Dirty White Bar Tape

Tumblr

2011-02-25T06:05:00.000-08:00

http://miketunes.tumblr.com/

This is where I (kinda) blog now. It's mostly music, but there are a few bike racing goodies in there.

Bernard Hinault

2010-10-04T11:20:00.001-07:00

"Le Blaireau" (the Badger)

Bricks.

Nails.

Jackhammer.

Bernard Hinault.

1981 Paris Roubaix. Despite his contempt for the race, he announced his win in advance. After crashing seven times on his way to the Roubaix velodrome, he bested Roger DeVlaminck, "Mr. Paris-Roubaix," and four others with an insanely long kick for the victory in rainbow stripes.

Bricks.

The Badger rode to victory in the 1985 Tour de France with a broken nose.

Post-retirement guardian of the podium.

"I slept like a baby the night before, because I knew that I'd win the next day."

1985 TdF.

"As long as I breathe, I attack."

Clearing the road of protesters mid-race. The only pro cyclist I've ever seen who looks like he can throw a good punch.

Clearing the podium once again. Do not mess with the Badger.

1980 Liege-Bastonge-Liege. Wins solo by ten minutes in a blizzard. Tough as nails.

“I attack when I’m tired. In that way no one knows I’m tired.”

-Bernard Hinault

Blacksburg Cycling Classic

2010-07-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes knowing what to do and doing what you know are two very different things.

I arrived in Blacksburg on Friday afternoon with low expectations for the weekend's races due to my recent neglect of my bike. I won't go into the reasons behind that. I know I should train, but knowing and doing are different things.

The 3 Crit started around noon on Saturday. It was hot. I had a good clip-in and started the first lap second wheel behind my teammate Jacob. He eventually pulled off and after the next turn, I found that I had a small gap on the field, so I took off. I got caught about a lap after. I got dropped about a lap after that. I struggled with heartburn throughout the race and the rest of the day. I ended up finishing the race because the fields were so small. I think I finished 13th for 3 points in the omnium. The results aren't posted yet.

I rode back to my apartment and my heartburn worsened. I puked twice at the apartment and once in the parking lot before the time trial.

My TT start time was around 6:30. It was hot. I'm not sure what there is to say about a TT except that I rode hard. That's all you can do. I caught my 30 second man and the guy behind me caught me. He also caught my 30 second man. He won. I believe I got 6th place, something like 11 seconds off his time over a ten mile course. I was very proud of that result. It gives me hope that there are faint glimpses of form within me, despite my time off the bike. I puked again afterward.

The P/1/2, 3, and Masters fields were combined for the epic road race in Maggie Valley. It was hot. The race was 64 miles on a 15 mile circuit, four laps with the mountain top finish up John's Creek. I'll skip all the beginning of the race boring information, but I will say that it is such an incredibly beautiful course. There is a long fast section, a tough climb, and plenty of rollers.

I touched Justin's wheel on the first lap, but he didn't seem to notice. That was the first time I've done that in a race. It helps to concentrate. I know, but I didn't.

I got dropped up the climb about 50-55 miles in. I just didn't have the legs. I think plenty of 3s didn't. I probably had a shot at a good result in the 3s even after being dropped, but my carelessness for nutrition was looming. I completely bonked when I hit the final climb. I only had five bottles and two clif bars before I hit the the climb. That wasn't nearly enough.

Eat and drink more than you think you need. I know, but I didn't.

It was the strangest kind of failure ever. I was talking Jake King at the start of the climb. My breathing wasn't very labored. I was speaking in uninterrupted sentences when I said to Jake: "I can't do this. I have to walk." It's such an unusual feeling to not be wheezing or waiting to puke when your legs just cannot pedal any longer. I walked. I walked and I begged for water. No one could help. I walked until Jacob rode by me. I got back on my bike, hoping that I could try to ride with him for a while. I couldn't, but walking was too lonely, so I continued to ride. Soon after, Justin rode up to me after breaking his chain earlier. He gave me a huge push. I was amazed by the skill it took to push me so hard while riding up a climb like that. I tried to maintain his pace, but that only dug my grave deeper. On a hard climb, you have to ride within yourself. I know, but I didn't.

I should have used a 27 or 28 tooth cassette. I know, but I didn't.

I got off and walked again. This time walking was so hard, I didn't think I could make it on foot. I draped my upper body over my handlebars and pushed the bike up the hill with everything I had. Soon my teammate Michelle drove by offering help and encouragement. I asked if she had any water, but she didn't. I continued to walk until I came to the switchback that leads into most brutal pitch of the climb. Just after I remounted, I got a push from a stranger from Bike Works I think. At the bottom of the climb, I knew that I was malnourished and ate two clif bars in a row. I think they had caught up to me once I reached the switchback. I rode up the steepest part of the climb. After that, Michelle drove back up to me with a bottle of water. She had gone down the mountain just to get me water. I have never needed water so badly. Thank you Michelle. After some of the toughest pedal stokes of my life I made it to the top, pedaling as slow as physically possible, yet as fast as I was capable of, fighting every revolution.

Huge thanks to any friend or stranger who yelled encouraging words at me, gave me a push, water, or money for food and drink, held back laughter, or offered any other kind of help before, during, or after i walked up most the final climb today. I'll take better care of myself next time. There are good people in bike racing.

Tour of Washington County, Stage 3

2010-06-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Criterium.

I did not do well. I "raced" at the back for the whole race. That's no way to save energy, but I guess I'm still working on the nerves that are necessary to hold a decent position. I finished right at the back of the pack. Go figure. I won't give you a turn-by-turn report, but I will say that it was hard.

It's funny, I came into the weekend expecting that my best performance would come in the road race and my worst from the time trial. That didn't happen.

RR: Dropped. 43rd place. Lost 6 minutes.
TT: 23rd place. Lost 3 minutes.
Crit: Finished at the back. Haven't seen results yet. Probably in the 40's.

Can I TT? I only had clip-ons and I guess I did alright. I had only done two TTs before and I was pretty sure I sucked. I'm not going to say that I'm an amazing time trialist, especially since my power numbers don't support that conclusion. I will say that my TT result shows I'm strong enough to race a lot better than how I did this weekend. I'm not sure what the issue is for sure, but I hope I work it out before the end of the season.

Congrats to Greg for some solid results in his first Cat 3 race. Thanks for making the trip much more enjoyable.

Tour of Washington County, Stage 2

2010-06-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Time Trial:
Duration: 24:48
Norm Power: 312
VI: 1
Distance: 10.174 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 822 310 watts
Cadence: 53 118 89 rpm
Speed: 13.4 35.6 24.6 mph
Pace 1:41 4:29 2:26 min/mi

That was actually pretty fun. We'll see how I did soon. I probably sucked. I caught one guy on the way back and came close to passing another. Neither of those two guys were my 30sec man though. I wonder how many seconds I could have shaved with some more TT gear...

Tour of Washington County, Stage 1

2010-06-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

Road Race.

Something like 38 miles. Rolling hills. A few short steep grades.

I rolled up pretty early, pinned my numbers, and chilled out for a while. No I didn't, It was hot as hell. I don't like the hot races; no one does.

After a ten minute "warm-up," we lined up and started racing. I lost about 20-30 spots at the start. I clipped in just fine, but my nerves haven't been very solid at all since collegiate season. Speaking of that, I don't think my form has been either. Perhaps I'm just getting outclassed in stronger fields, but I think I've been suffering from a lack of intensity in my training. In the spring, I was racing twice a weekend in addition to a race-quality workouts at Wednesday Worlds. Now all I've been doing is racing once every other weekend or so. Hopefully I can build some good form by the end of the season.

Oh yeah, this is a race report. You can probably guess the ending already. So we rode around for a while. I stayed at the back because I'm riding like a girl lately. Maybe halfway through the race, I watched a break go up and grow to maybe 20 riders strong. I wasn't feeling very good, but I thought that was a make or break move. I was able to move up and make a bridge attempt. I jumped from the pack with 3 guys on my wheel. I puked trying to get up there, didn't have the gas, and the pack swallowed me before eventually reeling the break in. I was dropped shortly after.

Oh well. It's going to be just as hot tomorrow for the TT and criterium. I have no shot at the TT with clip-ons as my only aero advantage, but hopefully the legs will come out for the crit.

Starting Over

2010-05-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well I'm a Cat3 now. It's a big deal. People know me. I can't even make a trip to the grocery store without being attacked by hordes of screaming fans. Although my life has become infinitely more glorious, Category 3 seems to provide some new challenges for self-proclaimed up-and-coming bike racers.

As usual, I'm writing with no plan for the consequence or conclusion of this post. Instead, I'm reflecting on my position in the world of bike racing to decide whether not I will race this weekend.

Upgrading to Cat3 has felt a bit like starting over for me. In my two non-collegiate races since my upgrade, I've been stuck in Pro/1/2/3 fields. Both races had 3/4 fields, but I showed up late for the first one and registered too late for the second one. Maybe 3-only fields are more common in criterium racing, but I have decided for this season that I don't want to do 5-6 hours of driving to race for one hour. This weekend, my best option to race looks like the Tour of Tucker County in West Virginia. This race has no 3/4 or 3 field, so the 1/2/3 field is my only option. This race has three seven mile climbs and a mountain top finish, so I would doubt my chances even in a Cat4 field. As I have learned from the Poolesville Road Race, a 1/2/3 road race is not a question of if I get dropped, but when I get dropped (most likely the first climb). I feel like a Cat5 again and it's hard to be motivated to race this way. I simply can't mix it up with the Harley's and Haymarket's of the world yet.

I'm not frustrated; I know I can get to this level. I just put in my biggest training week ever with over 16 hours rolling (don't laugh). I need to train harder to be able to truly "race" these races. I'm not losing motivation to train, I'm only losing motivation to race sometimes because of the complications of being a Cat3. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle, but I know I wont find any forgiveness in Cat2 when the time comes. I guess this is racing. This is my welcome to the real world of road racing. I guess it starts hard and only gets harder. Everyone's favorite quote makes more sense everyday:

"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
-Greg Lemond

Like I've said, I'm happy with my progress. This time last year, I would occasionally get dropped from Cat5 fields. After dropping out of the Cat4 field at Page Valley last year, someone told me something along the lines of: "Road racing is a tough game, but you're out there doing it and that's what counts." Racing wouldn't be fun if it was easy.

I think I'm going to try to race this weekend.

Bring on the droppage.

Poolesville RR

2010-05-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

I did it... Some of it. I made my plans late, so the 3/4 race was closed. Yup, I signed up for the Pro/1/2/3 race.

I'm not on this level yet. I almost hung on until lap 3 of 7. Oh well. This time last year I was struggling as a cat 5; now I'm getting dropped by some of the baddest dudes in MABRA. No complaints here, I just need more miles.

My favorite memory from the race was slowing down to about 5 mph to enter the 1.5 mile gravel/dirt section and immediately accelerating up to 30 mph. In the two times I hit that section, I pushed almost 400 watts for the whole thing.

NRV Omnium Crit #2

2010-05-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Entire workout (185 watts):
Duration: 4:12:48 (5:00:02)
Work: 2714 kJ
TSS: 284.7 (intensity factor 0.836)
Distance: 73.491 mi

Wait... That doesn't look like a crit file.

Here's what happened. John and I rolled out (riding, not driving) from Blacksburg just before 10am to get to our 3/4 race in Dublin between 11 and 11:30. The crit was twenty miles away and our race start was at 11:55. I remembered just before we left town that I didn't print out a map, but as always, I knew exactly where I was going. John trusted me.

We got lost as hell. By the time we had passed Dublin by about two towns and were sure we would miss our race, John says:

"Maybe I should use the GPS on my phone..."

(pause)

"You have GPS on your phone!? What the hell man!?"

It was like the scene in Dumb and Dumber:

Anyway, after a bit of help from locals and the GPS, we showed up to the race with 50 miles in the bank. We had missed our 3/4 race, but since I'm a 3, I was able to jump into the 1/2/3 crit, which started in ten minutes. Having been tired from a long ride, I had very low expectations for my first non-collegiate race as a cat 3.

It was a seven man field with four from Nature's Path. From the start, I found that I could respond to the surges, but realized just how many watts it takes to get separation from the field. Three riders lapped the field early on. Soon I took a pretty easy pull and turned around to find a decent gap, so I ramped it up slowly. I got about a half lap on the field (half of whom were a lap up on me) and found one of the Kings (maybe Mark?) coming up to me. He had already lapped the field once. We start working together and once we get 100 feet from lapping the field, he attacks me, makes it up to the field quickly, and yells at his teammates to "GO! GO! GO!"

So much for lapping the field. I just hung out until a local, Scott, bridged up to me. We ride together and stayed away until the finish. I knew that I would have no chance whenever he decided to go. He went on the last lap and I cruised in for 5th place. Not bad for my first 1/2/3 race after 50 miles of riding.

Thanks to John for helping me get to the race. If not for him, I would have surely given up and ridden back to Blacksburg in shame. Thanks for the gel as well. Thanks to Ben for the ride home and thanks to Ben and Jacob for giving me some clothes after the race. Thanks to the lady on the horse, whose directions finally proved helpful. Thanks to the promoter, who let me jump into the 1/2/3 race.

I could elaborate much more, but I'll just say that this day will be added to my list of "epic" days.

Floyd

2010-05-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

I went. Good music and good times. I was hoping Nick would write about it so I wouldn't have to. Thanks Nick!

Read about it here.

High-Tech Bike Fit Analysis

2010-04-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

lolz. seriously though. the saddle is going back.

Collegiate season just ended. I was in a good spot for a podium in the B conference standings, but I've had pretty bad results in the last two or three weekends. This weekend, I sucked in the road race and I sucked in the last corner of the crit. I slid out on some gravel. That's racing.

Matti Breschel

2010-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

I like to see pros unhappy. I am always bored with fake, optimistic interviews. Here's a great interview with Matti after De Ronde.

I bet if he had a blog, the tone would be similar to mine.

Boone-Roubaix (ASU Weekend)

2010-04-04T18:13:00.001-07:00

I didn't make it all the way to Roubaix.

It's okay; I had a feeling that I wouldn't. In fact, I only made it about fourteen miles before having to hitch hike back to the staging area with this guy:

Okay, it was actually two very generous older men, but they had a chainsaw. You never know.

Seriously, the course (what little part I saw) was tough. There were only seven guys at the front of the race when I messed my bike up. No, not a breakaway, that was what remained from the field. As I sat on someone's wet lawn in my gray shorts, I watched people come by with huge gaps after only fourteen miles, never in groups larger than two or three. Tough race.

There was a pig in the parking lot, so you know it's good:

There was a crit on Sunday.

My race reports suck. It's more important that you watch this:

If I could do anything the way Chris plays the mandolin, I would be set.

...or insane.

Either way, it would be interesting.

Jefferson Cup 2010

2010-03-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Cat 4.

9am.

40 degrees.

Rain off and on.

No result to speak of. I sort of enjoyed the weather. I was riding well at the front and showing off for some amazing people who also endured the elements to see me race. I got a flat on the last lap. That ended my race.

The worse news is that I think I'm sick now. Two rainy, cold rides in three days probably got to me. Today was no where near as bad as Friday. I'm no doctor, but according to teh internetz, I have the initial symptoms of pneumonia. I guess I'll see what happens. If my skin turns purple, I'll see a doctor:

Until then:

The better news is that I got my Cat 3 upgrade. I feel like a real bike racer. It's time to start racing with the big boys!

Advanced Self-Loathing

2010-03-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday.Dropped
Monday.No riding
Tuesday.No riding
Wednesday.Dropped
Thursday.Failed workout and Dropped by a guy in Jorts!

For realz. I really need this rest week next week. I'm lowering my expectations for Jefferson Cup.

I should change this blog's title to Advanced Self-Loathing.

In today's class we learn how to manipulate statistics for maximal self-loathing.

Next week, we'll talk about just why self-loathing is an essential skill for all aspiring bike racers.

Your homework for this weekend is to go ride or race your bike until you find at least five reasons to hate yourself. This should not take long at all. Then, write a short description of what you learned and why this sport is not fun at all. Post your assignments in the comments section below.

VCU Crit Weekend and Semi-related Ramblings

2010-03-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

I raced this weekend.

Crazy courses both days.

Good sunny weather both days.

Saturday went well. Matt was in the break of three. This made my race easier. I showed some lack of skill in the corners and opened a lot of gaps. Still, I had the strength to beat everyone in the bunch sprint for fourth place. I may have accidentally gotten a point for a prime as well.

On Sunday, my cornering skills killed me. Gaps were larger. Watts were larger. I was dropped and pulled out of the race.

For forty minutes of racing on Saturday, my NP was +6 watts and AP was -19 watts in relation to my estimated FTP.

For twenty-five minutes, until I was dropped on Sunday, my NP was +24 watts and my AP was -2.

My FTP is my big weakness. I think these numbers say something about that. If I knew how to turn a bike, I don't think this would be an issue, but it does make a good case for improving my FTP.

I'm trying.

In other news, after Sunday's race we went out for a ride which turned out to be a sprintfest between JG, Cecil, and I. I hit a new 5sec power number. It's pretty big.

All these power numbers strongly suggest that I'm becoming a sprinter, but I'm concerned about my build. I was told this week that I have "bitch calves." The term is catching on, but it isn't one you would expect to hear about someone who's calling themselves a sprinter.

This is me now:This is a sprinter:

So am I gonna get big or what?

I guess this lowly Cat 4 has a while to find out. That brings me to my next point; Saturday earned my the rest of my points for the Cat 3 upgrade. I'll probably request it tomorrow, but I'll still be racing Jefferson Cup in the 4s, since I don't expect it to get processed by Sunday.

By the way, please don't believe that I really want to look like Andre Greipel. I do not wish to scare children every time I wear shorts in public.

I'm too cool for blogging

2010-03-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Watch me prove it...

Race report: W&M Weekend, TT on Saturday and a RR on Sunday.

TT's suck and I suck at them. I think I got 18th place. I wish I knew where the finish was. It was right around a turn and I had not idea I was getting close. I definitely had a bit left when I crossed the line. People were giving me shit because Ben Warren beat me. To be fair, Ben raced in his own "B+" category, while I'm just a B. He's also a cat 2, so, yeah.

In the road race, VT had one of the biggest teams in the field. Unfortunately, we couldn't get anyone in the moves. The winning break went away on the first lap. I believe Duke and Navy were both able to get multiple riders up the road by the end, so, yeah. I have to take some blame for this mistake since I was chilling at the back for the first part of the race. Some might call it conservative, some might call me a wimp.

Hinault would be disappointed.

Anyway, Matt Dockins was riding super strong and put in some HUGE efforts, but unfortunately there was no help. We got to the last lap and I got third out of the pack in the uphill sprint. That puts me at 10th place with seven riders up the road. I'm pretty happy with my sprint except I got beat by a sketchy Phiefer guy. No, I'm not going to look up how to spell Pheiffer because I'm not aware of Pheipher's existance outside of bike racing. So, yeah.

Race like a bitch, place like a bitch. That's going to be my new mantra. Quote me. I would make it this post's title, but it's offensive. I also really need to show everyone that I'm too cool to blog by blogging. So, yeah.

One of my goals for the season is to have a better attitude. Is it wrong that I choose to revive my blog with descriptions of my perceived failures rather than successes? It's a long season. So yeah.

Greenville Weekend

2010-03-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

Greenville, SC race weekend: 3rd both days.

No teammates. Raced conservatively. Sprinted both days.

Results and Report

2010-02-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

NC State RR: DNF (flat)
WF Prologue: 8th
WF RR: 4th
WF Crit: 12th

The Wake Forest RR (B race) was a huge day for me. After an attack from the line by one of my teammates, the pace settled to a mind-numbingly slow pace. I found myself bored and at the front, so I launched from the pack at 1200+ watts. No response. I continued by myself, out of sight, setting a new 20 minute peak power until two Navy riders, a Duke rider, and my teammate Zach bridged up to me. I knew this would be the winning break. I've witnessed my teammate's incredible strength before and the others seemed to match it well. I started helping immediately and dropped after about one half lap. Demoralized, I sat up, took off my arm warmers and gloves, and waited for the pack. As the group came back into view, I noticed Greg, a W&M rider out ahead of them. After a brief conversation, we decided to work together. We left the sight of the peloton. We rode hard for what felt like hours. After a few laps, we passed the Duke rider from the break. This was huge. From that point we were racing for fourth place, both guaranteed a top five finish. We worked together perfectly until the last kilometer, where the cat and mouse game began. I faked a jump a few hundred meters out, but he was not fooled. I launched again at about 250m and took fourth place. It was the hardest two hours I have ever spent on a bike without a doubt. It was also the most exciting.

I'm skipping Navy and heading to Greenville this weekend. Trying to wear shorts.

What's in a name?

2009-11-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

I don't have dirty white bar tape.

When I started this blog, I did.

I was hoping it would also be a good metaphor for a hopeless attempt at being pro and being a total poseur.

If I had to rename my blog, it would be called "Poorly wrapped, unraveling, black bar tape with electrical tape covering the end of one of the drops where it came undone and now has an upside down bar end plug."

Is that another metaphor?

You should see my bike.

That is all.

2010 Tentative Shedule

2009-11-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm stealing Siggy's idea.

Here's the list of possible races for me in 2010. I certainly won't get to all of them, but these are the most likely. I hope to make the most of the season's start with collegiate racing. After that, I'll be looking at this schedule, so I'm posting it on the blog for easy reference.

No news is good news

2009-11-04T15:43:00.001-08:00

I got in. Longest post ever.

look ma, i'm blogging.

2009-11-01T18:54:00.001-08:00

I have a coach and a power meter. My coach is just getting into coaching so he's doing some work for me via email for free. I was lucky to find him. My training is so much more focused now. A few months ago was doing almost nothing but JRA. (just riding around) I think I'm seeing my numbers go up already, but we have not tested since the original test.

Speaking of numbers and testing, my wattage (particularly FTP) turned out to be better than shown in my last post, but I also found out that I am heavier than I thought I was. When I went to the Dr. to get my Lyme's disease checked out, I weighed in at 175.5lbs. I was expecting about 169. Bike racing made me heavier damnit! Less fat, more muscle I guess. I'm excited to test my FTP again. I think I'm going to make some big gains this season.

I've applied to VT for the spring. I heard from a college counselor that no news is good news at this point, so I think I'm going to get in whether it's for spring or fall.

I did 50 hours on the bike in October. I think that's pretty good for me.

I want a TT bike.

Daylight savings sucks. Here's to suffering on the trainer.

Meh

2009-08-31T16:25:00.001-07:00

Looks like I can sprint?

I got the Power!

2009-08-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have a power tap, WKO, and no money!

Looks like I got 13 or 14 races in this year. No particularly exciting results. My 14th place as a Cat 4 at Strasburg on Saturday is probably the best one on the resume, but not enough to make me smile about it or anything. There's always next year. That's where Hunter, Coggan, and Cyclops come in. I might check out the Turkey Day Crit mostly for some race data.

Looks like I don't really blog when I have something great to blog about, but whenever I feel like it.

Hopefully I'll be going to Virginia Tech in January where I can unofficially major in cycling.

"Ouch" - Lost River Classic

2009-07-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Lost River Classic.

Decided to do a whole lap of the unexpectedly brutal course for my warm up. That was dumb, but not my fatal error. As I approached the parking lot I saw the Masters race rolling down the road.

Oh snap.

It's hammer time.

Okay, I made it. Where the hell are my parents? I have no water.

Got the bottles just in time for the neutral roll out behind the Porsche Cayman S. Awesome. Now we're rolling down the highway approaching the first turn onto the difficult parts of the course. A few feet after beginning the rough roads, the road goes uphill. I need the small ring.

Oh snap. Dropped my chain. I get off and fiddle with it for a few seconds and go.

It took me one or two miles to catch the group right at the bottom of a climb with my legs already burning. I was proud of myself for catching up in my first Cat 4 race. The pack must have been moving, because two riders had already been dropped by the time I made it back. As I said, my heart was already beating through my chest. The race left me much more quickly than it came back.

I got a thumbs up and a "way to go" from a guy in the follow car as a came back to the group. I suppose I rode pretty strong considering my recent sickness and lack of food, but I was left to suffer the last ~25 miles on my own. For some of the first lap I was working with a very young looking NCVC rider, but it was mostly solo. About halfway through the second lap I was toast. Out of gas. This course was a struggle just to finish for me.

I hope I can be a part of the race in Page Valley. Racing for 52 miles sounds like a new level of suffering.

I look forward to next year's Lost River Classic.

A Tale of Two Firsts

2009-07-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Lost River Classic.

It is tomorrow.

This will be both my first real road race and my first race in Category 4. Time for excuses. As a bike racer or a recreational cyclist, one encounters many excuses for a poor showing whether in a race or a casual group ride. (i.e. I rode 80 miles yesterday, I skipped lunch, etc...)

My Excuse? I have been sick since Monday morning and have only ridden for less than two hours in the past six days.

Good rest or bad form?

My stomach is finally settling on the eve of competition and I'm beginning to eat like I used to. Even if I'm feeling great, I can only hope I have enough fuel in my to perform. This is not my only doubt. In Waynesboro, I was delivered a severe beating by 15 fellow Cat 5s. Hills and heat. How will I stand up to them this time? How will I fare against my new competition? All I can say for sure is that I will face brutal suffering. Despite my doubts, I am very excited for the new challenges that lie ahead.

DNS

2009-07-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Did not start. My result for the weekend.

It doesn't indicate bad form, so I suppose it's not all bad, but sleeping through the alarm from my unsatisfactory new phone, hitting the road in a rush, driving four hours, getting lost in DC, and missing a race that I was excited about is not my idea of a great day.

What would have been my first race as a category 4 turned out to be a terrible day. Lost River Classic? Not so psyched anymore, but we'll see.

Movin' on up.

2009-07-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm racing Category 4 now.

The Kazane Working Man's Classic got me more than I needed for the upgrade. There were three Cat 4/5 races. Two pack finishes and I think I got 10th on the third night. Lots of fun. We got cool shirts and I ate Chipotle all three nights.

Looks like there are a few good road races coming up, so I'm spending more time in the mountains. I went up there and got stung by a bee on the run down to Sperryville. As in Krabbe's The Rider, I squeezed it as hard as I could, but forgetting it was not possible. I think I caused more damage than I needed to.

I'm eagerly anticipating my first Cat 4 results. Maybe this will get me to blog more often.

Le Tour is on. I love to see Spartacus in the malliot jaune.

Updates

2009-06-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

I did that Bryan Park race a while ago. Had a good time in Richmond the night before. I think I got 5th or 6th or something. I should have been in better position at the end. I'll learn.

Watched the Philadelphia International Championship.

AWESOME! This was my first time at a big race. Seeing the pros race around such a beautiful course was an incredible experience. I also git to ride the course before the race. That "wall" is tough stuff.

I wish I could make it to the race in Norfolk.

I suck

2009-04-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Waynesboro Gran Prix. Crazy hard course. I was not expecting that kind of climbing. I'm too lazy at the beginning of races. Maybe it's a lack of confidence. I need to start at the front so I don't have to bridge by myself. (I never caught the group) Gave up the chase by the 5th lap. Rough.

Fort Lee this weekend. Gotta step it up.

This is me toasted after a climb:

Casey Criterium: My First Learning Experience as a Factor in the Race.

2009-04-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday:

Casey Auto Group Criterium in Newport News.

Felt awful during the warm-up as I expected. I was fully prepared to get dropped.

Cat 5 was the last race of the day. Started toward the back and eventually had to spend two tough laps bridging to the front group when it split up. After the successful bridge, I sat right on the back for almost the rest of the race. The only difficulty after that was a bit of confusion when we lapped a group, but I remembered a jersey and tried to stay close to that guy.

One lap to go. I'm at the very back of the front group of maybe 15 riders. The race just seemed to get easier and easier. On the last lap, the pace didn't even seem to increase. I knew where I would make my move since the beginning. On the back stretch there was a nasty wind coming from the left. We hit that stretch and I moved up on the right side, out of the wind. Moved up to fourth wheel into the last turn. I shifted up two cogs and made my jump on the right.

I took second place in the sprint. I even tried what was most likely a poorly timed and hilariously futile bike push, but the winner had my by about a bike length. I was making up some distance and I think I would have had a good chance in a longer sprint, but the distance from the last corner to the finish was the shortest part of the .5 mile course. One of the guys who were at the front for most of the race said that when I made my move, he was thinking "who the hell is this guy?" Haha.

Things I learned:

How to save energy when it counts.
Using the wind to my advantage.
When to move up.
How to position myself in the final turn.

The winner was first wheel out of the turn. It's no coincidence. I think that second wheel would have been the ideal position for me. Congrats to the winner.

Syn-Fit Crit - DMB@JPJ

2009-04-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday:

Raced at Syn-Fit. Got lazy around a turn and ended up toward the back. On that same lap there was a crash. Got behind it but stayed upright. Tried to chase with another guy for ~4 laps. Decided to save it for another day.

Baja Fresh for lunch.

Nap.

Headed to Charlottesville to see the Dave Matthews Band on their second night in town. Chipotle was too crowded. Five Guys for dinner. Old Crow Medicine Show opened. Great show. The new songs sounded great. It was a hell of a set with a somewhat disappointing encore. My first show since the passing of Leroi Moore was a bit emotional, but Jeff Coffin is an incredible replacement. John D'Earth and Danny Barnes guested.

After probably two miles of walking and 2+ hours of standing, my legs felt awful.

I suck....

2009-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

...at blogging. I guess I'm realizing that nothing very interesting happens in my life. If it did, it wouldn't matter since no one reads this thing. Anyway, did a couple races the other weekend. Also got a new bike. I'm in a band now. whatev.

Things are lookin' up

2009-02-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

Until Friday, I was not training enough. I have a new job with which I attempt to finance bike racing, and the crazy hours I started out with combined with a difficult load at school. I have my hours cut back for this week and I think training will be good.

I did the Friday night indoor suffer-fest at the local bike shop, although I usually avoid the trainer like the plague. Good ride on yesterday and one hour roller session today. I'll need some rest tomorrow.

Hopefully the team frame I ordered will come in soon and I'll have so gear to rant about.

It was nice to see Fabian pull off the prologue win yesterday. Unfortunately, he now has to do it on what is quite possibly the ugliest bike in the world. Can't wait to watch Flanders!

Training Camp

2009-02-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

The Hilton Cycling Club had a training camp today. I think we all had lots of fun. It was basically geared toward new racers and we focused on criterium racing. We listened to the experienced guys talk about racing, did some drills, and had a practice race. I won the 10-man "race." Hopefully this means good things for the season. I feel a lot more confident in a group. It was so much fun to practice real tactics considering my races so far have consisted of an accident, destroyed wheel, showing up late, and getting dropped

After driving 2.5 hours home, I went and rode some more. Around here, you have to get out when you can wear shorts in February. Great day. Legs hurt.

I also spent some time at CNU on Saturday night and picked some mighty fine bluegrass. Good 'ol times.

Great weather today.

2009-02-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

I think it got near 60 degrees here. We had some killer winds too. I wore shorts and felt great, but I did get carried away. I did 4 hours and 10 minutes mostly in zones 1 and 2 with a few hills in a big gear. I got over Mt. Pony in my biggest gear at 30 rpm. Great day. Itching to race.

Updates

2009-01-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that the Jefferson Cup road race didn't have a Category 5 field last year, so it looks like that's out for me. Damn, I was excited about that. Maybe I'll go watch. I can probably get a good ride in the mountains on that weekend now that I'm not racing.

Training is good. I just started doing some Tempo workouts. It feels good.

I have some soreness from snowboarding on Monday night. We slayed some killer hits out there on one slope. The hip is sore from launching some sweet grabs and whatnot. Pretty cool slang, huh? Yeah. I googled "snowboarding slang" to find "hits." Ramps or jumps just didn't sound cool enough to convey the awesomeness of what we were doing.

That's all for now.

Totally random

2009-01-15T18:54:00.001-08:00

I laughed out loud for 10 minutes. I'm not really sure why.

Back in the saddle again...

2009-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is old news, but I have been back on the bike since Friday. I decided I was feeling better on Thursday night and I went snowboarding. I'll only get about half my hours for the week, but at least I feel rested. That reminds me that next week is a "rest" week. I feel like I don't deserve it, but Friel says it's best to just skip a workout rather than making up for it. Either way, I'm looking forward to resting!

Cold Continued

2009-01-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

I still have this damn cold. I have zero training hours so far this week. I know they say "if it's below the neck don't ride," but I've also heard that it's best to rest so it will go away faster. It has to suck to be a pro and not be able to take any medicine. I have become pretty irritable over this 3+ day vacation. I tried to ride on the rollers today after watching this:

After ten minutes I was exhausted. It's frustrating, but I feel better about my decision to stay off the bike.

Cold.

2009-01-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's for sure. I have a cold. I'm taking my rest day from training today and taking every possible measure to fight this cold. I'm thinking this was brought on by my new years eve over-celebration. I've been told that both alcohol and lack of sleep have negative effects on the immune system, but surely I caught the germs from someone else. I could have been more careful.

Today is the beginning of week 3 in which I'm planning on doing 10:30 hours. So far, I have been avoiding taking rest days so early in the week due to fear of not getting my hours in and the urge to embrace every bit of relatively warm weather that comes along. I will need to start using Mondays later in the season to recover from races anyway.

I was really itching to do some climbing yesterday. Unfortunately, my plan says I shouldn't be doing much of that until the end of Base 3 phase. I'm not following word for word, but I understand the thought behind it.

I'm also wondering when I'm going to get back on the old snowboard. I think this week is looking good, but I'll have to see about the cold. ugh. I guess I'll make some lunch, lay down, and watch Good Will Hunting. "How ya like them apples?"

Training '09

2009-01-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Wk #	Monday	Races	Pri	Period	Hours
1	12/22			Base	8:00
2	12/29			"	9:30
3	1/5			"	10:30
4	1/12			"	5:30
5	1/19			Base 2	8:30
6	1/26			"	10:00
7	2/2			"	11:00
8	2/9			"	5:30
9	2/16	Snowball Crit	C	Base 3	9:00
10	2/23			"	10:30
11	3/2	Snowball Crit	C	"	11:30
12	3/9	Sleepy Hole Crit-Dismal Dash TT	C	"	5:30
13	3/16			Build 1	10:00
14	3/23		C	"	"
15	3/30	Tysons Corner Crit	C	"	"
16	4/6			"	5:30
17	4/13	Syn-Fit Crit-Carl Dolan RR/JRVS Crit	C	Build 2	9:30
18	4/20	Van Dessel Crit/Coastal Crit	C	"	"
19	4/27	Wintergreen Hill Climb-Fort Lee Crit	C	"	"
20	5/4	Tour de Beach Crit	C	"	5:30
21	5/11	Rogues Racing Omnium-"	C	Peak	6:30
22	5/18	MD3 Crit-TT-Crit	A	Race	5:30
23	5/25	Fri. Prologue-3Sports Crit-Circuit Race	A	"	"
24	6/1			Trans	0:00
25	6/8	PLT TT	C	Build 1	10:00
26	6/15	Go Fast Turn Left-Stony Creek TT	C	"	"
27	6/22	Reston Gran Prix	B	"	5:30
28	6/29	ID3 (3 Races)	B	Build 2	9:30
29	7/6	JRVS Race	B	"	5:30
30	7/13	TNP TT-Go Fast Turn Left	C	Peak	7:30
31	7/20	PLT TT	C	"	6:00
32	7/27	Page Valley RR	A	Race	5:30

Boom! My training plan for 2009. Thanks to Joe Friel.

I chose to do 400 annual hours. I think that puts me near the middle of average Cat 4 training hours. I'm only in week 2, but my body feels pretty comfortable with it now. Aside from weightlifting, which is not included in training hours, all my workouts are low-intensity during the base training phase. I'm trying to keep my heart mostly in zones 1 and 2 based on lactate threshold heart rate, recovery and anaerobic respectively.

I've scheduled my plan so that I will reach top form in about mid-may, which is about the time I should have my upgrade to Cat 4, which is when I will really need fitness to work toward Cat 3. The racing schedule is tentative since I won't be able to make it to every race and some races are still not on the calender. It's a bit concerning that I plan on racing during the Base phase, but I'm hoping that there will be others in similar form. My goal for these races will most likely be simply to start and finish. That's not to say that I won't go for it if I can save energy and race smart.

I'll be racing with the Hilton Cycling Club out of Newport News and I'm very excited to learn from their experience.

It's too cold. Can't wait for racing!

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

#1. Start a Blog. Done.

#2. Be more consistent in my training for the 2009 racing season. Working on it.

-GOAL: Become a Category 3 racer in 2009. I'm not even Cat 4 yet, but I think it's a realistic goal. Most likely a pretty tough one, but I wont know until the racing starts up again.

I don't know who wants to read this, but I thought it might be cool to try the blogging thing this year.

Background: I got into cycling seriously almost a year ago and tried racing late in the season. I'm hooked. I guess this blog will focus on my progression from a hack Cat 5 to (hopefully) a decent racer. In addition to racing and training, I may include stories or thoughts from my normal life. (If I can have one between training, racing, school, and working)