Weekend and getting better

Well, the general malaise I've been feeling seems to be making it's way out of town. Last weekend, I had one of those empty days, followed by a week of not feeling all that great, on the bike or otherwise.
Yesterday's ride seemed to indicate that I am going, and feeling better. We rode 55 miles in 2:45 at a good, even middle of the road tempo. I had little issue either holding the tempo or pushing the pace, and never really felt like my heartrate got terribly high. We started with 6, but lost Reed about an hour into the ride. He was going to Charleston today for the spring century and didn't want to overdo it. I told him that 55 miles wouldn't hurt him for Sunday, but he reminded me that he has ridden about 10 times since November and that survival was his game paln for the century. Considering they rode 4:08 last year, I be ducking for cover if I was him too!
I really need a chain for the Ridley too. It popped a few times yesterday and made one REALLY loud protest when I stood up in the 14 to go for the bridge sprint. Thankfully, it held together, but I'll be ordering a new chain tonight nonetheless.
I didn't even bother to get up to ride this morning. Everyone that would even think about riding on Sunday was in Charleston and waiting for any OutJokin' employees is an exercise in futility. The way my luck runs, ThePeanut would have been the only one to show. I woke up late and finished all of the paintwork in my newly renovated backroom. It looks damn nice, if I do say so myself. It actually looks like I had professionals do the work, rather than a troupe of orangutans. I've learned a few things about hanging and finishing drywall since I did the ManHole. The only thing left is the floor, and I'll be starting it this week. I won't say that it should be a quick project, as that usually leads to a monkey humping a football.

As for ThePeanut, he has been conspicous in his absence. Evidently, he thinks that the whole of the Columbia cycling community is out to get him. Paranoia? Party of one...! If he didn't ride like such a boob and just STFU, he'd be okay. NID said that ThePeanut almost took out the Beer Ride on Friday night and got yelled at. If you are getting yelled at by the folks on the Beer Ride, the problem is yours...

Anywho, Ill probably go out for a quick spin tomorrow night to loosen the legs. The are stiff and heavy from climbing up and down an 8 foot ladder for the past two days. Crit Tuesday...see you guys there! It's supposed to sunny and 85...

An open letter

This is an open letter, meant for EVERYONE. This will outline behavior that should be practiced when riding in a new town, or in a new group.

When you move to a new town, you will need to search new groups, shops and places to ride. A seemingly small minority of cyclists actually know the proper way to act when going to a new place. When you move somewhere, and you've been riding for a long while, the lay of the land is pretty easy to see. For some, this is not the case and the following pointers may, or may not, help.

1) When you move somewhere and find a group to ride. Go to the ride. Show up early. Don't talk shit. Merely introduce yourself and BE QUIET. In every group, there is someone faster than you, period. It's a proven fact, much like gravity or Lance having one testicle. Don't tell the group you used to be a Cat2 back in the day or that you've ridden for X amount of years. If the group is at all fast, or includes racers, they can sniff out bullshit a mile away. The bullshit meter gets pegged when you look more like a veal calf than an ex-Cat2.
2)If you have a question, ask it politely and you're likely to get a polite, yet straight, answer. The group isn't there to hold your hand, but most will help you out.
3)Don't ride to the front of the group and think you are putting the hammer down. That will lead to a long ride, in a strange place...alone. Ride in the middle, or on the back. Most groups that have ridden together have done so for a long while. They don't need some guy they don't know screwing up the dynamic, or worse, taking them to the ground.
4)Don't say stupid shit. Don't tell whoever is listening that you need a new bike because your high dollar carbon frameset has Ultegra 10 speed on it and you think Dura-Ace is faster. Don't make claims about how you've raced, where you've raced or who you've raced for, or against. The cycling community is a small, insular, somewhat incestual one. Facts are easily checked.
5)Don't say that you worked hard to catch the group after they've slowed way down, or even stopped, to re-group. This is especially bad when you ride of the front after being shelled out the back. If necessary, re-visit rule 1.
6)If you are single, don't hit on all of the girls in the group. They are there to ride, not worry about the creepy new guy trying to separate them from their lycra. Odds are, they are either dating, if not married to, one of dudes on the ride. It's a good way to getting a summary beating.
7)Don't do a couple of rides with one group and talk shit about them to another group. In every town, no matter the size, people know each other and talk. This will only lead to much consternation and you'll likely be called on it...in front of everyone...but the group asshole...who can drop you at will...! If you get invited to ride with the fast group, don't talk shit about the ride itself. Don't say you don't do crits when that's the fast ride of the week. Come out, take your ass-beating and then decide.
8)Don't touch other people while on a ride. If you see a few folks reaching out to touch each other, they probably have been riding together for a long while. If you don't know me, don't touch me.

I'm sure of missed a few, but this list will insure that you have a smooth transition into your new habitat. Feel free to pass this list on...

MM

cool hand luke

I know ThePeanut fancies himself an actor, but don't think for a moment that I'm comparing him to Newman...

Another Tuesday come and gone...

The crit went off again last night and was a safe affair once again. It was a strange ride though. The first 20 minutes seemed to me, and several others, to be much slower than normal. We stayed right at 40 kmh for the entire time, but there were no jumps or attacks. We just rode around like a school of mackeral. The pace picked up, but it wasn't close to the attacking stlye of last week's race.
Team Sippy Cup was out in force, and while I think what TS is doing is great, they aren't as strong this year as last. The race this week was great for them, as it was slower and more controlled. Last week, they wouldn't have performed nearly as well. There were a couple of new kids out who should probably get some additional riding under their belts before they come out to the big boy race.
Overall, there were several new faces, and for the most part, they couldn't get out their own way. A Vicious Gaper actually made an appearance last night as well. At least one of them has the stones to come out and ride with the men. He was in the way, and looked like a grizzly trying to have his way with a field mouse, but he was out there.
Personally, I had a BAD ride. I was flat and my stomach was a knot for the entirety of the race. I made one huge, suicidal effort to bridge a gap and that pretty much sealed my fate. I could move around in the group at will, but just didn't have a whole lot last night. I don't know if it's the Claritin or not eating enough before the race, but I was at about 75% last night. I gotta stop sharing my lunch with Il Bambino. He eats half my sandwich these days...
With 2 to go, I really thought about dropping out, but my pride got the better of me and rolled across in the middle of the group. No reason to sprint from the back and get taken out while passing folks in the gutter...

a long, yellow weekend...

Saturday was one of those days that pop up once and a while, for every cyclist. I didn't feel all that great when I woke up. The H.O. cooked Friday night, so it's no surprise that I awoke with a sour stomach, but that's a different story for another time...

The group was a good one, but when the tank has bad fuel in it, no group can help you survive a fast tempo ride. About an hour in, I wasn't so much flat as headed downhill. I turned off, deciding discretion was indeed the better part of valor. I feel confident in saying that the remainder of the ride turned into a swordfight. I rode home solo, feeling worse as the day progressed. I think my glycogen stores had been not only depleted, but closed down by the state. I ate and drank everything in house when I got home and still felt terrible. Painting the brick wall in the backroom probably didn't help me either...

Sunday is turning into a joke. It was almost 70 degrees and three of us showed for the 9am ride. I didn't feel great, but am glad I rolled my lazy ass out of bed to go. We headed into West Cola and did the old Gaston loop. Normally, you have a huge tailwind home, but as is normal with any ride I'm on lately, the wind shifted and blew 15 mph in our faces on the way back. Couple that with the 85 degree temps and the copious amounts of tree pollen blowing around, it made for a fun ride. I looked like I had been cast in a jaundiced Kabuki production when I walked in the door. I was YELLOW...

We had a good ride though...thoroughly enjoyable. The more I just ride, instead of having to prove the size of my manhood, the more I enjoy it. I think I may actually forego Thursday rides this Summer and just do the crit for my hard day.

BTW, Claritin D is good stuff...

First Thursday ride

The Thursday ride is supposed to be another sufferfest, but I'm just not feeling it yet. The group was small last night and, with the wavering light, the route is forced to be short. We all stayed together on the early climbs and then the split happened. I could have easily gone with it, but had compunction to do so. Chris and I rode side by side, at a medium-slow tempo and talked the whole way. We did one big loop around the base and went home. An hour and 40 minutes and a very enjoyable ride.

I changed the fork out on the Ibis, to a Ouzo Pro. What a difference. The front end is much stiffer now. After racing the Ridley on Tuesday, I can honestly say that the Ibis is more plush...more of an all day bike, and the Ridley is a RACE bike. The Ridley seems to go better when pushed really hard and the Ibis is the same all the way across the board.

3 hours tomorrow and Sunday. The weather is supposed to be beautiful. 85 degrees and sunny. Sorry all of you folks up North...not really...

Oh, and my brother said he saw this, on a Bianchi, riding up Kilbourne on Wednesday...

48 minutes of fun, fun, fun

The second round of the TNWCCS went of this evening without a hitch. This week was a bit more of a herky jerky affair. There were quite a few laps that were simply blistering and others that were positively slow. Of course, these slowdowns lead to the inevitable attacks that get thrown while there is a lull in the action. Nothing had a chance of getting away tonight though. There was just too much horsepower in the field. It is shocking to the system to jump from 19 mph to 33 mph in the course of 200 meters. That being said, it's definitely a quality field on most Tuesday nights around here.
The only problems are with ThePeanut and the kid who insists on coming out on his cross bike...with knobbies. I'm all for a big, jovial group and really don't want to hinder anyone's enjoyment, but sweet Jesus, you just can't turn on a 35c knobby tire. I was waiting to get swept a few times as we dove the bottom corner at 25+. It's stupidity and it endangers the bunch, period! Come out on the cross bike, but put some freaking road tires on the thing...please...! The life you save may be your own...cause if you take me down, I'm likely to break your head right on the spot.
ThePeanut is possibly the most dangerous person riding in this town. He's just strong enough to be in the way. He can go like hell when we're at 25 mph, but when the pace ramps to 30+, he's not even pack fill. Turning is a completely foreign idea as well. Don't hit your brakes, especially in mid-corner. At more than one point tonight, he sat up...in the middle of the group...at 28mph. If you are going to sit up, whether by choice or the fact that your legs just blew off, get out of the fucking line. The last time, Il Professore shot the gap and gave him the old hip rub. ThePeanut developed instant rigor mortis. The first rule of getting rubbed is to stay loose. That way you can absorb the rub. His claim of "20 years of racing" is quickly unraveling. Every week, something else happens that chips away at whatever narrow truth he's trying to sell us on. I saw two more pieces of evidence tonight. At this point, I can't tell if he's trying to convince us, or himself...

I had good placement through the last corner but got pushed into the gutter by cyclocross boy. I started my sprint late, but still managed a 5th. Not a bad finsh considering the company...

A new day

Ever had a ride that was enjoyable for the entire thing? That was today...
I got up and went to OutJokin' for the "group" ride, sat around for 5 minutes and decided that none of the fair-weather folks around here were going to show. I met my brother at the gate and we rode out. My gears were sufficiently ground after waiting for 10 minutes, so when my brohem rolled up, we rolled out.
We rode for 2-1/2 hours, slow, period! I think our average was about 17 mph and I never saw anything faster than 22. My legs were a bit shot from yesterday's slugfest, so the spin did me good. Nothing of note really happened other than general enjoyment of a beautiful spring morning. We did get yelled out by some guy on his way to church for riding two abreast. Too bad it's legal, dickhead. I didn't have the heart to tell him that what he was doing (yelling at us) was far more dangerous, as he was in the oncoming traffic lane, over a double yellow line. Nor did I have the heart to point out that my Ridley was worth more than his 1980 Mercedes turbo diesel.

Two observations/questions:

Why do employees of OutJokin' never show up for rides? Maybe it's the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign...

I'm glad I rode today. I'm like Charlie. While your laying around, doing nothing, I'm out in the bush, getting stronger...

Can we have a day that isn't windy?

That's all I really ask. I don't mind a slight headwind. As a matter of fact, I've put more than one person in a spot of bother by hammering into a headwind. Today was a different story altogether. The wind started out light and got stronger the longer we stayed out. 3-1/2 hours felt really long and hard today. I ended up with 95km. Usually, I'll kick it around the block for 10 extra minutes to get the 100, but it just wasn't happening today.


It was about 45 at the start of the ride too. People got spoiled last week with temps in the 70s and 80s, so a little cold snap kept folks inside. We did have a guest in attendance today. A pretty damn strong, as well as not too hard on the eyes, racer chick from Minnesota. It seems young Maria was down here b/c her boyfriend is visiting Carolina in an effort to get into the Ph.D program in Chemistry. They DROVE down from the frozen north!! Bump that!!!


It ended up being 4 of us when The Velvet Hammer turned to go home. He said his heart, and his legs, weren't in it today. We went out through the flats and back in through the hills. We tried to stay on the ridgeline in an effort to stay out of the big wind. It kind of worked...


ThePeanut was out. He was simply all over the place. Both on the road and his bike. He looks like he's in pain when he's riding. I warned Maria and not 2 minutes later, Robert did the same.

The bullshit of the day is, again, a two-parter...!

P1: I asked Peanut what happened Tuesday night at the crit. He said he dropped out with two laps to go. More like 22 minutes to go. He said his dislocated shoulder was bothering him and he couldn't go hard. I'm not a Doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but you cannot ride with a dislocated shoulder. I had a Grade4 separation once upon a time and I couldn't scratch my ass without pain. There always seems to be an excuse with this one.
P2: He also ventured his opinion of the crit, like we need it. He said the crit he used to do in Atlanta was faster and smoother. He's obviously never raced crits before, because there isn't such a thing as a smooth crit. And as reported before, he made his best effort to take out the group. As Yoda would say, "Talk about smoothness, you should not..."

Hopefully Maria and her BF will move down and infuse this place with some good new blood.
Oh well, another ride tomorrow...

The duties of fatherhood

I missed the first Thursday ride of the season last night. Well, I wouldn't say I missed it, I just wasn't in attendance. I'm sure fun was had by all...I just had other things to do.

The H.O. was out of town with her assistant, so I was on Bambino duty. The two of us drove out to have dinner with his two crazy grandmothers. Yes, I said two. My grandma is still alive and kicking at 89. She's a cantankerous old woman anymore. Between her and Il Bambino, it's like having two kids...

I just picked up a Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork, brand new, uncut, in the box, for $125. Not bad for a fork that retails @ $350. It's all in an effort to stiffen up the front end of the Ibis. The frame itself rides like a champ. The fork, well, not so much. For general riding and noodling about, it's fine, but for racing, it's a wee-bit too mushy for my liking. The Reynolds should tighten things up a bit. I also bought a 45mm rake, which, in theory, should quicken the handling ever so slightly. It's only a 2mm difference, so I'll reserve judgement. Of course, 2mm in some carbon fiber applications is the difference between success and catastrophic failure.

It's been sunny and 75 here all week and it's pissing rain today. The weather is supposed to clear out and be sunny tomorrow, but about 20 degrees colder. Oh well, better 55 and sunny than 55 and rainy...

Peace...

The first crit

Well, the first installment of the Tuesday Night World Championship Crit Series went off without a hitch last night. I was a generally safe affair with a lot of give and take by all who attended. The only iffy behavior was exhibited by 'you-know-who'...
On at least two occasions that I saw, ThePeanut swung wildly right into the middle of the group after making his feeble efforts to ride to the front. It's okay though, he got shuffled out the back after about 30 minutes. It took longer than expected to be honest...

The first lap was a virtual noodle-fest, but the poopy hit the fan on lap 2. The pace picked up and stayed above 40 kmh, with more than a few 50+ surges, until about halfway. At 20-ish minutes in, Der Kaiser attacked and we all watched. All except AZPhil. He went across the gap and the two were never heard from again. We could see them about 300 meters in the distance, but there was no bringing it back. A few little groups got off the main peloton, but were quickly reeled in. I want to see AZPhil's SRM data.

The last lap saw an early attack from LittleJoe, but it was quickly pulled back. I was sitting third wheel at 1500 and did not want to be there. I sat up a bit and let the line go and got back in about 12th. I felt good for the sprint. I hit my pedal in the last turn, which is something I've never done before. I think the BB on the new bike is lower than the Ridley, but I digress...
I was still sitting 10 or 12 back when the pace ramped up and I tried to throw a spanner in the works by going from 350. It was a solid plan, except for the lack of communication between my brain and the rest of my body. The heart and lungs gave out at about 150 to go and I coasted across the line solidly in the middle. It's funny to watch the non-sprinters dice for it though. D-Rok showed them a clean set of wheel to mop up the field sprint.

Overall, it was a good ride and really fun, if this sort of thing can be considered fun. I rode well and only felt bad once during the 47 minute affair. Good times people, good times...

Weekend

Well, the weatherman screwed the pooch this weekend. It was supposed to be overcast and in the 50s with a chance of rain. Two days of sun with Saturday in the high 60s and Sunday in the 70s proved otherwise. SC may be filled with hillbillies and be 49th in education, but the weather is way nicer than anywhere up North...


Saturday's ride was a 4 man affair as Greenville is still going on. We just noodled around in LR for 3-1/2 hours. I ended up with 95 km though, so I won't complain too loudly. We did get stopped by a train...that stopped...for 20 minutes. We finally turned and went home a different way. Good ride all the way around...



Sunday was another story. It was a great ride with fabulous company...minus one. That's right folks, TheDink was out today. His new nickname will now be ThePeanut, but we'll get to that in a moment. It was the same old song and dance coming from ThePeanut today. When he wasn't pointing out holes and swerving around them like am epilectic, he was doing his now patented move where he rides on the front when the ride is going 20. Today was a different animal though. With the time change, it's time to get some good efforts in. The WCTNCS starts Tuesday, so it's time to go fast. More than a few times today, we just picked up the pace and went hard. TVH and Il Professore kept attacking and covering each other too...! They were short bursts, but they were hard nonetheless. This is where ThePeanut got his new nickname. He'd stay in for exactly one rotation of the paceline, then get summarily shelled. This happen right at a half dozen times on the ride this morning. Hence, the new nickname. He's not worthy of a name that includes a harder shelled nut, like a pecan or walnut. Peanuts crack on the first try...
When we'd slow down to re-group, the frak-wit would just ride past at 20 and ride off the front, turning around to see if we were 'chasing' him.

I'm excited I finally get to use my new graphic. Yippee...! Today's bullshit is a multi-part affair. The first line of shit was on the first climb of the day. RC decided to ramp it up and ThePeanut tried to follow. He didn't make it 200 meters on RC's wheel before getting spit. When we caught him, he said he sat up because he didn't feel like going hard on the climb. Il Professore quickly called BS. Later in the ride, Il Professore asked if The Peanut knew an old skool local racer. If ThePeanut had ridden and raced in Cola 20 years ago, like he claims, he'd KNOW this guy. He comes part deux of the BS. He has now changed his story to include the fact that he raced in Atlanta, but rode with the crew here in town. Much of the crew is still around, and they don't know you man...stop BS'ing.

Part three concerns questions and behavior that call his "20 year racing career" into question. The moron fell over at a stoplight. He forgot to unclip and fell over. Then, at the end of the ride, he asked my brother what 'tempo' riding meant...! Are you serious? 20 years and you ask this question? His time on the bike is more like 20 months...

Some hard lessons are coming for ThePeanut...much sooner than he may be anticipating...

Mid-week check

So, I've been to the chiro three times now. People scoff, but my back feels better. I have virtually no skeletal pain and the muscle pain is better. I'm sure it will subside when and if I ever take a break and get off the bike for more than two days. That break is likely to come sometime at the end of April when Bambino number two is set to arrive.

We were supposed to ride last night, but my brother caught a stomach bug and spent Tuesday evening and most of Wednesday camping out in the bathroom. Poor bastard. I decided to go ride by myself. The H.O. came home a bit early, so I got out without the lights. It was a nice, easy-ish spin around The Fort. No real effort, just a want to get out and get some fresh air. It's nice to ride in shorts and a jersey. The wind rushing over bare arms and legs feels strangely odd. You look down and are absolutely shocked to see such pasty white legs though. The only thing whiter was my new white Diadoras, and there was only a few shades difference.
The weather is supposed to be in the 50s, but cloudy, this weekend. I'm sure the combination of the temps and daylight savings time will thin the herd. People just can't seem to change their clocks.

The H.O., Il Bambino and I are going to MB tonight and tomorrow. The H.O. has a conference down there, again. The only plus is the fact that the outlet stores are close to the hotel. It satisfies my gay gene's need to shop. The Adidas outlet is first on the list, then I'll be looking for some new shorts. I seem to have left a Sharpie in the pocket of my cargo shorts. It made it through the wash cycle, but the cap came off in the dryer. 75% of my clothes are ruined, including my favorite khaki shorts...! It also made the interior of the dryer look like Jackson Pollack got trapped inside. You may now call me Dumbass....

Another day...

...another 80k. Three more hours, very windy hours, in the saddle today. Base fitness is obviously there, along with tempo fitness. The true, heart in the throat fitness hasn't shown itself quite yet. My brother and I chased a 400 meter gap today at 55+ kmh and it really hurt. I could feel yesterday's ride in my legs and the old HR wasn't happy about being spiked at 180. Of course, it was quite a bit colder today (50-ish) and the big diesel has trouble getting to temp below about 60. Unless it's raining and 50...then, I'll leave you in the country even if it buries me for the rest of the day.

It was a good ride all in all. We started with 5 and ended with 4. The Greenville Training Series is in full swing, so the majority of the group was gone. We lost The Velvet Hammer about an hour in. It seems he tweaked his back and is a bit crippled up. I feel his pain...literally and figuratively.
It was really windy today, so speed hovered around 30-32 kmh. I didn't feel like going much faster anyway.
I had a close call with the ground at the end of the ride too. I stood to pedal, as one does occasionally, and my chain slipped. I came close to eating shit no more than 10 minutes from home. If you want to know how close, my left nipple hit my left shifter. It was either my enormous, Schwartzenegger-like, upper body strength or the hands of the Cycling Gods that kept me upright. I'd like to think it was the former, but it was more like the latter...thank you Il Pirata.

I installed new motion lights on the front of the house this afternoon. When they click on, it looks like a prison yard. It's just another tool of oppression by the man...

Saturday

Another Saturday ride has come and gone, and thankfully, I made it through the entire thing with the rubber side down. Although this may not seem like a grand fait accompli, believe me when I tell you that there was more than one threat to my flesh staying place.
TheDink took every opportunity to risk life and limb (not his own) today. I just cannot understand how someone can ride regularly and not get any better at it. When you come to a bump or hole, point it out, move slightly off your line and miss the hole. At least twice (that I witnessed) today, TheDink hit the hole in question WHILE swerving into the middle of the group. I honestly believe that the act of keeping a bicycle upright and safe is just beyond the grasp of some people.
The BS of the day was when TheDink said he was going to go race in Greenville. He got dropped twice today...and we never went any faster than 40 kmh and averaged just above 30 kmh.
Yeah bud, good luck with that...

I rode the Ridley today with the Cane Creek carbon wheels. If you're gonna pose, pose hard...
The new bike and the Ridley ride completely differently, even though they are both carbon. I kind of concentrated on the differences today so I could quantify them. The Ridley is definitely stiffer than the Ibis, but the ride quality is what suffers. It's stiffer vertically, which transmits road vibration into your contact points. Not that it's a bad thing in this instance, but it's just different. The Ridley still rides better than any Specialized or Trek, period. I can't believe people actually like the way a Trek carbon rides. I guess some folks have no frame of reference...

The drywall is done, save for one small section around the door frame. All of the mud has been slapped on the wall and all but one seam has been taped. It's starting to look like a room now...

We'll see who shows in the morning...

Not all smoke and mirrors...

I always believed that Chiropractors were nothing more than filler...the Oreo creme of the medical world. Then I hurt my back. I've been fighting a bad back for about 8 months. Constant pain, sleepless nights, the inability to stand like I have completed the evolutionary cycle...you get the picture.
I finally broke down and made an appointment with the chiro. So yesterday at 1pm, I went to see a guy that used to ride and hang out with us, who happens to come highly recommended by some other riders in town.
We spoke for a while about what my issues were and some possible fixes to work on outside of the office. Then, the cracking started. Dr. Coop put me on the rack, did some measurements, felt my spine and starting the process of re-aligning my frame. I've never felt more like a damaged automobile in my life.
My hips and back were/are so out of alignment that my right leg was 1" shorter than my left, my hips were skewed by at least 5 degrees and my spine was not in a straight line.
The first crack was to the left side of my neck. As you read this, try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder...without moving your shoulder. It cannot be done if you have any muscles in your neck at all. Well, my ear landed firmly on my shoulder yesterday and my neck gave a resounding CRACK.
Then he moved to cracking my back, which felt like crashing at 25+ mph. Oh, he did both sides, so I crashed twice in 60 seconds...
Then came the hips and pelvis, which felt strangely good. It was like pressure was being relieved.
Following the bone cracking, I was put on a table that could be (or maybe even has been) used in low-budget porn movies. I laid face down and the bottom half of the table moved side to side, stretching my back.
I was instructed to stretch more, do more ab work and come back Wednesday for another tune-up. Before you say, "Oh sure, he wants you to come back so you can drop more cash...!", Take this to heart. I still have residual pain and sensation, but fighting this for 8 months didn't exctly help the problem. The VAST majority of my skeletal pain and sciatic nerve pain has subsided. I have no problem standing from a seated position nor did I wake up last night with shooting/burning pains in my low back on legs.
My advice is to find a sports oriented chiro and go see him. Everyone might not have pain, but everyone has alignment issues.

I'm going back Wednesday afternoon and likely a couple more times. Then I'm going to be on a maintenance plan. Every 6-8 weeks for a tune-up.

Ride report

Here's what a 105km jaunt on the new RS was like earlier today. Did I mention the group decided to ride fast tempo today? Nothing like a shakedown ride with a few 25+ mph effort thrown in for good measure.
The bike is very stiff laterally. I put FSA SL-K cranks on it and the combo of the beefy tubes, tubes joints, chainstays and cranks make for a nice, stiff, firm feeling when standing to climb or jumping to sprint. Probably as stiff (frame only) as my Damocles. The cranks aren't as stiff as the D/A 7800.
It's not a harsh ride whatsoever. It mutes road imperfections, chipseal and other small vibrations very well. It reminds me very much of the way my Ridley Excalibur rode. I really didn't feel anything other than really large hits, which suck on any bike.
The front end is very stiff and very solid. The front end tracks extremely well and isn't twitchy at all. I actually like the way the front end feels on the RS better than my Damocles. The Damocles can get chattery. There's no chatter coming from this fork. The frame and fork are matched very well, which is a hard nut to crack. It's not bad when the front is stiffer than the rear, but it's murder when the rear is stiffer than the front.
Overall, I got a stinky, fat deal on very nice, well built, sublime handling frameset. Out of 5 stars, right now it's got an easy 4.75, and it's only that low because of the Russian judge. It'll make a hell of a race bike.

Now onto the ride itself...
We went out through the flats today and just kept turning away from home. I ended up with 105km when all was said and done. We rode through the Swamp all the way to the Cricket Store, which is so named because they used to sell...get ready for it...crickets. We had a terrible headwind on the way out, which is something of an anomoly. As soon as we turned though, it was a cross/tail to full tailwind all the way home. Robert made the comment that we were coasting at 22 mph. I countered with, "yeah, it's brilliant!"
The sun was out, the wind was at our backs, the group was a good one today, save for one...The Dink. We all began to take him with a grain of salt. That grain is more akin to a salt lick, but I digress.
Overall, it was great ride that included a few bursts of speed...some longer and speedier than others. I didn't go into the Pain Cave(tm) today, but I've become familiar with it's general location. New bike, 65 miles and a sunny day...not a bad Saturday.

Done

1st ride tomorrow morning...report to follow...

Empty

We did the old cyclocross loop last night. Note to self, eat something prior to a 2 hour+ ride. I didn't have a little snacky in the afternoon and paid for it, full retail, on the way back in last night. I could tell I was hungry and flat as soon as we turned around. My brother flat rode away from me on the return trip. The ride home on the road was even less fun. Nothing like riding into a dead headwind, on the edge of a bonk, with empty legs. I got home, but ate everything in the house when I got here.

The new frame came yesterday. I have already hung the parts. I need to press on the crown race, cut the fork and run cables tonight. It should be ready for it's maiden voyage (Saturday) by about 8pm tonight. It's way nicer than expected and has some seriously beefy tubes. I'll post pics later.

I have to go back to the shop to do the crown race, buy a few chainstay protectors and pickup some Specialized BG insoles for the road shoes. We've traced my knee pain to poor foot alignment. I'm starting visits to the Chiro on Monday as well, in an attempt to sort out my back pain.

Time to get the day going. Gotta get my shizz done early, as the H.O., Il Bambino and I will be going to the zoo this afternoon.

A little porn for your weekend...when I hit the Superball, mine will be just like this...

Tired...work is hard

I worked on the back room all day Monday...8-1/2 hours of manual labor to be exact. The entire subfloor has been replaced and I got one sheet of drywall affixed to the studs. I would have done the other two sheets, but I hadn't eaten all day and was getting a little punch-drunk. At one point, I was laying on the floor to remove an outlet cover...! It was also an outlet that I failed to remember until the H.O. asked how I was going to cut the hole for it. If not for her management skills, I'd have drywalled that beotch in.
I did my UrbanAssault/Hour of Power(tm) loop through downtown last night. I just wanted to get the legs going around. The legs felt fine after warming up, but the stomach was in a big, burly knot. I don't know why, but I know it didn't feel good. I rode slower than the normal, interval laden pace, but it was still nice to get out. I realized my blinky light needs batteries too. A bright blinky will, in fact, keep you alive.

I got Mandrus' bike finished and working properly. He's coming by tonight for a quick fitting and to pick it up...! Speaking of, my new carbon frameset is supposed to ship today or tomorrow. I'm getting itchy...

Zee Vind, she ist blowink...

Holy shit! Saturday's noon ride turned into a slugfest. It may have been a draw, but I came out bloodied and a bit beated. Going out, I knew it was going to be trouble on the return trip. I'm a decent climber when you take into account that I weigh a svelte 180 and race at @ 175, but when I'm tapping out a rhythm at close to 20 mph on a 2 km climb and my HR is 140, I'm getting a push from somewhere.
The route we took was shaped like a big triangle, so we had tailwind, crosswind and then dead, full blast, beat you about the upper torso, headwind for the last 45 minutes. I had a bit left in the tank, but it was definitely brutal. I feel bad for the guys who decided to do an extra 20km loop. They are all strongmen, make no mistake, but the wind did nothing but pick up as the day progressed. A 20mph headwind on a 45 degree, sunless day, makes for a ride that becomes less fun the longer it gets. I was glad to be home and have a Diet Coke and a turkey sammich.

The tempo was quick, even for the conditions, but it never hurt and I closed a gap that we let open after a climb with little difficulty. I could tell that the interval sessions had blown some of the carbon out of the pipes. I haven't ridden as much as last winter, but there's been more intensity. A few more step down sessions, some night, MUT sessions and a couple crit course visits and I'll be square.

The demo is done in the back room. Construction begins tomorrow. The new subfloor and the low sections of drywall will be getting installed. I finished the demo before yesterday's ride. I became quite weary of beating on and prying 50+ year old wood, so I broke out the big guns. Nothing says love like a Craftsman 8 amp reciprocating saw. The first half of the cabinet took about an hour to dismantle. The second half was on the pile after 15 minutes. Of course, in untrained hands, it could be a tool that quickly removes needed appendages. The wounds wouldn't be clean either...

Full TV day today. Daytona and the Tour of Cali prologue...

Baby it's cold outside

Well, for SC, it's cold. Granted, it ain't Chicago and a -15 degree windchill, but 25 degrees is cold for us thin-blooded Southerners. I'll ride in anything, but I've grown weary of riding in the cold by myself, so tomorrow I'm riding at noon with the group. Of course, it will be 20 degrees warmer by noon...
That gives me time to finish the demo that I've started in the back room. All of the 50+ year old molding has been pulled down and I've dismantled about 50% of the cabinets. The caveat is the fact that these cabinets aren't units like those that hang in your kitchen. These were built piece by piece, of oak, more than 50 years ago. I pulled some nails out of the thing than were as big as my middle finger. I don't even think they actually make nail that big anymore. I figure I'll finish pulling the cabinet apart in the morning and have time to go ride. All of the demo will be done and the back room will be clear and ready for construction by the time Il Bambino its the hay Saturday night. Sunday is my day of rest this week. Not because some Judeo-Christian ethic says so, but because Daytona is on TV Sunday afternoon. Call me a redneck if you want, but I loves me some NASCAR.
I did my stacking intervals last night and I actually felt better for it. The legs didn't feel bad and it felt good to get the HR up there. I'm a little stiff in my 36 year old joints, but that may be due to the fact that I run around in 38 degree weather in shorts.
The specter of the time change is looming large on my horizon right now, thus, I'll be on the bike more in the coming weeks. Rock Hill is in 8 weeks as well. This year, there will be no breaks going up the road without me this year...

4 weeks and counting

That's right folks, 4 weeks is all you have to get your "A" game (or as close as possible) ready. Time changes on March 11th, which means the Tuesday Night World Championship Criterium Series(tm) will kick of Tuesday March 13th @ 6:30pm.

The course has been repaired and I will be going out about a week prior to the first race to run the blower and clear the corners of sand, dirt and debris.

The Thursday Night Festival of Pain(tm) will also start that week. We will be meeting at Ft. Jackson for a 6pm (SHARP) departure. Reminders will be emailed to everyone the week before time change.

Thanks!

M

John Mayer - Who did you think I was

All you need is three dudes in a band...period...!

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

Watch this...

New linkage

The fine feathered folks at Blogger (Google) have made it much easier to post new links to a blog. You no longer are foced to write code, thankfully, as I am barely literate.
I have added a couple to my list.

The first is Road Magazine. Probably the best roadie mag out there. It's dedicated to the American scene. It's big, glossy and well written.

Second is my old school, back in the day when he was a pup, buddy, Toby J. I've left out his last name to protect the innocent. Tobias is one of those solo 12/24 hour mountain racer dudes. He's a f**king hard man of the North. He does a lot for cycling around here, including the stellar New Year's Day ride around Lake Murray. I've known him since he was a mere boy and I can say I'm proud of the man he has become. Toby J = Good egg. That, and the fact he still rides his steel DeRosa...

There will likely be more to come...

I remember...

Now I remember why I hate intervals. I decided that I could get a better workout on the trainer yesterday, so I went down to the ManHole(tm). Plus, I could watch TV, not worry about getting run over by cars and really get into the pain cave. After a 10 minutes spin warmup, I went to the 52 and rode tempo for 15 minutes in the 17. Interval time...
15 minutes at LT in a 52x15 turning 90-100 rpm. The first ten minutes weren't bad, but the last 5 really hurt. The last two, I had my head down and could even hear Liggett or Sherwen on the tube. I didn't notice during the interval, but I had started to sweat, profusely. My light blue Squadra Azzuri sweatshirt was soaked through. I rode a cool down for 10 minutes and then did it again, but with a burnout section for the last two minutes. I rode at max HR (186-ish) in the 52/13 for two minutes at about 90 rpm. Definitely blew some of the carbon out of the pipes.
My chest cavity is a it sore this morning from the effort, but that's a good thing. The legs are wondering what the hell happened too.
It supposed to be 68 degrees today, so the lights are charging. Only the Shadow knows if I'll get out tonight...

Oh well, gotta jet. Il Bambino goes to the Doc this morning. I'm sure he'll be a barrel of laughs for the rest of the day.

O/U = 5 Temp = 32 Actual = 3

Well, Saturday's ride was something of a pitiful display. Don't get me wrong, the THREE of us that actually showed had a great ride. One would think that the fact time changes in 4 weeks, or the spring series starts in two weeks, would have people coming out. However, one would be wrong.
Anyway, we did a variation of the old Tuesday night loop. The wind was out of the north, so we had a head/crosswind out and a tail/crosswind home. It was cold at the start (32), but the sun was high in the sky and it felt much warmer. We rolled around for 2:30 and ended up with about 75km. We ended the ride with a medium/high tempo effort that lasted about 15-20 minutes. It reminded the heart and legs what an effort was all about. Since I have zero leg speed right now, it hurt a bit. Hurt isn't a bad thing though. Like J. Cash said, "I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel...".
I didn't even bother to wake up for the group (hah-hah) ride this morning. Secure in the knowledge that no one would show as there was talk yesterday that the core of the group would be going out at 1pm. I simply cannot urinate my day away by going at 1. Well, it's not that I can't, it 's that I won't...
I'll be on my cross bike within the next 45 minutes, do my 90 minute interval loop, come home, eat, shower and finish my painting and be on the couch by 2pm...
There will be a winter, one of these years, that will be just cold, wet and miserable. Me thinks that the stretch of 60-70 degree days not long ago thinned a lot of blood and spoiled people.

You don't get hard by lazing about and rolling around in the sunshine. Just ask the Belgians...

Oh, I forgot something. I rode the new Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals yesterday. They are pretty nice. They feel remarkably similar to Time ATAC mountain pedals. At first I was leery of standing up to climb or getting out of the saddle to sprint because they just feel so much looser than the Looks I've been riding for 15 years. After two hours, I felt pretty confident in them and did an out of the saddle effort. No issues at all. I never felt as if my foot was going to pop out of the pedal, nor did I feel my foot skating around. Overall, I'm pleased thus far...
The best part...no knee pain! I still have some residual twinges from when I hurt it a few weeks ago, but these pedals didn't seem to aggravate my knee. If you have knee issues, try these pedals. You can get 'em cheap on Ebay...

Skinny = good...not always!

It was another Wednesday night ride, for the first 1km. I stood up to take off from a stop sign about 1km from the house and PRANNG!, I broke a front spoke. My normal wheel on the front is a FSA RD400 with a 40c tire on it. The 40 is just about perfect for riding singletrack on a cross bike. It grips, doesn't slide around and floats over roots and sand.
I didn't want to be late(r), so I came home and swapped for my urban assault front wheel. It's a Record hub on a Velocity rim, which isn't a big deal, but it has a 35c tire on it that actually measures 32c. This was NOT the correct choice for singletrack. It was great riding out on the road, but once it the woods, I was like pinestraw...all over the trail! When the NASCAR boys talk about a push, or understeer, it means the front of the vehicle won't turn. It just pushes through the corner. Welcome to my ride last night. The skinny tire made me ride much slower than usual and my flipping hands hurt this morning from the jarring they received.
Suffice it to say, the 40 will be going on the other front wheel at some point before my next excursion into the woods. I may even throw the Marzocchi fork on it...
We did have a good ride though. They have closed the road we ride out on due to some issues with a dam by the lake. It was nice not having to dodge cars.

It was another crazy smell night too. This time is was freshly struck matches. Just weird...

My brother is threatening to get a new cross bike! He's ridden the Fuji for about 8 years. He's starting to be forced to Frankenstein the thing here and there for operational utility. Personally, I'm waiting for the thing to come apart under him one night...

Oh well, another day, another $.67...

100th post

Nothing great planned for my 100th post...

Just watched the 'Cross Worlds. Great race. American course designers could learn a lesson from the Belgians. Stairs, run-ups, sandpits...NO BARRIERS...the Belgian way.

Page rode well, just one little bobble right at the end cost him the top step on the podium. A silver medal is way better than a sharp stick in the eye though. Especially when you consider he started way back in the fourth row.

I found another pic of DeDe at Worlds...

Time to start my day....

Maybe a turbo session tonight, as much as I hate that infernal contraption...

Too cold...?

I woke up Sunday with every intention to ride. It was 37 degrees on the front porch and very little wind. I hemmed and hawed and decided to call The Velvet Hammer. TVH said it was too cold and he'd probably go out later. I think he's worried about the cold because, between the cold temps, and his old bones being brittle, a fall might be catastrophic. He said Il Professore wasn't going out early either, so I just decided to lounge around the house and get some work done outside.

I finished building in the bottom part of the room addition, including all of the sheeting and trim. It was warm around 10-10:30 and I felt really guilty about not being on the bike. There were some high clouds, but the sun was warm on my bald head. I should have just gone out and done a loop, but I did get to finish all of my work by 1:00. The H.O. went to the mall, so I ate lunch and took a 2 hour nap.

I took a pro-active step to end my knee pain. I plunked down and bought some Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals. I really like my Time ATACS and the look to be roughly the same thing. We'll see...! I got the 'Fast Freddie' Rodriguez edition, so I should be faster just because of that....

Saturday was supposed to sunny and nice

The day started cold, as expected. It was probably 35 when I left the house this morning. The sun was shining for the first 90 minutes, then the clouds and wind came blowing in. What was forecast to be a 5-10mph wind turned out to be more like 20-25mph.
As it was cold, we had 6 show up for the ride. It was a decent, slowish, tempo ride, probably around 18-19mph the whole way. My Look pedals are slowly crippling me, starting with my right knee, so I didn't even make any efforts today. No one else did either...
The Dink really didn't shoot any grandiose BS out his rectum today. I'm very disappointed that I'll have to wait to use my new artwork that I spent 5 minutes on...! Although he did say he was feeling a bit burned out and was going to take some time off. Okay moron, time changes in 6 weeks. Now is not the time for a break. Now is the time to start ramping it up...!

Anyway, after the ride, I made a trip to Lowe's. I know, go figure...! 5/8" plywood is damn heavy. That and the fact the wind made it into a 4'x8' sail when I was loading it into the trailer. I cut it down and built in under the back room of the house. By the time I finished, there was zero sun, the winding was howling at 20mph and the sky looked like flying monkeys would be coming in on approach at any time. I worked for three hours and said enough. I'll cut and attach all of the 1x3 trim tomorrow. It's light, so it shouldn't be as labor intensive. Of course, I just f'ed myself by saying that...

Il Professore was back on the bike today. The H.O. and I saw him going out Shop solo. Nothing like a cold, windy, sunless, solo ride to really demoralize you. Hopefully, he'll be out tomorrow...

Just a test run of the artwork for our new feature...

I don't know how

I don't know how you guys up north do it. Today, it's 38 degrees and rain. This is not weather that is conducive to cycling and/or even going outside. Snow I could deal with, but this just sucks.
I rode the trainer last night for an hour in the 52/16. I'm a bit stiff today, but there's little to no knee pain. The hour was bearable because I was watching the end of the 06 Tour of Flanders. Boonen is a straight gangsta. He and Hoste got away and just killed it for the last 30 km. Of course, Boonen's urine could probably be used as an accelerant to make charcoal light more quickly. Either that, or he has been killing chickens under a full moon in the courtyard at the Eddy Merckx factory...

It's supposed to be sunny and warm(er) this weekend. We'll see...

Two things today...

Our old friend DeDe Winfield from back in the long gone, halcyon days of the bike shop, went to the Cyclocross Worlds. She didn't just go as a spectator. After finishing 4th in the Elite women's race and WINNING the 30-34 race, she qualified and went representing the good old USA. DeDe didn't win, but she finished a respectable 32nd. People may poo-poo this, but those same people didn't even race in Belgium, nor will they ever...

Good looking out DeDe, I'm very proud of you!!! In my book, you are now a card-carrying BADASS!!!

And yes, if I must, I'll take mine in black........

No ride for you!

Man, Saturday whipped my monkey ass. 3-1/2 hours on the cross bike and an afternoon of yardwork took away any energy I may have for the Sunday ride. I got dressed and went up to the spot. Fortunately, no one showed for the ride, so I rode home. I got exactly 3 miles on Sunday. When I walked back in the house, the H.O. asked what I forgot, to which I answered "my heart". Some days it's better to laze about and do nothing. I got a good nap, ate some Silician pizza for dinner, watched BSG and went to bed.
Evidently, I was mis-informed about TheDink. He's NOT playing Boo Radley, he's playing Bob Ewell in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. His nickname will revert back to TheDink...
TheDink's 'Sh*t-talk of the Day' (trademark pending) for Saturday was pretty interesting. He claimed he didn't want to go do the Lake Loop with the Vicious Bikers because he "just didn't want to have to drag them around for 4 hours". He told them that it was "too early in the season for such a long ride".
I may be a bit of a dick, but I'm not stupid, especially when it comes to bikes, training and riding.
First, I have ridden with the VB guys on several occasions. While they may not all be the strongest, the best bike handlers or even all that nice, they definitely do not need to be dragged around by TheDink. A couple of those guys are actually damn fast...! Faster than TheDink will ever be.
Second, TheDink claims he used to be a Cat2 back in the day. If this was true, he'd know that January IS the time of year to do a 85 mile tempo ride. He rides in the 85% HR zone that you're NEVER supposed to ride in...all the time.

From this day forward, written in ride reports, TheDink's 'Sh*t-Talk of the Day' (TM pending) will be a feature on this blog. I don't know how he keeps up with the BS he spews...

Time cannot change soon enough. The Spring Series is coming and the group rides will be getting fast soon. It looks like it may be time to start making forays into The Pain Cave. Oh, how I love and hate The Pain Cave...! I may stick my head in this week during some trainer sessions. It's too cold to ride at night AND do intervals...

Lunchtime...

A beautiful day

Well, it was supposed to be ass-biting cold this morning. My thermo said 37 when I rolled out of bed and 41 when it was time to leave the house. My brother wanted to ride in the woods, so we left at normal time and met at the gate. Only three people showed for the group ride, not including us. It ended up being 60 today... (eat it you bunch of Yankees!!)
We headed out through the trail and ended up going all the way to mile marker 12. The trail changes drastically once you get out past MM8. It goes from a trail that has obviously been ridden a lot to a trail that is relatively technical and really fun. If it was cleared off once in a while, it would probably be even better. Anyhoo, we turned and rode in on a firebreak all the way to the lake and around back to MM8. It was trail the rest of the way. Total time, door to door, was 3:25.
We really need to figure out some sort of mathematical equation that translates cyclocross bike miles to road miles. I'm more tired after 3:25 on the crosser than I ever would be after the equivalent time on the roadie. Maybe it's the fact that we're riding rigid cross bike with tall gearing on singletrack....
Nothing of any great significance happened on the trail today...

I got home, showered, ate a bite and promptly went out to put together one of those plastic garden sheds. The H.O. can't just buy the small one. She felt it necessary to get the 6'x3'x8' version. It was pretty simple, yet a bit time consuming. Especially when take into consideration that the QC folks at the Black and Decker plant must have been on break when this building was sent through. One corner was molded incorrectly forcing me loosen everything in order for the damn thing to fit together properly. Once it all was together, I tighten all the screws and fitting down and added some 1-1/2 inch drywall screws. That bitch ain't coming apart now...

Road ride in the AM....

Doe, a deer...

Another Wednesday has come and gone, so you know what that means...
We met at 6 last might for our weekly foray into the lush pine forest that is Ft, Jackson Army Base. I do like the fact that days are getting longer. We made it all the way to the trailhead before having to resort to burning the lights. Upon entering the base, I saw two does standing about 20 yards from the road. No sooner did we turn around to look at them, there were 8 sets of eyes staring back at us. We've seen deer in ones and twos out there, but never a pack this big. They were all big, mature does with nary a buck in sight.
The ride was good. On the way out we rode tempo and really never pushed. There was a single, blue cycling glove hanging on a bush beside the trail. How does one go about losing a single glove, on the trail, halfway out? Kinda strange...
The pace picked up on the climb out during the return trip. I tried to keep my HR right at LT and carry a good pace. I ripped a few sections. After one particularly quick section, my brother calmly asked, "Who lit a fire under your ass?" I just felt good and went fast. Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug.
I changed my cleat position and it was perfetto. I can't understand why it is that I can just move the cleat on my mountain shoes around willy-nilly and have zero issues, but when I move the road cleat the smallest bit, I have knee/hip/ankle/sphincter pain. Maybe it's time to go to some different pedals on the road. I ride ATACs in the woods, so maybe I'll go to some Crank Brothers Quattros. Ostensibly, they are the same pedals. Or I'll be a complete sell-out and get some Speedplays...! The old school Looks are just not getting the job done anymore. I just don't want to buy two pair...of anything.

It's supposed to be cold this weekend, so the plan isn't set in stone yet. I'd rather do the morning ride on Saturday, but if it's 25 degress, I'll be on the mountain bike...or maybe in bed...

Welcome to ThunderDome

The perfect bike for after a small nuclear exchange. For those who don't know, it's a Castellano (Ibis) Ti Ripley 29er. What you are getting is a one-off, 700c wheeled bike with disc brakes, a shock on the front...and did I mention the fact it's a soft-tail? Those pink hubs are Kings too. The only issue I have with it is the 9 speed drivetrain. Put some D/A 10 speed shifters and cranks on it and I will go rob First Citizens. The asking price...? A mere $5200. Of course, it would take the place of pretty much every bike in the quiver...yet it seems so impactical.

I'm going down to the ManHole tonight to hang parts on the Cannondale for ManDrus. He brought the parts over yesterday and left them on the porch. I was sitting on the couch and never heard him. He's pretty stealthy for an old guy. It shouldn't take long to get it together. It'll take me longer to run the cables and housings than anything. Ah Campy stuff, how I love you so...

I gave Il Bambino a haircut today. First one. He never protested. It doesn't look all that bad either. At least he doesn't look like a serial killer. I'm just wondering what the H.O. is going to have to say when she gets home...

Sunday Lazy Sunday

I didn't even bother getting on the bike today. When you wake up in the morning and start making excuses for why it is that you shouldn't ride, it's best to just stay home, where it's warm and dry. I didn't plan on doing the group ride anyway, as the Sunday ride is turning into a January deathmarch. I can't understand why certain members of the group must make the effort to prove their manliness on cold January Sunday mornings. It's amusing that they are as fast right now as they will be in July...! False male pride is a bitch.
My plan was to get on the cross bike and do about 90 minutes through downtown and across the river to the MUT, do a power on, standing climb of about 5 minutes and bring my big ass back to the house. I moved my cleat on my right shoe and had a little residual knee pain from Saturday, Der Kaiser and I moved a trailer full of flagstone, which in turn made my back a little sore and my heart just wasn't in it Oh, and it was 44 degrees and pissing rain...! The excuses lead to a ride when you question why exactly you are out on the bike and make for a really sucky ride. Therefore, I stayed home. I made a trip to Lowes, moved the computer to the closet office I built and took a nap. All in all, it was a good day.

Saturday's ride was pretty good. The over/under on attendance was 5 (it was 38 degrees when I left the house). I took the under and lost. I guess it's getting close enough to the Spring Series and time change to make people roll out of bed and show up for the ride. We ended up with 12 people and did 3 hours at a nice 19 mph tempo. Boo attempted to take the group out twice. I think he just gets brain fade and forgets what he's doing. At one point, he missed riding into me by about 1/2 an inch. Before that, he just came over on my brother for no apparent reason. Later on in the ride he was riding on the yellow line when we yelled 'car back'. After the 4th time we yelled, he turned to look for himself, as if we were lying to him, and rode into the oncoming lane. He then swerved back, directly into the group. He says he was a Cat2 back in the day. If he was a 2, I was Sean Yates. That and the fact he has the musculature of a veal calf.
I can't wait for the first Thursday night ride. All the guns will be out and I'm sure there will be shots fired, which doesn't bode well for Boo.

It seems Il Professore damaged himself while painting. Get well soon you old fart. I say that with all due respect, because if I tried to keep up with his exercise schedule, I'd probably be in traction.

Oy vey

We hit the trails again last night for a lovely two hour jaunt. I'm glad I rode, but my heart just wasn't in it. Il bambino was hard to guard yesterday and it just made me tired. He's like a shark. He's either swimming full speed or laying on the bottom. The window people were here as well. Nothing like trying to get some peace and quiet with a workcrew beating on the house. The new slider windows do look damn good though. It's raining and 36 degress right now, so I don't expect to see them today...

The ride was pretty uneventful. We rode out, went down the dirt road that we climbed last Saturday, turned around and rode back. I forgot to lube my chain, so it sounded like I was killing baby mice the entire way. FWIW, the dirt road seemed much shorter while descending on it last night. I wonder why?? ;)-
It was farking cold last night though. 44 and sunny is one thing. 44, windy and dark is a different animal. I actually wore the USPS team issue roubaix bib knicks last night. My fingers, toes and about 3 inches of upper arm were the only things that were chilly. Thank God I didn't have to stop to use the loo. I would have needed help. My brother and I are close and all, but I think we both draw the line at helping the other whiz.

Target is calling me...
Later!

Another day...

...and another 100km. The group was a bit smaller today, but there was less toodling about. We rode steady tempo for 3 hours. The pace was a bit more brisk today and our stop at the G-Mart was only about 5 minutes. Just enough to get an Oatmeal Cream Pie and a Gatorade. No flats, no mechanicals and no Dink. Overall, it was a very enjoyable ride. Actually Dink will be known as Boo from now on. Evidently, he fancies himself as an actor and is appearing as Boo Radley in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in some local theatre group. Boo is probably more appropriate anyway, considering the way he rides...

Coonan the Baldbarian came out on his new Orca with Record and Bontrager Aeolus wheels. A bit of overkill for a January ride, but hey, if you got it, whip it out. I felt a bit inadequate...and I was on the Damocles with D/A and Ksyriums. Oh, and TVH's bike started making noise today. He gets about two weeks of quiet, proper operation out of his Campy stuff before it's forced back into the shop. I don't know if it's lack of knowhow on the shop's part (likely) or just a Ghost in the Machine. His bike is like a Ferrari. Two weeks of hard use and then a teardown. That's why I ride Shimano. Put it on, set it and forget it...

We ran into a old fella today who has been riding in town for 40-ish years. His name is Leroy Lewis. He goes out and rides about 4 days a week and goes to the Y the other three. The Velvet Hammer says he see him there at 5:30am!!! Oh, and when I say 'old fella' I don't mean 60 or 65. Leroy told us today that '...if he makes it 'til June...', he'll be 85!!! I'm not very religious, as far as it goes, but God Bless that old tosser. 85 and still turning the ring.

Short one today...

Osama Bin Ridin

Osama isn't in the Middle East anymore. He was spotted today at a small convenience store in Lower Richland county, South Carolina. He's now using the name Philip and is in an undergrad program for education at the University of South Carolina.

Good ride today. 14 folks showed up and we rode a piano for about 3.5 hours. I ended up with 100km, so I was pleased with the ride. My brother flatted at the store for a second week in a row. Get some new tires Chip!!!
The Dink was up to his old tricks again. He tried to bridge a gap, only to fail and make the excuse that he wasn't trying hard. Yeah, whatever...I'm sure you could have closed the gap to the two Cat3 guys that were doing a steady power interval...! The second trick was on a long dirt section that was a nasty piece of climb. He started on the road first, swerved to miss a hole, almost crashed himself, Der Kaiser and myself out, and then proceeded to get caught and/or dropped by the rest of the group that chose to tackle the Roubaix section. He claimed he dropped his chain twice. Mandrus refuted this claim, as he was riding beside him the whole way.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that you can't drop your chain if you never get out of the small ring, especially on a 5% climb where you are forced to keep the power on and stay seated.
The third trick was when he 'swerved' to miss a tar patch in the road and when I saw 'swerved', I mean 'turn dead left'! La Martilla even wondered why he was such a moron, and she NEVER talks about people in that manner. That's the very definition of Litmus test.

I got brushed by the mirror of a car on the way to the ride. The guy had plenty of room...he did it on purpose. I chased my guts out, but never caught him. It's probably for the best as I would have likely given him a beating of colossal proportions and hurt my hands in the process. It's difficult to ride in a hard cast...

Be careful out there.

Bar-B-Que and political glad-handing

So we went to the Governor's Inaugural Bar-B-Que last night. There were 14 different caterers from all over the state serving their own particular style of pork. I ate one plate from Boss Hogg BBQ. These are some good guys who live in Hopkins, SC. We ride past their establishment every weekend, so I figured I'd stop and partake. It was excellent. Mustard base, flavorful meat and some DAMN good banana pudding for dessert.
There was some serious eating going on last night. Some folks had plates that resembled those of a participant in a competitive eating contest. Did they do this at every restaurant setup? I'm sure more than a few did, which makes me feel sorry for their co-workers this morning. The one plate I had made my heart hurt and I swear I felt some numbness in my left arm.

There was more back-slapping and glad-handing last night than I've ever personally witnessed. Kind of sickening when you really think about it...! Ah, South Carolina politics, what a game...

North wind a blowin'

So Brohem and I hit it again tonight. It was a bit chillier than usual and the wind was HOWLING through the trees. The ride out from the house was easy, as I had a 20+ mph tailwind shoving my fat ass up the road. You know you have a tailwind when you're rolling along at 28mph...on a cross bike...with 40c knobbies.
We kept the pace manageable tonight. No big surges or attacks. No real adventure on the way out other than running through a vine that had been shaken loose by the wind. Oh, the vine had 3/4" long thorns on it. I look like Bela Lugosi got me this time. Two nice puncture wounds on the forearm. DeFeet should really add some kevlar to their armwarmers...
The return trip was made at about 70-75% and I came close to eating poo a few times. I got so crossed up in one corner that my shoe rubbed the front tire while I was trying to pedal out of the slide. I didn't crash though. I got skillz like that...
The ride home sucked a thousand chocolate salty balls. That wonderous tailwind turned into a headwind that required me to put out way more wattage than I should be when hustling through the neighborhood.

The H.O. and I are going to the Governor's inaugural bar-b-que tomorrow night. That's right, in SC, the Gov has a GD pig-pickin' for an inaugural party. Nothing like watching all of the big-money, quasi-alcoholic, 60+ year old, white, powerbrokers lick sauce of their fat, little, soft-money fingers. The H.O. is a lobbyist though, so I must go do my husbandly duties. That, and the fact I'm so full of shit, I can bluff my way through the evening and they'll all think I'm laughing with them...not at them. I will need to take a shower when I get home though. It's kind of like going to Wal-Mart...you just feel dirty when you get home.

'til next time...

MMMM...new wheels ride good...

I rode the Cane Creek wheels today. They are definitely worth the cash and I advise you to pick some up. They are very stiff, seem to 'roll' very well, are not harsh in the least and ride lighter than their weight. Overall, I'm very pleased with them. I can't wait to get into the crit with them on the bike.
The ride itself was good as well. The group was big for this time of year. Of course, it was 60 degrees at 9 am and quickly rose to around 70 before the ride was over. Then again, our little group ride turned into a 4 hour test of both mental acuity and mechanical ability. We had 1 flat before our stop, 1 flat AT the stop, a chain with a stiff link that had to be broken and repaired at the stop and finally, another flat about 10 minutes from home. Our resident, and only, female hammer ran over something large, and sharp, enough to cut her tire and take a bite out of the rim. She limped home with 50 lbs. of co2 and a Luna bar wrapper acting as a boot.

No rest for the weary though...! The H.O. was raking out flower beds and seeing as she's pregnorant, I was forced to pull the tarp full of wet leaves to the curb about a half dozen times. Then I de-leafed the front yard.

I'm tired and COPS in on TV...
Out...

Yet another night ride

We headed out last night for another happy jaunt through the woods of Ft. Jackson. Nothing of any consequence happened on the ride itself, but I was really wigged out for the first stretch in the trail. It was a full moon last night with high, thin clouds. The moon was huge too. It made for a creepy feel. In the first section of trail, the moon was directly ahead of us, taunting, almost watching us. I kept waiting for Bela Lugosi to pop out of the trees and chase me up the trail.
I was forced to lead last night as well. My brother forgot to charge his batteries the night before, so his wife plugged them in at 3pm yesterday. He got a good 2 hours of charge...but I digress.

On the way back, I felt like I was smashing a huge gear, so I ramped up the pace to get some leg speed going. The climbout from the turnaround was done at about 90% and actually stung quite a bit. My brother actually quoted The Velvet Hammer when he let out a resounding "Woooooooo..."!! When TVH does this, it means the ride was a bit difficult.

I did discover that I need a wider tire than a 35 on the back of the cross bike for singletrack. I have a 40, but it's too big for the chainstays. The search will begin for a 37 or 38 today.

Likely no ride until Saturday, unless I get froggy and decide to go down to the ManHole and ride the rollers for an hour tomorrow. I'll probably need to free up my legs, so I'll probably go down and watch the '06 Tour of Flanders and spiiiiin.

New shoes...

Cane Creek Aros 33 carbon clinchers...
Very stiff and not too heavy...
We'll see on Saturday

This very well may be the face you see on Saturday!

Happy New Year...

...Big f*cking deal...
The H.O. and I watched "Invincible" , with Mark Wahlberg, on NYE. Pretty good movie and a true story to boot. It's worth the $4 at Blockbuster.

Last Saturday's ride was pretty good. Beautiful weather with temps in the 60s and virtually no wind. I think we actually had a little tailwind action on the way home. Same old same old from Dink. He was chased, caught, and dropped a few times. I just don't get it. He went of the front coming to the bridge sprint AGAIN. This time my brother led the charge and we chased him down at 60 kmh. The best part was when Dink tried to shift and accelerate to catch the wheel as we went by. I was really amused by the whole thing. You better call Petacchi and borrow some legs if you're going to jump on a train going 20 kmh faster than you and likely 10-15 kmh faster than you are capable of riding.
Prior to this, Karl and Trez decided to have a go at one another. There's nothing like closing a gap at 50 kmh, getting across and then having the main combatants pull over and expect you to pull through...! Needless to say, there were four of us in the little break. Dink made some excuse about not being in the right gear and just riding along...
The others just watched us kill ourselves and were only about 15 seconds behind the whole time...

No ride Sunday or New Years' Day as it was raining both days. Brohem and I will be in the woods tomorrow night. I'm trying a new light setup...we'll see...or maybe we won't...!

I'm still waiting on my new carbon wheels...! It's killing me. I will, in fact, be one them one day this weekend...if they show up.

I really don't watch, or even like, college football, but GD...How good was the end of the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State pulling out some old school backyard plays to win the game! Hook and Ladder? Statue of Liberty? I felt like I was back in Junior High. Brilliant!!!!!!

Peace out!

Why the smells?

So, as most of you know, my brother and I ride at night on the local Army base. We go out through the woods and inevitably, have some sort of (mis)adventure. The thing that is always the most odd is the preponderance of wacky smells out in the middle of the woods...and always at night. I've been out there literally hundreds of times during the day and never smelled anything other than the outdoors.
One night, it was baby diapers...and not the dirty, poopy ones. It was the clean powder smell of a new diaper. Another night we smelled wet dog for a good mile of the trail. I figured it was just Bigfoot and rode faster.
We hit it Thursday night and on the way back in from the turnaround, there was a 1/2 mile section of trail that smelled like grape flavored bubble gum. You know what I'm talking about...that sticky, sugary, sweet grape Bubble gum smell from our youth. We didn't smell it on the way out, just on the way back. Weird....! The H.O. offered the guess that maybe someone was cooking Meth out there. I explained that Sudafed and drain cleaner do not create a smell equivalent to that of grape Bubble Yum.
We had a good ride though. Heavy legs were in abundance. Eating every homemade cookie produced in Chesterfield County is not conducive to riding well....

Today's ride was good too. It was generally pretty steady with a few very quick bursts that inflicted some pain and damage. 10 people showed up, which is saying something from December 30th. It was 58 degrees when I left and 70 when I got home. Freaking amazing weather. Dink got shown speed again today, but didn't seem any wiser for it. I just cannot understand that dude...maybe it's a test. A full report will follow...

I rebuilt my Ultegra hubs tonight. Nothing says lovin' like new ball-bearings and a helping of Phil Wood grease. Smooth like a stripper's butt. Well, a good stripper in a nice establishment...working her way through "Law School"!

Long time

It's been a while since I've posted...Christmas with the H.O.'s lunatic family. Different story for a different time...

Last Saturday, we had a good, steady ride through Lower Richland, including Chaingang. I'd never been down that way before and I must say, it was a nice change. I'm all about Dean's idea of taking a new road on every ride. It mixes it up nicely and makes for a nice change of pace. It was warm (65ish), but wet. No rain, just humid and wet roads. Our resident Dink was pulling his normal routine. I think someone spoke to him about it, as it seemed to stop...

Until Sunday...

I think he wants to go hard all the time. There's a zone that you aren't supposed to ride in for long periods. It's right @ 85%. Dink rides there the whole time he's on the bike. He would follow wheels, speed up and slow down and keep looking back when he would ride 2 or 3 lengths of the the front, like he was hammering us. Trust me Dink, I can close the gap on you.
At the end of the ride, I figured enough was enough. I attacked on 321 and opened a pretty substantial gap. I sat up on a climb and Dink caught me and rode past. I waited on The Hammer and pulled my guts out to close the gap. Dink was riding at about 13/10ths. His body looked like he was about to fly off the bike. When we turned to go home, he told me I was an 'Animal' and took everything he had to catch me. I reminded him it was December and I wasn't fit AND that I sat up to wait on the group. This will be different come April, that I can assure you. There will be no sitting up and waiting...! Dink will be riding home alone...A LOT!

Brohem and I will be in the woods tonight...maybe this ride will be better than my last foray into the wilderness.

2 out 3 is sometimes bad...

Brohem and I rode in the dark last night. It was a nice night...55 degrees, no wind, dry...
I'm sure that if you've ridden with any anger at all, that you've had a day when everything goes according to plan. Some days, though, you have either bad legs or bad heart. Last night, I had good legs, good heart, but the brain must have flown out for a little time alone before Christmas. My mind was gone. I couldn't see the trail, couldn't remember the turns, could barely handle the bike and was just plain stupid. It made no difference that I was rocking 40 watts of lights. I cut a fresh path about a dozen times last night. Some of the lines might have been good, but some were definitely the wrong way around.
Tree, meet dumbass...dumbass, meet tree! Pitiful!
Maybe I was just tired. I did sleep like a baby last night. Or maybe it's the search for carbon wheels on Ebay that's locking up too much computing speed in the old noggin. I sold the Reynolds wheels and now have a pile of cash burning a hole in my Paypal account.

Today is Winter Solstice. The days only get longer for the next six months.

Rain is called for until Saturday afternoon. Rain or not, I'll be on the bike Saturday. If no rain, the road will fear me. If rain, I will go exert my dominance over the trail that soundly whipped my ass last night. I'll let you know what transpires...

3 days until Christmas...

It must be global warming

So Saturday, the high here was 72 and Sunday was 70. Saturday we had a pretty big group for this time of year and had a really good 100km ride. It was steady at 30-35 kmh and had a few quick bursts. The only true efforts were chasing down our favorite local ding-dong. Everytime the group would slow down, the moron would go to the front and ride off, like he was dropping us. At one point, he took a left turn and the group just kept going straight! After three hours of it, I chased him down on a long flat stretch and simply coasted by...

On the run-in to the sprint, he did it again, but this time he kept looking back. It was if he was taunting the group. I told BLK to go and the two of us ripped across the 200 meter gap at 55 kmh. We went by DD (ding-dong) like he was on jackstands. I let BLK have the sprint (won't happen in the spring and summer), as he did all of the work.

Sunday was another good ride. 3 hours and 55 miles of medium tempo to turn the legs over. There really weren't any quick bursts. I think Saturday took the wind out of more than a few sails. It was a good ride and a good group...

Well, it's a boy...again! Bambino numero due should be arriving at the end of April. The sonogram was pretty easy to read...see the pic...! I could tell it was a boy and I'm an idiot. Hopefully, this one won't be 9 pounds and 22 inches that leads to another 18 hours of brutal labor for the H.O.

Dear trainer,

I hate you in so many ways. So many way, in fact, that I cannot express tham all. My hate runs so deep for you that, if not for my positive attitude and need for time on the bike, I would go buy a plasma cutter and reduce you to little more than $.37/pound scrap.

My brother is out of town for the rest of the week, so I was forced into the ManHole to ride the trainer tonight. I rode the trainer last Sunday as well, making two days in a week, which is unheard of around here. Normally, I would put on the lights and go ride by myself, either a road loop on the Fort or my downtown "Hour of Power" (trademark pending) of the crosser. It's Christmas time and folks are rushing about with little regard for each other, much less a guy on a bike, so I chose to ride the trainer. I truly do not know how you people above the Manson-Nixon line do it all winter. I watch race DVDs and movies while I'm riding and can still only muster an hour before the voices start wanting me to go strangle someone. I have a friend in Canada who goes to his basement and rides the rollers for 3 hours!! Are you kidding me? After three hours, I'd be so homicidal that I'd need a strait-jacket and a fistful of Paxil.

We find out Friday whether Il Bambino will have a little fratello or sorella. The H.O. says it's another boy while I'm just not sure. I've been having dreams that we have a girl. Of course, I also have dreams about Kate Beckinsale...

BTW- my Reynolds Stratus wheels are on EBay...Buy it now for $825

It was cold...

So brohem and I decide to ride mountain bikes on Saturday morning. All fine and well other than the fact it was 27 degrees when I left the house at 8:15 am. We didn't feel like driving anywhere so we did the Ft. Jackson loop plus a little bit.
I know I made fun of him for having to warm his feet, but I was in need of the Vagisil yesterday. Note to everyone, Fox Racing full finger gloves do not equal warm winter mitts. I thought I was one of those guys on Everest. You know the ones...the guys whose appendages go numb and then turn black, only to drop off some days later. I couldn't feel my pinky fingers and thumbs for most of the ride.
We didn't go all that hard and did some barrier construction/addition to a fallen tree. You can now ride up and over. It was a good ride that led to a good nap. Il bambino slept, so I slept. It's all very cyclical.
It was 29 when I woke up this morning. I held out zero hope that anyone would show for the group road ride. The heaters are running in the ManHole. It'll be a balmy 60 down there by then time I go down to get on the rollers for an hour or so. I haven't decided what movie to watch though...! The beauty of a 32" TV and a DVD player in the shed is boundless. I just need to run cable down there...

I'm beginning to amass parts for the new frame build. FSA SL-K cranks were snapped up on EBay for $167...with BB. A bargain! All I need is a seat clamp and headset...and the patience to wait two more months for my new carbon frame.

Holy shit, it's a Humvee

So my brother and I decide to go out a little early last night, so we can ride longer/farther. It was a plan. Not a good one, not a bad one, just a plan. So we meet at 5 on the crossers and head out. There are pine cones and sticks everywhere on the far end of the trail. I catch a stick AND a cone and the bike comes to a dead stop. I pull 15 to 20 pounds of crap out of the rear derailleur and see that the thing has been flipped 270 degrees by the large stick that ended my forward momentum. For a minute, I shit, thinking that the H.O. would not be happy about driving halfway to the middle of nowhere to get me and my disabled rig. Fortunately, I grab the R/D and flip it back around. It works shifts and still does the job for which a small Japanese man designed it. There is a stop on the unit itself that is supposed to hinder the thing from flipping around. Well, it didn't...! It did, however, take a nice chunk out of the body of the R/D while it was doing it's backflip. No harm, no foul...

We get onto the base, illegally I might add, and begin the fire road slog around the lake. On the climb out, I hear a diesel engine off to our 9 o'clock. When we get to the crossroads, I look back and see a set of headlights coming up the road. Did I mention we were on an Army base, at night, in a restricted area, illegally? I yell exactly what the title states and tell my brother to kill his lights. We kill all lights and haul ass, in the dark, up the road. We weren't seen (obviously) or else I may be typing this from Gitmo. I don't think we'll be doing that loop again anytime soon...in the dark at least.

Total ride was 2:40 and a bit over 50km, which is damn good for a night ride...in the woods!

It would have been about 10 minutes shorter, but Poo-Poo had to stop to warm up his toes...
Should have just rubbed some Vagisil on 'em...

Group and solo

Saturday we had a few folks show up. The sun was out, but it wasn't exactly warm...maybe 50-ish. I know some of you are saying 50? Well, it's been up in the high 60s and 70s here for a long while. 50 feels cold...! We ended up doing about 3 hours at a moderate/slow pace. My legs were stiff and heavy from eating poorly and hauling Il Bambino around for the previous two days.
The weather changed last night...for the worse. I woke up to 38 and threatening skies. I knew no one would bother to show, so I hit the trail, solo, on the cross bike. It started raining about 30 minutes after I got home. It turned into a cold, breezy, rainy, all around crappy day. The H.O. was/is on her broom today too....

Christmas is 21 days away. I'm about 65% done with shopping. I just can't go on the weekend. Too many stupid people out there who act as if they've never been out of the trailer park. I get aggro and want to start snapping necks...! Not exactly the Christmas spirit, so I shop in the middle of the week, when all of the unwashed masses are toiling away at work.

Night ride Tuesday...must charge lights...

I have the solution to obesity

Yes folks, you'll be reading it here first, so remember where you saw it...

The solution for obesity in America is to close down all Golden Corral and Cracker Barrel restaurants. As you know, the entire company went to the beach a couple of days ago. In the interest of eating in a location that would be acceptible for Il Bambino, we chose Golden Corral for dinner last night. If you can find something to eat at GC, you aren't really trying. If you can't find too much of that thing, you are not even paying attention. I am at my winter weight of 185-ish right now, and I was by far the thinnest person in GC. I had ONE plate of food from the buffet and some banana pudding. There were a few people that looked like Mr. Creosote...! I mean really, if you must have a chair for each ass-cheek, push the plate away.
Cracker Barrel is no better. Nothing like three pancakes, two eggs and three slices of bacon to dull your senses first thing in the morning. We ate at 9 am...I haven't eaten since and feel like I need a half dozen apples and a whole head of iceberg to cleanse my system

Needless to say, I'll be riding on the front both days this weekend.