Well my buddy is getting ready to make a move out to Salt Lake so he needed to get rid of an extra bike. It just so happens that I really enjoy that bike and he made me a great deal. Actually it was a steal. So now I'm the proud owner of a 2007 Fisher Rig 29'er singlespeed. Hopefully somewhere in the future this will be my SS race bike. It's already awaiting a Surly rigid fork to help dial it in. Once that fork is on it'll be a great play bike. I did get a chance today to take it into the woods and play and it's just so much fun to haul through the techy stuff without the fear of the unstylish endo dismount. ***Newly updated as I've had a blast on my 26" rigid SS, so I made this my 29" rigid SS with the addition of a sweet Surly Karate Monkey fork. It rides like a dream so far. I can't wait to add some more miles to it.***>
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A New SS Joins the Quiver
Well my buddy is getting ready to make a move out to Salt Lake so he needed to get rid of an extra bike. It just so happens that I really enjoy that bike and he made me a great deal. Actually it was a steal. So now I'm the proud owner of a 2007 Fisher Rig 29'er singlespeed. Hopefully somewhere in the future this will be my SS race bike. It's already awaiting a Surly rigid fork to help dial it in. Once that fork is on it'll be a great play bike. I did get a chance today to take it into the woods and play and it's just so much fun to haul through the techy stuff without the fear of the unstylish endo dismount. ***Newly updated as I've had a blast on my 26" rigid SS, so I made this my 29" rigid SS with the addition of a sweet Surly Karate Monkey fork. It rides like a dream so far. I can't wait to add some more miles to it.***>
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Philly 2 Day Classic
Well this weekend I took a drive down to Philly to compete in the 2 day classic. My old roommate and I decided to do it since he lives in Philly and wanted to get a nice workout in. First of all the races were cut shorter than originally advertised. I can understand the promoter's dilemma as there were about 70 people in CAT5 registered and wanted to keep it under the 50 person limit. So they split the one race into two. It was supposed to be a 20 mile race on Saturday and a 15 mile race on Sunday. It turned out to be a 25 min +1 lap race and 25 min +2 lap race respectively. Just what I'm not good at. Fast short races...yikes...
So Saturday was a 2.2 mile lap and we did about 4 laps total. It was a nice course with only two hard high speed turns so it was fairly comfortable. It was 6:30 am though so I didn't get a good warm up in and to top it off they made up sit on the line for a little bit as the course was getting cleared so everyone was frozen. The gun FINALLY went off and we rolled through a nice comfortable 1st lap where I picked out the sketchy riders and was looking for my move to the front. It was my buddy's first road race and I tried to get him to follow me to the front but was trapped in the group. On lap two I steadily put an effort in and was sitting top 5. Things were good as people were shuffling and were never really organized whatsoever. 3rd lap I was close to the front and a guy attacked and I jumped right on his wheel. We rode away and got a little gap but the pack reeled us back in and we stayed at the front of the group. The last lap I set myself up so that mid way through the last lap I would be close to the front for a chance at a good finish. I picked my spot and grabbed a wheel as two other riders had the same idea. I was in 3rd flying towards the line as a group of 5 or so were closing fast and we were all jostling for position as I crossed the line sprinting for 5th. It just felt awkward as I wasn't really warmed up and it was too hard, too fast. But a good race nonetheless. My buddy didn't fair so well as he got shot off the back and put a good effort in to avoid getting pulled.
Sunday was the 0.8 mile technical course as there were a few hard downhill and uphill turns that kept you on your toes. It was the same start time and I had a little better warmup - and maybe a few too many beers the night prior. This race went on for 16 laps and was pretty fast from the start. My buddy started off a little better as we both got to the front pretty quickly but he wasn't feeling well and got shot off the back again only to be pulled a few laps in. It wasn't his day. For me I tried to stay towards the front just to see if anyone would jump and there were a few attacks that were uneventful. Fighting through the turns the rhythm of the course got more comfortable and the lead group picked up the pace shooting riders off left and right. It wound up being only about 20 people left in the main group for the last 5 laps. Each lap got better and better. I steadily climbed to the front and on lap 3 there was an attack on the hill leading to the start/finish and I jumped on his wheel to see if we could both get away. We had a good gap opening up and the other rider just stopped pedaling. I would have worked with him but not for him. So I just let up and got back on the front of the group. 2 laps to go we were cruising and fighting for position in the last lap. At this point one rider jumps off the front and nobody chases?!?!?! Bell lap comes and I figure I need to be towards the front to launch my attack on the last hill. We come flying down into the last turn and I go from 10th position on the inside cranking as hard as I could. I dig deep and get all of the power I could to the ground as I see the riders next to me going backwards. I cross the line in 6th position and pretty content with my performance given the circumstances. It was really a fun time and a great couple of days. It would have been a little nicer if the mornings were warmer though.
As far as the overall I'll have to wait to see where I faired but I'm happy with how things ended up. It was a nice change of pace and I got to do some nice cruising through Philly afterwards. It's a cool scene and a great biking culture for sure.
So Saturday was a 2.2 mile lap and we did about 4 laps total. It was a nice course with only two hard high speed turns so it was fairly comfortable. It was 6:30 am though so I didn't get a good warm up in and to top it off they made up sit on the line for a little bit as the course was getting cleared so everyone was frozen. The gun FINALLY went off and we rolled through a nice comfortable 1st lap where I picked out the sketchy riders and was looking for my move to the front. It was my buddy's first road race and I tried to get him to follow me to the front but was trapped in the group. On lap two I steadily put an effort in and was sitting top 5. Things were good as people were shuffling and were never really organized whatsoever. 3rd lap I was close to the front and a guy attacked and I jumped right on his wheel. We rode away and got a little gap but the pack reeled us back in and we stayed at the front of the group. The last lap I set myself up so that mid way through the last lap I would be close to the front for a chance at a good finish. I picked my spot and grabbed a wheel as two other riders had the same idea. I was in 3rd flying towards the line as a group of 5 or so were closing fast and we were all jostling for position as I crossed the line sprinting for 5th. It just felt awkward as I wasn't really warmed up and it was too hard, too fast. But a good race nonetheless. My buddy didn't fair so well as he got shot off the back and put a good effort in to avoid getting pulled.
Sunday was the 0.8 mile technical course as there were a few hard downhill and uphill turns that kept you on your toes. It was the same start time and I had a little better warmup - and maybe a few too many beers the night prior. This race went on for 16 laps and was pretty fast from the start. My buddy started off a little better as we both got to the front pretty quickly but he wasn't feeling well and got shot off the back again only to be pulled a few laps in. It wasn't his day. For me I tried to stay towards the front just to see if anyone would jump and there were a few attacks that were uneventful. Fighting through the turns the rhythm of the course got more comfortable and the lead group picked up the pace shooting riders off left and right. It wound up being only about 20 people left in the main group for the last 5 laps. Each lap got better and better. I steadily climbed to the front and on lap 3 there was an attack on the hill leading to the start/finish and I jumped on his wheel to see if we could both get away. We had a good gap opening up and the other rider just stopped pedaling. I would have worked with him but not for him. So I just let up and got back on the front of the group. 2 laps to go we were cruising and fighting for position in the last lap. At this point one rider jumps off the front and nobody chases?!?!?! Bell lap comes and I figure I need to be towards the front to launch my attack on the last hill. We come flying down into the last turn and I go from 10th position on the inside cranking as hard as I could. I dig deep and get all of the power I could to the ground as I see the riders next to me going backwards. I cross the line in 6th position and pretty content with my performance given the circumstances. It was really a fun time and a great couple of days. It would have been a little nicer if the mornings were warmer though.
As far as the overall I'll have to wait to see where I faired but I'm happy with how things ended up. It was a nice change of pace and I got to do some nice cruising through Philly afterwards. It's a cool scene and a great biking culture for sure.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Road Race #2 in the Books
Yesterday was the Augusta Training Series Crit #4 and my training plan said to complete some higher zone exercises and the coach said to go for it if I want - so I did. It was a good time once again. Great weather and a great group of people. As I sat on the line I looked back and counted about 45 heads in my field. I was wondering how a larger field would workout and it wasn't much different than the 35 at the last race.
As the race went on there were a few attacks but nothing that lasted more than a 1/4 of a lap. I stayed at the front trying to stay out of the wind and stay in the safe zone. I figured I'd stay there for most of the race and then towards the end, drift back a bit to save up some juice for the end. That's exactly what I did. Most of the time I was trying to get Hinder's cover of Wham's "Careless Whisper" out of my head since it was driving me crazy. The thing that finally did it was a guys tire blowing out and knifing through the peleton with no casualties somehow.
Finally we got to the last lap as I was sitting in about 25th resting so I decided to make my move. The group kept the left side open so I steadily slid up trying to get towards the front by the last hard turn. Into the final 90 degree left we went as I was in about 8th. The sprint was on and I lost a few positions and gained a few as we hammered towards the line. I just plain ran out of gas though as we hit the line and one guy nipped me at the line. Counting those ahead I believe I was 13th out of 45 which was great. ***EDIT - Even better. Results are posted and I was 11th out of 45!!!*** Those that I knew were in front of me should have been in front. I was really satisfied to get out there and especially try out my new wheels. This was the 2nd ride on the new Madone 5.1. I don't know if the previous race made this one that much more comfortable or if it was in fact the bike. Either way it was a great race and a pretty good finish. I was really happy with the day's events.
As the race went on there were a few attacks but nothing that lasted more than a 1/4 of a lap. I stayed at the front trying to stay out of the wind and stay in the safe zone. I figured I'd stay there for most of the race and then towards the end, drift back a bit to save up some juice for the end. That's exactly what I did. Most of the time I was trying to get Hinder's cover of Wham's "Careless Whisper" out of my head since it was driving me crazy. The thing that finally did it was a guys tire blowing out and knifing through the peleton with no casualties somehow.
Finally we got to the last lap as I was sitting in about 25th resting so I decided to make my move. The group kept the left side open so I steadily slid up trying to get towards the front by the last hard turn. Into the final 90 degree left we went as I was in about 8th. The sprint was on and I lost a few positions and gained a few as we hammered towards the line. I just plain ran out of gas though as we hit the line and one guy nipped me at the line. Counting those ahead I believe I was 13th out of 45 which was great. ***EDIT - Even better. Results are posted and I was 11th out of 45!!!*** Those that I knew were in front of me should have been in front. I was really satisfied to get out there and especially try out my new wheels. This was the 2nd ride on the new Madone 5.1. I don't know if the previous race made this one that much more comfortable or if it was in fact the bike. Either way it was a great race and a pretty good finish. I was really happy with the day's events.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Finally got to try this road racing thing..
In my relatively short competitive biking career I've done a few different disciplines like MTB, Road, Triathlon, and today was the first time I've attempted a real road race. I've done a couple of informal events that felt like races but this was the real deal.I got a decent warm up of about 35-40 minutes of random spinning around the grounds with a few jumps in there to see how the heart rate would respond. It seemed ok but I could definitely feel the heavy weekend that I just put in in the legs. But for what ever it's worth I figured I'd set my goal as don't crash and finish with the pack.
We lined up and my teammate Ian and I got on the front line. There were some cameras there so maybe we'll be in some swanky pics-wohoo! Looking back there were probably around 40 people total. It seemed to be a nice sized field. What do I know I'm a noob at this. Anyway it started off nicely paced and someone immediately jumped off the front. It started to get organized and I just found a wheel to sit on. I worked back and forth with cycling front to back and just seeing how the whole dynamic works. I was amazed at how quickly you could go from the front of the pack to the middle and back. It was interesting just to see what kind of gaps you could jump into and being able to see people that were fading to avoid. The comfort factor was a bit of a battle since it did get really tight and jerky at times. Honestly I think that was the biggest thing to wrap my head around. Since I got hit by the car in December, lets just say I've been a little more anxious about proximity and impending doom. But I think I faired ok. It was more annoying to see the people that would brake into the turns and mess up the flow. It always felt like the pack was slowing and speeding up.
Towards the final few laps I finally got the feel of when I can put power down and when to relax and when to pedal a little softer. Unfortunately that's when the pace picked up and I just got stuck in a bad spot. I was playing around in the front 15 or so for most of the race and kinda got boxed in and couldn't get around as guys were freight training to the front. So the last turn came up the hill and I got out of the saddle and tried to get out which I did but was a little late. I heard the voice of God say get on my wheel, but alas it was my teammate Weber flying by and I did my best to stick to his wheel. He started pulling away towards the line but as we rolled I saw the guys that went too early fading fast as Weber and I reeled em in and past them to cross the line.I'm not too sure how I faired but I'm guessing somewhere in the middle of the pack? It was interesting to do my first road race and see how being smarter would have resulted in a much better finish. The biggest battle is going to be just getting comfortable sitting amongst so many wheels. I think I was pretty solid but there's always room for improvement. All in all I guess I met my goal. I finished with the pack and no bad luck. I'll be back for more. Probably next week as the series is each week til July. It was good to be on a bike on such a gorgeous day!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Holy Elevation Batman!!!
Well I had an opportunity this weekend to get away for 3 days. With the warmer temps my girl and I decided to head down to the Shenandoah National Park to get some travelin in.
We arrived Friday night to nothing but closed campgrounds so the seats of the neon turned into some comfy(insert sarcasm here) beds. So Saturday morning after being directed to another closed campground we found a sweet primitive spot down by a river. The only bad part was that it was 3 miles of gravel to the nearest spot of pavement. We set up and took a nap and I got the first of my rides in.
2:22, 37 miles, 4703 ft of vert, the one main climb was 3 miles and 1100 ft of vert on a very constant grade which was sweet.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7764819
Back to the camp to chill and cook dinner and relax and enjoy the downtime. After all the problem we had finding a campsite I sometimes wonder if it's worth the camping issues. We were having dinner and looked up to see a bald eagle chilling in a tree across the river(looking for dinner as well) I was reminded how it really was worth it.
The next moring I woke up and decided to head up to Skyline Drive. For those who aren't familiar it is a sweet road in the top of the Shenandoah mountain range with spectacular views and some nice undulating hills. I headed out from camp and had to do the fun gravel road and head up, ALL UPHILL, to Skyline drive.
5:32, 82 miles, 9331 ft of vert, the one main climb was 8 miles and 2500 ft of vert on a pretty consistant grade.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7764818
Needless to say after that ride I was pretty shot but we still managed to wander around and check out the local town and some local caverns. We slept in this morning and took a nice leisurely ride home. All in all a great weekend and did I mention that it was mid 70's all weekend. After I washed all the dirt off I actually got a tan line from my bibs...SWEET!!!
We arrived Friday night to nothing but closed campgrounds so the seats of the neon turned into some comfy(insert sarcasm here) beds. So Saturday morning after being directed to another closed campground we found a sweet primitive spot down by a river. The only bad part was that it was 3 miles of gravel to the nearest spot of pavement. We set up and took a nap and I got the first of my rides in.
2:22, 37 miles, 4703 ft of vert, the one main climb was 3 miles and 1100 ft of vert on a very constant grade which was sweet.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7764819
Back to the camp to chill and cook dinner and relax and enjoy the downtime. After all the problem we had finding a campsite I sometimes wonder if it's worth the camping issues. We were having dinner and looked up to see a bald eagle chilling in a tree across the river(looking for dinner as well) I was reminded how it really was worth it.
The next moring I woke up and decided to head up to Skyline Drive. For those who aren't familiar it is a sweet road in the top of the Shenandoah mountain range with spectacular views and some nice undulating hills. I headed out from camp and had to do the fun gravel road and head up, ALL UPHILL, to Skyline drive.
5:32, 82 miles, 9331 ft of vert, the one main climb was 8 miles and 2500 ft of vert on a pretty consistant grade.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7764818
Needless to say after that ride I was pretty shot but we still managed to wander around and check out the local town and some local caverns. We slept in this morning and took a nice leisurely ride home. All in all a great weekend and did I mention that it was mid 70's all weekend. After I washed all the dirt off I actually got a tan line from my bibs...SWEET!!!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Staying Healthy is the Key
Now how exactly do I do that? I was finally considering myself 100% recovered from my incident with the car when I started to come down with a cold...wonderful. It was nothing big so I kept on my workouts and afterwards felt more aweful than the day before. So then I just relaxed, rested and focused on getting better. After about 5 days of guessing at what was wrong I finally went to the doc. He diagnosed me with an upper respiratory infection. Then he prescribed me an antibiotic that didn't work. This resulted in 2 days off from work where I couldn't even stay awake I was so miserable. So a return visit was scheduled and finally some relief. He prescribed a stronger antibiotic and some relief was finally coming. This time it was more obvious that I had a sinus infection. It was so painful that my teeth and jaw were hurting so much I couldn't eat. If nothing else it was a great way to get back to race weight...lol.
It's now been 2 and a half weeks since the initial onset and I'm finally getting back to myself and back on the bike. Since the onset I was on the bike twice and lifted once. Today it was great to return to the bike as I got out and put 4.5 hours in. The legs started to fade about hour 3 but it was nice knowing I was out there and working out again. The best part is that I still feel well now. If I still had that sinus infection I would feel like death right now. So hopefully this is the end of my setbacks for the preseason. Hopefully since this infection seems to be fading I'll be back to my regular workouts and having fun on the bike once again. I know it's still early but I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and as long as my health stays good there will be many PR's to look forward to this season.
It's now been 2 and a half weeks since the initial onset and I'm finally getting back to myself and back on the bike. Since the onset I was on the bike twice and lifted once. Today it was great to return to the bike as I got out and put 4.5 hours in. The legs started to fade about hour 3 but it was nice knowing I was out there and working out again. The best part is that I still feel well now. If I still had that sinus infection I would feel like death right now. So hopefully this is the end of my setbacks for the preseason. Hopefully since this infection seems to be fading I'll be back to my regular workouts and having fun on the bike once again. I know it's still early but I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and as long as my health stays good there will be many PR's to look forward to this season.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Looking ahead
Well I'm in my 9th week of training and all seems to be going well. Things have gotten much better since the accident and if nothing else - it has given me even more motivation and determination to make this season count. I've been more dilligent and disciplined than ever before. It's hard and challenging but when I do things it's 100%. So far my workouts and diet change have made me lost 12 lbs and I'm very close to last season's race weight in January. That's a very promising sign.
My main concern at this point is to stay healthy during the preseason. Each of the past two years I have gone about training my own way and it has resulted in two separate knee injuries. That is NOT the way I want this season to go. So with that said I'm being very cautious and stretching to prevent any injuries. I went in to the Cohutta 100 last year with a cortisone shot two days prior to the race just to take down the inflammation because the pain was so uncomfortable. That put a major damper on training in the weeks before and I basically did that race "off the couch". With that said it was my fastest 100 miler of 2008. I want to destroy that PR this time around. With 87 days left I'm making those days count and going in very prepared.
As exciting as the Cohutta race is coming up I'm more stoked for the Mohican 100 and the Wilderness 101. I'm already registered for the Mohican and I will be at the 101. These are my two priority races for the 2009 season. I'm attempting to set my training peaks for these races and let the fun begin. At this point I just really want to ride on the dirt! The roads are nice for miles and training but I want the fun to begin again. I lie awake dreaming of singtrack decents and slamming through rock gardens. Soon enough it'll be here and I will be prepared. Is it bad to be this psyched so early?
My main concern at this point is to stay healthy during the preseason. Each of the past two years I have gone about training my own way and it has resulted in two separate knee injuries. That is NOT the way I want this season to go. So with that said I'm being very cautious and stretching to prevent any injuries. I went in to the Cohutta 100 last year with a cortisone shot two days prior to the race just to take down the inflammation because the pain was so uncomfortable. That put a major damper on training in the weeks before and I basically did that race "off the couch". With that said it was my fastest 100 miler of 2008. I want to destroy that PR this time around. With 87 days left I'm making those days count and going in very prepared.
As exciting as the Cohutta race is coming up I'm more stoked for the Mohican 100 and the Wilderness 101. I'm already registered for the Mohican and I will be at the 101. These are my two priority races for the 2009 season. I'm attempting to set my training peaks for these races and let the fun begin. At this point I just really want to ride on the dirt! The roads are nice for miles and training but I want the fun to begin again. I lie awake dreaming of singtrack decents and slamming through rock gardens. Soon enough it'll be here and I will be prepared. Is it bad to be this psyched so early?
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