Battenkill or Bust

2012 & and an invitation.

2011-12-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

To race or not to race?

After massive (well, for me anyway) build-ups in 2010 and 2011 in preparation for the Tour of the Battenkill, I am likely out for 2012. Why? Well, there are a few reasons but mainly it's this guy right here:

He's not usually this snoozy, and we like it that way. It's not that he is literally keeping me from racing, it's the larger picture of what kind of time proper training requires in the scope of my shifting priorities. In fact, I'm sure Fischer would be nothing but supportive of daddy's amateur racing pursuits - as long as he gets his bottle and a bedtime story.

This doesn't mean I won't be in the Battenkill valley in April 2012. There is a chance that we'll be there supporting others and/or volunteering for Dieter & Co. He and his folks do a wonderful job with a huge race and I think it'd be fun to be part of it from the supporting-role perspective.

Until we decide on that - I invite others who are in pursuit of Battenkill glory to send me their links, their stories, their blog links. I'll post 'em up and keep this going as a place where Battenkillers can share tell their tales and read the stories of others.

Who'll be first? Send your ideas to dertwin@hotmail.com.

p.s. In the meantime, fellow Battenkill alumn Barry and I are putting on some very interesting races here in NC. Check out our little project: Autodrop Ltd.

Pisgah.

2011-09-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Now that my bike rides are a little less frequent, I really need to make each one count. I checked off a box on that grand list of 'rides you should do' by joining Barry and his brother in Pisgah National Forest on Saturday. The plan, dating back a few weeks, was for me to roll up Saturday morning and hit Avery Creek, Cove Creek, and Daniel Ridge with said Brothers Stevenson. Well, when Barry goes to Pisgah, his usually technophobic self goes into full caveman mode so altering or even refining plans was dicey. All that is said with a smile, as he did try to call me during a 'trip into town' on Friday night.

Fast-forward to Saturday and after oversleeping by about an hour (we have a six week old, remember?) I got moving. Barry's ever-kind wife Lisa intercepted my Facebook message to him about my travel plans, and swiftly forwarded directions to his planned campsite. Note to Barry: this is possible with a cell phone manufactured at some point after the Bronze Age.

Sweeping into Pisgah just this side of Brevard, I missed Barry and Co. by exactly the amount of time I'd overslept. That wasn't confirmed until I spoke to Barry later (see below), but I did make a thorough search of the area by wandering through several folks' campsites looking for my crew. Luckily, most campers were dressed and getting on with their morning coffee. I decided to head out on my own and get some miles in. My fears about being completely remote (in case of a crash) were unfounded, as several hikers and other riders were out and about. Nonetheless, I started slowly.

...and really there is no other way, if you decide to tackle Daniel Ridge in the clockwise direction. The smooth gravel track slowly disintegrated into a boulder/root section that goes uphill by what might be a tributary of the Davidson River (?). Within 100 ft of making the hard right uphill turn at the collapsed stone bridge, I had the distinct feeling that I was riding in a direction opposite of the original builder's intent. Upon later reflection, I think I was just being a wuss. I passed several other riders who were clearly having a blast bombing the downhill. I was having a slightly different kind of fun in my little world of hike-a-bike, but I did manage to ride several sections before reaching the top. Here, I faced a decision: go left to Farlow Gap or keep right and finish Daniel Ridge. I heard Barry's voice in the back of my head, and something in there reminded me that Farlow Gap is super technical. Being alone and not really excited about the prospect of splinting a smashed collar bone with melted gummy bears and a wheel spoke if something went south helped me make my decision...

So Daniel Ridge it was. Once along the ridgetop, all the misery of getting up there faded away and I was revived. Shouting "yo bear!" around blind corners and through mountain laurel tunnels, I dropped 500 feet or so in no time. There is such a mix of environments on this little loop: a rocky ridge, lush hardwoods, small open fields and soupy low spots with log bridges...I never knew what might be around the next corner, which was frightening and wonderful. I finished the first loop in just about an hour, so I rolled up Government Rd. (475) for a bit then decided I had time to redo Daniel Ridge in the opposite direction.

Scorching down 475 to the parking lot, I retraced my steps and made my way up Daniel Ridge in a counter-clockwise direction. I hit it a little harder this time, thinking it'd be nice to actually feel a little sore later. I got my wish on the downhill back to the parking lot as a rock the size of a softball, kicked up by my sliding tires, careened off my left shin. It was one of those moments where at first it wasn't so bad, then rapidly got worse to the point of thinking "did I just do some serious damage?" Thankfully no, and it's really not a mtn bike ride without a wound of some kind, right? Still hurts, for the record.

Once at the parking lot again, I was just about to pack up when I saw a familiar sight: the blacked-out CLM kit coming up the road. Barry was with his brother Brad and friend Billy. I had a pretty tight schedule at this point, but we decided to hit the Ridge one more time, and on the double. Funny how much faster you go when riding with someone else, and how much more intent I was on clearing sections that I would've walked earlier in the day...

Beer and gummy bears consumed, I made tracks for home. Pisgah really is special; just driving past the old CCC stone structures gives you a sense of the importance of this place. I felt a bit small piloting my mtn bike across a corner of Pisgah's domain, and that's the way it should be.

Born.

2011-07-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

A new dimension has opened in my life. Fischer Keaton Grant was born on Sunday night. He's a vigorous, blue-eyed baby ready to take on the world. Even through the fog of days and nights that blend into one soupy permanent mid-morning at midnight, I can feel the life change taking over. It's going to be some time before I fully know the reaches of Fischer. He's already opening doors that I never knew were there, much less that they needed a 7lb 3oz key.

I am slowly and rapidly unlocking, all at once.

A race of a different kind.

2011-07-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

So, with inspiration from the Tour of the Battenkill, our love of off-kilter events, and the desire to put on a race with a twist...

The 2011 Autodrop Invitational

I know you probably have questions, so hit the link and read up. We'd love to see you in NC in October.

Adventure.

2011-07-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that adventure is soon to arrive.

Baby Grant #1 should be here in just a few weeks, and if that weren't exciting enough...

The Battenkill Bros. (aka Barry and I) are putting together a very unique race involving bicycles, maps, rally points, and bonus points. Try to keep late Sept or early Oct open on your calendars.

Heads up people, life is coming at us.

Pilot Mountain Time Trial. Ouch.

2011-06-23T15:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.cityloopmafia.com/2011/06/nospeed-pilot-mtn-time-trial-report.html

Roots, Rock, & Roulette.

2011-06-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

So, it's been nearly a month since the last update. Here's a two-for. On Monday, Barry, Mitch and I hit up Pisgah for some seriously aggro riding. I don't think I've been so close to death on such frequent occasions since my last Dixie crit. Kidding. After the 13 mile climb to Pinnacle, we bombed down sections of boulders, roots, slim-rhododendron-lined singletrack and some wicked switchbacks. Good times. Here are a few more shots.

Once back to Winston, it was rush-rush to get some work stuff done before hopping a plane to the annual American Academy of Physician Assistants national conference. This year, the venue is Sin City. So far, the only trouble I've gotten into is a frosty beverage by the pool at the Hilton.

I'll get back to town on Saturday just in time for dinner. Here's to hoping the jet stream provides a helpful tailwind back to NC.

Next ride is probably the MNRR, put on weekly by the City Loop Mafia, but as for racing...nothing on the books at the moment. Hmmm...

Mule Hell - Roubaix.

2011-05-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Mule Hell - Roubaix is a 48-ish mile Gran Fondo-style ride to benefit the Family Resource Center, a shelter for abused women and children. The route begins and ends in Wytheville, VA, following a few ridgelines, a few creeks, and a few choice gravel / dirt roads. There were also a few choice words uttered when tires began to blow on the first gravel section, but since this is a family site, we'll get on to the ride report...

Weather was purrrfect. Upper 50's to mid-60's and not a cloud in the sky. With 40-50 of us lining up, it was sure to be an interesting ride. I noticed quite a few SWVAC kits around. These guys, the Southwest Virginia Cyclists, put on this ride and at least three others as fundraisers. The others have cool names like Big Walker Century and Bikes and Barbeque. Sounds like some stuff worth getting out of bed for. Anyway, I was greeted by Lee, the event organizer. He seemed to think that since I was fresh back from the Battenkill, I'd be in fine shape for his ride. I decided not to tell him I've been pretty lazy since early April...

The ride started and immediately, I mean IMMEDIATELY this one guy in a Subaru kit (not the cycling team kit, as far as I could tell) slides off the front. He was nearly out of sight after a few miles of straight, rolling highway riding, but slowly and surely he started getting larger in our view. Not sure what his plan was, but the breakaway lasted about 8 miles and by mile 10 he was off the back. Fun times.

I took my first pull (see the pic above) just as we passed Photographer Jill. I tried to hold a good pace up and over a few rollers, and did thin the field just a bit. The first gravel section came up around mile 20, and as soon as we hit it two guys blew out, then another just before we got back to the pavement. I ended up on the front with Lee at the end of the gravel climb, which was nice as I wasn't sure exactly how hard this ride might be.

Now down to a group of about 16, we rolled up and over several more hills, cruised (pretty quickly) along nice creekside country roads, and approached gravel section #2. This sections wasn't as hard, and the group pretty much stayed together. A semi-truce was called until the last dirt section, at which point I found myself on the front.

I tapped into a little left-over Battenkill frustration and picked up the pace on this section just a bit. Most of the SWVAC guys had no problems hanging on but the Hokie you see here was a casualty.

On to the last set of steep climbs, both of which required a granny gear and nearly some paper-boy action. We crested more or less together as a group of 5-6 and made turns for home. It was with about 1 mile to go that I realized we were closing in on the finish, and with the spirit of camraderie and fun that had been such a part of our group, sprinting for the win was really more for kicks than any result. Plus, the only prizes were door prizes, so it made the end that much less stressful for all. I followed wheels and rolled in 3rd, happy to line up for BBQ and some slaw.

Big kudos to the SWVAC folks and Lee for putting on a cool event. I really think this ride should be bigger and draw a huge crowd. The route is perfect for a fondo-style ride but could get hard to manage with categorized racing. Nevertheless, mark your calendars for next year's event and join me there.

http://www.swvac.com/

Down and Dirty.

2011-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

I don't think it's a rash decision to go ahead and declare that this summer will be the Summer of Dirt. What does this mean? It doesn't mean that I plan to go sans a shower June - Sept, nor does it require that I employ my own personal dustcloud a la Pigpen. It does mean that I'm going to get back to my roots in mountain biking, or at the very least some significant dirt on the road tires. Pretty simple. Battenkill was a good first step...

We'll start on May 7 with a little ride called Mule Hell-Roubaix in southern Virginia. Then, on Memorial Day weekend, I'll hit up the Wilkes County singletrack with a co-ed team for the BURN 24. That's gonna hurt. Lots. After that, it's time to plan some epic (did I just use that term?) rides in Pisgah, Boone, and the Brushies.

Why dirt? Why now? Well, my road fitness has brought me to a place where mountain biking is actually fun and less difficult than it was before. Not to say I'm fast on the dirt, but the legs are less of a problem compared to the technical skills and upper body strength I need to work on. In a way, it's a new (old) challenge that keeps me in shape, less frequently on major roadways, and in the company of the homies I like to ride with - they are already way ahead of me and enjoying the dirt scene. I'll probably still shave my legs.

I'm heading to Virginia this weekend for a little Easter R&R with the in-laws, but will hopefully get a ride in. The original plan was for a 50+ mile spin from the homestead to Williamsburg, VA, but I think rain will keep us from doing that...unless I can convince the fatha-in-law to don a rain jacket and make it a REALLY epic (there's that word again) ride...

A Farewell to Arms.

2011-04-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Battenkill done and the seduction now fading, I returned to riding just for the sake of riding today. I had to, actually, as the new City Loop Mafia kits had arrived in the mail. It is well known that you can't leave a new kit sitting around for too long, lest it spoil.

Mitch and I rolled out of Winston around noon. It was surprisingly chilly, but by the county line we were plenty warm. We took a direct route to Pilot, catching up and spinning the hills. On the slopes of Jomeokee, we caught a small group of cyclists, offered greetings, and kept going. Mitch adhered to his ritualistic duties and enjoyed a Mellow Yellow at the top (the Mt. Dew machine was busted).

We pushed a little harder coming home but we were never really in a hurry. This was a perfect ride to follow the frenetic Battenkill.

Next up? Mulehell-Roubaix and then the BURN 24. Gonna be a fun spring!

Race Report, plus some other stuff: 2011 Tour of the Battenkill

2011-04-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

The summary (my brain is working in recovery mode right now):

64 mile bicycle race in upstate NY.
Roughly 14 miles of the course are dirt / packed gravel roads.
Countless rollers and some gnarly steep dirt climbs (18% max).
123 riders in our field (Cat 4 Grey).
89 finishers (me included, 44th place).
I got a sunburn.

The details are too many to recount. How does one go about recapping 3.5 months of training, a mammoth road trip, great friendship and a race that asks everything? I'll start with THE TRIP and then go to THE RACE.

THE TRIP:

Coach, Barry, Fausto and I set out for NY on Friday morning. Who is Fausto? Our friend Kristin offered this guy up as we started our winter training, so we had to bring him along:

We probably said "I can't believe it's actually here" 200 times between Winston-Salem and the NC/VA line. We dropped Coach off at Union Station in D.C., as she was to catch a train to NYC and visit her sis before coming up to Cambridge. Navigation was a problem for me (for the entire trip, actually) and we ended up way too close to Philly and finally on a secondary road through Princeton, NJ. Lovely town, but by this time we'd been on the road for 8 hours and the fatigue was setting in. Add the rain, stoplights every 30 yards on the very bumpy Hwy 206, plus Friday afternoon traffic, and you get two previously giddy cyclists sitting in silence for the better part of an hour.

Fortunately, we broke free of the gloom as we entered the Empire State. The skies cleared, and with Interstate 87 as our new best friend, we had the pedal down and our eyes focused. We arrived in the Battenkill Valley around sundown, and thanks to far too many hours on the road, more than a healthy amount of Coca-Cola, and DJ Eric D on 95.1FM, we rolled down the windows and blasted some cow-frightening techno 'till our ears bled. The beats were really so fresh that when we finally lost 95.1 in the hills around Cambridge, a momentary sadness again loomed over us.

We were revived upon finding our accommodations: Gallery 668 is located right on the race course, roughly 6 miles out of Cambridge. Our place was literally a remodeled 18th century barn. Susan B. Anthony lived in the house next door. Yep, that's right.

We also met up with some cool folks from PA and Connecticut...and maybe Delaware? These guys drank beer all day before the race and still laid down some good results. If we all end up staying here again next year, I think we'll book an extra night and enjoy a few frosty beverages.

We rolled to Saratoga Springs to pick up the girls, who were arriving via rail from NYC. We took in a quick lunch then set out on a recon mission. The goals: check the new section of dirt (Carney-Cassidy) 'cuz word on the street (read: we ran into our old buddy Andrew at a stoplight in Saratoga) hinted at a recent re-grading, then ride the first 12 or so miles to recall the opening sections. After that, it really is less critical to 'know' the course in acute detail because these things become less a factor than the attrition the course dishes out. More on that later...

Barry flatted while pre-riding Carney-Cassidy, so naturally we were relieved to get that out of our systems before race day (is that how that works?). We rolled into Cambridge to check in and grab our race numbers, then hit the opening 12 miles. The classic covered bridge, the rush onto Roberson Rd. and the anticipation of Juniper Swamp. Those opening miles are perfect in pressurizing a twitchy peloton, where the meek dangle off the back, the wanna be racers make sketchy moves, and the hard men get to the front and stay there. The mark that signals the real start of the race:

And the sections on Carney-Cassidy were fantastic. Hard on the uphill and scary on the downhill. The way it oughta be.

Pre-riding done, we met up with the girls and hit the Jonesville Store for dinner. We discovered the little place last year and fell in love with the antique-general-store vibe mixed with a contemporary menu. Even better, live music was in the house in the form of the Rebecca Angel Trio. Good times.

Our friends Stephen and Frank arrived later, so naturally we sat around and talked bike racing for about 5 hours straight. We all pretty much agreed to try and win our respective races, little did we know that one of us actually would...

THE RACE:

We were set for a 10:20 am start. Stephen had already taken off for his Cat 3 race start. On the morning of a race, my mind feels very small (no jokes please). I can't think big picture, I don't know where my keys are, and questions aimed at me may or may not take hold at all. Frank was so worked up he drove to the race with his bike helmet on.

We were not too stressed about arriving very early, as none of us typically do a big warm-up. I literally soft pedaled for about 5 minutes, dropping my chain 3 times (don't ask) before we lined up. Due to some inconsistent info from the volunteers staging racers, we ended up pretty close to the back of our Cat 4 Grey group. Frank noodled his way up effectively, but Barry and I stayed put.

"Riders, 1 minute."

Off we go. The 1K neutral start was uneventful, as riders stayed cool. We had a tailwind and were cruising out 313 with legs getting warm. At mile 2, a guy to my right flats. Sheesh, that sucks. Just before the turn at Eagleville, I happened to look back and realized we were literally at the back of the group. Ok, perhaps I was a little too relaxed and needed to pay attention. I decided to slide up the right side of the group as guys were braking for the left-hand turn to the covered bridge. I think I made up about 30 spots there and a few more accelerating toward the bridge. Through safely, it was now time to think about the first dirt section. Let's revisit my comments about this section from last year's write-up...

"Now, things got interesting for me. Within seconds of hanging a right onto the first dirt section (Roberson Rd.), I hit 3 or 4 potholes and lost BOTH of my nearly full bottles. Crap. I feared the sweet, lightweight carbon cages would not stand up to the bumps, but that was just insane. I was now without liquid and no way to get it until the 2nd feed zone at mile 41. By the way, did I mention this happened in the 7th mile? I'm not to too good with fancy math, but that seemed like a long time to go without fluid in a race. Egads. "

I planned to avoid this by grabbing some super cheap aluminum cages and cranking them down. The dark side? Too much cranking and you can't get your bottle out without crashing! No sweat, the dirt was silky smooth and the group was tame this year.

At Perry Hill the group started to stretch out, and I was deep into the dreaded Zone 5 by the top. Coming over, I had a feeling that the legs were not 100%. However, I disregarded that feeling and kept working to stay close to the front without doing too much work.

Arriving at the base of Juniper Swamp, I was probably in about 40th position and comfortable. I saw Barry on the run-up to the hill, off to my right. Frank was sitting in the top 10. This year felt a bit faster, and I crested the hill to the sounds of other riders exhaling deeply under hunched shoulders. Gotta go straight to the big ring though, because the group can stretch out on the descent. Coach caught a shot of us descending on 64...

The real action was coming up on Joe Bean and Carney-Cassidy Rds. Over Joe Bean, I briefly lost contact but easily got back on with a few other riders. Looking back and in talking to Barry later, it sounds like less than half of the field was still together at this point. On Carney-Cassidy, the boys up front really hammered it. Inexplicably, I ran into a wall of cramps in my quads. Not just a twinge, but a full on pedaling-squares moment. What the heck? I haven't had cramping problems in quite a while, but there you go. Once the gap opened up on the first section of Carney-Cassidy, it was over. I chased hard on the downhill sections but even as the cramps faded, it was too little too late.

Those moments give pause in the mind of the racer. I scrutinized my nutrition over the past 5 days. I considered the recon ride the day before. I wondered about those little digs getting back on after Juniper Swamp and Joe Bean...

Now in the hinterlands, it was time to focus on getting to the feedzone to grab a new bottle of Gatorade. Unfortunately, the girls were snarled by traffic and just missed me riding up the hill. I actually doubled-back briefly to see if I'd missed them, but seeing no friendly faces I started batting my eyelashes and asking for a bottle from ANYONE as mine were completely empty. I scored a bottle of water and started chomping shot blocks.

Miles 42-56 are a bit of a blur. I was alone 90% of the time, passing lots of guys blown off the back of the Cat 4 Pink field. I picked off a few Greys and generally had trouble finding anyone to work with me as we were all going different paces. It was carnage out there: guys on the side of the road changing tires, broken men stretching or hunched over their bikes. At this point, every mile revealed a guy off his bike or someone nearly going backwards, mumbling "my legs...Joe Bean...that new section...I got nothing."

On Stage Rd, I could taste the finish. Even better, I was caught by a small pack of Cat 4 Greys who'd latched on to some chasing Pinks. All Cat 4's, we considered this a good opportunity to work together. Rolling inside the last 10K, a Grey made a move and tried to roll off the front of our little grupetto. No dice. He dangled for a minute and then latched back on to our wheels. I tried to organize some rotation, but guys were skipping pulls left and right. With 2k to go, I got on the front and put some work into it, hoping to break loose some of the guys hanging on. I looked back to see my friend, the previously escaping Grey, on my wheel and unwilling to come around and help. The other guys were temporarily displaced, but were now closing in...

By the way:
1. Barry and I had scouted the finish and knew two things: It was two 90 degree right turns in close succession, and the pavement was crap.
2. I also knew I was setting up a sprint for somewhere around 50th place, but hey, it seemed like fun.

Even though I could only stand for a moment due to cramps, I was able to hold of the hombre to my right and win our little bunch sprint.

Barry came in shortly after, unscathed. Afterwards, we caught up with Frank, who finished 8th after working hard with the group that broke away on Carney-Cassidy. We also learned that Stephen won his Cat 3 race after breaking away solo at mile 7. He won by 4 minutes. Studly.

I was happy to simply sit and hold my legs still...

Barry was one salty dog.

In reflection, I can say a few things about this year's event, my placing notwithstanding (I was 44th out of 89 finishers in my field): I didn't quit, I didn't crash or crash anyone else and I won a sprint out of pack for the first time in my life. Does it matter that half of the dude in my grupetto were dropped from a race that started 10 minutes before mine? Nah.

Big thanks to Dieter and the TOB folks for putting on a crazy, spectacular and super hard race. Barry deserves a huge thanks, too, for training with me and coming along for the adventure. Unmeasureable gratitude is owed to my wife (Coach) and her sis for coming along, being supportive and taking most of the cool pics I posted here. Oh, we also have to give a massive shout to Kristin and Fausto, our adoring fans.

Will we do this in 2012? Could I finally overcome the cramps of this year and the mechanicals of last year in a perfect storm 12 months from now?

Stay tuned.

Vote! Vote! Vote!

2011-03-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Feel like your voice is never heard? Well, I'm an equal-opportunity listener. Over on the right, check the poll that begs for your input. Which portion of the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill course is the hardest? Is it Juniper Swamp in the middle of bunch grind to the top, like salmon going upstream...or is it that intimidating view from the crest of Meeting House...or maybe another portion that strikes fear into your pedals?

Have your say! I have it on good authority that Dieter checks this page from time to time, so let's give him something to chew on.

10 days to go!

Two weeks and counting...

2011-03-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Fourteen days from now, I'll be in an automobile (hopefully) and on my way back from the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill. I wonder what the conversation will be like with my teammate Barry? A few possibilities:

"Sheez Louise that was really fun...can't believe we made it all the way to Meeting House before getting dropped. I bet I coulda held on for the sprint if I hadn't lost both bottles on Robeson...."

"Where am I? Did I finish? Who are you?"

"That (insert your team name here) team had eight guys in our field and not one of 'em did a lick of work. They just sat on the WHOLE time."

"Anyone seen my legs? I just had them right here..."

"Barry, what was it like to win the race?!?!"

"I knew we shoulda done a few more long rides. I just knew it."

"I figured 5 spare tubes would be enough..."

"I swear that pothole was NOT THERE when we pre-rode on Saturday. I saw four guys go right into it and completely disappear!"

"My embro is still causing small fires to break out on my legs."

"That was totally worth it."

I vote for that last statement, actually. I would love to win, and so would Barry, but we're realists. No matter the outcome, I think we're both aiming for a surreal experience that brings us as close to hard core, European classic racing as we amateurs are likely to get in our lifetimes.

The training is nearly done. The miles have been logged. The winter nights yielded just about all that we could ask of them. Now with three hard rides left before the official taper begins, the mood is switching to excitement mixed with a little bit of apprehension.

I'll lay down a few more blogs before we go, and hopefully one from Greenwich the day before the race.

Stay tuned fans...

Simulation Saturday.

2011-03-25T21:41:00.001-07:00

65 miles. Gravel. Hills. Rain. Cold.

It's just about time...

Thursday Night Group Ride.

2011-03-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year. The days are getting just long enough for groups of rabid, pale, twitchy cyclists to get in a few miles after work without donning a torch and Gore-Tex. Hence, the Tuesday / Thursday Lewisville rides are back.

Barry, Mitch and I met up with plans to do the A (fast) ride. Duane showed up which improved the style quotient of the group considerably. There had to be 50 people altogether riding out there tonight. The chaos started right away as groups were separated by cars on the way out of town. Rolling across the Yadkin River, things began to sort out, and by the time we got into Yadkin County proper, we were clipping along in a nice rotating paceline.

A group of us (9, maybe?) started putting in some hard pulls at the front and eventually separated ourselves from most of the peloton. The nice part about this is that four CLMers were in said group and digging deep. It was a beautiful sight, especially because we've done a pretty poor job of riding together over the winter. I can't wait for late spring.

I was feeling that skipped breakfast by mile 20, and was dangling off the back by the time we were about 7 miles from home. Barry was looking strong, but interestingly we both struggled at similar points during the ride -- talk about fitness symmetry. Makes sense, given our very similar training regimens. Our group had been reduced to seven by the time we returned to Lewisville, and after a somewhat anti-climactic sprint, we limped in. At least I did.

We averaged around 22.5mph and although I didn't have my HR strap on and I can guess I averaged in the upper 160s. Good stuff for March.

This weekend brings a serious ride in the NC mountains with a CLMer or two, then our big Battenkill simulation next weekend. It's getting close now...

Getting one under the belt.

2011-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

The Greenville Spring Training Series comprises three back-to-back weekends of racing near Greenville, SC. The series is put on by Hincapie Sports, and well, you know who that is.

Today was race #1 in the series, held at the Donaldson Center. This is basically a small airport / industrial park with a 7-mile perimeter road that suits itself for a calm road race. The terrain is essentially flat, apart from a few rollers on the back side and one semi-lengthy drag at about the 5 mile mark. Today's weather was P-E-R-F-E-C-T apart from a headwind coming into the finish. 70-some degrees in February. And I have a sunburn.

The race itself was anti-climactic. That's just the best way to describe it. Don't get me wrong, the race started on time, the officials were professional, and the fans were loud (for a Cat 4 race). With the yellow-line rule in effect and 60+ guys on a relatively flat course, it came off like a fast group ride.

I had a few flashbacks to my race here a few years ago as a Cat 5. With guys running 3-4 wide and not working together, we surged to and fro endlessly. I actually managed to get off the front on the first lap, simply by riding at 18mph. That's how slowly we were going at times. By the way, that little flyer came right back as not a soul went with me.

Fast-forward to the real action of the day. Big George Hincapie himself was there and racing in the PRO 1,2 field. The PROs started just ahead of us, so essentially we had a 7 mile head start and 35 miles to finish before they lapped us. Well, we all knew that Mr. Hincapie would smash it from the gun and we were dead ducks.

On lap 3 of 5, the inevitable happened: The motorcycle ref neutralized us as an escape group of 5-7 PROs went by with Big G leading the way. Smoothness in action and actually nose-breathing. One of the coolest moments on a bike for me. Ever.

It was all downhill from there. Just as we got going again, the PRO peloton caught us and we were again neutralized. Astonishingly, they passed us and then just sat there. There was a 10 yard gap between the PROs and us for few miles. One guy shouted, "neutralize the PROs!" Right.

At this point, we had fewer than two laps to go and were running out of time for anything exciting to happen. A group of 5-6 slipped off the front in vain, as the peloton gave a good chase. Closing that down was the last real excitement of the day. Barry and I were pinned in about 3/4 of the way back and essentially stuck without breaking some rules or taking some chances. We elected to play it cool.

Rolling into the finish, our haphazard group got moving but it really felt like a surge more than a sprint. That ol' headwind tamed things on the finishing straight, I believe. I landed in 40th place.

On the inside, I'm wondering if I copped out by not trying harder to maintain position and mix it up in this race. All along, I set it up in my mind as a training race designed to reacclimate my body (and mind) to racing. Well, we did that but 40th place just never feels good. Here's some data:

Distance: 35 miles
Avg HR: 160
Max HR: 180
Avg speed: 23.2mph

Those numbers just don't seem to represent a very hard race. Look at that Avg HR...for a race this short I really expected a harder ride. I felt pretty good, with no cramping, never really being in a difficult spot. I agree with Barry, that today reminded us as to the importance of positioning in a race and knowing the character of the race course. The Battenkill route provides plenty of natural selectivity, something the Donaldson course does not.

I think I know what it is: Today's race was a really long criterium. That's the ticket.

Next up: Some training and then River Falls RR in two weeks, the last weekend of the series. Now that course has some action on it: A steep 1k long climb at the end of each 6 mile lap. I think even Big George would like that.

Side project.

2011-02-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

When I sold my mountain bike in 2007, I knew it wasn't the end of that side of my cycling life but merely a long pause. I knew I'd once again sweep down a dense eastern forest slope in humidity thicker than Duke's mayonnaise. Though the reason for selling the old Trek hardtail was beyond noble (I needed to buy a certain special lady a very shiny piece of jewelry), I had faith that it wasn't the last I'd see of the knobby-treaded world.

Fast-forward to 2011. Coach and I are expecting our first child, and as we prepare for (and look forward to) a massive shift in priorities we are also taking time to enjoy our last months as a couple without children. Clearly, planning for and getting to the Tour of the Battenkill is important to us, as is taking time for walks, visiting family and friends, and sleeping in.

It was also important for us to do a few things for ourselves that we might not be able to do for quite a while. This was on the advice of nearly all of our friends with kids. When it came time for me to consider what 'thing' I might like prior to the real present we're both hoping to receive later this year, it was a no-brainer.

A mountain bike.

Though I am a tried and true roadie now, my roots are in mountain biking. Thanks to a high school friend who worked at a local bike shop, I got my first real adult-style mountain bike before heading off to college. A Giant ATX 860. It had a crummy RST suspension fork (which I thought was the COOLEST thing ever) and though it was aluminum, it probably weighed 30 pounds. I took it off to college at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and the rest was history. My friends and I, all haphazard mountian bikers, had countless death-defying moments in the hills above Boone. More than once we returned to the dorms with scrapes and cuts, plus smashed equipment and muddy faces. The guys at Magic Cycles loved to see us coming, as they knew we'd probably broken something and would be spending some green in their shop. I raced at Tsali in an event called the Knobscorcher, landing 3rd place in the First-Timer category! I kept that t-shirt for 10 years.

After transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill, my Giant was stolen. Yep, nabbed from the bike rack in front of the dorm. I was able to pull together enough scratch to get a new hardtail, a Trek 9700 that would be my only bike until 2004 when I bought my first road-worthy machine. The 9700 was fantastic: light, stiff, noisy (a chain slapping a carbon chainstay is not subtle in the woods) and bright blue. I eventually upgraded nearly every component. Actually, I can say that no component was left untouched over its lifespan, except for the seatpost.

Some guy in Chicago won the auction on eBay, and I think I got about half of what I paid for it in 1997, not accounting for the mucho dinero in upgrades over the years. So when it was time to get back to the dirt, I landed on a Trek again - a 26" wheel aluminum hardtail. It may seem retro in these days of 29ers and full-suspension, but in a way, I wanted to go back again instead of going forward. Does that make sense?

With the road season looming over me now (first road race this weekend in SC), I am already looking forward to the change of pace that mountain biking can bring. With a little one on the way as well, I do feel some drive to stay a little farther away from passing cars. It is true that I've had more frightening moments on mountain bikes than road bikes, but nevermind that...

All eyes are on the Battenkill for now, but you just never know where this blog will go after that fateful April day.

Groove.

2011-02-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Fast ride with my Battenkiller bud, Barry. 31 miles at 22.7mph across rolling western NC piedmont terrain. Love it. Perfect warm-up for the Spring Training Series in Greenville, SC this weekend.

Speed work.

2011-02-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

I'm a skinny boy. Built to climb hills and tuck in behind larger riders. Given that predilection, that's what I've done. Playing to one's strengths in a race is a no-brainer, but doing so in training is a big mistake for many riders. It's so easy to do.

Take your average group ride. Friendly start, lots of chatting. First hill: the skinny climber on a carbon Italianissimo moves to the front and glances back at his cohorts, looking for a challenge. On the flat 5k to the county line, however, you'll find that same svelte kid tucked in and wheezing behind Bruce, the 6'2" 250 pounder on a steelie who's barely breaking a sweat. Hyperbole?

We like what we like, and we often like things because we're decent at them, or someone told us we looked good doing it. This year, my preparation is about not looking nice. It's about doing those things that are slow, painful, and essentially necessary to cast a bright light on the hidden side of my fitness equation.

Tonight was big-ring-smashing along our beloved City Loop. 20 miles at 21mph. I hit the targets but with some difficulty. Flat land speed is not my forte'. Put me on an incline and I could probably be heard to say "the steeper the better." So, it's time to work on the flat land speed. Breakaways require this. Steady state power output at a speed faster than those behind you.

The stats:
Distance:   20.6 miles
Avg:          21.2 mph
Avg. HR:    159
Max HR:     182
Temp:       36 degrees

Next up:  A night ride at Salem Lake (off road) followed by a 40 mile speed work ride on Saturday.

Breaking the seal.

2011-02-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Barry and I (plus maybe, just maybe Mark Hekman) are heading to Greensboro, NC for a strange duathlon called the Toilet Bowl. With all of the rain we've had, I suspect we will look rather akin to things found in a sewage facility by the time we're done. 1.5mi run, 10 mi of singletrack, 1.5mi run. The best part? Prizes are awarded lottery-style at the end. Who cares how fast you go?!

More updates after we get back. Should be super fun and a great way to start the competitive side of our 2011 season.

Out with the old, Part II...

2011-01-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

I've been a road cyclist for about 6 years now. When I got my first road bike, a Trek 2200, I bought the cheapest cyclocomputer I could find: A Cateye Mity 8. Basically, this thing could tell you your speed, your average, and your distance, and that was it. Truly, what more does a cyclist really need?

GPS and ANT+ wireless compatability. That's what.

I bid adieu to the wonderful, tough, relentless wedge of Asian plastic below (still on the original battery, believe it or not):

12,730 miles of friendship

I welcome, with open arms, a new piece of technology that will surely distract, befuddle and dilute my cycling experience, turning it into a simple algorithm of coordinates and trajectories.

Ok, not really. The nerd in me loves geography, data, and reflection. Bring on the numbers!

The ANT+ compatability means that I could add a power meter at some point in the future, but that's not in the plans right now. Truly, there are many aspects of my riding that I can improve that don't require the detail of watts.

But it will be nice to know latitude and ambient temperature.

Here's a look:

A clean slate.

Out with the old...

2011-01-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here lies my pair of Pearil Izumi Cyclone gloves. I have loved them, and they have saved my digits on many a cold winter night ride. As I'm fortunate to have received some new PI gloves for Christmas, these have to go. Note the electrical tape on the first fingers...too much downshifting to easier gears, I'm afraid.

Symbol.

2010-12-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

On the shortest day of the year, I take time to salute my trusty NiteRider light. She has guided me across darkened streets, muddy trails, but most often along our beloved city loop alone or in a frenetic nocturnal paceline.

It is also the day that registration opens for the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill. That said, I am signed up. So is Barry. Maybe Mark Hekman will jump into the fray next? I think he should.

With many short days ahead, the light and I will again enter into our winter bond: For me, she will cast light upon steel grates, potholes, animal carcasses, and the rear end of the rider I'm following. For her, I will pedal hard to ensure a frosty breeze keeps her metal heatsinks cool. She's low maintenance.

And when the sun again lingers late into the evening and I can put her away for awhile, I will remember her glow as it was on these cold winter nights. But, as Mr. Frost has written, "I have miles to go before I sleep" and it will be many weeks before this old girl gets a rest.

Redux.

2010-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, registration opens for the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill. Like a moth to the flame, I will return to upstate NY in April for one of the most unique, large-scale bike races in the U.S.

This also means that training must commence. The 2011 course is slightly different, and measurably harder than the 2010 edition due to some rerouting around construction near the town of Greenwich, NY. Barry, Porter and I are confirmed for Pirate Race Productions, and we hope to hook up with Frank Yeager from Richmond Velo Sports. All in all, this is going to be a heckuva time.

Despite not finishing the race last year (broken shifter cable at mile 42, remember?), I enjoyed the journey immensely. For 2011, now that I know what to expect, I can tweak the training, set-up the bike, and even eat more effectively than last year. Truly, just crossing the line would be a thrilling feeling, and I fully plan to do that with my teammates this year.

Now that we're back to where we were just about a year ago, I'll suggest you read that fateful original post. Great to see that Barry, who made a foreshadowing comment, is now committed.

Winter Training.

2010-12-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

Barry, Porter and I hit the roads of Surry and Wilkes Counties for a gnarly spin Porter likes to call "The Beast of the Brushies." He's referring to the Brushy Mountains, of course. Read about them here.

Anyway, the summary is that winter training is upon us. It's forecast to be a cold winter in NC, which means daddy needs some sweet new gloves and a balaclava.

Barry, as usual, nailed the write-up and it's on his blog. Check it!

2010-11-27T19:23:00.001-08:00

http://www.vsporthealth.com/fallout-camp

We had a blast. PERFECT training for America's Queen of the Classics. We'll go back in the spring of 2011 for a little last minute torture prior to hitting 95 North...

Preview.

2010-11-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Climbing camp is definitely coming!

Climbing camp is coming...

2010-11-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

Coach and I are hosting a small cycling camp two weeks from now. The location: Meadows of Dan, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. The goal: Bring a few like-minded Battenphiles along to suffer, climb, and kick on the off-season training. Sound strange? It is.

As the Tour of the Battenkill is an early-season race, one really can't wait until February to start riding in earnest. North Carolina has a relatively mild winter (usually, knock on wood), hence cycling is often possible through the Dark Months. Barry, Porter and I are currently planning to demolish the Cat 4 field, but that is simply a plan at this time - the execution requires quite a bit of work. Our first steps include building a training framework specific to our early season focus.

I'll be scouting roads for most of the morning tomorrow, along with my good buddy Bus. Bus and his lovely wife Amy will support the camp as well, cooking for the riders and providing some SAG support. All in all, this is shaping up to be a solid 'proof of concept' test for the larger camp we plan to offer other teams in the Spring of 2011.

Preview pictures to come tomorrow...

CL.

2010-10-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Back on the bike tonight.

The Cervelo has been back for a few days now, and reassembly took place hours after its return. It was time to test it out.

Coach was hosting Book Club tonight at the house, which meant that it was time to make myself scarce. Cisco "TA" Morales and Dr. Rob ponied up for a City Loop after work. After a brisk 26 mph warm-up down Country Club (yipes), we settled in to a short CL before doing 5 repeats on the Buena Vista hill. Needless to say, Cisco won every single repeat while Rob and I licked our wounds.

Jeez it hurt, but it feels good to be back. Climbing Camp weekend is less than a month away...

What I've been up to.

2010-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, it has been strange to be without my road bike for the past month. Very strange.

At first, I had those recurring thoughts that spontaneously enter the mind of a habitual rider: "When will I ride next? Man, that last ride was hard! Wonder if Mitch and Barry wanna ride on Saturday? I better mow the lawn Friday evening since I'll be on the bike for 4 hours Saturday and will probably want a nap afterwards."

Within a week, the thoughts and feelings became more dramatic: "I can feel my legs undergoing atrophy, I am definitely slower than person X now and person Y has been riding alot, too. I wonder if I could borrow someone's bike."

Some thoughts bordered on the extreme: "What if I just buy a new bike now, and sell the Cervelo when it gets back?! Yeah, that's the ticket!"

I pushed through the madness with Barry's help. I'm borrowing his 'cross bike and trying to ride once a week or so. Rob also came through big when the CLM 100K rolled around. He loaned me his Storck Fenomalist with Shimano Di2. In a word, that system is seamless. I still cramped up, however, so it's not perfect.

Despite all of this, I am still twitching and worrying that my form is evaporating. Comforting words such as "it's almost the off-season anyway" will find no home here. Beyond the physical aspect (I am well aware of my pack-fill amateur rider status...it's all relative), it has been so long since I've been off the bike that I've forgotten how much I rely on it for my mental health.

My ever-patient wife and Coach will tell you that I've been challenging at times. When on the bike, just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do my best to lay it down. However, leave me around the house with most tasks accomplished and chores completed, and I might get a bit grumpy. Fortunately, Jill has sensed this flaw in me and kept us busy with fun stuff, visiting friends, and a wonderful trip to the fall festivals of the NC high country. With a trip to Baltimore coming up later this week and plenty to do in preparation, I think I'll make it through ok.

The bike is currently at Calfee, and should be back by Halloween, give or take a few days. Once that re-build is final, I might not post up for a while as you'll be more likely to find me out on the road. Until then, I'll be thinking of this thing called 'cycling' and how it is far more than a physical activity and a means to hang out with friends. More and more, I'm relating to the subtitle of Barry's blog: interpretation through cycling. I continue to see cycling as a metaphor representing many aspects of life, but even after 4 weeks, I almost feel like I'm seeing a story written by someone else instead of by me and that's not a bad thing.

After all, interpretation must be taken from more than one view, even if the landscape seen from the saddle seems the most meaningful at the time.

Out of Commission.

2010-09-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

What you see here is the left seatstay on my R3. Yep, cracked. And no, I do not need to cut back on the Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Last night, I was making a left turn at a T-intersection when the car 90 degrees to my left pulled out. I was mostly sure he was stopped and waiting for me to go by, until he lurched forward as I passed the front of his car. Thankfully he just tagged the rear end of the bike and I didn't even go down. He stopped (miraculous, and more on that in a second) to be sure I was okay and that my bike wasn't damaged. Not only that, he handed over all of his information and asked me to call him if I found anything wrong with the bike.

I rode home, and then began going over the Cerv. To my surprise, I noticed the cracks in the seatstay. There is even a bit of a bow to the stay, letting me know (for sure, I didn't really doubt it) that the structure is compromised. So I call Steve (the guy who hit me) and let him know. He literally says "I'm so glad to hear your voice, are you feeling ok?" I am still stunned at his compassion. We agree that I'll take the bike to a local shop for their opinion.

I visited Mock Orange, where Charles reminded me that Calfee repairs high-end carbon frames. Hence, a call to Calfee yields critical info - seatstay repairs are 1/4 the cost of a new R3 frame, and repairs can be completed in as little as two weeks.

Now, the real story here is that Winston is possibly not the death-trap for cyclists that we've all been fearing lately. While Steve and I were talking, another lady stopped to see if I was okay. My suggestions, having been through a close call here, are these: Obey the traffic laws, use lights (I was), keep cool, and try not to piss drivers off. You never know when this kind of thing might happen to you or someone you're with and who's watching or listening.

A few more pics are below. By the way, I stripped all the gear off the frame for shipping, and this thing is LIGHT. Just had not idea as he's not been fully 'naked' since I've had him.

I'll keep you posted as to the outcome of the Calfee send-off, but as the Cerv is my only set of wheels, I'm out of commission for a few weeks.

2011 Tour of the Battenkill Course Preview

2010-09-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's my take on the proposed 2011 Tour of the Battenkill course. Dieter Drake and Andrew Bernstein took us around the new loop, which turned up at just over 63 miles per my odometer.

The first 35 or so miles are unchanged from last year. Following a 1k neutral start, the madness will begin on Rte. 313 as riders jockey for position ahead of the Eagleville Bridge coming around mile 5. The narrow and slightly uphill lead-in to Roberson Rd., the first dirt section, will give the newbies pause, as they know IT is coming. A soft landing on dirt and gravel begins the trademark dashes across raw earth between the relatively calm paved sections. Tooth-rattling vibrations overtake the body as you dare to glance at the speedometer. 32mph, it says. On dirt. With 100 of your closest friends.

Once regrouped on Camden Valley Rd. the group's anxiety will build toward Juniper Swamp. The smart racers will be at the front by mile 10 so as to be near the arrowhead once the rush up Juniper Swamp begins. The steep, dirt hill will cripple those unprepared, and I predict another single-file line down the other side and into Shushan. Fortunately, the descent is smooth and holds a gentle curve allowing nearly brake-free insanity.

The route is relatively calm until the assault on Joe Bean Rd. begins. Last year, the peloton really shattered over Joe Bean as it has 6 or so 'humps' that make it feel like you're climbing stairs on your bike. Ow. Make it over these humps with the leaders and you had a good shot of recovering on the way into Greenwich before the feed zone.

Significant, however, are the changes that follow.

Last year, racers hung a hard right on 29 and zipped across several mundane miles of pavement until arriving in the town of Greenwich and a big, sweeping left turn toward the last feed zone. That hard right on 29 came just after a wicked climb up Joe Bean Rd. and rapid descent along Bunker Hill Rd. to the dirt section of Ferguson Rd.

According to Dieter, we'll hang a LEFT on 29 this year before taking what is probably a 100 degree right turn toward Carney-Cassidy Rd. This new section, upon first glance, looks charming with its shady ambience and fine gravel. Wrong. Coming off of Joe Bean and powering down Bunker Hill and Ferguson is tiring, and the addition of a series of gravel hills (not unlike a dirt Joe Bean Rd.) on CC really tosses in the lactic acid. Rest assured moves will be made here, as the views from the top will inspire the breakway artists who like to fight gravity. Here's a peek of the start of CC Rd. Innocent looking, eh? Don't be fooled. She goes up and up and up from there. Better keep your head down and stay in the pack here or you might be lost and gone forever, son.

The remainder of the roads, as noted by Andrew, are less remarkable than the addition of Carney-Cassidy and serve just to get one back to the crown jewels of the course - Mountain, Becker, Meeting House, and Stage Roads. Even with tired legs, these roads were a treat to ride with Andrew and Dieter, despite Dieter's bad luck with flats and a snapped derailleur cable.

The 2011 course, as it stands currently, will skip the town of Greenwich due to bridge construction. Come next April, I might wish for that section of 29 again, but as of now I'm plotting my escape...

Big thanks to Dieter and Andrew for showing a couple of Carolina boys around a wicked course. The 2011 edition of the race is sure to be interesting, and we all agreed the addition of the new section is an improvement, apart from the necessity of skipping the town of Greenwich.

Verdict: An American Classic gets even better with the addition of more of the same madness that makes the race so fascinating and challenging to begin with. Registration opens in December, so grab some gusto and think hard about it.

See you in April.

We're Back.

2010-09-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Barry and I are fresh back from NY. Well, not really fresh as last night's campsite didn't have any showers. Regardless, what a killer trip. To say that the weather, the vistas, or rides were anything but spectacular is a crime. Hurricane Earl stayed away, temps dropped into an autumnal range, and the new folks we met are genuinely kind.

I'll sum up the trip briefly here, then return in a day or two with a full preview of the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill course. Dieter Drake, race director, was beyond gracious in his invitiation to show us around the 2011 course. Changes for next year, as judged from my saddle, are significant in effect if not in size. More to come...

As for the trip, my lovely sister-in-law offered up her Manhattan apartment as our 3/4-way house, allowing us to break up the trip and enjoy a wonderfully schizophrenic combination of city and country. We enjoyed the surreal views from her balcony and the flavors of Little Italy.

The next morning, we picked up the car from the parking garage. Let it be known that if we were to park a car at said garage for one month, we would owe them roughly $340. What is the fee for two bikes, I wonder?

Nevermind that, we had miles to make. We hooked up with Dieter and Andrew (Andrew Bernstein is from the excellent Goodbye Blue Mondays blog, among other sports-related publications) at the Cambridge Hotel at high noon. The plan: Recon the course and, if we survived, offer some feedback on the changes for 2011. Currently, Dieter plans to release the full details of the course and host a supported pre-ride in October.

Our Cat 2 guides were kind enough to show some mercy on us, and we returned the favor (tongue in cheek, here) when Dieter suffered two flats and a broken rear shifter cable around mile 40.

This was cruel fate for yours truly as I pulled out of the 2010 edition of this race with - that's right - a broken rear shifter cable at mile 40. Now I have the pleasure of watching Dieter finish off the course with relative ease in his 11-tooth cassette. I'll just chalk it up to it being his home turf.

We finished off the ride and hit up the Cambridge Hotel for lunch. Great food and cold beer to boot. The four of us killed a pile of nachos then wolfed down some burgers. Andrew had to get back to work, while Barry and I needed to get to our campsite and settle in. As a side note, we 'greased' this whole deal by agreeing to bring some Duke's mayonnaise north of the Mason-Dixon. I won't name names here, but someone in the Drake family really likes the stuff. A parting shot from the historic Cambridge Hotel.

Once back at the campsite, we pitched tents and built a fire. The skies cleared off and the temps dropped significantly, right into perfect camping weather. We sat for a long while, reviewing the day and laughing at the near-death experiences and ripping-fast descents.

The next morning, we hit up the roads around Cambridge, Shushan, and even a bit into Vermont for a spin before heading south. Barry and I were to be found full of oatmeal and french press coffee. We had time to revisit the first three dirt sections of the course before making tracks back to the south. A quick shot as we rolled out for the Sunday morning spin, sporting our new lids.

Now pressed for time, we grabbed a quick lunch at the Cambridge Hotel and headed south. Our journey coming to an end, we reflected on the trip. So much can be said for the warm welcome we received in Cambridge, and riding the course with the race director was an experience to savor. Andrew's perspective made for fascinating discussions on the race and cycling as a whole, and Barry is a rockin' road trip partner.

Tonight, we're back in NC - but already thinking of the journey that will come again next spring. Until then, there will be many cold days and nights, sessions on the trainer, dietary modifications, gravel grinds and heart rate monitoring.

We can't wait.

A Pilgrimage.

2010-08-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Barry and I will point his wife's highly fuel-efficient Honda to the north and in the direction of The Empire State. We hatched the idea of a Labor-Day-weekend-whirlwind-trip to NY following a long ride several weeks ago. All of my incessant talking about the Tour of the Battenkill finally got to him, and he realized that the only cure for his new fever was to go there himself. Of course, I've got to go along...for supervision.

Once north of the Mason-Dixon, we'll park in NYC overnight Friday ($$$) and crash at my very hospitable sis-in-law's Manhattan apartment. Granted, I don't relish the thought of driving into NYC on a Friday afternoon, but it's going to happen. Saturday will find us cruising the roads of the race course, taking pics, relishing the forecasted New England weather (stay away Hurricane Earl), and mashing pedals on rather large clincher tires. We're camping overnight Saturday along the Battenkill river, then going out for some more miles Sunday once we rustle ourselves from our tents.

It's okay to be jealous. It's hard to contain my excitement right now, too. It's also okay to wonder if this fever will eventually consume me and possibly Barry as well. Time will tell.

Check back for updates next weekend. Gonna be hard to sleep 'till then.

A Dish Best Served Cold.

2010-08-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Of course, I speak of revenge. While not one of the most attractive of sentiments, it is usually interesting. A scorned lover, a grudge among regional enemies, or even among players on the world stage. This, however, had more to do with me vs. a ride that got my goat three years ago.

In 2007, following a bit of rehab from a cracked collarbone and scapula, I signed up for the Tour de Gaps on a whim. The next morning, I drove up to Mt. Airy, signed in at Westwood Park and had what was easily my worst day on a bike ever. Intending to the full 82-mile route, I cramped out after the second (of four) big climbs around mile 40 and limped home in 5:15.17 with somewhere around 65 miles in the legs. Defeated.

This year, I've raced a good bit more, trained harder, eaten more effectively and frankly tried to add a little anger to my rides. That's not to say I mashed pedals the whole way, but it can be said that I was determined. On to the ride...

Leaving Westwood Park with this group is always a shock to the system as the pace is rather quick. The group rocketed through Mt. Airy's suburbs and was shortly heading north toward the Blue Ridge. Around mile 12, we encountered a steep hill on Pedigo Ridge that put some separation into the group. I saw Brian Porter in the group ahead and made sure to make this selection. Within minutes, we arrived at the base of the first gap (Squirrel Spur) at mile 18. I held up briefly to try and regroup with Barry and Mitch, but the pace of the group drew me forward shortly thereafter.

Descending Squirrel Spur is just a blast. The pace up hadn't been so scorching as to wipe everyone out, so the descent was pretty aggressive and fast. The fella in front of me nearly kissed some guardrail as he overshot the first hard right after a 50mph straight. A nervous laugh and exchange of glances and the meteoric return to the humid valley continued...

The rollers between the gaps are the real devils in this ride. Friends Mission Rd. and Old Schoolhouse Rd. are probably the most famous offenders. I slid into a small group of 5 (Diana Conn, Brian Porter, two other dudes, and me) to cover the wretched ground between gaps 1 and 2. We eventually caught the first group on the road, containing none other than Joe Hutchins. Good times. This group then dwindled to just three of us (Dianna, Joe, me) by the top of the second gap, with Brian Porter rejoining us on the descent. Four guys were up the road ahead of us, and probably not coming back

Two down, two to go. It was at this point three years ago that I began to question my ability to finish the ride. It was clear I wasn't going to climb all four gap roads, but even my arrival back to the start/finish was in doubt! This year, things were looking much better. After the second gap descent, we had to face Old Schoolhouse Road. Wow. Pure misery. The best part? There is a cameraman right there, perfectly placed to catch you dismount and roll into the ditch in full body cramps.

Onward to Orchard Gap and now we were only three - Joe, Diana, me. Diana's husband Jeremy was cruising up the road in 2nd place, so we made it our unspoken goal to get her as close to his finishing time as possible. She was already the only female rider in sight, so her Queen of the Mountain status was cemented. The Orchard Gap climb is probably the easiest of the four, and after a quick swap of bottles at the top, we rocketed back down once again. Here I saw Mitch cruising up solo, so I gave him a big shout and I'm pretty sure he heard me.

By this time, the excitement was building. One gap to go, three of us sitting in the top 10, and legs are tired but holding up. There is a good bit of road between the third and fourth gaps, and during this time Diana's right-hand shifter started acting up. She had the cable replaced a week ago, and wondered if something was amiss following the repair work. Hmmm. After a robust *smack* the shifter started working again.

At the base of Piper's Gap, we agreed to regroup at the bottom if separation occurred on the climb. Once off Piper's, there is about 15 miles of road to the finish, and a group is much faster over those rolling roads than a solo rider. I hit the top first, followed closely by Joe. Diana later told us that in trying to catch up to us on the desecent, she passed a car! That's awesome. Again I saw Porter rolling up and Mitch 'all over his machine'.

The road back in was just joyful. Finally I was going to make it, with a solid time, top 10 placing, and no real cramps. Well, I spoke too soon. On the LAST hill, where we made contact with Barry, I finally began to feel the cramps creeping into the hammys and quads. No way. No way was this going to stop the ride or slow us down. Less than 5 miles to go and feeling a second (sixth?) wind, fighting off the urge to focus on the cramps or the pessimism they bring. Time to stomp it.

Joe and I crank it up just as Diana's shifter finally gives up the ghost. She tucked in behind Barry while Joe and I pushed ahead. Shockingly, we see the 4th place guy about 100m ahead. We're within a 1/2 mile of the finish. Nearly 82 miles and here were are sprinting for 4th. Unfortunately, Mr. 4th had some gas left and once he detected us sneaking up, he fired up the afterburners and got us. I nearly caught him at the finish chute, but: 1) it was too dangerous to sprint through there, and 2) it wasn't worth it.

Overall, 5th place. Granted, some of the previous winners were not there and that helps the placing but I will take it. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but I'll take mine on an August afternoon, at about 88 degrees with some pretty heavy humidity. Huge thanks to Diana, Porter, and Joe for all the help on the ride. That was a blast! Until next year...

A Call to Arms.

2010-08-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

After a near victory in a Dixie crit a few years ago, to a horrendous crash fracturing a scapula and clavicle at the same venue, to a near-miss of a parking meter at 25mph in a Brevard, NC crit, I left the adrenaline-junkie-world of crit racing behind. I've rarely missed it.

Her Siren song has again filled my ears, however, and putting aside most of my good judgement I am heading back to the short-course phenomenon known as the criterium.

This weekend, I'll be in Wilkes County, NC racing at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. It's a former NASCAR track, and though it's been out of use for many years, Pirate Race Productions has resurrected it with a non-technical course along its banked corners.

I have to admit trepidation is creeping in, but I might just use some of that fire to grab a prime or antagonize a breakaway. We'll see. I haven't been training specifically for crits and being a bit skinny, it's not my best discipline. Enough with the excuses, though, let's line 'em up on Saturday and see how it goes.

Dirty Work.

2010-08-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got the itch to do an evening ride. So, I text up the CLM folks to see what's happening...no luck for a group ride as people are scattered about. Miraculously, Cam writes back to say he might do a few laps at Salem Lake. Fo' real!? Unfortunately, "Lawyer of the Year" Elise was snarled in traffic meaning Cam had to bail just before the ride. My solution? Go solo and get an indy ride in for good measure.

I was a little worried about the conditions at Salem Lake, as we had some fierce rain on Wednesday night...monsoon material! So, with 25c Gatorskin Hardshells in place, I hit the road. Easing toward Salem Lake, there were some signs of earlier flooding - clumps of leaves and twigs on the side of the road, streaks of red mud across pavement. Once on the greenway, things became more ominous...especially when I came to the portion that passes under Reynolds Park Rd.

Alrighty then! I dismounted and hiked up the berm to Reynolds Park Rd and down the other side, safely avoiding the water. After cruising another 1/2 mile or so, I was again greeted by the swollen stream.

No way around this one, and with the path descending to just above creek level when the water is low, I was hesistant to end up on the 11 o'clock news. I backtracked to the Reynolds Park Rd berm and hopped up to the asphalt. I headed out RP Rd to Waughtown and Linville Rds, hoping to access the far side of Salem Lake then backtrack to the main parking / entrance area. To be honest, I'd never ridden those two roads and was happy to find myself on the far side of the lake within 10-15 minutes.

Once back on the lake trail, I was off and running. It's not too hard to hold 18-20mph on a road bike over that section when the rain has packed down the dirt. Of course, slowing for corners is not to be overlooked and I almost ate it a few times.

Once back to the pavement, I rolled home through the Research Park and 4th St. Amazing to see how busy 4th St is on a Thursday night. I remember in my childhood wondering if Winston-Salem even had a downtown, now it's a bustling area of shops, arts, and restaurants that really charms.

What didn't charm, however, was the mud I picked up en route. I feel like Barry posting a pic like this, but hey, if the shoe, uh, fits...

A New Adventure.

2010-08-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.vsporthealth.com/

For a few years now, Jill and I have been talking about the prospect of starting a small coaching / first-aid / sport company-type-thing of some kind. Well, following our relative success with pre-season training for my trip to Battenkill and a few others local / regional races, we thought we might be on to something. She likes to build, tweak, and analyze training plans and data, and I like to get the word out, ride with folks, race, and help from behind the scenes on the electronic end. In addition, we're teaming up with Debra Benfield to offer nutrition support as part of our design.

After a fateful meeting with a racer from a growing national cycling / promotions group (to be named later, once agreements are finalized), we started thinking - why not start out with a group of interested racers / competitors and see what we can do? Once our proposal was smiled-upon, we got busy finalizing plans and working on the organizational / PR side of things - webiste, twitter, facebook, and yes even legal stuff.

This is Jill's operation, but you might read "our" in here from time to time as I'll be in a supportive role wherever possible. The short-term goals are to build a base of very happy (and speedy) folks benefitting from our plans and support. Long-term? Who knows - but you can be sure that if this takes off a bit, we'll be bringing some well-prepared folks to Cambridge, NY in April 2011.

Stay tuned...

Champs.

2010-08-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2010&id=1947&info_id=28256

Results from the USA Masters Road Cycling Championships. Two of our own (from W-S) landed stars-and-stripes jerseys. I'm happy to say that I've raced on a team with Tussey and been reeled in on a hill more than once by Rip.

Kudos to these two champs! Can't wait to see em' back in The Dash.

Repost from the CLM blog.

2010-07-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

So I decided to stick the ride report over on the CLM blog since a few of us rolled the metric century together. Check it out and keep the rubber side down.

Prep.

2010-07-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal. Water. Bananas. Big Lunch. Big Dinner. More water. Another banana? Yes.

Saturday brings the Hurt, Pain & Agony 66 mile ride to benefit The American Cancer Society.

I will have at least 3 allies in the ride, and I hope a few more. Pics to come Saturday afternoon with a ride report. The only downside? Weather - it's supposed to be in the upper 90's on Saturday.

de Gaps! de Gaps!

2010-07-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well, really only one gap. As you will also see evidence of this on the CLM blog and Barry's blog, I won't overdo it.

Next week is the (in)famous Hurt, Pain, & Agony ride and we're all stoked to hit it. That said, we needed to hit some climbs longer than those we typically find between our front doors and Pilot Mtn. Barry suggested to do part of the Tour de Gaps route and the idea stuck.

Today, I found myself in a gravel parking lot beside Reeves Community Center in Mt. Airy at 8:00 am with Barry. Mitch and Cisco were to arrive shortly to make our group a merry 4. Our plan: Hop on the Tour de Gaps route up to the top of Squirrel Spur (4 mile climb at around 7%, I would guess) and on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Shortly after departing the parking lot, we crossed into a state known to be for lovers.

The roads to the bottom of Squirrel Spur were perfect for a morning ride. Farmland as far as one could see, until one could see the Blue Ridge Mtns creep into the frame. On the lower slopes of the climb, the humidity made itself truly known and we all began to sweat buckets. Climbing around the first two corners, we could already see across the valley and back to the roads below. At this point, Cisco increased the pace a bit and I latched on with my elastic band.

The climb up Squirrel Spur is actually very nice. The grade is mild and the pavement very good. Very little traffic exists here so you are indeed left to your thoughts and free from distraction. Unless, of course, you are distracted by the worrying amounts of sweat leaving your body. I did a little math and quickly surmized that I would run out of fluid on the way back. Other distractions? The sveltle cyclist in front of you dancing on the pedals and looking rather fresh. True, he does not have a front derailleur on his bike and that is like, 70 grams, but surely that couldn't help him TOO much. Or could it?

My previous experience on the climb helped as it is a steady, unrelenting grade. Overcook it once, and it will nash its teeth into your cramping gastrocnemius. Cisco and I regrouped at the top with Barry rapidly closing. Impressive. The descent was downright hair-raising and may have taked a few years off my life as I maxed out at 49 mph. Not bad for a toothpick on wheels!

Apart from the wonderful friends on this outing, a key highlight was the stop at a corner store. We grabbed some Gatorade and yes, some homemade fudge. The woman behind the counter essentially convinced us to buy it and I am glad we did. Yummy sugar goodness.

In summary: Climbing was good, friends were better, and I think we're as ready as we can be for HPA. Oh, and Mitch won the haybale climbing competition. You should've seen him bunny hopping across that row! Yee-haw!

The Hotness.

2010-07-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

And I don't mean in a good way. Rob and I set out to meet Barry on our way to Pilot Mtn. this evening. With temps in the 90s and the humidity creeping up into the "I didn't know I could even sweat this much" category, it was going to be a good one.

Rob and I whistled out to Donnaha Rd. and shortly found Barry chilling out under a shade tree's loving shelter. Climbing up Donnaha, we each looked at the others thinking "what are we doing, it's way too hot for this."

Despite the beckoning of reason, we pushed on. Up Spainhour Mill and Perch Rds, finally cresting at Pinnacle and taking a good look at our nemesis.

We made our way up the beast slowly but surely, with Rob making quick work of Barry and me. After a requisite stop at the Ranger station for some cold water, we soldiered back south. I was thinking we had a bit of headwind on the way out, and was looking forward to a little push on the way home. More likely, however, is that the air was so thick and still that it actually takes a bit more work to push through its lushness than on our beloved crisp October days.

Barry peeled off at Donnaha to get home, so I was left to deal with Rob and his 4 quadzillion mitochondrial pulls. All ended well as even the Rob was glad to see our last stopsign.

All of this, of course, is to get us ready for the Hurt, Pain, & Agony ride coming up in just over a week. 60-some miles in the hills around Stone Mtn will certainly be a good challenge, so we figured a little practice was in order.

Oh, and that subject line above? The hotness? Well, here you go (hide the women and children).

Twenty Eleven.

2010-07-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

After a few months of deliberation, lengthy discussions with Coach, and an arduous pilgrimage through the process of replacing shifter cables, I have decided to head back to Cambridge, NY in April 2011. Some would say this 'decision' is even more exciting that LeBron's 30-minute ego stroke last night...and I would agree.

I have to admit, just the thought of lining up again is enough to send the heart racing, to get that tingle in your legs, and to dream big about next time.

For now, I'll enjoy the summer rides and do a race here and there. All in all, driving slowly but surely toward the goal of placing well in the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill. The question really is: Who's with me?

Hanging Rock

2010-06-27T12:22:00.001-07:00

My buddy Cisco and I hit a hard ride to the mtns and back this morning. Painful as it is to remember, I blogged about it anyway over on the CLM blogspot. Check it out and feel good about your current fitness!

http://cityloopmafia.blogspot.com/2010/06/from-our-driveways-to-hanging-rock-and.html

Roan Mtn Road Race

2010-06-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Bib: 419
Category: 4
Time: 1:53:00.000
Place: 12
Racing Age: 33
Name: Grant, Erich
Team: Unattached
Hometown: Winston Salem NC

Unattached? Unattached?? I specifically put CLM on the sign-up forms and the release. Wow. Somebody better check their brake lines.

The weather, and being under it.

2010-05-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

A holiday weekend. Lovely weather. Roads begging to be ridden. A shortage of Pepto Bismol.

The High Point City Crits made their inaugural run in, uh, High Point this weekend. Coach and I helped out by providing a First Aid station to the unfortunate racers who decided to dance a little too closely with the asphalt. Really, Coach did 99% of it and I just sat around watching or making sure the beer garden was fully operational.

Unfortunately, I woke up Saturday morning with a very nauseous stomach and that 'feeling' you get when a virus is coming on: achy muscles, headache, a chill here and there. I decided to send Coach on to HP without me, planning to join her later. This was hard to do, as there was quite a bit of set-up to be done: a tent, table, chairs, and bags of medical supplies. But, my body demanded some rest and after half a Phenergan, I drifted off...

Around 4pm I got the call that Amy and Bus were heading down to the race, so I summoned my consciousness and rose from the bed. Riding down to HP was a blur, and I really didn't feel so good upon arrival. I tried to sit still, walk around, sit again, but the nausea just came in waves. It was one of those situations where one wishes IT would just happen, then all would be well.

I almost got my chance at IT, as a wave of nausea greater than all those previous arrived at my esophagus. I am fairly sure this followed Mitch's comment about 'waffles' as I was ok 'till then. Like a wounded beast, I decided to wander off in hopes of finding a gentle creek by which I could simply fall over and die. Relief was not to be mine, as the semi-heaves left all poisons within. I did a few laps of the crit course on foot with skin a lighter shade of green.

Soon after, chills began in earnest. By the time we packed up the truck and got on the road to W-S, I was trying to run the heat, while Coach was rolling down her window. Uh oh. At home, we confirmed my fever: 101.2F. It was going to be a long night.

Today, I feel 50% better and have actually eaten a bit. By my count, I've managed around 1200 calories in two days, with at least 900 of those calories today. I'm glad to be feeling better, but this is worrisome for racing next weekend as it takes me a bit to store up carbs for a race. Not to mention that I haven't ridden since last Wednesday.

What will happen? Not sure, but as of now I plan to pin the number on next Saturday and stomp it.

Jomeokee calls.

2010-05-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Jomeokee is the ancient Native American name for Pilot Mountain. It means "great guide" or with a little imagination "pilot." Barry and I, blessed with jobs that occasionally offer an early afternoon escape, met at his house for a quick jaunt to the Great Guide and back.

As he says in his blog, we felt like the south ends of northbound bulls on the way out. Finally, after starting up Pilot, we felt a bit better. I was reminded at times of my winter training rides for the Battenkill. We had a steady wind out of the north today, so it hounded us most of the way out while providing a bit of help on the way home. Always good to know which way mutha nature is aiming her favor when on the bike.

After cresting the climb, we enojyed a terrific view of the NC piedmont. Stellar, really. A shame that we had to go, but we still had to get home - which is always interesting after a climb up the Great Guide.

It wasn't as bad as we thought, and the wind was favorable. Arriving back at his house, we agreed that a Wednesday night ride that takes in Pilot Mtn. is a good ride, no matter how we felt.

Next up: I'm heading down to High Point to work the medical tent for the crits this weekend. Come on down and race a sweet course if you need a crit fix!

A few photos:

heading to the state park. my nemesis in the background.

sweaty. not sexy but it's part of the game.

out of the saddle and in my granny gear. oh well!

Misty Mountains

2010-05-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

A few pics from today's EXCELLENT ride in the Blue Ridge Mtns. Sirena, Lori, Chancey, Barry and I did an out-and-back from Cumberland Knob to Doughton Park and back. About 46 miles and good hills. The low clouds, fog and rain really made the ride feel intimate. This also helped keep the cars away and often times we were to be found 2 and 3 abreast with no cars for many minutes.

Climbing to Doughton Park

Trying to get some rhythm going

Barry, focused.

We can't wait to do this again. Perhaps a ride from Boone to Asheville later in the summer? Gotta get my hill climbin' legs back...

hills, then mountains.

2010-05-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Image: Unpleasant...post-sprint up the famous Powerline Hill just outside Lewisville, NC yesterday. I love that one, but Mitch was not so kind as to give any respite, so I had to hammer the whole way. I thank thee, Mitch.

Tomorrow, a small group of us is heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a 50ish mile ride. I've never ridden the BRP with a crew before, so I'm anticipating a great time.

the mountains win again.

2010-05-17T19:13:00.001-07:00

In a nutshell, the tour du life road race caught me by surprise. I know the ups and downs of the blue ridge mtns pretty well, but I'd never really raced among them.

Barry was facing the daunting Cat 5 field, while Mitch and I lined up with the Cat 4s. As mentioned on the CLM blog, we had some stiff competition. The action started quickly as a team of zebra-looking chaps assembled at the front in arrears of Mr. Boone-Roubaix winner. The parade of pain might as well have been a funeral procession for the CLM as first Mitch went backwards shortly followed by yours truly. I managed to pass two guys on the next ascent then catch two more on the long flat before Rush Branch.

On Rush Branch, I had to say goodbye to my two compatriots (thanks for the pulls, Zeb) as they climbed away from me. In the last 12 miles, it felt as if gravity had doubled. I crept up the climbs at caterpillar speeds and at length, cramps crept in.

I was passed by three guys from the race behind me in the last 5 miles, and nearly by a guy in my own field, but thankfully he faded (with my cramps) on the last climb.

12th place in the hardest road race I've done. Needless to say, I've got some work to do in the Mountain dept. Once I get my right hamstring back to reasonable functioning, I plan to do so. Perhaps a weekend ride in the mtns? I bet I can drag some CLMers with me (most are feeling animosity towards gravity at the moment).

Ok, so I just re-read this post and agree (as you're likely thinking right now) that it is boring. Don't fear, more posts of an irresistible and profound nature coming soon.

Back to the hills...

2010-05-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

There's an omnium in Boone, NC this weekend and somehow I've been talked into doing it. Ok, I really wanted to get back into a race after falling off the horse after Battenkill. I didn't literally fall, just stopped training, started drinking more beer and eating fast food. Yum. The group rides have been fun, but I can tell that I'm easily 10% off my form from the beginning of April.

That said, this will be fun no matter how badly I get shelled. My CLM homie Mitch will be racing too, so plans will be to stick together and survive. Even better, Coach and I plan to head home after the race and hit the Greek festival either that night or Sunday...again: Yum.

Pictures to follow on Saturday!

My Weekend

2010-04-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

In a nutshell, since it is late and I should be in bed:

Drove to Athens, GA late Friday night. Crashed at hotel. Got up early Saturday morning and practiced with the band. Had lunch. Went to Tasty World (a club downtown) for load in and soundcheck. Got a slice of pizza, then played a set with the fellas (see above pic). That rocked. Then went one block up to watch Team Mountain Khakis race Twilight. Unfortunately, they didn't make the break and had to chase for like, a zillion laps. On the last lap, with 6 guys away, the field sprint was marred by a few crashes including one that took out our buddy Mark. He's ok, but road rash ain't fun, no matter how little there is. Had pizza with The Legend. That was something. Went to bed about 2am. Got up Sunday morning, got a mocha from Jittery Joe's and hit the road back home.

Back in W-S now, and I'm considering the slim chance of becoming a full-time rock star versus the security of my current career path. Do we really just get one shot at this life?

Athens Twilight

2010-04-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I got in two good rides this week but nothing very hard.  I almost feel lazy compared to the workouts I suffered through pre-Battenkill. I can't help but wonder how much form I'm losing, or if everyone else is just getting up to Spring speed...or both.

No racing for me this weekend, but a good bit of it is on tap for my buddy Mark. Athens Twilight is on Saturday, so we're hoofin' it down 85 to watch 'em go 'round in circles. That last sentence had 4 apostrophes in it, only one of which was legit.  I must be getting slack in more than one aspect of my life!

Also, my old band is...you guessed it: GETTING BACK TOGETHER FOR ONE MORE SHOW. We just can't let it die, and for good reasons:  It's so fun, plus we aren't terrible so some people actually like to watch us bumble around on stage for 90 minutes. The show is in Athens, and we planned it specifically to be over prior to the start of the Pro crit. Love it.

A week from tonight I plan to be in VA, camping prior to the Mule Hell-Roubaix ride. We'll see how those plans pan out, but as for now it's a GO.

More pics and fun once I get back from Athens.

Cycling and Other Things.

2010-04-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

Beginning in December 2009, my training for the Tour of the Battenkill became an excuse to let other things go. I would say Jill carried much of that burden by eating dinner solo a few times per week, and (somehow) surviving 3-4 hours of Saturday morning quiet time while I hauled myself all over the western Piedmont of NC. I eschewed beer, needless physical labor, yardwork (which I do not consider needless), and sugar sodas (most of the time).

Now that we're back, I've got some reorganizing, relaxing and catching-up to do. For example, last night we had a few good friends over and I drank plenty of beer. Not that I couldn't drink beer 3 weeks ago, but I would have thought about it. Lame as that might be, it was real. Today, we slept in, fixed a big southern breakfast and instead of strapping on the bike shoes, I put on some gloves, grabbed the shovel and got to work in the yard. I am way behind in our plans to bring the front yard back to life, so carving out 6 hours for that today was 'make or break' in terms of getting grass seed down. And I drank two cans of Pepsi while I did it.

So now what? Well, that gets me to another point: It's time to practice something else - the guitar. My old band is converging on Athens, GA next weekend for a show. Not only that, we planned it such that we could play, wrap/pack-up, and get over to the Pro crit at Twilight without missing much of the action. Why? Our buddy Mark, who races for TMK/Jittery Joes is going to be there. He won this race in 2007 and finished second in 2009. Twilight likes Mark and Mark likes Twilight. Argus likes Athens and Athens likes Argus. Why not?

After that, I plan to keep the iron hot by hitting up Mule Hell - Roubaix in southwestern Virginia. Not a race per say, but I know how these rides go...

After that, it's more training in June before the Piedmont Triad Omnium in July. This is a signature Piedmont event and I'm happy to be a part of the medical team covering it. I also plan to ride the road race, which has been kind to me in the past.

So, we'll see how this change in priorities and eating habits effects my riding. I think Jill might be just a little sad about losing her Saturday morning quiet time, however...

Second Wind?

2010-04-16T10:30:00.001-07:00

Considering this. Looks fun!

http://www.mulehell.com/

Battenkill'd and Busted.

2010-04-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

What an adventure. I'll try not to ramble, but the way today unfolded on the course almost requires a stream-of-consciousness approach. First, the Tour of the Battenkill gets mad props for being a crazy, fun, dangerous, and well-oiled event. Perfect for a spring classic. On to the race report:

We arrived in Cambridge on Friday and I warmed up on the course a bit. The first hard left turn was followed shortly by a covered bridge, seen here. I'm just practicing the first bit of the course, because early reports indicated that the first climb (a few miles after the bridge) would be decisive, so I wanted to know what to expect. Fortunately, the gravel that was present on the wood-floored bridge Friday was gone as we rocketed through on Saturday.

On Saturday, we arrived at the event about an hour and a half before the start. Plenty of time to kit up, warm up, and make some new friends at the start line. I have to give a few shout outs here, especially to Jeremy, Dave, and Frank who took time to chat and make the race that much more interesting. Dave actually recognized me from the blog and spoke kindly of it. Big ups to Dave!

Sporting the CLM colors, I had a nice lady flag me down prior to the race to say she loved the kits. Way to go, Mitch! I went with the striped armwarmers for visibility in the feed zone.

The start was relatively uneventful, as the first km was neutral. I ended up hovering in the top 30-40 just taking it easy to the covered bridge. That went smoothly but soon the pace picked up. However, the group was clearly saving energy for the first big climb: Juniper Swamp Rd. Rumor was that the race would split here and a select group of riders getting over this ridge first would stay together until the last climb when more splits would be made. We still had a few miles to go until that turn, so really everyone was just trying to settle in.

Now, things got interesting for me. Within seconds of hanging a right onto the first dirt section (Rich Rd.), I hit 3 or 4 potholes and lost BOTH of my nearly full bottles. Crap. I feared the sweet, lightweight carbon cages would not stand up to the bumps, but that was just insane. I was now without liquid and no way to get it until the 2nd feed zone at mile 41. By the way, did I mention this happened in the 7th mile? I'm not to too good with fancy math, but that seemed like a long time to go without fluid in a race. Egads.

Shortly, we took a hard left onto Juniper Swamp Rd., the second dirt section. You might be able to see me on the right side of the group in the orange and black.

I didn't know Jill and Sarah would be there to take this picture and cheer, but I definitely heard them shouting! True to prediction, we lost several riders on the steep dirt climb. Frank went over in the top 5, and I was in the top 20 and feeling fine. The subsequent dirt downhill was hairy due to speed but smooth.

After Juniper Swamp, I regrouped and developed a plan to conserve as much as possible (even more that I already was) and doubled up on gels to compensate. This worked well, and I was still in the pack as we approached a dreaded paved climb around mile 30. At the bottom, two guys RIGHT in front of me locked handlebars and went down in a flash. I had nowhere to go, so *DOINK* I ran right into them, performing a nice endo. I stayed up, but was now holding still and clipped out while the peloton scurried up the hill. Not good. Sprinting up the hill, I felt the heat and heard the engine of the chase car, knowing that I needed to stay up and catch the group on the hill or I was permanently off. I nearly got there by the top, but had to hop on a few wheels of other guys to finish the bridge. Fortunately, we went off-road about then and I was able to make it back up as the group slowed.

Now in the pack and down 3 or 4 matches, I was still nervous about cramps. At mile 35, we cruised through the town of Greenwich with a group now down to about 25 or 30. On a sweeping left hand turn, the guy to my left hit a pothole and launched his bottle into my path. Was this karma for my two bottles earlier? I didn't have time to think about that as, try as I might to avoid it, I hit it square with my front tire.

*aside* I would love to have seen the spectators faces at this moment. Cheering as they were, I thought I heard a deep gasp from several onlookers as I pulled what must have looked like a BMX tabletop-fakie-kickstand move before recovering and sprinting to catch the group. Wow.

Within a mile of that madness, I went to shift for an easier gear and felt a strange sensation through the right-hand shifter. Kind of a clunk / shred. My pedaling became strained and I could not shift to an easier gear. Rats, derailleur cable failure. I'd noticed some funky shifting over the past week, but it had been perfect after some adjusting earlier today. Now, I was 5 miles from the feed zone and debating dropping out. Knowing the profile (big hills to come), I was a dead duck. Combine that with the fluid deficit I'd accumulated, and I was suspecting a struggle once the fast boys turned it up.

As I approached the feed zone, I drifted to the back of our group and pulled over. Jill was bamboozled as I was seemingly looking fine, but I explained the malfunction as I pulled the shredded cable out of the housing. Race over. I watched as the group rolled up the road.

But, I cannot complain. Dodging a wreck, surviving a water bottle collision, and actually making it 41 miles with zero fluid (well, maybe I got a sip at the start) is quite a bit of racing fortune. Sure, it would be nice to finish, but some things are just not to be, at least not this year...

After the race, we headed to Woodstock for a great dinner with Coach and her sis, Sarah. These two have supported me quite a bit over this adventure, and it has made the difference. A parting shot from the pizza joint in Woodstock:

Don't worry, this blog is not dead. I'll take some time to think of my next steps, and Battenkill 2.0 might be the project. I've loved the journey, and am so very happy to have participated in the race.

Stay tuned.

Arrival.

2010-04-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

The title has a few meanings. Obviously, we're here. By here, I mean in Upstate NY and within a quick drive of the starting line of the 2010 Tour of the Battenkill. What started as a "what if?" conversation months ago is now feeling very real.

We rolled into Cambridge, NY around 2pm only to realize that rider sign-in was to start at 3pm. So, to kill some time, we drove bits of the course. After about 15 minutes of that, I got too excited and just had to ride some. It was a good thing, as I'd been off the bike for 3.5 days. I'd intended to spin around NYC yesterday, but that seemed increasingly suicidal the longer we were there. I rode sections of Eagleville Rd. and the big hill on Juniper Swamp Rd., and I'm here to say that Juniper Swamp is no joke. Sure, you can climb it, but I anticipate that the hot dogs will be cranking on that sucker tomorrow, trying to split the group. Even on my older 23c tires, I could climb out of the saddle without problem. That is probably because the dirt is wet after yesterday's rain.

By the way, I just got a text from Jill - she ran to the train station in Saratoga Springs to pick up her sister -it's snowing outside. Unreal. I can't help but think of Jill's half-marathon in Orlando a few months ago. On the morning of her race, the winds picked up and the temps dropped. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell on her and Shelly as they completed the daunting 13.1 miles. Is it possible that she (or I, or we) take snow to the events we attend? Scary to think about.

It's supposed to fair off, however, and temps will likely be up into the mid-50's by the time I toe the line at 1:30. Perfect. Just me and 100+ of my closest Cat 4 friends. The goals remain the same: stay upright, finish, and in the top 30%. I won't be too shattered if I don't get that last one, because this race is sure to be full of all kinds of craziness that I can't control. Despite that little interlude of futility just now, I plan to leave it all out there. The CLM would do nothing less.

The new tires are mounted, the shifting is crisp, the cheat sheet (athletic tape with critical course marks stuck to the top tube) is in place, and the nutrition is in process.

Now, it's time to chill out, watch TV and think about the good things in life: my family, my friends, and the fortune that is mine - that I can take time and energy and put it towards a goal like this. I'm a lucky guy.

Until tomorrow, my friends. Watch Jill's facebook for status updates as she'll be dashing around the course in full-on support mode. Like I said, I'm a lucky guy.

Ritual and The Road

2010-04-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Prior to leaving on our trip to the northeast, I completed my usual pre-race ritual. This primarily includes going over the bike, from tip to tail. The point is to minimize the chance for 'controllable' issues. Once I'm on-course at Battenkill, there will be many things I cannot control, but bike maintenance is not one of those things. I added a new chain as well, which has already improved my shifting. I plan to properly break it in tomorrow on the streets of NYC.

The hard training rides are done, the statistics have been crunched, and now the consternation begins. I'll spend tomorrow relaxing in the city with Sarah and Jill, but my mind will want to wander to the race start, the first hills, and the mad dash through the covered bridge.

I've got my new set of Conti Gatorskin Hardshell tires, and am excited to give them a try. I went with size 25 for extra grip on the steep ascents and for a little extra cush on the gravel descents. See, my heartrate is already going up...

After a two-day (and very scenic) trip from W-S through the Shenandoah valley and now to NYC, Coach and I are staying with her sister about two blocks from Grand Central. The view is killer, and the city is alive. More later, with pics from the city and our upcoming trip to Saratoga Springs and Cambridge, NY on Friday.

Country to Colony

2010-04-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Quick post, more later: Saddled up with the fatha'-in-law today and rode from Courtland, VA to Williamsburg, VA. Beautiful weather, great company, and around 58 miles of fun. Oh, and sunburn...

hello, aloe.

Goin' for the 'Kill - Day #95.

2010-04-01T06:41:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe we're finally in the home stretch!

The Tour of the Battenkill is next Saturday, and I can hardly wait. Erich's training has gone really well to this point. I think it's safe to say that it's been a pretty fun process for both of us, though I won't exactly miss the one or two (or 37) lonely dinners! But his form is the strongest it's been in a long time (maybe ever), and I think his personal goals for this race are well within reach. I'm really looking forward to watching it all unfold, bringing this whole adventure full-circle.

E has officially begun his taper down to Race Day, which is mostly about maintenance, rest, and fun. Tomorrow he plans a ride from my parents' house to Williamsburg, Virginia = a 55-mile effort at a moderate pace. The intensity of his upcoming weekend rides will pale in comparison to the last 3 months, but he'll still have plenty of saddle time for good measure.

And I'm in hopes the CLM will send him off in style on the Monday Night Ride before we take off for New York on Tuesday. The forecast for New York City and upstate New York calls for rain for three straight days - right up until the cool, cloudy sunshine projected for Race Day! Perfect racing weather...fingers crossed that the forecast holds.

So if you've hung with us this far, stay tuned! No matter the outcome, the adventure is right around the corner...

Mindless and loving it.

2010-03-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

I was still feeling a bit stiff (ok, a LOT stiff and quite sore) from yesteday's ride when I checked the weather forecast this morning. Hmmm....rain, but probably not starting 'til after lunch. I had some coffee, started a few chores, then texted the CLM looking for folks willing to forego a little Sunday morning relaxation in exchange for City Loop recovery ride. Brad got back to me, so we agreed to head out around 10:30.

The remarkable thing about today's ride was the very low mental cost. Some rides, especially the difficult ones and almost all races, require quite a bit of mental energy. Perhaps better words might be 'mental stamina' and 'focus.' When you are searching your body for the last micrograms of energy just to get over a hill, mental fatigue can sneak in. "I don't want to do this anymore..." Even if the body could go for a few more miles, the mind is done.

A few years ago, I signed up (and sort-of trained) for the 3 Mountain Madness -basically a supported Triple Hump ride but with some miles cut out as is starts closer to the hills themselves. I rode it with a friend, a Type I diabetic, who was really in fantastic shape. The best part about riding with him was his need to stop on occasion to check his sugar and eat properly. This gave me the opportunity to stop and rest often, which I needed.

The last climb on that route is Pilot Mtn. Standing 1500 ft above the surrounding countryside, it is a monadock - a solid remnant of a once mighty mountain range.

The route to the top is just under 3 miles, twisty, and with plenty of switchbacks and kickers. It would be a GREAT place for an uphill time trial...or even the mountain top finish of a road stage. Rich and I hit the bottom together, but I started cramping immediately. I had about 65 miles in my legs and nearly 7000ft of climbing in already. But, here comes the mental part: Jill and her family drove up from W-S that morning to watch the final climb. I knew they were on the mountain somewhere, but not exactly where. With cars and cyclists all over the place, it was madness.

If it had been a different day, without Jill's family, without the expectation of that climb and finishing that ride, I'm not sure I would've made it. I was delirious and with every rotation of my legs, I jerked and wiggled due to the muscle spasms. I was truly afraid that my legs woud seize, leaving me stationary and flailing, just before falling straight over.

Well, that didn't happen. I made it up, and even back to the finish. But just like yesterday (which was easily harder than 3MM as we completed it in half the time I took in 2007 and really only stopped once), the mind is a major part of the equation when things get hard. Call it discipline, call it character, call it whatever you want, but there is some flexible zone of achievement can span the distance between the body's limits and the mind's goal. Not always is this bridge long enough, or sturdy enough, but it exists and can be called upon when it really matters. It's a life lesson as well, one that I am learning. I have to thank cycling for some of that.

So why the 'mindless' reference in the title today? Brad and I just spun, yapped, and talked about life. No stress, no cramping, no threshold, no heart rate monitor in sight. The weather was overcast, and the air thick with humidity despite the low temperatures. The ride is now over and I feel refreshed, not exhausted.

Good thing, because Coach is coming back from Charleston today and I need to get this place cleaned up!

In short...

2010-03-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

...that was painful. Brad and I left from Pinnacle in the crisp cool air around 9:30, planning to pull a big chunk of the 3 Mountain Madness route. Here's a profile of the 75-mile route (which we did not do), but you get a sense of the rollers and the climbs as we DID tackle all three biggies. Check the section between mile 40 and mile 60 - nothing but up and downs (more later):

At first, I wasn't planning on hitting Pilot at the end. Then Brad reminded me that it was supposed to be a hard ride. 'Race simulation' if you will. I went out today with hopes of riding in Zone 4 most of the way with trips into Zone 5 on some of the rollers and definitely the big climbs. Well, I certainly got that. Brad and I traded off pulls for most of the way, and essentially rode two-up on the climbs. I was really pleased about that latter aspect as half-way up Hanging Rock, I realized he was riding a compact chainring set.

Aside: When I sold my Trek 2200 and bought a Cannondale CAAD9 a few years ago, I swapped a standard crankset for a compact crankset. All of a sudden, I could climb just about anything in sight without lumbering out of the saddle like some drooling neanderthal on a bike. I think Brad was taking it easy on me, as now that I'm back on standard gearing, just getting up all three climbs is an achievement.

We crested Hanging Rock, turned around, and descended at break-neck speed. Brad later let it slip that he is the slowest descender of his friends, which is frightening as Dr. J seems almost fearless in my book. The real trick to this ride is not the massive monuments you must climb, but all of the stuff in between. By stuff, I mean the rollers. There is almost no flat asphalt up there (see the map above), and we had a steady headwind / crosswind for the majority of the ride. That said, we pushed hard anyway - up and down, up and down, up and down...2 minutes of climbing (me out of the saddle, Brad sitting and having a cold beer) followed by 30 seconds of screaming descent. Now, repeat about 30 times.

I felt my legs soften after Sauratown, with a few cramps sneaking in on Taylor Rd. as we cleared the foot of the mountain. This happens sometimes, and I think it has more to do with a toxic buildup in my legs as I descend (and don't pedal as much) than with fatigue...you'd think the cramps would hit on the climb, but no...

The rollers between Sauratown and Pilot were the worst, just as Brad promised. We were down to 10mph in places, just grinding it out. Finally, we spied Pilot in the distance. The weather was cool, but the chilled wind brought us unlimited visibility. The knob was crystal clear and taunting me. I'd told Brad that Pilot would be a 'game-time decision' for me, but once we were at the foot of her slopes, I knew what I had to do. "Leave it all out here," Brad said.

Luckily, I'd hydrated and eaten well, so I felt somewhat recovered at the base. Up we went. I started slowly, as the steepest section is about halfway up. Once you clear that hard right switchback (those who've been there know what I'm taking about), you're home free. We had a few cars to deal with, but only on the descent did they get in our way. The view at the top was breathtaking, as usual. No time for that, though, gotta shove some food in and keep going.

Our descent was just as harrowing. In those moments, rocketing down some mountain road towards a hairpin turn, my mind may wonder to many places: "I hope I checked the tires for damage after that last off-road ride" and even "There must be a limit to how hard I can lean on these things before they just give..." That last one only snuck into my mind after I nearly overshot a left-hander while trying to make up time on Brad. The tires are great by the way, and the Cervelo goes down as well as it goes up.

We kicked it with gusto coming back into Pinnacle and returned to the car. I had exhausted my 3+ bottles, eaten all of my food, and finished the ride without significant cramping and feeling 'okay.' Could I have ridden back to W-S if we'd gone for a full Triple Hump? Maybe, but not with any amount of impressive speed.

The stats are fuzzy as I didn't do a good job with the speedo. Brad had us at 60.8 miles, averaging in the mid- to high 16s. Not what coach ordered, but possibly more if we'd measured watts and calories. I am relatively sure we bested 5000' of climbing, and perhaps more. the 75-mile 3MM route offers nearly 9000' and we did the bulk of the hard work in our shorter route.

If fatigue is any indicator, now that I have eaten a bit and done some laundry - I have not felt this wiped-out in a long time. Possibly since my last 55-mile training ride. Even the TMK training camp ride (as abbreviated as it was for us) was less harsh.

Big thanks to Brad. Recovery ride tomorrow. But, most importantly: beer tonight.

Test Day.

2010-03-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last really hard, obscenely painful, ridiculously crushing ride I'm supposed to do until I saddle up on April 10. It's been a fascinating journey thus far: from December when a 30-mile ride induced a blurry-eyed, peanut M&M feeding frenzy to last night, when I almost finished the Thursday Night World Championship ride with the fast boys. Those rides are still harder than most any race a Cat 4 will ever do. It's not time to get sappy yet, so I'll hold off for now...

Brad called me up today and, knowing I was thinking of going to Boone, deftly talked me out of it and into riding with him. I've ridden with Brad several times, but never one-on-one. I know he's got quite a bit of cycling history under his saddle, includng a podium at the 2009 Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. He and his teammate are in the orange/black/white in 2nd place. This pic was in cyclingnews. We are proud to claim him as part of the CLM.

So, we're heading out of Pinnacle tomorrow around 9am, aiming to get in around 62-65 miles. Coach has given strict orders for a race-effort ride (not sure what a non-race effort ride is like anymore, to be honest) to equal the distance of the Battenkill: 100 kilometers.

Interesting that it's just two of us, as it will absolutely prohibit me from sitting in or resting too much. I expect the Battenkill to be many things, but I do not expect it to be a race in which I have a lot of time to rest. Even if a large group stays together, the variety of the course will demand 100% attention at all times.

So, with a glass of merlot and a belly full of protein and carbs, I hit the hay. Expect a post-ride, post-nap, beer-tinged update tomorrow.

Refreshment

2010-03-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

A quick note about today's group ride. Coach approved a mid-week foray into the group ride scene, so I found the hardest one around (on Tuesday, anyway). Tonight we were forced to a shorter (28 mile) distance as the sun is still setting pretty early. Barry came along to get a little intensity before Boone-Roubaix.

Usually, there are two distinct groups: A and B. Barry and I rolled out with who we thought were the A folks (Scott Morris and Ken Craven among them), but shortly after descending Conrad did we find ourselves all together in a group of around 30 folks. No real action until the end of Bethel Church Rd., where a skyward pitch beckoned to the climbers and early selections were made. Unfortuately for Brother Barry, he was chillin' in the pack, enjoying a cold beer and mixed in among the B riders when the surges started. The gap was soon pretty big and Barry was stranded. I looked back for him, then poured out some Gatorade for my lost comrade, and soldiered on at Mach 3 carrying the CLM colors.

Coming back into Lewisville, we rolled up and over Turbo Hill with a select group of around 6-7. I felt great and very comfortable despite the speeds. In classic Erich style, I spaced out when it came time to set-up for the sprint and scratched my head as Scott rolled away from the group. "Oh man, the sprint line is that 'right turn ahead' sign and not the old Lewisville town limit sign." Doh. I stood up and cranked it but there ain't no catchin' Scotty when he's motoring for the line.

All in all, a great time. We averaged 21mph for 28 miles, and it was very friendly. Reflecting on the effort involved, it is striking how much harder my training rides have been than these group rides. I do not mean to say I am as fast or faster than the guys on that ride, but the feeling of pure exhaustion that follows the 50 and 55 mile training rides puts these rides to shame. I am sure that will change as the days lengthen and the locals dust off the cobwebs...

Un pave' pre-ride

2010-03-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

The CLM crew headed to the NC high country this weekend. Several of the CLM are signed-up for Boone-Roubaix, also dubbed "The Hell of the High Country." After pre-riding big chunks of the course on Saturday, I think they hit the nail on the head. There are two loops, and depending on your category, the distances vary. We ended up riding most of the big loop and two laps of the shorter loop. Due to a little cue-sheet snafu, we didn't exactly know where we were going.

Nonetheless, we rocked our new kits and climbed like maniacs. The downhills are screamers as well, and I don't envy my buddies who will be streaking down those things at 45+ mph. Godspeed, CLM.

We ended up with about 30 miles and 2500 ft of climbing. I think this will be a race of attrition, for those who don't flat or end up with mechanicals on the gravel. The summary statement: sit in and move up on the hills.

A few pics stolen from Barry and Mitch: The CLM rolls out...

Barry and I pulling along...

I flatted with about 1 ft to go in the first gravel section...ugh.

Top of the big climb, getting our bearings. Mitch showing some sort of gang sign...

Happily pedaling along the New River. A perfect day...

Now the training is going to get crunchy, however. Lots of fast rides coming up, with my race simulation on Saturday. 62 miles at 22.5 avg, solo. It will be a feat if I pull it off.

New threads, new season

2010-03-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Cycling season is really here now. How do I know? Well, the Thursday Night World Championships are back. Every cycling community has a ride like this. Sometimes it's called the 'hot ride', the 'A ride', or some kind of World Championships when we all know it's really a chance to get out there and get dropped by the local fastboys.

Our edition goes something like this: We meet up around 6pm and chat it up for a few, small groups of friends and teammates check the attendants and wonder who's fast this year. As always, there are the loca Pro / Cat 1 rockets who come out to breathlessly hang out in the small chainring while the rest of us search for wheels. Our loop is about 5 miles long, and has it all: Flats for crushing tempos, rolling hills for out-of-the-saddle surges, and one long climb to separate the wheat from the chaff. Said hill is at the end of the lap, so most low-level locals like myself use this as a measuring stick: How many laps before I got dropped?

The first lap is a 'warm-up' with the pace around 18mph. As one makes the climb to end the lap, the 'warm up' pace suddenly feels more like 'race pace' and the group begins to surge. From then on, it's 'hold on for dear life.' The group often splinters (if the PROs are in town), but sometimes it stays together as we turn out 2-3 more laps at rocket speed. After racing my first Cat 5 crit, I thought I knew what fast was...then I went on this ride and got dropped like a rock halfway into the first fast lap. Even after moving up to Cat 4 and placing well in road races, I can still say this ride is leaps beyond the effort usually expended in those races. I am sure this is because the mix of talent is so diverse, the slow guys are shed quickly, and the fast local guys all want to throw down. I usually just sit in or take a short pull when I can.

I bring all of this up because I might head out there tomorrow night. With a practice run of the Boone-Roubaix course coming up on Saturday, I am in the market for a high-intensity midweek ride. I might get to see a few old teammates and check my current skills against the old guard. The PVS guys are fast and have been busy in the off-season, so we'll see.

In other news, the CLM rolled out the new jersey colors today:

We went with a murdered-out look, but kept the orange rings on the sleeves for our roots. Perhaps this little looker will go out with me tomorrow night.

Today's Ride

2010-03-13T17:42:00.001-08:00

http://cityloopmafia.blogspot.com/2010/03/best-ride-of-year-so-far.html

So fun...

2010-03-11T18:28:00.001-08:00

Given the weather, it would seem the perfect night for a trainer ride. Toss in a few intervals, maybe some sprints and call it a night. Boring. I like a bit of adventure so I decided to ditch the trainer and take the Cerv out to Salem Lake. Yes, it was getting dark and starting to rain, but hey: who knows how the weather will be at the Battenkill in a month. I would hate to miss a move or be surprised by my limits on dirt simply because I didn't ride in nasty conditions during training. It's easy to ride when the weather is nice.

The lake has a 7mi gravel and dirt (mud) double track loop that usually accommodates walkers, bikers, and occasionally horses. Tonight, with rain and fog sliding in and darkness descending, I had the trail to myself apart from a few frogs and some deer.

The sand/dirt/root/rock track is so variable that getting into a rhythm is tough. The Cerv has Conti Gatorskin shoes right now, so I wanted to check their durability off-road. The first lap was all about learning the tires' limits and trying not to crash. No sweat. Only a few times did I get really squirrely and that was usually when going from fast hardpack into mushy mud.

Lap 2 was more sketchy as the fog rolled in. Even with nice lights, the glare from them caused some problems seeing more than 15 feet in front of me. I decided to call it at two laps for a few reasons, not the least of which was the awful sound my drivetrain was making. Hopefully a little wash will clear that up.

Once back to the truck, I had to literally strip naked and change clothes due to the mud. Calm down, unless a few pics show up on Facebook later, I was surely the only person out there.

Data is hard to provide, as the rough terrain shook my speed sensor out of line. It took about 50 min for two laps, so I assume a speed of around 16mph. But really, this ride was all about the experience.

Tuesday

2010-03-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Sun! 67 degree forecasted high temp! Can't wait!

River Falls Road Race

2010-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

On the agenda: 6 laps of a 5.5 mile loop just across the NC/SC line south of Hendersonville. This is the final weekend of the Greenville Spring Training Series, and after hearing that a few of the Farm Team guys from Cambridge, NY would be there, I couldn't resist. Why? These guys are part of the crew putting on the the Tour of the Battenkill and frankly I wanted to see how I measured up.

The conditions were really spectacular with abundant sunshine, a little wind and temps in the mid-to-upper 50's. I went with the CLM kit and armwarmers only. It was definitely nice to be out from under the wool cycling cap and without knee/leg warmers. Our field had somewhere around 60 riders, but that number is unconfirmed as the finishing list shows 51 but I know some guys pulled out. At the start, I lined up near the back as I knew it wouldn't really matter in a race like this. Being at the front was more likely to be a burden (wind, trigger-happy early-season guys) than a blessing. I talked to a few guys before the race to get a feel for the important aspects of the course, and it pretty much boiled down to a 1k hill at just before the finish line. Fair enough.

Off goes the gun and we rocket down the only real descent on the course. After a 90-degree right hander, we settle into a 2-to-3 paceline mess for the first lap. Guys are all over the place, and I'm one of them! The speeds are impressive as we had a tailwind and willing guys up front. The next turn, about 2 miles later, is a sharp right that strung out the pack on every lap. As the yellow-line rule was in effect, this was one of the only places to make up positions.   At this point we were into a headwind so speeds came down to as low as 16mph (on one lap) but usually around 20mph. Surges and braking were the rule over the first 4 laps as guys broke away, burned up then came back before the next lemming would take his turn.

The climb is about 1k long and probably gets up to about 10% at the top. It gradually increases so it can be tough if one starts out too hard. The good news (at least for me) is that the top of the climb is about 75-100 meters from the finish line. My plan (being a skinny rider) was to slowly make up positions on the last two laps and stick with the leaders on the last climb. No reason to try a breakaway in this group - between the speeds we were carrying with the tailwind and the length of the climb, it proved to be too much for all who attemped it.

Honestly, I missed the bell at the end of lap 5 and for the first mile of the final lap I thought we had 2 to go. Eesh.  Just about the time I realized it was GO time, the group really started to pick up the pace. Although I sat in about 30th for most of the race, I moved up to around 10th on the previous climb up the hill, so now I was in the tender spot of being near the front but not on it. Perfect. We kept the pace high along the flats and at one point had a wicked, single-file line ripping down the backside of the course at 35+mph. I was keeping my eye on a few guys with teammates, as we reeled back the one remaining flyer.

Into the approach of the last time up the hill, some guys were suffering but others were twisting their mustaches. I slid back to around 20th due to some poor maneuvering after our single-file line broke down. Now at the base of the climb, I downed some Gatorade and got out of the saddle. With about 500m to go, I was back up to 10th or 12th when I must've blinked a bit too long...a small group of 6-7 got a gap of around 5 seconds on the 3 guys in front of me. They were weaving a bit by now and I delayed in going around them as I too was riding on the limit and not sure I could go much faster. With 200m to go I got clear of the three guys and crested the climb in no man's land behind the top 7 but ahead of the chasing pack behind.

Finishing 8th is pretty exciting for me. First, it's my best finish in a Cat 4 race. Also, staying smart, working on racing techniques, and not cramping are also accomplishments for an early season race like this.  I also managed to finish ahead of one of the Farm Team guys - which is even better...though I have to say I talked with one of them (younger guy, never got his name) during the race and he was polite and a good rider. I'm looking forward to seeing those guys again, on their home turf!

A special thanks to Coach for taking the day to head out there with me, and for cheering me on.

You can see me (far left and back a bit) as the winner crosses the line.

Post-race happiness...

Ante up.

2010-03-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

So, after some consultation with Coach, we decided on the Greenville Spring Series for tomorrow's activity. Needless to say, I have not spent all week in 'pre-race nutrition, rest, and vice-avoidance' mode. Oh well, we'll see how it goes. Looks like the course is a nearly 6 mile loop with a nice long climb near the start/finish line. Could be fun...

Toca su guitarra.

2010-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

In addition to riding my bike, I'm working on this a little more than usual. This is because on 4/24/10, on the evening of the vaunted Athens Twilight Criterium, my old band (Argus) will take to the stage. Not only that, but we'll be about two blocks (or less?) from the start/finish line. Even beating that, our buddy Mark (once a winner of the pro race, and once a runner up) will be in the pack. Good times are sure to ensue. We even worked it out so that our show will end about 30 minutes before the pro race starts, giving us some lag time to pack up and move our imbibed-selves two blocks to watch the madness. I can't wait!

But, Battenkill is first - and only 36 days away now. I'm nearing the peak of training, so I am well aware that I won't be getting much faster than I am now. Last week's 55-miler was tough, and I am sure this weekend's ride won't be any easier. On the upside, Team Mountain Khakis will be holding part of their training camp in W-S next weekend. On the agenda: an open-to-the-public ride in the range of 90 miles. I think I'll be sitting on the back of that ride (for the first 30 miles, then I'm going back home!)

Tonight was a 30 mile ride, so I did 30 miles. The ride 'felt' hard, with RPEs sometimes in the 18-19 range when headwinds were full on. Overall, not bad: 20.3mph avg.

Next up, big Saturday ride, or a ride in Boone, or racing in the Spring Series in Greenville, SC -- can't decide.

Innerspace.

2010-03-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

A quick note to let the public know, again, that I dislike the trainer. He and I are inexorably linked as the Battenkill approaches and the NC weather remains unreal: Snow today, with kicking winds and dropping temps. Yeesh.

Time: 1:04.40
Avg HR: 153
Max HR: 181

I was mainly cruising in Zone 3, but I dropped in a few intervals at 30', 45', 55' and 60' to keep it real. I also used a techinque that attempts to mimic the accelerations that tend to occur prior to critical race points by slowly raising my HR into the upper reaches of Zone 4 in the 90 seconds before holding 60 seconds in Zone 5. That stings, but oh so good.

The Yadkin, she is my friend.

2010-02-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

I crossed her muddy waters twice today on a windy ride through the NW piedmont of NC. At the outset, a group of CLMers + Rip hooked up at Shallowford Square to roll a 40 miler. My plan was to ride with the homies until the 40 mile mark, then strike out on my own. Well, that sort-of happened...

The wind was ferocious today. Coming out of the WNW at anywhere between 10 and 20 mph, this is the kind of wind that can spoil a well-intentioned ride out of Lewisville. Many of our loops go immediately west and then loop either south or north before eventually turning due east. With my plans to go 55 miles on a West - North - East - South - North (hang with me) loop today, I knew I could expect nearly 30 miles of stiff headwind. Oh boy.

Our small group rolled down Shallowford Rd. and took Conrad to Old 421, then Taylor toward East Bend. Here, we were really heading NW and just catching facefulls of 15mph wind. I took a harder pull just before our turn on Baltimore and the group began to stretch out. The distance so far? Just about 10 miles.

On Baltimore, Rip, Duane and I enjoyed a few miles of tailwind. This allowed us to cruise along just under 30mph with surprisingly little effort. On the first Baltimore climb, Rip slid back a bit while Duane and I kept steady to the stop sign. Here, we waited for the rest of the group (and I waited for the verdict that would mean either 40 more miles of solo suffering or a compatriot or two). Our distance so far? 14 miles. The avg? 17.4mph. It was brutal out there.

Wisely, most decided to head back in the direction of town. Duane came with me and we, enjoying a few more miles of tailwind, rocketed down Baltimore to Dinkins Bottom, easily holding 30mph on the flat through the silent fields that will soon yield tobacco.

D and I then climbed Shallowford (Courtney-Huntsville) heading toward Wyo. At the top, D let me know he had to get back. This meant two things: I would suffer, and I would do it alone.

From here, I weighed my options: Do a few laps of Wyo to balance out the wind factors (little headwind, little tailwind, etc.) or just keep pushing NW, into the wind, to maximize the workout? I opted to keep going NW and piloted the trustly Cervelo to Fish Brandon then Old Stage. Old Stage really is a fantastic road and deserves your adoration. Mostly flat, smooth, and just curvy enough to keep you smiling even if it hurts. With a stiff crosswind, I could hang in the 22-24mph range here, but that was it.

On the way back, I slowly began to feel a little better. I think I pushed too hard just after D and I split, trying to get my average speed back up - which came back to haunt me. By the time I arrived at the Yadkin River bridge on my way back to Lewisville, my avg. was up to 19.6mph. I knew I would not meet my speed goal, so I modified the plan and pushed the pedals up and over the rolling hills on Willliams Rd. and Concord Church just to put a little pain at the end.

So effective were those last few hills that by the time I rolled back into Lewisville, my feelings of recovery were all gone. I was sitting on 12mph with a heartrate of 172 and a wind that wouldn't quit.

I loved it. Bring on the Battenkill.

Apropos.

2010-02-26T17:57:00.001-08:00

A quick bit from Red Kite Prayer about one of the most exciting events of Spring: The arrival of a new kit.

http://redkiteprayer.com/?p=1928

Weekend Plans.

2010-02-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

After my short trainer ride tonight, I am again fired-up to get back on the roads. The trainer: the painted-metal beast that applies its gravity to my rear tire; he who whirs and whines as I up the wattage; who refuses to allow my bike the usual shake and shimmy that should accompany a full-on sprint. I despise your iron-clad jaws.

Since that's out of the way, I am riding both days this weekend - 55 on Saturday and a recovery ride on Sunday. I'm looking for co-conspirators...

Battenkill is about 6 weeks away.

Aeolus.

2010-02-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

There is no hiding from the wind this time of year. Just a quick 23miler tonight, but 20 were measured for training. Here are the stats:

Route: My house, forward City Loop to WFU, one lap of "the neighborhood" and back.
Dist: 20.22mi
Time: 56:50
Avg: 21.2mph

Next up, Thursday night at Salem Lake. This could be interesting...

Addendum.

2010-02-20T16:59:00.001-08:00

The shoes are off and the legs are resting. Today, I spent the better part of 3 hours on the bike, taking in the sights of a nearly-Spring day in NC. Coach's plan was for 50 miles at 19.5mph with three two-minutes Zone 5b intervals thrown in at 30', 60' and 90'. Apprehension doesn't begin to describe how I felt as I soft-pedaled out of the neighborhood. 50 miles, solo, with a speed avg requirement is a new thing for me, and a significant part of me wondered if I could pull it off. Needless to say, I started the day off with French Toast.

The route was not clearly planned ahead of time, although I had a rough idea of what it would take. First up was the Thursday Night World Championship loop with a short hop over to Lewisville and Grapevine Rd. The wind, out of the west today, was ever-present during the first hour and really gave me no rest. I kept the knowledge of the wind in my back pocket for later, but planned to go with what mutha nature was handing out.

The next phase included some off-road riding on Butner Mill. However, on the way there via Flint Hill Rd. (or the Enon Bypass) I ran into tons of cyclist and a few Highway Patrol. It then dawned upon me that Wake Forest Universtiy is hosting its cycling omnium this weekend. Today was the road race (apparently) and looked like tons of fun. I ended up riding most of the RR course backwards later and saw a few wasted-looking guys who were dropped from the group. Ouch. They were all from VT, by the way.

On to the dirt. I knew this might be dicey, given all of the recent rain / snowmelt. Sure enough, it was a double-whammy: Where the road was unrepaired, there was copious mud and loose soil - but where the state (or someone) had dropped new gravel, there were razor-edged stones blanketing the width of the road. Fortunately, I didn't flat and credit the new Continentals. Climbing up and out from Butner Mill was demoralizing: 6-8mph and in my granny gear. Perfect training for some of the dirt hills at the Battenkill.

Once back on Flint Hill, I regathered my strength and headed to Baltimore. Here it was time for my last Zone 5b interval of the day. For me, this means a 2-minute session with a heartrate between 174 and 178. Ugh. Again, hard but excellent training. Anyone who's ridden Baltimore knows it has a nasty hill, but the more I do these the more I relish their challenge.

By this point, I knew that I was pretty likely to get home wth the right miles and a strong average speed. Standing in my way were Grapevine, and all of the rollers on Shallowford / Country Club. Doing a few quick calculations (a la Paul Sherwin), I figured I would hit 50 miles just past the monster hill on Country Club near Jonestown. Oh man.

I was digging pretty deep up and down Country Club, but all worked out well in the end. As mentioned in the previous 'quick update' post, I met the goals Coach laid out. And, apart from a little post-ride soreness, I feel ok for now.

Quoting Coach from sometime last week: "I hope that Saturday's ride will make you glad you aren't riding again until Tueday." She was right, for the most part...

Cincuenta

2010-02-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

Quick update, as I am whipped and going to get a beer now:

Route: All over God's creation, including Styers Ferry, Grapevine, Taylor, Butner Mill, Baltimore, Cornelius, Grapevine (again) and back.
Dist: 50.01mi
Time: 2:27.41
Avg: 20.3mph

That ruled and I hope it wasn't a fluke. Credits to Coach as training is going well so far!

Motivation.

2010-02-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just a little extra needed for tomorrow's big ride. The iPod has languished for many moons with an outdated playlist and some songs that frankly should never have been on there. I'll keep that to myself to preserve your opinion of me.

In truth, you never quite know how a 'training mix' will work out until you try it, so we'll see how this mish-mash goes. I will give you a sample of a few songs on here, for those who are curious:

The Stone Roses: "Begging You"

Bleu: "That's When I Crash" <-- let's hope not!

Salt: "So"

REM: "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"

Grand St. Cryers: "Through The Fields"

Some stuff is pretty obscure or long-forgotten but still rocks. Each song is attached by a guidewire to some piece of my past and lends a moment of mental freshness or awakening. These solo training rides have been a new experience, as I've essentially been a 'social' cyclist since picking up road riding in 2004. This is easily my longest and most consistent stint of solo training rides and that takes some mental adjusting for the extrovert in me.

Stats later tomorrow. Might head to City Beverage for an after-ride beer tasting if anyone's interested. Probably around 3pm. Though it would be totally euro to ride there on my way home from the 50 miler, I'll likely shower first. Or will I?

Exhaust.

2010-02-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. As I train more and more, and especially since Coach is getting into the swing of her Spring Campaign, laundry is building up. When we were doing nothing, laundry was a once-a-week thing. Not so anymore. We love our house, and having a laundry room on the same floor as the main living area is great. We both come from previous houses with washers and dryers in cement-floored basements. I can hear the hum of the dryer right now. But I digress.

Tonight, Coach had me out in the cold while she and a friend hit up The Loop for a post-run dinner. With the Olympics on later, I knew I needed to book it in order to get back in time for the Women's Slalom. As bad as the weather has been in NC, I am beginning to think that perhaps cycling should be considered a winter sport. Ok, not really, and for the first time in a LONG time I did not wear my wind-proof jacket out tonight...it was almost NOT FREEZING at the start. There, I'm through complaining.

The route was full of nostalgia. I took a mile to warm-up and started the clock once on Country Club. I rode by the old Paceline shop (still hurts a little to think of it that way) and entered the famous Monday Night Recovery Race (a.k.a Thursday Night World Championship) course. I've never ridden the course solo (except after getting dropped on the TNWC rides), so it was actually quite intimate. I have many fond memories of that loop: The fear in my belly all day before I even get out there, the "easy" first lap, and the rocket-speed at which we descend Dull Rd. Oh man, I can't wait to get back out there again in the spring. There's nothing quite like sitting in with the local pros...and being dropped by them.

Just before the usual right turn at Dull Rd., I hung a left on Concord Church, which connects to Williams Rd. CC has a raunchy, steep hill just before it intersects Williams and I will not thank it for granting me any mercy. After that, it was a standard ride along the Vineyard Loop. The sunset was really striking, as it often is during the winter. I wish I'd stopped to get a photo.

But I had work to do. The goal was 30 miles at 18mph, but I ended going a bit father and a little faster. I think Coach keeps the minimum speeds a little lower at night for safety, so it's kind of like a "Resume Safe Speed" sign when I get out into the country.

Here are the stats:

Route: As above.
Dist: 30.00mi (measured for training purposes, actual miles = 37)
Time: 1:31.02
Avg: 19.7mph
RPE: I would say 16, for the most part.

Next up: Big Saturday ride, 50 miles at a smokin' pace. I would like to submit a preliminary 'ouch.'

Workin' for the weekend.

2010-02-16T21:58:00.000-08:00

I'm getting a little fatigued of the cold, blustery night rides. Don't get me wrong, I love our City Loop and the camaraderie is beyond compare. And those who know me will confirm that I am sucker for cool technology like LED cycling lights. Still, a little sunshine and temps over 35 wouldn't hurt. I would like to feel my toes again.

That's why I'm looking forward to this weekend. Two sunny days with temps in the 50s! Bring on the miles!

2010-02-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

The snow came in, and the race went out...out the window that is. The promoter sent us emails very early on Saturday morning indicating the course was not safe due to snow and ice. I could believe him, as we saw several folks in cars sliding off the road Friday night as the snow came down.

So, knowing I needed to get some miles in I rocked a quick modified city loop on Saturday afternoon before heading to Dr. Rob's.  Rob was hosting a get-together as we're seeing off our buddy Scott. Scott is an original CLM gangsta, so his departure is not altogether pleasant. The upshot is that he is moving to Spain for work, and has invited us to visit soon and often. Score.

The mod-CL was nice for a few reasons. First, I finally broke through the 20mph avg for a solo ride >20 miles. Throughout my training, Coach has pushed me to beak this particular barrier at increasingly lengthy distances and I've failed to do so at any distance! With the wind whipping first in my face and then as a tailwind, I managed 20.5mph over 25 miles in the city.  Whew.

Today, I wanted something longer and easier given that yesterday was a short sufferfest. The weekend goal had been to race (snowed out!), so Coach and I patched together these two workouts to keep me on track as best we could. I joined a pretty quick group heading out from Lewisville at noon. We rolled for nearly 50 miles keeping a pace near 19mph. Not too fast, and certainly not too stressful considering the size of the group (around 14).

Coming back up Powerline Hill, a fellow stick boy (Kyle) launched from the group, so another anti-gravity fella (Doug) and I followed. About halfway up, my two compatriots fell victim to the beast that is Powerline and her two-pronged attack. I used the remaining 500 meters to practice attacking on shorter hills - per the rumors I've heard about the Battenkill route.

Once back into my known routes outside of Lewisville, the pace increased significantly. Turbo Hill was again the Great Decider, as our trio from Powerline reformed. This time, we stuck together and made our way back to Lewisville with a good gap on the remaining crew.  In the last 10 miles, we increased our average from 18mph to 18.9mph. We were moving.

Still hunched over bikes in the parking lot, someone reminded me that it's still Winter, and I smiled just a little bit. "Yeah, it is."

Here are a few pics...I particularly like the dumpster sign advising one not to live in it.

Snowblindness in cats.

2010-02-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Might be conjuring up a little Hampsten-like courage for the race on Saturday. The forecast is for snow and wind.

Off we go.

2010-02-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Jill and I will head to Raliegh to visit with our good friend Shelly. EARLY Saturday morning, we'll head to Sanford for my first race of 2010, the Wolfpack Cycling Classic. I'm not sure how classic it is, but the idea of a 36-mile road race in mixed Cat 4 / Cat 5 company sounds like fun. My partner-in-crime is Barry, who's pumped to compete in his first road race.

He and I went for a nice spin tonight, resisting all temptations to ride hard or 'test the legs' one last time. It was about 30 degrees out there, and with the stiff wind, we did our best just to stay warm-blooded.

More info to come on Saturday evening, once we return from 'down east.'

A good read...

2010-02-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Click here to head over to Red Kite Prayer and read very nice entries on the culture of this crazy thing we call cycling.

Bike cleaning = rider cleansing.

2010-02-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Road grime is symbolic.

We are insulated from the world by our habits, anti-bacterial soap and most importantly: air conditioning. On the road, I am subject to the whims of nature...and the NC DOT. While riding behind Barry on Sunday, more than once I pursed my lips to prevent the spray from his rear tire from going down my throat. I wear glasses with clear lenses (which Coach HATES) to prevent the mixture of oil, water, grime, and seething bacteria from combining with the sterile tears from my lacrimal glands. I am in the world and swimming in nature, but firmly drawing lines about my involvement when it comes to swapping spit with it.

All of this comes back to roost when it's time to clean the machine. A clean machine is important and aside from the "ooh's and aah's" that follow the presentation of your pristine rig to the peloton, it is about safety.

Just this past Sunday, my mom and her friend took their new tandem out for a spin. First of all, this was their first ride on a bike they ordered online, and my mom's first ride on a bike of any kind in at least 20 years. I vividly remember the last episode, and it involved her crashing to the pavement in the Clemmons Bicycle Shop parking lot after coming to a stop and losing her balance. I went to her house Saturday (before the ride) to go over their bike and help them change tire tubes and get the gears and brakes in order. As I had to leave before all the 'tuning' was done, I asked them not to ride it until I had a chance to check it out more fully.

Sunday, while riding with Barry towards East Bend, I got a phone call from mom which, in brief, notified me that they rode the bike, crashed it, and she hurt her arm. Turns out, the bike's handlebars were loose and the brakes were still poorly adjusted, leading to what was probably a very scary trip down the driveway. Mom has an appointment with the Orthopaedist tomorrow, and we are all pretty sure she'll end up in a cast for a while.

This leads me to the point: I check my bike all the time, and I clean it meticulously. It has taken only one incident of carelessness to send me in this obsessive direction. It was 1995. I was at ASU, and my hair was long. It was late at night, and I'd been rebuilding my mountain bike's handlebar / stem / fork assembly after taking it apart for cleaning. I thought I knew what I was doing, and took the reassembled bike down to a parking lot for a trial run. Well, at the first bunny hop attempt, I pulled the handlebars straight up and off of the steer tube. This engaged the brakes, so that when my wheels hit the ground not only did I have no support for my arms, but the bike came to an abrupt stop and I ate some asphalt.

Since then, I've done my best to learn about bike maintenance, but when I need to take it to the shop, I do.

Tonight, I put the Cerv up on the bike stand and began cleaning off 3 weeks of road grit, Gatorade splash and spit, plus some really infectious-looking mud from a dirt-covered road near a cattle farm. It was a tedious process that included removing and regreasing derailleur bearings, cables, and cassette gears. I didn't even get to the chain and chainrings as I ran out of degreaser. The training routine has required some riding in less than ideal conditions, and I'm a little surprised as how nasty the bike can get when doing this.

But, as the title suggests, it is cleansing. I can revisit the moments that may have contributed to the grime, and smile with satisfaction as I inspect, remove, degrease, cleanse and relube. This not only improves my bike's performance, but gives me ample opportunity to scan the machinery for problems like loose bolts, cracked parts, or worn brake pads. Tonight's inspection revealed that it's soon time for new pads and cables. All else is well and I think the Cerv feels better with all that funk removed.

Since the Wolfpack Classic is coming up on Saturday, looks like spinning is all we got goin' on this week.

Taper.

2010-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

After today's ride with Barry, it's time to taper down. He and I are racing in Sanford, NC on Saturday morning. In the week before a race, nerves can get the best of you. It's often tempting to get out there and just do a few more sprints, a few more 'hard' efforts to make sure you're ready or tune up the engine. The reality is that this is rarely productive. Easy spins are the way to go in the 48 hours before a race, with some tapering down during the one to two weeks prior (depending on the difficulty and length of the race).

So, with our last feasible day of hard riding upon us, we set out for a hilly ride in Yadkin county. We rolled around 40 miles, but really caught a lot of hills plus some stingy wind. The wind was out of the the north today, meaning that most of the way to East Bend and most of the way back up Yadkinville and Beroth we had to fight Aeolus. Ah well, it's good for us.

We actually took a few side trips on dirt/gravel roads just to have a little fun.

For the rest of the week, I think we'll ride steady on Tuesday and spin on Thursday night. All in preparation for the Wolfpack Classic on Saturday. Fingers crossed.

Rob around the block.

2010-02-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

Quick update: The snow and wintry sludge paused long enough for a quick foray into the cold. Following a phone call from Dr. Rob, we agreed to pull a modified city loop. The wind wasn't too friendly, but we rode 2-up 95% of the way and tried to hold a good pace. One note to others who ride our usual roads -- the potholes are worse. You've been warned.

Looks like a ride is organizing from Barry's house tomorrow. Watch the CLM blog if you're interested.

Sacrifice.

2010-02-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

I know nothing of true sacrifice. I imagine that I do, sometimes. It's a convenient notion - that somehow my self-inflicted suffering-upon-bike actually has a greater connection to humanity and the universe, and hence a relationship to man's true burdens here on Earth.

I conjure up all kinds of imaginary vestibules of Hell in order to somehow bring reason to my self-image: cycling shorts and shoes, sitting on a bike in a downstairs bedroom, overhead fan whirling, iPod blaring. I am moving at 30mph, but am completely stationary apart from the herky-jerky nature of my cadence. The trainer rocks back and forth in rhythm, my carbon frame yields every so slightly, and the rear wheel whirs away while the front is completely still...

As tunnel-vision closes down my peripheral fields and I imagine a final hill, a vicious attack or a long paceline trucking across the countryside, it is easy to feel like a martyr, someone who has been wronged. Revenge must follow. Glory is promised. Passion and anger roll together and are spat out just before realizing that one shouldn't spit while indoors.

No, plenty of people sacrifice every day in truly altruistic ways. I just ride a bike. And I call it fun. Now if I could just get my left calf to stop cramping.

The Dark Days

2010-01-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

With my first road race (Wolfpack Classic, 2/13/10) of the year looming, I'm anxious to keep the iron hot. Training has been very successful so far, and I've been very pleased with the progress I've made in a few short months. That said, I am somewhat fearful of losing the gains if the snow sticks around too long. The irony is, in every previous year of my life, I would have wanted as much snow as possible - but this year...maybe we can just keep it in check a little?

I suppose the challenge is part of the fun. I'll saddle up the trainer and keep the workouts going, go for runs in the snow and even (maybe) take out Coach's mtn bike for a real leg-burning snow workout.

Truly, just hiking up and down the snowhills over the past two days has me a little tired.

All of that said, expect to see me on the porch a few nights this week, sweating and steaming it up. If Salem Lake is up and running again (they closed the trails last week due to flooding), that might be an option on Thursday night...stay tuned.

Training is halted, momentarily.

2010-01-30T07:37:00.001-08:00

I keep rollin'.

2010-01-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

For the third night in a row, I hit the streets and cranked the pedals. The day job (for which I am very thankful) easily consumes my daylight hours - so thanks to a Christmas gift from Coach in the form of a Niterider bike light, I am able to grab miles after dark during the week.

Tuesday night's ride was pure misery, and I've already whined about that. Last night, I rolled a nice loop using a few less-popular roads. Much better. Fewer stoplights, fewer cars, and less wind (which was the main thing). The roads are less popular because they are consistently up-and-down: Tons of short, steep climbs with very little chance to get into a rhythm. Just what I wanted!

Tonight, Chancey and Sirena were heading out to catch our last night of decent weather for a while. The forecast is for snow and more snow tomorrow and into Saturday. Sunday will be cold, so the likelihood of clear roads before early next week is slim.

We met at the old Paceline shop and headed downtown. Traffic was very heavy, as there is construction on the bridge over 421 at Peacehaven. Nonetheless, we warmed-up on the way to 5-points. There seemed to be an excess of EMS vehicles out tonight, and we actually had to pull over for a firetruck at one point. We did our best to not be the reason for their hurry.

After smoking down Peacehaven, we had a little gas left. There is a road, Alamo Rd., just off Phillips Bridge Rd. The smooth, rarely-used neighborhood road is about 2/10 of a mile long with an increasing grade throughout. At Chancey's suggestion, we did 4 repeats at threshold. Wow. Very hard, but worth every moment of blurry vision and heaving chest.

Those last moments are what I'm after. In previous races, I've usually survived to the end and sprinted in the pack with a heavy reliance on adrenaline and race-day magic. I have a good feeling Battenkill is a different kind of animal. I'm casting thoughts of previous Cat 4 expectations aside and simply aiming to be as strong as possible. The only reference point is me, in the saddle, going wide open until I can't go any farther, and then going a little farther. Don't misunderstand, Coach's plan is the focus, but I'm talking about a mental shift away from the framework of what a Cat 4 race is 'usually' like and toward how I will need perform in the presence of other highly-prepared riders who may be brand new 4's or sandbagging 3's.

Categories are out the window.

2010-01-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

This is how I felt for most of the ride tonight. The goal: a simple 20-mile cruise through the city on our beloved Loop. Well, Mutha Nature and her windy ways conspired against me. I did have about 46 seconds of tailwind, which felt like a sunny day on the beach, cold beer in hand. But for the rest of the 64 minute ride, I was in misery.

They say that runners (I count myself as one), whether beginner or experienced, will have a 'bad' run about 1/4 of the time. The 'bad' runs feel rotten from the start, and get worse as you go. Hills feel twice as steep, every joint aches, and without explanation you simply can't muster the (warning: southern expression) gumption to put in that final kick much less put on the usually cool face you put on when passing other joggers or walkers. You look miserable.

Transfer that to the bike and you have my ride tonight.

The dreary stats:

Route: HM --> CC --> Peacehaven --> Polo --> Indiana -->Patterson --> Northwest Blvd to the West End Climbs: West End Blvd & Forsyth St. --> two laps of Hanes Park then back home.

Dist: About 20 miles

Time: An hour and change

Avg: Blessedly over 18mph, but not by much.

Up next: Hmmm...plan calls for Thursday night ride and a Saturday ride. Weather forecast predicts snow on Saturday and temps in the 30s on Sunday, so I may ride Wed and Thurs nights to get some miles in. A block of training!

Sugar, we're going down...

2010-01-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

I had the above mentioned Fall Out Boy song in my head all day, as it was on the radio whilst I was putting on the Cerv's new shoes this morning:

After way-too-much research, I landed on the Continental Ultra Gatorskin tire, in size 23. After closely inspecting my old rear tire (following last week's puncture) I found a significant tear in the sidewall, so some new rubber was in order. I've had a pair of gators before, as tubies when I used to roll the HED Stinger 60's. They were flawless, but alas that set-up was sold to make way for (read: make possible) the Cervelo.

Mini-review: Compared to other tires I've used, these felt fast but more harsh. They offered good control and grip. Admittedly, I didn't lean on 'em too hard. I'll try to take them off-road next week and see how it goes.

On to the ride: First up, I shorted it today. Coach had a 45-miler on the calendar and I simply didn't check that before I headed out. Oops. I aimed for 40 miles at 20mph pace, and nearly got it. 19.8 miles per hour over 41 miles. From a RPE standpoint, I FELT much better today despite the higher speed. Confidence is improving. No worries, the Tour of the Battenkill still scares the crap out of me (in a good way).

Our original group of 8 split up a bit (different goals for different season plans), so our groupetto of 4 hit the rolling hills of Wyo Rd. with the goal of keeping it pretty warm/hot. It was easily one of the fastest trips I've taken up and down the often painful Wyo. I can't take full credit as Barry, Rip, and Whit cranked it with me. Once back on Courtney-Huntsville, we opted for the well-worn Fish Brandon --> Old Stage route, with a big bump at Powerline Hill. Fish Brandon was very interesting today, as recent rains and farm tractors had dragged a good amount of mud (and who knows what else) all over the road. I think I still have some in my teeth. About 3/4 of the way down Old Stage, I was struck with the idea to try some intervals (read: attack). Sitting at the back of the small group, I had a good position but knew there was a headwind. I waited for a slight downhill and hit the gas.

The plan was to keep ahead of the group for just a few minutes, but after about 10 seconds of afterburners I took a look over my shoulder. Whit. He hopped on me like a leech and could not be removed. After about 20-30 seconds more (time is fuzzy when putting in a big dig) I tried to shake him and he finally went around. Unfortunately for me, Whit can roll on the flats like a train. I tried to grab his wheel but his acceleration around me was too much. It took another mile to get back to him, and I'm sure he was waiting. Go Whit.

As we regouped at the top of Powerline Hill, we noticed a group of svelte-looking cyclists coming from the west. Sure enough, they were our long-lost CLM compatriots from earlier in the day. We tagged along and rolled steady back to Lewisville. Barry and I kept it in high gear going back to the old shop to keep our legs on the edge of cramping as best we could.

As usual, we chatted it up in the old Paceline parking lot for a bit post-ride. Dr. J dropped by to say hello as well. He's in the rasta kit. Scotty, foreground, munches on post-ride 'special' brownies. That's what he called 'em anyway.

The shorty-short stats:

Dist: 40.5mi

Time: 2:01.52

Avg: 19.8mph

Next up: Night-time City Loop on Tuesday night. 20 miles at 18mph. Who's in?

Trainer.

2010-01-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

The weather today was just nasty. Not just cold, not just wet, but wet and cold. At sunset, a light rain and 32 degrees meant that riding was not just hard to imagine, it was ill-advised. Going out would be beyond "epic" and more likely "stupid." So, I sucked it up and pulled the dusty trainer out of the closet and set up for a Zone 3 steady state 60-minute workout. Really, I'd hoped to go all the way to April without a day on the trainer, but I know it's good for me.

That's all, just wanted to complain about the trainer.

Lakeside.

2010-01-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

With all the other cool posts on friends' blogs today, I want to give them a quick shout. Check out Barry and the CLM blog. Fun stuff.

Tonight I was scheduled to do a 25 mile night ride, then ride 14 miles (2 laps) at Salem Lake on Thursday night. Well, weather was looking iffy for Thursday (Salem Lake + rain = mud) so I modified my plans and rode from the house to Salem Lake, did a lap, and came home. This totalled around 19 miles, which is actually a little less than I expected.

There is a virtually flat Greenway that connects Old Salem to Salem Lake, so I rolled quickly to the dirt and gravel path that surrounds the lake. First obstacle, however, was the creek. Usually tame and to be found resting under the low concrete bridges, I had to roll through 4-6 inches of water at three crossings due to recent rains. Shoulda known!

Once on the trail, I got a feel for how to pedal and handle the road bike through turns, in and out of the saddle, and around others (poor, poor pedestrians) at speed. Where the path was dry, speeds of 19-21 mph were very doable, but as I crossed to the low side of the lake, the ground was wet and muddy in places.

There are upsides to slowing down, of course: 1). It gives one a chance to get a heartrate of 175 while going 12 mph, and 2) you may pause to notice this:

Ah, what a view! Thus inspired, I made the best of the mud and cranked it. I admit it worked pretty well until, within 2 miles of the end I had to face the harsh reality of riding worn road tires on rocks and dirt:

PSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHhhh....flop flop flop.

Yep, a flat. Luckily, I brough a spare so I changed it up and kept rolling. It was getting pretty dark by this time so I fired up the light and put my head down. Time to go home.

There is a strange sense of emerging from the wilderness when riding from Salem Lake back through downtown Winston-Salem at twilight. After spending nearly an hour in solitude, I popped out of the Greenway and on to Main Street, filled with cars of folks speeding home after work. I smiled to myself, with my mud-splattered bike, spare tire in action, and soaked shoes.

I was excited to see how trashed the bike was. I feel a trip to the bike shop for some BB and bearing work coming soon...

Next up...hmmm, not sure. Might be rained out on Thursday, but I don't mind a little rain...we'll see.

Almost forgot. The Stats:

Route: HM (our house on Horace Mann Ave) to Glade St --> 4th --> Main Street to Old Salem Greenway. One lap of Salem Lake then return by the same route.

Dist: 18.05mi

Time: 1:04.19

Avg: 16.8mph

Metabolic: I spent 81% of the workout over 150bpm, but this is pretty messy as I think it collected info while I was sitting at stoplights and for some portion of the tire change.

Test.

2010-01-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

Coach, Barry, and I headed to the home of WFU football to perform some field tests designed to estimate lactate threshold. The REAL equiment, found in most exercise science labs, is not cheap - and purveyors of said equipment long ago realized that a nice way to make some spare moolah is to coax aspiring athletes into their hurt lockers for some serious testing...for a price.

Fortunately for us, Coach knows what she's doing (from a book-smart standpoint) and has some experience with this from her days in graduate school at JMU. The goal: use a 20-minute field test to estimate our lactate thresholds, thus allowing more specific heart-rate based interval training.

We're doing this now because I've moved out of the "base miles" part of training and into a mixed section designed to increase my anaerobic capacity as well as my aerobic base. In basic terms, the ability to motor at a moderate pace and then sprint for 2 minutes are not exactly extensions of the same training: one has to be specific to develop specific skills and tolerances.

Thus planned, Barry and I rode to Groves Stadium for a warm-up then test-rode the course. Apart from a wet corner on the low end and an acute turn at the top, it was pretty much a good shot at going wide open. The goal, according to Coach, was to go as hard as possible, but at a pace that could be sustained for 20 minutes. I knew chances were good I'd overshoot or undershoot at times and have to correct, but the 20 minute length of the trial would control that variable.

According to formulas (reviewed since the event), all was predicted. For the first 5 minutes I felt smooth and stable, followed by a wave of muscle fatigue at around 7 minutes. I backed off just a hair, and returned to a painful, but tolerable state until about the 16 minute mark, when I then had to concentrate quite a bit more to hold my effort at the required level. I noticed my speed falling off by about 1mph on the slightly inclined section, and a decrease of similar amount into the downhill headwind. Here I am taking the low, wet corner and heading up the slight incline.

All in all, I think I probably undershot the effort just a bit because I wasn't completely wiped out at the end. That is probably due to recent rides in the 2-3 hour range, and it's been a long time since my last criterium (usually 30-45 minutes). That is to say, I've forgotten how to pin it for 20 minutes and 20 minutes only.

Barry and I cooled down, discussed the pain that is a lactate threshold field test, and debriefed with Coach. This bit of work will probably result in modifications to my training schedule, now that we know how to set up training zones and interval efforts.

I previously planned to do an off-road ride on Thursday night, but weather is looking iffy, so I might up the schedule and hit Salem Lake tomorrow night and a rainy road ride on Thursday night. Stay tuned...

Auto Recon of Gravel Training Section #1.

2010-01-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Link to Facebook Video (I had to host it somewhere)

As above, Coach and I headed out on a rest day to recon some potential gravel road training sections...and we hit paydirt.

There is actually quite a bit more than seen here, but to see that you'll need to come with me on a ride...