I strapped on the HRM for the first time in a while. The speed sensor stopped working about a month ago, and I stopped wearing it. I can't justify a new one just yet with the prospect of a 'cross bike on the horizon, so I've been riding by feel instead. I put it on today so that I wouldn't be tempted to ride faster than I should after the sprints yesterday. I kept my HR in Zone 2 for the duration and felt fine doing it. It's much easier for me to do that now. I just keep the chain on the small ring and spin my way to work. I was actually a little bit faster than I have been lately in the AM, but that's fine because I certainly was holding back. My legs felt a lot better after the ride.

The forecast shows rain up in Kirkwood, PA at 9:00. So I may experience my first road race in the rain. Cyclocross in the rain is part of it, and I suppose it's a part of road as well--just not one I'm looking forward to experiencing. I am, however, looking forward to racing no matter what.

I rode home up to Vienna with Will again, and we went a little bit faster than I should have, but nothing stupid. Mostly just chatting about all the races he's going to be missing due to his "committments." I like giving him a hard time about the fact that he actually does things other than ride bikes. I mean, seriously. Why in the world would you rather go see family than race?

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.63 / 1:24:51 / 16.7 / - / 743.2

I got back on track last night with sleeping, but of course I woke up tired and had to drag myself out of bed. The ride this morning was warm for a change and I was able to wear shorts. My legs weren't feeling all that good, however. I was tired from the get-go and never really got my strength up. Taking yesterday off didn't give me the boost I would have hoped. I did a few brief sprints on the flat section just before reaching Orbital. From the races I've done, it seems like that's going to be what gets the most wins.

And speaking of sprints, Will joined me today, and I was looking for more. We did probably eight or so all out sprints. We did a few with me leading him out and a couple side-by-side. I learned a whole lot about sprinting just with this workout.

I know that for me to sprint effectively at all, I have to be at speed (i.e. 22mph+). Any slower and I can't turn the gear hard enough. I know that I sprint best in the drops and even better the further forward I lean. I know that I don't ever want to try shifting in a sprint if I can help it.

I was able to hold my own for the most part against Will. I think in the end, he should be the better sprinter, but it's good to know that with enough "softening" of the legs from a hard race, I should have enough to be very competitive. I still want to do everything in my power to avoid a sprint, but to cat-up, I think they will be unavoidable in many cases.

I spent the rest of the ride home cooling down from what has been my most ballistic of all rides. The sprints really took a lot out of my legs, and I was more than happy to take it easy as I rode through Arlington.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.71 / 1:23:12 / 17.1 / 30.7 /
23.41 / 1:18:02 / 18.0 / 34.3 / 719.5

Forecasts of rain and lack of sleep kept me from riding in this morning. I had planned to ride at work during lunch, but a meeting kept me busy instead. I have no problem taking a day off at this point, but I hate to miss a day of sixty degree weather. It did rain on the commute home, so I avoided that at least.

On another note, the USCF is being a stickler about upgrade rules. From what I've heard the upgrade from 5-4 is merely a technicality and with good performances, generally waved. Well I've done seven races at this point and won three times. So obviously I'm anxious for more competition. But I'll have to wait until the 23rd when I race the Carl Dolan Memorial Circuit Race. To that end, I will race twice this weekend, Saturday at the Kirkwood Road Race in PA and on Sunday at the Tyson's Corner Circuit Race. Hopefully I'll get my upgrade on the 23rd, because I also registered today for the Tour de Moore 3/4 race. It's in Moore County, NC which is close to my family. I'm excited to race in the Carolinas and especially to be racing 55 miles.

After going to bed very late last night (note the post time of my last entry), I felt like garbage getting up at 6a. But I managed to gather my things and start pedaling and really it made for a nice ride. I did a ride the way I should be doing more often: slow and relaxed. I kept the chain on the small ring for the duration of the ride and basically spun the whole time--hence the average speed of 15.8 mph.

The ride home was a stark contrast. Will joined me and even though we didn't intend to, we started rockin'. I was chatting with him about the weekend and my legs felt great. This ride was cool because we ended up passing Mel and Judd on the trail. They were riding MTB's and we had just started to turn up the pace, so they were gone quickly. But more surprising was running into Brian Jacokes just before Gallows Rd. He's home on spring break. The best part about this ride, however, was wearing only shorts and a jersey. With temps approaching 60, I could just ride comfortably without arm warmers. I think spring is finally here. *knock on wood*

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.52 / 1:29:52 / 15.8 / 26.9 / 648.9
23.41 / 1:14:39 / 18.8 / 30.3 / 672.3

I rolled out of bed this morning not all that refreshed, but definitely ready to get racin'. I've been anxiously awaiting this race just as I have every race this season and I wanted the hurting to begin ASAP. I downed a bagel, some Gatorade, and Wheaties before we packed up the car and drove out to Walton Middle School, where the race would be assembled. I registered inside, then set up my trainer and went through my warmup.


At 9a, they assembled the Cat 5 field and we rolled out about two miles to where the real racing would begin. I chatted it up with Ken Young (PoWER) and Michael Randers-Pehrson (Racing Union). I was the only one of the guys in the front who'd had a chance to see the course. They brought us to a stop at the start/finish line, gave us a few more instructions, then sent us on our way.

From the gun, it was clear this one would start at least like all the training races: slow. With Cat. 5 racing no one wants to pull ever and there are no teammates, so it makes for slow "racing" in the early going. Of course, I wasn't going to be satisfied with 30 miles of spinning. For me to win, it needs to be 30 miles of hell, so I started to roll a little bit.

For the first few miles, I was on the front slowing ramping up the pace. When we got to the first climb of the day, guys started getting a little more chipper and I didn't have to do all the pace-making. But I was feeling great and went on the attack, riding up the long, but gradual climb very fast. The only guy to go with me was Ken and we had ourselves a little break. We hit the descent at top speed and then Ken took a brief pull. When I started to pull again, I looked round and realized we were caught already! I had been thinking we could sustain the break for the whole race, but there we were all together again.


For the rest of that first lap, I spent far more time on the front that I should since I was committing to stay with the pack at least until we reached ten miles. But there was a lot of jostling around and no effective moves, so mainly it served to get everyone's legs crankin'.

Just after coming through the start/finish line, Ken and I were still riding on the front. There were several rollers before the big climb and they looked like they were doing the trick on the pack. We certainly weren't blowing the field to bits, but I was happy that they were working hard as well. Going up the large hill, I threw down a hard pull to see if I could again make a gap form. This time everyone that was strong went with me and I eased up at the top. I was starting to get annoyed with myself for pulling so darn much. But I just didn't know how else I was supposed to make thing tough.

We took the descent in single file at 45 mph. I was comfortable and happy that the descending wasn't giving me trouble. Carrying some of that speed into the next couple of rollers, we started to work on the front a bit. Ken and I broke off just enough that another guy pulled through to go with us. I started shouting, "Go, go, we've got three! We've got three," and we were off. Blake Walker a UVA rider, and Caleb Walton came with us. We only rode a few rotations and the guys didn't seem to understand what I was hoping for and we were slowly coming back to the field. I was having none of it and laid out the biggest attack I could muster. It worked.


Ken followed with me and we started to do some real damage. The gap wasn't huge, but with all the rollers on the back half of the course, it was enough to keep us out of quick reach. Ken and I were working decently well at that point and taking good pulls. His weren't quite as quick as I wanted and I complained a little bit. I was glancing back a lot and didn't really like how close everyone seemed. I started pulling harder and then begging Ken to take a pull. The response: "I'm spent man." I had to keep giving him a ride at least for the time being in hopes that he could rest enough to give me some respite later in the race. Going up the rollers after the line, it was clear I'd be doing most of the work and I was mad.

I was thinking to myself how much it would suck to deliver him hand-wrapped to the line and deliver the Jefferson Cup for him. And for a sprinter like him, letting him draft for ten miles would be that ticket. I started yelling at him a bit and begging for a pull. When we made it to the top of the long climb without him so much as falling off my wheel for a second, I was livid. He wouldn't pull and yet he could ride up my tail! Oooh, I was mad. I started thinking of every way I could shake him. I had to I figured, or else all this work would have been for naught.

I attacked on hills and he followed. I descended all out, he followed. I even started weaving about on the road to shake him off and yet, he followed. Eventually he took a few pulls but unfortunately they weren't over 20 mph and that wasn't going to cut it. We could still see the pack behind us and they were closing.


Within the last five miles, I went for a swig of juice and then put it back in the cage. Ken went for his bottle shortly after and as soon as he did, I went after it. Well, he tossed his bottle off the side of the road and hopped right back on my wheel. I was stuck! Just after a descent on the back half, I started looking back more regularly and noticed that Blake and Caleb were working together to bridge up to us. They were, of course, doing a much better job of cooperating than Ken and I were and it was pretty clear they were going to reel us in. I did all I could to keep that from happening, but eventually the miles of pulling had taken their toll.

Coming round the final turn, about two miles from the finish, they had us and we rode to the finish as a group of four. The final miles are a "false-flat" just slightly rising upwards enough to make turning a big gear difficult. Our pace slowed a ton in that last bit as no one wanted to lead everyone out to the line. I had to chuckle just a bit as I quietly slipped my chain up to the big ring--we were going to sprint! I was terrified of being relegated to fourth and I wanted to be ready. I started weaving back and forth across the road to see if I could get someone else to lead and eventually Ken took the bait.


The pace got gradually faster until the finish line was in sight. Once that happened, Ken stood up and the chase was on. The sprint really took off 50 yards from the line and I rode as hard as absolutely possible. The result was wonderful. I pulled past Ken in the last few meters and took the first road win of my young career. It was awesome. As soon as I crossed the line, I yelled, "YES!! . . . Oh, thank God." I was so relieved to have won after being caught.


I chatted a bit with Ken, Blake and Caleb and they were great guys. Caleb can't be sixteen and he was riding in his first road race. I was impressed. Jess and I spent the rest of the day touring Monticello and mostly just making me really tired from walking around. But it was a great time and we finished up our touring just in time to head back to the racecourse, pick up my prizes and see the finish of the Pro/1/2 race. My prizes were cool. Since Cat. 5's never win money, I got a medal, the famous chocolate bunny given away at this race, and of course, a Jefferson Cup! It's a small pewter cup engraved with the race and date. A nice prize to be sure.

As for the race, the organization was absolutely terrific with the exception of how long it took to post results. I had a blast and getting the win was so much fun. I'm desperate to cat up though as I want to race with the "Big Boys" as soon as possible. I want to accomplish more.

Jess and I were slow off the mark getting out of Arlington, but we had a nice breakfast and a good ride down to Charlottesville before making it out to the course around 2p. I rode one lap and called it a day. There will be three laps in total for a full race of thirty miles. I was really stupid and didn't cooldown and that left a lot of crap in my legs, but I'm hungry and I doubt it'll matter.

The course seems perfect for me. There are a couple of decent climbs and lots of rollers. The wind doesn't seem to be much of a problem, so I'm fairly sure I'll be involved in some sort of break tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to racing.

As soon as Jess and I were heading to the hotel, tons of racers started to show up to check out the course. I was bummed that I had to ride it alone before everyone showed up, but who knows, maybe that's foreshadowing? Haha. We'll see.

I wanted to make it out for the usual Friday ride, but Jess needed to use the car on her day off, so I biked in to work. I did, however, make an appearance on the ride and joined Kurt Kroemer and new Coppi James McNeely riding out the Custis trail until it met up with the W&OD. I bumped the pace up quite a bit once I got on the W&OD, just to be sure and get to work on time.

I ended up having to stay late again, so Jess picked me up since I'd lost all sunlight. I was actually planning to leave at 4p and enjoy the warmer weather, but instead I got stuck running Stationkeeping Efficiency Analyses until dark.

I woke up at 5:45a feeling refreshed and ready to ride. It's still weird to feel that good so early, but when I'm falling asleep at 9p, I guess it's not that surprising. Surprising would be if it actually warmed up!

Will joined me again for the ride home. He turned around halfway through the Powerhouse and I continued onward trying not to work hard. I did get to ride up Wilson coming home, rather than taking the Custis Trail like I have been. There's just enough enough light to be safe. Another positive was the upper forties temperatures that were just enough for me to shed the booties and leg warmers.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.63 / 1:25:30 / 16.5 / 28.2 / 532.6
23.08 / 1:14:26 / 18.6 / 29.9 / 555.9

Where is spring? It wasn't anywhere to be found on the ride in to work this morning. Temperatures were hovering around freezing and I was riding into a strong headwind the entire way. Because of the wind, I did a lot of spinning, which is good for this time of the week. Right now, I think I'll be riding in tomorrow and Friday since the race is Sunday. Saturday I'm planning on doing a short spin around the Jeff Cup course.

I'm getting pretty good sleep lately it seems, but I'm not as perky as I'd like to be during the day. I've been getting tired before 9p and then slowly retreating to bed
by 10p, waking up at 6a. That's eight hours of sleep, which is about the most I can hope for. People keep saying I look tired all the time, so it makes me worry I'm training too much, but I think it's just because riding makes the area around my eyes look so puffed up and tired.

I woke up this morning from a rather odd dream. I was racing in a stage race and doing really well. But when it came time to start the next stage, I couldn't find the right shoes. I had several pairs of cycling shoes, but none with the right cleats and as I was scrambling around desperately trying to find the right pair, the race left without me. Thankfully, that's when I woke up.

On the ride home, Will joined me and we took full advantage of the tailwind to really crank. We didn't take kindly to a guy riding out in front, so we dusted him and never looked back. I had the idea to get in some intervals, so we tried to do some of that starting just after Herndon. The first interval was four minutes on and then two minutes off. We intended to repeat that, but too many intersections made us wait for the Powerhouse. During the four minute interval, we traded the lead by feel and kept the pace very high. During the next segment, we rode at a high pace, switching the lead every thirty seconds. We hope this will be good practice for a killer breakaway in a race.

After Will turned around at the Community Center just past the Depot, I chilled out and rode easier, but the tailwind ensured that the pace wouldn't suffer. Just check the average speeds from my two commutes today. I felt very strong in the PM and enjoyed being on my bike. Days like today are terrific.

Looking ahead to Sunday . . . from the startlist, the only people I recognize as strong riders are Ken Young, who won a Quicksilver, the Southside Speedway Crit, and the President's Crit at UMD, and Blake Walker, who trains on the UVA cycling team and rides with Owen Hassig, one of Coppi's former juniors. I'm sure a few more of the collegiate entries have the potential to be strong, so I'll be eyeing them during the race. With the field only being fifty, I'm sure I'll be on or at the front the entire race.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.59 / 1:29:23 / 15.8 / 30.6 / 454.6
24.22 / 1:14:38 / 19.4 / 32.5 / 508.9

I took today off from riding because I could use a day off. But mostly I didn't ride in becasue the weather folks were predicting snow and sleet scattered throughout the day. It was supposed to accumulate up to 1.5". We got only a few flurries and the commute would have been fine. But like I said, I could use a day off.

This was just another cold commute in to work. It wasn't the coldest, but today being the first day of spring makes me grow even more tired of wearing thick gloves, leg warmers, and booties. The only thing to remember from this ride was that I forgot my shoes at home and had to borrow a pair of Pat's old tennis shoes to avoid clonking around all day in my bike shoes.

Will met me after work and rode until just before the Powerhouse leading to Vienna. We rode at a nice solid pace and the gears were turning like butter. I turned off onto Glebe Rd. from the Custis Trail and met Jess at church for the second night of Winter Bible Study.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.59 / 1:23:00 / 17.0 / 29.5 / 437.5
23.47 / 1:15:20 / 18.6 / 32.0 / 461.0

I got up bright and early this morning and hit the road at 6:45a looking for miles. Unfortunately, the weather is still cold and I had to deck out in full cold-weather gear. I rode down the hill into Rosslyn and onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. I rode that all the way to Mt. Vernon and back. It's a slower trail than the W&OD because it twists and turns and rolls up and down the entire time. It felt good to be out riding when I knew that most everyone else I race against would be inside sleeping. I had almost fifty miles on 'em before the even rolled out of bed.

After I got back to town, I rode into DC proper and did a lap at Hains Point. At first it was a lot of fun, but then I made the turn and the wind was brutal. The trail was shielded well enough that I hadn't had too much trouble with wind, but once I was out on the point, there was no hiding from it.

I had thoughts of going for sixty, but I decided to head in early instead and enjoy breakfast with Jess and dress for church. Solid ride, great to get some miles in after racing yesterday.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
47.84 / 2:48:11 / 17.0 / 32.9 / 413.9

Raceday! We left the hotel at 7a and went down the street to grab breakfast at the Columbia Diner. Service was great and we had our food very quickly even though the place was packed with people getting their breakfast at the local hangout. I had my usual pre-race oatmeal, this time with some sausage, and we were on our way to Strasburg.

I was a bit surprised when we got to the course how far away the parking was and how many people had shown up. I guess looking back at the start sheets, this shouldn't have been a suprise. Being out in the middle of farmlands, there was no shelter from the wind and we all took note of that as we stepped out of the car. Temperatures were below freezing and the wind was gusting 20+mph. It made me feel as though we were having our very own version of a Belgian Classic.

From then until until it was time to race, we were waiting in line for registration. I guess this being the first race of the year really had the organizers struggling. The registration process was absolutely awful. It was so slow that even ten minutes before the scheduled start time, nearly the entire field for the 4/5 race was waiting in line. Luckily they moved the start time back a bit, but they didn't exactly do that well either. Will and I got just a minimal warm-up in by riding the last half mile of the course. I had hoped to get in a full 5.5 lap, but that wasn't going to happen. When Will and I got to the start line, nearly the whole field was lined up. That left us near the back, crowded in amongst the other riders.

At long last the gun sounded, and my road racing season was underway. The start sent us immediately up a hill and about halfway up the hill I was run off the road by a rider who didn't keep his line. His quick, "Sorry" kept me from totally flipping out, but I had to stop and then restart and clip in, which was hard to do on an incline. By the time I was back riding, I was dead last, nearly 50 yards behind the pack! I was worried about someone shooting off the front and with the yellow line rule in effect, I had no idea whether I'd get to the front soon or not. The roads were very small and we easily filled up the right side.

Fortunately, on the first lap, it seemed as thought the officials were sympathetic to folks in the back looking to move up. I passed the whole field just across the line in the left lane and Will came with me. It was clear in a hurry that the wind was going to dominate the race.

The race was four laps around the 5.5 mile course and not much happened until the end. There were about five or so major players at the front of the race, but the wind kept us all in check. Sean Hendricks threw in the most attacks. I don't think he ever got further away than 50 yards, but he kept trying and I kept reeling him back in.

The only move of note was made by Evan Ellicott. He took off going up the start line hill at the bell and played his cards pretty smart. He was able to draft off of the pace car for a while, then he was able to tuck in with the Master's field, which had started two mintues ahead of us. So with those moves, he was able to get maybe 150 yards at most. With a little bit of help from one of the other main guys, we easily brought him back before the final hill.

After that last hill, things started to pick up as everyone tried to get position for the sprint. The pace finally started to go somewhere even though the wind was killer. The last three-quarters of a mile weren't straight into the wind, so everyone was exciteable. Coming up to the turn before we got out of the direct wind, we were coming up on a Master's rider. He was struggling up the slight incline and I told him, "Don't move," because we were going to be passing him on the left and right. Well as soon as I said that, predictably, like a scared jogger on a bike path, he darted right. I had to swerve off the road for the second time in the race and unclip. Fortunately, this time I was faster getting back. I lost just enough that I was probably tenth or so.

From there we started charging hard. The finish was after an 'S' Curve and going up one last incline before the 'S' turn, Jeff Salvitti had a gap on the group. I went after him and we were 1-2 into the 'S'. Apparently he didn't realize the yellow line rule wasn't in effect b/c he stayed to the right. I cut inside and gained some ground on him. I was thinking at that point either I'd win or be second. Well, looking at the pictures from the race, we were getting caught by quite a few of the other riders.

I kept pressing all the way to the finish and at the line got nailed by Hendricks on my right shoulder--almost causing me to crash. I wasn't too pleased about that, but I stayed up just fine. I had to wait a while to find out where I placed. Looking at Jess' photos, I figured I could be anywhere from fourth to second. Turns out I was third and Salvitti was pipped at the line by David Lowe.
Hendricks actually decided to protest the result, thinking that Salvitti and myself had moved inward, cutting him off at the line. My pictures and the officials' video camera confirmed we hadn't and the result stood. For third place I got a trophy and $40--enough to refund my entry fee and leave me with $15 left over. Pretty cool for my first road race.

I came into this race incredibly excited about getting the season started and I wanted nothing less than a win. To get third was disappointing, but with the conditions forcing a field sprint, I can't complain too much. I raced far too much at the front as I've done in just about every race and I'll have to learn to stop that if I'm going to have success at the higher levels. I actually spent so much time at the front, I figured I'd be toast for the sprint and was hoping to give Will a shot at it. I couldn't find him in the last lap, so I gave it my all. I'm ready to race Jeff Cup now, where the field will be back to Category 5 racers only. I was the top Cat 5 in the race today, so that's encouraging as well.

An interesting note is that Evan Ellicott raced again, in the 3/4 race and actually bettered his sixth place finish by two to finish fourth. Congrats to him on a couple solid rides--including the only break of note in our race. That does make me feel good about my fitness because I think I could have rode with him if I'd been Cat 4. I also want to start racing 3/4 because the purse is $200 larger. All in all, a good day despite the weather and I'm happy I finally got to do some racing.

Photos / Results

I was third today despite it all coming down to a field sprint because of the high winds. Luckily I was able to withstand a little Robbie Mac action from a guy trying to squeeze through a hole that wasn't.

I'm way behind on updating. Hopefully I'll get a chance soon!

I've been looking forward to my Friday Muffin ride for a while, because I knew it'd be a nice easy ride before the race. It's my equivalent of the BU Loop we used to run on Friday's before cross-country races. It feels good, it's relaxing, and you have plenty of time to chat about the excitement to come.

James McNeely and Joe Metro were the only ones to show up for the ride and we kept the pace right where it should be. Joe's also racing tomorrow, so we chatted a bit about the course and the weather since he's familiar with both in Strasburg.
When I got back home, I packed up everything I'd need and loaded the car so we could leave immediately after work. Of course, I ended up having to stay a bit late after work to finish up a simulation. But once I finished I picked up Will, then Jess and we hit the road North.

We arrived in Lancaster, PA around 10p and checked into the Travelodge. After nearly wrecking our bikes by backing into a wall, we dropped them off in our rooms and then drove to the course. It was exciting to drive the course in the dark. It gave us a sense of what was in store. The course was rolling as I'd expected, with two decent sized hills and one fun descent. The finish was just after an 'S'-bend and looked to be very fast.

We finally got to bed sometime after 11p and I was bushed from the driving and the long day.

I commuted to and from work today and really don't have much to say about it. That's just more miles in the logbook. We had free Chinese at lunch for our GNC (Guidance Navigation and Control) Group Meeting.

I rode out to Leesburg and back at lunchtime. The wind was, as usual, blowing in my face the whole way out and filling my sails on the way home. I averaged 20 mph for the trip and I was easily riding 30 mph at some points on the ride back to Orbital. It was a fun way to spend the lunch hour.

Today was a day off from riding. I commuted in yesterday. Nothing to report on that really, just grinding away and hoping for warm weather to arrive.

Today was supposed to be just an easy spin as a group after yesterday's "Epic" ride. Of course, with so many guys riding together, that's nearly impossible. The ride ended up hitting quite a few hills and my legs weren't quite as keen on them as they had been yesterday. I still climbed well though and worked mostly on my descents, trying to become as comfortable as I can going 40+ mph on a bike. I did very well on the descents I'd seen before and surprisingly well on those that I hadn't.

The group had a few splits from time to time, but we eventually made it back almost as a full group. The last climb back to the Acorn Inn was, of course, a race. Brad took off before we hit the incline and George, John, Kevin and a few others followed after him and passing me. I told 'em I'd catch them on the way up--and that's exactly what I did. Steve Robinson was the closest to me and I dangled 75 meters out in front of him the whole way up. This last climb hurt a lot to do it at speed. But hey, that's what happens when you race in practice!

I was disappointed we hadn't ridden the Jeff Cup course as planned, but I guess that means Jess and I will have to take a trip down to check out Monticello a day before the race. Brad and I pulled out of town not long after showering and loading up the car. I was really happy to be back home and sleeping in my own bed again, but sad to see the days filled with cycling coming to an end. I had a great time and learned a lot about riding my bike. We've got a great group of guys.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
34.07 / 1:56:35 / 17.5 / 39.9 / 202.4

I took the day off from work to relax some and pack for Team Camp. I cleaned up a bit, washed all my cycling stuff and packed up my tools and clothes for the trip. I also made a quick dash over to Performance to pick up a pair of road shoes to use with the pedals I'm buying from George. I lucked out and they had one pair of Sidi Zeta's in my size. They are identical in style to my MTB/Cyclocross shoes.

Brad picked me up around 2p and we fought traffic to get out of the metro area and down to Charlottesville. We arrived as one group had just finished a short ride and we decided to get in a few miles of our own. We only had time for about a thirty minute ride, getting in ten miles or so. The terrian is super hilly and the roads are rough, but it is really beautiful out here and great to be away from city traffic. I'm really excited to get rolling with the rest of the guys tomorrow.

Joe Metro was gracious enough to cook Lasagna for the whole crew tonight, so we chowed down on that while watching various guys do repairs to their machines. I got a few valuable pointers and I wish I had more time to pick some of the more mechanically inclined's brains.

~10 miles

I rode to Leesburg and back at lunchtime with Keith Blinn. By his computer, we averaged 19.7 mph out and back. That ride is really an odd little section. The wind makes you work on the way out and fly on the way back. It's usually fun if you don't let the wind in your face get your temper going.

Dist / Avg
20 / 19.7

Won the Tradezone Cat 5 race to go 2 for 2. Will and I took the two sprint premiums as well. The 3/4/5 race was exciting and I tried to bridge twice to the winning break and failed. Lots of hard work to finish in the pack, but definitely a learning experience.

I won on a solo break from the second lap on. Will was second. Almost a 70 mile day. Details later.

Today we embarked on the first Bill Cusmano Memorial Spin. Since he broke his collarbone last Friday, the keeper of the Muffin Ride was absent today. Like Dana said last week, "Death, taxes, and Bill on Friday." So I guess Bill's dead to all of us for a while in the bike world. Dana was there along with a couple others and we headed down the trail at the appointed time.

It seems like we can't buy a Friday without cold and windy weather these days. It hit us pretty hard again at along the river, so Dana picked up the pace quite a bit from the usual. I was happy to follow suit and get out of there quickly. Ken met as along the way as usual and Matt Niemerski and another Coppi met us on MTB's at the Key Bridge.

The forecast for the weekend says more of the same with a wind advisory through Sunday. Should make for some interesting racing . . . Speaking of racing, it looks like I'll be able to go ahead with my plan. My achilles has responded well. On the ride this morning, I had only minor stiffness and no pain, further confirming my hope that the high seat was causing the trouble. Standing up to ride feels fine now. Of course, I'll reevaluate after I ride the 25 miles to the race and again after each of the races. I'm excited for camp and I don't want a silly training race to ruin that. If all goes well, two weeks from tomorrow, I'll be racing my first true road race!

Cautious optimism will always be the way to go when dealing with my tendons but I'm encouraged by what I'm feeling.

After taking longer to commute home by car than I would on my bike because GW Parkway became the GW Parking Lot, I hit the gym. Jess and I "lifted" a bit and I tried to follow the sets I'd devised.

I did about twenty minutes total of riding on the trainer and I like what I felt from the achilles. Some slight aches, but nothing worse and nothing major. I'll give the Muffin Ride a go in the morning.

My achilles continues to make progress. I took 400 mg of ibuprofen at lunch and dinner and overall it felt pretty good. All day I kept track of it and stretched when I could. I'm not sure why, but for about thirty mintues before supper, it was aching the most it has in a while. I don't know if that was the ibuprofen wearing off, but after I'd eaten and taken some more, I felt fine.

The pains I did experience were the best I can hope for from my achilles. They were low, near the heel and not the terrible grinding that can be mid-achilles and usually has me out for a month. I'm also increasingly convinced that the pain is from big efforts with my seat too high. I did a brief spin on the trainer after violin tonight and the only discomfort came if I tried to "ankle" at all. I was only trying that to prove my hypothesis. I did a few brief one-legged drills to finish out the night.

The plan this week will be to drive in again tomorrow, then hopefully ride Friday morning easy with the team. If all goes well, I'll race this weekend with the emphasis on getting races in to upgrade. My fingers are very much crossed so that I can go in to camp next week with a clean bill of health.

At lunch today, I finally had a chance to read the section on strength training in Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible. Now I've hammered out the regimen I want to follow for training this season. It's fairly similar to what I used (or should have used) in college--with the exception that I will have to rely on machines rather than free-weights.