

These are all in excellent shape and a race wheels ONLY. Bond doesn't believe in riding carbon wheels for anything other than racing!

When does time change?

All of the rides have dried up. People are tired and a bit over it all...

The Thursday rides have all but disappeared and the TNCWC had a less than stellar turnout this week. Next week will be the last one until next spring, so get off your dead asses and come out.

Of the people that showed, the HP went up the road early and stayed out. Although they had a bunch of big power, they got some help when some dumbass in a little white pickup decided to drive straight into the course. I/we were about halfway across the gap when we were forced to scatter and slow down. I went into the corner first and had to turn it in HARD to keep from running into this chucklehead. After this excitement, I just sat up.

The break of 6 stayed away and Coco and JC went 1-2 pretty easily.

Doog and I are riding in the morning @ 915, from the gate. Saturday/Sunday are up in the air, but I'm sure we'll be out both days. I'm planning on doing a 5 day stack, starting tomorrow, to jumpstart my fat ass into some sort of fitness for cyclocross.

Speaking of, the Salsa is finally finshed. Same old scandium frame, but pretty much everything else is new. I even drank the Kool-Aid and went with a set of tubies for race wheels. Easton EA70X wheels wrapped in Vittoria EVO XG cross tubs.

Sub-18 pounds w/cages...

I was going to pop for a carbon cross frame, but since I'm a schmoe, beat the living shit out of a cross bike and actually have to PAY for my stuff, the life-span of a carbon frame would probably be very limited. My carbon road bike, I take care of...the cross bike, well...not so much!

The only thing I'm waiting for is my Thorne 46T big ring...

Pssst....

Hey Chris King...

If you are going to completely shit on a derivation of a product, it's probably better NOT to start making that product after the fact...

Yet another reason NOT to buy King's over-priced, heavy shit...I hope you enjoy writing that patent royalty check to Cane Creek every month!

(insert title here)

Nothing real witty to put up in the title so...
After three days on the bike, I'm ready to go take a nap.
Friday- rode the cross bike for a bit over an hour. I felt like complete shit, but was within 90 seconds of the average time for the HoP(tm) loop. The cross bike needed some tickling too. Bars needed to be rolled up and the saddle needed to be raised a bit. I'm trying to replicate my road fit as closely as possible. the low saddle gave me a bit of knee pain...dammit!
Saturday- Met Doog out and we did a bit over 2 hours easy through LR. When we turned, I spun down past the football stadium. There were people out tailgating @ 1030! The game was @ 7pm! Nothing like being shit-faced ALL DAY!
The H.O. was painting, so I ate lunch w/Doog and then went down to the shop. I'd planned on hanging out for an hour or so, but the floodgates opened and I was pressed into service on the floor and turning wrenches. 3 hours passed quickly!
I came home, rested a bit and then took the H.O. to Mr. Friendly's for dinner. That ish was gooood! Blackened chicken and creamy grits...mmmmmmm!
Sunday- Meat, Doog and I met for a little tempo work out through Lexington/Calhoun county. We did the normal 90km loop and got in a really good ride. Doog is extremely strong/fit right now, which is great. The downside is the fact that he's a little fucker, and when he's on the front, there's not a whole lot of draft behind his narrow, 130 pound ass for widebodies like Meat and myself.
I'd planned on riding tomorrow morning, but I need to pack up and ship all of the Ebay stuff that I just sold. Nothing like selling off crap that's just laying around and making an easy $600.
The penultimate TNCWC is this Tuesday. Still starting @ 630, but will probably only run for 40 minutes+2.

Nap time...peace!

A note:

Evidently, my tweet about Cadel Evans was re-tweeted by Cadel himself and caused more than a few grains of sand to work their way into more than a few Aussie vaginas.
Here's what I say:

Cadel is the...

The Aussies who need the vagina wash should call the:

And feel free to fill this out:

Thanks for playing:

Almost over

I think the TNCWC has just about run it's course for the season. We did the normal 50 + 2 again tonight and it just seemed like everyone was just going through the motions. And turnout was light...maybe 20 at the start. We'll shorten it to 40 minutes for the next two weeks and that'll be it for the year.
Derek and FK diced it out for the win and Derek took it by a tire. There was very little excitement to speak of...

And I had to watch this a few times to make sure I was hearing Big George correctly...



Yes, he said he was doing right at, or just above threshold work @ 500-540w! And his 'medium' effort up Caesars' Head was 385w!!
More proof that we ALL suck and take it way too seriously!

My new Easton tubulars and Vittoria EVO XG cross tubs are in transit...

Douchebaggery run amok!

WTF? Was there a polar shift over the weekend that caused people to lose their minds?
First, let's deal with Serena Williams...
Yeah, it was a bad call, but mistakes happen. There's a human element to tennis line judging. She went after the line judge and threatened her with bodily harm. Did I mention that the line judge was a very diminutive Asian woman? I'm willing to bet that if the line judge was 6' tall black man, nothing would have been said...
And I know that certain people who read this will immediately call me a racist, but it just isn't so. A dumbass is a dumbass, regardless of race.
And PLEASE, do not bring up McEnroe and Connors. Neither of them EVER went after an individual line judge. They ALWAYS argued with the chair umpire. And neither of them were EVER profane when arguing/shouting/ranting. Serena dropped the F bomb multiple times in front of a packed crowd and on live TV. She also went after the line judge TWICE! She had also been warned for a conduct violation for smashing her racquet after losing the first set! Not our fault that Kim Clijsters was kicking your ass and you had trouble handling that fact!

Second, Kanye West...
If there was ever a 'man' that deserved a beating of biblical proportions, it's this douche. so Taylor Swift wins a MTV video award and this talentless dickweed jumps up on stage, takes the mic and proceeds to ruin her moment. Did I mention that Miss Swift is a diminutive 19 year old GIRL? Way to go you big knob! It's only about the fifth time he's pulled this kind of bullshit. Betting it wouldn't have happened if Toby Keith's big redneck ass was standing up there! And as much as I hate Beyonce, she showed absolute class after her own win last night by handing the mic over to Miss Swift so that she was able to give the acceptance speech that Captain Dickweed interrupted. Let's all hope that Kanye gets MRSA somewhere near his taint...

Third, Cadel Evans...
What a fucking whiney crybaby! God man, tone that shit down. It's getting really old and tired.
Yeah, Shimano neutral support was slow, but they gave you the correct wheel. When your team car finally arrived, they wasted more time by stopping you again and switching bikes. Sure, it was a mistake, but you lost approximately 45 seconds. Where were your teammates? Oh, yeah, I forgot, Silence-Lotto has basically given up on you after your collapse at the Tour. Maybe you should look at switching teams, or learning how to replace a wheel yourself! Man up, take the wheel from the fumbling Shimano guy and do it yourself!
It isn't the first time Cadel has had a meltdown either...
You know what Lance would have done? Gotten pissed off and ridden across the gap. It wasn't like it happened with 4 km to go! In the mountains, 45 seconds is 500-600m and you were 15km from the finish!
Let's see how 'useless' neutral support is the next time you get a flat.

Rant over!

I went out to the crit course this morning and swept turn 4. And there was, indeed, some glass in the short chute between turns 3 and 4. Looked like a broken Bud bottle on the outside of the racing line, near the gutter. My apologies to those who flatted. I haven't been as attentive to the condition of the course this year.
See you guys Tuesday night.

Oh, and JB kicked ass @ IMMOO yesterday! 10:12!! Nice job Jeff!

I'm tired...

Saturday, Doog and I met at the Gate @ 9 to go out into LR and scout some of the new dirt sections I discovered. Lo and behold, the 'group' had their ride planned for the same time. Although we had ZERO plans to ride with them, we rolled out through the Fort together. Once out of the Fort, Doog and I turned to do the ride we'd planned and headed off down Ridge towards Hopkins.

Once out, we rode out Airbase to the G Mart, turned on Cabin Creek and headed towards the dirt. We actually found two completely different sections that could both be easily used in The 2nd Annual Richland-Roubaix Ride (date TBD). One section was great, while the other was a little gravely (is that a word?). Once back on Cabin Creek, Il Prof snuck up on us from behind and we all rode in together via Double Homey. I ended up with right at 80km and 2:45 on the bike.
Once home, I did some bike maintenance, cleaned up what amounted to an entire group to sell on Ebay, and got a gooood nap.
This morning, I got up and met Doog again. I guess he felt better than yesterday and wanted to ride hard. I let him go and just rode a steady solo 20 mph for 95 minutes and rolled home.
A week of no sleep takes it's toll on riding and the motivation to ride. Tonight, I'm medicating so I can sleep!
Back to the full week schedule next week...oh joy!

Oh, and the TNCWC may get shortened a bit on Tuesday as darkness seems to be falling very early these days. I'm going to go out tomorrow morning to look at the course as well. Karl said there was some glass between turns 3 and 4 that may have caused the flat tire issues last week.

Brand New Funk

Big fast, big fun

The TNCWC was pretty fast last night, but it didn't seem too horribly hard. Breaks went and came back all night, but there was just too much horsepower for anything to stay away. The first break lasted the longest...all of 15 minutes or so. From that point, nothing was given much rope.
There seemed to be a spate of flat tires last might as well. FK, Damon and another Harrell's dude all had tire issues. The Harrell's guy flatted his front in turn 4, promptly locked up his rear brake, blew out his rear and cartwheeled spectacularly into the median. Fortunately, no one else went down. The Harrell's guys might need a handling clinic after two crashes in two weeks. Brakes are for slowing. They aren't on/off switches!
Anyway, the 55 minutes seemed to go by pretty quickly. I never really noticed the time until Bond asked @ 38 minutes.
Everything stayed together and quick until a lull in the action with three to go. This led Bond and a couple of Harrell's guys to roll of the front. The gap was steady and it seemed that no one wanted to chase, so I took it upon myself to commit harakiri. Coming to 1 to go, I drilled it in turn 3 and absolutely buried myself until the break was brought back in turn 1. At this point, I had no chance in hell of tagging onto the back for the finish, so I turned around and rolled back to the line.
The finish was predictable. You just cannot take Coco to the line, as he's pretty unbeatable in a bunch gallop these days. He won easily...again. Let the haters yap all they want, because until you can drop him or come around him, just STFU! PV finished 1st and 3rd...

The H.O. is off to Chicago for a business trip, so no ride for me Thursday.

The best laid plans of mice and men...

So we'd planned on doing 3 hours on Sunday...
It turned into 2.5 with a short bit of tempo down Airbase. Tired legs were in abundance and the wind seemed to pick up the longer we stayed out.
Again, plans went to hell in a handbasket this morning. As soon as I turned on my BB, texts started flowing like cheap wine at a sorority house. The plan was to do a long-ish ride. We actually did 2 hours and it was probably for the best. I looked at my watch at 90 minutes and thanked whomever you may pray to that I was close to home. If we'd gone the long way, we would have been out on 601, heading towards Eastover. I guess there's really no reason to do long rids at this point in the year.
I came home, cleaned up and immediately went to the ManHole(tm) to install a new computer on the Ridley. It seems that Specialized computers have a finite shelf life and tend to fail in about 6 months. It jumped, or was thrown, depending on how you look at it, off the I-77 overpass about 15 minutes into the ride. Back to Cateye products for me...!
Then it was on to Lowe's for an axe, a 5 pound sledge hammer, a wheel barrow and some 3/4" PVC. Axe was for wood-splitting, sledge for some demo, wheel barrow for the H.O., and the PVC to build a barrier for a little cross practice.
After my busy day, I slept soundly from 2:30 until shortly after 5...and it was goooooood!

See you guys tomorrow night at the TNCWC.

A little Justice

http://www.kcci.com/news/20718982/detail.html

http://jalopnik.com/5350298/id-this-partial-logo-help-find-a-hit-and-run-suspect

http://miobi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2757

See, the internet isn't all porn! The guy who hit the cyclist needs to be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the Law, period! Pretty crazy how the guy was tracked down...restores a little bit of faith in humanity!

We're back from Edisto and I'm whipped. Vacation is not restful when you have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Oh, and we took both dogs as well. I'm used to just opening the door and letting them go out in the backyard to do their business (the dogs, not the kids...but it's a idea!). Harnesses, leashes and marching up and down stairs to walk the dogs 5 or 6 times a day makes one want to have a fishtank.
I got two good rides in on Thursday and Friday though. Bombing the crushed tabby/sand trails as the sun rises is pretty centering. Nothing big and exciting, just some fun spins on the cross bike. Possibly even some quality cross training as my metered efforts were @ 45 minutes in length and I started to get used to the bike sliding around under me again.

Back on the road unit this mroning with Doog foor a 3 hour jaunt through LR. We're doing 3 hours tomorrow as well, if anyone wants to join in.

1/2 way point

Well, we're at the halfway point of the the old family vacay...
I've had some very good meals, eaten too much and generally feel like bloated hog, ready for the spit. Operation "De-fat my Entire Being" begins Sunday! After vacation, of course...!
I did ride on Monday and Tuesday though, and plan to ride tomorrow and Friday. I did 2 hard hours on the cross bike Tuesday and felt pretty good. I tried to get some video, but had the camera aimed too low and got nothing but trail. I'll re-adjust tomorrow and post something up.

The weather has been iffy, but no matter. I didn't come down here to lay on the beach...well, yeah I did DAMMIT! The MTs don't mind though. They just run around like headless chickens, regardless of the temps.
We've chartered a boat and are going on a little 'tour' on Friday. We'll see how the boys enjoy a boat ride up through the Sound.

As an aside, if you are in Charleston, seek out 'Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ' in West Ashley. It's easy to find and has the best St. Louis style BBQ, well, east of St. Louis. Much like Jules in Pulp Fiction, I normally don't dig on the swine, but I made an exception for these ribs. HOLY SHIT, but they were good! Just do it, and thank me later!

2 hours on the Salsa in the morning...

A waste of a beautiful day

I'll keep this short...
State RR...
Felt really good...rode near front easily, even on the 'climbs'. In @ 20th when the group yelled aand split on a 60+ kph descent. I saw the paint on the road, but hit the GIANT FUCKING HOLE anyway. Thankfully, I didn't have the same experience as the guys in the 50+ masters field. They hit the hole and half the field crashed, sending about 10 guys to the ER with injuries. I kept it upright and thought everything was okay until we got to the 1k sign. I stood to climb and wondered why the front of the bike felt so soft. Nothing broken, other than my spirit...just a pinch flat. No wheels in the truck, so my day was done. $30 for 12.5 miles. My C/B ratio was for shit!
1/2 of the team kicked ass and took names. Bond defended as State RR champ. JayC was 2nd in his race. BGK and RW both finished very well in the 40+ as well. The rest of us, well...let sleeping dogs lie. On another note, our favorite Scot, Tom C. got pipped at the line to finish 2nd in the 50+. Good show mate!
Came home, packed for the beach, and went to Doog"s for dude's night dinner and some Pineapple Express. That's a funny movie!
Time to get going to the beach for vacay with the family. Same shit, different location!

I think so...

Just did a 90 minute spin with Doog...felt okay...I guess I'm a ready as I'm gonna get for the State RR. We did stop by the Old Columbia Speedway though...it's well on it's way to a proper restoration. The track itself is in horrible dis-repair, but the grounds are looking good. Can't wait until it's open and operating again.

I was going to post a mini-rant about the furor that is surrounding the death of Ted Kennedy, but my boy Hoovis beat me to it. I couldn't have said it better myself...

And I know there's a lot of vitriol towards Lance, but really, STFU! So what if he got some help to up the pace in the beginning of Leadville? The other top contenders got to use the same help. So what if he used sponsor clout to get some of his homies into the race? People are bitching that they missed out on the lottery and are aiming their collective spew at Lance. Do the math here people! Who is going to bring more $ and exposure to Leadville, and endurance mountain bike racing in general...Lance, or some weekend warrior from Flagstaff? Did the guy who missed the lottery have a chance of clicking off a top 10, or even breaking 10 hours?
Face it people, he still won the Leadville 100 by 30 minutes!!! He rode away from Wiens @ the 35 mile point and SOLOED for 65 miles!!!! I don't care who you are, nor what you think. That is fucking BIG RING, period!!


Time to sit around and rest until Saturday...

TNCWC

The group was smaller last night, but it didn't stop the race from being fun and action-packed. RW took off on lap two and was brought back a couple of short laps later. Break went and came back, but the break that stuck was a kind of odd one. It was brought back on a few separate occasions, only to re-form with new blood each time. No, it wasn't a new break, or a counter move, but the same break with a couple of guys getting in and a couple getting out every time.

(Relative) fitness is a funny thing. I felt pretty crappy all day and my legs were crampy when I left the house. Once rolling, I neither felt bad, nor great all night, yet I had little trouble chasing gaps, taking pulls and generally riding hard. I guess last week was actually good for me.
Anyway, I made the mistake of telling Meat to go with a little move right at the start/finish at the bell lap. It was waaay too early to start a proper leadout for Coco. In turn three, the Harrell's guys came blowing by and I saw that Coco was 5th wheel. Once their line went by, I jumped on the back and watched the sprint unfold. Dr. LP started it EARLY and the rest of the bunch queued up. @ 150, the group fanned out, pushing Coco into the gutter. No matter, he still took it out with relative ease.
PV put 5 in the top ten, including yours truly, who sat up @ 200 to go and still rolled across no-handed for 10th. Well, 9th if you take into consideration the fact that Freight Train missed the first 15 minutes!
Don't know why, but the 55 minutes seemed to go by quickly last night and it seemed fun, even though I didn't feel great and and a little unmotivated at this point.

3 days until vacation...

Oh Good God...

A bad penny always turns up...

Jesus...if I was Horner, I'd purposely ride off the side of the mountain and re-injure myself to keep from having to ride with that douchebag! I wonder if the new Astana kits will have Vinokourov's picture on them.

What Astana will be riding next year? Safe to say it likely won't be Trek products! I'm no Trek fan, but even THEY deserve better than likes of Vino!

And we're done...

5 rides/4 days...6 rides for the week.
Doog and I met for a little trip through the woods yesterday. The trail isn't in altogether bad shape. A bit viney and overgrown in places, but not horrible. There are a few trees down that need to be introduced to the old Poulan...though they did make nice barriers to practice dismount/remount on the cross bike. I had to make a few stops to adjust a complaining rear derailleur, remove a large stick and to put my back wheel back into the bike. Yep, the QR got knocked open at some point and the rear wheel parted company with the dropouts. Let's just say, when this happens, the stop isn't a gradual one. I got out of my pedals, but barely!
We went out around Weston Lake, up Old Leesburg and back into the trail.
2.5 hours on the cross bike made me realize that staying on the road bike all summer makes you soft. My knees hurt, my hands hurt and my back is very upset with me!
This morning, we rolled out into Lexington County for a little tempo work to end my block. The ride out was less than enjoyable. Once we got to Gaston, things started to get better. Doog starting pulling hard, forcing me to work to stay on his wheel. I started to open up aand by the time we got onto Hwy6 for the run back into town, I felt pretty good. I guess sometimes you just have to suffer and push through bad patches...
Another 2.5 hours on the bike...I'm done...tomorrow is an off day!
Next week---TNCWC...a couple of spins...State RR and then Edisto for vacation....this time next week I'll be sitting on the beach!

Double Day

Did the old double day yesterday...
Left the house @ 9 for a spin and felt terrible. Bad stomach, bad legs, bad lungs...you get the idea. The first 30 minutes was the very definition of suck. Something funny happened on the way home though. I had a tailwind the entire way and could just turn my legs over, get my HR up and give some effort. I did 3 5minute efforts and each one got progressively easier and seemed to push out the bad stuff. Going up Gervais wasn't so bad...going through USC campus didn't suck either. It made me feel old though. While I look at the young chippies walking around in their shorts and sundresses and think, "DAMN!", they look at me and think, "look at the creepy old dude on the bike!". The idea that I'm actually old enough to have children that age is one I really don't want to think about for long!
Anyway, I lazed about (read: did housework) for the afternoon, took a catnap when the MTs went down for theirs and generally did as little as possible.
I had to rush to make it to the group ride @ 6. The pace was quicker than usual on the way out and stayed pretty steady for the entire ride. The group worked pretty well together until the normal folks did their normal bullshit. Funny that they want to go hard when the rest of the group is just rolling through, but when the hammer meets the anvil, they tend not to be around...
After Airbase, we (the 4 PV) just rolled in.
I ended up with 110km and 3:30 on the bike.
This morning, I awoke to a crunchy back and some STIFF legs. I got on the bike and rode for exactly 55 minutes, never in anything bigger than the 39/15. Most of the stiffness is gone, but I will visit my friend the foam roller tonight!
3 hours tomorrow and 3 hours on Sunday...

Busy days

Monday was nutty...contactors, errands, general BS that takes all day...
Tuesday morning...same deal. Contractors, furniture breakdown and moving to make room for the new furniture...creating a grouchy back and some tired legs!
Then the TNCWC...
There was actually a decent turnout last night, yet it didn't seem that motivation levels were high for anyone. The race ebbed and flowed until a break of 3 got away. The chase would start, then stop, then start, then stop. All the while, the break was riding a steady pace and staying out by a full straight. The was enough horsepower to chase it down, but no one really wanted to do the work, I know I had zero interest in doing a whole lot of work. Oh, and one of the juniors needs to really work on some handling skills. He nearly took Meat out in turn two and about 10 minutes later, he missed turn four completely and nailed his brakes in the middle of the bunch.
Derek ended up taking the sprint from Jamie and Gordon. Ladd won the field sprint for 4th. Kenny, you really don't need a 54 chainring...or an 11!
Tomorrow is a double day, rain or shine. Then a spin on Friday morning. A shorter ride Saturday (likely in the rain) and then ride Sunday...nice little 5 ride/4 day stack.

yes and no

Doog and I met Saturday morning @ 7:30 to ride three hours. His mom is in town, so he needed to get back early. It was cool with me. I hate to get up that early to ride, but I like being home @ 10:30 with 3 hours and 50+ miles.
We rode relatively easy until we got onto Airbase. We were both feeling a bit flat, but did a nice, even, hard-ish tempo for the entire length. It felt pretty good and sort of opened my legs.
I got home @ the aforementioned time, cleaned up, and immediately started hanging cabinets in my kitchen. Got them all hung and now have very little use of my right hand and wrist. I really need to invest in a hammer drill! No leverage and 75 year old rough hewn oak studs make driving screws really fun!
I woke up this morning, got dressed to ride, spun through Shandon on my way to the Fort and just turned around. I felt fine, but my hand is jacked and I had zero motivation to ride. My ride partner had his phone on ignore...
When I got home, #1 son said he wanted an 'adventure', so we packed up Moby and headed to The Swamp. It's kind of nice to have a lightly visited National Park 20 minutes from the house. We, and I mean WE, walked the elevated boardwalk trail. The whole trail is nearly three miles through an old-growth floodplain swamp. Both of the MTs walked the whole way. That's a long way for short legs!!! #2 passsed out in the truck on the way home.

Specialized Toupe Ti 143 review...
It's not for me. Read all of the marketing drivel you like. It will either fit your body, or it won't.
I rode it for 160km+. It was fine when my hands were on the tops or the hoods, but in the drops and hammering, it just was not comfortable. There's very little padding in the nose and the nose is very short. I could feel my perineal nerve getting crushed with every pedal stroke when I was riding tempo in the drops. This is the second Specialized saddle I've tried over the years and neither have worked for me.
It's also very low profile. I was forced to put an 8mm spacer in my seatmast/cap to get my saddle height where it needed to be. The good? It's really light! 191 grams on the scale. If you are looking for a weight-weenie saddle and don't mind having your junk crushed, it may be the right one for you!

Trying a Fizik Arione next and then maybe an Antares...

Oh, and get well to TVH. He ran over (literally) a chihuahua on Saturday and went down hard. He's a little bunged up, but nothing on his person is broken. His Colnago didn't get off so lucky. Levers, hoods, saddle...all farked. He also smashed his helmet.
As for the dog, well, it got run over flush by TVH AND Dr. Jones. They said it ran off, presumably to expire quietly under the house.
See you guys @ the TNCWC.

2X

Yesterday, the plan was to go out and spin for an hour on the road. I dropped the MTs at school and as soon as I pulled into the driveway, the rain started to fall.
The cross rig needed a shake down ride, so I pulled it out and rolled into the rain. It wasn't bad. The bike worked fine with it's new parts and the rain actually felt pretty good. I can tell you that Ultegra SL cranks are waaay stiffer than FSA SL-K carbon ones and the new Look Quartz pedals are very nice...stomp and go.
Anyway, I did the HoP(tm) loop down around the river. The rain felt good, my lungs were working properly and the legs felt like they were attached, so once I got to River Drive, I rode hard. I ended up riding @ 92-95% for 20 minutes...in the driving rain...and it felt good.
The rain picked up on the spin through campus and the 'hood. As soon as I got home and leaned the bike against the stairs, lightning hit...CLOSE! And of course, as it always goes in my life, the rain stopped about an hour later.

The group met at 6, as usual, and went off through the Fort. Well, they did, I turned and headed home.
The Specialized Toupe saddle that I'm borrowing from Shrews is waaaaay lower profile than the Flite I took off. I measured seat height and it looked the same...well, it wasn't. I felt like I was sitting in a hole, so I blew home. I can't just raise the post on the Ridley as it don't have one...
I ran to the ManHole(tm), grabbed 5mm, 8mm, and 10mm spacers. I threw in the 5mm and took off, riding the loop backwards to meet the group. The 5mm wasn't enough, so I stopped, again, took it out and dropped in the 8mm...perfect. The rest of my wrong-way chase was a 45 minute effort at 90%+. I met the group just after the 4-way stop, turned and chased onto the back. I rolled in with the group and, even with my detour, ended with almost 70km and 2 hours on the bike.
I ended with just shy of 100km for the day and 3 hours of ride time. I feel like things are coming back around after being sick.
Doog and I are meeting @ 7:30 in the morning for 2.5 to 3 hours, including some tempo. All are welcome...

I'll give a more in depth review of both the Toupe saddle and the Quartz pedals in the near future.

A plug

If any of you fine folks who frequent my little pill party are in SE Pennsylvania, and need a good rub, hit up my friend Beth.
She specializes in Swedish, Deep Tissue and Sports massage. She's a CMT and a certified personal trainer. Beth knows her shit! She's also very cool and full of personality. No sense getting rubbed down by someone who can't carry on a conversation...

Check her site:
http://www.getzmassagetherapy.com/

I've also added site over in LINKAGE.

Thanks!

M

Stupid Wdenesday

(Yeah, I know I spelled it wrong...)

So I've come to the conclusion that Glenn Beck of CNN is batshit, around the bend, head injury crazy. He actually said that every piece of legislation that Obama is trying to push through Congress is tantamount to REPARATIONS! Really? Did you come up with this on your own Glenn, or did you get a letter from the Klan and figure that they had it right? Seriously, he's said it more than once...Google it...
I don't agree with much of what Mr. Obama says, and to be perfectly honest, I think ALL politicians are full of shit, regardless of party affiliation, but saying that the President is trying to back door reparations is just plain idiotic! What's next, universal healthcare including 40 acres and a mule?
Next, a thread on RBR is full of FAIL! It's a thread about cleaning white handlebar tape. Morons on there are talking about cleaning tape with Simple Green, dish soap, Gojo hand cleaner and myriad other things. All just terrible, inane ideas. Clean your bars with a chemical based compound...go ahead. Now, go ride in the rain. Need to wipe your face? Go for it! Feel that burning in your eyes, nose and mouth? THAT'S THE FUCKING CHEMICALS!!!!
If you want to always have clean tape, maybe white isn't the best choice for you. They make gray, off white, every color in the rainbow and the ever popular BLACK!
Yeah, I rock white tape and don't mind when it's dirty. It shows me that I've had my fat ass on the bike. When it gets too dirty for me to look at anymore, I re-wrap the bars with clean, crisp white tape. It's a re-birth of sorts. Something fresh and new to drive me to the bike.

Think with your heads people...

And lastly, file this under "answer to questions not asked"...
You all probably know that I'm no fan of Trek bicycles, but this is just really, really dumb...
Carbon, single speed, belt drive...
http://twitpic.com/dlvlv
Maybe I'm getting old and slowly becoming a luddite, but I just don't understand this...
I guess it's something for the Fixie Douchebag w/a Trust fund set. I'm willing to bet there will be at least one of these in town sooner than later.

Checking in...

Well, I got up @ 0515 Saturday morning and should have just gone back to bed. I felt iffy on the VERY early ride to Charlotte to race, but figured I could gut it out for 45 minutes.
Bad Omen #1: Setting up the bike on the trainer to warm-up and my 14 year old trainer broke. POS!! :) The handle that tightens the clamps on the skewer spun freely and wouldn't secure the rear wheel. Considering I bought the thing in 1995, I should have expected a failure at some point. At least it didn't fail while I was in the middle of warming up. Falling off the trainer is right up there with kicking yourself in the nuts.
Bad Omen #2: Forgot my chamois butter...team shorts w/no chamois butter is baaaad.
As I've chronicled in previous posts, the buckle on my right shoe has slowly been dying, thanks to my crash back in April. Well, the little plastic/aluminum bastard gave up on me during the race. I stood to come out of the last corner and my foot nearly exited my shoe. Two times in two races! I felt fine and planned on staying in, provided the SRAM Neutral Support guy had some duct tape. He did not...! How the F does a guy with a dozen full bikes and sets of Zipps NOT have duct tape. For safety's sake, I opted to drop out and drive my happy ass back to Cola.
Buckles and straps are in transit from Diadora as we speak.
Timberlake had the best finish of the day with a 20th. The rest of the team...well...I don't think any of them really want to discuss it!
Sunday, Doog and I met with the plan to do 3 hours somewhere slightly North of easy. Neither of us felt as that plan was ambitious, so we did 2:15. I did feel better the longer we stayed out though. I felt a little bad though, after I led the boy down a dirt road that had been newly converted to gravel and he flatted.

This morning, Doog and I met for a nice 2+ hour jaunt through the flats. The plan was to beat the heat, and we did, barely! It was 87 when got home...at 1115!!! I'll pass on racing the crit in swampy heat. It's just the thing that makes me feel like shit the next day. Off the bike tomorrow, but a double day on Thursday.

Peace out...

We'll see...

Went out Thursday with the group...probably should have turned off, but made the turn down to Elon with the bunch. The plan was to go out and do some openers and then go home. Well, I did some openers in the form of smashing the big ring all the way down to Elon. I went up the climb easy, thinking that the group would soft pedal, as usual, after going over the top. No such luck.
It was a nice chase all the way down to Bunky's. The ride got really fast on the run to Airbase, so I sat up. No sense in deadening my legs further considering my suspect level of fitness right now. I watched the bunch roll off into the distance and sat my pace @ 32-35kmh and just pedaled my big ass back to the house. I ended with one hour hard and one hour moderate, which was a little too much considering I'm racing in the morning. My legs were a bit stiff this morning. Gonna go visit the foam roller in a few minutes.

Wake up call comes at 0530 (not a typo) and then plan is to roll out the Battle Wagon(tm) @ 0630. Since my passengers bailed on me, I'm flying solo to Charlotte. I want to get there early enough to actually get a proper warmup this time. Every race this year, but one, I've done without warming up before. Some people can do it, but I'm 39 and have more slow-twitch fibers than fast at this point. The big diesel needs to get warmed up.

The course is short and technical, which I like. Whether it likes me is TBD...
Like I said...We'll see...

OR

TNCWC

Is it hot enough for you? Yes, actually, thank you! There's nothing quite like lazing about in a 75 degree house all day, only to get dressed to go out and race in 95 degree heat. The body (mine at least) does not like this violent change in temperature and effort. I think I need to go outside during the day and get my blood moving.
Anyway, the race went off as usual, and as has been the M.O. for the past few months, the turnout was pretty low. I couldn't really tell if it was fast, slow, or somewhere in between, as I've been sick and off the bike. It felt fast to me, but I still have goo in my chest, so breathing was fun, fun, fun. The legs were good, but the lungs were suspect.
The race itself stayed together for the most part. Attacks never got anywhere and the race ended in a bunch (what was left of it) sprint. Coco took it pretty easily for yet another PV win.

8 days off the bike and a sinus infection have definitely affected what little bit of fitness I had before I fell ill. If the old 3/1 rule is correct, I have about 3 weeks of work to do to get back to where I was, which was mediocre anyway. Kinda like clawing my way back to the middle!

I really need to track down some buckle for my shoes as well. It's not an entirely pleasant feeling to have the buckle come undone when making an effort @ 45kmh. Let the scouring of the internet begin.

And Operation Two Wheeler begins tomorrow for #1. He got a 'pedal bike' for his birthday, so it's time to break the bad boy out!

Back on the horse

Well, my 'issue' has been resolved, but I'm still a tad under the weather. As most who ride would do, I got on the bike anyway. After 8 days off, Saturday's ride was a bit rough for the first hour or so. Even though we were going SLOOOOW, the legs felt barely attached to the rest of my body. The fact that it was like riding through a wet washcloth didn't exactly help. If you look up 'humid' in the dictionary, it says, see 31 July 2009.
Coco, Meat and I did right at 2.5 hours at little more than talking pace, but it was really all I wanted. I DID get to expel a lot of 'stuff' that has been lingering in my sinuses and I felt better for the ride.
Sunday, Il Prof's ride had a larger than usual turnout, which was great. Once we got to the end of Double Elon, the majority of the bunch decided to turn and cut off a bit of the ride. FK, Rich and Doog took off on Airbase, while Chris and I spun and talked.
It was another cloudy, humid day, but better than Saturday. I felt better too. The legs are still there, I just need to get rid of the goo that's hanging around in my chest.

#2's 4th birthday was yesterday. He had a party at The Little Gym. That place is genius! A big open room with a padded floor, tumbling mats and big crash pads....a 4 year old's dream scenario. AND, the employees take care of everything. No setting up, no keeping kids entertained, no cleanup...worth every penny!!! Of course, he made out like a bandit in the gift department. Then we went to dinner with the fam @ Rockaway's. It was a long day, to say the least. I was so tired, I couldn't go to sleep and once I did, I was wide awake @ 5 a.m.!! Naps will be had by all today!

See you guys @ the TNCWC!