Quien es mas macho?

Well folks, the answer to that question is a simple one today. Karl Kaiser es mas macho. We had planned to do a 60-ish mile, steady, hard-ish tempo ride today and got a motorpace session behind Der Kaiser instead. Der Kaiser has been riding very well as of late and did the 95 mile RR in Rock Hill two weeks ago and then promptly took 10 days of the bike. He and his fresh legs showed up this morning and were feeling very frisky. He actually told Mrs. Der Kaiser that he felt 'great' when they were on their way to the ride. When Der Kaiser feels 'great', we usually get F-ed, hard...like prison!
He pulled about 75% of the 60 miles this morning and the pace never changed or wavered. If you want an example of the speed, we made it to the Cricket store in 90 minutes, and we went the long way, through Eastover! The entire 60 was covered in 2:45, which is impressive when you consider there were only six of us on the ride and it was WINDY. And we didn't go hard, at all, until we got out of the Fort. Today was one of those days when you rarely see the front, but are just whipped shit when you get home. I feel bad for NID and Joel, as they got shelled off before we made the first turn.

I was a bit tired about halfway through, but could do little about it. Considering I've ridden three days this week and all three were hard, I'm feeling okay with myself. Next week will be a rest/recovery week. I plan on riding, but only pulling #1 around in the Burley....maybe the Thursday ride...we'll see...

Crit report Tuesday. No ride tomorrow...baby duty (doody) calls...

Thursday's group ride

What looked like it was going to be a 5 man affair, quickly gained participants and became a REALLY good, quick tempo, paceline ride. There's not enough light to do the entire Elon loop yet, but we still got a touch more than 40 miles last night. The wind was out of the S/SW, which made for a weird, swirly wind on certain sections. I think we actually had a tailwind on the way home. Either that, or everyone was strong last night. All I know is, we stayed above 40kmh on Clarkson, and it's a false flat. When the road turned flat and tipped downhill, RW hit the gas and picked it up to a tick under 50kmh. This put a few into difficulty and put Il Professore out the back. He loves it when someone hits the throttle after he takes a pull! :) We gathered back up and rode easy tempo all the way to Shop. Of course, the pace picked up after the light, leading to the bridge sprint. Osama (who has shaved, so we need another nickname) produced a stellar leadout. I saw RW shift down to the 13 and twitch, so I hit the 12 and jumped hard. Head down and no looking around produced a 70kmh top speed.

I felt pretty good last night and won both contested sprints. The first one took a little edge out of my legs for a while, but it came back around. I couldn't get my HR to stay high, nor could I get a deep, full lung breath, but it didn't seem to hurt me as I took my pulls and had little difficulty staying in. My legs could have produced longer, faster pulls, but the HR/lung situation was cause for a bit of self-preservation. ]

We saw ThePeanut out last night too. I think he's taken the hint and started riding alone. He says he's 'training with power' because his new iBike and training alone will make him faster. Maybe, but he still can't control his bike or turn...

Still waiting for parts from FSA so I can fix the Ibis. My crankset didn't come with some blue, teflon, crush washers and therefore, wouldn't tighten down all the way. If the washers don't do the trick, they're going back on EBay and there will be some D/A cranks going on. Shimano has the outboard shit figured out.

Riding this weekend may be an iffy proposition as the H.O.'s mother is leaving. I really want to ride Saturday, but it may just be a quick loop of the Fort when #1 goes nap-nap.

Round 7

Holy crap! The seventh installment of the Tuesday Worlds was QUICK! I had a 27 mph average and I am the official timekeeper, so my computer is probably dead on.
PMC has decided that the neutral lap has worn out it's welcome, so it was go time from the gun. The initial break was quickly reeled in and several little attacks were thrown, but nothing had a chance tonight. There were just too many horses in attendance. There was very little filler out there tonight, and what was there quickly got shuffled out the back.
The first 15 minutes were balls-out. Thankfully, a semi pulled across the road between turns one and two and forced the entire group to slow to a crawl. I owe that dude some cash. Several folks said that it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.
The remaining 35 minutes seemed to drag on and on. It was possibly the longest 57 minutes ever. Most of the folks who are 'cornering challenged' were absent, save for the tri-dork with the tricep implants. That dude is downright scary in the turns. Handling and triathletes are not terms one usually uses in the same sentence.
It came down to a big, hairy dragrace. Jay Charles ended up taking it by about 4 inches. He should though, he's a flipping 2.
I felt pretty good considering I am sharing a room with a 4 day old baby. Riding at a high level and sleep deprivation are not good bedfellows. I closed a couple gaps at well over 30mph and felt a bit of form trying to return. Of course, that form is going to be shot in the ass with two kids under two in the house. Looks like I'll be concentrating on cyclocross this winter.
I'm going to try to make the ride on Thursday, but we'll see...

No rest for the weary

So Thursday night, I planned to ride, but the H.O. put the kibosh on that, which is okay considering she is/was 9 months preggo. We had a nice dinner @ Pasta Fresca and some ice cream @ Cold Stone before retiring to the casa. Friday rolled around and we got up bright and GD early to go to the hospital to have us a young'un.

We got to the maternity ward @ 9:30 and they put the H.O. on all of the monitors. Of course, once hooked up, the contractions began and proceeded to get closer and closer. By the time she got wheeled back to the O.R., they were 3 minutes apart! Did I mention we chose to get the elective C-section? I highly recommend it, as it's easier for EVERYONE involved.

The H.O. got her spinal block and went under the knife @ 12:03. Ten very short minutes later, Joshua David was born.

He tipped the scales at a whopping 8 pounds 12 ounces and measured out @ 21 inches. He and momma are doing great! He looks a lot like his big brother, which is a good thing.

I'm sleeping at home tonight, as there was little shut eye to be had last night in the room. Between feeding him every 2 hours or so and the nursing staff busting in every moment, no one got any sleep. Well, Joshua did, but that his gig right now! As for the aforementioned nursing staff, those ladies should be serving search warrants. They knock lightly and then kick the door in!

I did manage a ride this afternoon. 2 hours in the sun will clear your head and allow some decompression. I feel like the Grinch at the end of the movie, when his heart grows and grows. You just don't know how much you can love something until you have a baby!

Round 6

Round 6 of the TNWCCS went off last night. We were met with a blistering tailwind up the front stretch, which meant that the headwind would be waiting for us on the back.
PMC doesn't seem to be able to follow directions, so instead of our normal, neutral lap, he just took off, forcing us to chase immediately. No big deal, since he was back in 2 laps. Breaks seemed to be constantly going and the crit stayed lined out for the first 15 minutes. Around 20 minutes, a break went and a few guys bridged across the gap. Pretty much all of the horsepower was in the break, leaving the second group with me, my brother, Il Professore, Matt and Reed to take up the action. The rest of the group was populated by guys who couldn't go through a freaking corner. Chris actually asked me to send one of the guys to the back. Which I did, since he looked like he was on the ragged edge of control through turn four. At 30 minutes, I felt the tell-tale bounce that comes when a rear tire is going down. It's what I get for riding through the gutter to get around some of the gapers. I stopped and changed the tube and jumped back in for a few laps, but it was all for naught, as the break wasn't coming back and my heart just wasn't in it.
Charles Ridleheuber (Bicycle Link-Beaufort) and Dr. LP went heads up for the sprint and Charles got it by a half-wheel. It was a good race that was pretty damn fast.

I could tell that I'd been sick for 4 days. My legs were pretty empty and about 15 minutes in, my stomach started to sour. I feel better for going out to ride though. You don't realize how much a stomach bug drains you until you try to ride at a high level. My electrolyte balance is still all messed up too.

Right now, we're standing @ 50 hours and counting until Il Bambino numero due arrives.

OooFFF , ouch my tummy...

So Tuesday was great, felt good, rode well, could move around in the pack at will. Wednesday brought a bit of an upset tummy and a lot of gas. I was painting the newly repaired ceiling in the dining room and started to feel hot and really nauseous. About 45 minutes later, I had a base camp set up near the toilet in our bathroom. I spent the next 12 hours really getting to know the quality of our plumber's work. It also allowed me to assess the the tilework on the floor. Some soul searching was done as well. I felt like I would be climbing the stairs towards the white light at any moment. My last "episode" was approximately 5:30 am Thursday. I've eaten two meals since then and feel like re-constituted shit after eating. On the up side, I have lost 6 pounds since Wednesday morning. If this is the life of a runway model, I don't want it.
I feel almost human today. I'm just wicked tired from missing a full 24 hours of sleep and recoup time. That's what'll drain you. Well, that, and vomiting 50+ times. I lost count...

I did get The ManHole cleaned out today and installed Mandrus' ceramic BB. His D/A BB felt like someone had poured sugar in it. Oh, and I busted my lip while removing it. In Shimano's (in)finite wisdom, they designed a steel tool to go with an alu part. Well, the tool slipped when it ate the alu and my face came down cleanly on the TT. Nice...! I let fly a stream of obscenities that would make an Alaskan crab fisherman blush.

The coming rains will likely was out any ride until Sunday afternoon. I plan on going out Monday to see how I feel. The crit is a go, for now...

The H.O. is 5 days from dropping the newest addition to the clan, so all of these plans may get roundfiled.

Don't ask me, I just work here....

TNWCCS Round 5

Well, the 5th installment of the TNWCCS went off last night, and fortunately, it was a bit safer and less helter/skelter than Round 4. There were no crashes or even near misses last night, but there are still some folks that really need to think about what they are doing while they are out there. The cyclocross kid must have had some sort of spinal fusion as he doesn't seem to be able to turn his head to see where he's going when pulling into, or out of the line. I finally had enough and yelled at him with 3 to go. Of course this was after he turned left into the main group and nearly took out the guy in the Felt kit.
A certain VB who keeps coming out needs to spend some quality time learning to turn. This ain't no Cat5 crit. Get off your brakes and stop squaring off the corners! Oh, and get some big boy gears...! He's out there though. The rest of the Pink Ladies don't seem to have the testicular fortitude to show.
Any the fat kid on the Lemond who kept getting shelled and jumping back in the front should probably just stay home. I got tired of closing his gaps and worrying about his lack of skill and fitness. He looked like two octupi making love.

Anyway, the neutral went as expected when PMC is out. It's more like 3/4 of a neutral lap. PMC and 3 others attacked from the gun and opened a pretty nice gap. It came back pretty quickly. This seemed to be the theme for the evening. Things were constantly going and getting pulled back. Even the biggest break of the night got pulled back in two laps. The race was really steady and we averaged a tick over 40 kmh for the 56 minuutes. It was the first night we've kicked it to the full 50 minutes and the extra 5 minutes were definitely felt.
The group slowed to a crawl with 2 to go and then all hell broke loose. Attack after attack went and gap after gap appeared. On the last lap, a group of 6 got away with 1km to go and being the dope that I am, I decided to close it down myself. It's that whole, "What would Jens Voigt do?" thing...! I got across at 55 kmh and should have ridden straight past, but I sat up and got killed in the sprint. Yet another field finish. I did feel good last night though. Better than I've felt in a long time. I hate to miss Rock Hill on Saturday, but the H.O. could drop the baby at any moment. That kind of takes precedence over going to race.
The way my luck runs, I'll be lining up for the Masters 35+ race and my phone will ring...

Oh, and a big shout out to the guys at Crank Brothers. I dicked up one of my pedals a few weeks ago in the crit when I caught it in the bottom corner. I needed a stainless outside replacement plate. I emailed them and they sent out a complete rebuild kit, including all replacement plates and bearings...for a PAIR of Quattros. I've joined the CB tribe! Bigger companies could learn a thing or twelve from those guys! Great products and service goes a LONG way!

No riding this weekend

I woke up Saturday morning to 28 degrees and a howling 20+ mph wind. I'm not getting paid to ride and I knew that the chances of anyone else showing up were thin, almost anorexic. I finished the floor in the backroom instead. The only thing left to do is install the ceiling fan, and to be honest, it can wait.
Sunday was Easter and another day when getting dressed and showing up to the group ride was be little more than an exercise in futility. Most don't show on a normal, warm Sunday. It was about 38 degrees yesterday morning...

The yet unborn and un-named baby's room got a fresh coat of paint yesterday. It's still light blue, just a different shade of light blue. The H.O. made a decree, so I was obliged to re-paint. Smelling glue, paint and caulk for two days in a row has given me a blistering headache. That and the dust/pollen from mowing the grass last night.

I'm going to try to get out for a spin tonight to loosen up my legs...we'll see.

Crit tomorrow. Maybe it will be a little more controlled...I think I'll make an appeal for calm.

2 days in a row...

It's been a while since I've actually been able to ride two days in a row, and I feel better for it.

Thursday night's ride was a small gathering, yet fun and quick. We did some good tempo, paceline work and got home before dark. I had some seriously heavy legs last night though...

Il Professore and I went out this afternoon for a little roll around the Fort and ended up meeting the BeerRide on their way out, so we turned and joined in. I won't say it was frightening, but it was a bit helter-skelter. Of course, I knew this going in, so you can plan for it. Either ride on the front, or on the back. The middle is the deathzone on Friday night. It was fun for what it was though...
I did get to pick at and wind up a certain person on the ride tonight. He obviously wasn't on his meds as he was quick to anger and just rode away. Fun stuff I tell you...! It's too bad he's such a dick.
ThePeanut made an appearance as well. He says he's been riding too hard, so he's taking some time to build back up so he'll be stronger. Yeah, April is the time to slack off on training. Good luck with that! He also got an iBike, which is possibly the worst powermeter type unit out there. He'll have plenty of time to look at it when he's off the back. He didn't say much tonight, which is rare. He still rides like a dope. The BeerRide is probably the place for him.

No ride tomorrow as it supposed to be ass-biting cold in the morning and I have to finish laying the tile in the backroom.

Is there something in the water?

Jesus Pete! Tonight was a good old fashioned NASCAR short-track free for all. More on that in a moment...

The crit went off, as usual, with a very large group that included several new faces. A lot of these new faces are strong, but have ZERO handling skills in the pack. Holding a line seems to be a foreign idea to a lot of them. Inside/out or outside/in through the turns was the M.O. for most of them. One noob swung way outside and put Osama into the curb, and thus, ass over elbow into the grass. Thankfully, he went down in the grass and only his jersey was any worse for wear. Osama jumped back in after taking his free lap and was fine. That was the first incident...
The crit itself started off with a shot from PMC and a select group who chose to make a break on lap one. The group chased for the next five laps or so, with very few of us actually doing any of the work. I did a lot of chasing for 15 minutes and paid retail for it for the next 20. The wind was a factor tonight as well. A strong west wind was blowing up the backstretch, making the chase that much more difficult. More breaks went and came back through the first 40 minutes. The group was back, en masse, at 42 minutes and then the second incident of the evening occured. Another noob decided he wanted to move right. Unfortunately, Jay Charles was occupying that space. Jay came over on me, quickly, and we met carbon to carbon, and I'm not talking about carbon-based life-forms. His carbon r/d went directly into my front Carbone. The impact sheared his r/d off with surgical precision. It also rendered my front wheel into a shape resembling a Frito-Lay product. I shot dead right and into our own, local, national champion Jed. Fortunately, the three of us that all met in the middle are experienced enough to handle some contact and no one went to the tarmac. Thank God, b/c eating pavement at 25+ sucks. I did lose a chunk out of my right ankle from Jed's bike though...

Parts can be replaced/repaired...road rash scars last a long time. I guess I'll be making a trip to see Shrews tomorrow...

The Harrell's boys battled it out for the win. I couldn't really tell, but I think Jamie may have gotten the win.

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...