I just registered for the MASS Cat 1 40-49 class. I then made the mistake of looking at the other riders that registered for the same class. All of them champions. I am in for a world of pain and a huge learning curve. I think it would be best if I did not look at the registrants for future races, because the feeling in my stomach right now is not nice.
http://www.bikereg.com/events/conflist.asp?EventID=12452&p=&SortBy=&z=1#17
I better go train now . . . . . .2011 is going to be awesome, hard, but awesome and I am looking forward to it.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Fair Hill is when???????
OK, not like it would be my first race this season, but seriously, when did the season sneak up on us so quickly? Two weeks? Are you kidding me??
This is the first season that I am not in race read condition for April. I decided, after speaking with a local hammer (Sanford anyone?) that it might be better to have my conditioning last longer than through May 10th. I have done a lot more base than the last few years and I am looking futher into the season. I must admit that I am uncomfortable about the idea of easing into the season, but I think it is going to work out well for me.
Gotta go train now!
This is the first season that I am not in race read condition for April. I decided, after speaking with a local hammer (Sanford anyone?) that it might be better to have my conditioning last longer than through May 10th. I have done a lot more base than the last few years and I am looking futher into the season. I must admit that I am uncomfortable about the idea of easing into the season, but I think it is going to work out well for me.
Gotta go train now!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bike Swap Meet - Be there!
There is a local swap meet on Sunday, less than one mile from my house.
http://www.trailspinners.org/swap.html
I will not be going. Sunday is my big ride day and I have the greenlight for a 5 hour ride in the middle of the day, instead of my usual 6 AM start time. I do have some things to sell, so if anyone is looking for an almost new Niner Air 9 in raw, or a great condition raw Niner One 9, both medium, contact me. If you leave your details in a comment, I will contact you but not publish your info. The Air 9 was a warrantly replacement I received in late October and conidering the weather this winter, it only has few rides on it. I have decided both are too big for me.
Now, in addition to needing a nice long ride, the real reason I cannot go to the swap meet is I might come home with one of these:
or one of these:
It would happen for sure. Pictures courtesy of some random internet searches.
http://www.trailspinners.org/swap.html
I will not be going. Sunday is my big ride day and I have the greenlight for a 5 hour ride in the middle of the day, instead of my usual 6 AM start time. I do have some things to sell, so if anyone is looking for an almost new Niner Air 9 in raw, or a great condition raw Niner One 9, both medium, contact me. If you leave your details in a comment, I will contact you but not publish your info. The Air 9 was a warrantly replacement I received in late October and conidering the weather this winter, it only has few rides on it. I have decided both are too big for me.
Now, in addition to needing a nice long ride, the real reason I cannot go to the swap meet is I might come home with one of these:
or one of these:
It would happen for sure. Pictures courtesy of some random internet searches.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Snot Cycle Part Deux
The folks in Leesburgh were nice enough to hold a second race for those that signed up for the first snot cycle race. Lots of snow and ice made for an uncomfortable day back in January. They were extra kind to me, because I sold my entry and was still allowed to race at Part Deux.
I was a little worried how the trails might be. It has been getting warmer and the ground is thawing, so the mud potential was high. I have been on some trails here locally at 6:00 AM when the temps are 20 degrees, but others have been out in the daytime and mentioned the trails were not rideable. Looking at the tires on the bike of the race promoter, I could see lots of sticky clay on them warning me of the conditions to come . . . .it was overcast and the drive down had been dark and foggy, but I do not think it rained in Leesburgh.
I got registered for the race in time to see the 40+ Cat 2 race go off with about 30 guys in the field. I said to myself that is probably where I should be racing, perhaps I could have won in that field today. I remember talking to Ben about winning a race before moving up to Expert, how I would have liked to experience that because it might never happen once I upgrade. I have had this same conversation for at least a year, yet the win never came. It seems there is always someone (or in the case of 40-44 Sport half a dozen) that is always substantialy faster then the rest of the field.
I got dressed and went out for a spin. I had heard about a rock dropoff that I wanted to see. It dropped off 4 feet to the ground, but there was a line, whatever that might mean. Turns out there was a rock stack to the ground, but the top section was 4 foot wide and the rock stack was 10 inches wide. I am glad I checked that out.
I got ready for the start, to find there was only 3 other racers. Looking around, they all looked more fit than me. One guy was riding a Moots and told me he was focusing on endurance races this season and that he just got his response from the Leadville 100 and unfortunately had been turned down. There was another guy that kinda looked like a courier with a ring in his nose. The third guy was racing for Plum Grove Cyclery, the onsite bike shop of the promoters. All of these guys looked totally fit, but the Plum Grove dude looked really really strong. I commented to the Moots guy "There is the winner there", and Mr. Moots totally agreed. Just to add to that, Mr. Plum Grove pedaled away and his pedal stroke was totally intimidating.
The race started without event and I put my head down and went. It might be a small field, but at least I could lead my 2nd expert race for a little bit until Mr. Plum Grove took over. He let me lead into the woods, but he was on my wheel. The field section was wet for sure and it was not easy to ride fast. The sun was just starting to come out and the temps were pretty warm. As we get into the woods, I let off a lttle bit, trying to recover from the start and waiting for Mr. Plum Grove to take over. We were about a mile into the race and I noticed we rode everyone else (all 2) off our wheels. I took it easy for 1/2 mile or so, enough to get over the tough rock section.
In terms of bikes, I decided to race my Engin. I have been racing a Niner Air 9 for the last 4 seasons, never totally happy with the way it handles turns, but always liking the way it responded to pedal input (which is like a rocket shop). The Engin is smaller and allows me to handle technical areas and especially tight turns much better than I can on the Niner. I knew this last season, but went back to the Niner for the acceleration. Let me say the Niner is now for sale, because it is too big for me. It was new in October (warrantly replacement). OK, sales pitch over.
Back to the race, I took the recovery, decided to push a little bit and see what happens, so I slowly pulled away from Mr. Plum Grove at mile 2 of 27 and maintained the lead until the end of the race. YES, I actually won my first race after trying for years to accomplish the same. It was a very small race, but that is OK, I will take it. I learned a lot about pushing myself during this race and pushed harder than I ever did in any other race or training event. I did not wear a heart rate monitor for the race, but I am sure I set some new records for average h/r.
There were times during the race that I wanted to stop pushing myself so I could rest, but my mind would not allow me to do that. I remember Marc V telling me that when you are pushing yourself that hard, you cannot turn it off. He is right. I remember Dan telling me he won Fair Hill using Envertene and it was weird, but worked well. He is right, the stuff works great. I ate 3 Clif blocks, drank water and accelerade, and the Envertene. I had the experience of the second place rider being local, so I had to look fresh and strong every time I passed a volunteer, because they all were teammates of his and I was afraid they would tell him I looked bad, providing him with the strength to pass me. I wanted them to say "He looked really strong" instead. I feared him for 25 miles, taking that win away from me. On lap 2, I let myself believe it was OK if he passed me and won the race. 20 seconds later, I punched myself in the face (metaphorically) for allowing that weakness into my brain. I took advantage of the dry pine tree sections to push the big ring, I cursed the new middle section that was soft and wet (and rooty and climby). I did see him in that section of the course on the 2nd lap, but had no idea how close he might have been to me because of all the twists and turns. I will say he looked extremely strong and put some fear in me.
Lap three was just trying to keep it all together. In the last mile, I came up on a woman that would not yield the trail at all. I asked nicely if I could pass on the left and she totally blocked me, to the point I ran off the course and almost crashed. I was still nice to her, then I found out later she was not racing just riding the course. Thanks for your consideration and lucky for you I was totally beat at the finish, or I would have given you an earful about that (she was parked near me).
Pulling out of the woods, I could see the finish line and sprinted for it, not knowing where Mr. Plum Grove might be. Once I was in the clear for sure, I zipped up and crossed the line with two arms in the air. I finally won a race, even though it was a very lightly attended training race. I learned a lot about racing and pushing myself that I can use this season when I get to race some very very fast experienced competitors. And I will always remember this first win and hopefully use it to push myself into a Mid pack position in my MASS class. Mr. Plum Grove admitted to his team mates that the race "was way too much suffering for March" and his teammates seemed surprised I finished in front of him.
Now to get recovered . . .
I was a little worried how the trails might be. It has been getting warmer and the ground is thawing, so the mud potential was high. I have been on some trails here locally at 6:00 AM when the temps are 20 degrees, but others have been out in the daytime and mentioned the trails were not rideable. Looking at the tires on the bike of the race promoter, I could see lots of sticky clay on them warning me of the conditions to come . . . .it was overcast and the drive down had been dark and foggy, but I do not think it rained in Leesburgh.
I got registered for the race in time to see the 40+ Cat 2 race go off with about 30 guys in the field. I said to myself that is probably where I should be racing, perhaps I could have won in that field today. I remember talking to Ben about winning a race before moving up to Expert, how I would have liked to experience that because it might never happen once I upgrade. I have had this same conversation for at least a year, yet the win never came. It seems there is always someone (or in the case of 40-44 Sport half a dozen) that is always substantialy faster then the rest of the field.
I got dressed and went out for a spin. I had heard about a rock dropoff that I wanted to see. It dropped off 4 feet to the ground, but there was a line, whatever that might mean. Turns out there was a rock stack to the ground, but the top section was 4 foot wide and the rock stack was 10 inches wide. I am glad I checked that out.
I got ready for the start, to find there was only 3 other racers. Looking around, they all looked more fit than me. One guy was riding a Moots and told me he was focusing on endurance races this season and that he just got his response from the Leadville 100 and unfortunately had been turned down. There was another guy that kinda looked like a courier with a ring in his nose. The third guy was racing for Plum Grove Cyclery, the onsite bike shop of the promoters. All of these guys looked totally fit, but the Plum Grove dude looked really really strong. I commented to the Moots guy "There is the winner there", and Mr. Moots totally agreed. Just to add to that, Mr. Plum Grove pedaled away and his pedal stroke was totally intimidating.
The race started without event and I put my head down and went. It might be a small field, but at least I could lead my 2nd expert race for a little bit until Mr. Plum Grove took over. He let me lead into the woods, but he was on my wheel. The field section was wet for sure and it was not easy to ride fast. The sun was just starting to come out and the temps were pretty warm. As we get into the woods, I let off a lttle bit, trying to recover from the start and waiting for Mr. Plum Grove to take over. We were about a mile into the race and I noticed we rode everyone else (all 2) off our wheels. I took it easy for 1/2 mile or so, enough to get over the tough rock section.
In terms of bikes, I decided to race my Engin. I have been racing a Niner Air 9 for the last 4 seasons, never totally happy with the way it handles turns, but always liking the way it responded to pedal input (which is like a rocket shop). The Engin is smaller and allows me to handle technical areas and especially tight turns much better than I can on the Niner. I knew this last season, but went back to the Niner for the acceleration. Let me say the Niner is now for sale, because it is too big for me. It was new in October (warrantly replacement). OK, sales pitch over.
Back to the race, I took the recovery, decided to push a little bit and see what happens, so I slowly pulled away from Mr. Plum Grove at mile 2 of 27 and maintained the lead until the end of the race. YES, I actually won my first race after trying for years to accomplish the same. It was a very small race, but that is OK, I will take it. I learned a lot about pushing myself during this race and pushed harder than I ever did in any other race or training event. I did not wear a heart rate monitor for the race, but I am sure I set some new records for average h/r.
There were times during the race that I wanted to stop pushing myself so I could rest, but my mind would not allow me to do that. I remember Marc V telling me that when you are pushing yourself that hard, you cannot turn it off. He is right. I remember Dan telling me he won Fair Hill using Envertene and it was weird, but worked well. He is right, the stuff works great. I ate 3 Clif blocks, drank water and accelerade, and the Envertene. I had the experience of the second place rider being local, so I had to look fresh and strong every time I passed a volunteer, because they all were teammates of his and I was afraid they would tell him I looked bad, providing him with the strength to pass me. I wanted them to say "He looked really strong" instead. I feared him for 25 miles, taking that win away from me. On lap 2, I let myself believe it was OK if he passed me and won the race. 20 seconds later, I punched myself in the face (metaphorically) for allowing that weakness into my brain. I took advantage of the dry pine tree sections to push the big ring, I cursed the new middle section that was soft and wet (and rooty and climby). I did see him in that section of the course on the 2nd lap, but had no idea how close he might have been to me because of all the twists and turns. I will say he looked extremely strong and put some fear in me.
Lap three was just trying to keep it all together. In the last mile, I came up on a woman that would not yield the trail at all. I asked nicely if I could pass on the left and she totally blocked me, to the point I ran off the course and almost crashed. I was still nice to her, then I found out later she was not racing just riding the course. Thanks for your consideration and lucky for you I was totally beat at the finish, or I would have given you an earful about that (she was parked near me).
Pulling out of the woods, I could see the finish line and sprinted for it, not knowing where Mr. Plum Grove might be. Once I was in the clear for sure, I zipped up and crossed the line with two arms in the air. I finally won a race, even though it was a very lightly attended training race. I learned a lot about racing and pushing myself that I can use this season when I get to race some very very fast experienced competitors. And I will always remember this first win and hopefully use it to push myself into a Mid pack position in my MASS class. Mr. Plum Grove admitted to his team mates that the race "was way too much suffering for March" and his teammates seemed surprised I finished in front of him.
Now to get recovered . . .
Friday, March 4, 2011
Coming off the rails
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/03/news/a-conversation-with-alexi-grewal-off-and-running_162280
I remember several years ago when I would do 2 races in one day for the experience, along with extra riding before and after. All that allowed me to do was be tired and not do well in either of the races each day. I would hold back in the first one to sace something for the second, yet still go hard enough that it made me tired.
The comments are more positive this time, I think . . . .
I remember several years ago when I would do 2 races in one day for the experience, along with extra riding before and after. All that allowed me to do was be tired and not do well in either of the races each day. I would hold back in the first one to sace something for the second, yet still go hard enough that it made me tired.
The comments are more positive this time, I think . . . .
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Breakthrough ride
Every one in a while, I feel like I am doing something right in this bike race game. I will admit that year after year, I have done the same thing: start hard putting some miles in early October, and keep pushing hard until I burn out.
This season, between getting sick and some snow, I have ended up building more of a base and not pushing hard through the winter. I have been smarter this year by looking ahead much futher than April or May, hoping to avoid the summer burnout I always seem to have.
This morning, I had the best road ride I have had in years. Pushed hard for over three hours until I decided to back off a bit, ate and drank smartly out on the ride, and had an average speed that I would have been proud of in the late spring, not in February. The additional base combined with some trainer time has done me well. Next Saturday, I get to test myself against some strong regional racers in Leesburgh, VA and I am looking forward to it. It will not be my first expert race as I had that experience last Fall, but it will be my first geared expert bike race and I am looking forward to it. I know I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of weight to lose, and a lot of things to learn, but I am ready for the challenge.
This season, between getting sick and some snow, I have ended up building more of a base and not pushing hard through the winter. I have been smarter this year by looking ahead much futher than April or May, hoping to avoid the summer burnout I always seem to have.
This morning, I had the best road ride I have had in years. Pushed hard for over three hours until I decided to back off a bit, ate and drank smartly out on the ride, and had an average speed that I would have been proud of in the late spring, not in February. The additional base combined with some trainer time has done me well. Next Saturday, I get to test myself against some strong regional racers in Leesburgh, VA and I am looking forward to it. It will not be my first expert race as I had that experience last Fall, but it will be my first geared expert bike race and I am looking forward to it. I know I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of weight to lose, and a lot of things to learn, but I am ready for the challenge.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Train wreck, or not
I am totally intrigued by this comeback story. I do find it hard to believe that everyone loved Lance when he came back, but have nothing but hatred for this guy. The comments are killer.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/alexi-grewal%e2%80%99s-big-comeback-gets-underway_161334
I was not around in cycling in 1984 (other than BMX racing), nor do I know much of Alexi other than what was in Velonews a few years ago, but if he can come back and be competitive in the pro ranks at 50, that is impressive. I guess I like the underdog stories.
*Picture courtesy of Velonews.
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