The ride in the morning was chilly. Temperatures dropped to the mid forties overnight and so I had to don my thermal top and full-fingered gloves. I would have liked to have my leg warmers once I got out in it. I had to stop a few blocks away to adjust my HRM since it wasn't picking up my heart, but once everything was dialed in, I focused on keeping things nice and steady.
I started noticing a problem with my rear derailleur. When I was in the small chainring and smaller cogs in the back, the chain missed one of the pulleys when I applied pressure. This meant that the chain wasn't flowing nicely through the derailleur and it made the same sound it would if the shifting were out of sorts. I had no problems once I was in the large chainring, so I'm assuming this problem stems from the bent chain incident I had last week.
At lunch, I took apart the derailleur and tried to bend the inner cage plate straight. It was noticeably bent once I removed it from the derailleur body, so I did the best I could. It had both a bend and a slight twist. I focused on the bend and let the twist stay. The pulleys should now be in line close enough so that I don't get any more skipping.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
A got home around 5p and headed down to Hains Point in search of some easy miles. I kept my eyes fixed on the HRM and kept just about everything in Zone 2. There wasn't much wind, so it was all quite enjoyable--spinning around the peninsula at 22 mph. I rode alone for the majority of the time, but eventually latched on with an NCVC Master's rider. The two of us pulled together for several laps, which bumped the pace up a couple mph. He finished a couple laps before I called it quits. I left Hains at 6:30 and kept the pace nice and relaxed all the way home. I was thrilled to find that I'd rode 30 miles. LSD was just what my legs have needed and today couldn't have been better.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
I've been waiting and waiting for all the mileage and hard efforts to catch up to me. I've also been waiting to find a race where I couldn't fair well on pure strength alone. Today, I found both. I lined up for the 4/5 race not knowing what to expect, but fully willing to make pace if the race was slow and boring. From the gun, it was faster than I've seen in the MABRA area races. It was also my first combined field in a MABRA race, so I think that had something to do with it. I never had to worry about getting the pace up.
Even in the warm-up, I hadn't been feeling very strong, my HR was elevated and my legs weren't sharp. I didn't feel as strong going up the hill as I might have usually. But I was going to give it my best effort and had no intentions of backing down. Without remembering a great deal of specifics, the race went basically like this: I attacked many many times. I attacked after each of the four primes and even attacked hard and early enough on the fourth to win it.
The Harley guys (Jose and Steve) were great about trying to work a break. I think they wanted to see it succeed as much as I did, but never could get anything near enough to be dangerous. I just didn't have the strength to keep us away. I should have been smarter and become resigned to the fact that we'd end in a field sprint, but I was stubborn and kept trying to get away. I don't feel as if I've raced unless I attempt a break, but in this one, I think I tried a little to hard. Without great form, I had no chance to stay away today.
Even with all that attacking, I was in decent position for the finish. I found myself on second wheel coming up the hill and gave it all I had. Unfortunately, that wasn't nearly enough and I was passed by many riders. I finished 6th of all the Cat. 5's. This was a very disappointing result. But this course and this race just weren't my style. In the future, I need to recognize this quickly and change my stategy.
I wasn't feeling so hot after the race, but after talking with a few other Coppis, I decided to put myself on the waitlist for the 3/4 race. I was eligible for the 3/4 race because the 4/5 race was my tenth and I'd already received the upgrade sticker in the mail. I was anxious to try my hand racing with the 3's, but I wish I could have started with better legs.
Seeing as I wasn't on good form for the 4/5 and now my legs were trashed, I knew I wouldn't race to win and I decided to do everything I could to help the team. After the first few laps, I made my way to the front and planned to cover every break as best I could. Time and again, I countered even the smallest break. Nothing got very far.
Coming up the hill with, I believe, 3 laps to go, I was riding next to Bill Gros. He told me to go hard up the hill and see if anyone went with me. I did just that, sprinting all out up the hill and past the finish. I brought three guys with me from different teams. We went through one round of a paceline before the other guys gave up and fell back to the peloton. I decided to see what I could do and stood up to get away a bit further. At this point, I was so tapped out that I knew I had absolutely no shot of doing much, but I did it mainly to put some pressure on the field.
When I was on the backside of the course, I was riding solo at only 20-21 mph at one point. That was very slow considering the race averaged 26+mph. I knew then that no one was really concerned about me being away and they were all saving it up for a sprint finish. I enjoyed my moment in the sun and then succumbed to the field closing in on my just before the hill going into the bell lap. I tried to stay near the front and go for my best finish possible.
By then, however, I was pretty zonked and really didn't have much spirit to fight for places, but I gave it my best effort and hammered up the hill one final time. The sprinters really took off and I had lots of folks going by in the last 200m. I have no idea where I ended up.
This was a more pleasing effort than the 4/5. I was able to contribute something, however small to the team goal and I gained a lot of experience racing with strong riders. The pace for this race was nearly 2 mph faster than the 4/5 race and it was a lot smoother. Of course, it was smoother because I didn't attack so often!
After leaving the race, we drove over to Poolesville, MD to recon the course for the race on May 6th. The loop is 10 miles with a one mile section of gravel road. I had a lot of fun on the course and I expect a very exciting race. I was so tired when I finished riding that one loop though that I know this week I'll be taking it as easy as absolutely possible. No hills on Wednesday for me and no commuting tomorrow. Unfortunately, I do have a VO2Max retest Monday. After that, I'll be watching the HRM very closely and giving my legs a rest.
Even in the warm-up, I hadn't been feeling very strong, my HR was elevated and my legs weren't sharp. I didn't feel as strong going up the hill as I might have usually. But I was going to give it my best effort and had no intentions of backing down. Without remembering a great deal of specifics, the race went basically like this: I attacked many many times. I attacked after each of the four primes and even attacked hard and early enough on the fourth to win it.
The Harley guys (Jose and Steve) were great about trying to work a break. I think they wanted to see it succeed as much as I did, but never could get anything near enough to be dangerous. I just didn't have the strength to keep us away. I should have been smarter and become resigned to the fact that we'd end in a field sprint, but I was stubborn and kept trying to get away. I don't feel as if I've raced unless I attempt a break, but in this one, I think I tried a little to hard. Without great form, I had no chance to stay away today.
Even with all that attacking, I was in decent position for the finish. I found myself on second wheel coming up the hill and gave it all I had. Unfortunately, that wasn't nearly enough and I was passed by many riders. I finished 6th of all the Cat. 5's. This was a very disappointing result. But this course and this race just weren't my style. In the future, I need to recognize this quickly and change my stategy.
I wasn't feeling so hot after the race, but after talking with a few other Coppis, I decided to put myself on the waitlist for the 3/4 race. I was eligible for the 3/4 race because the 4/5 race was my tenth and I'd already received the upgrade sticker in the mail. I was anxious to try my hand racing with the 3's, but I wish I could have started with better legs.
Seeing as I wasn't on good form for the 4/5 and now my legs were trashed, I knew I wouldn't race to win and I decided to do everything I could to help the team. After the first few laps, I made my way to the front and planned to cover every break as best I could. Time and again, I countered even the smallest break. Nothing got very far.
Coming up the hill with, I believe, 3 laps to go, I was riding next to Bill Gros. He told me to go hard up the hill and see if anyone went with me. I did just that, sprinting all out up the hill and past the finish. I brought three guys with me from different teams. We went through one round of a paceline before the other guys gave up and fell back to the peloton. I decided to see what I could do and stood up to get away a bit further. At this point, I was so tapped out that I knew I had absolutely no shot of doing much, but I did it mainly to put some pressure on the field.
When I was on the backside of the course, I was riding solo at only 20-21 mph at one point. That was very slow considering the race averaged 26+mph. I knew then that no one was really concerned about me being away and they were all saving it up for a sprint finish. I enjoyed my moment in the sun and then succumbed to the field closing in on my just before the hill going into the bell lap. I tried to stay near the front and go for my best finish possible.
By then, however, I was pretty zonked and really didn't have much spirit to fight for places, but I gave it my best effort and hammered up the hill one final time. The sprinters really took off and I had lots of folks going by in the last 200m. I have no idea where I ended up.
This was a more pleasing effort than the 4/5. I was able to contribute something, however small to the team goal and I gained a lot of experience racing with strong riders. The pace for this race was nearly 2 mph faster than the 4/5 race and it was a lot smoother. Of course, it was smoother because I didn't attack so often!
After leaving the race, we drove over to Poolesville, MD to recon the course for the race on May 6th. The loop is 10 miles with a one mile section of gravel road. I had a lot of fun on the course and I expect a very exciting race. I was so tired when I finished riding that one loop though that I know this week I'll be taking it as easy as absolutely possible. No hills on Wednesday for me and no commuting tomorrow. Unfortunately, I do have a VO2Max retest Monday. After that, I'll be watching the HRM very closely and giving my legs a rest.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
I'm starting to get more and more heckling from the peanut gallery out on team rides because of my unshaven legs. For those who aren't aware, shaved legs is kind of the mark of a competitive cyclist. It's probably the easiest way to tell when I'm out on the trail which guys actually race.
From the research I've done, there are a few reasons why cyclists shave their legs:
What I'm most astounded by though, is that all these guys actually take the time to shave their legs once or twice EVERY week. I mean, I hate shaving my face and try to do that as little as possible without looking like a total slob at work. Taking the time to shave my legs just seems like such a pain in the butt. Combine that with Jess' fierce resistance to the idea and you have the cause for my hairy legs.
While I'll probably give in eventually--that is if people keep complaining, I'm having fun with it right now. I think it irks people to see someone doing well with hairy legs. So I want to win some bigger races just for kicks. Perhaps if I make Cat. 2, then I'll shave them. Or maybe just Cat. 3. I dunno.
From the research I've done, there are a few reasons why cyclists shave their legs:
Aerodynamics. This is the worst reason in my opinion, but with carbon bottle cages and special cable housings, I can believe that every little bit makes a difference. It isn't, however, enough to get me to become part of the masses.Ease of Cleaning Road Rash. Now this makes sense in some ways. If you do crash and scrape yourself up, it would be easier to clean the wounds. But if you really got hurt, you'd probably end up shaving the area then anyways. So a good idea, but still no razor in my hand.Massages. I can definitely see why pro cyclists don't want hair on their legs if they're getting nightly massages during stage races. I know having a full set of hair on the legs would hurt once you start rubbing it back and forth. I used to get deep tissue massage on my calves and I can attest that it starts to wear on you. So far, that's the best reason and I have to think it's the cause of the tradition. Unfortunately, I'm not a pro and don't have soigneurs to rub me down after my rides, so again, I'm not convinced.It's part of the Uniform. This is the argument that James makes over and over and I must say it's the best of the four. Every single guy on my team (except me) it seems has shaved their legs. It does look more cool because everytime I see a racer without shaved legs, he usually sucks and has no idea what he's doing. This reason will probably be the one that breaks the camel's back . . . eventually. I mean, if everyone on the team wanted to shave their heads, I'd probably be leading that crusade. So, whatever.
What I'm most astounded by though, is that all these guys actually take the time to shave their legs once or twice EVERY week. I mean, I hate shaving my face and try to do that as little as possible without looking like a total slob at work. Taking the time to shave my legs just seems like such a pain in the butt. Combine that with Jess' fierce resistance to the idea and you have the cause for my hairy legs.
While I'll probably give in eventually--that is if people keep complaining, I'm having fun with it right now. I think it irks people to see someone doing well with hairy legs. So I want to win some bigger races just for kicks. Perhaps if I make Cat. 2, then I'll shave them. Or maybe just Cat. 3. I dunno.
This morning was also my first ride with my new HRM setup. I got the sensors put on the bike last night and had a go playing with downloading files to the computer. Everything is terrific . . . except for one thing. For some bizarre reason, Polar decided not to include an Auto Stop/Start feature on their top of the line cycling computer. I have absolutely no clue why they would decide to do this. It's commonplace on even the cheapest cyclocomputers and it's very important. I freaked out last night when I found this out, but fortunately it's not as big a deal as I expected.
The average speed calculation was what I was most worried about, but fortunately it throws out samples taken at zero speed. That means that the average speed I get is the same as an auto stop/start. So the only real missing piece of information is ride time. The stopwatch now runs from the time I start it to when I stop it. There's nothing to tell you how long you actually spent moving. I can deal with that, however, so my plans of eBaying the HRM won't happen.
Another piece to note is that the average speed calculated from the dowloaded file by the PC software differs from the average speed seen on the watch immediately after I finish riding. I emailed Polar, expressing my displeasure with not having auto stop/start, and also asking about this difference. Here was their response, which amazingly came in less than ten minutes:
It confirmed what I'd already assumed. The watch does some averaging on its own and throws out the zeros as well. The software uses only the samples taken every 5 seconds. So essentially, the watch takes more samples when calculating the on-board average. This usually means that the watch's average is a few tenths of a mile/hr less than that of the software. I can live with that. I will miss ride time though.
The average speed calculation was what I was most worried about, but fortunately it throws out samples taken at zero speed. That means that the average speed I get is the same as an auto stop/start. So the only real missing piece of information is ride time. The stopwatch now runs from the time I start it to when I stop it. There's nothing to tell you how long you actually spent moving. I can deal with that, however, so my plans of eBaying the HRM won't happen.
Another piece to note is that the average speed calculated from the dowloaded file by the PC software differs from the average speed seen on the watch immediately after I finish riding. I emailed Polar, expressing my displeasure with not having auto stop/start, and also asking about this difference. Here was their response, which amazingly came in less than ten minutes:
Dear Mr. Brewer,
Thank you for your email.
The software use samples in all calculations and displaying information whereas the HR monitor uses online data. Thus the values in the HR monitor and the SW may vary a little. However, when using the recommended 5 sec. cording rate the differences are minimal or do not exist. However, the heart rate of a lap is an exception: the heart rate at the lap is the same in both the receiver and software.
It confirmed what I'd already assumed. The watch does some averaging on its own and throws out the zeros as well. The software uses only the samples taken every 5 seconds. So essentially, the watch takes more samples when calculating the on-board average. This usually means that the watch's average is a few tenths of a mile/hr less than that of the software. I can live with that. I will miss ride time though.
The Muffin ride is supposed to be relaxing. It should be an easy spin to shakeout the legs. It started out that way. I joined up with the usual crew and we started on our usual loop. My legs were feeling great from taking yesterday easy. I had so strength going up the hills on the Custis Trail. We picked up Metro and Fristik on the W&OD.
We'd only been only the W&OD till just past going under Carlin Springs Rd., when I noticed my ride was a bit harsh. I looked down and found my rear was flat. I pulled over and tried to pump enough air into it so I could finish out the ride. Unfortunately, there was a hole and it wouldn't hold air. The guys went on and I stayed behind to patch it up. I couldn't find what caused the pin sized hole. Usually it's a small piece of glass, but I couldn't find this one. I patched it up anyway and reinstalled the tire.
From then on, I was riding hard to catch the guys. My HRM was reading 180 for most of the time I was trying to catch up. I got in what turned out to be a solid Zone 4 effort. I was turning hard and going about 25 mph or so. I should have been faster, but my wheel only had about 70 psi in it. I just kept going as best I could in hopes of catching back on. Brad Evans had turned around and so had Rich Fristik as usual, so I passed those two guys and had a guess at a time check.
When I got to Gravelly Point, I thought for sure that I'd see them if it was possible to catch up, but they weren't in my field of view. Around Memorial Bridge, I was just about to give up, when I spotted a Coppi Blue jersey hanging off the back. I'd found them. A little more time pedaling hard and I was back with the group for the last few miles.
This was probably stupid. I should have gone home or just rode my normal pace and got in my rest. But I didn't and so I've got to deal with the consequences. I don't think it's going to matter much for Sunday, however. I'll need to ride some tomorrow to shake things out--and also to insure that I've fixed the flat problem. Flats are what I'm worried about mostly.
We'd only been only the W&OD till just past going under Carlin Springs Rd., when I noticed my ride was a bit harsh. I looked down and found my rear was flat. I pulled over and tried to pump enough air into it so I could finish out the ride. Unfortunately, there was a hole and it wouldn't hold air. The guys went on and I stayed behind to patch it up. I couldn't find what caused the pin sized hole. Usually it's a small piece of glass, but I couldn't find this one. I patched it up anyway and reinstalled the tire.
From then on, I was riding hard to catch the guys. My HRM was reading 180 for most of the time I was trying to catch up. I got in what turned out to be a solid Zone 4 effort. I was turning hard and going about 25 mph or so. I should have been faster, but my wheel only had about 70 psi in it. I just kept going as best I could in hopes of catching back on. Brad Evans had turned around and so had Rich Fristik as usual, so I passed those two guys and had a guess at a time check.
When I got to Gravelly Point, I thought for sure that I'd see them if it was possible to catch up, but they weren't in my field of view. Around Memorial Bridge, I was just about to give up, when I spotted a Coppi Blue jersey hanging off the back. I'd found them. A little more time pedaling hard and I was back with the group for the last few miles.
This was probably stupid. I should have gone home or just rode my normal pace and got in my rest. But I didn't and so I've got to deal with the consequences. I don't think it's going to matter much for Sunday, however. I'll need to ride some tomorrow to shake things out--and also to insure that I've fixed the flat problem. Flats are what I'm worried about mostly.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Today went exactly as billed. I did an easy spin in and out. I kept the pace low, the cadence nice and steady and tried to rest up for the weekend. Amazingly, I actually succeeded this time. The only section of any decent speed was riding in traffic coming home on Wilson. As always, that's a lot of fun as long as cars see you. When they don't, it's downright frightening.
Here's a good shot of the podium from last year's Cat. 2 Toona Road Race stage. The winner was, of course, Brian Butts, former Coppi, now Harley rider.
Here's a good shot of the podium from last year's Cat. 2 Toona Road Race stage. The winner was, of course, Brian Butts, former Coppi, now Harley rider.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I told Jess last night that I didn't think I should be doing the hill workout this morning. My legs are running on empty as I said yesterday, and doing hills at full effort isn't exactly what I would recommend. But my competitive juices were flowing and they just wouldn't allow me to miss out on this one.
When I pulled up to the Java Shack, only Jim McNeely and Kevin Gottlieb were there. And if they'd been the only ones to show, I think I would have taken the day off completely. But fortunately after a few minutes the crowd showed up. Tomas was back for more and this time we had the pleasure of riding with Brian Butts, a Cat. 2 racer from the Rockville Harley squadra. Looking him up today, I was amazed to learn that he won the road race stage at the Tour de Toona last year as a Cat. 2! In short, this dude can definitely climb. I'm really in awe of the guys he beat that day who are terrific at cyclocross: Gunner Shogren, Mike Hebe, and Kris Auer.
I'm always psyched for competition and I've been hoping to get someone in my regular workouts that can really push me hard. I think Butts will fit the bill on that one if he shows up for these rides regularly. By all accounts, he will, and I'm excited about that. I must say that I was a bit worried going into the ride today. Feeling like I'm not on top form and not knowing what I would get, I was just hoping not to get dusted.
We did exactly the same four long intervals as last week. On the first one, we started slowly, and I kept waiting for Brian to take the lead. But I went ahead with the interval and it wasn't long until he rolled up beside me. We were climbing stroke for stroke until he eventually pulled away just a bit at the end. I could feel the burn in my legs more than ever and in my head I was complaining about all the work I've done in the last week. On the next interval, Tomas was with us as well and going up the final steep climb, both he and Brian had a slight gap. The next interval was going by the golf course and ends with an absolute wall. I dub it the Muur de Marymount. I took the lead and topped all the hills first, but going up that wall at the end, Brian eased on by and I was left searching for a gear I could turn.
On the final interval, I wanted to give my best effort and see if I could win one. I led from the start and probably should have pushed the pace more in between the hills. But I was worried about running out of gas, so I was content just to ride with Brian between the hills. I topped all the hills first and then gave it my all on the last climb. I finally was able to hold him off as we were both crunching gears trying to find the right cog. I stopped a bit short of the finish (the parking lot), thinking he was sitting up, but it was nice way to end the workout.
I held my own today and I'm mighty proud of that. I've got plenty of work to do as the season progresses, but knowing that I'll have someone of Brian's caliber to ride after on Wednesday mornings is really great. With my goal for the end of the season being the Tour de Toona, who better to train with than the returning Cat. 2 champ?
We rolled back to the Java Shack going past Marymount and down the full length of Military Rd. I chatted briefly with Kevin Gottlieb. I'd expected him to be a factor today after his showing at camp, but he wasn't to be found on any of the intervals. He's only a HS frosh, and he was doing this today because he's on spring break. I think these short steep climbs expose his lack of physical maturity. But he's pretty tough when it comes to very long moderate climbs where you can get a rhythm and crank. Big things may come from this kid. He's got a great competitive spirit, so I know he wants to win.
After we made it to the Shack, I rolled over to Peter Nicoll's office to pick up my new HRM. It's absolutely sweet. I'm now a proud owner of a Polar S725. It will allow me to generate graphs of my HR, cadence, speed, and altitude over time. I can't wait to see what the hill workout looks like next week when I've got everything set up. This will also allow me to pass down my CatEye computer to Jess.
When I pulled up to the Java Shack, only Jim McNeely and Kevin Gottlieb were there. And if they'd been the only ones to show, I think I would have taken the day off completely. But fortunately after a few minutes the crowd showed up. Tomas was back for more and this time we had the pleasure of riding with Brian Butts, a Cat. 2 racer from the Rockville Harley squadra. Looking him up today, I was amazed to learn that he won the road race stage at the Tour de Toona last year as a Cat. 2! In short, this dude can definitely climb. I'm really in awe of the guys he beat that day who are terrific at cyclocross: Gunner Shogren, Mike Hebe, and Kris Auer.
I'm always psyched for competition and I've been hoping to get someone in my regular workouts that can really push me hard. I think Butts will fit the bill on that one if he shows up for these rides regularly. By all accounts, he will, and I'm excited about that. I must say that I was a bit worried going into the ride today. Feeling like I'm not on top form and not knowing what I would get, I was just hoping not to get dusted.
We did exactly the same four long intervals as last week. On the first one, we started slowly, and I kept waiting for Brian to take the lead. But I went ahead with the interval and it wasn't long until he rolled up beside me. We were climbing stroke for stroke until he eventually pulled away just a bit at the end. I could feel the burn in my legs more than ever and in my head I was complaining about all the work I've done in the last week. On the next interval, Tomas was with us as well and going up the final steep climb, both he and Brian had a slight gap. The next interval was going by the golf course and ends with an absolute wall. I dub it the Muur de Marymount. I took the lead and topped all the hills first, but going up that wall at the end, Brian eased on by and I was left searching for a gear I could turn.
On the final interval, I wanted to give my best effort and see if I could win one. I led from the start and probably should have pushed the pace more in between the hills. But I was worried about running out of gas, so I was content just to ride with Brian between the hills. I topped all the hills first and then gave it my all on the last climb. I finally was able to hold him off as we were both crunching gears trying to find the right cog. I stopped a bit short of the finish (the parking lot), thinking he was sitting up, but it was nice way to end the workout.
I held my own today and I'm mighty proud of that. I've got plenty of work to do as the season progresses, but knowing that I'll have someone of Brian's caliber to ride after on Wednesday mornings is really great. With my goal for the end of the season being the Tour de Toona, who better to train with than the returning Cat. 2 champ?
We rolled back to the Java Shack going past Marymount and down the full length of Military Rd. I chatted briefly with Kevin Gottlieb. I'd expected him to be a factor today after his showing at camp, but he wasn't to be found on any of the intervals. He's only a HS frosh, and he was doing this today because he's on spring break. I think these short steep climbs expose his lack of physical maturity. But he's pretty tough when it comes to very long moderate climbs where you can get a rhythm and crank. Big things may come from this kid. He's got a great competitive spirit, so I know he wants to win.
After we made it to the Shack, I rolled over to Peter Nicoll's office to pick up my new HRM. It's absolutely sweet. I'm now a proud owner of a Polar S725. It will allow me to generate graphs of my HR, cadence, speed, and altitude over time. I can't wait to see what the hill workout looks like next week when I've got everything set up. This will also allow me to pass down my CatEye computer to Jess.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
I've slowly been searching for my limits ever since I started bike racing and I've been consistently amazed at the things I've been able to do on a bike that would never be possible running. After Saturday's epic ride, Sunday's hammerfest on the hills, and Monday's thirty miles of tempo, I'm bushed. I definitely think that three days of severe punishment is where I start to crack. I was noticing it some already yesterday, but today it was obvious: my legs can't put out high end power right now. I simply can't turn as big a gear as I usually can. I am, however, totally fine cardiovasular-wise. My breathing isn't strained, my legs are just wiped.
I stopped just past the Courthouse on my way out this morning to change into my thermal top. The temperature was hovering around 50, and it was a bit chilly. I switched out my gloves as well. From there on, the ride was a bit of a struggle, but I mainly tried not to resist the slow pace, but instead do some spinning and give the legs a rest. I stayed in the small ring and settled in. The ride, of course, took a while, and wasn't terribly enjoyable going as slow as I was. But hey, I saved a lot of gas and got the miles in.
Coming home, I had a hard time taking it easy, even though my legs were definitely tired. I played a game with myself in the false flat of the Powerhouse stretch by keeping the pace above 20 mph for the entirety. I had to work pretty hard to do that, but I was able to. I stormed through Arlington and got home in probably the quickest rolling time I can remember.
I stopped just past the Courthouse on my way out this morning to change into my thermal top. The temperature was hovering around 50, and it was a bit chilly. I switched out my gloves as well. From there on, the ride was a bit of a struggle, but I mainly tried not to resist the slow pace, but instead do some spinning and give the legs a rest. I stayed in the small ring and settled in. The ride, of course, took a while, and wasn't terribly enjoyable going as slow as I was. But hey, I saved a lot of gas and got the miles in.
Coming home, I had a hard time taking it easy, even though my legs were definitely tired. I played a game with myself in the false flat of the Powerhouse stretch by keeping the pace above 20 mph for the entirety. I had to work pretty hard to do that, but I was able to. I stormed through Arlington and got home in probably the quickest rolling time I can remember.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.6 / -- / 17.1 / 31.4 / 1368.3
23.62 / 1:12:16 / 19.6 / 33.1 / 1391.9
Monday, April 17, 2006
It was raining when I got up and it started pouring midway through my drive to work. I made a great call by not riding this morning as I would have been forced to pull over. I loaded my bike in the car with the intention of riding at lunch, but the rain didn't subside by then and I was left having to ride after work. That wasn't all bad as Will was able to join me then and we headed out towards Leesburg.
We rode for an hour and a half or so and the pace was quick. We rode mostly side-by-side without drafting and chatted about various upcoming races and such. Will wisely took yesterday off and I think his legs were a bit more rested than mine. But we plugged along nonetheless. The wind was about as calm as I can remember riding West on the W&OD that far out. The weather was just a bit cool--perfect for riding.
Will and I obviously have a tendency to ride fast when were together and today developed into a solid tempo ride. Will wanted some hard efforts and I think we accomplished that by our pace. I'll be looking for a rest the rest of the week--with the exception being Wednesday's hill ride. I race on Sunday, and I'll probably need that extra day.
We rode for an hour and a half or so and the pace was quick. We rode mostly side-by-side without drafting and chatted about various upcoming races and such. Will wisely took yesterday off and I think his legs were a bit more rested than mine. But we plugged along nonetheless. The wind was about as calm as I can remember riding West on the W&OD that far out. The weather was just a bit cool--perfect for riding.
Will and I obviously have a tendency to ride fast when were together and today developed into a solid tempo ride. Will wanted some hard efforts and I think we accomplished that by our pace. I'll be looking for a rest the rest of the week--with the exception being Wednesday's hill ride. I race on Sunday, and I'll probably need that extra day.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
28.63 / 1:29:30 / 19.8 / 32.1 / 1344.4
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Happy Easter! With all the Dogwood's going nuts last week, this was one heckuva beautiful day. After chowing down on lunch, I was feeling really sleepy and in need of a nap. I usually take a nap on Sunday afternoon, but I'm rarely so woozy. I laid down on the couch listening to the Sox game and rested for about 45 mintues. After that, I was time to ride.
I met George Milinkovic and Jon Woodward (?) at Bicycle Pro Shop in Georgetown at 4p. They both work there and so I waited around inside the shop while everyone closed things up for the day. We eventually go things rolling and headed out in to Montgomery County via Canal Rd. and Clara Barton Parkway. From there it was basically the Sunday group ride done backwards.
I think George, not unlike myself, can be prone to pushing the pace in a group. And from the gun, we were riding at about 25 mph in a tight paceline of three. My legs were feeling a bit sluggish at first, but after a few turns on the front, they loosened up and I was feeling strong. Resting behind the other two gave plenty of respite and the pace felt wonderful.
We made our way onto River Rd. and as soon as we hit the hill up to Great Falls, I lit 'em up. No one I've ridden with seems to hit the bottom of a hill hard enough and I constantly find myself hammering past and then settling in. I can't stand to slow up and waste such valuable momentum at the foot of a long climb. Being on the third wheel at the base, I moved by and the gap only got larger. I pushed the pace all the way to the top for a nice hard effort. I waited for the guys at the top.
After that, I think George wanted to prove himself a bit so Jon and I took to covering a few of his random surges. We never really got back into the nicely drilled paceline that we'd had along the river but instead rode up the hills at a good clip and never relaxed much--that is unless George had to answer his cell or take a leak!
My legs continued to feel incredibly strong and I floated up most hills and turned the big ring up some. With such smooth roads out in Montgomery County, it makes for excellent riding. The weather in the late afternoon was equally as good.
About the time we started to head back into the district, George and John dropped back on a few hills and since we weren't all ending together I just kept on rolling. I hammered one hill absolutely full throttle and blew by another rider as fast as I could. On a long, but not so steep descent, I was turning 53X12 as hard as I could and hit 42 mph. I continued down Massachusetts Ave. and past all the embassies and into Dupont Circle. I rode out along New Hampshire and eventually made my way onto M Street and back through Georgetown. I crossed at Key Bridge and rode the Custis Trail home for a cooldown.
My legs today were surprisingly strong. I continue to be amazed at the amount of energy I can expend without losing significant strength. Yesterday allowed me to work on endurance and sustained power and today gave me more of the same with some excellent hillwork to boot. This was a great way to end an epic weekend of riding.
I registered tonight for the Poolesville Road Race on May 6th. It's contested on a ten mile loop of which one mile is a gravel road. It's the closest thing around to Paris-Roubaix for us and I'm really excited. I'm more excited by the fact that it will be my MABRA debut as a Cat. 4 racer. I will be contesting the Cat. 3/4 race and the competition should be the stiffest I've faced to date. It will be greater challenge to keep my streak of four straight podium finishes alive.
I met George Milinkovic and Jon Woodward (?) at Bicycle Pro Shop in Georgetown at 4p. They both work there and so I waited around inside the shop while everyone closed things up for the day. We eventually go things rolling and headed out in to Montgomery County via Canal Rd. and Clara Barton Parkway. From there it was basically the Sunday group ride done backwards.
I think George, not unlike myself, can be prone to pushing the pace in a group. And from the gun, we were riding at about 25 mph in a tight paceline of three. My legs were feeling a bit sluggish at first, but after a few turns on the front, they loosened up and I was feeling strong. Resting behind the other two gave plenty of respite and the pace felt wonderful.
We made our way onto River Rd. and as soon as we hit the hill up to Great Falls, I lit 'em up. No one I've ridden with seems to hit the bottom of a hill hard enough and I constantly find myself hammering past and then settling in. I can't stand to slow up and waste such valuable momentum at the foot of a long climb. Being on the third wheel at the base, I moved by and the gap only got larger. I pushed the pace all the way to the top for a nice hard effort. I waited for the guys at the top.
After that, I think George wanted to prove himself a bit so Jon and I took to covering a few of his random surges. We never really got back into the nicely drilled paceline that we'd had along the river but instead rode up the hills at a good clip and never relaxed much--that is unless George had to answer his cell or take a leak!
My legs continued to feel incredibly strong and I floated up most hills and turned the big ring up some. With such smooth roads out in Montgomery County, it makes for excellent riding. The weather in the late afternoon was equally as good.
About the time we started to head back into the district, George and John dropped back on a few hills and since we weren't all ending together I just kept on rolling. I hammered one hill absolutely full throttle and blew by another rider as fast as I could. On a long, but not so steep descent, I was turning 53X12 as hard as I could and hit 42 mph. I continued down Massachusetts Ave. and past all the embassies and into Dupont Circle. I rode out along New Hampshire and eventually made my way onto M Street and back through Georgetown. I crossed at Key Bridge and rode the Custis Trail home for a cooldown.
My legs today were surprisingly strong. I continue to be amazed at the amount of energy I can expend without losing significant strength. Yesterday allowed me to work on endurance and sustained power and today gave me more of the same with some excellent hillwork to boot. This was a great way to end an epic weekend of riding.
I registered tonight for the Poolesville Road Race on May 6th. It's contested on a ten mile loop of which one mile is a gravel road. It's the closest thing around to Paris-Roubaix for us and I'm really excited. I'm more excited by the fact that it will be my MABRA debut as a Cat. 4 racer. I will be contesting the Cat. 3/4 race and the competition should be the stiffest I've faced to date. It will be greater challenge to keep my streak of four straight podium finishes alive.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
44.98 / 2:16:06 / 19.8 / 42.1 / 1315.3
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Will and I agreed to try something we'd both wanted to do for a while: ride the entirety of the W&OD out and back in a ride. He's the only one I know who would be up for such an adventure and I'm lucky to have him around. I knew we'd both be up to the task to make this not only a fun ride, but a training ride--far from a touring pace.
We left my apartment and rode past Arlington Cemetery and onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. From there it was a backwards Muffin Ride to Shirlington and the start of the W&OD. We tallied 8.5 miles before starting the trail. I was feeling very strong, but also a bit concerned with the heat. Temperatures were in the eighties and we left at midday. Luckily, things in this area haven't had a chance to get humid yet and so the heat was bearable.
We started at mile 0.0 and headed West not really pushing the pace much in the early going. We met Dana a few miles down as he was to meet us and ride at least a portion of the trail. He joined in the pacemaking and we gradually started to get respectable. The trail was extremely crowded in Arlington, but once we made it to Falls Church, things thinned out plenty to where we could move.
We never really got things going in a strict paceline, but we did pull things together in the Powerhouse stretch (Vienna Depot to Hunter Mill Rd.). Will told me later he was worried we were going to try and hold that pace for the duration. I just wanted to ramp it up and have some fun for a bit. Dana turned around at the turnoff for Performance in Reston and that left Will and I on our own.
When we reached Will's apartment, which is just off the trail next to Orbital, we stopped to refill our bottles and I ate a Powerbar to keep fueled. We were back on the trail shortly thereafter and got right back into our strong pace. The wind wasn't terribly strong, but it was in our face all the way out and the inclines don't favor those going West. As we passed through Leesburg, I was starting to feel a little bit of the effort. I was nowhere near worried about finishing, but more that we'd have to actually slow down and start thinking more about pacing ourselves.
I enjoyed seeing the land past Leesburg for the first time. It's nearly all rural and it's probably the most beautiful section of the trail. By the time we reached Purcellville, I think we were both a bit tired and ready for a break. My feet were hurting more than anything else and I was desperate to take off my shoes and have a seat. I did that and we looked around Trails End Cyclery for a bit. I introduced Will to the cyclocross bike as I start my campaign to get him out racing in the fall. I also watched a bit of a TDF DVD they had playing in the store and chatted it up with one of the young riders who works there.
Once we got going again, I knew we'd be going well. The slight downhills and a touch of tailwind gave us the boost we needed to really crank. We started riding as a tight pair, alternating the lead well and keeping the pace high (25+mph). I was able to rest well each time and felt great when pulling. I was feeling so good that I wanted to keep going all the way to the end, but Will was starting to feel the miles a bit, and so we stopped at his place again to fill up and fuel.
When we left on the final leg of our journey, Will was a bit sluggish with accelerations and I knew he was tired. I was stunned that I felt great. As we passed 80 miles and then 90 miles, I was a strong as I could hope for. The pace never dropped--even when I took over the pacemaking for good. Leaving his place gave me confidence because I knew the rest of the trail would be on road that I know as well as any. I know exactly how to ride the W&OD there.
We were both thrilled to finish the W&OD and we took a moment to savor our success. Then we had to get moving as I was supposed to be at a dinner at 7p. That's when Will started to crack a bit. I was easily pulling away from him as I tried to get us home as quick as possible. But I didn't want to finish without him and so we chilled out and took our time. We arrived home as conquering heroes, with 107 miles under our legs. My longest ride before this had been the 85 mile "Epic" ride at camp. That was over far more difficult terrain, but it's hard to beat this kind of volume.
We left my apartment and rode past Arlington Cemetery and onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. From there it was a backwards Muffin Ride to Shirlington and the start of the W&OD. We tallied 8.5 miles before starting the trail. I was feeling very strong, but also a bit concerned with the heat. Temperatures were in the eighties and we left at midday. Luckily, things in this area haven't had a chance to get humid yet and so the heat was bearable.
We started at mile 0.0 and headed West not really pushing the pace much in the early going. We met Dana a few miles down as he was to meet us and ride at least a portion of the trail. He joined in the pacemaking and we gradually started to get respectable. The trail was extremely crowded in Arlington, but once we made it to Falls Church, things thinned out plenty to where we could move.
We never really got things going in a strict paceline, but we did pull things together in the Powerhouse stretch (Vienna Depot to Hunter Mill Rd.). Will told me later he was worried we were going to try and hold that pace for the duration. I just wanted to ramp it up and have some fun for a bit. Dana turned around at the turnoff for Performance in Reston and that left Will and I on our own.
When we reached Will's apartment, which is just off the trail next to Orbital, we stopped to refill our bottles and I ate a Powerbar to keep fueled. We were back on the trail shortly thereafter and got right back into our strong pace. The wind wasn't terribly strong, but it was in our face all the way out and the inclines don't favor those going West. As we passed through Leesburg, I was starting to feel a little bit of the effort. I was nowhere near worried about finishing, but more that we'd have to actually slow down and start thinking more about pacing ourselves.
I enjoyed seeing the land past Leesburg for the first time. It's nearly all rural and it's probably the most beautiful section of the trail. By the time we reached Purcellville, I think we were both a bit tired and ready for a break. My feet were hurting more than anything else and I was desperate to take off my shoes and have a seat. I did that and we looked around Trails End Cyclery for a bit. I introduced Will to the cyclocross bike as I start my campaign to get him out racing in the fall. I also watched a bit of a TDF DVD they had playing in the store and chatted it up with one of the young riders who works there.
Once we got going again, I knew we'd be going well. The slight downhills and a touch of tailwind gave us the boost we needed to really crank. We started riding as a tight pair, alternating the lead well and keeping the pace high (25+mph). I was able to rest well each time and felt great when pulling. I was feeling so good that I wanted to keep going all the way to the end, but Will was starting to feel the miles a bit, and so we stopped at his place again to fill up and fuel.
When we left on the final leg of our journey, Will was a bit sluggish with accelerations and I knew he was tired. I was stunned that I felt great. As we passed 80 miles and then 90 miles, I was a strong as I could hope for. The pace never dropped--even when I took over the pacemaking for good. Leaving his place gave me confidence because I knew the rest of the trail would be on road that I know as well as any. I know exactly how to ride the W&OD there.
We were both thrilled to finish the W&OD and we took a moment to savor our success. Then we had to get moving as I was supposed to be at a dinner at 7p. That's when Will started to crack a bit. I was easily pulling away from him as I tried to get us home as quick as possible. But I didn't want to finish without him and so we chilled out and took our time. We arrived home as conquering heroes, with 107 miles under our legs. My longest ride before this had been the 85 mile "Epic" ride at camp. That was over far more difficult terrain, but it's hard to beat this kind of volume.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
107.17 / 5:36:01 / 19.1 / 36.1 / 1270.3
Friday, April 14, 2006
After such a long day yesterday, the weekly Friday ride was just what the doctor ordered. We had a large crowd out for this one, including Bernard, fresh off his broken tailbone from Tyson's. James Bellora made his first Friday appearance since I've been in blue and we chatted a bit about Poolesville. Scott Thompson's son Jake joined us along with Metro, Fristik and the usuals at the W&OD. That split the group just a tiny bit and I was up front with a few guys. I probably enjoy the Friday ride more than any other ride and this was no exception. There's just something about a relaxing early morning spin with a good group of guys that's hard to beat.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
17.55 / 1:08:49 / 15.3 / 28.9 / 1162.4
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The ride in this morning wasn't all that memorable with the exception of the wet conditions on the roads. There wasn't any rain to contend with, but the paths were damp and so was the air. I got to work just fine.
The afternoon ride was really where the effort came. I decided to ride with OrbVelo out to Leesburg and back. OrbVelo is the club we have at work for guys geeked up about riding bikes. We had three new guys, myself and Thor. The pace was nice and easy all the way out to Leesburg and on the way back Thor and I did all the pulling. It was a great way to sneak in an extra twenty miles before my evening commute.
On the way home, I rode alongside a Potomac Velo rider heading to Herndon for the big group ride. When we got to Herndon, I was amazed at the turnout. There were upwards of a hundred riders in the parking lot there. I stopped briefly to chat with Bill Gros and Dana. Judd and Melanie were there too. It was pretty great to see that many folks out for a group ride. I really wanted to stick around and add even more miles, but I needed to get home. It's a shame that I'm moving my violin lessons to Thursday next week for a month, otherwise I could easily make this ride.
I was in need of some food and drink, so I pulled into the gas station near Performance on the trail and got a Snickers and Powerbar. I woofed down the Snickers and snacked on the Powerbar along the way. I couldn't resist bumping up the pace a tad bit on the way home. The weather was gorgeous and I was feeling strong--though I started to feel the effects of a 66 mile day in my legs.
The afternoon ride was really where the effort came. I decided to ride with OrbVelo out to Leesburg and back. OrbVelo is the club we have at work for guys geeked up about riding bikes. We had three new guys, myself and Thor. The pace was nice and easy all the way out to Leesburg and on the way back Thor and I did all the pulling. It was a great way to sneak in an extra twenty miles before my evening commute.
On the way home, I rode alongside a Potomac Velo rider heading to Herndon for the big group ride. When we got to Herndon, I was amazed at the turnout. There were upwards of a hundred riders in the parking lot there. I stopped briefly to chat with Bill Gros and Dana. Judd and Melanie were there too. It was pretty great to see that many folks out for a group ride. I really wanted to stick around and add even more miles, but I needed to get home. It's a shame that I'm moving my violin lessons to Thursday next week for a month, otherwise I could easily make this ride.
I was in need of some food and drink, so I pulled into the gas station near Performance on the trail and got a Snickers and Powerbar. I woofed down the Snickers and snacked on the Powerbar along the way. I couldn't resist bumping up the pace a tad bit on the way home. The weather was gorgeous and I was feeling strong--though I started to feel the effects of a 66 mile day in my legs.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.6 / 1:20:24 / 17.6 / 28.5 / 1100.4
42.84 / 2:17:45 / 18.6 / 32.5 / 1144.3
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
What a day of training I had! I made it to the Java Shack at 6:30 and was pleasantly surprised to see the turnout for the hill ride. Tomas, Scott, Chris Marrow, Dana, and Matt Donahue of CityBikes showed up. This wasn't going to be anything like last week. We were gonna crank. I was very excited. I haven't had a chance to ride hills hard since camp and I've been missing that feeling of leaving guys suffering behind me.
Tomas led us to the hills of Arlington and we rode mostly down Military Rd. and I took off going downhill. Well, I didn't know they'd changed the route and I missed my second turn of the day. We eventually hung a left on 31st and rode to Marymount. I was feeling strong from the start and Tomas was putting up a good fight. I pulled away near the end and we found Joe Metro circling in the parking lot.
From there, we rode down Glebe Rd. to take the right on Old Glebe. We rode down Military and took the right we were taking last week--on 35th. We rode a couple intervals from this starting point: one going on Vermont past the golf course and onto Rock Spring, the other taking Woodrow to 32nd. I took both intervals by a good margin and felt good doing it. The final hill going past the golf course is wall. I feel like I need a ladder every time I try to climb that one.
My stomach was acting funny for a while. It was probably just objecting to working so hard this early in the morning. But it settled down and didn't cause me any trouble.
On the final interval, we were supposed to hang a right on 31st, but I was leading and missed the turn. I looked back and saw Dana and assumed I had it right, but then I realized he was the only one following me. We got turned around and road the correct interval to get back with the group.
We rode back down 31st to Military and back to the Java Shack to finish off the ride. It ended up being exactly 20 miles. The effort was great. My legs were really feeling it and I definitely got in a great workout. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't challenged on the hills. After putting up a fight early, Tomas was behind me for the duration. I'm not sure if he was holding back or not, but he, Steve Robinson, and Kevin Gottlieb have been the only ones to push me on a climb so far.
After fighting traffic to get home from work, I finally got put on my riding gear again and headed down to Hains Point. Hains is kind of the Mecca of cycling in DC. It's like the playground of sprinters--the closest thing to "pick-up" endurance sports you're can find. Basically I can show up and ride my butt off. It's great fun.
I rode a lap around the point looking for guys. I eventually came across Mark Skubis who was just doing LSD. I hammered onward to find more riders, but eventually decided to stop and wait. That was a smart decision because the big pack rode up just after I pulled over. I hopped on and tried to figure things out.
At first I wasn't sure if I'd stumbled on a team doing some sort of workout, but it was eventually clear that nothing special was going on--just pacelines with sprints. The wind was blowing hard to the West, so everytime we'd sprint to a street sign going away from the point. We were hitting 37 mph easily with the wind at our backs.
I finished between 2nd and 5th or so on each sprint and I probably did four of them. Dave Osborne, a sprinter with Artemis, was winning most of the sprints. He's one of the best and it was great to see him in action. Maybe next time I'll try to hold his wheel? This all felt about the way it felt riding in the 3/4/5 race at Tradezone. Things are a lot different going that fast. It left me tired and ready to get off the bike for a bit.
I left around 7:30 and rode home with Kosta. The wind was still up pretty high and I'm surprised that the rain held off until we got home. My legs were toast and boy did it feel good. I got in hills in the morning and sprints in the afternoon. What more could I ask for?
Tomas led us to the hills of Arlington and we rode mostly down Military Rd. and I took off going downhill. Well, I didn't know they'd changed the route and I missed my second turn of the day. We eventually hung a left on 31st and rode to Marymount. I was feeling strong from the start and Tomas was putting up a good fight. I pulled away near the end and we found Joe Metro circling in the parking lot.
From there, we rode down Glebe Rd. to take the right on Old Glebe. We rode down Military and took the right we were taking last week--on 35th. We rode a couple intervals from this starting point: one going on Vermont past the golf course and onto Rock Spring, the other taking Woodrow to 32nd. I took both intervals by a good margin and felt good doing it. The final hill going past the golf course is wall. I feel like I need a ladder every time I try to climb that one.
My stomach was acting funny for a while. It was probably just objecting to working so hard this early in the morning. But it settled down and didn't cause me any trouble.
On the final interval, we were supposed to hang a right on 31st, but I was leading and missed the turn. I looked back and saw Dana and assumed I had it right, but then I realized he was the only one following me. We got turned around and road the correct interval to get back with the group.
We rode back down 31st to Military and back to the Java Shack to finish off the ride. It ended up being exactly 20 miles. The effort was great. My legs were really feeling it and I definitely got in a great workout. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't challenged on the hills. After putting up a fight early, Tomas was behind me for the duration. I'm not sure if he was holding back or not, but he, Steve Robinson, and Kevin Gottlieb have been the only ones to push me on a climb so far.
After fighting traffic to get home from work, I finally got put on my riding gear again and headed down to Hains Point. Hains is kind of the Mecca of cycling in DC. It's like the playground of sprinters--the closest thing to "pick-up" endurance sports you're can find. Basically I can show up and ride my butt off. It's great fun.
I rode a lap around the point looking for guys. I eventually came across Mark Skubis who was just doing LSD. I hammered onward to find more riders, but eventually decided to stop and wait. That was a smart decision because the big pack rode up just after I pulled over. I hopped on and tried to figure things out.
At first I wasn't sure if I'd stumbled on a team doing some sort of workout, but it was eventually clear that nothing special was going on--just pacelines with sprints. The wind was blowing hard to the West, so everytime we'd sprint to a street sign going away from the point. We were hitting 37 mph easily with the wind at our backs.
I finished between 2nd and 5th or so on each sprint and I probably did four of them. Dave Osborne, a sprinter with Artemis, was winning most of the sprints. He's one of the best and it was great to see him in action. Maybe next time I'll try to hold his wheel? This all felt about the way it felt riding in the 3/4/5 race at Tradezone. Things are a lot different going that fast. It left me tired and ready to get off the bike for a bit.
I left around 7:30 and rode home with Kosta. The wind was still up pretty high and I'm surprised that the rain held off until we got home. My legs were toast and boy did it feel good. I got in hills in the morning and sprints in the afternoon. What more could I ask for?
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
20.62 / 1:12:42 / 17.0 / 38.5 / 1050.1
26.51 / 1:18:41 / 20.2 / 38.5 / 1076.6
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
I missed posting this one for who knows what reason, but today was an eventful day both on the ride to work and the ride home. I started my second day of commuting off nicely and was feeling good passing a few folks along the trail. But disaster struck when I started to descend down the hill at 66. My chain dropped off and I gently tried to flick it back on with the derailleur. It didn't want to go and I tried several times to no avail. Well, when I stopped, I was horrified to see that my derailleur was bent and my chain as well! The derailleur wasn't hurt badly, but the chain was ruined.
The Shimano 10-spd. Dura Ace chain was twisted at a link. This meant that all the links came in at one angle and after the twisted link, they all left at a different angle. It was twisted so badly that pedaling backwards, the chain would shift up and then fall back. I tried bending the chain back into line with the limited tools I had, and even found a guy riding along that had a pair of pliers. Even with those, I couldn't get it fixed enough to really work properly.
As early as it was, no shops were open and so I had to limp to work. Unfortunately, I was under halfway and so I had to ride about 13 miles with this horrendous problem. I was able to ride decently, but applying any real pressure made the chain skip. I was actually forced to walk the bike up the steep litte hill just before reaching the toll road. I did make it in to work, but this really sucked all the fun out of riding today.
I was able to get a new chain at Performance during lunch. The mechanic installed the Ultegra 10-spd. chain and tweaked the derailleur for me. That was enough to get me running again, and I had no issues with the chain or derailleur on the way home.
When I got to Arlington this evening, I took the Custis Trail and then exited on to N. George Mason Drive. I headed North to the hospital to get my stitches taken out. At first it appeared there would be a very long wait, but when one of the nurses recognized me in my biking gear, they put me right through and took the stitches out. I really can't say enough about the staff there. They were terrific. I'm so happy to have had them handling my accident. Everything is healing up nicely.
I finished the ride home going back to the Custis Trail and taking that as I usually would. I was very nervous about riding on N. George Mason. It's a road with cars going quite fast and with no shoulder at all. Riding to and from the hospital on that road gave me chills. But I played things safe and made it home in one piece.
The Shimano 10-spd. Dura Ace chain was twisted at a link. This meant that all the links came in at one angle and after the twisted link, they all left at a different angle. It was twisted so badly that pedaling backwards, the chain would shift up and then fall back. I tried bending the chain back into line with the limited tools I had, and even found a guy riding along that had a pair of pliers. Even with those, I couldn't get it fixed enough to really work properly.
As early as it was, no shops were open and so I had to limp to work. Unfortunately, I was under halfway and so I had to ride about 13 miles with this horrendous problem. I was able to ride decently, but applying any real pressure made the chain skip. I was actually forced to walk the bike up the steep litte hill just before reaching the toll road. I did make it in to work, but this really sucked all the fun out of riding today.
I was able to get a new chain at Performance during lunch. The mechanic installed the Ultegra 10-spd. chain and tweaked the derailleur for me. That was enough to get me running again, and I had no issues with the chain or derailleur on the way home.
When I got to Arlington this evening, I took the Custis Trail and then exited on to N. George Mason Drive. I headed North to the hospital to get my stitches taken out. At first it appeared there would be a very long wait, but when one of the nurses recognized me in my biking gear, they put me right through and took the stitches out. I really can't say enough about the staff there. They were terrific. I'm so happy to have had them handling my accident. Everything is healing up nicely.
I finished the ride home going back to the Custis Trail and taking that as I usually would. I was very nervous about riding on N. George Mason. It's a road with cars going quite fast and with no shoulder at all. Riding to and from the hospital on that road gave me chills. But I played things safe and made it home in one piece.
Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.3, usual commute, slow with chain failure
~26 miles at 17.2 avg
Monday, April 10, 2006
I was back on the bike today, commuting to work for the first time since the crash on Thursday. The rides both ways were without incident, although I think I notice potential close calls more than I ever did before.
I'm healing up like a champ. With the exception of the area around my left eye, everything is nearly back to normal. The scabs fell off today and the black eye is subsiding some. I feel great.
I'm healing up like a champ. With the exception of the area around my left eye, everything is nearly back to normal. The scabs fell off today and the black eye is subsiding some. I feel great.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
I spent the entire weekend off the bike and mostly just relaxed and tried to rest up from the crash. I felt achy and weak both days and I probably needed a few days rest anyway. Sunday, Jess and I went to Baltimore and saw the Sox win 4-1. When we got home, I enjoyed Paris-Roubaix on OLN. Hincapie crashed, Boonen was isolated, PVP, Hoste, and Gussev were DQ'ed, and Cancellara took it. Very exciting stuff. I can't wait to make it over to France/Belgium to ride on some cobbles like that.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Word on the street from Pat is that there is a cross-walk on the side where I was hit. That being the case, the accident yesterday was not totally my fault. VA law gives cyclists the rights of pedestrians when in the cross-walk. In any case, it was a regrettable accident that I never hope to repeat. It could have been easily avoided if both parties had used better judgement.
Rarely has it been this hard to get up and get on the road. I'm very sore from yesterday's accident and I spent most of the night in and out of sleep. I feel as though I have a cold. My body is weak and tired and I ache all over. Each time I woke up last night, I was covered in sweat. I'd then proceed to freeze and start the cycle over again.
I did manage to get dressed and get out the door by 6:30. It was raining lightly and had I not been so determined to get back on the horse today, I probably would have slept in. But I met Jim at the Java Shack and picked up Reed just after the spiral hill on the Custis Trail. That was the crew. No one else showed up.
I had the good idea of putting on my rear fender before leaving and that saved me from getting soaked to the bone. Instead, I stayed mostly dry with the exception of my feet. I felt good as long as I didn't stand to pedal hard. My left ankle makes that a challenge right now. I feel as though one can get away with a lot more pain riding a bike than he can running. So I powered on.
Jim pedaled away at Key Bridge and I left Reed once we got to Wilson. Today was a good ride to get back on the bike and I'm glad I had a couple guys to keep me from focusing on my aches and pains. Had they not shown, I'd vowed to ride the loop anyway, and had it not been raining, I may have given the commute another try. But I think I can wait till tomorrow before I start doing any longer mileage. Hopefully the weather will be good and I can enjoy a safe and fast team ride.
I did manage to get dressed and get out the door by 6:30. It was raining lightly and had I not been so determined to get back on the horse today, I probably would have slept in. But I met Jim at the Java Shack and picked up Reed just after the spiral hill on the Custis Trail. That was the crew. No one else showed up.
I had the good idea of putting on my rear fender before leaving and that saved me from getting soaked to the bone. Instead, I stayed mostly dry with the exception of my feet. I felt good as long as I didn't stand to pedal hard. My left ankle makes that a challenge right now. I feel as though one can get away with a lot more pain riding a bike than he can running. So I powered on.
Jim pedaled away at Key Bridge and I left Reed once we got to Wilson. Today was a good ride to get back on the bike and I'm glad I had a couple guys to keep me from focusing on my aches and pains. Had they not shown, I'd vowed to ride the loop anyway, and had it not been raining, I may have given the commute another try. But I think I can wait till tomorrow before I start doing any longer mileage. Hopefully the weather will be good and I can enjoy a safe and fast team ride.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Today was a day I'd rather forget than record here, but I will anyway. I left a bit late this morning wearing leg warmers and my thermal top. I was five miles into my commute when disaster struck.
I was crossing Sycamore street right at the East Falls Church Metro when I was hit by a Honda CR-V. All lights were red going along Sycamore and so I looked both ways and deemed it ok to proceed across. Well, I looked both ways, but only saw the driver moving across the street to turn left onto Sycamore. Apparently he had a green light in his turn lane. He was coming slow and I realized he didn't see me. But by the time I realized he was going to hit me, I was stuck. The median was blocking my escape on the right and in the blink of an eye, I was on the ground.
I was hit directly on my left side and my head smacked the ground. At first I thought the driver was leaving the scene, but he only pulled around me to get out of the road. I'm not sure why he needed to do this, but he eventually got out. A lady had stopped her car and asked, "Are you ok?" I told her, "No. Please call someone." So I assumed she called 911 and she handed me some paper towels to sop up the blood that was pouring out of my head. I was bleeding, as they say, "Like a stuck pig."
The big three of police, fire, and EMS showed up very quickly and checked me out. All were wonderful. They loaded me into the ambulance and we took the short drive over to the Virginia Hospital Center on N. George Mason Dr. They wheeled me into Exam 5 and a nurse attended to my wounds. She cleaned me up after I changed out of my bike shorts and jersey and then waited on the doctor to sew me up.
I drew Yorke Allen III, MD. I now found out that's he's Chief of Emergency Medicine, but I knew I was in good hands just by the way he handled himself. He was experienced, kind, and very skilled. He put several stitches under the skin since I'd gone to the bone. And then he did a masterful twelve stitch job on the skin. I must say that the stitching really is impressive. It looks like a sewing machine. The worst part was getting the area numbed. After that and the tetanus shot, it was a piece of cake.
I have some road rash on my face, left forearm, knee, and shoulder. My ankle feels like it's turned and my left hip is sore. But really, I was lucky and came out much better than I might have expected. I will be sore but healthy. The stitches come out on Tuesday, but it will be six months or so until the scar starts to look different.
We were just about to leave, when Jess started feeling a bit upset and took a stumble. We got her something to eat and drink and waited for her BP to rise and eventually we were both able to get home and take a rest. Needless to say, we were both in need of some rest. She's doing fine and left for Pittsburgh on business after she woke up.
The most amazing thing of all was how my bike faired. There isn't a scratch anywhere on the frame! Just bizarre. I guess I took the brunt of the force because the only thing wrong with the bike was that my brakes had shifted a bit and my real wheel needed a spoke tightened to put it back in true. My luck here was fantastic. The guys at work were joking that I'd be more worried about the Javelin than anything else. And once I was ok, they were right. But it looks like I'll be able to make it out for the Muffin Ride tomorrow if my ankle cooperates.
The weather was so beautiful this afternoon that it was hard to head to work instead of going out for a ride. But I managed to get in four hours of work and then call it a night. On a positive note, I got my upgrade to Category 4 today pending that I race at Carl Dolan. The paperwork is in the mail and I'm excited to finally move up. I'll open up my Cat. 4 schedule at the Tour de Moore, on home turf in Southern Pines, NC on April 29th.
My prayers are with Credit Agricole rider, American Saul Raisin. He is in far worse shape than I.
I was crossing Sycamore street right at the East Falls Church Metro when I was hit by a Honda CR-V. All lights were red going along Sycamore and so I looked both ways and deemed it ok to proceed across. Well, I looked both ways, but only saw the driver moving across the street to turn left onto Sycamore. Apparently he had a green light in his turn lane. He was coming slow and I realized he didn't see me. But by the time I realized he was going to hit me, I was stuck. The median was blocking my escape on the right and in the blink of an eye, I was on the ground.
I was hit directly on my left side and my head smacked the ground. At first I thought the driver was leaving the scene, but he only pulled around me to get out of the road. I'm not sure why he needed to do this, but he eventually got out. A lady had stopped her car and asked, "Are you ok?" I told her, "No. Please call someone." So I assumed she called 911 and she handed me some paper towels to sop up the blood that was pouring out of my head. I was bleeding, as they say, "Like a stuck pig."
The big three of police, fire, and EMS showed up very quickly and checked me out. All were wonderful. They loaded me into the ambulance and we took the short drive over to the Virginia Hospital Center on N. George Mason Dr. They wheeled me into Exam 5 and a nurse attended to my wounds. She cleaned me up after I changed out of my bike shorts and jersey and then waited on the doctor to sew me up.
I drew Yorke Allen III, MD. I now found out that's he's Chief of Emergency Medicine, but I knew I was in good hands just by the way he handled himself. He was experienced, kind, and very skilled. He put several stitches under the skin since I'd gone to the bone. And then he did a masterful twelve stitch job on the skin. I must say that the stitching really is impressive. It looks like a sewing machine. The worst part was getting the area numbed. After that and the tetanus shot, it was a piece of cake.
I have some road rash on my face, left forearm, knee, and shoulder. My ankle feels like it's turned and my left hip is sore. But really, I was lucky and came out much better than I might have expected. I will be sore but healthy. The stitches come out on Tuesday, but it will be six months or so until the scar starts to look different.
We were just about to leave, when Jess started feeling a bit upset and took a stumble. We got her something to eat and drink and waited for her BP to rise and eventually we were both able to get home and take a rest. Needless to say, we were both in need of some rest. She's doing fine and left for Pittsburgh on business after she woke up.
The most amazing thing of all was how my bike faired. There isn't a scratch anywhere on the frame! Just bizarre. I guess I took the brunt of the force because the only thing wrong with the bike was that my brakes had shifted a bit and my real wheel needed a spoke tightened to put it back in true. My luck here was fantastic. The guys at work were joking that I'd be more worried about the Javelin than anything else. And once I was ok, they were right. But it looks like I'll be able to make it out for the Muffin Ride tomorrow if my ankle cooperates.
The weather was so beautiful this afternoon that it was hard to head to work instead of going out for a ride. But I managed to get in four hours of work and then call it a night. On a positive note, I got my upgrade to Category 4 today pending that I race at Carl Dolan. The paperwork is in the mail and I'm excited to finally move up. I'll open up my Cat. 4 schedule at the Tour de Moore, on home turf in Southern Pines, NC on April 29th.
My prayers are with Credit Agricole rider, American Saul Raisin. He is in far worse shape than I.
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