A short one

Der Kaisers and I met @ 8 this morning and did a modified loop of the Fort. Mrs Der Kaiser turned around to do another loop, while DK and I just came on home. It started to drizzle so I'm sure Mrs DK got pretty wet. It was a damp, windy, dreary day all the way around.
I was a bit tired today and the ride was dog slow, so any power numbers can be disregarded. I did notice that on seated climbs, even without a lot of effort, that I was @ 300 watts. I'm sure my numbers will be high, but then again, it takes alot to move my big ass around. I made one small effort on the back side of the wall and saw 950 watts...!
I'm probably going to go do a loop in the Fort tomorrow night, as the H.O. has a dinner she has to go to on Tuesday. The baseline ride will hopefully be Thursday night.

I need to go to the ManHole and clean the Ridley, then head out to the country to pickup #1 at his Grandma's house. Then again, I may just wait until later to clean the Ridley...

Rasmussen won the stage today. I know you must be skinny to win a stage in the Alps, but damn...
Somebody get that poor guy a cheeseburger basket. He looks like he was just liberated from a concentration camp.

Saturday...a day of mixed outcomes

The 8 a.m. group met this morning and we actually had a decent sized group. The dozen of us rolled out through the Fort and much to my surprise (not really) my GD PowerTap didn't work. It just sat on the stem... looking at me... mocking me, and generally just pissing me off.
Today would have been the PERFECT baseline ride, as we did the big Eastover loop with some good tempo/paceline work. As Steve Martin would say, "But noooooo..."! I traced the problem to the harness. I switched evertything around and it works as it should...(knocks wood). I guess I need to buy another harness for the Ibis.

The ride was really steady and, I'm guessing here, pretty quick. We did the 95km loop in just under three hours. It was a really good group and fun was had by all. Peter Discoe is back in the fold and it was good to actually ride next to him and chat. He got himself a new Raleigh team frame with SRAM Force stuff on it. It's pretty sexy...! I'd rock it.

I'm feeling better by the day. I think the sweating and physical exertion is pushing the drugs and the bad juju out of my body. I'm feeling about 80% right now. We're going on vacation in a bit over three weeks, so I'll have plenty of time to ride and recover. Last year, I was flying when we got back from the beach. Something about riding for a couple hours every day and then just lazing about on the beach always recharges my batteries.

It's raining right now...I'm feeling a nap coming on...

Sunday ride- 8 a.m. @ Outspokin'...

Feeling a bit better

Last night started as any other, if you don't take into account the fact that I forgot my I.D. and had to chase around the Fort to meet the group at Wildcat. I can tell you, Garners Ferry and Leesburg roads are frightening at 6 in the evening. I was glad my life insurance was paid up.
I rode out to the gate and met the group, all the while not knowing quite how I'd feel.
Fortunately, the body is reacting almost as it should. I feel better now than I did on the 4th ride.

The group came along and we headed out the normal route. Since I have no illusions of being at the sharp end right now, I sat in the back, sucking wheel all the way to Elon and beyond. Once we turned onto Airbase, Der Kaiser put the hammer down. I decided I wan't going to bury myself, so I sat up and rode with TVH, Philip, Il Professore and Joel. It was a nice pace that didn't put me in the red, but still allowed for work to be done. Il Professore was killing me last night. He must have had his Geritol, because he was in rare form. He must have yelled at Joel a half dozen times. Laughing doesn't help lungs that are already working way harder than they should.
We caught Mrs. Der Kaiser about 1/2 way down Airbase. She said the lead bunch was having a 30 mph swordfight. More power to 'em. I just don't have that right now. We all gathered up at the store and rode in together.

I think everyone is either taking it easy, or just tired from killing it all summer. Either way, it was nice to ride a hard tempo, but not have to turn myself inside out. As 'Cisco reminded me, I haven't really trained for the better part of two months. That changes this weekend. Time to get back on the horse...

Hopefully, my PT computer head will show up today so I can ride the thing this weekend. It'll show...and then it will rain both days...

The legs is healing and doesn't hurt at all. The new skin itches like the devil though.

8 a.m. Saturday @ the gate...

Oh, I forgot...
Doogie took out the sprint on Ridge. It was completely uncontested and looked like someone hit the slo-mo button, but he won it. There, are you happy...

PS-I've enabled anonymous comments, which means you don't need to be registered to leave a note. So do it...

Anybody seen a lung?

I rode for the first time in a week and nearly got rained on. I rolled out to the crit course and spun around for about 45 minutes. The sky began to darken and the conversation shifted to whether or not they would be able to finish the crit. I didn't plan on even starting, so I felt zero shame in turning for home when I felt the first drop of rain.

I rode as hard as my spider-poisioned, prescription-drug-addled body would allow. The issue isn't legs...I didn't even feel the slightest amount of lactic acid. The antibiotics and the prednisone have killed any cardio function that I may have to call on. I got home about 5 minutes before the rain started. It only rained for about 15 minutes, but I didn't get wet and my bike is still clean.

I guess I need to wait until the drugs get out of my system to really attempt rding with any anger. I'm just really itchy and becoming hard to get along with (well, harder...) from the lack of bike time.

I can't even play with the new toy. I bought a PowerTap SL on Ebay and of course, it has a problem. The CPU (computer head) wasn't reading speed. I called PT and talked to them about it. They suggested that I try another head on the cradle before I packed up the whole shooting match and sent it back. Big thanks to RW, who helped me out big. We popped his PT head on the bike and it worked fine. I called PT again and they sent me out a new computer head, before I even sent back the old one. That's customer service people!

The person I bought the PT from is a domestic pro who races for BMC. He assured me that it worked when he sent it and even questioned my ability to set it up properly! I think I'll go up to the race in Charlotte this year and see if he wants to be a wise-ass in person...! I'm betting he doesn't...



Oh, here's a picture of my spider bite...! This was taken yesterday. It actually looks better today. You know something is ugly when a friend, who is a medical professional, sees it and says, "DAMN!..."

Robbie McEwen Back From the Dead - Tour de France 2007 st. 1

Ride-free weekend

No ride today either. The weather looked threatening, both out the window and on the radar. I'm in full wussy mode right now with this leg injury. I woke up to searing pain and decided that the combo of the weather and my pain was enough to bail on the ride. I'm going to have a scar that will be worthy of medical journals.
That and the fact the bike was clean and I didn't want the first ride with the PT to be a rainy one.
I need to set some baselines for the PowerAgent software, so I'll probably go to the crit Tuesday night. I'm injured and not at all fit right now, so the numbers can only go up from here. Bonus!

That's Mr. McEwen to you people...
Crashed 20km out, chased back into the group, rode to the front and crushed everyone in the sprint...! Straight pimpin'!!

No ride today for the kid. The leg is starting to heal a bit, but still looks like I got peppered with buckshot. And I can tell you, the thing is SORE. The wound itself doesn't really hurt all that badly, but the new, pink flesh around it is tennndder!
I did get my new toy yesterday though. It always happens that way. Get something new and want to ride it, but can't for one of several reasons...sucks!

I'll be mowing the grass today and watching the Tour...

Just plain bad...

I honestly don't think that I'm meant to do the 4th of July ride in Tryon. It seems that something happens every year to submarine me. Let's start...

2004- Broken wheel on the descent of the Watershed. Lost @ 10 minutes...
2005- Broken frame at some point of the ride. Couldn't push on the descent for fear of catastrophic frame failure...
2006- Super fit, ready to kill it...until I threw out my back and couldn't ride.
2007- Relatively fit...bitten by spider on top of left thigh. Huge, nasty wound that hurts like a MF'er. Taking antibiotics and steriods that absolutely wrecked my feelings on the bike. Heavy legs, no high HR (I maxed at 163 yesterday. Usual max is 185-ish) and mechanical issues on top of that...! I installed a new chain and a 13/25 cassette. I really wanted the 18 cog, but as my luck runs, it was the only gear that didn't work on the ride! Bastard!

I rode a completely suckwad 3:30 time, which is by far the worst of my three rides, even with the aforementioned failures of '04 and '05. I just couldn't put any power to the ground, so I was forced to just ride the damn thing. I spent more time in the 25 cog than ever before. Now granted, I finished way ahead of a lot of folks, but it was about 15-20 minutes slower than I had hoped. And I felt completely wrecked at the end. Then I had to drive home and play host for a cookout. Oh joy...!

The plan was to stay with Mandrus, but that got thrown out the window at mile 5. He finished in 3:14, while the third passenger in the van finished in a blistering 2:53. Yes, my friends, Doogie is a strong little monkey. He stayed with the lead group through the middle of the Watershed, when the hammer evidently went to the mat. The leaders finished in 2:49.

As much as I hate to say it, I'll probably go back next year...

Ah, the beer ride...

Evidently, there was a big pile up on the beer ride last Friday. Some gaper lost control on Golden Arrow, swerved right into the group and took down three others. The first three landed on the fourth. The poor fucker has a couple broken cervical vertabrae, a few broken ribs, his shoulder is jacked and he almost lost his thumb, and that's just the stuff I can remember...
Any wonder why the "fast" group steers clear of this ride. It's completely out of control. I'm all for everyone riding and riding together, but damn people, know your limitations. The beer ride used to be a slow-ish social ride. Now, it's the Friday Night World Championships for Gapers. There's no need to go down Golden Arrow at 30+ mph if you cannot handle your bike properly, period. Just ride your bike and have fun! I know the competitive juices sometimes take over, but when people are crashing and getting badly injured, it's time for changes to be made.
Something needs to be said to that whole group. Dumbass behaviour like this will get ALL of us kicked out of the Fort. I don't do the ride, so it's not my place to pontificate to the group, but I know there are people who read this blog who work at both shops and do the ride every week. Time for you guys to step up and be the boss! Control the shit before more people get hurt and we lose Base privileges.

Going to the ManHole(tm) now to change out a cassette and install a new chain for tomorrow.
Report on the Fab 4th ride to follow...

8 a.m. is early

It's not so much the riding at 8, it's the getting up at 6 to get ready. As some of you may, or may not, know, I have horrible OCD. I have to do the same routine every morning or my day is just shot to hell. This doesn't bode well for Wednesday, as then plan is to leave between 5 and 5:15, which means I'll be rolling out @ 4:15. That shit is too early...

Anyway, we went off @ 8 this morning. The Sunday 8 a.m. ride is turning out to be a good one. We had a good group this morning and ended up with 55 miles. We did the loop through Eastover and back in the normal way. I didn't feel good when we left and felt progressively worse at the ride got longer. The tailwaind on Pineview did little to make me feel better. A couple of hard pulls at 28-30 absolutely crushed me.

I got home, at a small lunch (very sick to my stomach) and crawled into the sack. I really wanted to watch the F1 race, but the body said it was time to sleep. I fell asleep at 12:30 and woke at 4, for no other reason than I had to use the bathroom. I laid back down until 6! I still feel like a steaming pile of poo. Two days of rest should set me right for Wednesday. If not, I'll ride slow...yeah right!

I've decided I'm going to order a junior geared cassette. A 13/25...! I really never get in the 12, not even to sprint, and the 13/25 gives back the much beloved 18 tooth cog. Sometimes, the jump from the 19 down to the 17 is just too much. I've been riding a 12/23 lately and find myself in the 18 a lot. I thought of riding the 12/23 in NC, but better judgement kicked me soundly in the ass and the 25 went on the light wheels. I'm going to CC tomorrow to pick up a 13/25 though. I'll drive to Hawley's to get it if I have to...

The H.O. still isn't home from the grandparents...nothing like keeping the 2 year old out past his bedtime. He'll be a barrel of fun tomorrow. #2 has the same schedule everyday. Eat...sleep...poop...lather, rinse, repeat...

My bad...

Evidently, there was some miscommunication about the ride this morning. I thought we were meeting @ 9, as usual. 4 of us showed. The other 8, smart folks, met @ 8. I guess I should have trusted my instincts and just gone @ 8. Oh well...! We ended up catching them at the G Mart and all rode in together. Mark your calendars and set your alarms. The rides will go @ 8 for the rest of the summer.
The four of us rode through the Fort, across to the Swamp and met the group. We all rode back in the normal way from G Mart. It was a 30 kph affair, which felt really good to my very tired legs and sleep deprived brain. I slept for a grand total of 90 minutes Thursday night. I don't know what was wrong...I couldn't go to sleep. I just laid on the bed until 1:30am, then got up and headed to the living room. I finally dozed off somewhere around 4:45am. #1 woke me, with a 2 year old poke to the face and a "Daddy?" at 6:30. A good start to a great day...

I did catch a great joke on late night TV though...

What do a Mexican and a cue ball have in common?
The harder you hit them, the more english they pick up...

Whooo, that's funny shit!

I went to the ManHole(tm) to change wheels and cassettes last night. I finshed rubbing the bikes and sat down to watch the end of a Tour stage. I woke up to a blue TV screen and a bit of confusion @ 30 minutes later. I just faded out. The decision to head to bed early was an easy one.

I'll be going to bed early tonight and napping hard tomorrow afternoon. The H.O. is taking the management trainees to the grandparents tomorrow, so I'll have the casa all to myself. I plan to ride, shower, eat and sleep, in that order.

Ride tomorrow morning @ 8am meeting at OutJokin'.

The quick, the dead and the stupid

We had a pretty big group last night for the Thursday deathmarch. As the ride progressed, the group got smaller. The trip out of the Fort was uneventful, which meant that the ride was going to be one of two things later on....subdued or balls out. It was the later, thank you very much.
The pace picked up on Ridge and the trip down to Elon was one of the fastest ever. People were already shirking pulls. I recorded my max speed on the run down...64 kph...
I guess BS&G took some climbing juice out of people's legs as the slog up Elon was pretty slow. I made it over in the middle of the group if that tells you anything. Once we crossed 378 though, the pressure went on and stayed on. PeanutHead created gap #1 at the train tracks. It's pretty amusing to actually watch him ride, what with the deathgrip on his bars (which are flipped up at comical angles) and his complete lack of acceleration. I chased the gap to RW, DerKaiser and a couple of others at well over 50 kph.
Once the turn onto Airbase was complete, all bets were off. DerKaiser and Beano nailed it and got away. The group actually worked well together and pulled them back right at the foot of the bump.
Immediately after the bump, DerKaiser went again and took Doogie with him. They stayed away for the remainder of Airbase. Again, we worked well together until about 2km from the stop. PeanutHead pulled through and just sat up in the middle of the group...at 45 kph. The right line kept chugging along as shit-for-brains threw out the anchor and coasted down to 35 kph. Philip and I were behind him and got gapped out. We made the bridge back, but I got a stitch in my side. You remember those don't you? I haven't had one since 8th grade football. I had the legs and heart to go, but the expansion of my chest felt like someone was removing a rib...with a spoon.
The group fell apart shortly thereafter. I could see 1s and 2s and made the turn very shortly after the lead part of the shattered group.
The ride stayed together for the rest of the night, as no one really wanted to go hard anymore. Of course, PeanutHead rode off the front of the group while we were meandering at 32 kph, as is his M.O.
Overall, it was a great, hard effort ride...the pain in my side notwithstanding.

I think we are just going to continue to meet at 9 on Saturdays and 8 on Sundays. Everyone was pretty ineffectual about it last night, so I'm making the call. If anyone has an opinion, please speak up.

1st Tuesday ride in 8 weeks

...but I still didn't do the crit. TVH, Doogie and I met at the gate and did a modified loop of the Fort. It was a slow ride at best. The skies looked ominous, but it only sprinkled lightly and only on one part of Dixie. We ended up with 2:30 on the bike, so it was a good ride. I just needed to turn my legs over.
The H.O. called at one point to say that there was a big storm on the radar. Of course, I was 15 miles from anywhere, so there was little to be done but ride on. As is often the case, she was wrong about the storm too...it was going the complete opposite direction. I'm turning my phone off on rides from here on out.

I tried a new concoction on the ride of Red Bull and Gatorade. To say it was bad is an understatement. It had all of the qualities of high grade horse urine, including, but not limited to, taste and color. We won't be trying it again.

Shrews touched up the White Industries wheels for the 4th, so they will hang until next week. I'm still waiting on my replacement Giordana bibs, as the first ones came apart after one ride. If these fail, I'll do something else...

#1 and #2 seem to be firing up and the H.O. has found her broom, so I gotta jet...

Ride tomorrow night...we'll discuss leaving at 8 on Saturdays...

Weekend

Saturday was a thin ride as the majority of the normal bunch went to the NC mountains to subject themselves to the punishment of Blood, Sweat and Gears. The four of us went out and meandered through Lower Richland into Eastover and back in. Doogie Howser complained that he was bored with riding the same roads, so we did some different roads and some of the regular roads in the opposite direction. We kept a decent pace and ended up with right at 60 miles. I was a bit tired from the combination of Thursday's ride and laying 1/2 a pallet of sod on Friday afternoon.
TVH, Il Professore, Doogie and I went out early this morning and did 55 miles, again, meandering through the Lower end of the county. It was another easy Sunday ride with a blistering 17 mph average. I did wick the effort up a couple times at the end and felt okay pushing the pace to 50 kph and beyond. We actually had a tailwind coming in on Shop, so why not take advantage of it.

The fitness is definitely coming back and the legs are feeling better and better. The heat is getting pretty oppresive though. It was just plain HUMID this morning. I'm trying to cajole the bunch into going out at 8 on Saturday's for the rest of the summer to avoid the noon sun. I'm sure there will be complaints. I don't care either way to be honest. I'm just trying to make it better for everyone...

#1 was still at the spa this afternoon, so I actually got to take a short nap. I can't remember the last time I got to just lay on the bed and snooze. Nice...

Kinda hard / Summer Solstice / Yoga

So I figured, with BS&G coming up this weekend, the Thursday ride would be a bit thin and a bit easier. I was right on the first part and not so right about the second.
We still started with about a dozen and rolled out through the Fort. Derek graced us with his presence last night. On the run down Ridge, he decided that he would take a 38 mph pull down the hill. This got rid of a couple folks. TVH pulled through at 33 or so and wasn't seen again until the run-in on Double Homey. He and Il Professore took the shortcut across to the flats. We waited for them for a while and then figured they did the cut off. I bridged across before Elon and pretty much shot my monkey for the climb. Nothing like rolling up the climb in your 23 at a blistering 13 mph...!
The ride turned into a rolling 7 man paceline until the bump and we lost 1. We lost another about a click from the stop sign. It was not an easy pace set by the remaining 5. We rolled through at between 26 and 30 for pretty much the entire length of AirBase.
Everything stayed pretty civil for the remainder of the ride. I took the bridge sprint with ease at a tick over 40 mph. I jumped hard in the twelve, after a pretty nice leadout by Philip and Mandrus. Derek said he didn't know where the sprint line was, but I don't think it would have mattered.

As an aside, an hour of yoga is a good thing, except in the case of having a hard ride the next day. My legs and back were damn crispy for the entire ride. I think I'll save the hour class for days before I ride easy. The 30 minute, quicky stretching class is okay for pre-hard day work.
Don't laugh either. I've been an athlete my entire life and have done some things that are difficult at best. If you make the effort to do the class correctly, it will kick your ass.

The H.O. ordered a pallet of sod. I'm going to get the trailer and the sod shortly. I can't wait until she goes back to work...! #1 is going to the spa this weekend, so I figured I might get some rest. I guess I'll rest when I'm dead, which at this pace, might be sooner than later.

PS- There is talk of the weekend rides being moved to 8 a.m. for the remainder of summer. It would help to avoid the heat and get us home a bit quicker. Conversely, it would also allow us to ride longer, if that's what folks want to do, without penalty from home. Either give me a call, or leave comments on here with your opinions of this idea.

Out---

Beautiful morning

I went out for my normal Tuesday morning trip around the Fort, but on this fine, warm day, I had some company. Julie decided to join me for the journey. We went out to do the big loop and ended up doing a bit extra. Instead of thurning left on Dixie, we went right and rode until the pavement ended, which is all of about 4 miles each way. The out trip is tailwind and downhill, so you can figure out the return. Julie hasn't been riding much, as her $5000 Tarmac doesn't fit, so she rode pretty damn slowly. It's cool with me, as I rarely go hard on Tuesday mornings. I ended up with 60 km and a bit over 2 hours. Good ride!

We figured out that her 52cm Tarmac is too long across the top. The top tube is a 53.7 and the seat tube is 74.5 degrees. She's already riding a 100mm stem with 10 degrees of rise, so the shorter stem option is out. Moving the saddle forward is no fix either. That would effectively steepen the seat angle and change the cockpit/front center. Riding with her saddle in the correct KOPS position makes the bike too long. She's a C'dale fan, so a 50cm System Six seems to be the fix for the problem. Cannondales have the geometry that will put her where she needs to be...

#1 actually took a nap today too. First one since #2 came home...! Shocking! I won't hold my breath for it to happen tomorrow.

Weekend

Friday brought more rain in the morning, so I bit the bullet and went to the ManHole(tm) and got on the infernal machine. It's not so bad when you have a big fan blowing on you and a 32" TV staring you in the face. I rode for a bit over an hour while watching the 2000 tour on the tele. Just a medium tempo to get the legs going around...
Saturday morning was beautiful. The majority of the group met at 8 a.m. ( I guess I didn't rate for that phone call...), while the remnants met at 9. The five of us did a medium tempo ride through Lower Richland. We ended up with right at 3 hours and 57 miles.
Il Professore and I met this morning at 8 to do a SLOW spin for 3 hours. We did exactly what we planned and averaged a blistering 16.5 mph. I don't think my HR got much higher than about 120. It was good to ride with him again. We rode side by side for three hours and yapped the entire time. Nothing in the conversation(s) was exactly groundbreaking or especially learned, but that kind of company on a ride makes the time pass more quickly and is entirely enjoyable.
Jules was supposed to meet us to ride, but she bailed because there was a small spinkle at 7 a.m.! Weaksauce! At 8, it was overcast and very comfortable. The roads were damp, but there was zero liquid falling from the sky. She says she'll ride with me Tuesday morning...
I feel like the back in coming around and my legs are getting better by the ride. I haven't really dug deep, nor have I attempted to sprint full out for fear that I'll tweak my back. Overall, I'm way more comfortable on the bike than I was a few weeks ago.

The H.O. got me a leafblower for Father's Day. Thanks for the tool that I have to assemble and that will facilitate more work for me...

Yoga tomorrow...don't knock it 'til you've burped your back...

Radar

The radar was alive with the sound of music this evening. It barely rained at the house, but the radar indicated that the storms were headed directly for the part of the country were we tend to ride.
I didn't feel like a) getting wet , b) cleaning the bike...again, c) getting struck by a large bolt of lightning, or d) some or all of the above.
If it's not raining sideways in the morning, I'm going out...

Il Professore is back from his trip to the Pacific Rim. He says the jetlag is really something that needs to be experienced. I thought lag from the Vegas to Charlotte redeye was bad...

Sick and twisted...

Just follow the link and read...

http://kaibabmonstercross.blogspot.com/

A full day...

#1 rolled out of the sack bright and GD early this morning. I wrestled with him for the better part of 2 hours before the H.O. even cracked a lid. Once the H.O. finally got all systems online, I got on the bike to do my normal Tuesday morning spin.
I went out through the Fort and down into the flats. I really didn't feel all that great, but as I explained in an earlier post, feelings sometimes lie. I vowed to stay at about 75% this morning and did so, but everytime I looked down, I was rolling along at 35 kmh+. My legs were achy and I felt kind of BLAH, but the speed seemed to come with little effort. I saved a box turtle too. The little fella was crossing the road and was in the middle of the lane. I stopped and helped him make it to the other side.
I rolled home with about 50km. Not bad for 90 minutes work. The mp3 player is my friend. I need some new songs though....
I got home and did some needed service to the Ridley. The chain went in a solvent bath and the rear Cane Creek wheel got some attention. The clunking sound was a loose freehub body. Everything went back together and works perfectly.
Once the H.O. got cleaned up from working in the yard, we loaded up the brood and went to the zoo. I think #1 enjoyed himself...right up to the point when he started to have a nervous breakdown. All of the sights and sounds in the penguin house were a bit much. He stopped dead in his tracks, put his hands on his head and started to melt down. Fortunately, I got to him before the reactor went critical. After about 5 minutes outside, all systems returned to normal.

I think the crit got rained on tonight. It started to rain @ 6:00 and got worse as the evening progressed. At 6:45, lightning hit about 100 feet from the house.

See you Thursday...