The laziness continues unabated. I'm a slacker right now. I haven't been riding to work lately and it's hard to find any other time to workout. I'd start back tomorrow, but I have to make it back to Arlington early to help out. So I'm stuck getting fat I guess. I'm planning on racing this weekend in MABRA race #2. Hopefully I can have a good race.
I took in my frame today and had Pat check out the bottom bracket. He and I both agree that at least it's bone dry of lubricant. It binds more than it should and since it's a cartridge, I ordered a replacement from Nashbar as well as a tool to remove the current cartridge. A new repair to learn! Haha. Sad how much I enjoy this. I did put my bike back together this evening though. I gave the rear derailleur a detailed cleaning and pulled out quite a bit of grass from the cassette. Cross is really hard on my bike compared to all the time I spend on the road. I'll probably be riding in on Friday so I put the road tires back on. The aero bars will return at some point.
You can see that I finally updated the blog. That took a lot of writing, but I think I covered most all of what's happened in a very eventful last week of training. In short, I discovered the sport of cyclocross and have taken to it with reckless abandon.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
No sooner had I checked Craig's List this morning did I see a trainer on sale for $65. An email later, I had the trainer bought for $50 and picked it up after work. Although the seller was in Ashburn, not far from work, traffic today was disastrous and it took me forever to get to his place. The trainer is in excellent condition and should do everything I need it to do. I can train on it during the winter or when I can't find the time to go for a ride and more importantly, I can take it with me to warm up before duathlons. Since my bike is still apart, I tried out the trainer on Jess' bike and it seemed to work quite well.
The rain outside tonight made me want to go for a run. The darkness and damp weather really would have made me feel like I was home in Boston running mileage in the city. But time was a factor tonight as it always is and I took yet another day off.
The rain outside tonight made me want to go for a run. The darkness and damp weather really would have made me feel like I was home in Boston running mileage in the city. But time was a factor tonight as it always is and I took yet another day off.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Raceday! Boy was I tired when I got up this morning. As tired as I was though, the excitement of racing got me right off the mat. I ate three bagels and packed some cereal and granola bars before suiting up and loading my stuff in the car. Amazingly, I was able to navigate myself using handwritten directions from Google Maps without making a single mistake. Leaving the house at 6:30, I made it to Druid Hill Park by 7:30.
I was probably the first non volunteer at the race and they weren't ready for me to check in just yet. I took out my bike and lubed the chain well, then laced up my cycling shoes and went for a ride. They were slowly getting the course set up, so I rode around on the sections they had established to get a feel for what this cyclocross thing was going to be like. I could barely contain my excitement. All the reading on the internet I'd done on the sport was all coming together now seeing the course. What a great idea to put a racecouse for bikes in the middle of a park. I couldn't wait to get racing. I knew this would be fun.
The course had it all as far as I was concerned. And from what everyone else was saying it really was a great course. The start was at the bottom of an asphalt hill. After ascending that short climb, the race went down a fast straightaway off the asphalt and onto the grass, where there was a severe left "off-camber" turn. After a couple switchbacks, the course went over and back across two beach volleyball courts. The sand was being tilled to mike it hard to ride as I was surveying the course. After several more switchbacks on grass and a difficult off-camber to the right, the course crossed a road and went down a slate path. That path wound around a tree and then back the main area of the course. From there, a short climb and descent led across another road and out into a large field. After one switchback, the course went behind a softball field backstop reminiscent of Franklin Park. The route continued in the field around a large tree before meeting two man-made yellow barriers at the base of a large hill. After the hill peak, there were numerous switchbacks that led back to the main area of the course across the road. A small climb later and there were some barriers built for the park. They were high and solid and the course required you to cross one, wrap around a tree, and then cross back over another. After several more switchbacks, the course was back at the foot of the asphalt hill by the start line. This time though, the course led to a staircase which would have to be climbed, then back to the bottom of the asphalt hill where you would ascend once again and cross the finish line to end the lap. The entire loop was approximately two miles.
It was immediately clear to me that this would be unlike any type of racing I had competed in to date. I could just hear Maltas quoting Walter . . . "Forget it, Donny, you're out of your element!" The course required so much more than pure physical fitness. I feel like I have the cardio to match up with most folks at the race, but nowhere near the bike handling skills. This course and I assume cyclocross in general will expose this weakness and force me to improve. But whatever trepidation I had about racing was drowned out in my head by my desire to compete.
I eventually made my way to the starting line where I found a spot on the second row. I was a bit thrown off by the looks of my competitors. I had registered for the 'C' race expecting to be one of the most equipped to race. But looking around, I felt as out of place as I did at duathlons, surrounded by carbon fiber, discs, and aero shoes. Everyone had a jersey, many had skinsuits, and no one it seemed had a bike that wasn't equipped to race cyclocross well. I asked aloud of the group whether they were racing the C race because of its shorter distance or because they had never raced 'cross before. Only one guy chose to answer. He said not to let the skinsuit fool me, he was racing for the first time. His Lemond Poprad didn't help matters either though. Before long, we had received our instructions and we were off!
It's hard for me to give point by point action of the race, but I'll try to summarize the important things that I remember. Racing in such a large pack was exciting and somewhat embarassing. I felt like all my handling mistakes were annoying others--and some probably were. But hey, it was a beginner race and I did the best I could. The off camber turns gave me a lot of trouble and I found myself either proceeding really slow or getting caught with my feet on the ground straddling the bike. Before too long, the packs spread out a bit and it wasn't nearly as crowded. I made it trough most of the dismounts without too much trouble and surprised myself by getting back on the bike better than I had in my brief practice. There were a few times where I almost fell getting my left foot out of the pedal but nothing too bad.
The trouble came just after the staircase on the very first lap. Somewhere in climbing the stairs and remounting the bike, my chain fell off to the inside and got trapped between the bottom bracket and the chain ring. Since I had removed the small ring, I had a nightmare on my hands. I didn't realize this at first and I tried to get the chain back on the ring. But it was jammed between the mounting points for the small chain ring. I couldn't get it out! I was in such a hurry that I grabbed the chain with my hands and pulled as hard as I could. It wouldn't budge! Argh! I was going crazy. People were passing my in droves. I gave up on it for the moment and picked the bike up to run--thinking that maybe I'd have to go all the way to the pits for help. I ran up the asphalt hill with the bike on my shoulder and then stopped and flipped the bike upside down. At this point, I had been passed by enough people that my competive drive to hurry was waning. I calmly and carefully began untangling the chain and finally I had it loose. Of course I didn't get it out before hearing Thor tell me, "John, shouldn't you be racing and not working on your bike." I laughed and got back racing as fast as I could. At that point, I'd never met him face to face and it gave me a bit of a boost to know someone on the sidelines was watching.
I spent the final two laps of the three lap race trying to pick off as many guys as I could. Mostly though I was alone and clear from all riders. That was probably a benefit to my learning cyclocross. I was able to focus on the technics of the race and not worry about getting in people's way. Near the end I had some competition and I did my best to race hard. I was exhausted. I know nothing about being exhausted on a bike without being in an aero position turning a constant cadence. This was new territory. I held off a few guys and sprinted in to the finish as best I could. God was I tired! I finished 20th out of 36 starters. I think I could have finished top ten without mechanical issues.
After walking over to the car and putting my bike away, I walked back over to where everyone was milling around. I brought out my camera too to take pictures off all the things I'd missed without having Jess to shoot. I chatted with they guy just behind me in the results, Nick. He was getting back in to racing after being away from it for a few years and he too was a tri-guy. I watched the women's B race and then was absolutely astounded by the talent in the men's 35+/45+/55+ race. Those guys were flying. It was so exciting to see them attack the course the way they did. It reminded me of watching Foot Locker Regionals and seeing Alan Webb and the elites just rip the course apart. And this was the masters race! What a shame I had to go home before the A race!
While chatting with Thor, he mentioned that some guys race twice. This surprised me considering how tired I was, but immediately the cogs in my head started to turn. It seemed a little crazy to race twice, but I was so excited about racing at all that it wasn't long before I had pulled my bike out of the car and laced up my shoes. I had to make some crude adjustments to my front derailleur. It was horribly out of adjustment from my pulling on the chain during the previous race. I loosened th bolt and slid it just to a spot where it wouldn't rub the chain while on the middle chain ring. I knew I wouldn't shift off of that one, so it was easy to adjust. I made my way to the starting line and stayed near the back knowing I didn't have the legs to race up with the big boys. Behind me were the juniors, who would start a minute behind the rest of the field.
I mostly let the field get sorted out in front of me at the start. But I started racing once things cleared up a bit. It was great to be back amongst other riders as opposed to playing catch up as I had in the earlier race. I couldn't help but notice how much different my legs felt though. When we came around for the first lap, I also couldn't help but notice that the lap counter was at four. This meant the race would be five laps long--two longer than the C race. In general, I think the longer races will favor me because my conditioning should generally outweigh my lack of technique as other racers get tired. Today though, I was focused on trying to finish the race. The long two mile laps seemed quite daunting. What made things worse was when I realized I'd forgotten to put on my gloves. It wasn't too long before my hands started to ache from all the banging of the course.
It wasn't long into my third lap I believe that I could hear juniors coming up behind me. Not that I really needed any more humbling today, but that sure did it. What I didn't realize at the time though was that the first junior has been competitve at the national level. But I took exception when it started to feel like they were all going by. I held my ground and focused on holding pace. Eventually, I was able to build back up a gap on the second and third place juniors again. I gained good ground running up the hill after the yellow barriers rather than trying to ride it as most did.
Going into the final lap, I was thrilled to hear the bell ringing in my ears. So close, yet so far away from being at the finish. I nearly screamed though when, after I remounted the bike following an off camber turn I chose to run, I saw my chain had fallen off to the inside! This time I was more skilled and quickly flipped the bike upside down and pulled the chain carefully out from between the crank arm bolts. I did this fairly quickly, but by the time I was back riding down the slate path, I was desperately trying to make up ground on the two juniors and a couple other B racers. The gap I had held was reversed. I yelled out and stomped on the pedals and flew by a couple guys. I made back all the places I lost but made myself very tired in doing so. Running up that hill hurt bad. Back on the main section of the racecourse, I was nearing the finish when going into a turn, myself and the third junior were awfully close. We rubbed shoulders a bit but nothing too hard. He wasn't too happy that I wouldn't let him by easily. I told him I didn't care what division he was in, I was trying to beat him--and I was. He was my motivation most of the back half of the race. As tired as I was he was the only thing keeping me focused on the task at hand. I held him off without too much trouble once we got on the asphalt hill.
You won't see my name in the results of the B race because I didn't register for it. In all honesty, I thought I would be scored in the race because the officials recorded your race number everytime you crossed the line. I didn't realized that I needed to register individually for each race. Judging from what I can remember, and from the limited number of pictures on the web, I think I was somewhere around 25th place. That's a guess based mostly on one picture.
I didn't have time to stick around and see the A race as I had to pick up Jess from the airport. I had a blast (sarcasm here) navigating back home through downtown Baltimore. Needless to say, I didn't fare as well as I had coming up to the race. I did make it to Jess not long after she landed though.
There's so much to say about cyclocross, but I'll mostly let my race summary speak for itself. This is the most fun I've had on two wheels without a doubt. It's also the most tired I've been since running in college. It's far more intense to me than duathlon and it brings out my competitive nature even more. But the best part about cyclocross is it's obvious comparison for me to cross country. The time of year is right, the terrain is right, and the competitive atmosphere is most definitely right. But it also has the lap racing and multiple heats that I love so much about track. It's nice to not only race twice, but to watch other races as well. For me it seems cyclocross combines so much that I love about racing even if my strong suit of running is greatly reduced. I'm glad I found this sport and I look forward to racing next week.
I was probably the first non volunteer at the race and they weren't ready for me to check in just yet. I took out my bike and lubed the chain well, then laced up my cycling shoes and went for a ride. They were slowly getting the course set up, so I rode around on the sections they had established to get a feel for what this cyclocross thing was going to be like. I could barely contain my excitement. All the reading on the internet I'd done on the sport was all coming together now seeing the course. What a great idea to put a racecouse for bikes in the middle of a park. I couldn't wait to get racing. I knew this would be fun.
The course had it all as far as I was concerned. And from what everyone else was saying it really was a great course. The start was at the bottom of an asphalt hill. After ascending that short climb, the race went down a fast straightaway off the asphalt and onto the grass, where there was a severe left "off-camber" turn. After a couple switchbacks, the course went over and back across two beach volleyball courts. The sand was being tilled to mike it hard to ride as I was surveying the course. After several more switchbacks on grass and a difficult off-camber to the right, the course crossed a road and went down a slate path. That path wound around a tree and then back the main area of the course. From there, a short climb and descent led across another road and out into a large field. After one switchback, the course went behind a softball field backstop reminiscent of Franklin Park. The route continued in the field around a large tree before meeting two man-made yellow barriers at the base of a large hill. After the hill peak, there were numerous switchbacks that led back to the main area of the course across the road. A small climb later and there were some barriers built for the park. They were high and solid and the course required you to cross one, wrap around a tree, and then cross back over another. After several more switchbacks, the course was back at the foot of the asphalt hill by the start line. This time though, the course led to a staircase which would have to be climbed, then back to the bottom of the asphalt hill where you would ascend once again and cross the finish line to end the lap. The entire loop was approximately two miles.
It was immediately clear to me that this would be unlike any type of racing I had competed in to date. I could just hear Maltas quoting Walter . . . "Forget it, Donny, you're out of your element!" The course required so much more than pure physical fitness. I feel like I have the cardio to match up with most folks at the race, but nowhere near the bike handling skills. This course and I assume cyclocross in general will expose this weakness and force me to improve. But whatever trepidation I had about racing was drowned out in my head by my desire to compete.
I eventually made my way to the starting line where I found a spot on the second row. I was a bit thrown off by the looks of my competitors. I had registered for the 'C' race expecting to be one of the most equipped to race. But looking around, I felt as out of place as I did at duathlons, surrounded by carbon fiber, discs, and aero shoes. Everyone had a jersey, many had skinsuits, and no one it seemed had a bike that wasn't equipped to race cyclocross well. I asked aloud of the group whether they were racing the C race because of its shorter distance or because they had never raced 'cross before. Only one guy chose to answer. He said not to let the skinsuit fool me, he was racing for the first time. His Lemond Poprad didn't help matters either though. Before long, we had received our instructions and we were off!
It's hard for me to give point by point action of the race, but I'll try to summarize the important things that I remember. Racing in such a large pack was exciting and somewhat embarassing. I felt like all my handling mistakes were annoying others--and some probably were. But hey, it was a beginner race and I did the best I could. The off camber turns gave me a lot of trouble and I found myself either proceeding really slow or getting caught with my feet on the ground straddling the bike. Before too long, the packs spread out a bit and it wasn't nearly as crowded. I made it trough most of the dismounts without too much trouble and surprised myself by getting back on the bike better than I had in my brief practice. There were a few times where I almost fell getting my left foot out of the pedal but nothing too bad.
The trouble came just after the staircase on the very first lap. Somewhere in climbing the stairs and remounting the bike, my chain fell off to the inside and got trapped between the bottom bracket and the chain ring. Since I had removed the small ring, I had a nightmare on my hands. I didn't realize this at first and I tried to get the chain back on the ring. But it was jammed between the mounting points for the small chain ring. I couldn't get it out! I was in such a hurry that I grabbed the chain with my hands and pulled as hard as I could. It wouldn't budge! Argh! I was going crazy. People were passing my in droves. I gave up on it for the moment and picked the bike up to run--thinking that maybe I'd have to go all the way to the pits for help. I ran up the asphalt hill with the bike on my shoulder and then stopped and flipped the bike upside down. At this point, I had been passed by enough people that my competive drive to hurry was waning. I calmly and carefully began untangling the chain and finally I had it loose. Of course I didn't get it out before hearing Thor tell me, "John, shouldn't you be racing and not working on your bike." I laughed and got back racing as fast as I could. At that point, I'd never met him face to face and it gave me a bit of a boost to know someone on the sidelines was watching.
I spent the final two laps of the three lap race trying to pick off as many guys as I could. Mostly though I was alone and clear from all riders. That was probably a benefit to my learning cyclocross. I was able to focus on the technics of the race and not worry about getting in people's way. Near the end I had some competition and I did my best to race hard. I was exhausted. I know nothing about being exhausted on a bike without being in an aero position turning a constant cadence. This was new territory. I held off a few guys and sprinted in to the finish as best I could. God was I tired! I finished 20th out of 36 starters. I think I could have finished top ten without mechanical issues.
After walking over to the car and putting my bike away, I walked back over to where everyone was milling around. I brought out my camera too to take pictures off all the things I'd missed without having Jess to shoot. I chatted with they guy just behind me in the results, Nick. He was getting back in to racing after being away from it for a few years and he too was a tri-guy. I watched the women's B race and then was absolutely astounded by the talent in the men's 35+/45+/55+ race. Those guys were flying. It was so exciting to see them attack the course the way they did. It reminded me of watching Foot Locker Regionals and seeing Alan Webb and the elites just rip the course apart. And this was the masters race! What a shame I had to go home before the A race!
While chatting with Thor, he mentioned that some guys race twice. This surprised me considering how tired I was, but immediately the cogs in my head started to turn. It seemed a little crazy to race twice, but I was so excited about racing at all that it wasn't long before I had pulled my bike out of the car and laced up my shoes. I had to make some crude adjustments to my front derailleur. It was horribly out of adjustment from my pulling on the chain during the previous race. I loosened th bolt and slid it just to a spot where it wouldn't rub the chain while on the middle chain ring. I knew I wouldn't shift off of that one, so it was easy to adjust. I made my way to the starting line and stayed near the back knowing I didn't have the legs to race up with the big boys. Behind me were the juniors, who would start a minute behind the rest of the field.
I mostly let the field get sorted out in front of me at the start. But I started racing once things cleared up a bit. It was great to be back amongst other riders as opposed to playing catch up as I had in the earlier race. I couldn't help but notice how much different my legs felt though. When we came around for the first lap, I also couldn't help but notice that the lap counter was at four. This meant the race would be five laps long--two longer than the C race. In general, I think the longer races will favor me because my conditioning should generally outweigh my lack of technique as other racers get tired. Today though, I was focused on trying to finish the race. The long two mile laps seemed quite daunting. What made things worse was when I realized I'd forgotten to put on my gloves. It wasn't too long before my hands started to ache from all the banging of the course.
It wasn't long into my third lap I believe that I could hear juniors coming up behind me. Not that I really needed any more humbling today, but that sure did it. What I didn't realize at the time though was that the first junior has been competitve at the national level. But I took exception when it started to feel like they were all going by. I held my ground and focused on holding pace. Eventually, I was able to build back up a gap on the second and third place juniors again. I gained good ground running up the hill after the yellow barriers rather than trying to ride it as most did.
Going into the final lap, I was thrilled to hear the bell ringing in my ears. So close, yet so far away from being at the finish. I nearly screamed though when, after I remounted the bike following an off camber turn I chose to run, I saw my chain had fallen off to the inside! This time I was more skilled and quickly flipped the bike upside down and pulled the chain carefully out from between the crank arm bolts. I did this fairly quickly, but by the time I was back riding down the slate path, I was desperately trying to make up ground on the two juniors and a couple other B racers. The gap I had held was reversed. I yelled out and stomped on the pedals and flew by a couple guys. I made back all the places I lost but made myself very tired in doing so. Running up that hill hurt bad. Back on the main section of the racecourse, I was nearing the finish when going into a turn, myself and the third junior were awfully close. We rubbed shoulders a bit but nothing too hard. He wasn't too happy that I wouldn't let him by easily. I told him I didn't care what division he was in, I was trying to beat him--and I was. He was my motivation most of the back half of the race. As tired as I was he was the only thing keeping me focused on the task at hand. I held him off without too much trouble once we got on the asphalt hill.
You won't see my name in the results of the B race because I didn't register for it. In all honesty, I thought I would be scored in the race because the officials recorded your race number everytime you crossed the line. I didn't realized that I needed to register individually for each race. Judging from what I can remember, and from the limited number of pictures on the web, I think I was somewhere around 25th place. That's a guess based mostly on one picture.
I didn't have time to stick around and see the A race as I had to pick up Jess from the airport. I had a blast (sarcasm here) navigating back home through downtown Baltimore. Needless to say, I didn't fare as well as I had coming up to the race. I did make it to Jess not long after she landed though.
There's so much to say about cyclocross, but I'll mostly let my race summary speak for itself. This is the most fun I've had on two wheels without a doubt. It's also the most tired I've been since running in college. It's far more intense to me than duathlon and it brings out my competitive nature even more. But the best part about cyclocross is it's obvious comparison for me to cross country. The time of year is right, the terrain is right, and the competitive atmosphere is most definitely right. But it also has the lap racing and multiple heats that I love so much about track. It's nice to not only race twice, but to watch other races as well. For me it seems cyclocross combines so much that I love about racing even if my strong suit of running is greatly reduced. I'm glad I found this sport and I look forward to racing next week.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
After being up late last night, it was nice to have a Saturday to enjoy. I did wake up around 9a however and I drove to Performace in the Bailey's Crossing area to check out shoes. I settled on a well fitting pair of Shimano MO-021's that were conveniently on sale. I also got a book on moutain biking for the area to use with my new mountain bike! I drove home and chilled for a bit watching football before I drove to Garrett Park, MD to pick up the bike.
I really enjoyed the drive around Garrett Park. It's a beuatiful area I wouldn't mind living in, though I'm sure housing prices are a bit prohibitive at this point. The bike was in great shape and I rode it around just briefly to see how it felt. I knew I could tune it to perfection and I was excited to finally have a mountain bike again. The seller was nice enough to give me a book about area rides as well, making my earlier purchase a waste. I drove the bike home and immediately started working on it.
I only had time to work for about an hour before I had to meet my bible study group for disc golfing at Bluemont Park. I was surprised how well I played for not having thrown in a while. I shot 30 for the nine hole course. I rode over on the Sirrus with my new shoes, then rode to the Silver Diner, where we all ate supper together. I spent the rest of the night cleaning the mountain bike and adjusting it to perfection. I probably should have spent more time working on the bike I'll race tomorrow, and I definitley shouldn't have stayed up till 1:30a working on anything. Oh well, tomorrow should be exciting no matter how tired I am.
I really enjoyed the drive around Garrett Park. It's a beuatiful area I wouldn't mind living in, though I'm sure housing prices are a bit prohibitive at this point. The bike was in great shape and I rode it around just briefly to see how it felt. I knew I could tune it to perfection and I was excited to finally have a mountain bike again. The seller was nice enough to give me a book about area rides as well, making my earlier purchase a waste. I drove the bike home and immediately started working on it.
I only had time to work for about an hour before I had to meet my bible study group for disc golfing at Bluemont Park. I was surprised how well I played for not having thrown in a while. I shot 30 for the nine hole course. I rode over on the Sirrus with my new shoes, then rode to the Silver Diner, where we all ate supper together. I spent the rest of the night cleaning the mountain bike and adjusting it to perfection. I probably should have spent more time working on the bike I'll race tomorrow, and I definitley shouldn't have stayed up till 1:30a working on anything. Oh well, tomorrow should be exciting no matter how tired I am.
Friday, September 23, 2005
When I got to work today, I had an email from Thor Engblom, a colleague who'd noticed my registration for the cross race this weekend. He and Larry Mauch, also an engineer at Orbital race cyclocross, and they wanted to know where my interests lie. I supply my response because it's a good summary about what I'm up to:
I also confirmed purchase of the mountain bike and I'll pick it up tomorrow at 2p. As for the rest of the day . . . I stayed up late working on the bike. I put on the 'cross tires and reattached the crank without the third chainring. I had a lot of trouble getting both derailleurs set the way I wanted, but eventually I got it all straightened out.
My shoes and pedals arrived as well, so I installed those and went for a ride in the dark. I rode down to Iwo Jima and tried to practice mounts and dismounts on the grass there. It was tough doing that in the dark, but I was able to get a hang of the clipless pedals fairly quickly. My shoes, unfortunately, are too big. The size 46 is one size too high. So tomorrow I'll have to track down some better fitting shoes and send these back to Nashbar. I practiced more with the pedals while riding around through the parking deck. The lights there made that time more worthwhile.
Well, I'm a runner. I ran cross country and track (mile) throughout high school and college. So that's why I like endurance sports. But I love to tinker with bikes and ride a lot. I've been training recently for duathlons (run-bike-run) since that combines two of my loves and I can't swim well enought yet to be a triathlete. I've raced a couple of duathlons recently. But I was riding to work this week and I saw a cross bike and it seemed like a cool idea. So I took my Specialized Sirrus and put in some 35c tires and registered to race. I know nothing about 'cross other than what I've read on the web, but I can't wait to try it out. It looks like a blast. I was originally only going to watch, but the guys in ACS wouldn't let me dot that, so I'm racing.
As for bikes, haha, well, I'm getting the most I can out of my Sirrus. It's a great bike. I bought it to commute through Boston and Cambridge and it performed wonderfully. All I've done to race duathlons is put some borrowed aero handlebars on it and switch the stock 28 tires to 23. This weekend will be my first go at clipless pedals. My plan is to eventually save up and shell out for a Cervelo. I've been commuting three to four days a week from Arlington Courthouse. But other than hammering sections of the W&OD, I don't know much about training. I'd love to get in on the loop for practicing, etc.--especially if you guys race for a team.
If you really want the scouting report, check out my log: http://brewerja.blogspot.com. I'm fresh out of college, so I have time for stuff like that.
I also confirmed purchase of the mountain bike and I'll pick it up tomorrow at 2p. As for the rest of the day . . . I stayed up late working on the bike. I put on the 'cross tires and reattached the crank without the third chainring. I had a lot of trouble getting both derailleurs set the way I wanted, but eventually I got it all straightened out.
My shoes and pedals arrived as well, so I installed those and went for a ride in the dark. I rode down to Iwo Jima and tried to practice mounts and dismounts on the grass there. It was tough doing that in the dark, but I was able to get a hang of the clipless pedals fairly quickly. My shoes, unfortunately, are too big. The size 46 is one size too high. So tomorrow I'll have to track down some better fitting shoes and send these back to Nashbar. I practiced more with the pedals while riding around through the parking deck. The lights there made that time more worthwhile.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Today wasn't a day of training. It should have been, but there just wasn't time. I had planned on getting a run in since I'm in the process of transforming my bike for cyclocross. I stopped by Performance and bought a CCP-2, CCP-4, a cheap pair of sunglasses, and an allen wrench set. I also bought Jobst Brandt's book on building bike wheels. I didn't get home though till around 10p and decided to work on my bike rather than go for a run in the dark. I got the crank off with the CCP-2. That allowed me to finally get the small chain ring off the bike. After that, I did my usual cleaning routine . . . cassette, brakes, frame, derailleurs, etc. I'll put the crank and chain back on tomorrow and see if I can't resolve the problem with the front derailleur. Then hopefully I'll get to ride some on my new pedals and shoes! I've got to learn clipless pedals fast if I'm going to survive on Sunday.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
I really couldn't get the idea of cyclocross racing out of my head this morning riding in. I probably kept the pace strong as a result--having visions of yesterday's cyclocross rider tailing me. But I'm definitely thinking about going up to Baltimore to watch the Charm City Cyclocross Race. I think most of my readers won't have a clue about what cyclocross is all about, so I'll post a few links for educational purposes. Once you've read a few sites, you'll know about as much about the sport as I do myself.
At lunch, we decided to take a trip to Spokes, Etc. and once Pat knew about my cyclocross interest, he wouldn't let me just watch. So I bought a pair of Ritchey Alpha Bite cyclocross tires to put on my bike. By two o'clock, I'd purchased a set of clipless pedals, a pair of shoes, some extra tubes, and registered to race. Scheduled to arrive on Friday, I should be all set to race on Sunday in Baltimore. Yes, I have lost my mind. I'll be transforming the Sirrus into a 'cross machine soon and it promises to be a lot of fun.
The ride home was another fast one. But it was all I could do not to take the bike off the side of the trail to see what riding a cyclocross bike might feel like. Fortunately for my tires, cooler heads prevailed and I kept the pace strong on the asphalt. A solid day of cycling yet again. I'm turning that big gear with purpose.
On a side note, I'm making a move to acquire a mountain bike from Craig's List. The bike is a 2001 model Trek 8000. The owner is asking $900, but I've offered $450, with this email as reasoning:
We'll see if my offer stands up. I'd love to have a mountain bike to play with on weekends and a Trek 8000 should be a solid bike for that purpose. Having the bike list on RSS feed sure helps.
At lunch, we decided to take a trip to Spokes, Etc. and once Pat knew about my cyclocross interest, he wouldn't let me just watch. So I bought a pair of Ritchey Alpha Bite cyclocross tires to put on my bike. By two o'clock, I'd purchased a set of clipless pedals, a pair of shoes, some extra tubes, and registered to race. Scheduled to arrive on Friday, I should be all set to race on Sunday in Baltimore. Yes, I have lost my mind. I'll be transforming the Sirrus into a 'cross machine soon and it promises to be a lot of fun.
The ride home was another fast one. But it was all I could do not to take the bike off the side of the trail to see what riding a cyclocross bike might feel like. Fortunately for my tires, cooler heads prevailed and I kept the pace strong on the asphalt. A solid day of cycling yet again. I'm turning that big gear with purpose.
On a side note, I'm making a move to acquire a mountain bike from Craig's List. The bike is a 2001 model Trek 8000. The owner is asking $900, but I've offered $450, with this email as reasoning:
Thanks for sending the pictures. Things make a lot more sense now. You have a 2001 model Trek 8000. While the 2005 model retails for $1539.99, the 2001 model is vastly different in both frame material and components and retailed for $1149.99. The differences are this: the frame material is no longer Aluminum as yours is, but a proprietary alloy hardened with Zirconium that Trek calls ZR 9000. Also, your fork is Judy SL, where the new 8000 has Duke shocks. This is two tiers above Judy. The new 8000 also has disc brakes. If you can verify that yours is disc compatible (it should have spots on the front shocks where disc brakes can be attached) that would be helpful. Sorry for all the detail. The bottom line for me is this: The bike you have probably retailed for around $1000. Seeing as it's used and the frame and components aren't on par with today's 8000, I think $900 is too much. If you have many other buyers, then by all means, get all you can from them. There's a similar bike going on eBay right now for a Buy It Now price of $500. I'm prepared to offer $450. That's half of what you were asking and I only went into the detail so that you know I'm not trying to insult you with my offer. Let me know what you think.
We'll see if my offer stands up. I'd love to have a mountain bike to play with on weekends and a Trek 8000 should be a solid bike for that purpose. Having the bike list on RSS feed sure helps.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.52 / 1.14.10 / 30.3 / 49.8 / 1824.4
38.23 / 1.11.23 / 32.1 / 51.9 / 1862.6
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
My legs were fresh going up the hill out of Courthouse, but otherwise, I had a hard time getting my legs back under me. It's been four days off without any exercise so I guess this feeling isn't all that surprising. I navigated through all the starts and stops of Arlington and once I got out to some uninterrupted stretches, I limbered up. I also, very happily, picked up a rider.
He was riding a cyclocross bike and had some serious calf muscles. He was also light, well built, young, and looked ready to roll. I pulled for a while before the powerhouse stretch and about half of the powerhouse before he went around me. I pulled him at a lot faster speed than I had been riding previously. We were easily over 40 kmph. After he went around, he pulled for a while and then I tried to take a turn at the front again. That was short-lived, however, as I was sucking wind and he went around me after the hill. I hung on pretty easily as we cranked onward at 40+. Drafting is such a wonderful thing. This dude had it today though. He's probably the strongest rider I've rode with so far and he was on a cyclocross bike! My average speed of 32.3 kmph is good to see. To say I ride to work at twenty miles an hour is pretty cool. If only we could do something about the road crossings then I could get more sleep.
For some reason, my front derailleur's a bit out of adjustment, so my highest gear on the middle chain ring rubs the derailleur cage. I've changed the tension on the adjusting barrel at the handle bars, but it's not working this time. As a result, I'm spending a lot of time on the large chain ring turning big gears. This is something I've wanted to do for a while anyways, so I'm happy to do it. The rings on my bike are 48-38-28 compared to 53-42 of the Waterford and a lot of road bikes. Probably tonight I'll fix the shifting problem, but I'll keep using that big gear until I can turn a bigger one.
The ride home today for some reason was fast. I just started turning that gear and it felt great. I had no trouble dropping a couple drafters and with twelve miles to go, my average speed was 34+kmph. That number came down a bit after going through Arlington, but not much all things considered. Once I got home, I went for a short run to the grocery store to pick up some Hoisin sauce for supper. Felt pretty good once I got over the hills. I'm noticing that I'm more susceptible to side stitches after biking. I will have trouble with races that end with longer runs (ie 5K+) if I don't learn to straighten that out. More miles I say! I need more miles!
He was riding a cyclocross bike and had some serious calf muscles. He was also light, well built, young, and looked ready to roll. I pulled for a while before the powerhouse stretch and about half of the powerhouse before he went around me. I pulled him at a lot faster speed than I had been riding previously. We were easily over 40 kmph. After he went around, he pulled for a while and then I tried to take a turn at the front again. That was short-lived, however, as I was sucking wind and he went around me after the hill. I hung on pretty easily as we cranked onward at 40+. Drafting is such a wonderful thing. This dude had it today though. He's probably the strongest rider I've rode with so far and he was on a cyclocross bike! My average speed of 32.3 kmph is good to see. To say I ride to work at twenty miles an hour is pretty cool. If only we could do something about the road crossings then I could get more sleep.
For some reason, my front derailleur's a bit out of adjustment, so my highest gear on the middle chain ring rubs the derailleur cage. I've changed the tension on the adjusting barrel at the handle bars, but it's not working this time. As a result, I'm spending a lot of time on the large chain ring turning big gears. This is something I've wanted to do for a while anyways, so I'm happy to do it. The rings on my bike are 48-38-28 compared to 53-42 of the Waterford and a lot of road bikes. Probably tonight I'll fix the shifting problem, but I'll keep using that big gear until I can turn a bigger one.
The ride home today for some reason was fast. I just started turning that gear and it felt great. I had no trouble dropping a couple drafters and with twelve miles to go, my average speed was 34+kmph. That number came down a bit after going through Arlington, but not much all things considered. Once I got home, I went for a short run to the grocery store to pick up some Hoisin sauce for supper. Felt pretty good once I got over the hills. I'm noticing that I'm more susceptible to side stitches after biking. I will have trouble with races that end with longer runs (ie 5K+) if I don't learn to straighten that out. More miles I say! I need more miles!
37.52 / 1.09.39 / 32.3 / 51.3 / 1748.3
37.88 / 1.09.07 / 32.9 / 54.3 / 1786.2
2 Miles
Friday, September 16, 2005
I was planning on biking today at least. But I woke up at 6a, then fell back asleep till 7a and I was forced to drive in. I'm pretty tired, so that's probably a good mistake.
My next plan was to get a run in and start the weekend off right. But Jess and I went out for drinks with Monty and some other MIT alums at Morton's. Then Jess and I saw The Constant Gardener (which I highly recommend) at Loews Georgetown and called it a night.
[Finally, a race summary and pictures have been posted.]
My next plan was to get a run in and start the weekend off right. But Jess and I went out for drinks with Monty and some other MIT alums at Morton's. Then Jess and I saw The Constant Gardener (which I highly recommend) at Loews Georgetown and called it a night.
[Finally, a race summary and pictures have been posted.]
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I was dreading the ride in on the Waterford after last evening's painful ride. I hoped that it would feel better and perhaps I could get used to it--I can't. As a result, I rode mostly slow and as far out of the aero position as I could get. I was ok doing that until I got passed by one of the guys I'd seen on the trail last night. He did it right as the powerhouse stretch was starting and I just couldn't stand for that. Because I was so uncomfortable, I just drafted off of him for most of it, but I couldn't resist blowing by on the final straightaway before the short steep hill. That got rid of him and I was back to riding alone and being mad about how uncomfortable I was. I got passed by another rider near Orbital and just stayed with him until the final light. He was admiring the frame and I told him all about how it wasn't fit for me. I was very happy to again not have a bike computer. When I went to shower, things got even better! I realized I'd left all my credit cards and ID at home, then I had to go back to my office for my razor, then I forgot my towel! The morning was not at all kind to me.
I still haven't decided whether I want to race in Delaware this weekend. Jess wants to stay home and in some ways I do too. Added to that fact is that I could spend some time running and relaxing rather than putting myself through another race. I'm not sleeping nearly enough to be training well and I haven't run (except for the race) in quite a while. Six hours of sleep and three hours of biking doesn't make a good combination. I think a 10p bedtime and 6a wakeup would do wonders. But there's never enough time in the day to do all that I want to do--namely write about the race this past weekend! At least the results are online.
It was great to be back on a familiar saddle turning that same old gear. And for some reason, I felt the need for speed. I tried to spend the bulk of my time on the third chain ring, and I really only used the middle for the long slightly uphill stretch going into Vienna. Otherwise, I was turning the large one and feeling pretty good about it.
It remains very humid and tonight I was riding to Bible Study rather than going home. That's the reason for the longer ride. I took the Custis Trail to Quincy St. to Military Rd. The final road had some sweet hills. I hit that max of 59.0 turning the huge gear going down one of those hills. So far that's the fastest I've ever recorded. What a thrill it was! But going up the other side of it was not. I used the smallest chain ring and was hurting even then. Jess met me with clean clothes and I showered before eating supper there.
I can't say enough about how much better it feels to be back on my noble steed. I'm soo much more comfortable even though I'm realizing how poorly set up my bike is to ride in a triathlon position. The seat tube angle is laid back for comfort wheaeas tri bikes can get very steep. and put the rear wheel right underneath you. The Waterford did that, but also put the handlebars too far out of my reach.
I still haven't decided whether I want to race in Delaware this weekend. Jess wants to stay home and in some ways I do too. Added to that fact is that I could spend some time running and relaxing rather than putting myself through another race. I'm not sleeping nearly enough to be training well and I haven't run (except for the race) in quite a while. Six hours of sleep and three hours of biking doesn't make a good combination. I think a 10p bedtime and 6a wakeup would do wonders. But there's never enough time in the day to do all that I want to do--namely write about the race this past weekend! At least the results are online.
It was great to be back on a familiar saddle turning that same old gear. And for some reason, I felt the need for speed. I tried to spend the bulk of my time on the third chain ring, and I really only used the middle for the long slightly uphill stretch going into Vienna. Otherwise, I was turning the large one and feeling pretty good about it.
It remains very humid and tonight I was riding to Bible Study rather than going home. That's the reason for the longer ride. I took the Custis Trail to Quincy St. to Military Rd. The final road had some sweet hills. I hit that max of 59.0 turning the huge gear going down one of those hills. So far that's the fastest I've ever recorded. What a thrill it was! But going up the other side of it was not. I used the smallest chain ring and was hurting even then. Jess met me with clean clothes and I showered before eating supper there.
I can't say enough about how much better it feels to be back on my noble steed. I'm soo much more comfortable even though I'm realizing how poorly set up my bike is to ride in a triathlon position. The seat tube angle is laid back for comfort wheaeas tri bikes can get very steep. and put the rear wheel right underneath you. The Waterford did that, but also put the handlebars too far out of my reach.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
38 km on the Waterford
39.74 / 1.13.25 / 32.5 / 59.0 / 1710.1
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
I drove to work to save some time yesterday and I was too busy with stuff around the house to get a run in. So of course I had to get my butt back in the saddle today. I really wasn't looking forward to the ride, but I was pleasantly surprised once I got moving. My legs responded well to the day respite and my new tires felt great. I really am amazed at the difference a new set of tires can make in the feel of a ride. This morning was also different with the return of humid weather. The morning air was anything but the cold that's been hanging around lately. Instead, I found myself completely soaked after only a few miles.
I kept the pace around 30 as normal until a big and powerful rider on a Kestrel Carbon fiber frame pulled in behind me. Oddly enough he joined me after the powerhouse stretch. I almost never pick up riders past that point. Most people are either commuting in the opposite direction or doing a short training ride on that small section. But there he was sitting on my wheel, so I had to roll. I was moving pretty well and he drafted for several miles, then he pulled around and allowed me to draft. I went back in front after we stopped at a road crossing and led most of the way to Orbital. We rode side-by-side for small bit near the end. As I turned to Orbital I think he said something like "good ride."
I felt terrific on the bike this morning. Even after we pushed for a while, my legs were strong and sharp and ready for just about anything. I even enjoyed everything I was listening to today: Baseball Prospectus and Slate Magazine podcasts. It was a good morning to be a bike commuter!
My morning only got better when the bike I've been dreaming about showed up in my office. The Waterford steel frame is feather light and the components are truly top notch. At lunch, Pat and I really couldn't resist a trip to Performance. The trip I guess was to get a spare tube for the 650 wheels of the new bike, but mostly I just enjoy being in a bike shop. I ended up buying a couple tubes and a magazine, along with a pedal wrench so that I could switch my pedals to the new bike (which has none). A good solid Whopper was the meal of the day.
I was rearin' to go once I got the pedals switched out an raised the seat. I couldn't wait to get on the road with this crazy bike. I was really unsure of the handling getting started and I made sure that I let an MIT grad I ran into on the trail know that this wasn't my bike. After a few more miles, I wanted to shout to everyone that it wasn't my bike! Everything felt horrible. I stopped four times to adjust the seat and ended with it as far forward as possible. But nothing I did could make the bike feel right. I felt like I was lying out--which I sure was aerodynamic, but also incredibly uncomfortable. It was maddening to get passed by folks I would normally not even mess with and embarassing to be on such a nice bike going as slow as I was.
There were also a few mechanical issues with the bike. The rear wheel was out of true a bit and as a result the brake made a bad sound when I stopped. There was also a clicking that sounded like it was coming from the rear hub. The noise was only present when I was riding on the bike and not when turning the crank off the bike. But there were also positives about the bike. The light frame felt incredible and it accelerated brilliantly. The Dura-Ace derailleurs made me realize how good shifting can get. The Carbon fork is also very nice and does a great job of damping out bumps in the road. Unfortunately, all these positives were outweighed by how uncomfortable I was. My back and neck were aching by the time I made it home. I was so happy for the two hour trip to finally end and very disappointed that it hadn't been much fun.
There was no computer data for the ride home, and for that I'm thankful. I would have been angry about how slow the trip was. It would have been nice to know my max speed though. The bike is definitely fast as I was able to open it up a bit on some of the straight stretches. But the bike does not fit me at all! Reading the linked article about bike fitting only affirms what I felt. I knew that my forearms needed to be closer to my body. I feel very comfortable in the aero position on my bike and awful on this bike. That's due to the 90 degree angle between the line of my back and my arm on my bike. Looking at pictures of Lance is a good example of proper bike fit for time trial. The top tube on the bike is too long to suit me without a significant reworking of the stem and handlebars.
As for the bike as a total package, here's a breakdown of everything that was on the bike:
Frame: Waterford Custom Steel $ 2,000.00
Fork: Kestrel Carbon Fiber $ 249.00
Wheelset: Sun M14A Rims + Shimano 105 Hub $ 100.00
Race Wheels: Specialized Tri-Spoke $ 1,500.00
Tires: Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX 650x20 $ 109.98
Race Tires: Vittoria Juniores 21"-26" $ 71.98
Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 Sp $ 79.95
Front Derailleur: Shimano Dur-Ace 9 Sp $ 84.99
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace $ 128.99
Crankset: Cook Brothers $ 149.99
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace $ 138.99
Cassette: Shimano 105 $ 36.00
Saddle: Sella Italia Flite TT $ 139.95
Handlebars: Syntace C2 Clip-On $ 114.95
Stem: Profile Design $ 35.00
Headset: Suntour Superbe Pro $ 44.00
Brakeset: Cane Creek 200 SL $ 234.99
Total Cost: $ 5,218.76
The bike from 'sconsin.
In a way, I'm secretly happy the bike doesn't fit me. I don't feel bad about passing up on this amazing offer and I can keep dreaming out the bike for me. It's looking more and more everyday like a Cervelo Dual or P2K. I can spend a lot of time making sure I get fit properly and Cervelo blesses us with a plethora of size options.
I kept the pace around 30 as normal until a big and powerful rider on a Kestrel Carbon fiber frame pulled in behind me. Oddly enough he joined me after the powerhouse stretch. I almost never pick up riders past that point. Most people are either commuting in the opposite direction or doing a short training ride on that small section. But there he was sitting on my wheel, so I had to roll. I was moving pretty well and he drafted for several miles, then he pulled around and allowed me to draft. I went back in front after we stopped at a road crossing and led most of the way to Orbital. We rode side-by-side for small bit near the end. As I turned to Orbital I think he said something like "good ride."
I felt terrific on the bike this morning. Even after we pushed for a while, my legs were strong and sharp and ready for just about anything. I even enjoyed everything I was listening to today: Baseball Prospectus and Slate Magazine podcasts. It was a good morning to be a bike commuter!
My morning only got better when the bike I've been dreaming about showed up in my office. The Waterford steel frame is feather light and the components are truly top notch. At lunch, Pat and I really couldn't resist a trip to Performance. The trip I guess was to get a spare tube for the 650 wheels of the new bike, but mostly I just enjoy being in a bike shop. I ended up buying a couple tubes and a magazine, along with a pedal wrench so that I could switch my pedals to the new bike (which has none). A good solid Whopper was the meal of the day.
I was rearin' to go once I got the pedals switched out an raised the seat. I couldn't wait to get on the road with this crazy bike. I was really unsure of the handling getting started and I made sure that I let an MIT grad I ran into on the trail know that this wasn't my bike. After a few more miles, I wanted to shout to everyone that it wasn't my bike! Everything felt horrible. I stopped four times to adjust the seat and ended with it as far forward as possible. But nothing I did could make the bike feel right. I felt like I was lying out--which I sure was aerodynamic, but also incredibly uncomfortable. It was maddening to get passed by folks I would normally not even mess with and embarassing to be on such a nice bike going as slow as I was.
There were also a few mechanical issues with the bike. The rear wheel was out of true a bit and as a result the brake made a bad sound when I stopped. There was also a clicking that sounded like it was coming from the rear hub. The noise was only present when I was riding on the bike and not when turning the crank off the bike. But there were also positives about the bike. The light frame felt incredible and it accelerated brilliantly. The Dura-Ace derailleurs made me realize how good shifting can get. The Carbon fork is also very nice and does a great job of damping out bumps in the road. Unfortunately, all these positives were outweighed by how uncomfortable I was. My back and neck were aching by the time I made it home. I was so happy for the two hour trip to finally end and very disappointed that it hadn't been much fun.
There was no computer data for the ride home, and for that I'm thankful. I would have been angry about how slow the trip was. It would have been nice to know my max speed though. The bike is definitely fast as I was able to open it up a bit on some of the straight stretches. But the bike does not fit me at all! Reading the linked article about bike fitting only affirms what I felt. I knew that my forearms needed to be closer to my body. I feel very comfortable in the aero position on my bike and awful on this bike. That's due to the 90 degree angle between the line of my back and my arm on my bike. Looking at pictures of Lance is a good example of proper bike fit for time trial. The top tube on the bike is too long to suit me without a significant reworking of the stem and handlebars.
As for the bike as a total package, here's a breakdown of everything that was on the bike:
Frame: Waterford Custom Steel $ 2,000.00
Fork: Kestrel Carbon Fiber $ 249.00
Wheelset: Sun M14A Rims + Shimano 105 Hub $ 100.00
Race Wheels: Specialized Tri-Spoke $ 1,500.00
Tires: Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX 650x20 $ 109.98
Race Tires: Vittoria Juniores 21"-26" $ 71.98
Shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 Sp $ 79.95
Front Derailleur: Shimano Dur-Ace 9 Sp $ 84.99
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace $ 128.99
Crankset: Cook Brothers $ 149.99
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace $ 138.99
Cassette: Shimano 105 $ 36.00
Saddle: Sella Italia Flite TT $ 139.95
Handlebars: Syntace C2 Clip-On $ 114.95
Stem: Profile Design $ 35.00
Headset: Suntour Superbe Pro $ 44.00
Brakeset: Cane Creek 200 SL $ 234.99
Total Cost: $ 5,218.76
The bike from 'sconsin.
In a way, I'm secretly happy the bike doesn't fit me. I don't feel bad about passing up on this amazing offer and I can keep dreaming out the bike for me. It's looking more and more everyday like a Cervelo Dual or P2K. I can spend a lot of time making sure I get fit properly and Cervelo blesses us with a plethora of size options.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
38.41 / 1.14.28 / 30.9 / 53.6 / 1670.1
38 km on the Waterford
Monday, September 12, 2005
Facing an hour and a half on the bike Monday morning can be daunting. But rolling out of bed is usually the toughest part. I feel like I need to start getting a lot more sleep if I'm to continue my training regimen of 38K of biking a day, with races on the weekends. I'm starting to feel a bit rundown. Checking my resting heart rate would really allow me to keep an eye on that, but I've been notoriously bad about that since college. I did eventually get out the door this morning around 7a. Jess stopped by, so we left together--on our very different routes.
Rides to Work
I wanted to show off my new tires and the aero covers at work, so I left them on to ride in. Most people don't know about the sounds that real disc wheels make, so nearly everyone is fooled by the look of the covers. From a distance they are completely indistinguisable from real disc wheels. Pat had a good laugh over the look of my "tricked-out" hybrid, but the laughter only increased when I told him about my victory.
The ride itself was pretty fun. I picked up a drafter just before the powerhouse section. He got my blood pumping for a few miles but I eventually pulled away and settled back in. To my surprise, he returned around the Reston Parkway. About 90% of the time, most riders that I have a chance to ride with turn off long before I ever get close to Orbital or to Courthouse. So having this guy follow me that far and actually stay with me overall was out of the ordinary. I wasn't too happy I'd let him catch up though, and he was a lot tougher to shake the second time. Except for those sections of 40K+ speeds, I kept the pace at my usual speed of 30 kmph.
At lunchtime, we heard about a new bike shop opening in Ashburn, so since Pat had driven in, we had to check it out. To my pleasant surprise it was a new Spokes Etc. This was my first time in at a Spokes. They carry Specialized and Trek mostly with some Lemonds and random other brands mixed in. Basically they are pretty high end and their storefront was immaculate. The repair area was outfitted with all the latest Park Tools gleaming from pegboard. Very impressive. I got to try out a trainer and a Cycle Ops stationary bike equipped with a PowerTap meter. Word is that I can't put out 700W.
I did pick up a pair of commuting tires. I took the cheapest tires they had and those were Continental Ultrasport 700X25c. They were $20 a piece--a little bit more than I should have spent but hopefully these will last a while and keep me from damaging my $45 race tires. Not to mention keep me from having to fix flats on the way to work everyday!
The ride home was fairly monotonous. I did leave at 5p, so that was nice. The sun was out more than it has been recently, but nothing brutal. I tried to spend more time on the third chainring turning the big gear. I think I'm able to use it more effictively now, but I also feel that I'm still caught between rings.
I received a very interesting offer at work today about buying a bike. The bike is made by Waterford Precision Cycles and has Dura Ace Components and Syntace aerobars. I've forgotten the name of the headset maker. The bike also comes with two wheelsets--one of which is three spoke tubulars for racing. This whole set I estimate around $5000 at least, so when he told me he was trying to get it out of his basement and he'd take $900, I was immediately intrigued. Hopefully I'll get to see it and take it for a test ride in the next few days. The one drawback from the deal for me is that the wheels are 650's. I don't really like the smaller size, but for this price I may have to stomach it.
Running tomorrow?
Rides to Work
I wanted to show off my new tires and the aero covers at work, so I left them on to ride in. Most people don't know about the sounds that real disc wheels make, so nearly everyone is fooled by the look of the covers. From a distance they are completely indistinguisable from real disc wheels. Pat had a good laugh over the look of my "tricked-out" hybrid, but the laughter only increased when I told him about my victory.
The ride itself was pretty fun. I picked up a drafter just before the powerhouse section. He got my blood pumping for a few miles but I eventually pulled away and settled back in. To my surprise, he returned around the Reston Parkway. About 90% of the time, most riders that I have a chance to ride with turn off long before I ever get close to Orbital or to Courthouse. So having this guy follow me that far and actually stay with me overall was out of the ordinary. I wasn't too happy I'd let him catch up though, and he was a lot tougher to shake the second time. Except for those sections of 40K+ speeds, I kept the pace at my usual speed of 30 kmph.
At lunchtime, we heard about a new bike shop opening in Ashburn, so since Pat had driven in, we had to check it out. To my pleasant surprise it was a new Spokes Etc. This was my first time in at a Spokes. They carry Specialized and Trek mostly with some Lemonds and random other brands mixed in. Basically they are pretty high end and their storefront was immaculate. The repair area was outfitted with all the latest Park Tools gleaming from pegboard. Very impressive. I got to try out a trainer and a Cycle Ops stationary bike equipped with a PowerTap meter. Word is that I can't put out 700W.
I did pick up a pair of commuting tires. I took the cheapest tires they had and those were Continental Ultrasport 700X25c. They were $20 a piece--a little bit more than I should have spent but hopefully these will last a while and keep me from damaging my $45 race tires. Not to mention keep me from having to fix flats on the way to work everyday!
The ride home was fairly monotonous. I did leave at 5p, so that was nice. The sun was out more than it has been recently, but nothing brutal. I tried to spend more time on the third chainring turning the big gear. I think I'm able to use it more effictively now, but I also feel that I'm still caught between rings.
I received a very interesting offer at work today about buying a bike. The bike is made by Waterford Precision Cycles and has Dura Ace Components and Syntace aerobars. I've forgotten the name of the headset maker. The bike also comes with two wheelsets--one of which is three spoke tubulars for racing. This whole set I estimate around $5000 at least, so when he told me he was trying to get it out of his basement and he'd take $900, I was immediately intrigued. Hopefully I'll get to see it and take it for a test ride in the next few days. The one drawback from the deal for me is that the wheels are 650's. I don't really like the smaller size, but for this price I may have to stomach it.
Running tomorrow?
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
38.39 / 1.18.11 / 29.4 / 48.5 / 1593.3
38.36 / 1.16.56 / 29.9 / 51.2 / 1631.7
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Raceday! The time for redeption finally arrived. I rolled out of the backseat rather stiff this morning. It was downright chilly and still real dark when we woke up at 6a. I asked a few of the volunteers standing about getting inside the YMCA to use the bathroom and they pointed me in the right direction.
My first task of the morning was getting the wheel covers installed. Jess took charge of the cooking and let me focus on mechanic'ing. I took off the cassette and installed the wheel covers. I didn't have a flathead screwdriver with me, so Jess helped me hand tighten down the bolts holding the two sides together. I nearly screamed when I installed the wheel on the bike and realized that something with the covers was causing the freehub to rotate with the wheel--not allowing coasting! As quick as I could, I removed the wheel from the bike and then the cassette from the wheel. Fortunately, I found the problem. The wheel cover was touching the freehub just slightly and with the cassette on top of it, it wasn't allowing the freehub to rotate. I made the fix, then we ate quickly the oatmeal Jess made. It was still quite tasty even though we ran out of fuel before the water boiled.
Once I had the bike tuned as well as I could and lubed the chain, I took it on a quick spin around the library parking lot. It was hardly a warmup on the bike, but it was enough to get me comfortable in the adjustments. The wheel covers and red race tires were a really nice touch. I changed pretty quickly after that as I only had about 45 minutes till the scheduled start time. I ran my warmup across the street around some soccer fields. That let me be totally alone and I tried to calm myself down to focus on the race. It was hard to get limbered up because of the cool air, but I donned my MIT Cross Country long sleeve shirt to keep warm. I could feel the miles of riding from this week in my legs, but it was hard not to feel good with the excitement of getting to race again. After relieving myself of some extra weight, I stretched out by the car.
Checking out the competitors milling around in the transition area, I really felt like my thoughts of winning the race weren't all that outlandish. 
The quality of bikes was way down from the New Jersey race and I assumed that would be the case overall. There were still plenty of bikes way nicer than mine, but none were ridiculous--and none had disc wheels. I felt pretty good about my chances--especially if there weren't any great runners amongst the group. I was mostly hoping that my new Michelin treads would keep me from suffering the same fate as last time.
They finally brought us over to the start line, where I only ran a couple strides. I positioned myself on the front of the start line and soon we were off. Not more than 200 yards down the road, it was clear that it would be myself and another runner building a large gap on the rest of the group. It was also clear that this was the worst I'd ever felt running a 5K. The pace didn't feel especially fast, but I am not in running condition. I kept looking back making sure we were alone and it was pretty clear we were. About a half mile into the race, the other runner started talking to me! We chatted for about a mile. I found out he was from Salisbury, he was typically a 16:00 5K runner, he was competing in his first duathlon, and he was looking to run 16:40 for this 5K. I told him about as much and also that I felt 16:40 wasn't in my legs or lungs today. We ran side by side until about the halfway mark where he started to pull away. Our first mile split was 5:18 and exactly together.
The 5K was an out-and-back past South Rowan High School (where I played an away JV basketball game). The route was almost entirely uphill on the way out. The incline was small, but plenty to give me trouble running out for 1.5 miles. Coming back, I tried to keep the gap to a minimum and keep anyone off of me. It always adds an interesting element to a race when you get to run back facing the folks who are trailing you. My second mile split was 5:34 and I came to the transition area in second place, running what I think was 16:52 for the 5K. I heard those splits called out to me. Jess had on the watch 17:13 for the 5K and 21 seconds for the transtion. I think the reality is a slightly faster 5K with a longer transition.
I made up the ground on the frontrunner in a hurry. I passed him hard in the first mile and didn't look back. I was happy to be off my feet but keenly aware that my quads were no longer in tip top shape. I kept putting distance between him and me and really started counting down the time till I would win. In my mind I had the race locked up and won. Then after a few more miles it dawned on me that if I passed him that fast, then surely many more would pass him and they might be coming for me. No sooner did I have that though than I looked back and saw a guy maybe a hundred yards behind. He was closing and I started pedaling scared. I used the downhills well and the discs really hummed. I hit 50+kmph on the downhill stretches and tried to add to my lead. As we entered China Grove proper, there was a long hill that really taxed me. I was turning about 26 kmph and really spinning it fast. It hurt.
At about 16 km of the bike, the chaser finally caught up to me. He snuck right up behind me and started drafting! This is illegal in triathlon and duathlon and I was pissed. I told him, "Hey, no drafting," but he didn't listen and stayed put. I told him again, this time yelling. He at least moved over to the left so he wasn't right behind me. But a few minutes later, he was right back behind me and I was livid. I gapped him and hammered down and I figured I'd lost him for good. But he showed back up with a mile to go and this time he tried to pass me! I looked down at his Carbon Fiber fork and I got pissed. I was exhausted and worried about losing the race after leading for so long, but all it took was about thirty seconds of all out pedaling and he was history. I had a large enough gap coming into the transition that I figured I'd won. 
I had some trouble figuring out where to go and the officials weren't all that helpful. I ended up parking my bike in the wrong slot and dropping my helmet to the ground after almost running off with it on. I rode 34.3 kmph average for the course. Jess had me timed at 31:32 for the bike, making the course short at 11.2 miles instead of 12. I lost my bike computer data, so unfortunately, that's my best guess.
The mile was the longest I've ever run. It was another out and back on the same course as the 5K and my legs felt like what a guy at work described as "sausages." They were rocks that didn't want to move. I was thanking God that I had a lead as I really didn't want to have to kill myself. I looked back just to make sure that was the case. I made the turn-around and focused on making my form look as good as possible for the chaser to review as I went past him. After that, it was all over and I knew I'd won. 
I was so happy to be running downhill and I eased up with about a hundred yards to go. I even had time to tell Jess to take a picture of me. She told me to run and quit worrying about that. My mile split was 5:43. I took my #1 notecard to the scorers table, then walked my bike to the car.
I was able to shower quickly inside the YMCA and I was refreshed and feeling great as the race continued outside. I sipped on a Gatorade and told Jess all about the race as we waited for the awards. They had trophies for all the age group winners, but for some reason their awards for the overall winners hadn't arrived. I got a handshake instead and a promise they'd be sent out in the mail. Jess and I ate lunch at the Godstock festival across the street. I enjoyed having a Carolina burger with a delicious Cheerwine. After lunch, we piled back in the car and headed east to my home in Albemarle.
It was a lot of fun to win a race--espescailly in only my second duathlon. I have to be honest about my performance here, however. I have a lot of work to do on the running aspect. I am a shadow of my former self as running under 17:00 for the 5K hurt way more than it ever should. I also had probably the worst focus of any race I've ever participated in. That's a product of the 55:14 time that I spent racing. I stupidly counted my chickens before they'd hatched and almost lost the bike because of it.
The competition level had a lot to do with my win also. This was a far more laid back and family friendly duathlon with not a lot of high level performers. It was perfect for me as a beginner and I'm glad I came. It's very encouraging to know that I can win a race and yet have so many things I can improve upon. As hard as it is to work running into my daily training schedule, it will be essential to being good in this sport. To note in the results, the chaser (who probably should have been DQ'ed), Greg Sabo, ended up second and the first runner was Robert Miller. Below, Jess is wondering if the trip was really worth it. "At least he finished this time," she says.
My first task of the morning was getting the wheel covers installed. Jess took charge of the cooking and let me focus on mechanic'ing. I took off the cassette and installed the wheel covers. I didn't have a flathead screwdriver with me, so Jess helped me hand tighten down the bolts holding the two sides together. I nearly screamed when I installed the wheel on the bike and realized that something with the covers was causing the freehub to rotate with the wheel--not allowing coasting! As quick as I could, I removed the wheel from the bike and then the cassette from the wheel. Fortunately, I found the problem. The wheel cover was touching the freehub just slightly and with the cassette on top of it, it wasn't allowing the freehub to rotate. I made the fix, then we ate quickly the oatmeal Jess made. It was still quite tasty even though we ran out of fuel before the water boiled.Once I had the bike tuned as well as I could and lubed the chain, I took it on a quick spin around the library parking lot. It was hardly a warmup on the bike, but it was enough to get me comfortable in the adjustments. The wheel covers and red race tires were a really nice touch. I changed pretty quickly after that as I only had about 45 minutes till the scheduled start time. I ran my warmup across the street around some soccer fields. That let me be totally alone and I tried to calm myself down to focus on the race. It was hard to get limbered up because of the cool air, but I donned my MIT Cross Country long sleeve shirt to keep warm. I could feel the miles of riding from this week in my legs, but it was hard not to feel good with the excitement of getting to race again. After relieving myself of some extra weight, I stretched out by the car.Checking out the competitors milling around in the transition area, I really felt like my thoughts of winning the race weren't all that outlandish. The quality of bikes was way down from the New Jersey race and I assumed that would be the case overall. There were still plenty of bikes way nicer than mine, but none were ridiculous--and none had disc wheels. I felt pretty good about my chances--especially if there weren't any great runners amongst the group. I was mostly hoping that my new Michelin treads would keep me from suffering the same fate as last time.They finally brought us over to the start line, where I only ran a couple strides. I positioned myself on the front of the start line and soon we were off. Not more than 200 yards down the road, it was clear that it would be myself and another runner building a large gap on the rest of the group. It was also clear that this was the worst I'd ever felt running a 5K. The pace didn't feel especially fast, but I am not in running condition. I kept looking back making sure we were alone and it was pretty clear we were. About a half mile into the race, the other runner started talking to me! We chatted for about a mile. I found out he was from Salisbury, he was typically a 16:00 5K runner, he was competing in his first duathlon, and he was looking to run 16:40 for this 5K. I told him about as much and also that I felt 16:40 wasn't in my legs or lungs today. We ran side by side until about the halfway mark where he started to pull away. Our first mile split was 5:18 and exactly together.The 5K was an out-and-back past South Rowan High School (where I played an away JV basketball game). The route was almost entirely uphill on the way out. The incline was small, but plenty to give me trouble running out for 1.5 miles. Coming back, I tried to keep the gap to a minimum and keep anyone off of me. It always adds an interesting element to a race when you get to run back facing the folks who are trailing you. My second mile split was 5:34 and I came to the transition area in second place, running what I think was 16:52 for the 5K. I heard those splits called out to me. Jess had on the watch 17:13 for the 5K and 21 seconds for the transtion. I think the reality is a slightly faster 5K with a longer transition.I made up the ground on the frontrunner in a hurry. I passed him hard in the first mile and didn't look back. I was happy to be off my feet but keenly aware that my quads were no longer in tip top shape. I kept putting distance between him and me and really started counting down the time till I would win. In my mind I had the race locked up and won. Then after a few more miles it dawned on me that if I passed him that fast, then surely many more would pass him and they might be coming for me. No sooner did I have that though than I looked back and saw a guy maybe a hundred yards behind. He was closing and I started pedaling scared. I used the downhills well and the discs really hummed. I hit 50+kmph on the downhill stretches and tried to add to my lead. As we entered China Grove proper, there was a long hill that really taxed me. I was turning about 26 kmph and really spinning it fast. It hurt.At about 16 km of the bike, the chaser finally caught up to me. He snuck right up behind me and started drafting! This is illegal in triathlon and duathlon and I was pissed. I told him, "Hey, no drafting," but he didn't listen and stayed put. I told him again, this time yelling. He at least moved over to the left so he wasn't right behind me. But a few minutes later, he was right back behind me and I was livid. I gapped him and hammered down and I figured I'd lost him for good. But he showed back up with a mile to go and this time he tried to pass me! I looked down at his Carbon Fiber fork and I got pissed. I was exhausted and worried about losing the race after leading for so long, but all it took was about thirty seconds of all out pedaling and he was history. I had a large enough gap coming into the transition that I figured I'd won. I had some trouble figuring out where to go and the officials weren't all that helpful. I ended up parking my bike in the wrong slot and dropping my helmet to the ground after almost running off with it on. I rode 34.3 kmph average for the course. Jess had me timed at 31:32 for the bike, making the course short at 11.2 miles instead of 12. I lost my bike computer data, so unfortunately, that's my best guess.The mile was the longest I've ever run. It was another out and back on the same course as the 5K and my legs felt like what a guy at work described as "sausages." They were rocks that didn't want to move. I was thanking God that I had a lead as I really didn't want to have to kill myself. I looked back just to make sure that was the case. I made the turn-around and focused on making my form look as good as possible for the chaser to review as I went past him. After that, it was all over and I knew I'd won. I was so happy to be running downhill and I eased up with about a hundred yards to go. I even had time to tell Jess to take a picture of me. She told me to run and quit worrying about that. My mile split was 5:43. I took my #1 notecard to the scorers table, then walked my bike to the car.I was able to shower quickly inside the YMCA and I was refreshed and feeling great as the race continued outside. I sipped on a Gatorade and told Jess all about the race as we waited for the awards. They had trophies for all the age group winners, but for some reason their awards for the overall winners hadn't arrived. I got a handshake instead and a promise they'd be sent out in the mail. Jess and I ate lunch at the Godstock festival across the street. I enjoyed having a Carolina burger with a delicious Cheerwine. After lunch, we piled back in the car and headed east to my home in Albemarle.It was a lot of fun to win a race--espescailly in only my second duathlon. I have to be honest about my performance here, however. I have a lot of work to do on the running aspect. I am a shadow of my former self as running under 17:00 for the 5K hurt way more than it ever should. I also had probably the worst focus of any race I've ever participated in. That's a product of the 55:14 time that I spent racing. I stupidly counted my chickens before they'd hatched and almost lost the bike because of it. The competition level had a lot to do with my win also. This was a far more laid back and family friendly duathlon with not a lot of high level performers. It was perfect for me as a beginner and I'm glad I came. It's very encouraging to know that I can win a race and yet have so many things I can improve upon. As hard as it is to work running into my daily training schedule, it will be essential to being good in this sport. To note in the results, the chaser (who probably should have been DQ'ed), Greg Sabo, ended up second and the first runner was Robert Miller. Below, Jess is wondering if the trip was really worth it. "At least he finished this time," she says.Results
17:13 (5K) / 0:21 (T1) / 31:32 (C) / 0:21 (T2) / 5:47 (1mi)
55:14 Total
Friday, September 09, 2005
After work today, I drove Pat home to pick up the wheel covers. They arrived as scheduled and I was on my way home before long. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to install them as we were in a rush to get out of town as soon as possible. Jess saved us a lot of time by packing a list I'd prepared. Still though, it took a while to get everything loaded in and on the car, check the directions, and finally push off. We left Arlington at 7:15p. Jess drove the first leg and made it all the way to the I-85 exit off of I-95. That sent her through the fun of Richmond. We were both exhausted and neither one of us really wanted to drive. I was just drifting off to sleep when we stopped at Wendy's to grab food. I took over not long after that and drove the rest of the way to China Grove. We navigated quite well and found the South Rowan YMCA without too much trouble. The location was ideal for sleeping in the car. It's a rural area and so there weren't any lights to keep us awake this time. We just pulled down in to the parking lot next to the library and called it a night. It was around 1:30 when we drifted off. A long day and a longer night. It goes without saying that I didn't ride or run today. Tomorrow there will be plenty of that.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
My legs weren't feeling too sharp after all the miles this week, so I took it easy on the ride in. I spent a lot of time up on the regular handlebars and out of the aero position. The weather this morning was again chilly and it took a while for me to warm-up completely. The weather is terrific for everything except keeping my forearms warm. My average of 27 kmph back me up on my taking it easy claim.
I had to work late in the Flight Software Lab, so I didn't leave Orbital until 7p. That put me out the door right at dusk and I knew that eventually I'd be riding in darkness. It was nice to be out riding in the evening. There weren't very many folks on the trail and the air was cool, but not cold the way it is in the morning. It also felt like the wind wasn't as strong, but that's probably just because I continued to take it easy. One definite advantage to riding at dusk is the wildlife. I saw more than fifteen deer on the sides of or crossing over the trail. You definitely don't see that during peak hours. I also spotted what appeared to be a PowerTap hub on the back of a Trek pulling off the trail--the first I've seen in person.
When I got to the hill at 66, it was completely dark and visibility was poor in areas without lighting from the street. I had a few harrowing passages of other cyclists headed in the opposite direction. For that reason, I again spent most of my time on the regular handlebars, with my hands poised on the brakes. For the most part it was safe, but I do not want to make a habit of riding in the dark without lights. Riding past people on the trail wasn't nearly as annoying as riding through Arlington without lights. Obviously it's not smart to ride with cars when you have no lights, but I didn't really have a choice. I tried to ignore all the honking behind me.
I finally did make it home around 8:30p and my new tires were there to greet me. I've never had tires that come folded up like these do. They don't have much shape to them when you take them out of the packaging. Just seems like a loop of rubber. But I installed one edge of the tire, then added the tube, slightly pumped up, and then snapped in other edge of the tire. Not too hard once I got the hang of it. But unless these tires hold their shape better after they've been used, then changing a flat quickly will be very difficult. I must say though, that these tires look really fast. Not only are they an upgrade from my 28 mm tires to 23 mm tires, the red stripes make 'em look sweet. I assume that my $45 per tire also bought me the Ironman logo on the side.
Michelin Ironman Tires
I spent the rest of the night giving my bike the usual pre-race shake down. I cleaned the chain and rims/spokes of all the grit and grime of the last two weeks and gave the rest of the bike a general cleaning. It didn't require nearly the effort that it did before my last race. Some Simple Greeen on a rag does my bike a lot of good. I did find two minor problems in the adjustment, however. Somehow my derailleur hanger had worked itself slightly loose from the frame. I tightened that back down with an allen wrench. Also, the lockring on my cassette was loose and consequently, the first two cogs of the cassette were able to move freely from the rest of the body. I tightened that back down my freewheel remover. Hopefully those two adjustments will take care of the shifting problems I've had this past week.
Clean Bike, Ready to Race
By the time I finished with my bike and had supper while watching the Pats game, it was midnight and time to hit the sack. Packing for the trip South will have be quick after work if I plan to get any sleep before the race Saturday morning. Not sure yet whether I'm going to make it to Albemarle or whether we'll have to go directly to China Grove and sleep in the car. We'll see. Hopefully driving into work tomorrow and resting on the way down will rejuvenate my legs a bit.
I had to work late in the Flight Software Lab, so I didn't leave Orbital until 7p. That put me out the door right at dusk and I knew that eventually I'd be riding in darkness. It was nice to be out riding in the evening. There weren't very many folks on the trail and the air was cool, but not cold the way it is in the morning. It also felt like the wind wasn't as strong, but that's probably just because I continued to take it easy. One definite advantage to riding at dusk is the wildlife. I saw more than fifteen deer on the sides of or crossing over the trail. You definitely don't see that during peak hours. I also spotted what appeared to be a PowerTap hub on the back of a Trek pulling off the trail--the first I've seen in person.
When I got to the hill at 66, it was completely dark and visibility was poor in areas without lighting from the street. I had a few harrowing passages of other cyclists headed in the opposite direction. For that reason, I again spent most of my time on the regular handlebars, with my hands poised on the brakes. For the most part it was safe, but I do not want to make a habit of riding in the dark without lights. Riding past people on the trail wasn't nearly as annoying as riding through Arlington without lights. Obviously it's not smart to ride with cars when you have no lights, but I didn't really have a choice. I tried to ignore all the honking behind me.
I finally did make it home around 8:30p and my new tires were there to greet me. I've never had tires that come folded up like these do. They don't have much shape to them when you take them out of the packaging. Just seems like a loop of rubber. But I installed one edge of the tire, then added the tube, slightly pumped up, and then snapped in other edge of the tire. Not too hard once I got the hang of it. But unless these tires hold their shape better after they've been used, then changing a flat quickly will be very difficult. I must say though, that these tires look really fast. Not only are they an upgrade from my 28 mm tires to 23 mm tires, the red stripes make 'em look sweet. I assume that my $45 per tire also bought me the Ironman logo on the side.
Michelin Ironman Tires
I spent the rest of the night giving my bike the usual pre-race shake down. I cleaned the chain and rims/spokes of all the grit and grime of the last two weeks and gave the rest of the bike a general cleaning. It didn't require nearly the effort that it did before my last race. Some Simple Greeen on a rag does my bike a lot of good. I did find two minor problems in the adjustment, however. Somehow my derailleur hanger had worked itself slightly loose from the frame. I tightened that back down with an allen wrench. Also, the lockring on my cassette was loose and consequently, the first two cogs of the cassette were able to move freely from the rest of the body. I tightened that back down my freewheel remover. Hopefully those two adjustments will take care of the shifting problems I've had this past week.
Clean Bike, Ready to Race
By the time I finished with my bike and had supper while watching the Pats game, it was midnight and time to hit the sack. Packing for the trip South will have be quick after work if I plan to get any sleep before the race Saturday morning. Not sure yet whether I'm going to make it to Albemarle or whether we'll have to go directly to China Grove and sleep in the car. We'll see. Hopefully driving into work tomorrow and resting on the way down will rejuvenate my legs a bit.
1500 km and counting . . .
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.78 / 1.22.08 / 27.6 / 47.4 / 1495.8
37.91 / 1.23.12 / 27.3 / 48.0 / 1534.2
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
I got up early this morning in hopes of running a few miles after my ride to work. But my plans went awry when I got a flat just before the hill at Hwy. 66. Something poked the tube through the large gash in my back tire. That's a gash that's been there from riding around Boston last summer. I decided I'd try to use a dollar bill as a tire liner, so I folded one up and stuck in between the tube and the tire. I guess I've taken to throwing money at the problem. I patched the small pin hole in the tube and rode the rest of the way to work. Too bad my iPod ran out of power just as I finished patching the tube.
Gash in my tire
It's starting to get darker and darker each morning when I wake up. And with that added darkness comes cool weather. It was down right chilly this morning and I could feel the wind cutting through my jersey. I think I'll have to buy a long sleeve jersey fairly soon and maybe tights if things get colder. My legs still feel sluggish from the time off, but I rode 30 kmph, so I think that's fine for a morning ride in.
The wind continues to annoy me on the way home, but I managed to ride pretty quick this evening. I did leave work late, so there were a lot of folks out on the trail. Before the Wilson Blvd. hill, I was at an average of 32.4 kmph.
My new tires should be here tomorrow. I decided to order them from BikeNashbar again. I was quite pleased with their service on my wheelset and brake pads. I'm approaching 1500 km rapidly . . . only 3500 to go before I start looking for a new bike.
Rubbing on left crank arm.
I should mention that my left shoe has developed this annoying habit of rubbing on the crank. It makes an audible squeak everytime I spin if I don't push my foot to the outside of the clips. It's been happening for a while, so it wore away part of the polish on the crank and put a black mark on my shoes. That's another example of wasted energy due to equipment. I look forward to clipless pedals in the not-so-distant future.
Gash in my tire
It's starting to get darker and darker each morning when I wake up. And with that added darkness comes cool weather. It was down right chilly this morning and I could feel the wind cutting through my jersey. I think I'll have to buy a long sleeve jersey fairly soon and maybe tights if things get colder. My legs still feel sluggish from the time off, but I rode 30 kmph, so I think that's fine for a morning ride in.
The wind continues to annoy me on the way home, but I managed to ride pretty quick this evening. I did leave work late, so there were a lot of folks out on the trail. Before the Wilson Blvd. hill, I was at an average of 32.4 kmph.
My new tires should be here tomorrow. I decided to order them from BikeNashbar again. I was quite pleased with their service on my wheelset and brake pads. I'm approaching 1500 km rapidly . . . only 3500 to go before I start looking for a new bike.
Rubbing on left crank arm.
I should mention that my left shoe has developed this annoying habit of rubbing on the crank. It makes an audible squeak everytime I spin if I don't push my foot to the outside of the clips. It's been happening for a while, so it wore away part of the polish on the crank and put a black mark on my shoes. That's another example of wasted energy due to equipment. I look forward to clipless pedals in the not-so-distant future.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.59 / 1.15.26 / 29.9 / 48.7 / 1419.7
37.71 / 1.11.06 / 31.8 / 50.7 / 1457.6
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
After three days of no biking, my legs were a bit sluggish on the ride in this morning. That kept my average below 30 kmph but that's fine by me on a morning ride. I did have to replace my back tube even after patching it last night. The slow leak remains, so I'm assuming it's a problem with the valve.
The ride home was better than the ride in, but the wind was the strongest I've felt since I got here. It gets me pretty angry when I see my speed drop below 30 on a stretch I usually hammer. But I did all right. At one point a guy was drafting off me, so of course I had to drop him like a bad habit. Other than that, I didn't push too hard.
When I got home, I changed into my running gear and went for a good five mile run. I ran across Memorial Bridge to behind the Lincoln Memorial before turning around and heading back past Arlington Cemetery. I didn't break any rules tonight. I continue to feel strong running. I'm by no means in great shape, but I'm slowly starting to feel comfortable at longer distances. Due to time constraints, I don't know how many more runs I'll be able to get in this week. But with a race on Saturday, I probably shouldn't be running anyways. I assume Pat will give me a respite from the bet on Friday. Maybe I'll try some running before work. Who knows?
One of these days soon, I feel like I should establish some sort of training schedule. Something to really put some planning into what my goals are both long and short term. I think the Virginia Duathlon will be the long term goal. Other than that I think just gaining some experience and racing every couple of weeks is a good plan. I assume I'll give Alumni a go in January. A heartrate monitor would be a nice aid for training. But with all the money being dropped on bike equipment, I think that'll get lost in the mix. Comments anyone? Haha.
The ride home was better than the ride in, but the wind was the strongest I've felt since I got here. It gets me pretty angry when I see my speed drop below 30 on a stretch I usually hammer. But I did all right. At one point a guy was drafting off me, so of course I had to drop him like a bad habit. Other than that, I didn't push too hard.
When I got home, I changed into my running gear and went for a good five mile run. I ran across Memorial Bridge to behind the Lincoln Memorial before turning around and heading back past Arlington Cemetery. I didn't break any rules tonight. I continue to feel strong running. I'm by no means in great shape, but I'm slowly starting to feel comfortable at longer distances. Due to time constraints, I don't know how many more runs I'll be able to get in this week. But with a race on Saturday, I probably shouldn't be running anyways. I assume Pat will give me a respite from the bet on Friday. Maybe I'll try some running before work. Who knows?
One of these days soon, I feel like I should establish some sort of training schedule. Something to really put some planning into what my goals are both long and short term. I think the Virginia Duathlon will be the long term goal. Other than that I think just gaining some experience and racing every couple of weeks is a good plan. I assume I'll give Alumni a go in January. A heartrate monitor would be a nice aid for training. But with all the money being dropped on bike equipment, I think that'll get lost in the mix. Comments anyone? Haha.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
37.84 / 1.17.45 / 29.2 / 47.7 / 1343.1
38.09 / 1.14.33 / 30.6 / 47.8 / 1381.4
5 Miles
Monday, September 05, 2005
This weekend in Florida was a good break from the routine of 38K biking a day. I left the bike in the Dulles parking lot and headed South to warmer weather and higher gas prices.
On Saturday, I ran six and did a bit of swimming in the lake. I ran four before swimming and two after. I definitely have a long way to go if I'm going to make myself into a triathlete. But I am starting to believe it is possible. As for the running itself, it felt terrific. I'm really out of running shape and four miles seems a lot longer than it should, but I'm enjoying it. With new shoes and pop a plenty, it's hard not to love this stuff.
On Sunday, I went out in the early evening really only planning to get in four or so. I couldn't help but run my usual eight mile loop to Lake Brantley HS. I had to walk a bit in just a few spots to keep from really killing my legs. I did get through the loop without too much trouble and felt proud to put in my longest post-collegiate run to date. It's tough to get in much of a base this way, but I I'll have to take what I can get.
After we got back to Arlington, I went for a run just before supper. I ended up accidentally breaking the rules and running through the cemetery. I actually saw quite a bit of the place and the scenery was truly amazing as the sun was setting. But one of the park police eventually let me know that "jogging" isn't allowed. I'd figured as much when I went in, but didn't see any signs. And though I wanted to inform him I was running, not jogging, I thought better of it and respectfully looked for a way out. When I went to leave, however, I found the sign I'd missed! Oddly enough the gate I came in was locked, so I had to jump the fence to get out. I did manage to see the graves of William Howard Taft, RFK, and almost JFK before I was found out. I guess Justice Rehnquist will soon be amongst the graves. This run was a hard four. I did a lot of hills around the cemetery and kept the pace strong. I felt quite well today once I got out on the roads. Tomorrow it's back to the grind at work and on the bike.
In the maintenance department, I installed new toe straps as my old ones were nearly frayed in two. I also permanently patched my back tire and picked up a few extra tubes. Jess bought some paint at Lowes and I availed myself of the opportunity to get some shop towels and a gallon of Simple Green for cleaning my bike.
Sorry for the lack of photos, I'll try to get back in my daily posting routine this week. Glad to see Schmeck took care of business on Saturday. Unfortunately his performance was yet again not enough to carry the team.
On Saturday, I ran six and did a bit of swimming in the lake. I ran four before swimming and two after. I definitely have a long way to go if I'm going to make myself into a triathlete. But I am starting to believe it is possible. As for the running itself, it felt terrific. I'm really out of running shape and four miles seems a lot longer than it should, but I'm enjoying it. With new shoes and pop a plenty, it's hard not to love this stuff.
On Sunday, I went out in the early evening really only planning to get in four or so. I couldn't help but run my usual eight mile loop to Lake Brantley HS. I had to walk a bit in just a few spots to keep from really killing my legs. I did get through the loop without too much trouble and felt proud to put in my longest post-collegiate run to date. It's tough to get in much of a base this way, but I I'll have to take what I can get.
After we got back to Arlington, I went for a run just before supper. I ended up accidentally breaking the rules and running through the cemetery. I actually saw quite a bit of the place and the scenery was truly amazing as the sun was setting. But one of the park police eventually let me know that "jogging" isn't allowed. I'd figured as much when I went in, but didn't see any signs. And though I wanted to inform him I was running, not jogging, I thought better of it and respectfully looked for a way out. When I went to leave, however, I found the sign I'd missed! Oddly enough the gate I came in was locked, so I had to jump the fence to get out. I did manage to see the graves of William Howard Taft, RFK, and almost JFK before I was found out. I guess Justice Rehnquist will soon be amongst the graves. This run was a hard four. I did a lot of hills around the cemetery and kept the pace strong. I felt quite well today once I got out on the roads. Tomorrow it's back to the grind at work and on the bike.
In the maintenance department, I installed new toe straps as my old ones were nearly frayed in two. I also permanently patched my back tire and picked up a few extra tubes. Jess bought some paint at Lowes and I availed myself of the opportunity to get some shop towels and a gallon of Simple Green for cleaning my bike.
Sorry for the lack of photos, I'll try to get back in my daily posting routine this week. Glad to see Schmeck took care of business on Saturday. Unfortunately his performance was yet again not enough to carry the team.
4 Miles / 8 Miles / 6 Miles
Friday, September 02, 2005
I was about to ride out the door in my MIT Jersey for the first time, when I noticed that my rear wheel had gone flat during the night. The glueless patch I had used yesterday was leaking, but not having any alternatives, I pumped up the tire and rode on with the slow leak. I was fine until mile 16 when I felt how much air the tube had lost. I stopped and filled it back up and rode the rest of the way to work. It was flat in my office by 10a. I pumped it back up to ride to Subway for lunch. Jess and I are off to Florida tonight, so I'll be focusing exclusively on running for the next three days. That should set me up nicely for the race a week from tomorrow. The race is the Seth Wyatt Cobb Duathlon in China Grove, NC. It'll be my first race on North Carolina soil since my last track race in High School. That was a post season meet across from the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.
Pat bought a wheel cover that is basically a poor man's version of a disc wheel. Supposedly they were popular in the 80's but now CH Aero seems to be the only one available. The band of bike geeks is growing. With Pat, Eric, and myself riding to Orbital nearly everyday, we're doing our part to conserve gas.
Pat bought a wheel cover that is basically a poor man's version of a disc wheel. Supposedly they were popular in the 80's but now CH Aero seems to be the only one available. The band of bike geeks is growing. With Pat, Eric, and myself riding to Orbital nearly everyday, we're doing our part to conserve gas.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
36.83 / 1.16.34 / 28.8 / 47.9 / 1300.5
Thursday, September 01, 2005
I told Jess before heading out this morning that I figured I'd get a flat tire since I pumped them up to correct pressure. They hadn't been pumped up with my floor pump since they went flat on Tuesday. Sure enough, I was right. I got a flat not more than a mile down the road--right next to Revolution Cycles. It's funny how getting a flat really didn't phase me at all. I finally found what I think has been causing the flats and what the problem was during the race. A small piece of glass fell out of the tire near where the puncture occurred. Hopefully that will take care of the problem. I patched it up and went on my way. I had no more trouble with the tire.
I ate lunch in my office today and worked on getting my front wheel in good shape. Using Pat's tension meter and the truing stand, I raised the tension on all the spokes. Working on the back wheel will take more time as I must be careful not to take out the dish. I think building wheels is something I will get involved with eventually. But I'll have to wait until I've got a bit more money to spend. Speaking of money though . . . both Pat and I agree that it's time to get some new tires. My tires have developed quite a few gashes in them from riding in the Boston streets. I'll likely make a purchase sometime next week and use those tires only for racing. I'll still commute on my current tires. Those are 28's but I think for racing I should move down to at least 23's.
Coming home today, I got moving pretty well as soon as I hit the trail. I decided that since my legs were feeling pretty good, I'd go for a big time. I started hammering and spent a lot of time above 35 kmph and a substantial section of time above 40 kmph. I was averaging 33 kmph before I left the trail. The ride through the city bumped that down to a still fastest average of 32.8 kmph. I'm very pleased with the effort and my legs still feel great. I'm starting to slowly test my limits and get an idea of where my fitness level really is in cycling. I don't yet know what it's like to really suffer on the bike as I do when racing on foot. It feels good to put in an hours worth of hard work.
I ate lunch in my office today and worked on getting my front wheel in good shape. Using Pat's tension meter and the truing stand, I raised the tension on all the spokes. Working on the back wheel will take more time as I must be careful not to take out the dish. I think building wheels is something I will get involved with eventually. But I'll have to wait until I've got a bit more money to spend. Speaking of money though . . . both Pat and I agree that it's time to get some new tires. My tires have developed quite a few gashes in them from riding in the Boston streets. I'll likely make a purchase sometime next week and use those tires only for racing. I'll still commute on my current tires. Those are 28's but I think for racing I should move down to at least 23's.
Coming home today, I got moving pretty well as soon as I hit the trail. I decided that since my legs were feeling pretty good, I'd go for a big time. I started hammering and spent a lot of time above 35 kmph and a substantial section of time above 40 kmph. I was averaging 33 kmph before I left the trail. The ride through the city bumped that down to a still fastest average of 32.8 kmph. I'm very pleased with the effort and my legs still feel great. I'm starting to slowly test my limits and get an idea of where my fitness level really is in cycling. I don't yet know what it's like to really suffer on the bike as I do when racing on foot. It feels good to put in an hours worth of hard work.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
34.47 / 1.08.14 / 30.3 / 50.2 / 1224.0
38.14 / 1.09.43 / 32.8 / 53.3 / 1262.2
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