Not much happening. The body talked and I listened. I am happy though, I have a massage tomorrow morning, hopefully that will make the legs happy. Did the normal hour and a bit of stretching which did feel better tonight.
Thats about it.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I QUIT!!!!!! Just till the weekend
Yep I'm staying off the biketill the weekend. It was really dumb to to the Time Trials last night. I know it but I didn't fully listen to my body. I went for an hour recovery ride then spent an hour stretching and the hamstrings are pissed off at me. I'm going to spend the next couple days stretching things out and if things are even questionable I may take part of the weekend off or shorten up the ride. I am not concerned about a few extra rest days. I'm not going to go from peak shape to fat in 4 days. I think I will still be able to get up the hills!!!
Recovery is as important as actual training. Your body heals and gets stronger in this time. Also your body will tell you when to push and when not to. My body said get the #&!$ off the bike. I'm now listening.
With all that said my tip of the day. Mountain bike tubes suck!!!!! Go tubeless. Now to step it up one. Stan's notube sealant is the next thing to add to your need to use race gear. Put a bottle of this in your tires and you will never ever flat again. Ok let me rephrase that. If you slice your tire open a couple inchs a tube isn't going to save you either. The sealant will seal up almost any other type of punture instantly. This eliminates carrying the extra weight of a tube, pump and irons. It also will save you a few mintues and lots of frustration during your race.
Recovery is as important as actual training. Your body heals and gets stronger in this time. Also your body will tell you when to push and when not to. My body said get the #&!$ off the bike. I'm now listening.
With all that said my tip of the day. Mountain bike tubes suck!!!!! Go tubeless. Now to step it up one. Stan's notube sealant is the next thing to add to your need to use race gear. Put a bottle of this in your tires and you will never ever flat again. Ok let me rephrase that. If you slice your tire open a couple inchs a tube isn't going to save you either. The sealant will seal up almost any other type of punture instantly. This eliminates carrying the extra weight of a tube, pump and irons. It also will save you a few mintues and lots of frustration during your race.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Kinda sorta not a good idea
Did time trials tonight. I think I should have taken the night off. The legs felt like crap, weak and tight, and even with the new setup on the TT bike I'm still not gaining any speed. Brien and I were chatting after the ride and he really doesnt think that a time trial bike has much advantage on this course because of the hills and I'm starting to think that he is right. Next week I'm going to bring the road bike just to try. I know that the legs felt crappy and my speed was pretty much the same as the last 3 weeks but I guess I'm just being a bit impatient. The bike did feel really good now. There was no strains anywhere but I just didn't have the pawer to go tonight. I guess that should be expected. I'm planning on taking tomorrow off and just do weights and yoga. Maybe a short recovery ride before that. The body needs to heal and recover to get stronger. Time Trialing is not what my focus is. I need to remember that, its just a training tool.
On a better note all my toys are now back at home. The race NRS is ready to roll and will have some hours put on it this weekend, The road bike is back and ready to play also. We are still waiting on the new carbon fork to come in. Thanks again Dave for getting my rides up and ready to roll so quickly.
On a better note all my toys are now back at home. The race NRS is ready to roll and will have some hours put on it this weekend, The road bike is back and ready to play also. We are still waiting on the new carbon fork to come in. Thanks again Dave for getting my rides up and ready to roll so quickly.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The last supper opps I meant day
Last day of holidays and it was put to use doing next to nothing. Dropped the race NRS1 off to Dave for a tune up and to clean up the freehub. That sand got everywhere. Did an hour of yoga and you should have hear the pops and cracks. It felt great nd the body is ready for more abuse.
Craig sent me the photos off his camera tonight and I really liked this one
For anyone who finshed ahead of us at Mansfield. Remember these 3 faces. If you back off or have a bad lap we will pass you like your standing still.
After my rest day its back to abuse tomorrow. Time Trials and now that the bike is setup lets see if the body is willing to put out.
Craig sent me the photos off his camera tonight and I really liked this one
For anyone who finshed ahead of us at Mansfield. Remember these 3 faces. If you back off or have a bad lap we will pass you like your standing still.
After my rest day its back to abuse tomorrow. Time Trials and now that the bike is setup lets see if the body is willing to put out.
The day after
A great quote from a song "Its the Sunday morning after and who the hell are you?" Ya I'm defintly tired. Sunday was pretty much a right off. I'm glad I took the Monday as my last day of holidays. Sunday was pretty mellow. I was up at 7, well sort off. Went back to bed and finally dragged my butt out of bed when I heard Craig call out "Ready for breakfast?" It was raining which actually put a smile on my face. When its crappy out I don't feel guilty about hiding on the couch. Ya well that changed quickly.
Craig was on his way home around 11. I loaded up the backup GIANT NRS on the car and drove, YES drove to the bike path for a recovery ride. Talk about pitiful but I just didn't feel like dealing with hills. Molly got her run in also. From there it was back to the couch. It did start raining again so I didnt mind. That was pretty much my day, sleep for a couple hours clean the race bike, sleep for a few more hours, update the site, sleep somemore. Do you see a pattern here?
I've been watching the scale to make sure the body weight is going back to normal. Its been steady eating all day. I had some bad cramps in the middle of the night Saturday, I've had it happen before after a race. The post race food has changed for me and its finding what can be absorbed easily. Besides that the body doesnt feel that bad considering. Today will be a full hour of yoga to pop things back in line.
We are now 1 month away from Chico Racing 24 Summer Solstice. This is defintly the race to be strong for. Rick and I are returning to this as a tag team with hopes of a podium position again. We were 3rd in 2005 and 6th in 2006 as a team. This is a race that we have a very strong chance of winning. I have to make sure I'm as strong as possible. My training will now focus on shorter harder rides to build power, More hill repeats and sprints but also more recovery time. This week will be pretty mellow though. I will be at the Time Trials tomorrow but not sure what type of effort I will put in.
I talked to Rick last night and he will be sending me a review of both the Anthem 1 and the TCR A1. He loves the bikes so I will get that up as soon as it comes in.
Craig was on his way home around 11. I loaded up the backup GIANT NRS on the car and drove, YES drove to the bike path for a recovery ride. Talk about pitiful but I just didn't feel like dealing with hills. Molly got her run in also. From there it was back to the couch. It did start raining again so I didnt mind. That was pretty much my day, sleep for a couple hours clean the race bike, sleep for a few more hours, update the site, sleep somemore. Do you see a pattern here?
I've been watching the scale to make sure the body weight is going back to normal. Its been steady eating all day. I had some bad cramps in the middle of the night Saturday, I've had it happen before after a race. The post race food has changed for me and its finding what can be absorbed easily. Besides that the body doesnt feel that bad considering. Today will be a full hour of yoga to pop things back in line.
We are now 1 month away from Chico Racing 24 Summer Solstice. This is defintly the race to be strong for. Rick and I are returning to this as a tag team with hopes of a podium position again. We were 3rd in 2005 and 6th in 2006 as a team. This is a race that we have a very strong chance of winning. I have to make sure I'm as strong as possible. My training will now focus on shorter harder rides to build power, More hill repeats and sprints but also more recovery time. This week will be pretty mellow though. I will be at the Time Trials tomorrow but not sure what type of effort I will put in.
I talked to Rick last night and he will be sending me a review of both the Anthem 1 and the TCR A1. He loves the bikes so I will get that up as soon as it comes in.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Opus Spring 8 Hour
The first big race has come and gone. Now how does Matt feel. I'm as happy as a pig in $h!t!!!!! I finished 6th out of 47 under 40 solos and it was far from the perfect race.
We were pretty much on track for leaving for the race even though we didnt get to grab a coffee for the drive. Registration was quick and setup didnt take to long. Craig, Carrie and myself got a chance to warm up and see the main killer climb of the day. Ya killer was right. I remember this climb from 3 years ago. The one big change at this race that I didnt like was having the solo racers leave 5 minutes behind the main pack. This does have some advantages but for the faster solo riders I found this as a bad thing. I spent the first lap fighting to get past the main pack. At the end of the race I talked to Shawn Ruepel, one of the event organizer and he said basiclly everyone in the top 10 had complained about that. It was a bit nerve racking because you would see lots of rookie mistakes. I've never seen more endos before. I'm a great supporter to of all new riders and am always helping riders with tips but it can make things very sketchy in technical sections.
How come I have the smallest calves?
Time to warm up
With that said, the course was awesome but extremely dry. They had called for rain friday but good old mother nature had her own ideas. Mansfield is a place that could raind for 2 hours straight and 10 minutes later its dry. This meant a course that would change alot during the race.
Craig, the power house, was forced to race on his single speed since his new ride was not built yet. Lots of respect for that. Carrie, who races for Freshair Experience out of Ottawa was also at our transition. Brandon was on a borrowed bike and Josh and Nicole were also out to play.
Time to play!!!!
Well those Ruepel boys love to make us hurt. Right out of the start gate is a long climb. Nothing like maxing out the heartrate in the first 500 metres. In the first lap I pushed very hard with an average heartrate of 177 which is well above my endurance race pace. This was caused by pushing hard to get past that slower pack. Into the 4th lap I settled down and found my rythem. Thats when it went crappy. My bars came lose. If you want to be scared go down hill with your bars turning in hand. Of course I don't have tools on me and I'm only 1/4 ways through the lap. I swear that Mansfield is a jinxed race for me. 2 years ago I had a seatpost clamp do the same thing. After asking a ton of riders if they had any tools and letting 7-8 solo guys get past me finally a yong guy dropped a key wrench and called out team 111. I hope he reads this. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!! I found out later that I was the second rider that he helped out. This is what it should be about. WIth my bars tight and with about 5 minutes lost in time I started hammering. Riding mad is a bad thing!!!!!
After about 20 minutes of this I yelled at myself to settle down. Got back in focus and my rythem. I manged to catch 3 of the riders who had passed me. Back in the game. At hour 6 things felt a bit crappy. It was so dry on the course that the lungs were aching. At tis point its just putting your head down and push. Transition was in a bit of a mean place. Right after was the lead up to the toughest climb of the course. It mad it a bit tough to eat going into the climb. Yes i brought up one of those tasty bananas!!!!
Coming into the finally hour I started to get a big smile on my face. I was happy that the body held up. I did get a chance to see Carrie on the cours about an hour earlier. She was doing awesome and was still had a smile on her face. She did amazing and finished 3rd in the women's division. I finally crossed the line and the boys in the both told me 6th. I missed the cut off for another lap by 15 minutes. All told I finished with 13 laps with a total ride time of 8 hours and 10 minutes. Craig finished 9th on his single speed 16 minites behind me. I think I have found my perfect competitor. If he had gears I think we would have finished side by side. Brandon had to drop out a bit early with back issues. It was a tough course but he still did very well with 10 laps and finshed 27th. Josh and Nicole did well also with Nicole doing 9 laps and 11th overall and Josh with 9 laps and 35th. I heard he had wheel problems. It was a tough course on equipment.
That sand got right into everything!!
At the end of the race
As very big THANK YOU to Brent Keen, Irene and Doug Parker for doing support for us. Without the support it makes it dam near impossible to do well in these events. Also to the guy from team 111 for loaning me your tool. Without that I would have been lucky to finish that lap. To Craig thanks for pushing me. Can't let a guy with Big Ring as a nickname beat me!! Just kidding Craig, thanks for breakfast I can't wait till the next race. To the guys from Chico Racing, another awesome course next time bring out the sprinklers next time since mother nature didn't agree this weekend.
So how do I feel about the event. I really am happy. This is my best result in an 8 hour race, not in placing but in distance behing the winner. No one could make a mistke among the top 10 racers or they would get passed. Its scary how close these event really are considering the time and distance!! I also know that physically the body problems are now under control. Not 100% fixed but at a point that I can contine to race.
We were pretty much on track for leaving for the race even though we didnt get to grab a coffee for the drive. Registration was quick and setup didnt take to long. Craig, Carrie and myself got a chance to warm up and see the main killer climb of the day. Ya killer was right. I remember this climb from 3 years ago. The one big change at this race that I didnt like was having the solo racers leave 5 minutes behind the main pack. This does have some advantages but for the faster solo riders I found this as a bad thing. I spent the first lap fighting to get past the main pack. At the end of the race I talked to Shawn Ruepel, one of the event organizer and he said basiclly everyone in the top 10 had complained about that. It was a bit nerve racking because you would see lots of rookie mistakes. I've never seen more endos before. I'm a great supporter to of all new riders and am always helping riders with tips but it can make things very sketchy in technical sections.
How come I have the smallest calves?
Time to warm up
With that said, the course was awesome but extremely dry. They had called for rain friday but good old mother nature had her own ideas. Mansfield is a place that could raind for 2 hours straight and 10 minutes later its dry. This meant a course that would change alot during the race.
Craig, the power house, was forced to race on his single speed since his new ride was not built yet. Lots of respect for that. Carrie, who races for Freshair Experience out of Ottawa was also at our transition. Brandon was on a borrowed bike and Josh and Nicole were also out to play.
Time to play!!!!
Well those Ruepel boys love to make us hurt. Right out of the start gate is a long climb. Nothing like maxing out the heartrate in the first 500 metres. In the first lap I pushed very hard with an average heartrate of 177 which is well above my endurance race pace. This was caused by pushing hard to get past that slower pack. Into the 4th lap I settled down and found my rythem. Thats when it went crappy. My bars came lose. If you want to be scared go down hill with your bars turning in hand. Of course I don't have tools on me and I'm only 1/4 ways through the lap. I swear that Mansfield is a jinxed race for me. 2 years ago I had a seatpost clamp do the same thing. After asking a ton of riders if they had any tools and letting 7-8 solo guys get past me finally a yong guy dropped a key wrench and called out team 111. I hope he reads this. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!! I found out later that I was the second rider that he helped out. This is what it should be about. WIth my bars tight and with about 5 minutes lost in time I started hammering. Riding mad is a bad thing!!!!!
After about 20 minutes of this I yelled at myself to settle down. Got back in focus and my rythem. I manged to catch 3 of the riders who had passed me. Back in the game. At hour 6 things felt a bit crappy. It was so dry on the course that the lungs were aching. At tis point its just putting your head down and push. Transition was in a bit of a mean place. Right after was the lead up to the toughest climb of the course. It mad it a bit tough to eat going into the climb. Yes i brought up one of those tasty bananas!!!!
Coming into the finally hour I started to get a big smile on my face. I was happy that the body held up. I did get a chance to see Carrie on the cours about an hour earlier. She was doing awesome and was still had a smile on her face. She did amazing and finished 3rd in the women's division. I finally crossed the line and the boys in the both told me 6th. I missed the cut off for another lap by 15 minutes. All told I finished with 13 laps with a total ride time of 8 hours and 10 minutes. Craig finished 9th on his single speed 16 minites behind me. I think I have found my perfect competitor. If he had gears I think we would have finished side by side. Brandon had to drop out a bit early with back issues. It was a tough course but he still did very well with 10 laps and finshed 27th. Josh and Nicole did well also with Nicole doing 9 laps and 11th overall and Josh with 9 laps and 35th. I heard he had wheel problems. It was a tough course on equipment.
That sand got right into everything!!
At the end of the race
As very big THANK YOU to Brent Keen, Irene and Doug Parker for doing support for us. Without the support it makes it dam near impossible to do well in these events. Also to the guy from team 111 for loaning me your tool. Without that I would have been lucky to finish that lap. To Craig thanks for pushing me. Can't let a guy with Big Ring as a nickname beat me!! Just kidding Craig, thanks for breakfast I can't wait till the next race. To the guys from Chico Racing, another awesome course next time bring out the sprinklers next time since mother nature didn't agree this weekend.
So how do I feel about the event. I really am happy. This is my best result in an 8 hour race, not in placing but in distance behing the winner. No one could make a mistke among the top 10 racers or they would get passed. Its scary how close these event really are considering the time and distance!! I also know that physically the body problems are now under control. Not 100% fixed but at a point that I can contine to race.
Friday, May 25, 2007
the night before
Well I'm as ready as I can be. Gear is packed , bikes are tuned and the body doesnt feel all that bad. Did a 30 minute recovery ride and then my favorite yoga routine this afternoon. Yoga is awesome for getting things back in line.
Craig showed up around 7ish. He's ready but I think the ideo of doing the event on the single speed is bothering him. There are a few big climbs at Mansfield. The event is soldout which means lots of competition. Should be a great day.
Craig showed up around 7ish. He's ready but I think the ideo of doing the event on the single speed is bothering him. There are a few big climbs at Mansfield. The event is soldout which means lots of competition. Should be a great day.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
36 hours and counting
THe race is getting close, I think I would rather just get to it. Sometimes the waiting is harder than the race itself. I pretty much have all my crap in order. Will pack the race bin in the morning while having a coffee. Both bikes are perfect, well the race bike is a little muddy.
My legs were really tight today and couldnt get them stretched out. Best cure, go for a ride. Nothing to technical, mainly double track with a few short single track sections but its exactly what I needed. 20 minutes in things started to feel the way they should. It will get a good cleaning and lube tomorrow. The car is ready for 3 bikes, 3 people, 1 dog and all the gear. I'll let the two of them fight over the front seat. Brent is young and brave, Craig is justa big boy.
On a great note, I took some advice from one of the guys from the club. Spent an hour with Dave setting up the TT bike. Man were things out of whack. Shorter stem and seat position were changed. Will try it and see how it feels if its still not right I will go and see a guy that works with Triathelites. I wanted to do the basics with Dave just because of the loyalty but will go to a speacialist for this setup. Dave is more a mountain biker/roadie so the geometry is different on this bike. I'll try it out after the race. On the note of my setup. Real bad, felt fine when up on the bars but on the areo bars things just were ugly.
The weather is looking perfect for race day. We are supposed to get some rain tonight and tomorow which is great. Mansfield can be really dry and with this heat over the last week it would be dust central. Tempatures are in the high teens for Saturday with mainly sun. Perfect. The only downfall is that my new team jersy won't be ready for this race. The screen printer was late picking them up but I'm crossing my fingers, there is still Friday.
Oh just to tease people, I'm still on holidays and it was awesome out today, AGAIN. Maybe I should sell the company and be a bum for the summer. UMMMM maybe not.
My legs were really tight today and couldnt get them stretched out. Best cure, go for a ride. Nothing to technical, mainly double track with a few short single track sections but its exactly what I needed. 20 minutes in things started to feel the way they should. It will get a good cleaning and lube tomorrow. The car is ready for 3 bikes, 3 people, 1 dog and all the gear. I'll let the two of them fight over the front seat. Brent is young and brave, Craig is justa big boy.
On a great note, I took some advice from one of the guys from the club. Spent an hour with Dave setting up the TT bike. Man were things out of whack. Shorter stem and seat position were changed. Will try it and see how it feels if its still not right I will go and see a guy that works with Triathelites. I wanted to do the basics with Dave just because of the loyalty but will go to a speacialist for this setup. Dave is more a mountain biker/roadie so the geometry is different on this bike. I'll try it out after the race. On the note of my setup. Real bad, felt fine when up on the bars but on the areo bars things just were ugly.
The weather is looking perfect for race day. We are supposed to get some rain tonight and tomorow which is great. Mansfield can be really dry and with this heat over the last week it would be dust central. Tempatures are in the high teens for Saturday with mainly sun. Perfect. The only downfall is that my new team jersy won't be ready for this race. The screen printer was late picking them up but I'm crossing my fingers, there is still Friday.
Oh just to tease people, I'm still on holidays and it was awesome out today, AGAIN. Maybe I should sell the company and be a bum for the summer. UMMMM maybe not.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Kinda sorta holidays
Well I'm on holidays and Im also having my first rest day off the bike before the race. hmmmm I think I worked harder today than a normal work day. The deck extension and new stairs down this afternoon. It took a bit longer than I though but it reall does make diference. Now I can finally repaint the deck. That will be later this summer.
All the bikes are at Georgian Cycle getting tuned. Dace is going to help with some fitting of the TT bike. Its hard to see what the legs are doing and as much as I can feel the most minute differences I want to get closer to the perfect spot a lot faster.
So what else did I do today, well I'm doing it. I'm in the back yard watching a movie. Tomorrow will be definatly more relaxed with a couple hours dedicated to yoga and stretching. Same with Friday.
Craig emailed me and is now going to crash here for the race weekend. Poor guy is going to be on his single speed. The weather has been amazing all week and its looking like a great weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.
All the bikes are at Georgian Cycle getting tuned. Dace is going to help with some fitting of the TT bike. Its hard to see what the legs are doing and as much as I can feel the most minute differences I want to get closer to the perfect spot a lot faster.
So what else did I do today, well I'm doing it. I'm in the back yard watching a movie. Tomorrow will be definatly more relaxed with a couple hours dedicated to yoga and stretching. Same with Friday.
Craig emailed me and is now going to crash here for the race weekend. Poor guy is going to be on his single speed. The weather has been amazing all week and its looking like a great weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The mind was willing the body, well thats another story
Well it was the first night to put the Trinity to the test. Well the mind was there and the bike was ready to play. My body on the other hand. I figure it was just fatigue. All told it was over 11 hours of riding this weekend and with not taking the rest day yesterday it caught up. The bike is really fast though and I did have a pretty fast time averaging just over 36km/h There is still lots of fine tuning to be done on it.
My quads were killing almost right from the start. The next 3 days of rest will be great. The bike is still having its new bike quirks as the cables stretch but it is really quick. One section I was pushing over 50km/h.
I should have know that it would have been pushing things tonight but hey, the new toy needs to be played with. Now on another note, had one of those great pre race scares this morning. 5 am I wake up needing a drink. As I roll out of bed I slame my left ankle into the bed frame. Real nice way to wake up. Grabbed the ice pack right away and stretched it out as best I could. Not what I wanted to have happen but I was lucky that I missed the joint.
Well it will be off to Dave at Georgian Cycle in the morning to drop off most of my bikes. The race NRS1 will get a once over and a new bottom bracket. The Trinity will get some minor tweaks along with a new seat, The OCR is going to be pimped out even more. Carbon fork and seat post for sure. It needs a major overhaul with cassete, BB, even shifter casing are starting to wear through. Well it does have around 25 000 km on it. Not bad for a 4 year old bike.
I will hopefully have a few pictures of the Trinity in action to post up.
My quads were killing almost right from the start. The next 3 days of rest will be great. The bike is still having its new bike quirks as the cables stretch but it is really quick. One section I was pushing over 50km/h.
I should have know that it would have been pushing things tonight but hey, the new toy needs to be played with. Now on another note, had one of those great pre race scares this morning. 5 am I wake up needing a drink. As I roll out of bed I slame my left ankle into the bed frame. Real nice way to wake up. Grabbed the ice pack right away and stretched it out as best I could. Not what I wanted to have happen but I was lucky that I missed the joint.
Well it will be off to Dave at Georgian Cycle in the morning to drop off most of my bikes. The race NRS1 will get a once over and a new bottom bracket. The Trinity will get some minor tweaks along with a new seat, The OCR is going to be pimped out even more. Carbon fork and seat post for sure. It needs a major overhaul with cassete, BB, even shifter casing are starting to wear through. Well it does have around 25 000 km on it. Not bad for a 4 year old bike.
I will hopefully have a few pictures of the Trinity in action to post up.
Monday, May 21, 2007
complete opposite
This morning was awesome. The complete opposite of yesterday. Josh emailed me last night and said he was in for another ride in Toms forest for the this morning. He's a good guy to ride with. Get soem good converstations going during the ride and it nice that Im not waiting for him. He can keep pace even as the milage racks up which is a nice change. With out sounding bad, I hate waiting.
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Can you belive the Triliums
Molly was still wired from the day before. I figured today if we could bump up the time she would be tired near near the end. Ya well I'll get to that answer later. It was awesome out today. Great tempature, no wind and the sun was shinning. We did a couple different loops and all told ended up at two and a half hors of ride time. Tom's forest is awesome. Fast and flowy.
I spent the afternoon relaxing with a beer and cleaning most of the bikes. I grew the most amazing tree in the back yard. It doesnt spit out cash but this is the next best thing.
It was another fun day, I'm glad to be on holidays this week. It will be a pretty mellow week for riding. Time trials tomorrow and that is about is till the race on saturday...There will be lots of yoga over the next couple days to keep me grounded.
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Can you belive the Triliums
Molly was still wired from the day before. I figured today if we could bump up the time she would be tired near near the end. Ya well I'll get to that answer later. It was awesome out today. Great tempature, no wind and the sun was shinning. We did a couple different loops and all told ended up at two and a half hors of ride time. Tom's forest is awesome. Fast and flowy.
I spent the afternoon relaxing with a beer and cleaning most of the bikes. I grew the most amazing tree in the back yard. It doesnt spit out cash but this is the next best thing.
It was another fun day, I'm glad to be on holidays this week. It will be a pretty mellow week for riding. Time trials tomorrow and that is about is till the race on saturday...There will be lots of yoga over the next couple days to keep me grounded.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Another fun day but who turned off the heat?
Much better today. Had a great day riding but man was it cold. The plan was to meet up with Josh at 8 am to ride in Tom's forest for a couple hours. Well to start things off I ate my regular breakfast and had zero problems. I still don't know what caused that dizzy spell but its gone so move on. We got down to the trail head around 9 amd started out fairly sane. It was cold and the wind was so strong that you could actually feel it in the bush. Molly was wired and ready to play.
After the first loop Josh was having problems with his rear wheel so we had to call it quits early. It was still an hour but I was hoping to get more time in but not at the expense of parts. Molly of course was so pumped up so that took some time for her to settle. She is still wired tonight.
Got back and cleaned the NRS and did some work in the backyard. Still cold out but made a couple calls and got Tim and Brent in for a ride. Wasaga Beach was the destination. Unfortuantly with the cold there would be no bikinis today. More like parkas. Now the good thing with this ride would be the milage on the Trinity.
Ok I love this thing. I'm still getting the fine details on the setup and dealing with cables stretching but man is this thing fast and smooth. SO here is the speal on this bike. Its a half carbon half aluminum frame with areo carbon seatpost and fork. Easton bars, FSA crank running 53/39 and an 11-25 rear on a set of XERO XGR-3 lites. Ultegra derailers and dura-ace shifters. Pretty sweet for the entry level TT bike with a retail price of around $2600. I've changed out the tires to Michelin Pro Race 2 tires and Look KEO Sprint pedals. The only compliants i've had with it where the rattling scewers. I found that really weird but I also hate any noises coming from my bikes. The only other thing is the seat. I'm sorry but my skinny unpadded ass and this seat do not mix well. Its a bit to rigid for me so it will be changed out. For TT it would work awesome but for 4-5 hour rides I like something witha bit more padding. Everyones butt is diferent so don't hold this againt the bike. The wheels are very fast and smooth and the carbon mix is so awesome. Every road felt like perfect pavement. It handles the corners very well and its stable at high speeds for a bike with such quick handling. I've been at over 80km an hour on a decent already and felt very much in control. Climbing is smooth both in the areo bars or out on the bars. Its a bit different for me to ride in the areo bars or reach to shift while climbing but I'm adjusting quickly.
Anyone looking for a Time Trial bike or Triathletes in the market this is definatly a ride to look at. The next level up has a better wheel set but as most racers have a set of race wheels the Trinty A1 is definatly the bike of choice.
Back to the ride. The wind from this morning got stronger. As we spun through the beach we were fighting not to be knocked over. Some quick food and we made the run back. Brent started getting a bit tired and was not fully recovered from the ride the day before. Awww it toughens him up. It was a pretty un eventful ride and I finished up at 3.5 hours. It was great getting some time in on the new bike. I can't wait till Time Trials Tuesday. Its been a great weekend so far for training and I'm going to go mountian biking again tomorrow morning just to get Molly out for a good run. For tonight though its going to be a beer and a bath.
After the first loop Josh was having problems with his rear wheel so we had to call it quits early. It was still an hour but I was hoping to get more time in but not at the expense of parts. Molly of course was so pumped up so that took some time for her to settle. She is still wired tonight.
Got back and cleaned the NRS and did some work in the backyard. Still cold out but made a couple calls and got Tim and Brent in for a ride. Wasaga Beach was the destination. Unfortuantly with the cold there would be no bikinis today. More like parkas. Now the good thing with this ride would be the milage on the Trinity.
Ok I love this thing. I'm still getting the fine details on the setup and dealing with cables stretching but man is this thing fast and smooth. SO here is the speal on this bike. Its a half carbon half aluminum frame with areo carbon seatpost and fork. Easton bars, FSA crank running 53/39 and an 11-25 rear on a set of XERO XGR-3 lites. Ultegra derailers and dura-ace shifters. Pretty sweet for the entry level TT bike with a retail price of around $2600. I've changed out the tires to Michelin Pro Race 2 tires and Look KEO Sprint pedals. The only compliants i've had with it where the rattling scewers. I found that really weird but I also hate any noises coming from my bikes. The only other thing is the seat. I'm sorry but my skinny unpadded ass and this seat do not mix well. Its a bit to rigid for me so it will be changed out. For TT it would work awesome but for 4-5 hour rides I like something witha bit more padding. Everyones butt is diferent so don't hold this againt the bike. The wheels are very fast and smooth and the carbon mix is so awesome. Every road felt like perfect pavement. It handles the corners very well and its stable at high speeds for a bike with such quick handling. I've been at over 80km an hour on a decent already and felt very much in control. Climbing is smooth both in the areo bars or out on the bars. Its a bit different for me to ride in the areo bars or reach to shift while climbing but I'm adjusting quickly.
Anyone looking for a Time Trial bike or Triathletes in the market this is definatly a ride to look at. The next level up has a better wheel set but as most racers have a set of race wheels the Trinty A1 is definatly the bike of choice.
Back to the ride. The wind from this morning got stronger. As we spun through the beach we were fighting not to be knocked over. Some quick food and we made the run back. Brent started getting a bit tired and was not fully recovered from the ride the day before. Awww it toughens him up. It was a pretty un eventful ride and I finished up at 3.5 hours. It was great getting some time in on the new bike. I can't wait till Time Trials Tuesday. Its been a great weekend so far for training and I'm going to go mountian biking again tomorrow morning just to get Molly out for a good run. For tonight though its going to be a beer and a bath.
Strange day
In the end it was a great day but it started off pretty rough. Eating my normal big ride meal things went strange. Started sweating and got dizzy. It kinda spooked me. I was thinking "great I'm going to get sick a week before the race". This was at 9 and the group was meeting at 10. I had in my mind now that I wouldn't be riding and went and layed down for a bit hoping it would pass.
About 30 inutes later I was feeling better but still not sure what set this off so changed plans and thought I would just ride by myself in case I had to cut things short. The big chute loop has no way of cutting out early and with my little head spin was concerned. Well my plan changed again. I got about 10 minutes out of town when I ran into another cyclist that was asking for directions for a good loop. Well raced back home dropped off the TT and grabbed the road bike and off to the club ride with the new guy. I will say this guy was a brave soul riding road with no helmet. To many stupid drivers out there for me.
I was still feeling off at the begining of the ride but just dealt with it. We kept a pretty good pace and everyone was in a great mood. It was a beautiful day. Now this is where I knew there was going to be problems. An hour into the ride I was getting hungry. This is not like me I can usually ride for 3 plus on my reserves without any problems. I cranked back a gel knowing that the first sprint was coming up in 4-5km. Tim and Kevin were the boys to beat today. As the spring got closer Kevin the sneaky bugger blocked me in the pack. Tim went and I chased him down with Kevin on my wheel. A quick regroup and then Kevin went I chased him down but was running out of distance as Tim swung around me to steal second place from me. Awww 1 point is better than none and the boys new that they couldnt work with me or I would have taken it all. I was happy with my performnce at that point being able to chase both guys down even though I would have liked to have taken that sprint.
We stopped at the store at the big chute and I ate a couple choclate bars, I normally dont like them all that much but I knew I would need the energy. We cruised along to Coldwater which was an hour away. The pack sees a cyclist about half a km a head and wanted to eat him up. The pace was smoking and as we passed this guy couldnt believe his pace on a mountain bike. So as Coldwater approached everyone started focusing on the big climb. Its about 2.5 km and I train on this hill all the time. At the base of the hill everyone gets on my wheel. This is the points i wanted. Ya well things changed here. I could feel my legs getting pissed off. I'm not sure if it was from the morning issues which didnt allow me to eat all my breakfast, a hydration issue or the results of the massage the day before but I knew something wasnt right.
I set the pace fairly high and looked back a couple times in the first 1/2 km up the hill. I dropped everyone but Tim. I kept the pace there. I started listening to Tim's breathing and glanced at my heartrate moniter. I was only in the high 170s and I could here Tim's breathing getting harder and harder. I so wanted to go but could feel the legs ready to cramp at anytime. I let Him go around me and thought that I would pace off him but things just kept feeling off. At the next pitch Tim took a big lead on me and I just backed things down to make sure I could get to the top. Unfotunatly I ended up 3rd again on a climb that I normally smoke up.
Now the story of the climb came from Brent. Apparently half way up the hill his cell phone rang. He kept climbing and answered it telling his mother that he was on the hardest climb of the day and he would call here back.
Well finished up with the club with 4 hours, got home, grabbed some food another bottle and the TT bike. Put in another hour and a bit in. So far I really love this bike. I am changing the seat though. My skinny ass needs a bit more padding and this seat is just not something I want to spend huge hours on.
I could feel all evening my legs would cramp at anytime. Its going to be a week of yoga to get things all in line for the race. Lets see what today brings. I meeting up with Josh in about an hour to get some mountain biking in. Miss Molly will get her run in also. From there will be 3 hours on the TT bike. I'll see who wants to come with for the road. I'm either going to to the same loop as yesterday or go to Wasaga. Well time to get ready, lets hope the food issues doesnt happen today.
About 30 inutes later I was feeling better but still not sure what set this off so changed plans and thought I would just ride by myself in case I had to cut things short. The big chute loop has no way of cutting out early and with my little head spin was concerned. Well my plan changed again. I got about 10 minutes out of town when I ran into another cyclist that was asking for directions for a good loop. Well raced back home dropped off the TT and grabbed the road bike and off to the club ride with the new guy. I will say this guy was a brave soul riding road with no helmet. To many stupid drivers out there for me.
I was still feeling off at the begining of the ride but just dealt with it. We kept a pretty good pace and everyone was in a great mood. It was a beautiful day. Now this is where I knew there was going to be problems. An hour into the ride I was getting hungry. This is not like me I can usually ride for 3 plus on my reserves without any problems. I cranked back a gel knowing that the first sprint was coming up in 4-5km. Tim and Kevin were the boys to beat today. As the spring got closer Kevin the sneaky bugger blocked me in the pack. Tim went and I chased him down with Kevin on my wheel. A quick regroup and then Kevin went I chased him down but was running out of distance as Tim swung around me to steal second place from me. Awww 1 point is better than none and the boys new that they couldnt work with me or I would have taken it all. I was happy with my performnce at that point being able to chase both guys down even though I would have liked to have taken that sprint.
We stopped at the store at the big chute and I ate a couple choclate bars, I normally dont like them all that much but I knew I would need the energy. We cruised along to Coldwater which was an hour away. The pack sees a cyclist about half a km a head and wanted to eat him up. The pace was smoking and as we passed this guy couldnt believe his pace on a mountain bike. So as Coldwater approached everyone started focusing on the big climb. Its about 2.5 km and I train on this hill all the time. At the base of the hill everyone gets on my wheel. This is the points i wanted. Ya well things changed here. I could feel my legs getting pissed off. I'm not sure if it was from the morning issues which didnt allow me to eat all my breakfast, a hydration issue or the results of the massage the day before but I knew something wasnt right.
I set the pace fairly high and looked back a couple times in the first 1/2 km up the hill. I dropped everyone but Tim. I kept the pace there. I started listening to Tim's breathing and glanced at my heartrate moniter. I was only in the high 170s and I could here Tim's breathing getting harder and harder. I so wanted to go but could feel the legs ready to cramp at anytime. I let Him go around me and thought that I would pace off him but things just kept feeling off. At the next pitch Tim took a big lead on me and I just backed things down to make sure I could get to the top. Unfotunatly I ended up 3rd again on a climb that I normally smoke up.
Now the story of the climb came from Brent. Apparently half way up the hill his cell phone rang. He kept climbing and answered it telling his mother that he was on the hardest climb of the day and he would call here back.
Well finished up with the club with 4 hours, got home, grabbed some food another bottle and the TT bike. Put in another hour and a bit in. So far I really love this bike. I am changing the seat though. My skinny ass needs a bit more padding and this seat is just not something I want to spend huge hours on.
I could feel all evening my legs would cramp at anytime. Its going to be a week of yoga to get things all in line for the race. Lets see what today brings. I meeting up with Josh in about an hour to get some mountain biking in. Miss Molly will get her run in also. From there will be 3 hours on the TT bike. I'll see who wants to come with for the road. I'm either going to to the same loop as yesterday or go to Wasaga. Well time to get ready, lets hope the food issues doesnt happen today.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Wooo Hoooo
Ok so I'm in a happy place now. Its Friday night and I'm officially on holidays. They have started out pretty good. Had a massage this morning before work. A bit of pain but the benfits are more important. Work, well work is work, I will have to stop in at the office for about 20 minutes on tuesday to order parts but thats minor. I got home cracked open a beer and that started it.
I really debated about taking the Tt bike out for arun but I'm not messing with my training plan. Plus I just wanted the rest. So its all about relaxing. I just came in from watching a movie in the backyard. Its still cool to see the setup. Come on over sometime to enjoy. I will be back at it tomorrow though.
Group ride is the big chute loop. There are 2 sprint lines for this ride. As much as I want to take out the new toy I will be on my road bike. For climbing but more so for sprinting its still the ride of choice. One of the points lines is a great climb coming out of coldwater on vasey line. I know this hill very well. Brent does also and has said he wants to go for points on it. I'm planning on taking it.
The group ride should be around 120km so I plan on grabbing the TT bike right after and put on another 40-60km. I really want to play with it and see how fast it really is. The other option is to leave early on it and get back switch bikes and meet the club on route to the chute. Either way it will be fun.
Anyways its off to bed. The sun comes up early now.
I really debated about taking the Tt bike out for arun but I'm not messing with my training plan. Plus I just wanted the rest. So its all about relaxing. I just came in from watching a movie in the backyard. Its still cool to see the setup. Come on over sometime to enjoy. I will be back at it tomorrow though.
Group ride is the big chute loop. There are 2 sprint lines for this ride. As much as I want to take out the new toy I will be on my road bike. For climbing but more so for sprinting its still the ride of choice. One of the points lines is a great climb coming out of coldwater on vasey line. I know this hill very well. Brent does also and has said he wants to go for points on it. I'm planning on taking it.
The group ride should be around 120km so I plan on grabbing the TT bike right after and put on another 40-60km. I really want to play with it and see how fast it really is. The other option is to leave early on it and get back switch bikes and meet the club on route to the chute. Either way it will be fun.
Anyways its off to bed. The sun comes up early now.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
UUMMMM UMMMMM SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well I got out and played on the Trinity today. It wasnt a great ride to test it though but regardless it gave me a chance to tweak setting and get used to its layout. The first 40 minutes of the ride I was stop constantly ajust here and moving there. I tried to go off my other bikes for measurements as a base but its still comes down to feel. Raise the seat 1 millimetre to much and I can feel it. Because of the aches and pains with my back, knee, along with legs being pushed all the time I can feel in only a few turns if somthing is not right. I have things where I feel I am getting max power but yet very comfortable. I know there is the formula for perfect fitting but the dos is also great at telling you what feels good, what feels strong and what feels right. It also tells you when things don't.
Ok back to the bike. I was limited on how much I could open up with it since it was a club group ride and we did what we could to regroup after every big hill. This through the numbers off because of the soft pedalling till we regrouped. I basiclly turned the ride into intervals. For a TT bike it climbs very well. It took a bit to get used to the shifting and being in the areo bars but I'm finding it very comfortable now. This thing is smooth though, Areas where I would be shaking on the my road bike this thing eliminates it. I wasnt sure on the wheels being a company I didn't know much about but I find them very quick and rigid. I'm looking forward to getting some major K's on this so I can give you a better review. I also want to get it on the TT course to see the difference so I will elaberate on this review in the very near future. Also I'm tired and I dont feel like thinking or typing much tonight.
One day left till my holidays. I need them, Things have been nuts and trying to get things cleaned up before holidays has been difficult. Last year was our biggest year ever, I beat Dad's best ever income. The best respect I can ever give my father is making sure that I beat him. Teachers always want their students to become better than they where. Well I'm working on it Dad. I still can't beat 30 years of knowledge BUT the new stuff out there I'm teaching other techs how to diagnosis and fix. I'm also goign to be forced to expand with atleast 1-2 more techs in the next couple years. I can only be in so many places at a time. I'll deal with that when the time comes. K my brain is dead weight for the night. I have a masage in the morning so its off to be. Come on Holidays!!!
Ok back to the bike. I was limited on how much I could open up with it since it was a club group ride and we did what we could to regroup after every big hill. This through the numbers off because of the soft pedalling till we regrouped. I basiclly turned the ride into intervals. For a TT bike it climbs very well. It took a bit to get used to the shifting and being in the areo bars but I'm finding it very comfortable now. This thing is smooth though, Areas where I would be shaking on the my road bike this thing eliminates it. I wasnt sure on the wheels being a company I didn't know much about but I find them very quick and rigid. I'm looking forward to getting some major K's on this so I can give you a better review. I also want to get it on the TT course to see the difference so I will elaberate on this review in the very near future. Also I'm tired and I dont feel like thinking or typing much tonight.
One day left till my holidays. I need them, Things have been nuts and trying to get things cleaned up before holidays has been difficult. Last year was our biggest year ever, I beat Dad's best ever income. The best respect I can ever give my father is making sure that I beat him. Teachers always want their students to become better than they where. Well I'm working on it Dad. I still can't beat 30 years of knowledge BUT the new stuff out there I'm teaching other techs how to diagnosis and fix. I'm also goign to be forced to expand with atleast 1-2 more techs in the next couple years. I can only be in so many places at a time. I'll deal with that when the time comes. K my brain is dead weight for the night. I have a masage in the morning so its off to be. Come on Holidays!!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
one of those mixed days
Well the weather is crap. I like to suffer when racing and have know problem training in rain, snow, cold, wind etc but today I just wasn't into it. It was a combination of everything that kept me from riding the mountain bike at the weekly series at Hardwood. The first was that miserable rain. You know the type, that steady drizzle. Not big rain, not mist just that rain that goes to the core. Its also cold. My body also wasn't it a great mood today, my lower back has been stiff all day so between all those things I basiclly said screw it. I also didnt want to clean the bike after the race. Its running perfect right now and with the race just over a week away I figured its not worth it.
Now on a brighter note, I did ride a little bit both on the trainer and outside. Maybe a grand total of 30 minutes outside. Didn't even put on the gps or heartrate moniter. It was more playing around but it was definatly needed. This did put me in a better mood though. Want to see why. LOOK BELOW!!!!!!!
It came in this afternoon and the comment Dave said got me a bit excited. The sweetest looking bike he has ever had come in. You know what, he is right. As soon as I saw it the wait was worth it. Now the only thing that is not standard on the bike are the tires. I only run Michelin Pro Race 2 tires and ya I like yellow. They are one of the fastest tires you can get and for the price they are the fastests.
Dave and I stared at it and went over all the details that Giant has added to this thing. Wow did they ever spend time on this thing. This isnt even the top bike which is amazing. So after drooling for a few minutes I picked it up. Holy $hit. Try sub 18 pound bike with pedals etc. I will get and exact weight when I do a full review of the bike. Now I did take it out this evening and loved it. Its alot of playing around with setup though. FOr a very forward position I found it very comfortable and did take it up my favorite 15% hill that I hit in the begining of every ride. Out on the flats I picked up the pace, one word WOW!!!! This thing is fast and smooth. I can't wait to get some real miles on it. The only thing that I didn't like on the bike and this is the most minimal of things. The quick release scewers rattled. That was fixed very quickly with a set I had hanging around on the shelf. I hate rattles coming from my rides. I have zero complaints besides the scewers.
I will be on the bike tomorrow for a couple hours. I'm helping with the Tri club climbing session. Gord asked me to help some of the slower riders which will be pretty cool. I'll bring my camera and get some pics of are great climbs. I will get out early though to get some good hard Km's in to see how fast this little sucker really is. Will give you my review tomorrow. Aww the pictures below are in my favorite room. I may have to sleep in there tonight. I know that Rick got his bike tonight, something tells me he is doing the same thing. Toys are great!!!!
Now on a brighter note, I did ride a little bit both on the trainer and outside. Maybe a grand total of 30 minutes outside. Didn't even put on the gps or heartrate moniter. It was more playing around but it was definatly needed. This did put me in a better mood though. Want to see why. LOOK BELOW!!!!!!!
It came in this afternoon and the comment Dave said got me a bit excited. The sweetest looking bike he has ever had come in. You know what, he is right. As soon as I saw it the wait was worth it. Now the only thing that is not standard on the bike are the tires. I only run Michelin Pro Race 2 tires and ya I like yellow. They are one of the fastest tires you can get and for the price they are the fastests.
Dave and I stared at it and went over all the details that Giant has added to this thing. Wow did they ever spend time on this thing. This isnt even the top bike which is amazing. So after drooling for a few minutes I picked it up. Holy $hit. Try sub 18 pound bike with pedals etc. I will get and exact weight when I do a full review of the bike. Now I did take it out this evening and loved it. Its alot of playing around with setup though. FOr a very forward position I found it very comfortable and did take it up my favorite 15% hill that I hit in the begining of every ride. Out on the flats I picked up the pace, one word WOW!!!! This thing is fast and smooth. I can't wait to get some real miles on it. The only thing that I didn't like on the bike and this is the most minimal of things. The quick release scewers rattled. That was fixed very quickly with a set I had hanging around on the shelf. I hate rattles coming from my rides. I have zero complaints besides the scewers.
I will be on the bike tomorrow for a couple hours. I'm helping with the Tri club climbing session. Gord asked me to help some of the slower riders which will be pretty cool. I'll bring my camera and get some pics of are great climbs. I will get out early though to get some good hard Km's in to see how fast this little sucker really is. Will give you my review tomorrow. Aww the pictures below are in my favorite room. I may have to sleep in there tonight. I know that Rick got his bike tonight, something tells me he is doing the same thing. Toys are great!!!!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Those fair weather riders
It was the Tri Club Time Trials tonight. HMMMM for some reason people just don't like to ride when its not 75 degrees and sunny. It did rain on and off during the trials but nothing to really whine about. I was feeling not to bad tonight considering the weekend riding. Lower hamstring is a bit tight right at the knee joint but I have a massage at the end of the week and that should be resolved.
Last week we had over 30 riders, this week maybe 10-12. People, you never know what the weather will be like when your racing so you might as well train in every condition. There were a few of the fast guys there atleast. I lined up last since Brandon wasnt sure if he was going to push hard or not. Ya well he pushed and I figure he got 20 to 30 seconds on me by the end of the course. He had 10 seconds at teh half way point. Its very much an individual thing but we still like to chase that carrot!!! All told it was a bit slower with the wet roads, I had a 36 km/h average. Total time on the bike was 55 minutes with warm up and cool down. average heart rate was just shy of 180 during the TT. I know it felt low.
I was a bit draggy driving out to the event. I'm really counting down till hoilidays next week. Its been crazy at work and trying to get everyone fixed before shut down has been trying. 3 more days.
I'm going to have a hot epson salt bath after I eat. The legs deserve a treat. Its mountain biking tomorrow, another hard push.
Last week we had over 30 riders, this week maybe 10-12. People, you never know what the weather will be like when your racing so you might as well train in every condition. There were a few of the fast guys there atleast. I lined up last since Brandon wasnt sure if he was going to push hard or not. Ya well he pushed and I figure he got 20 to 30 seconds on me by the end of the course. He had 10 seconds at teh half way point. Its very much an individual thing but we still like to chase that carrot!!! All told it was a bit slower with the wet roads, I had a 36 km/h average. Total time on the bike was 55 minutes with warm up and cool down. average heart rate was just shy of 180 during the TT. I know it felt low.
I was a bit draggy driving out to the event. I'm really counting down till hoilidays next week. Its been crazy at work and trying to get everyone fixed before shut down has been trying. 3 more days.
I'm going to have a hot epson salt bath after I eat. The legs deserve a treat. Its mountain biking tomorrow, another hard push.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Things to come
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No thats not my TT bike but its the closest thing to it right now. I picked up Rick Giant TCR Alliance A1. Talk about a sweet bike for its price. Retail is around the $1600-1700 mark and you get alot of bike for that. Shimano 105 components, 10 speed rear, carbon seat post and forks and mixed frame. The A1 has the rear triangle and top tube carbon with the down tube and chain stays alumininum. The cool thing is that this thing is about under 18 pounds with no pedals. In other words its lighter than my highly modified Giant OCR2 that is full Ultegra and Mavic wheels. Giant has stepped it up again.
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On that note of improvements, I'm still waiting for Rick to give me a review on the Anthem 1. This is another amazing bike from Giant. I ride the NRS 1 for racing and Rick's 2007 Anthem 1 is a half step down in level of componets and is at the same weight as my race NRS. Oh did I mention that the retail on an Anthem 1 is only $2300 and its over double that to replace the NRS Thats sweet for a 24 pound full suspension bike. With the right wheel set up that could easily be a 22 pound bike.
The TCR will be in transit to Rick and I'll get a review on it as soon as I can from him. I think he is going to $hit his pants when he sees it. I have to admit that I'm getting really anxious to see my Trinity. We are hoping for it to be in for tommorow and of course its Time Trial night. I know that the wheels will be a bit slow for the first bit but hey the only way to get them moving fast is to ride them.
Ok, so something that I have to put out to everyone who rides alot. How are you not sore? This is going to be blunt. I've tried everything from keeping the boys down below happy from dry to lube to shaving etc. I'm sorry but things are not always happy in my happy place. Anyone who has come up with the miracle cure please speak up. I love to suffer while riding BUT not this type of suffer. SPEAK UP because I'm definatly not the only one dealing with this. Now I have found that Gold Bond does help during a race but its more training that is the issue.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Sweet day
So its Mothers Day and Mother nature responded. What a beautiful day. I did spend time with Mom this afternoon. I did get out and play today also. Miss Molly and I were off early to ride Tom's forrest for a couple hours. I was on the mountain bike around 9:30ish trying to chance down the dog. Molly was pumped to be out playing. I had woken up with both knees bothering me and had some concerns but once I was out there everything softened up and felt great. Tom's is a faster more flowy trail system which is great training for Mansfield in 2 weeks.
I finally have the headphone issue figured out for my mp3 player. Now its coming up with the play lists. Molly and I hammered for the first hour then she started to slow a bit and of course I went the other way getting into a rythem. She is stubborn and kept going. I've seen her do 45 km in 2 hours so its just getting her back in shape for trail riding. I felt awesome and had a smile on my face the whole time. All said in done 2 hours of trails.
Molly pretty much slept the drive back and I was still feeling energetic so emptied the car refilled some bottles and jumped on the road bike. I had in mind about a 2 hour ride but that changed pretty quickly. So I fell to the evil that I haven't done in a long time. I wore my mp3 out on the road. I normally don't but was so into the music on the trail ride that I just kept it on. ON LOW!!!! With that came the change in distance. Someone had mentioned the Big Chute Loop yesterday and wondered the shape of it. Well I went to find out. It was a perfect tempeture with the sun and wind. Basiclly the perfect day. Three and a quarter hours later I was back with another 95km in. All told for the day was just over 5 hours of riding. Unfortunatly I forgot my camera when I left for the chute, next time.
Molly has been totally sweet since I've been home. SHe was totally exhausted and is sleeping right now. She is the biggest suck when she is tired. She still is the best training partner, this was a rare time that she lost her energy before I did. Running and skiing I can't keep up with her.
On another note, I'm having some concerns with support for the 8 hour race. Mom will be in P.E.I. for this race so I'm hoping to find someone to help out. I think I have someone. One of the guys from the Tri Club has offered. There will be 3 others from the club racing. Brandon is goign to be there but I think he is coming in a bit unprepared for this race. Last year he bonked and Mom was able to get him back up and moving. She knows all the right words to do it. Nicol and Josh are also racing. The husband and wife thing. They are both Ironman so the distance isnt a problem for them. Not sure if they will ride together or not. Josh is a faster rider than Nicole in short races, not sure there game plan. Not to worried about those three. I'm pushing for a top 5 finish so support is allmost mandatory. I don't plan on being off the bike for anymore than 3-4 minutes over the whole race. Now someone I will be watching is Craig. He is strong but if he is preping for 24 hours his pace may be slower in the bas zone which means I shouldnt see him to much. He is a strong rider. Rick was going to come down and race but he and my sister are in the final stages of selling the house and moving.
I've seen the long range weather and right now its looking pretty nice with sun/cloud predicted for that weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy Mothers Day!!!!!!!!
I finally have the headphone issue figured out for my mp3 player. Now its coming up with the play lists. Molly and I hammered for the first hour then she started to slow a bit and of course I went the other way getting into a rythem. She is stubborn and kept going. I've seen her do 45 km in 2 hours so its just getting her back in shape for trail riding. I felt awesome and had a smile on my face the whole time. All said in done 2 hours of trails.
Molly pretty much slept the drive back and I was still feeling energetic so emptied the car refilled some bottles and jumped on the road bike. I had in mind about a 2 hour ride but that changed pretty quickly. So I fell to the evil that I haven't done in a long time. I wore my mp3 out on the road. I normally don't but was so into the music on the trail ride that I just kept it on. ON LOW!!!! With that came the change in distance. Someone had mentioned the Big Chute Loop yesterday and wondered the shape of it. Well I went to find out. It was a perfect tempeture with the sun and wind. Basiclly the perfect day. Three and a quarter hours later I was back with another 95km in. All told for the day was just over 5 hours of riding. Unfortunatly I forgot my camera when I left for the chute, next time.
Molly has been totally sweet since I've been home. SHe was totally exhausted and is sleeping right now. She is the biggest suck when she is tired. She still is the best training partner, this was a rare time that she lost her energy before I did. Running and skiing I can't keep up with her.
On another note, I'm having some concerns with support for the 8 hour race. Mom will be in P.E.I. for this race so I'm hoping to find someone to help out. I think I have someone. One of the guys from the Tri Club has offered. There will be 3 others from the club racing. Brandon is goign to be there but I think he is coming in a bit unprepared for this race. Last year he bonked and Mom was able to get him back up and moving. She knows all the right words to do it. Nicol and Josh are also racing. The husband and wife thing. They are both Ironman so the distance isnt a problem for them. Not sure if they will ride together or not. Josh is a faster rider than Nicole in short races, not sure there game plan. Not to worried about those three. I'm pushing for a top 5 finish so support is allmost mandatory. I don't plan on being off the bike for anymore than 3-4 minutes over the whole race. Now someone I will be watching is Craig. He is strong but if he is preping for 24 hours his pace may be slower in the bas zone which means I shouldnt see him to much. He is a strong rider. Rick was going to come down and race but he and my sister are in the final stages of selling the house and moving.
I've seen the long range weather and right now its looking pretty nice with sun/cloud predicted for that weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy Mothers Day!!!!!!!!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Bring the pain!!!!!!
Yep thats the type of ride it was. So after an off night on friday, that still included an upperbody workout and yoga, it was the weekend. I was on the bike at 8:30 and the pain started right off the back. Holy crap was it cold. Now they had called for mainly sun and 16. Well they lied, like usual. I was definatly underdressed but was more prepared for a quick tempeture change. I had a 6 hour ride planned so I was dressed more for later in the day. Big mistake. It was better to be climbing today, less wind chill.
Needless to say but I pushed on and got an hour and a half in before I met up the club. Average heartrate was 142 and averaged 28 km/h. Now the next stage of pain started. We had a pretty tough route setup for the day with 2 flat sprints and one hill climb sprint. We kept a pretty good pace going up champlain road when the hills started. That split the pack up really quickly. At the park Kevin and I went back to help pull dropped riders back in the pack. A few decided to pace themselves so no Kevin and i had to work out asses off to catch the pack. More pain. Running reverse paceline we smoked up the road in the high 40's and a few mintes later caught the pack and our breath. Kevin is a powerhouse!!
The first sprint was a tough run with a couple km's of climbing and Brien bumping up the pace to 40 plus km/h. In the end it was Brien in first, myself second and Tim 3rd for the points. We looped down to the water and along tiny beach road. The next points run was at the top of a crazy steep hill. It wasnt very long, maybe half to 3/4 of a kilometre but at 8 percent steeping to 14 percent. I debated about going so talked with Brent telling him to go hard at it. At the base he went followed by Brandon. Everyone else hesitated as they took 100 feet on us. It was totally seat of my pants but I switched a gear, stood up and powered up the hill passing Brent and Brandon at a rate that I knew they wouldnt be able to grab my wheel. As I got to the crest of the hill I looked back and had a huge lead ont he group. Lucky cause I was hurting. I saw 196 on the heartrate but was still pushing. Ended up me, Brandon then Brent for points.
The final point line was in the town of Perkinsfield at the town sign. Its a tough run in with some rough pavement and a small hill. Brien again drove the pace up high and guys fell off left and right. At 1 Km out there were five of us left and Brandon made one of those hero moves and went early. Really early, I figured we would suck him back in but no one worked together and he managed to hold on to the line. I was in fourth as we vrested the hill with Kevin about 50 feet ahead. Doesnt sound like a far distance but when your legs feel like they are ready to blow apart its like reaching for the moon. I someone got up on the pedals and caught then passed him 20 feet before the line. A point is a point and stealling is fun.
Ended up Brandon, Brien then me.
At the end of the group ride we were at 81 km at 30.5km average. Not bad for the tempeture and the wind. I contined my ride and decided to shorten things up today. I was tired and sore. So the final total was 4:35 on the bike at 29 km average and the heartrate at 146. Things seem lower by the numbers but it was tough today.
Well tomorrow is another day. The mind is not working well tonight. Need my bed.
Needless to say but I pushed on and got an hour and a half in before I met up the club. Average heartrate was 142 and averaged 28 km/h. Now the next stage of pain started. We had a pretty tough route setup for the day with 2 flat sprints and one hill climb sprint. We kept a pretty good pace going up champlain road when the hills started. That split the pack up really quickly. At the park Kevin and I went back to help pull dropped riders back in the pack. A few decided to pace themselves so no Kevin and i had to work out asses off to catch the pack. More pain. Running reverse paceline we smoked up the road in the high 40's and a few mintes later caught the pack and our breath. Kevin is a powerhouse!!
The first sprint was a tough run with a couple km's of climbing and Brien bumping up the pace to 40 plus km/h. In the end it was Brien in first, myself second and Tim 3rd for the points. We looped down to the water and along tiny beach road. The next points run was at the top of a crazy steep hill. It wasnt very long, maybe half to 3/4 of a kilometre but at 8 percent steeping to 14 percent. I debated about going so talked with Brent telling him to go hard at it. At the base he went followed by Brandon. Everyone else hesitated as they took 100 feet on us. It was totally seat of my pants but I switched a gear, stood up and powered up the hill passing Brent and Brandon at a rate that I knew they wouldnt be able to grab my wheel. As I got to the crest of the hill I looked back and had a huge lead ont he group. Lucky cause I was hurting. I saw 196 on the heartrate but was still pushing. Ended up me, Brandon then Brent for points.
The final point line was in the town of Perkinsfield at the town sign. Its a tough run in with some rough pavement and a small hill. Brien again drove the pace up high and guys fell off left and right. At 1 Km out there were five of us left and Brandon made one of those hero moves and went early. Really early, I figured we would suck him back in but no one worked together and he managed to hold on to the line. I was in fourth as we vrested the hill with Kevin about 50 feet ahead. Doesnt sound like a far distance but when your legs feel like they are ready to blow apart its like reaching for the moon. I someone got up on the pedals and caught then passed him 20 feet before the line. A point is a point and stealling is fun.
Ended up Brandon, Brien then me.
At the end of the group ride we were at 81 km at 30.5km average. Not bad for the tempeture and the wind. I contined my ride and decided to shorten things up today. I was tired and sore. So the final total was 4:35 on the bike at 29 km average and the heartrate at 146. Things seem lower by the numbers but it was tough today.
Well tomorrow is another day. The mind is not working well tonight. Need my bed.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
a slack day
Took it easy tonight and road at recovery pace for and hour. After 2 very hard nights in a row and a big mileage weekend coming up I figure taking it easy was as great idea. Plus I wanted to eat dinner at a normal time.
Stopped in a Georgian Cyle this afternoon and Dave is hoping that the new ride will be in tommorow. I'm hoping also. My road bike really needs to be torn down. So with nothing really good to report on training I thought
I would go back into racing and training tips.
I've dealt with some of the mental side of things, now its the equipment. You can't ride if things break down. 8 hour races are pretty much a hammerfest and if you have a mechanical or stop you are definatly not finishing on the podium.
With that said. Check your gear. 8 hours don't require lights and even equipment is minimum. I do recomend having atleast an extra jersy and shorts, just in case. Also add arm band, leg and knee bands, full and short gloves, glasses with different
lenses, a couple different thickness socks, booties. Weather can change quickly and the last thing you want to be is cold when you're on course. I have the perk of a second identical bike and if you have a second bike BRING IT!!!
Food is pretty minimal. I still remember my first 8 hour. I brought enough food for a small army. I ate huge also. The biggest thing with those races is hydration. Change your bottle every lap. I'm not a camelbak person.
Most 8 hour laps are short enough that a single bottle is all that is needed. As for food, you want things that are fast to eat and fast to absorb. I'm down to gels, bananas and potato chips. Ya I said it, potato chips.
Look at the sodium and the calories per chip sometime. Plus its a treat for you. I also have a can of coke ready. Any type of energy is good energy.
Now comes the world of 24 hour racing. The first rule. CHECK YOUR SHIT EARLY!!!! Start going over your gear a month before the race, not the week beforeYour bikes should be running like a fine watch and if there is something questionable
fix it. Clothing is easy, Pack it all. Even that ugly jersey that you never wear because at 4am no one cares. LIghts are a big thing. ANyone who has been at a race with me knows about an issue that happened involving lights.
Start running them a couple weeks before. If you can start to time how long each battery will burn for and write it on the battery itself. My teammate in a 24 hour tag team had loaned out his system and relyed on that person to
have them charged for him. Half way through a lap his system died. We lost almost an hour which calculated to a lap because of that. Also, what ever the estmated time needed for lights is make sure you have at least an extra battery
above what is needed. I invested in a charging pack from canadian tire that allows me to charge my lighting system during the race. It also lets my suport crew watch movies on a little dvd/video screen. Keeping you support crew happy
is an important thing. If you have 2 helmets its a great idea. I'm not sure about you but I hate putting on a wet helmet. I have found that bandanas work great at keeping the sweat under control. This is the came with gloves.
All back to bringing every piece of cycling gear you have. You will go through many different feelings and if you can eliminate being cold and wet it will help. A great site that can help riders is RIDE424.COM
Lots of great info there. Well I'm done my beer so I think I will go and watch a movie in the backyard. By request I will get a picture of the Tour de France on the screen. I will get a great base gear list on here soon.
Stopped in a Georgian Cyle this afternoon and Dave is hoping that the new ride will be in tommorow. I'm hoping also. My road bike really needs to be torn down. So with nothing really good to report on training I thought
I would go back into racing and training tips.
I've dealt with some of the mental side of things, now its the equipment. You can't ride if things break down. 8 hour races are pretty much a hammerfest and if you have a mechanical or stop you are definatly not finishing on the podium.
With that said. Check your gear. 8 hours don't require lights and even equipment is minimum. I do recomend having atleast an extra jersy and shorts, just in case. Also add arm band, leg and knee bands, full and short gloves, glasses with different
lenses, a couple different thickness socks, booties. Weather can change quickly and the last thing you want to be is cold when you're on course. I have the perk of a second identical bike and if you have a second bike BRING IT!!!
Food is pretty minimal. I still remember my first 8 hour. I brought enough food for a small army. I ate huge also. The biggest thing with those races is hydration. Change your bottle every lap. I'm not a camelbak person.
Most 8 hour laps are short enough that a single bottle is all that is needed. As for food, you want things that are fast to eat and fast to absorb. I'm down to gels, bananas and potato chips. Ya I said it, potato chips.
Look at the sodium and the calories per chip sometime. Plus its a treat for you. I also have a can of coke ready. Any type of energy is good energy.
Now comes the world of 24 hour racing. The first rule. CHECK YOUR SHIT EARLY!!!! Start going over your gear a month before the race, not the week beforeYour bikes should be running like a fine watch and if there is something questionable
fix it. Clothing is easy, Pack it all. Even that ugly jersey that you never wear because at 4am no one cares. LIghts are a big thing. ANyone who has been at a race with me knows about an issue that happened involving lights.
Start running them a couple weeks before. If you can start to time how long each battery will burn for and write it on the battery itself. My teammate in a 24 hour tag team had loaned out his system and relyed on that person to
have them charged for him. Half way through a lap his system died. We lost almost an hour which calculated to a lap because of that. Also, what ever the estmated time needed for lights is make sure you have at least an extra battery
above what is needed. I invested in a charging pack from canadian tire that allows me to charge my lighting system during the race. It also lets my suport crew watch movies on a little dvd/video screen. Keeping you support crew happy
is an important thing. If you have 2 helmets its a great idea. I'm not sure about you but I hate putting on a wet helmet. I have found that bandanas work great at keeping the sweat under control. This is the came with gloves.
All back to bringing every piece of cycling gear you have. You will go through many different feelings and if you can eliminate being cold and wet it will help. A great site that can help riders is RIDE424.COM
Lots of great info there. Well I'm done my beer so I think I will go and watch a movie in the backyard. By request I will get a picture of the Tour de France on the screen. I will get a great base gear list on here soon.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The tune of a different bike.
No skinny wheels tonight. Did my first night at the Hardwood Hills race series for the season. All in all I am happy with my results and was glad I went and played. When I got home tonight it was raining a little and I was in one of those HMMM maybe I should just sit on the couch moods. Manged to kick my but out the door and cruised down. Because of the training I've been doing it takes along time for me to get warmed up but manged to get around 30 minutes in. Of course they layed fresh wood chips and hay down in the first half kilometre. The bastards!!!! Nothing like maxing out the heartrate right from go. I had in my mind to keep things pretty sane since the legs were still tired from the weekend and the time trial last night. Ya well that plan changed. I stayed in the lead of the second pack and probably had 25 riders ahead of me. I wasnt to worried. By mid way through the course I had passed 6-7 riders from the lead group and was finally coming into my rythem.
I'm definatly an endurance guy because as others start falling off and getting tired I just start feeling good. With less than a KM left I had passed over half that lead pack and had one guy left in my sights. I figured if it came down to a sprint for the line I would be able to take him. I should have but uncontrollable circumstances pushed me into the soft section of the final sprint and killed my momentum and he manged to get a bike length on me. Awww its still all for fun.
In the end I finshed 12th overall and top in my age bracket. The body felt not to bad considering. Average heartrate was 181 with a peak of 194. I really felt good at the end of the race and with more time I would have pulled in more riders. The techinical riding started coming back along with the focus needed to read terrian. Next week should be a bit quicker. I hope!! The course is short, only 10.5 km but still fun and fast.
Tommorow will be a calmer ride at base pace giving the body a chance to recover before the weekend.
Weather
I'm definatly an endurance guy because as others start falling off and getting tired I just start feeling good. With less than a KM left I had passed over half that lead pack and had one guy left in my sights. I figured if it came down to a sprint for the line I would be able to take him. I should have but uncontrollable circumstances pushed me into the soft section of the final sprint and killed my momentum and he manged to get a bike length on me. Awww its still all for fun.
In the end I finshed 12th overall and top in my age bracket. The body felt not to bad considering. Average heartrate was 181 with a peak of 194. I really felt good at the end of the race and with more time I would have pulled in more riders. The techinical riding started coming back along with the focus needed to read terrian. Next week should be a bit quicker. I hope!! The course is short, only 10.5 km but still fun and fast.
Tommorow will be a calmer ride at base pace giving the body a chance to recover before the weekend.
Weather
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
First time trial of the year
Thats right, its that time of the year. Last week was timing, this week was play time. Unfortuntly it was not on the new bike but hey it will give me a base to see how much difference it will make.
Alex and I met up and did an hour warm up ride before the TT. It was a huge group tonight. Means lots of carrots on the road. Are TT course is far from flat and its got some sticky pavement in places so its defintly a technical ride. You can't just put your head down and go. I was still feeling a bit sore from the weekend but I went full out. In the end the 15.05 km course got cut up in 24:25 with an average speed of 37.1km/h> Not bad for no areo bars. In the end that was the 3rd fastest time so ya i was happy!!! Average heartrate was 184. Just a bit lower than last year but its still early season and this was my first all out effort since the icebreaker. There were a few sectons on the course where things felt like shit and I know that with TT mileage things will just get faster. I'm positve I can take off at least 30 seconds just in this one section of hills where things bogged down.
We cruised it home on Hwy 12 and then had another tease put in front of us. Red light goes green and looky whats here in front of us. A dump truck, can we say draft!!!! People were looking a bit funny as Alex and I were crusing along at 60 km/h. I normally hate dump truck etc when in the car but love them on the bike.
So in the end it was a 2:13 on the bike and 64.4 km with cool down. Alex is a great person to climb with. We agg each other on especially in the climbs where one will pick it up just a bit more over the other to bring a little hurt. He's a very strong climber. Hopefully we can train together more often since we do push each other.
Tommorow brings another push workout. I'll be at Hardwood for the wednesday night series. Great competition there. Hopefully I can get around an hour in before the race starts. Its time to get the body used to hard race pace. Should be fun!!!!
Alex and I met up and did an hour warm up ride before the TT. It was a huge group tonight. Means lots of carrots on the road. Are TT course is far from flat and its got some sticky pavement in places so its defintly a technical ride. You can't just put your head down and go. I was still feeling a bit sore from the weekend but I went full out. In the end the 15.05 km course got cut up in 24:25 with an average speed of 37.1km/h> Not bad for no areo bars. In the end that was the 3rd fastest time so ya i was happy!!! Average heartrate was 184. Just a bit lower than last year but its still early season and this was my first all out effort since the icebreaker. There were a few sectons on the course where things felt like shit and I know that with TT mileage things will just get faster. I'm positve I can take off at least 30 seconds just in this one section of hills where things bogged down.
We cruised it home on Hwy 12 and then had another tease put in front of us. Red light goes green and looky whats here in front of us. A dump truck, can we say draft!!!! People were looking a bit funny as Alex and I were crusing along at 60 km/h. I normally hate dump truck etc when in the car but love them on the bike.
So in the end it was a 2:13 on the bike and 64.4 km with cool down. Alex is a great person to climb with. We agg each other on especially in the climbs where one will pick it up just a bit more over the other to bring a little hurt. He's a very strong climber. Hopefully we can train together more often since we do push each other.
Tommorow brings another push workout. I'll be at Hardwood for the wednesday night series. Great competition there. Hopefully I can get around an hour in before the race starts. Its time to get the body used to hard race pace. Should be fun!!!!
Sunday, May 6, 2007
The best training partner
Another awesome day for riding. After some quick debating I loaded the NRS1 in the Element along with the dog and raced down to Copeland forest. I havent been on the mountain bike since the Icebreaker and figured I better get the mind and eyes working again. I also had to check on the bike. Dave stripped it right down after the race and like usual did an amazing job. The bike worked flawlessly.
I don't ride Copeland very often so I really don't know the trail systems so I was heading out blind. Molly was so excited to be out running in the trails again. The only downfall with mountain biking is fluids. You can only carry so much and I hate camelbacks. I have 5 hanging on the wall and very rarely use them. With that I kept the ride fairly short at an hour and a half. From there I went home, dropped the dog off and switched bikes. Another hour fourty five on the road bike with some good climbs mixed in.
It was awesome being on the mountain bike again. Took a little to get the eyes working again but the feel came back pretty quick. Its a rest day for me so I'll be doing some yoga after work and then spend a bit of time tuning bikes. I'll be doing the Time Trials tommorow night and the Hardwood Hill Weekly Race series on Wednesday night. Need to get some mt bike racing in before the first 8 hour.
I don't ride Copeland very often so I really don't know the trail systems so I was heading out blind. Molly was so excited to be out running in the trails again. The only downfall with mountain biking is fluids. You can only carry so much and I hate camelbacks. I have 5 hanging on the wall and very rarely use them. With that I kept the ride fairly short at an hour and a half. From there I went home, dropped the dog off and switched bikes. Another hour fourty five on the road bike with some good climbs mixed in.
It was awesome being on the mountain bike again. Took a little to get the eyes working again but the feel came back pretty quick. Its a rest day for me so I'll be doing some yoga after work and then spend a bit of time tuning bikes. I'll be doing the Time Trials tommorow night and the Hardwood Hill Weekly Race series on Wednesday night. Need to get some mt bike racing in before the first 8 hour.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
UMMM SORE BUM?
It was another ramp up weekend. I was on the road bike at 8am and headed out towards Coldwater with a loop along Quarry road. The club was meeting at 10 so that gave me a solid 2 hours. Kept things pretty sane witha 29.5 average for 2 hours.
Now the fun begins. Meet up with the group at the school. It was great turn out today with 20 riders. It was also a strong group which meant a better ride. The plan was to go to Wasaga Beach by way of Tiny Beach Road. Itw a nice run and of course we had the tail wind for the ride out. Worry about the return trip when it happens.
This was also the start of our interclub competion. The Stinky Helmet Award. The first sprint was the Wasaga town line. I got caught at the back of the pack and it was a late burst for the line. If I would have had 200 more meters I would have caught the 3 in front. Awww well there was that same sprint line on the return trip. We made teh cruise out along golf course road and then eventually making it back to the main beach where I have never seen so many riders run for the washroom.
Once we all regrouped we picked up the pace again. The next sprint line was the Tiny sign. Lets just say I wanted this one bad. I'm not sure who went first but I just kept grabbing a wheel till around 300 meters then swung out. This is a hard sprint because the sign is around the corner so you have to keep hammering blind. I pulled away from everyone except Brien but was able to hold him off as well.
The final sprint was the Midland sign. This one I knew I was out of. There was a bit of confussion going up the one concession and most of us thought we would regroup at teh stop sign before the final run to the sign. It didn't happen and everyone blew apart. There was a crazy wind which hurt everyone. Except for the 4 riders that broke free everyone was on there own and no one tried to regroup and catch them. Aww there is always next week.
So the numbers for the day. 89 km with the group at 31 km/h average and an average heartrate of 148. Grand total 6 hours. 5 hour 35 minutes of hard riding with a total of 167 km and then a 20 minute cool down at a speed that is almost like coasting. The legs felt great overall. I had planned on mountain biking in the morning but I have a cracked rad house in the subaru so it's shop bound on monday. I'm thinking I will do the big chute loop instead which is a 90 km loop and then take the mt bike just around the rails here with the dog after.
Now the fun begins. Meet up with the group at the school. It was great turn out today with 20 riders. It was also a strong group which meant a better ride. The plan was to go to Wasaga Beach by way of Tiny Beach Road. Itw a nice run and of course we had the tail wind for the ride out. Worry about the return trip when it happens.
This was also the start of our interclub competion. The Stinky Helmet Award. The first sprint was the Wasaga town line. I got caught at the back of the pack and it was a late burst for the line. If I would have had 200 more meters I would have caught the 3 in front. Awww well there was that same sprint line on the return trip. We made teh cruise out along golf course road and then eventually making it back to the main beach where I have never seen so many riders run for the washroom.
Once we all regrouped we picked up the pace again. The next sprint line was the Tiny sign. Lets just say I wanted this one bad. I'm not sure who went first but I just kept grabbing a wheel till around 300 meters then swung out. This is a hard sprint because the sign is around the corner so you have to keep hammering blind. I pulled away from everyone except Brien but was able to hold him off as well.
The final sprint was the Midland sign. This one I knew I was out of. There was a bit of confussion going up the one concession and most of us thought we would regroup at teh stop sign before the final run to the sign. It didn't happen and everyone blew apart. There was a crazy wind which hurt everyone. Except for the 4 riders that broke free everyone was on there own and no one tried to regroup and catch them. Aww there is always next week.
So the numbers for the day. 89 km with the group at 31 km/h average and an average heartrate of 148. Grand total 6 hours. 5 hour 35 minutes of hard riding with a total of 167 km and then a 20 minute cool down at a speed that is almost like coasting. The legs felt great overall. I had planned on mountain biking in the morning but I have a cracked rad house in the subaru so it's shop bound on monday. I'm thinking I will do the big chute loop instead which is a 90 km loop and then take the mt bike just around the rails here with the dog after.
Friday, May 4, 2007
As old as you feel?
So I turned 34 today. Not really a big deal. Hell I'm in better shape now than I was a 24. Now I did get a couple cool birthday presents that were spread out over the week. The first is the theatre which I enjoyed again tonight. The latest gift was from Giant. My TT bike is in Canada!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo should have it sometime next week.
It was a rest day from training but still did good old fashion work in the backyard. The earlier I get all the backyard landscaping done the more time I can either train or sit and enjoy it. Tomorrow will be one of those days. If things go well I should be on the bike by 8ish, mett up with the club around 10 and be home around 2. THats the plan, around 6 hours on the bike. The afternoon will be pretty mellow. Why Because I will be tired.
Keeping the rubber side down!!!!
It was a rest day from training but still did good old fashion work in the backyard. The earlier I get all the backyard landscaping done the more time I can either train or sit and enjoy it. Tomorrow will be one of those days. If things go well I should be on the bike by 8ish, mett up with the club around 10 and be home around 2. THats the plan, around 6 hours on the bike. The afternoon will be pretty mellow. Why Because I will be tired.
Keeping the rubber side down!!!!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Another fun day
Ok, so I'm distracted from my new bike. I got the movie theatre up and running and am currently sitting in the backyard watching a dave matthews concert on a 6 foot screen. UMMMM SWEET!!!!!!!! Ok before you think I slacked of today I did an hour twenty five on the bike today on a shorter loop of yesterdays ride. Legs felt pretty good. 35km full out and a 5 km cool down. Rest day tommorow before the 6 hours on saturday.
So out on the ride today I was thinking on what are some great tips for endurance racers. So first off, its all about energy conservation. Climbing is a big thing. Don't let your body rock on hard climbs Shift up a gear. Also in mountain biking its better to stay seated climbing for traction. On the road bike stick to the same practice. I know I can pick up the pace if I stand on a tough climb and I do this racing road but when it comes to base for a 24 solo I stay seated as much as I can. I also set my road bike to mirror my mountain bikes. Makes it easier to transition from one to the other. I also spend as much time riding in an upright position on the hoods when on the road bike. Its much closer to the position of the mountain bike.
Now the normal common sense training tips. If you want to become a strong climber, CLIMB HILLS. If you want to sprint with the big boys get some drugs!!!! Just kidding. Things that can help with this though is researching the course. Knowing what it up ahead makes things so much easier. I think this applies to all racing. If you don't know ab out that last killer hill before the sprint or near the end of a lap and you hammer to soon you won't have anything at the finish.
Well like usual I could type more BUT I'll save it for another night. Tonight is a movie night.
So out on the ride today I was thinking on what are some great tips for endurance racers. So first off, its all about energy conservation. Climbing is a big thing. Don't let your body rock on hard climbs Shift up a gear. Also in mountain biking its better to stay seated climbing for traction. On the road bike stick to the same practice. I know I can pick up the pace if I stand on a tough climb and I do this racing road but when it comes to base for a 24 solo I stay seated as much as I can. I also set my road bike to mirror my mountain bikes. Makes it easier to transition from one to the other. I also spend as much time riding in an upright position on the hoods when on the road bike. Its much closer to the position of the mountain bike.
Now the normal common sense training tips. If you want to become a strong climber, CLIMB HILLS. If you want to sprint with the big boys get some drugs!!!! Just kidding. Things that can help with this though is researching the course. Knowing what it up ahead makes things so much easier. I think this applies to all racing. If you don't know ab out that last killer hill before the sprint or near the end of a lap and you hammer to soon you won't have anything at the finish.
Well like usual I could type more BUT I'll save it for another night. Tonight is a movie night.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The things that happen on a ride
Well it was back to real training tonight. I was a bit draggy when I got in from work. Things have been crazy busy and its taken a bit of a toll on my energy. I shouldn't complain to much though. I was able to get out on the bike just after 5 which meant no time restraints of daylight. Picked a great route with a big mix of terrain.
The first 40 minutes was pretty much a warm up even though I was averaging 32 km an hour with out major effort. Gotta love good pavement. From there I headed up Vasey line. This is a cruel road. Bad pavement with lots of momentum killing cracks and patches. Oh did I mention the 3.4km long climb with the start of it being at 15 percent. The picture below is close to the top where it levels off a bit.
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This was the route for the day.
After playing on Vasey line started down county road 93. Talk about a mean wind. I stopped getting made at the wind. Can't change it so deal with it. So as I can in to Wyebridge I saw this out the corner of my eye and had to stop.
.jpg)
When all was said and done it was a 2 hour 9 minutes and 64 km. Average heart rate was 158 with a spike up over 200 a couple times. With the stinky helment award starting this weekend I mixed in a couple town line sprints. The one going into Vasey was teh hardest as it was just over the top of a long climb. Hopefully I can take a few sprints. I think it will be Brien and I battling it out at the end of the year overall. Its all fun.
So the latest update on my TT bike is its still in ASIA. They are still having some manufacturing issues. The only thing that makes me feel better is that some Giant factory riders are still waiting for theirs. The latest time line is end of next week. I've just need to stop being anxious for it. YA RIGHT!!!!!!
The first 40 minutes was pretty much a warm up even though I was averaging 32 km an hour with out major effort. Gotta love good pavement. From there I headed up Vasey line. This is a cruel road. Bad pavement with lots of momentum killing cracks and patches. Oh did I mention the 3.4km long climb with the start of it being at 15 percent. The picture below is close to the top where it levels off a bit.
.jpg)
This was the route for the day.
After playing on Vasey line started down county road 93. Talk about a mean wind. I stopped getting made at the wind. Can't change it so deal with it. So as I can in to Wyebridge I saw this out the corner of my eye and had to stop.
.jpg)
When all was said and done it was a 2 hour 9 minutes and 64 km. Average heart rate was 158 with a spike up over 200 a couple times. With the stinky helment award starting this weekend I mixed in a couple town line sprints. The one going into Vasey was teh hardest as it was just over the top of a long climb. Hopefully I can take a few sprints. I think it will be Brien and I battling it out at the end of the year overall. Its all fun.
So the latest update on my TT bike is its still in ASIA. They are still having some manufacturing issues. The only thing that makes me feel better is that some Giant factory riders are still waiting for theirs. The latest time line is end of next week. I've just need to stop being anxious for it. YA RIGHT!!!!!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Not enough hours in the day
Ok so its 9:30 pm and I just ate dinner. I need to either become a pro athlete and get paid to train or independently wealthy and not work. That or a bum with alot of cool gear and no place to live. We had the first time trial tonight and with the killer rain coming down I have to admit that I wasnt all that upset that I wasn't riding. It was a small group tonight with only 8 riders showing up. The rain and the cold have a tendency to scare most into the house. Normally we have 30 plus riders. Well there is always next week.
We finished up around 7:30 ish after getting a group pic of who was out. By then the rain had stopped and I had a quick outdoor ride with hill repeats since the rain finally stopped. Well that changed when Alex decided to bail on his ride home and through his bike in the car. I don't blame the guy, his legs were still pretty much toast from the half marathon 2 days earlier. Well by the time I drove him home and then got back to the house it was after 8 and the light was pretty much gone. Said screw it and pulled out the roller and spun for 30 minutes. Better than nothing.
Well things shold be back to normal tomorrow, I hope. I'll be out alone tomorrow and spend a fair bit of time in the hills. Gotta ride, Gotta love them!!!!!
The boys that showed up, even Molly got in the picture
We finished up around 7:30 ish after getting a group pic of who was out. By then the rain had stopped and I had a quick outdoor ride with hill repeats since the rain finally stopped. Well that changed when Alex decided to bail on his ride home and through his bike in the car. I don't blame the guy, his legs were still pretty much toast from the half marathon 2 days earlier. Well by the time I drove him home and then got back to the house it was after 8 and the light was pretty much gone. Said screw it and pulled out the roller and spun for 30 minutes. Better than nothing.
Well things shold be back to normal tomorrow, I hope. I'll be out alone tomorrow and spend a fair bit of time in the hills. Gotta ride, Gotta love them!!!!!
The boys that showed up, even Molly got in the picture
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