Struggling to Find My Form

Rouse Bicycles

2010-03-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

Hello to all of my blogger friends.

I am very happy to say that I am the majority partner in a bicycle company that will launch on March 15th, 2010. The company, Rouse Bicycles, will provide custom painted and equipped performance bicycles to individuals, race teams, and cycling clubs. Our website will be active later this evening - www.rousebicycles.com.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best Regards,

Chris

Out of Business

2009-04-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Look for all updates on either:

Facebook - Chris Cornetto
Twitter - Chemguy1972

I am still going to read your blogs. I just won't be posting any here myself. At least for now.

Race Reports

2009-04-12T11:57:00.001-07:00

I am way behind on race reports so I am going to give a brief summary of each. I haven't been on blogs lately. I blame Face Book. You can all friend me on Face Book if you use it:).

Belterra Circuit Race 3/28

I believe there were about 70 racers. The race was a hilly 2 mile circuit and I knew that there would be a quick selection. I made sure to get a slot at the front of the field at the start line. I got a decent start. I hammered the first lap to stay with the front. As expected, on the 2nd lap the selection happened. I went away with 3 other riders. All were from different teams. We worked together very well. One of the riders was struggling to stay on and was skipping a lot of pulls. We opened up a considerable gap. The finish was a steep uphill and I could only manage 3rd.

Driveway Criterium 4/2

The day was extremely windy and we only had about 35 riders at the start. I felt decent, but not great throughout the race. I felt like I did too much work early on. As we approached the finish I was charging up on the left. There was a boble inside and the guy to my right veered over and we rubbed wheels. I didn't go down but it killed my momentum. I soft pedaled across the line for maybe 20th.

Driveway Criterium 4/9

We had 60-70 riders at the start. We ran the full course - 2 miles. As the race got underway, I wasn't feeling very strong. I took some early pulls, but then decided to sit in and try to regain my mojo. I started to feel a bit better as the race wore on. On the last lap I jumped on a wheel coming by fast. He pulled us into first and second. I stayed on his wheel a bit too long before pulling through and got swarmed by a group coming through on the left. I jumped on, and then sprinted for the line. I finished 10th. This one came down to me missing my opportunity and waiting to long.

Fiesta Grande Criterium 4/11

We had 50-60 riders at the start. The course is a police academy driver training circuit - ie flat with lots of corners. I got a great start and was sitting in 3rd after the 1st lap. I felt good and decided to push up the pace. I opened a gap of about 50 meters which lasted 3 laps, but nobody would come across. I was bummed out because a few good riders could have easily gotten away. So I made the decision to go back to the pack and let things play out. I won a preem shortly after that (6 pack of Tecate). For most of the rest of the race I stayed in the top 5 or 6. There were some accelerations, but nothing super hard. About 500m out on the last lap, I charged right and a few others charged left. We came into the last corner and I was in 4th. That was were I finished - 4th. This was a failure on my part of letting it come down to a sprint when I am only a mediocre sprinter. A local San Antonio bike racer R. Mercado took some pictures at this crit.

Coming back to the pack after my break.

Going through the 180.

Somewhere along the route.

The difference between winning and not winning. He is elated with his arm up. I am disappointed with my head down.

Driveway Crit 3/26

2009-03-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to race the 3/4 race this week. I estimated about 40 riders at the start. The first few laps were uneventful. There were a few attacks after that but nothing stuck. I felt good throughout the race. The last lap snuck up on me. I wasn't paying attention to the cards and was surprised to hear the bell. I wasn't in a good position. I saw an opening and was able to move to the front of the peleton. I came into the corner before the finish first and ended up sprinting to third. Oh well.

Yummy

2009-03-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Fayetteville Stage Race

2009-03-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I did the Saturday road race of the Fayetteville Stage Race. I long ago decided I wouldn't do the time trial because I don't have a TT rig and just wasn't competitive without it last year. The rules are that if you don't start a stage, you can't enter any later stages. Therefore, I didn't race the second road race on Sunday. The race was 46 miles and the field was full at 75 racers. I had one other teammate in the race.

The race was foggy at the start. Just as last year, there was congestion on the narrow roads until the pace picked up and that pack spread out. Aside from a few accelerations, the pace was fairly steady. There were two crashes back to back. The first had people piled up all over the road. I think everyone was ok. The last few miles were at a very solid pace. I started my sprint at 220 meters or so which was a little too far out and ended up 6th. I need work on my sprint.

Fog early on.

Quote of the Day

We'll throw a huge party. I mean huge party! Everybody's invited. Women everywhere. All these girls, they're all there. Naked bodies everywhere. They all know my name. -Gary Wallace-

Driveway March 19th

2009-03-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I raced at the Driveway. I wasn't able to get out there last week, so this was my first Driveway race of the year. There were 50-70 racers on the line. I don't know the exact number. The race was a very short 30 minutes.

A racer got a gap and I bridged up to him and pulled through. We were closed down in about a lap. I went with two more racers and we were closed down in about 1/2 lap. A few laps later I went with two other racers. I was second wheel and the dude in front was craning his neck to look back for the pack and ran right off the course. WTF. It was again brought back. On the last lap I was about 4th wheel when the speed started to pick up. As we climbed the grade on the course the dude in front of me either popped or just decided he didn't want any part of the finish so he just slowed up. I went to his left and he started drifting to the outside of the course (to the left). We brushed bars and I told him what I thought of his bone headed move. I mean, if you don't want to contest the finish get the fuck out of the way. That dropped me back to probably 8th. Going into the corner before the finish, the guy in front of me went down forcing me to lock up my brakes and basically come to a stop. At that point I had had it and soft pedaled to the line for 20th or so.

Moving forward I will do the 3/4 race. The 4/5 race just has too many sketchy riders in it. While my chances to win are better so are my chances of getting tangled up with a knuckle head.

Quote of the Day

I really love Rudy. He is totally enamored of me. I mean, I've had other men love me before, but not for six months in a row. -Ginny Baker-

University Oaks Criterium

2009-03-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I raced at the University Oaks Criterium in San Antonio. It was raining the morning of the race and the course was soaked. By the time my race started the rain had stopped, but the course was still wet and slippery. Due to the weather there were only 18 racers on the line at the start. The race was 40 minutes.

To make it short, on lap 4 a rider got a little gap and I bridged up to him. I pulled through and looked back and he was fading. I decided to hammer it and see what happened. It basically turned into a 34 minute LT threshold interval. I was able to stay away and win by about 20 seconds. I would have preferred to win with a bigger field, but it is what it is.

Sporting my new racing moustache that my wife loves so much.

Sometime during the race.

The field chasing.

Quote of the Day

There wouldn't be no trouble except for that king shit cop! All I wanted was something to eat. But the man kept pushing Sir. -John Rambo-

Impressive

2009-03-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Primavera II

2009-03-04T18:50:00.001-08:00

I raced on Sunday in the Primavera II held in Lago Vista, TX. In my opinion, this is probably the hardest race of the year. Last year, this was my worst race performance of the year - my only DNF.

At 37 degrees, it was cold for Texas at the start of the race. The field was fairly small at 48 riders. The race has a gradual climb that is about 2 miles long, and then a roller coaster descent back to the start/finish. The race was 40 miles which was 9 laps.

The race started off at a moderate pace. On the second lap, I went to the front to put in an effort in hopes of stringing the field out and dropping some deadwood. It sort of worked, but there were still plenty of racers coming up behind me. On the 4th lap, two racers attacked and I went with them. We worked well together and stayed away for about a lap until a 10 racer chase bridged up. We stayed together for another three or so laps and then the same two racers attacked again. I didn't go with them this time and it was a mistake because it was the winning break. Oh well. I sprinted hard for 3rd, but ended up in 4th. Not the wanted result, but it will have to do. Crit season starts soon! WOOOOHOOOO

Our break. I am in the blue and white. You can see the chase in the background.

The transition between the climb and the descent.

Quote of the Day

Suppose Nancy sees me coming out of the shower and decides to come on to me. I'm looking good, got a luscious v of hair going through my chest pubes down to my ball fro. She takes one look at me and goes " Oh my god, I've had the old bull now I want the young calf" and grabs me by the weiner. -Dale Doback-

Racing

2009-02-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

I suck as a blog friend. I admit it. You all deserve better. Life is just hectic right now.

This past weekend, I raced twice. As a bonus, Sydney Brown made the trip down to Texas to escape the cold and do the races as well. We had a blast with Sydney and her boys. I hope I can talk them into coming back next year.

Walburg Road Race

The race has a reputation for being windy windy windy and it didn't disappoint. It was windy to the point of being almost ridiculous. My field was 74 riders and the distance was 48 miles. After two miles two guys went off the front. As usual, nobody wanted to cooperate and chase. After about 30 miles we caught one guy who had blown up. We never did catch the other guy, which I find totally unbelievable. If there is a coordinated chase, no cyclist in the world should be able to stay away for 46 miles in the wind. Such is amateur racing I guess. The finish was uphill. We started cranking it up from about 500 meters. At 100 meters I came out of my saddle to sprint. A second later a Colavita rider got bumped and went down in front of me and I drilled him and endoed. He was ok, but there were two more riders down as well. One looked to be in rough shape. I walked across the finish line with a tweaked bike for 18th place.

Pace Bend Road Race

The Pace Bend Road Race is a race that I really like. It is a closed circuit with full road width racing. My race was short at only 30 miles (6 laps). We had 62 racers. I had 3 teammates in the race. I thought we had a good chance to win the race. The plan was to try to get a guy or guys away. On lap 3 Jeremy attacked and I sat in on the chase. He was brought back in a few minutes and I immediately counter attacked. I was brought back in a few minutes, but we failed to produce another counter attack. On the last lap, Peter came to the front with about a mile to go as a lead out. The finish was uphill again. I popped on the hill and took 16th. Jeremy got 7th and Joe got 9th. Not the desired result, but oh well.

I am racing again this weekend at Primavera II which was my worst race last year. Hopefully this year will be different.

My helmet is trashed from the head plant I did at Walburg.

Sydney Brown in pink tearing it up at Pace Bend

Me on the front of the "chase" at Walburg

Quote of the Day

Give me a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it quick, I'm in a god-damn hurry. -Buford T. Justice-

Saturday

2009-02-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

I was in Vegas for work last week and the cold I have got worse. Sore throat, phlem, chest congestion blah blah. On Friday the doctor gave me some antibiotics to clear it up. After 2 days it is a million times better. I was able to get back on the bike today and had a good ride.

Speaking of Vegas, could there possibly be a tackier city in the world? Don't get me wrong, I have had some fun in Vegas, but that place is just over the top. It also has a lonely feel to it even if you are with other people. It is hard to describe.

I was waiting in baggage claim for my boss to arrive into Vegas so that we could head to the MGM together. I was sitting way off in a corner all by myself. I turned my head right. Nobody. I turned my head left. Nobody. Time to rip one. RIIIIPPPPP. I turn my head left and a chick is sitting down two seats away. The glances started. YES I FUCKING FARTED. WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?? YOU HAD TO JUST APPEAR BECAUSE THERE WAS NOBODY WITHIN 25 YARDS OF ME A QUARTER SECOND AGO. Why does that always happen? Somebody please tell me.

I have a big racing weekend coming up in two weeks. I am looking forward to it.

The Time Has Arrived

2009-02-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

First Race Report:

On Sunday I raced the Tour of New Braunfels Road Race. My high intensity is not yet there, but training has been going well enough so I figured I would have a go. The field was full at 70. The race was three 15 mile loops. The race started out at a moderate pace. There was some squirreliness from time to time, but nothing too alarming. A rider from Bicycle Heaven went to the front midway through the first lap and opened a gap of about 50 meters. It wasn't an attack, more of a moderate effort that nobody responded to. After about 5 minutes it looked to me like he was opening the gap up a bit. I decided to bridge up. I certainly didn't kill it to get to him, but nobody followed me. He said, "How do you feel?" I said, "Not too bad." Then off we went. We worked together well and managed to open up a sizable gap on the field. It became apparent to me that he was fitter than me at this point in the season. About 1/2 lap later a group of 4 bridged up to us. One guy was moving fast and my break away partner hooked on to him and off they went. I didn't think I could hang with them, so I didn't respond. The other two guys gave it a go and ended up not getting on and were up the road about 50 meters. I looked back and the pack had made up some ground. I decided to fall back and give it a go with the pack. When it became apparent that the break(s) weren't coming back, I told my teammate Jeremy (Cat 5 TX ITT Champ), that he better get to gettin'. He went up the road and I stayed on the front to control the pace. In fact, I stayed on the front for MILES and MILES and nobody even tried to go. My hopes were that Jeremy would be able to bridge up and then go with a few miles left and get the win. As it turned out, he wasn't able to catch the two leaders. He did catch the second break and then that break got caught by another small chase that took off from my group. He finished 8th and I finished in the sprint for 15th. Not bad for this time of year, but not great by any stretch. I think if we could have gotten Jeremy up with the two leaders earlier he would have had a chance at the W. Oh well.

On another note, I have had a cold for over two weeks that doesn't appear to be getting better. Sore throat, congestion, blah. If it doesn't go away soon I am heading to the doctor. Everyone I know is sick right now. Maybe it is a TX thing.

Here is "The Other Perspective."

Early December

2008-12-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that it is already December again and we just put up our Christmas Tree. Time really does fly.

Training has been OK at best. I was sick over Thanksgiving, so that put a damper on things. I had the typically fevery body ache thing. My finger joints even hurt. We have also had a spat of very windy weather here which hasn't made riding something to really look forward too. But, despite everything, it is coming around.

Tony turned 1 recently. It is hard to believe how fast my little dudes are growing. They will be shaving soon.

Tony got this car for his birthday and The Bug likes to push him around. Now if he would also change his diapers........

How good are you on the bike? Most of us think we are pretty good, all things considered. Here are two interesting stories about Lance Armstrong. Lance trains on the roads around my house. He sometimes rides with his buddy John Korioth. John is a 2008 National Champion in his age group for the road race and took 2nd in the Texas P/1/2 road race championships. Enjoy.

Training with Lance

Tour de Gruene

Plyomyohmy

2008-11-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am full swing into training now and feel great. I gained about 6 pounds in the off season which is bad, but could have been worse. The plan right now is cycling and running for base building as well as weights and plyometrics for strength. I am not sold on the plyo just yet. I think more because I feel discombobulated while I am doing the jumps. They look easy in pictures and on video, but seem hard to do. I don't ever want to see what I look like doing them. This year will be a year without a coach for me. We are buckling down to save money like everyone else and I decided to give it a go on my own this year. I really liked my coach and felt that my results were improving steadily. Hopefully I will be able to keep things going on my own this year.

Dinner time at my house has turned into a zoo. Angelo basically plays with his food and doesn't eat anything and Tony screams and tries to feed the dogs constantly. Every night food, sippy cups, forks, and spoons hit the floor. Every night I am cleaning up food schmeg from high chair and booster seat crevasses. I have to instill some Chris Discipline, aka Chriscipline, before things get totally out of hand.

Book Review:

I heard people raving about the Johan Bruyneel book "We Might As Well Win", so I figured I better give it a read. I have to be honest, I wasn't impressed at all. While I am impressed with the success that JB has had both as a DS and a cyclist, I felt the book was totally written to fit the outcome. In other words, the story was written completely on hindsight in my opinion. Grade: C-

Here is something that I will give a fantastic review to - Shiner Holiday Cheer. Their description: "an Old World Dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. The malty flavors of this dark wheat ale are enhanced through the use of malted barley and wheat. And Kräusening ensures a smoothness that makes the subtle peach and pecan flavors all the more satisfying." Fuckin' eh. One after work, one after that, one for dinner, one after that, and two before bed will do you good.

November 9

2008-11-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did the Wurst Ride with some friends. The ride is a one way ride from Austin to New Braunfels where the Wurstfest is going on. I knew a few of the guys in the group wanted to go fast, so I figured I would probably fall off the back since I did not want to go fast at this point. As expected, the pace was hard and I decided that after 10 or so miles that I was going to slow down. I was riding the Retro Rocket which was a nice change. I ended up with 65 miles in total. The wind was blowing hard at times and there was a flat straight 5 mile stretch into the wind that was absolutely brutal. It was a good ride all things said. Plus, we got to drink some beer and eat some sausages at Wurstfest after the ride.

The group after the ride.

Check out this moron.

Late October

2008-10-28T20:19:00.001-07:00

My month off the bike is almost over. I am in Laguna Beach, CA at the moment for work. I have been running regularly. Usually about 5 miles at a 9 minute pace. Pretty slow, but it is good for keeping active. I ran on the beach yesterday barefoot and am now missing most of the skin from my big toes. I won't try that again soon. I have been bad about reading and posting blogs. I hope everyone is doing well.

Here is some great entertainment.

Sunday

2008-10-05T10:10:00.001-07:00

I have been following a solid week of Jan Ullrich inspired offseason preparation. Anybody have some X?

I know my readers love this sort of stuff.

Hill Country 53

2008-10-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the Hill Country 53 which is the annual 53 mile ride I host from my house. We had about 35 riders. This year I started the riders in two different groups. The first group which were slower riders started at 8am. The second group which were faster riders started at 8:45am. The goal was to have both groups arrive back at my house at close to the same time. Each group was supported by a separate car. The person who committed to driving the car for the fast group was a no show which meant that driving fell to me to do. I was a bit bummed because I wanted to get a good ride in, but it was more important for me to make sure everybody else had a good time. I threw my bike in the SUV hoping to ride at some point during the ride.

Just before the first rest stop one of the riders pedal broke, so I scooped him up and then got my bike out and he took over driving. I got off the front in a group of about 5 and we were flying down the Hill Country roads. There is a very slippery low water crossing along the way that I never ride across without unclipping. I warned everyone and they all slowed to a crawl. Of course nobody listens and the first two riders rode across the green slime. That gave me courage despite my own advice to everyone to unclip or walk. Sure enough I ate shit right in the middle of the slime and was laying in the water. I had to laugh. What a dick. After I dragged my soggy ass out of the water (to the sound of laughing) we were on our way again.

At the first rest stop the guy with the broken pedal was able to get his problem worked out, so I drove the rest of the way back. The fast group caught the slow group with about 12 miles or so to go. Everyone enjoyed the ride and the great weather. We had lunch at my house after the ride which was prepared by my awesome wife. Thanks honey! I forgot to bring my camera, so there are no pictures :(

I am now off the bike for a month. I am going to do some running and try to lose some more weight. Fun fun.

Friday Afternoon

2008-09-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have written on here. Hopefully I can get back to posting regularly. I am sitting in the President's Club at the Newark Airport. I have a 5 hour layover here after flying out of Frankfurt this morning. The flight to Austin is over three hours which should put me at home around 1am. My ass is killing me. Ain't life grand?

How is my training? Gone, done, over. I haven't trained hard since early August and have been riding no more than twice a week for the past month. I just couldn't keep it togeter any longer with all the other things going on in life right now. I was also mentally tired from training hard for 9 months. I am going to take October completely off the bike and start my base training in November.

This Sunday is the annual ride/lunch that I host from my house, the Hill Country 53. I have about 40 confirmed riders this year which is twice as many as last year. It should be a great time and I am looking forward to it.

Yeah, so Lance is coming back. Most of us in Austin suspected that over a month ago when he showed up for the Tuesday night pseudo race in South Austin. If he wants to come back, that is fine by me. Do I think he will be dominant? No. Not at 37. It hasn't been done in the past and I don't see why he will be the first. However, I think Johan B. made a big mistake bringing him to Astana and I think it will cost him Contador. While Johan says Contador will be the team leader for the TdF, I just don't see it. Contador seems to be willing to see how things go in the next few months before he abandons ship. It will be interesting to watch.

I have terminated my last top 5 list since so much time has passed. For today I just offer up some good ole American carnage. This one is really for my boy, Blue.

Hiatus

2008-09-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Due to spending an incredible amount of time in front of my computer at work over the past month, I just can't bring myself to open it up in the evenings. Other obligations and priorities are also getting in the way of me posting and reading blogs as well.

I hope to have more time later this month in the evenings due to some travel to Europe and around the US. Until then, I hope you all are doing well and staying safe and I hope to catch up on your happenings soon.

Monday

2008-08-18T20:09:00.001-07:00

Ouchie

Number 3 on the list of "Top 5 Retro Superhero Cartoon Introductions."

Mutants are close enough to superheros.

Sunday

2008-08-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

I took a nice solo ride out in the Texas Hill Country today. I was able to get out early so I could avoid the hottest part of the day.

This photo doesn't do justice to the headwind on the way out today. It was blowing hard and sustained.

A big fire came through the area recently. It is unfortunate, because it is a pretty area in the summer months.

Birth place of Lyndon B. Johnson and home to Lady Bird Johnson until her recent death.

Now a few shout outs. The first to Fabian Cancellara who took Bronze in the Olympic road race yesterday. Holy shit! Did you see him bridge the gap to the leaders? That was freakin' awesome. For those of you who have tried to bridge gaps before, you know how incredibly hard it is. He made it look easy.

The second shout out is to my teammate Jeremy Humble who won the Texas Individual Time Trial Championship in fine fashion by setting a state record for Cat. 5. His time of 56:43 for 40K was damn impressive.

Jeremy hammering the Argon 18 down the road.

And lastly, here is #4 on the list of "Top 5 Retro Superhero Cartoon Introductions."

Several Subjects

2008-08-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

1) My wife went to visit her friend in Minneapolis over the weekend so it was just me and the boys. We had a good time. Our main staples were pancakes, waffles, and pizza.

2) We are approaching 50 days this year over 100 degrees in Austin. The weather the past week has been nothing short of ridiculous. On my training ride on Friday all I wanted to do was curl up under a guardrail and die. It is just brutal.

3) My new favorite show MANswers has done a scientific study to determine which animal is most like having sex with a woman. The answer - the Dugong. Apparently they were favorites of ancient sailors. Let me get this straight, it is like having sex with a woman, but without the complaining?? What is the downside? HA!

Here is #5 on the List of "Top 5 Retro Superhero Cartoon Introductions."

Sunday Ride in California

2008-07-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I was fortunate enough to get to ride with some of the people whose blogs I read when I was out in N. Cali. The ride was a birthday ride for Velogirl. We met at a park in San Mateo for a 9am departure and logged a comfortable 37 miles at a casual pace. It was great to get to meet so many people in one day. Hopefully I can get out there to ride again soon.

CyclistRick who is still on crutches after his spectacular crash while attempting to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace on his commuter bike.

Lauren getting ready to roll. This is a COOL CHICK, folks.

One of the bike paths along the water. The area around San Mateo had bike paths everywhere. The people out there don't know how good they have it.

A regrouping stop. Holly, who is in the red kit in the foreground can throw down some serious speed.

Sarah, dispensing gourmet marshmallows.

Hans getting ready to cook me a Royale with Cheese.

The city of San Fransisco which was across the bay from the park.

Saturday Ride in California

2008-07-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

I still decided to go to California this past weekend for some riding despite the cancellation of the races that I had planned on doing. I picked up my rental bike when I arrived on Friday afternoon from Silicon Valley Cycling Center. The bike was a Look 585 with full Dura Ace and Ksyrium ES wheels. I suppose it would have to do. :)

Saturday I did the Woodside/Pascardero/San Gregorio/Tunitas Creek Coast Loop with Hans who is a friend of Velogirl. The ride started out in the town of Woodside which was not far from my hotel in San Mateo. Within a few miles of rolling roads we were at the foot of the first large climb of the day which was to the top of Old La Honda Road. The climb started at 400 feet in elevation when we turned right onto Old La Honda Road and ended at 1675 feet in elevation at the top of Old La Honda Road 3.4 miles later. I found my rhythm on the climb right at my LT and was able to climb it surprisingly well.

We descended for a bit and then stopped at the La Honda Fire Station and Store to refill our bottles. We then descended some more until we hit a short 1 mile climb of 600 feet in elevation on Pescadero Road. We rolled into Pescadero and refilled our bottles at the Pescadero Country Store. We then headed onto Stage Road and hit three small climbs in succession. The first two were about 300 vertical feet and the third was 400 vertical feet. We then rolled into San Gregorio and stopped for yet another bottle refill. We then hit Highway 1 on the coast and headed toward what would be the hardest climb of the day on Tunitas Creek Road.

The Tunitas Creek climb is 9 miles in length and began at an elevation of 65 feet and ended at an elevation of 2067 feet. The climb started off gradual, but there are 3 miles in the middle that are steep where most of the elevation was gained. Those 3 miles were a nut buster for sure, but I was able to get into a rhythm and plug away. The top 3 or 4 miles are gradual enough that you can climb relatively fast, but you still know you are climbing none the less. I felt great at the top and was happy with my climbing performance for the day.

The ride ended with a super fast decent down King's Mountain Road and back into Woodside. With a few small detours and getting lost once we ended up with 58 miles in the saddle and according to my calculations about 6500 feet of climbing. Hans was a great guide and hope that I can get out and ride with him again in the near future.

Hans in full climbing mode.

The Pescadero Country Store.

One of the sights on the Route 1 portion of the ride.

Tunitas Creek Road - Chris was here.

The top of the Tunitas Creek climb.

A view on the decent of King's Mountain Road. I am told that the tower like building in the upper right is on the Stanford University Campus.

July Challenge Series Circuit Race #2

2008-07-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

I went to San Antonio for the second circuit race in the July Challenge Series. I had a plan for the race after my experience last weekend. The plan was to attack on the hill before the last turn, open a gap, and sprint to glorious victory.

My thoughts when the moment to attack came were: "NOW DUDE! Hey, I am not going as fast as I imagined I would be going. Hey! You fuckers are supposed to be getting dropped, so why are you right behind me??"

To make a long story short, I didn't get away. I spent it all attacking and ended up sprinting to 6th place. Disappointing in a way, but I am glad I executed my plan even if it didn't have the desired result.

I leave on Friday for Nor Cal to do some riding. The original plan was to do two days of racing, but one race was canceled and one was moved to September. Just bad luck in a way. But since I already had my ticket, I am still going to go to ride. Sunday Velogirl is planning a ride and barbeque for her birthday which should be fun. Word on the street is that she is getting 5 barrels of Miller High Life. Can you say keg stand?? Saturday is up in the air, but I am looking for a solid road ride. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Racing season is winding down here in TX. After this weekend, races are few and far between. I plan on maintaining fitness through September and then taking it easy for a month or so before I start my base training again.

Have a good week.

Here is #1 on "Top 5 Sprint Finish Crashes." Mario Cippolini gets put into the barriers in the 1994 Vuelta. The slow motion replay is brutal. Wear your helmets kiddies.

July Challenge Series Circuit Race

2008-07-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I did the July Challenge Series Circuit Race in San Antonio. This is the second event in the series. I chose to skip the 40K TT last weekend so I could spare my delicate ego.

The Cat 4 race was fairly short at 30 miles with each lap being 2.5 miles. The field was small at around 30 racers. The race started off with 1 neutral lap behind a scooter which I still am not sure I get. After the scooter pulled off the race was on. The pace was moderate, but not killer. I knew who the 4 riders were who could potentially win the race and watched them throughout. There was a 1 mile hill on the course with a gentle grade. A few guys tried to create a break in the field on the hill a few times, but nothing really resulted from their efforts. With about 5 laps to go I moved to the front at the base of the hill and put in a good effort and found myself off the front by about 80 meters. I was disappointed that none of the stronger racers got on my wheel because I wasn't killing it and I think a good group could have easily stayed away. At the top of the climb I decided to let it come back together rather than try to stay away by myself for 13 miles. I am sure I wouldn't have been successful. On the last lap I started cramping in my calves which is a problem I have from time to time. I was able to get through the cramps by pushing my heels down on the pedals to stretch my calves out. About half way up the climb I unknotted and tried to get into position for the sprint. I was about 5th wheel coming out of the last corner. There was a racer ahead of me on the left moving fast and one ahead on the right with about 150 meters to the line. I was 3rd. I moved past the racer on the right and was closing the gap on the one on the left but knew I was probably going to run out of distance. Just before the line another racer came by on the left. I finished 3rd behind two guys from Team Hotel San Jose. The racer that won is from my hometown and is an up and comer. He is 17, or less that 1/2 my age. HA! He seems like a good kid with a bright future in the sport.

Here is #2 on "Top 5 Sprint Finish Crashes." Laurent Jalabert and others get taken out in the sprint by a dumb ass photographer in Stage 1 of the 1994 TdF.

Happenings

2008-07-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the first part of this week in Memphis, TN visiting with one of our larger customers. I was surprised at how hot it was up there. The wind felt like someone was holding a hair dryer in my face.

I am starting to feel tired from what is already becoming a long season. I started base in December making this season 8 months long already. I have my last race scheduled for the first week of September in Grand Rapids. I am not sure I am going to make it that long. My mind is telling me to slow things down a bit and have some fun on the bike before getting back into base building late this year.

I am doing a circuit race on Sunday in San Antonio with a few of my teammates. I am looking forward to it, but hope I can get my mind in the right place over the next few days.

I am going to head out to Cali at the end of the month to ride with a few of the bloggers out there. The original plan was to do two races out there that weekend, but unfortunately they both were canceled after I made my reservations. So, I decided to go out and ride just for fun. I look forward to it.

Angelo moved up to a class of 3 year olds at daycare and is learning all kinds of new words. The other day he got mad at me and called me the worst thing that he could possibly think of - a POOPIE! It is hard to not crack up laughing while you are telling your son that it isn't ok to call you or anyone else a poopie.

I got tagged by Zach who was tagged by Ron who was tagged by blah blah. I will list 6 random things about myself, but I am not one to follow all the other rules.

1) My balls hang low.
2) I played rugby for 4 years in college.
3) I like Grease 2 better than Grease.
4) I hate Harry Potter.
5) I think U2's Joshua Tree album is the greatest album ever made.
6) When I was growing up, my dad named our two pigs after his two bosses at work.

Here is #3 on the list of "Top 5 Sprint Finish Crashes." Brad Huff at the 2007 Tour of Missouri takes a header at the line. He walked away with just a few scrapes.

Not Much to Say

2008-07-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Strength work today. Sprint work tomorrow.

Here is #4 on the list of "Top 5 Sprint Finish Crashes." Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, whom many consider to be the most dangerous sprinter in professional cycling history puts his head down and goes for the win on the Champs Elysees in the 1991 TdF. The problem is he rode right into the barriers. The aerial view at around 4 minutes gives a much better view of the carnage.

Hyde Park Blast Criterium

2008-06-30T18:56:00.001-07:00

We timed our mid summer visit to the wife's parents house to coincide with the Hyde Park Blast Criterium in Cincinnati. My Cat. 4 race was at 7:15pm. There was a downpour around 4pm, but the course was fairly dry by the start of my race. I wasn't able to get a good warm-up because there just wasn't any place to ride without dodging cars. I chose a 150 meter section of closed street and rode up and down it about 10 thousand times. The course was a 1km loop with a 180 in Hyde Park Square at one end and a steep little side street climb and then a decent before heading back toward the square. There were 50 racers at the start.

I didn't get a great start because I missed my pedal, but over the first 3 laps I was able to move up to where I wanted to be. I felt like I was working pretty hard and I am not sure if it was because I had a bit of a cold, or because the climb wasn't allowing my HR to settle down. Either way my avg HR was at 88% of max which is higher than normal for me unless I get in a break.

There was a selection of about 15 riders with 3 to go (I heard the announcer say that, I didn't actually count us). I found myself pulling on the front on the 2nd to last lap. I let someone else pull through and took 4th wheel for the last lap. We went hard up the climb and fast on the decent, but then the leader slowed a bit. I started moving around on the left with 300 meters to go. I saw two racers moving fast on the right. We ended up with a selection of 6 with 150 meters to go. One rider was fast and was obviously going to win. I came around on the right and got by two and thought maybe three, but the results showed me in 4th. I honestly thought I got 3rd, but the camera doesn't lie. I raced as hard as I could for the way I felt, but I am still disappointed. Oh well.

This photo is with about 50 meters to go. I am in blue and white. I came past all but the guy in blue white and black in the middle.

My biggest fan.

I had a training incident last week that still gets me worked up thinking about it. I was coming to an intersection on my lunch training route. It is a light with two straight lanes and a right turn lane. The light was red. I was in the right turn lane because I was turning right. As I approached the light I heard breaks squealing and looked over in time to see some asshole in a pick up pulling a boat about to hit the truck in the lane to my left. So what does he do?? He hammers the wheel to the right coming into my lane and runs me off the road with his boat trailer. I was pissed, but was reasonable at that point. I rode up along side him and yelled, "PAY ATTENTION!" He said "FUCK OFF" and made the right turn on red. I yelled, "PULL OVER MOTHERFUCKER BECAUSE I AM GOING TO KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS!" He hit the breaks and swerved over. I unclipped and had a smile on my face because I wanted to kill the dude. When he saw me about to dismount he took off. I chased him hoping I could catch him at the next light, but wasn't able to get there in time. I am usually pretty reasonable. But if you almost run me over and then tell me to fuck off, you better be ready to throw some hands.

Here is #5 on the list of "Top 5 Sprint Finish Crashes." This one is mild to soften you up for the carnage to come. Here is Tom Boonen crashing at the end of the 2003 Ghent-Wevelgem. This piece is cool because of the camera work from behind the sprint. The others in the sprint are: 1st - Andreas Klier (Telecom), 2nd - Henk Vogels (Navigators), and 4th - Alberto Ongarato (Domina Vacanze). Boonen got 3rd.

AT&T Austin Downtown Criterium

2008-06-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the AT&T crit which was pegged as one of my goal races for the year. My race didn't start until 4:40pm, but I went down early and checked out some of the earlier races and had lunch. There was a downpour during the Women's Open race which caused some accidents. By the time I raced the course was dry except for some water still in the gutters.

There were 72 racers on the starting line. The race started fast and stayed fast. I didn't get a great start, but within 5 laps I had moved up to where I wanted to be which was in the top 7-10. About 1/2 way through the race a rider opened a nice gap and we let him maintain it for a while. Me and another racer were able to close the gap. I then found myself off the front by about 30 meters or so. For a split second I thought about trying to get away, but then decided that there was too much time left and the pace was too fast to realistically succeed, so I came back to the pack. On the last lap I didn't get myself where I needed to be before the last corner and ended up finishing 9th. I am disappointed by that result because I had such high expectations for the race. But, I am going to keep a positive outlook and have already begun to focus on my race this coming weekend in Cincinnati.

Here is a low quality video my wife shot of us chasing the rider off the front. The gap is pretty small here. I am the rider at the front of the chase in the blue and white.

Here is the sprint at the end. The rider who won did so convincingly. I come through close to the fence in the blue and white.

The pro races were fantastic. The pro women tore it up! Cheerwine worked their asses off for Kelly Benjamin to get her the win. Coming around the last corner for the sprint KB was first but just off her wheel was Tina Pic. I said, "OH SHIT this is going to be good." Tina Pic just wasn't able to close it down. Our local hero and Advil-Chapstick rider, Jen McRae (wife of Chann McRae) finished 3rd.

Kelly Benjamin, Tina Pic, and Jen McRae on the podium.

Liz Hatch from Vanderkitten.

The men's race was awesome as well. The pace was incredibly fast and with 5 to go there were 5 Toyota guys on the front trying to set up Ivan Dominguez for the sprint. However, coming out of the last corner, Alejandro Borrajo from Colavita somehow got through and held on for the win. Top three were Alejandro Borrago, Henk Vogels, Ivan Dominguez.

Fast Freddie Rodriguez and Rock Racing were in attendance.

So now to Rock Racing. I think it is great that they are providing major sponsorship for these large crit events such as Austin and last week in Harlem. I think in a way they are bringing some excitement and some flair to the US scene. However, can these guys form a solid race team? Their showing in Austin was pretty weak. Bahati's 8th place was their top finish on Saturday. They stuck around for Sunday and two local studs managed to take the top 2 podium spots. Tyler Hamilton was in contention for a while before crashing and flatting. So, can Rock Racing take some individual talents and form a solid US racing team? So far I say no because the results don't nearly justify the investment being made. Your thoughts?

Thursday Night Crit Report (6/19)

2008-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

I raced the Cat 3/4 Driveway Criterium last night. The goal was to go out and get in some good intensity in preparation for the AT&T Crit on Saturday. It was almost 100 degrees at start time which was kind of shitty. But it is Texas in June, so that is just how it is.

There were 50-60 racers at the start. I found myself about mid pack through the first half of the race and then started to move up. With 3 to go I was sitting 4th wheel. I moved up to take a pull on the uphill section and then tucked back in again. On the last lap I lost a few places going into the tightest corner of the course. My teammate attacked hard on the downhill section on the last lap. Nobody reacted because they thought he would be caught on the uphill. He wasn't caught. He held off a hard sprint to win. I finished 12th. Not a bad result for racing against the fastest Cat 3s in Texas.

A few pros who were in town showed up for the race. Kyle Wamsley from Colavita won the P/1/2 race. Rahsaan Bahati from Rock Racing was there racing, but looked like he was just getting in some work in preparation for Saturday.

Here is a picture with around 3 to go. I am in the blue and white.

And finally to put an end to this horrible idea. Here is #1 on "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." Anybody who says they never cranked this song in the car and sang at the top of their lungs is full of shit (maybe with the exception of Blue). Here is Lou Gramm and Foreigner with "I Want to Know What Love Is."

University Oaks Crit Report #2

2008-06-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Rather than drive to Dallas for The Matrix Criterium this past weekend, I decided to go to San Antonio for the second race in the University Oaks Crit series.

There were 50 racers at the start including The Guz and another guy from my team as well as a few strong Cat. 4s from Austin that I am friendly with. The race started out smoothly. I stayed close to the front for the first half of the race. About 1/2 way through the race the bell rang for a preem. I was sitting 4th wheel coming out of the turn onto the finishing straight. I was easily able to get by two of the guys but a friend of mine from Team GS Tenzing would not be denied and took down the preem. Oh well. With 9 laps to go I jumped on the wheel of a guy that came to the front who seemed to want to set a fast pace. After 1/2 lap I looked back and we had a gap of about 60 meters. I was surprised because the guy wasn't attempting a break. I came along side him and told him that we had a good gap thinking his reaction would be "GREAT! Let's roll!" But he seemed surprised and mumbled something. I could tell by his reaction that he wasn't up for the effort, so I decided to try to go alone. I took off and after 5 laps of solo pain, The Guz was able to make it across and we put down 2 more hard laps. We were caught just before the line with 2 to go. I was able to recover enough to get in the sprint to finish 7th. Not a bad finish, but not a win either. It was a strange way to have a solo break because I wasn't planning on going solo. The opportunity presented itself and I simply decided to try. One of these weeks I will get the timing right and a break will stick. Unfortunately I have no pictures this week.

Saturday is the AT&T Austin Downtown Criterium. This is the biggest race in Texas this year. Check out the Pro Men and Women prereg.

Here is #2 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." You will associate this song with the movie. Especially the scene when Daniel is defending Kumiko's honor through combat with Chozen on the island of Okinawa and Chozen blocks the Crane Technique Daniel attempts. And I remember my reaction was "NO FUCKING WAY! You mean all you have to do to block the Crane Technique (no can defense) is to put up your hands?" Here is Peter Cetera with The Glory of Love.

Where Did The Weekend Go??

2008-06-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

The thing I hate about weekends is that they are too short. Luckily I am on vacation today. We get a day off each year for our birthday. My birthday is Tuesday, but I am traveling for work on that day so I opted to take today off. Before you ask, I will be 74 years old.

I had two great rides this weekend despite the constant forecast of rain. Saturday I trained alone out in the Hill Country. I usually get a late start on Saturdays due to family stuff. It was about 95 degrees during my ride. There is a 6 mile climb up out of the Pedernales River on Saturday's return route. I was baking. I was daydreaming about cold cold water. It was weird. Almost a hallucination. I had eload with me, but that wasn't cutting it. I wanted cold cold water.

Sunday I went with the shop on a 50 mile loop ride into northwest Austin. It was good for some intensity at times because a few other racers like to mix it up. About 6 miles from the end I tried to shift the front and rear derailers at the same time on a climb and my chain flew off and got all jammed up. After I got it loose I had some serious auto-shift action going on. I let the group go and rode home at a cool down pace going CLICK POP BANG BOOM. I have to look at it today.

My rear derailer hanger showed up from Fort today and it turned out to be the wrong one. Figures.

Here is #3 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." The cheese is getting piled on heavy now. Here are Dionne Warwick and Friends with That's What Friends Are For.

Thursday

2008-06-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was in Charlotte, NC the first 3 days of this week. I have one more trip next week to MI and MN and then a few weeks in town. That will be 5 weeks in a row getting on a plane. Sigh.

This sucks. Be safe out there folks.

Here comes the cheese. #4 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." From 1974 here is John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

University Oaks Crit Report

2008-06-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday I went to San Antonio to race the University Oaks Crit. The race was at 8am, so I left the house at 5am. I had to be back to take Angelo to a birthday party for one of his friends at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Pre-reg was light for the race, but there were about 40 riders on the start line. Two teams were very well represented with 8 or so riders apiece. I had one teammate in the race. After a few laps there were two guys dangling out front. I was 3rd wheel and my teammate The Guz was right behind me. I accelerated to close the front two down and Guz yelled that we had a gap. Guz and I took off and blew by the two guys on the front. We tried to get away for 3 or 4 laps but weren't widening our gap. Two other riders came across but didn't work. We held on for another 3 or so laps before it was closed down.

The middle parts of the race were pretty uneventful. As we came to 5 laps to go a few people tried to attack but were easily reeled back in. As we came through for the bell lap I was on the front followed by another rider followed by Guz. After two turns Guz moved past to the front. The other guy took the wheel of Guz. I took his wheel. The field was back just a few bike lengths. As we were coming into the final turn for the long home stretch the guy behind Guz looked back and realized that I wasn't his sprinter so he basically sat up. I thought that was stupid because if his sprinter wasn't there he should try to win the race for himself, not look around to see if he can attach him again prior to the last turn. That opened a gap and Guz took full advantage of it hammering down the straight for the win. I came around the guy who sat up and gave it a go. Two guys got by me at the line ruining a 1-2 for Team Southwest Cycle Sport. Oh well.

The break early in the race.

The sprint at the line. The racer in the red and white is a lapped rider. Guz took the win. The guy on my left got second and the guy on my right got 3rd.

I will post the music video in a separate post since I am sure you are all waiting eagerly. HA!

Grinding Away

2008-05-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was in Virginia this week and had internet connection problems at my hotel, so I am catching up on all of your blogs this morning. I never have connection problems unless the internet provider at the hotel is ibahn. A lot of Marriott hotels use ibahn services. I can get on if I call the number and they manually authenticate my computer, but I get tired of talking to those people so often.

I was a bit sick on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Some sort of stomach thing. Nothing great gobs of Pepto couldn't cure, but it prevented me from even getting to a stationary bike at the hotel. Oh well.

Aside from that, training has been ok. I had one of my best workouts of the year on Monday which was basically a strength building workout - 50 rpm moderate HR hill repeats. I also had one of my worst of the year yesterday. I had trouble getting my HR up and once that became apparent, I mentally checked out. I got through it and tried to quickly forget it. Today I will go out and do my "Tune Up" workout to prepare for my crit tomorrow in San Antonio. I expect the race to be one of the smaller races of the year, but I look forward to getting some intensity in. June is a busy racing month for me. If the gods are good, I will get to do the ones I have scheduled.

I had to order a new rear derailler hanger for my race bike yesterday. I am not sure what happened to the current one, but the screw is stripped out and it is barely hanging on. Once I clamp the skewer down things stay in place. I think it will hold on tomorrow.

Here is a picture of my little guy Tony who is now almost 7 months old. Hard to believe.

And finally, #5 on "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." I am going to slow it down a bit. Even the Nights Are Better by Air Supply. This video even has some solid cycling scenes!

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day. This day commemorates all of the men and women who have perished while in military service to our country. Sadly, I think a lot of people just look at this as a day that gives them a long weekend. Or a day on which they get to have a barbeque. Just take some time to reflect on what today is about. People have taken their last breath, given their lives, in order to preserve the security and values of our country (no matter how flawed the policies are at times). There is no greater sacrifice that can made. Each one of these people was the most important person in the world to someone. Think about the families and friends that have lost loved ones today as well.

I got a great training ride in yesterday with the shop crew. Quite a bit of fast race pace riding and attacking. Just what my coach prescribed after such a crappy week of training. I took the Retro Rocket out and realized that I should ride it more often. It is super comfortable and makes you work hard to go fast.

Here is a picture of the Retro Rocket for you newer readers.

I have been watching the recaps of the Giro on Versus. I should have bought the package to see every stage but I didn't. The Italians are serious about winning the Giro. The racing has been awesome and the scenery even better. Contador is doing superbly for racing on short notice, but I don't think he will be wearing the pink jersey on the podium.

I think next time I make a list of something it will be Top 5. :) However, in order to finish what I started, here is #6 on "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." The song is Escape aka The Pina Colada Song by Rupert Holmes. Is the message that this song sends - Don't feel bad if you want to cheat on your lady because she wants to cheat too?? You tell me.

Weekend

2008-05-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

It is a big racing weekend in Texas. Unfortunately I am not doing any of the three races. After being out of town for work last week and my upcoming departure for Virginia on Tuesday, there is just no time for racing this weekend. The plan is to do some good training and hang out with my little guys and wife.

Speaking of training, I set out for mine today at around 4pm when it was 95 degrees. Needless to say I felt like shit after about 45 minutes and was seriously dragging ass by the time I was done. I am going out with the guys from the shop tomorrow morning when it is cool. I think my steed of choice will be the Retro Rocket which I have not ridden in a month or more.

Yesterday I registered for the AT&T Downtown Austin Criterium. The race is on the NRC calendar and is one of the biggest races in Texas. Most US Pro teams will be represented - Toshiba, Jelly Belly, Rock Racing, Toyota, Colavita will all be there. The women's racing is going to be kick ass too. Advil-Chapstick, Cheerwine, Colavita, Team Revolution, Rock Racing and a team from New Zealand will be there for the women. Sydney Brown will be coming down with Team Revolution so it will be cool to get to see her in action.

And finally, here is #7 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." Sex Bomb by the man with the package, Tom Jones.

Houston Grand Criterium

2008-05-19T19:05:00.001-07:00

I drove the 150 miles to Houston on Saturday with the family because I was racing on Sunday morning at 8am. I was signed up for the 35+ 4/5 race. I left the hotel at 6am and figured that I would grab breakfast at the hotel on the way out. No go. The restaurant opened at 7am. So I found a Chevron on the way to the race and grabbed one of those ham and cheese sandwiches in a plastic triangle package along with a banana and a giant Rice Crispie treat. It definitely wasn't the ideal pre-race meal, but it would have to suffice.

There were 56 racers on the starting line. The course was basically an out and back with a 180 at one end and a city block at the other end. A lap was 2.8 miles. The race started off at a decent pace, but not blazing by any stretch. I was in the second row at the start and got off well. I made sure that I was at or near the front going through the 180 on every lap. I went through first on 4 laps. I wanted to avoid the "slinky" effect that you get when you are coming out of a sharp turn when sitting too far back. I managed to get into 2 breaks both of which were short lived. The problem with breaks in higher cat races is that once they make the break some riders want to sit on and it only takes one to ruin the cooperation. On the last lap I led through the 180 at the far end of the course. The pace was fast and I grabbed a few wheels. Unfortunately about 1/4 mile or so from the two left turns before the finish I got boxed in. Coming out of the last corner I throttled it and came around 2 racers in the sprint to finish 10th. This was the first time this year that I felt like I was able to motor the sprint. I still have some work to do on sprinting, but it is coming along. I was hoping for top 5, but top 10 will have to do.

I am in the blue and white between the two guys in yellow and black.

Here is the second break that I managed to get in about to get caught. I worked my ass off to get across only to find the guy on the left yelling at the two other guys because they wouldn't work. I hadn't even had a chance to recover and pull before it was all but done. Great job on spotting a good break, Chris.

Here is the sprint. The guy in red that won had a killer sprint. He came by me earlier in the race for a preem and was hauling ass. I checked his results and am not surprised to see that he does most of his racing on the track.

Here is the weather for the next week. Luckily I will be in cool So. Cal. for the next 3 days.

And finally, what you have been waiting for. Number 8 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." Here is Barbie Girl by Aqua!

Thursday

2008-05-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to do the Lake Travis Cycling Club pseudo race rather than driving the 60 mile round trip to do the Thursday Crit. It was a great workout. We had about 15 people. The first 3 miles roll out neutral and then the pace picks up to race pace. The group had a good paceline going until we hit the first significant hill. At that point a selection of 5 of us got away and were never caught. After the turn around I decided where I was going to attack. I had the perfect opportunity when the pace slowed about 1 mile before the finish which is the Bee Cave town line sign. I opened a gap and brought one guy with me. We worked together for a half mile or so and then another 2 were able to bridge up. There were 3 of us from Southwest Cycle Sport and one guy from Hotel San Jose. The only problem was the guy from San Jose is one of the best sprinters in Texas. I tried to get away about 1/4 mile from the finish, but had San Jose on my ass. I pulled and broke off to the right hoping one of my teammates could come around him and win the sprint. No such luck. Not even close. Oh well. It was fun.

Here is #9 on the list of "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." You know him. You love him. Oldman was past President of his fan club. BERTIE HIGGINS!

Wednesday

2008-05-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching American Idol. I am speechless that Syesha got voted off. Yeah, right. Everyone knew it was going to be David vs. David.

I am coming out of my fog as far as motivation goes. I have been watching the video below over and over and over. I think it has helped. If only Don Corleone were here to slap me.

I am either racing the Thursday night crit tomorrow night or doing a group ride which is basically an unsanctioned race. I haven't decided yet. Sunday is the Houston Grand Criterium which is one of the larger crits in TX. I am racing with the old boys which should be good.

I had to spend two days in Toronto earlier this week which was sort of a last minute thing. Next week I am in California for two days. The following week I am in Virginia for two days. Sighhh.

I am going to post the "Top 10 Cheesiest Songs of All Time That You Probably Like But Won't Admit It." Here is number 10. She had strong vocals. He appeared to be able to play every musical instrument ever created. Here they are - Captain & Tennille!

The Mental Pains of Cycling

2008-05-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much. My training has been uninspired, but continuing. I get into these ruts from time to time. It will pass. I should be able to post more tomorrow evening. In the meantime here is silent Eddy clip to keep you all inspired.

Tribute

2008-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Our seats were 15 yards from the finish line. She was such a beautiful athlete. I could see the desperation in her eyes as she came through the finish line trying to catch Big Brown. She ran with the boys and proved that she belonged. Rest in peace Eight Belles.

Derby Time

2008-05-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say I am in Louisville, KY for the Kentucky Derby. We are entertaining customers and the schedule is pretty full until Sunday. I probably won't be reading blogs until then. For those of you like Groover who are racing this weekend, I wish you all the best.

Peel Out Criterium Race Report

2008-04-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday I did the Peel Out Criterium in San Antonio. I was woken up at 6am by a huge storm that was dumping hail in buckets. I was actually worried that my windows were going to break. It was crazy.

After seeing this falling from the sky, I was wondering if I should bother going to San Antonio at all. But since my race was at 3pm I figured I would go down and hope it cleared up. It did clear up but the wind was blowing like mad all day.

The were only 25 riders at the start. This was by far the smallest field I have raced in all year. The course was on the San Antonio Police Academy high speed driving track. It is a 0.7 miles course with long finishing and back straights and a few twists and turns in between. There was supposed to be another crit in San Antonio on Saturday that was canceled. I am assuming that racers from Houston and Dallas decided it wasn't worth the drive for one race. A lot of racers from Austin didn't show up as well.

The ref started the 60 minute race and within 200 meters two guys attacked. It was an easy place to attack because there was a 30 mph tail wind coming through the start/finish. The attack died as soon as they hit the back stretch which was back into the wind. The wind was almost comical. Coming through the start/finish all you could hear were gears buzzing and silence. When you turned into the wind it sounded like one of those hand driers in a public rest room. After a few laps I found myself at the front leading into the wind. Not exactly smart, but nobody wanted to do any work. This happened a few times early in the race. I was doing too much work. They announced a preem of two bottle cages and some other crap. I worked hard to get it but in the end didn't. The effort put me in the red and I tucked back into the group and stayed there for the next 15 minutes while I recovered. At about that time a single rider attacked into the wind and was able to get a good gap. With about 15 minutes left in the race it became evident that we weren't closing the gap on this guy which was probably 175 meters. I went to the front and pulled hard for a lap. Another guy took a pull. I took a pull. The other guy took a pull. I looked back and everyone else was just sitting in and not willing to do any work. Realizing that what would probably happen is that I would use it all up and get trounced on the last lap, I decided I wasn't doing anymore work that would benefit others. If we caught the guy great, if not, we would all be racing for 2nd place. At the start of the last lap it was obvious that we wouldn't catch the attacker. He took a chance and made a big effort and it would pay off for him. The pace was fast through the start/finish for the last lap. As we reached the end of the straight and turned right into the wind, everyone came out of their saddles and hammered the pedals. I wasn't in an ideal position sitting in around 10th. About half way down the back stretch the pace slowed as everyone started looking around to see who was willing to do the work back to the line. I saw a gap and shot through it. I was now in 2nd place. The last two corners before the finish straight were a left and a right. I cut the inside of the left tight just like I wanted to. I came over to the right side to cut down the inside of the right but not quite quick enough and a rider got through. I made sure no others came through. At this point I was seeing all blurry. My effort was totally maxed out. We came into the finishing straight and I sprinted as hard as I could. One guy got past and I finished 4th. Overall, not a bad race despite the wind.

Thursday Night Crit Report (4/24)

2008-04-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

I made it out to the Thursday Night Crit this week. They have been adding new sections to the track which is mainly used for auto racing. One of the new sections was used in the crit for the first time on Thursday. It features a fast down hill that goes into a sweeping high speed turn at the bottom before heading back up the hill into a hard left corner. After pre-riding the new section I knew it was going to be a great addition to the course.

I did the Cat 3/4 race with an estimated 40 other racers. I was in the front row for the start and got off decently, but not great. From the start line the riders go right into the sharpest turn on the course which when run in the direction it was on Thursday is a hard right turn. There was the typical congestion going through the corner, but once through there it smoothed out and opened up. After about 5 laps I was sitting mid pack. I took an outside line coming up the new hill section a few times and found myself crowded up onto the cement berm on the inside of the left turn. It wasn't a big deal because you could roll over it pretty easily, but later in the race I chose a better line. In a few more laps we started passing the lapped riders. At this point I noticed that a group of 4 riders was off the front. They were the usual Cat 3 suspects. They never got off the front very far, but were never caught. After two more laps on the way up the new hill I was able to get on the wheel of a Violet Crown rider who decided to attack. We flew past the chase but after turning left at the top of the hill I lost his wheel and was sucked back into the chase. He wasn't able to make it up to the break and eventually he was back in the chase as well. It was a nice attempt by him though. The next thing I knew there were 3 laps to go. The pace picked up, but nobody was attacking. On the last lap I was feeling spent for the most part. I finished near the back of the sprint for what I guess was 20th or so. Not a great result, but not bad for not racing in a month.

This picture shows the break with the chase behind. This is coming up the new section of hill.

Of all the pictures this guy took, the only one where I show up well at all is this one where I am in the blue and white on the far left. Oh well. I guess he doesn't focus on the pretty riders. :)

If the weather holds out I will be racing on Sunday in San Antonio. If it is pouring, I doubt I will race. I am not a fan of riding in the rain let alone racing a crit in the rain.

Tired Legs

2008-04-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Training has been going well, but today my legs felt like lead. I was really just dragging ass. I mountain biked for the first time in 10 years yesterday and it must use some different muscles because my legs are sore. The temperatures are creeping up in Texas. Today at riding time it was 90 degrees. Soon enough I will be racing in cozy 100 degree temperatures. Fun fun. I am racing the Thursday Crit this week as well as the Peel Out Criterium in San Antonio on Sunday. It should be fun and I hope for good results.

The town I live in, Dripping Springs, had their Founder's Day festival over the weekend. We took the kids down for a few hours on Saturday. It was the typical carnival type event with plenty of hillbillies and rides most caring parents would never let their kids near. Angelo did ride the ponies though. We had some lunch at the festival and I came across this beauty I am gnawling on above. I spared you the pictures of the funnel cake and waffle fries.

I didn't think the train could be too big of a hazard given that it only goes 3 mph so we rode it.

This is the bike I rode yesterday on the trails near Phoenix. As I said, I haven't mountain biked in 10 years. I have also never ridden a mountain bike with full suspension. THIS THING WAS AWESOME! I had a blast. I couldn't believe how you could just float over rocks and washes and ruts with this bike. It makes me want to go out and buy a full suspension mountain bike and get back into it. We didn't go that far, maybe only 1.5 hours, but it was cool. I especially like how you can lock both the front and rear shocks out so you can hammer the roads on the way home. Since I stopped mountain biking, technology has come a long long way.

2nd Annual People I Admire Post

2008-04-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

It is that time again. After thinking hard about the past and the present, the 2008 list is as follows:

Jimmy Rockford - because he showed me that everybody takes a beating sometimes.

Roddy Piper - because anyone who was a guest on his WWF show, Piper's Pit, got their ass kicked. He also was in the best movie fight scene ever in a film called "They Live."

Bill Richardson - because this guy had some great ideas about how to make things right for our country. Unfortunately he can't campaign for shit. He would be a smart VP choice for Obama.

Barbaro (deceased) - because he kept fighting for life right until the end.

George Hincapie - because he does his job well, he does his job "clean" and he seems like a nice guy.

Carlos Hathcock (deceased) - because he was the best US Marine Scout Sniper in history. He had 93 confirmed kills during the Vietnam conflict, one of which was at 2500 yards.

Jack Lambert - because when I was growing up around Pittsburgh, PA, he was the baddest muthafucker in town.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - because he doesn't duck fighters and beats almost all of them. This picture to me really shows the difference in emotion for all of us in winning versus losing.

Warren Buffett - because he has shown that smarts, hard work, and sticking to a strategy and principles can pay off BIG.

Michael Scott - this one is self explanatory.

Back in Full Swing

2008-04-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Training has picked back up fairly quickly. After two days of moderate workouts I got back on my workout schedule on Saturday. I feel pretty good as far as riding goes. Today is an off day. In fact it is the only off day for the remainder of April. I will probably skip the Thursday race this week to give myself another week to get back up to form and shoot for racing the following Thursday.

The weather here has been spectacular (except for a bit of wind). It is supposed to rain on Wednesday and Thursday, but aside from that, this place has been great. I love living in Texas.

I picked up some riding clothing while in Europe. Pictured above is my favorite purchase from Bike Palast in Salzburg, Austria. If any of you ever get to Salzburg, you have to visit this shop. It is probably the best shop I have ever been to for road riders. The amount of actual inventory is astounding from frames to wheels to components. They have it all right there in stock.

And finally my procedure for effectively treating road rash:

1) After crashing wash the wound off with your water bottle and hand.
2) When you get home scrub the wound with a wash cloth and antibacterial soap.
3) Apply a generous amount of Neosporin to the wound.
4) Apply a Telfa pad to the wound and wrap with a stretch bandage.
5) Wash the wound and change the bandage for the next few days until weeping stops.
6) After the wound stops weeping, apply Tegaderm until the wound is healed.

Dislaimer: I am not a doctor, so follow this advice at your own risk!

When I have used the method above, I have never had a problem develop. The wounds heal fast and scab free. I didn't follow this procedure on my leg after this last crash and paid for it. Since I was heading to Europe a few days after my crash I tried to speed things along so that I wouldn't have to be bothered with bringing and changing bandages, etc. I put a Telfa pad and bandage on the wound for one day. The would was very weepy. After one day I started coating the wound with Second Skin spray to try to get it to stop weeping and to protect it. A day or two later I started having pain and the wound was still weeping. I then applied more Second Skin and more Second Skin, etc. After a few more days I was a hurting unit. So, in summary, give the wounds time to heal and take care of them the right way. You can clear most road rash up in one week if you stay on top of it.

Have a good week.

Back in Texas

2008-04-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

I got home on Tuesday evening. I am very happy to be back at home with the boys. 10 days seemed like 3 weeks for some reason.

Today was my first day back on the bike and I didn't feel that bad. I could tell it had been a while, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. I think my body is detoxing from too much wiener schnitzel, beer, and Bordeaux. It is to be expected. My coach wants me to do a few moderate workouts over the next few days. If I feel alright doing those workouts, he wants me to get back on my schedule over the weekend. Hopefully it works out. My back only hurt today when I stood on the pedals. It was a bit sore after the ride, but nothing Ibuprofen couldn't fix.

I went to my doctor yesterday morning for my leg He gave me an oral antibiotic and a prescription cream that is usually used on burns. My leg feels 100 times better already. I knew it was infected. Apparently European doctors only prescribe antibiotics as a last resort for fear of creating super viruses. Whatever. I feel like I suffered unnecessarily. The leg felt fine riding today, except it was a bit itchy. I should be back to normal in a week.

Hopefully I will be mentally ready to race again by the end of April. We shall see. Have a good Friday.

Saturday Update

2008-04-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

To sum it up, I am fucked up. My leg ended up infected from the crash at the crit. I will post later on how I think it got infected, but I am short on time now. I went to the hospital last night in Salzburg and they cleaned up my leg and told me I probably need antibiotics, but they wanted to see if cleaning it up would work first. They also told me to come back on Sunday. I told them that I have had many of these abrasions and that this one hurts like a bitch. I am in serious pain and there is an obvious problem. Hopefully tomorrow they will give me some antibiotics so I can get rid of the swelling and pain in my leg.

My back is feeling better, but it is still sore from time to time. I am in a mental crisis as far as training goes. I have not done anything since crashing over a week ago. I went from being in very good form for early season to being infected and spending over a week off of the bike. It is totally depressing. My coach told me just to work on getting well and we can adjust my training when I return. Even so, it just sucks.

Today we did some sightseeing around Salzburg. This area in my opinion is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I could see myself living in a place like this. However, I want to get home to see the boys. I keep asking my wife about them and Angelo keeps asking her about me. She is tired of being the middle person

The view of the Alps from my colleague's patio.

Someone with my last name has built an ice cream empire in Europe.

My colleague Klaus on the left and his family. They are great people and great hosts. I enjoy visiting them annually.

We went up to a ski resort in Germany not far from Salzburg and had lunch today.

Seeing is Believing

2008-04-03T06:47:00.001-07:00

For those of you who didn't believe this Presidential Candidate, shame on you!

I am in Austria at the moment. I look forward to coming home on Tuesday. I miss my little guys very much.

EEP OPP ORK AH AH

2008-03-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am on my way to Europe today and will return next Tuesday. This is a work trip that will take me to Paris, Salzburg and Munich. I would rather be staying home in Austin with my boys. :(

Since everyone else seems to be posting music videos, I decided to post one as well. Here is an oldie from Jet Screamer!

Thursday Night Crit Report (3/27)

2008-03-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

I raced at the Driveway Criterium tonight in the Cat. 3/4 race. I got a shitty start, but managed to move up over the next few laps. The pace was fast for the first 5 laps as was expected. I was sitting about 15th wheel or so coming into a left hand corner. The previous laps I had taken an inside line and did so again. I ended up sliding out and crashing hard at around 10 minutes in. As I hit the ground I got drilled straight in the back by another rider who endoed over me. I felt bad about taking him down too. He was able to get back on his bike and go. My bike was not rideable with a flat and untrue rear rim. I am bummed because I felt good and was having a good race.

These bibs are almost new. I am pissed about the hole.

Pretty minor arm carnage.

The usual damage after a crash.

My biggest problem by far at this point is my back. I do have a picture of the bruise right across my spine, but I am going to spare you the sight of the back hair. I am lurching around the house tonight in pain and have a feeling tomorrow is going to be bad. I am supposed to race the Belterra Circuit Race on Saturday. I will have to see how I feel tomorrow and make a decision about Saturday.

Easter

2008-03-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

The past week hasn't been a great training week due to travel and sick kids, but that is life. I had a good ride yesterday from Southwest Cycle Sport with a few friends. We started at 7:30am which is nice because it got me home around 10am giving me the whole day for the family. I hope to get out today for a ride if possible.

My wife baked one of my favorite things in the world yesterday. Easter Bread! I think that is the best thing about Easter - the Easter Bread.

Notice the braids. Not only good tasting, but also good looking.

This morning, the Easter Bunny, who is also called Chris hid eggs for Angelo to find. It was great watching him fly around the house with his little basket looking for eggs. I think he is on his way to O.Ding on chocolate, so I am going to have to reel it in on him a bit. I imagine before I know it he will think Easter is stupid and will sleep until noon on all holidays. Sighh. He is growing so fast. :(

The wife also made an Easter Basket for us and the dogs. In college when me and my rugby roomies would order pizza the first thing you had to do upon opening the lid was spit all over your pieces to make sure that you got your fair share. I did the same thing with the Easter basket today. In fact, I am quite sure that Karen now wants nothing in the basket. The dogs don't seem to care though.

Have a good Easter.

Fayetteville Stage Race

2008-03-16T18:40:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the Fayetteville Stage Race which is a Division 1 Texas race comprised of a road race and a time trial on Saturday followed by a road race on Sunday. My plan was to do the RR and TT on Saturday and come back on Sunday if I was in a reasonably good position. The reason for this is that Fayetteville is about 110 miles each way from my house. So back to back 220 mile driving days with racing could be a bit much. I was entered in the 35+ 4/5 category. The category was full at 75 racers.

The road race on Saturday morning was 46 miles which was basically a 2.5 mile road out to a 22 mile loop which we ran twice. I got a reasonably good start and was in the top 15 when we hit the loop. Then as is usually the case with me, I drifted back as a result of letting others slide by and not aggressively filling openings. In another 5 miles I was probably in the last 25 riders and pissed off at myself. I have to work on this issue because it is a problem every race. I started to work my way up as opportunities presented themselves and worked my way up to mid pack by about half way through the first lap. The race took a turn onto a side road that had no center line, but the center line rule was still being enforced. I moved up a few more riders and then saw a beautiful opening near mid road that I shot through and as I did there was nobody in the way as they were all pacelining on the edge of the road. I hit the gas and went right to the front. There was a reasonable headwind at that point so I took a pull and then another rider came through and took a pull. Then I took another pull and a different rider came through and took a pull. After another rider I pulled again. I decided I was probably doing too much work and drifted back to the 5th or so position and tucked in for a while. Around that time we came through the start/finish for the completion of the first lap. 22 miles to go. As we turned left after the start/finish, I was on the front again, but there was another pace line formed with a rider beside me. There was not wind at that point and the pace was moderate. Then the first real attack of the day came. A rider in red tore off wide left on the yellow line and floored it. In the distance I could see the steepest hill on the course and understood his plan. I chased and was about 5th wheel at the bottom of the climb. I was overtaken by several riders on the climb, but the attacker died on the climb and the whole race came back together again. Over the next few miles I stayed in the top 20. After another 5 miles another rider attacked and got what I thought was a good gap. I was sitting 2nd wheel and asked my teammate if we should be worried because the gap was getting sizable. We agreed we shouldn't. After he was out there suffering for a few miles we picked up the pace. I took the front and we reeled him in fairly easily. I think he was spent and was happy to be caught. Here is where I made another rookie mistake. As I pulled the group up to the rider I fell in behind him when I should have just overtaken him and continued the pace. Of course, the whole pack blew right by and I was in about 20th again. IDIOT! We came to a flat tail wind section and the guys on the front just floored it. The pace was fast and hard for a few miles and I looked behind me to see the peleton strung out and breaking up all over the road. Perfect! As we turned back into the wind, the guys on front figured they had done enough work and the pace slowed to a crawl. I mean slow slow, like 15 mph. That gave everyone a chance to recover and get back on. At that point we were 3 miles from the finish. We turned right onto the finish road and the pace picked up, but wasn't blazing. We continued in toward the finish uneventfully. It looked like it would come down to a sprint finish. When we were within a 1/2 mile of the finish, the wheel truck with an official flew up along side us on the left and started yelling at a few riders about a yellow line violation just to my left. Seconds later there was a pile up. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. It took out one of my teammates. I think the official made a bad call interrupting the race at that point and the distraction probably caused the crash. He should have waited until we passed through the finish and talked to the riders. As we approached the line I got ready to sprint and then noticed two ambulances on each side of the road just before the finish cleaning up a wreck from a race that finished before ours. The site was enough of a distraction that there wasn't really a sprint and the main group pedaled through and were all given the same time. Pretty damn uneventful.

The time trial for me started about 4 hours after the road race finished. It was 6.6 miles over rolling terrain and the wind had picked up as well. I would be doing the TT on the same bike and in exactly the same gear as I rode the RR in. Eddy style. As I rolled up to the start line for the TT we were lined up by number. I noticed that more than 1/2 of the riders had full on TT bikes along with the helmets and all the gear. SHIT! That is the difference between the 35 4/5 and the regular 4/5. The 35 guys have money to buy the toys. Oh well. I would just have to do the best I could with what I had. 5,4,3,2,1 GO. I steadily ran my HR up to my target of 160-164. After 2 miles I was a hurting unit. This was basically a 6 mile interval and after the RR in the morning it was a killer. I just tried to stay low and be steady and turn the pedals. At 4 miles my legs were absolutely screaming. I also noticed that I had a long string of droll running from my mouth to my shoulder. Nice. I thought I was slowly catching my 30 second man. 5 miles in and I was telling myself it would be over soon. 6 miles and I was desperately looking for a finish line. There it was! 100 meters before the finish I got caught by a dude on a full blown TT rig. Check his number. FUCK! He started 2 minutes behind me! I rode back to the car fairly certain I had been slaughtered in the TT. I drove home feeling both satisfied from the road race and disappointed from the TT. I checked the results late last night and found that I sat in 27th position. I finished the TT in 37th. One guy beat me by over 2.5 minutes. I now believe that TT equipment is vital if you are going to do well in these things.

Given the 27th overall I decided Sunday would be better spent with the family than driving back to Fayetteville for another road race.

On an upside, crit season hits full swing here in April and I can't wait.

Peter at Southwest Cycle Sport let me use these for the weekend. I have been thinking about buying some deep dish carbon tubulars for racing and wanted to try some. They were fantastic. They were noticably stiffer and faster than the American Classic 420s that I usually race on. I took them out on a training ride today and you can really tell a difference at high speed. I honestly think that 28 or 29 on the ACs is 30 or so on the Eastons given the same effort. I need to own these or an equivalent.

I have fallen behind on blog reading and hope to catch up on all of your happenings tomorrow. Have a good Monday.

Wednesday on Vacation

2008-03-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation this week. I have been doing fun stuff like painting and fixing my laundry room drain. Thrilling. On the upside I have been able to get in some solid training rides.

Today the program called for a "Spin Basic" session which is minimum 90rpm with a target HR zone of 129-147. Not an ass buster, but it is not easy spinning at that rpm for 2 hours. I managed an average cadence of 98.

My new computer. So far so good. I especially like it because everything is heads up. No separate HR watch to glance over at. I have the same problem with this HR monitor as I have with my other monitor in that it takes a while to actually pick up the right HR. I wet my chest first, but it doesn't seem to do the trick. Once the sweat gets rolling it works fine. I need to try some of that gel that is squeezed on prior to wearing it.

Some open ranges on my route today. Sometimes the cows get surprised and bolt, but most of the time they could care less.

The bridge over Onion Creek.

Oak tree lined country roads. It was a great day for riding today.

Three days until the Fayetteville Stage Race.

Decisions, Training, Birthdays, and Wimps

2008-03-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been pondering which class I fit into when it comes to racing. I am currently a Cat. 4 and will be 36 years old in a few months. Before the season, I had made the decision that I would race straight Cat. 4 this season. However, I have been wondering if that is the right decision. When I look at the guys that are consistently in the top 5 in the Cat. 4 races here they are 20 somethings on their way up through the ranks. I don't have the delusion that I will be a sponsored pro racer someday. Given that, what should my racing goals be? I didn't even start racing until I was 34, and by men's cycling standards, that is probably already past the peak years. Also, with two small children and a job that requires travel, I can't train as much as some of the young bachelor racers out there can. Given that, I have come to what I think is a reasonable conclusion - that I am not going to be able to dominate the youngsters as I make my way to the lower categories. I have decided that I am going to take advantage of the classes in which I will compete with other guys in my category and that are my age - ie 35+ 4/5. I am certain I can do well in that class. I am signed up for the Fayetteville Stage Race in the 35+ 4/5 category and am very much looking forward to it. When that class isn't available I will happily race Cat. 4. When I am no longer eligible for the 35+ 4/5 class, I will have another decision to make - 35+ open or Cat. 3, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

I had a good week of training considering the weather around here. Here are my thoughts on the previous week:

Monday - "My body has suffered so much trauma from the hilly race on Sunday that I can't bear the thought of getting on the bike today."

Tuesday - "This is one of the nicest days I have ever had on the bike. This weather is absolutely perfect. Could I be in heaven?"

Wednesday - "This wind is crap. I miss my beloved Tuesday."

Thursday - "I can't believe I am riding in the rain in 40 degree weather. Why can't I feel my fingers and toes. Could I have hypothermia?"

Friday - "Do I have a flat tire, or is the wind just blowing that hard? I must have a flat tire. Nope, I don't. Could it really be the wind?"

Yesterday was my wife's birthday. Did I mention that I have an awesome wife?? We got a sitter and spent the day out having fun. She had a massage and we had a great lunch and some alone time together. It was great. I made her a cake and we had a little party that evening.

Here is my creation. I could sell these. Cake decorators are overpaid.

And it was tasty too.

Most of you could probably guess that I have been on a YouTube kick lately. I found the gem below. I certainly hope these two pussies ride better than they fight. HA!

Tour Piece

2008-03-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

This piece motivates me.

Primavera at Lago Vista

2008-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I raced in the Primavera at Lago Vista, TX which is about 1.5 hours from my house. The course was 4.4 miles with a 1.5 mile climb, very little flat and a descent that works it's way back to the finish line, but with several rolling uphills in it. The finish line was atop a steep little hill of about 50 vertical feet after which the 1.5 mile climb started. To my knowledge, there were 83 riders at the start in the Cat. 4s.

For those of you who read my blog, you know I am not a great climber. I knew this course would be difficult for me. The race was 9 laps meaning over 12 miles of climbing up the long section. The race started out pretty fast in my opinion. From the start it was right into the climb. The first time up was not as bad as I thought it would be, but it got progressively worse from there. The rolling descent to the start/finish was fairly fast. My max speed was 47 mph, which is not that fast, but it is fast enough while surrounded by 80 other Cat. 4 racers. I repeatedly lost places on the steep little hill leading to the start/finish. There were two crashes. One happened to my right as one rider touched wheels with another. Another happened when somebody got into my back wheel. Shit happens. To make a long story short, on the 7th lap I lost touch with the peleton on the long climb. There were two groups away off the front of the peleton. Many had dropped out at this point and I was the next to drop out when we returned to the start/finish. I had had enough hills for one day of racing. A bit disappointing, but I just didn't have what it took on Sunday to keep in touch with the group. There were over 30 DNFs in my race if that is any indication of the difficulty.

In the P/1/2 race, one of the men hit/got hit by a deer at 30+mph. Other riders said he flew about 30 feet and miraculously wasn't seriously hurt. Lago Vista has a serious deer problem and this year was not the first for rider/deer incidents.

If all goes well, the next race will be the Fayetteville Stage Race in 2 weeks. Less hills will be good. Also, there is a 6.6 mile TT. That should be fun.

Carnage

2008-02-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

If you are going to ask, "I wonder if he is ok?" don't watch this.

Catastrophic Failure?

2008-02-25T18:05:00.001-08:00

Here is an interesting series of pictures from the race on Saturday showing a crash caused by an R-SYS wheel failure. Or is the R-SYS wheel failure caused by the crash? Run the pictures as a slide show. It is really pretty amazing to see what happens to people and equipment during a crash.
Pace Bend Crash

While it looks like the riders are coming up a hill, they aren't. The photo was taken during the finishing sprint while the riders were doing about 40 mph. The guy with the R-SYS got into the rider beside him and it caused him to jerk his bars sideways. I guess it created lateral pressure on the wheel and instead of the standard taco, the wheel just exploded.

Here is another R-SYS failure featuring Karl Menzies at the Tour Down Under. Karl Menzies Crash. You have to scroll down to the picture in the bar on the left. I know Menzies hit a plastic post, but is it reasonable to expect a failure like that?

Ron, this is a great topic for an engineering mind like yours.

Pace Bend Race Report

2008-02-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Today was the Pace Bend Road Race which is only about 35 minutes from my house. Pace Bend is one of the biggest Division 1 road races in Texas. It is held in Pace Bend State Park which contains a 6.2 mile loop road which the race is run on. The race ran clockwise and utilized the full road so there wasn't a yellow line rule.

For reasons I stated in my last blog post, I decided to do the 35+ 4/5 race. The race was full at 75 riders.

The first lap was pretty uneventful. Most people were trying to get their legs and get a feel for the riders in the group. I stayed in the first 25 or so on the first lap. The course was mostly rolling hills with 1 small climb in it. I had driven the course the prior day, but this was the first chance to ride it. I decided the only obstacle that would be of consequence was the small climb which was not far from the finish line.

The pace picked up on the second and third laps, particularly coming through the start/finish area where the crowd was. I guess a few of the riders wanted to get their sponsors some TV time. HA! After 3 laps I was still feeling great. My HR was recovering fast after exerting efforts and my legs felt good.

On the 4th lap the pace picked up and I decided to try to stay in the top 10 riders and was able to do that. A few riders got pretty squirrelly as they tried to move up. I heard some contact behind me and the distinctive sound of broken spokes. Whoever it happened to strung together profanities like I have never heard. Something like YOU FUCK SHIT COCK BASTARD PRICK ASSHOLE. It brought a smile to my face. I mean, come on dude, shit happens.

The last lap was considerably faster. I stayed in the top 5-10 for most of the lap. As we came to the hill which is about about 3/4 mile before the finish, a few riders came up hard on the left and a few at the front took off. They all got to the top of the hill and were spent. There was a rider that got away just prior to the hill and he managed to stay away. At the top of the hill I overtook all the attackers and moved into second place and put my head down and hit the drops. I didn't think I could catch the first place guy. I had a gap on those behind me. There is about 1/2 mile of road which is sort of a dip and then there is a hard right turn and then about a 1/4 mile finishing straight. I had it matted near my red line and went second into the finishing straight. I shifted and gave it everything I had. I could see that the first place guy wouldn't be caught. About 1/8 mile from the finish I could hear someone sprinting up on my left. He got by and brought 5 other riders with him. I crossed the line in 8th place.

I am 3rd wheel in the blue and white. This is just before the finish line.

Overall, I am happy with my performance. 8th in a 75 rider field isn't bad. I still am not in top form, but it is not bad at all for February. I know I don't have a great sprint and that is something that I need to work on over the next few months. Next weekend is another big Texas road race, Lago Vista. I look forward to getting out there again.

Recent Happenings

2008-02-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

1) I went out on the Progress Coffee ride on Sunday with about 25 or 30 other racers from Austin. The loop is about 50 miles and is usually at a pretty brisk pace. There is one section of smooth flat road before the store where everyone refills their water at about the midpoint. I found myself in the front of the group with a few local pro/1 men and a woman working hard in a paceline. There were about 5 or 6 of us working. We were bombing at about 35 mph and after about 5 or 6 pulls I was well into my red zone and about to pop. I eased off the back of the pace line and was quickly picked up and passed by a big group. Screw it I thought as I was gasping for air. I will wait for the stragglers and ride with them the remaining 2 miles to the store. I looked back and there was a problem, there were no stragglers. There was just me and I was dropped. "Way to go dickhead," I said to myself. Note to self - be aware of your early season abilities and don't do this at the race on Sunday.

2) I am racing at Pace Bend on Sunday. I decided on the 35+ 4/5 race for a few reasons. The first being that road racing is not my cup of tea (at least yet) and this race is shorter than the cat 4 race by 13 miles. The other is that the race starts at 9:50 rather than 8am. The fields are big for this race and my race is full at 75 entrants. I am looking forward to racing and improving over the Alsatian race a few weeks ago. I will be racing the Lago Vista road race next weekend and will be signed up in Cat. 4.

3) I am on my way to one of the most lovely places in the world to go in winter - Chicago, IL. I can't wait to experience the 20 degree weather and bitter wind. To be honest, the 70 degree days in Texas were getting old. HA!

4) My Cateye computer is on the fritz again and has finally bought itself a one-way trip to the trash can. I have my eye on another computer and will post about its marvelousness soon.

Still The Best Ever

2008-02-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

Visit From The Old Man

2008-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Brian from Michigan, aka "The Old Man", came to Austin this past weekend for some good weather and a bit of riding.

He arrived shortly after the race on Saturday. I flew home from the race and cleaned up and visited with the boys and then headed downtown to pick him up for dinner. We ended up parking on 3rd street and went to Cantina Laredo for some Mexican food. We then headed off to find some live music. We found a good band on 6th street at a bar whose name I can't remember. We hung out there for a while and then headed to the bar at the Driskill Hotel for a few drinks. I then took the Old Man back to his hotel with a plan to pick him up at 11am for some riding.

I arrived at 11am and we headed to Bicycle Sport Shop to rent a bike for the Old Man. The choices were carbon Lemond or Titanium Serrotta. Which did he choose? Come on. Titanium Serrotta. We did a 4 hour rental to avoid the overnight charge so we stayed in South Austin. We headed to the Veloway and South Mopac area. It was a leisurely pace with some good conversation. We ended up with 27 miles.

On Monday I showed the Old Man around Austin and took him out to The Oasis on Lake Travis for lunch. The day was overcast, but it was still a good day for lunch outside. After lunch I wheeled the Old Man back to the airport for his flight to New Mexico. It was good to see him again and we had a good time. Next time will be the criterium in Grand Rapids, MI in September.

I also want to say thank you to my wife who took my share of the kid duties over the weekend while I was racing and playing. You're the best!

The Old Man standing next to The Radillac.

The Old Man chillaxin'.

Putting the Serrotta through its paces.

I suck at self photos. I even suck more at trying to get someone else in a photo as well. This was the best I could do after 3 attempts.

Post ride refueling at Shady Grove.

Heart of Alsatian Criterium

2008-02-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a race on Saturday to judge my fitness level and to get some crit practice. The race was at a park just west of San Antonio and drew racers from San Antonio, Austin, and a few from Houston.

I ended up in the back row on the start line because the group lined up as I was completing my warm-up lap. I missed my pedal not once, but twice at the whistle. Totally rookie. I seem to be missing pedals a lot lately and need to figure out what the hell is going on. As far as a race report goes, there isn't much to tell. The race was very uneventful. I found too much traffic in front of me to move up the last two laps. I should have moved up earlier. The biggest problem with the course was that it was only 15 feet or so wide. In other words extremely narrow. There were people in the cinders and grass all day. On the last lap in my efforts to advance I was in the grass at least 3 times and finally just gave up.

I am very happy with my fitness for this time of year. Fatigue was never once an issue in the race. However, the pace was not blazing by any stretch. I actually feel that the race was too slow and that a lot of the people between me and the first place person would have been shed by a faster pace. I know I could have pushed the pace, but that was not the plan for today. The plan was to monitor fitness and get some practice and both of those were accomplished.

I finished 20th out of 38 or so. I went to the Alsatian Crit alone, so I was unable to get any pictures. My next race is the road race in two weeks at Pace Bend.

Various Happenings

2008-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

1) My sister-in-law who has been staying with us runs almost everyday. On her run on Friday she got mauled by a dog not far from our house. Not just any dog, but get this, a Bull Mastiff. Thankfully a neighbor was driving by as the dog attacked her and it only had time to get her hip and elbow before he beat it off of her. We spent all day Friday in the emergency room with her. They were concerned there was some artery damage so she had to have an angiogram or something where they go up through the artery in the groin with a camera. There was artery damage, but not enough to warrant surgery. The dog who is never out of the yard somehow escaped the fence they have constructed around their property. The dog has to stay in quarantine for 10 days at the vet according to Texas law.

2) I went on a great ride yesterday with a few friends. The ride leaves from the Progress Coffee shop in Austin and heads east into the flat lands. Most of the 40-50 people were local racers from various teams. We did 50 miles at an average just over 20 mph. It was a great ride and I had a blast.

3) My boys are getting bigger by the day. Angelo keeps telling me he is going to the bike shop and he will be back soon. That kid has bikes on the brain at 2 years old. Tony started daycare last week and is doing great.

5) THIS GUY is definitely up for the Cold Bastard of the Year award.

6) I will be at home for a few weeks and look forward to getting in some solid training time.

7) This picture of my cracked seat was requested by Ron.

To Do or Not To Do

2008-01-24T18:31:00.001-08:00

The racing season started in Texas last week with the Copperas Cove road race. It seems like just weeks ago that the racing season ended. My coaching plan doesn't have me ready to race until April. The first criterium of the year is coming up on February 2. With being sick for a few weeks and having started my base training late due to the new baby, I have no doubt that I am not race ready. In fact, I am almost sure I will get my ass stomped. However, some of my friends and teammates are doing the race. So the question is should I put the ego aside and go and have fun, or follow the coaching plan and hold off for a few more months? Decisions decisions.

Out With the Old

2008-01-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

I found a long crack in the shell of my saddle. Probably from poppin' wheelies and shit. :)

See ya pal.

You better live up to the hype.

I feel like I have finally gotten over my cold. It took almost two weeks. Since last post I have been in Charlotte, NC and Irvine, CA. Tomorrow morning I am heading back to Irvine and then to Vegas and back home on Wednesday. After that I have a bit of time at home thankfully.

Biological Passport

2008-01-12T07:20:00.001-08:00

The next great idea in the fight against doping. Do you think THIS will make a difference?

Not So Windy

2008-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Chicago yesterday and found the weather to be very mild for this time of year. I am departing early this afternoon so I will miss the cold weather that is moving back into the area tomorrow. Lucky me. I have had some serious chest congestion since Monday. I had to cut my workout short on Monday because I couldn't breath that well. I took yesterday off because it had gotten even worse. Today I feel slightly better and hope to get back to the base building tonight. I feel like I have talked about being sick a lot lately. There was a time when I was never sick. Then I had a child it all changed. Oh well.

My off-season weight loss continues to be on track. I just passed through 60 pounds lost since I kicked my lazy lifestyle about 15 months ago. I still have a bit to lose, but it will come. I know the question that you are all asking yourselves. "After losing 60 pounds does his Johnson look bigger when he is naked?" The answer is yes. Yes it does.

Traveling is harder now than ever. I miss my two little guys immensely. I look forward to seeing them both later today.

Have a good Wednesday.

2008 Already

2008-01-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it is 2008 already. Time really does fly. I have just been lying low with the family the past week. Base training has been going well. I have one more month of base before the more focused training begins. On Sunday I rode alone from my house. It was a good ride and my training goals were accomplished. On Monday I rode with 3 other people near my house. The ride was going great until one of the guys wanted to adjust the seat post on his Cervelo. He accidentally broke the seat post clamp by over tightening. So we had to get him squared away with a ride. We abbreviated the route after that. The two other guys I was with wanted to go ride a large hill near before heading home. I opted to turn off and head home since I had already blown my max HR goals for most of the day. Today I ran 7 miles which was fun except for the stiff wind. However, it is definitely easier to run into a stiff wind than ride into a stiff wind in my opinion.

My first two rides on the new Rotor Rings were good. I like them a lot. I can't say I can tell a real difference on the flats. Where I can tell a difference is under load on hills. You can definitely spin much smoother than with standard chain rings. I have heard that a difference can be felt while sprinting as well, but I have not tried sprinting on them yet.

My wounds are mostly healed over. I took a lot of care to keep them covered with bandages and after they stopped weeping with Tegaderm. I read that most road rash could be in good shape in a week if cared for properly, but I didn't believe it. In the past I would neglect it and it would scab over and then be there for a month. My leg still hurts from some bruising, but the open wound is under control. I am going to create a road rash kit for the next time this happens.

I am going back to work tomorrow. After 10 or so days off it will be a change. Let's hope the housing market comes around in 2008 because my business is tied tightly to housing construction.

Happy New Year!

The 27th

2007-12-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

I went out for a short 34 mile ride with Mr. P today. It was cold as hell by Texas standards (30s at time of departure), but the day was enjoyable. I am so glad I made the choice I did when we decided to live in this area. The riding here is just fantastic. Today's workout was standing intervals, but of the lower HR sort. Base building is going well. This is the first time I have been on a bike since my crash. I ran a few times between then and now. I took the Retro Rocket out today. That bike is just awesome. Have a good Friday.

These guys were staring at me so I bowed up to the fence. Turns out they didn't want to throw down with THIS GUY.

The WT way to fix your shoe when you break a buckle off. Northwave dropped a new buckle in the mail for me today.

Christmas present. Hopefully they live up to the hype.

The Bug loved his froggie towel from Grandma Nicky.

Ouchie

2007-12-22T20:10:00.001-08:00

The way I look at it, everyone's gotta hit the pavement (chip and seal) sometime.

Luckily I was wearing full finger gloves. But this still kinda hurts.

Only the second ride in these wind booties. What pisses me off more is that I broke the clasp off of my shoes. Hopefully it can be replaced.

Buh Bye bibs.

Could be worse. I had long sleeves on.

This motherfucker hurts. Yeah yeah. I know I need to shave.

Aside from some tweaked bar tape, this appears to be the only real damage to the bike. The tire is shredded on the sidewall. Funny enough it is the opposite side that I fell on. I went into a rally car slide when I hit the gravel before laying it down and I think that is how the tire got ruined. I loved these tires. :(

Week in Review

2007-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Had to be at the airport for a 1:30pm flight to Orange County, CA. On the flight out my head filled up with some sort of thick snotty funk. Upon landing it felt like my head was going to pop. I had to kill 3 hours at the Admiral's Club waiting for a coworker to arrive. Once he showed up we headed to Souplantation for a quick bite before heading to our hotel in Laguna Beach.

Monday: Morning appointment in Cypress at a cement company. Lunch meeting in Santa Fe Springs with a grout and building products company. Afternoon appointment in Corona with a stucco company. Back to the hotel where I popped sinus meds for the 3rd time that day. Dinner at Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach. Bed by 10pm.

Tuesday: Head meds before I got out of bed. Morning appointment in Orange at a stucco company. Lunch appointment in Compton with a polyester resin producer. Afternoon appointment in Riverside with another stucco producer. Late afternoon appointment in Rancho Cucamonga at an epoxy flooring producer. Long trip back to Laguna Beach. Dinner with coworkers at Mosun Sushi in Laguna Beach. Bed by 10:30pm.

Wednesday: Morning appointment in City of Industry at a stucco company. Lunch appointment in San Diego canceled. Decided to head back to the airport. I checked in for my flight which wasn't until 5:45pm. Upgraded to first class as expected. I decided to try to fly standby back to Texas on a 1:10pm flight. No go. Overbooked. Kill 4 hours in the Admiral's Club doing work until boarding time. Attempt to board with first class and the machine says "duplicate ticket" meaning they gave someone else the same seat as me - 4E. I waited 10 minutes while the airline person went down to the plane and told the nice man that she just upgraded to first class that he was no longer upgraded to first class and had to go to row 20. Took my seat and started reading a book about Pablo Escobar on the flight. I arrived home at 11:30pm. Bed by 12:45am.

Thursday: Woken up by wife at 5:30am because we are out of Children's Tylenol and need some. At the grocery store when they open at 6am for Tylenol. Back home with the Tylenol so that I can get Bug out of bed and ready for daycare. It is Bug's birthday so he is excited. I got him dressed and he wanted to wear his cowboy boots. Off to daycare at 7:30am. I arrive at work at 8am. It takes 3 hours to catch up on emails from earlier in the week because the hotel we stay at in Laguna Beach does not have internet. We had our office Christmas lunch at noon. I left work at 2:30 to go home and pick up the wife and Tony so we could take cupcakes to Bug's daycare for a party. Back home with the whole family by 4:30pm. Bug and I took a 30 minute walk in the neighborhood. When I got back I had to go into town to pick up pizza for dinner because that is what Bug wants for his birthday. After pizza we had cake and opened presents. At 7:30pm I wheeled Bug up to the tub and had him in bed by 8pm. What a day. The wife has been focusing her attention on Tony the past few days because he has a cold. Siggh.

Training this week?? Please. Between the head cold and the schedule - it didn't happen. I am absolutely going to take advantage of the time between Christmas and New Year's when I am on vacation and get back on track. Where can I get a job where I get paid a lot and have basically no responsibility with a very flexible schedule??

Merry Fuc$ing Christmas

2007-12-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I like being with family on Christmas. This year we are staying in Texas, so it will be just our little family. When I was a kid we would always go to my grandparent's place on Christmas Eve and have the traditional Italian fish dinner. The past 5 or so years I have become disillusioned with some aspects of Christmas. The commercial overtones during the Season have become almost ridiculous. If I see another commercial for diamonds, I am going to lose it. If I see another news cast of people plowing each other over as a store's doors open to save $10 on a computer I am going to lose it. If I have one more grumpy person try to run me over with their cart at the store, I am going to lose it. The world needs to refocus.

Reading has been a bit slow lately but here is a review of the last 3 books I have read.

Weight Training for Cyclists

This is a great instructional book that talks about the importance of weight training in cycling racing and how to do it properly. Most of the weight programs that I have done in my life for sports such as football, rugby and wrestling focused on heavy weights and low repetitions for building strength along with bulk. This program focuses on moderate weight with high repetitions. The book also talks about what exercises are most important, why you should do them, and in which order you should do them. Toward the end of the book is a program that you can choose to follow or modify that will take you through the off-season. Overall, a great reference guide. Grade - B+

I am Legend

The story is of the last man on earth. The human population has either died or was turned into a vampire by a plague. There is a sense of despair as he basically goes about life during the day and bunkers down in his house at night when the vamps come out. The person in the book is a white guy in Los Angeles. The movie is of a black guy in NYC. Go figure. The book kept my attention for sure. The 1st half of the book is the story. The second half of the book is comprised of a few separate short stories that have nothing to do with I am Legend. I was a bit confused as to what I was reading until I figured it out. No happy endings here. Grade - B

Ash & Bone

The basic premise is that a retired detective comes out of retirement to work the case of a murdered police woman whom he hooked up with years earlier. There are also tangential stories about corrupt cops and family problems. While it kept my attention most of the time, I found it sort of like every other detective novel I have ever read. There are so many unclosed loops in the tangential stories I have to wonder why they even bothered to tell them. If someone gives this book to you read it. If you have to pay for it, you can probably spend your money in better ways. Grade - C

As I write this I am sitting beside the Bug watching Frosty the Snowman and sipping on a nice Clos du Val Cab. Life could be much worse. :)

Committed to the Program

2007-12-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Last year I tried to stay true to the workouts that my coach gave to me but sometimes ego got in the way. "How can going this slow actually be improving me?" I would ask myself that frequently. After a year of working with a coach, I know the workout plan is effective. This year I promised myself that I would be as true as possible to the workout on a given day. Saturday was the first day I was tempted to stray, but after a self pep talk all was well. Since I can cross train for the next few months, I have been running. I was able to get in 3 runs of 5 miles last week and it felt great.

Let's see. HR 127-148. Cadence 90-100. Heavy headwind. That equates to a blazing 13.8 mph.

I saw these on my Saturday ride. No sign of my friends the Wildebeests. I hope they didn't get sold off to a big game hunting ranch :(.

My Laptop Blows

2007-12-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

I have been traveling again these past two weeks and have had hell connecting to the internet. Who knows what the problem is, but it pisses me off. P.O.S.

Base building is going well. At this point I am free to substitute some cross training in which makes it easier to do while traveling. I am starting to have race daydreams. I look forward to my first race which will probably be in early April. The new kit is ordered and should be here shortly. I bought some winter gear considering the weather we have had the past few weeks down here. However, when I got off the plane today from Kansas City it was 78 degrees. When I left my hotel in KC this morning it was 28. Now I remember why I love living here.

The boys are doing well. Bug and I have been doing swimming lessons on Saturday mornings for the past month. I think there are 3 more left. He does great. He isn't swimming himself, but he is pretty buoyant. Most of the class is about how to hold on to the side of the pool and how to climb out, etc. Things to help them in case they fall in. He loves it and it is fun to be there with him. Tony is gaining weight like a champ after a slow start.

Have a good Thursday.

Feel The Burn

2007-11-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

First, let me say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope your day is filled with family, food, and safe travels.

My off season weight program is in its 8th week and is going well. I can definitely see improvements and in the sparse riding I am doing in November, I feel pretty strong. Right now I am in the Hypertrophy phase of the program. The workouts are hard, but manageable. Weight training (and lack of bike miles) has stalled my weight loss efforts. My weight has stayed the same, but I feel my body is leaner and better defined. The plan is supposed to add strength with minimal mass gains. We shall see.

I went to RunTex and bought a new pair of running shoes last week. This is the first pair of running shoes I bought on fit rather than looks. I wanted to go to a specialty store to get fitted for shoes because when I run I often have lower back pain. They analyzed my old shoes and picked out 3 pairs for me to try. I ended up with a pair of Brooks. I took them out for my first run which was a short 3 miles and found them to be absolutely superb. What a difference. Maybe the best $90 I have spent in ages.

My official cycling program starts in December. I delayed it due to the arrival of the new baby. The first few months are basically just base building. I should be able to take lots of pictures on those slow steady rides. I am supposed to get out and ride on Saturday with a few guys that I raced against this year. They are already in their base building phase and invited me along for some easy miles.

It is cold here in Texas - 38 degrees right now. It feels like a Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania when I was growing up. Except for the fact that I have a child running around the house spilling his dry cereal all over the floor and hammering on his toys with his Oscar the Grouch hammer. The baby is still sleeping too much to be too disruptive. It is now 10:30am and I am wondering if that is too early for a Red Stripe.

Stay safe.

The Boys

2007-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Retro

2007-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

If I were going to buy a SS, it would be from these guys. I dig the retro design.

New Addition

2007-11-07T07:32:00.001-08:00

Anthony Joseph, born on November 6th. Just a tad over 9 pounds. No, he does not look like Master Yoda.

I look forward to catching up on all of your happenings when we get home from the hospital later this week.

Hill Country 53

2007-11-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the ride that I host annually, the Hill Country 53. The ride leaves from my house and is a 53 mile loop out into the Texas Hill Country and back. Last year was the first year I hosted the ride. I didn't know many people at that time only having been in Texas for 5 months. We had 6 people last year. This year we had 20 people on the ride. Some were fast, some were slow, and all had a good time.

We left my house at 8am sharp. The temperature was about 50 degrees, so some of the riders were bundled up.

The first of 3 rest stops. The main reason for these were so that everyone could regroup. I didn't want the slow people to fall too far behind in case there was some sort of incident. We carried water and gels and bananas and in my car so people could reload. Notice the Radillac in the background. My sister-in-law drove the sag car for the first half of the ride.

Pete retruing Ted's wheel after Ted ate it in a slimy low water crossing. This was just after my warning - "There is a slick low water crossing up the road. Be careful!"

Brad heading east. He was soaked because he went down in the low water crossing as well. He claims Ted took him out as he was falling. Others on the scene said no. We may never know the truth.

Todd, the head mechanic at Southwest Cycle Sport was nice enough to drive the sag car for the second half of the ride so that my sister-in-law could head back to my house and help my wife get lunch ready for our return. We dropped a car at the second rest stop the night before. Todd also took most of the pictures in this post.

Alicia refueling while I am on garbage patrol.

Peter from SWCS hammering down the road.

Big Bill.

Peter A. Patent attorney during the week, hammer on the weekends.

Chris leading one of the splits toward home.

My neighbor Joe on the right and Herb on the left leading out a group.

Clyde saying, "Where'd everybody go?"

Wendy enjoying herself. This lady can ride!

Sarah and Keith. This was the farthest that Sarah had ever ridden. She is going to be a good rider in time.

Me climbing in my own unhurried style.

Alicia climbing with a good view of the Hill Country behind her.

All riders got an official commemorative mug.

Sunday Shop Ride

2007-10-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

My time off the bike has taken its toll. I have lost a lot and it showed today during the ride from Southwest Cycle Sport. Eight people showed up for the ride and it was a short 34 miles because a few people had to get back to open the shop. That was plenty long for me today. One thing hasn't changed, in shape or not, and that is that hills are no friend of mine. Those BASTARD HILLS.

Heading to the shop in the Radillac before dawn for an 8am start.

From left: Ken, Greg, Herb and Peter (owner of SWCS)

Jennifer, who is Peter's wife. This lady can ride. She drug my sorry ass up the last few hills today. She also had words with some old psycho in a Navigator who was behind us laying on the horn. We were riding in single file down a steep hill. The pyscho twat got stuck behind a few cars at a stop sign at the bottom of the hill and Jennifer knocked on the window and explained that such behaviors are unjustified and unacceptable. She kept her cool and did it right. Not like I would have. Good job Jennifer.

Racing As It Should Be

2007-10-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

I referenced this on someone's blog the other day, but can't remember whos.

We had dinner outside tonight. On the back of one of the chairs was a Praying Mantis. Those things have always fascinated me. I watched as it stood perfectly still. A common fly landed right in front of it. The attack was so fast it could barely be seen. Then I watched as the Mantis held the fly with its feet and ate it alive starting with the head. The only thing that was left were two wings after 5 minutes. Nature can be a brutal muthafucker.

1st Bike

2007-10-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Bug and I went to Bicycle Sport Shop to buy some new socks on Saturday. We can home with his first bike. It is probably a few months too early, but who cares. The people at the shop said age 2 is usually the earliest they recommend. He will be 2 in a few months. He can't really pedal, but can coast and slam on the brakes like a champ. He had a crash while trying to mount it once. It was very traumatic. Lots of tears and a big bottom lip.

Stuck In My Head

2007-10-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

A Tuesday in October

2007-10-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Once again, not too much to report. I just sucked down a few Red Stripes. Yummy. It seems like quite a few of you are getting geared up for cross season. Me? My month off the bike is officially over. I will begin riding at least 3 times a week until my official training starts on December 1. The weight training is going OK, but as expected boring. I have lost so much overall strength from the days when I used to weight train for HS football and college rugby. Lifting for cycling is different though - high reps, moderate weight, etc. Feel the burn baby!

We spent the weekend at a very posh Hill Country resort. It was great because the resort had a beach on the lake that Bug loved. They also had an 18 inch deep kiddie pool that he and I splashed around in for hours. Overall, we had fun. There was however an incident that seems to be a recurring thing lately. We were seated for dinner outside on the patio - wife, Bug and me. There was only one other couple out on the patio at that time because it was early. After we were there for 15 minutes or so, the hostess sat a couple at a table beside us. My back was to them, but my wife saw the guy roll his eyes and saw the woman mouth, "I am a kid magnet." I am sick and tired of kid haters who think they have a right to a kid free environment. It is one thing if a kid is being loud and distracting. That pisses me off too. But there seems to be this whole culture of people who can't stand kids, good or bad. I have had it with those people. To them I say get over yourselves and FUCK OFF! If they don't want to be around kids they can stay the fuck home.

I am still researching tubular wheels for a Spring purchase. The American Classics have now taken a back seat to the Easton Tempest II Carbons. My shop handles Easton, so it probably makes more sense. And they look damn cool.

Not much else to say. Oh yeah, DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

Time for a Trim

2007-10-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

"Don't step out of this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear. I'll kick you out of my home if you don't cut that hair. Your mom busted in and said, "What's that noise?" Aw, mom you're just jealous it's the BEASTIE BOYS!"

September Book Reviews

2007-09-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Since I have decided to take most of this month off the bike, there isn't much to report on that front. So, here is a review of the books I read this month.

1) Black Hawk Down (Mark Bowden)

Basic Content: A team of Army Rangers and Delta Force members get pinned down in a Mogadishu neighborhood while attempting to rescue the crews of two Black Hawk helicopters which were shot down while providing support for an earlier mission.

The book was fantastic in my opinion. At times I found it hard to put the book down. The book illustrates the bravery of the soldiers and their resilience to overcome some monumental fuck ups. This book even further convinces me that military personnel are at times puppets for the agendas of politicians. Two of the Delta Force members were issued Congressional Medals of Honor for their roles in the battle. Yup, as you may have guessed, they died in the battle.

Grade: B+

2) The Second Horseman (Kyle Mills)

Basic Content: One of the world's best thieves is broken out of prison by a government contractor in order to steal money to be used to purchase nuclear weapons from a group of Uzbeks in order to keep them out of terrorist hands.

I could have guessed the story line after reading the two sentences on the back of the cover. Thief, blah blah, hot ex NSA chick, blah blah, nukes, blah blah. Totally predictable and totally boring. This one got left in my hotel room when I was done - ON PURPOSE.

Grade: D

3) Racing Tactics for Cyclists (Thomas Prehn)

Basic Content: Strategies for all types of road racing events.

I found this to be a very good guide on racing tactics. Some of the advice are on subjects that I have never given much thought. For instance, the section where it describes the right way to help a teammate back to the peleton after a problem. I found the section on riding in echelons interesting, but doubt that I will get to experience that much in my ventures. The section on improving cornering was good too. Overall, a great reference guide for all road racers.

Grade: B

4) The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

Basic Content: A father and his young son drift through a post apocalyptic world several years after the event which you can only assume was some type of nuclear destruction.

This book was a recommendation of one of my favorite book critics, Fendergal. I found the author's writing style and word choice a bit strange at times. Having said that, I can't remember a book that actually made me feel so much despair. I am not sure that I would have felt like I did if I didn't have a child. I was able to empathize with the father character and his will to do ANYTHING to ensure that his son survived for another day. The other depressing thing about the book is that I am not so sure such an event isn't possible the way the world is shaping up. Folks looking for a book with a happy ending can skip past this one on the shelves.

Grade: A

Monday

2007-09-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

I am off to Munich tomorrow for my meeting. Since it is Oktoberfest, I would like to have a few beers served by a hot blond beer maid with huge breasts. We will see what I can find.

Off season weight training will begin in October. Is there anything more boring than lifting weights? I keep it interesting while at Gold's by making as much noise as possible and flexing in the mirror after every set.

I am going to buy a set of tubulars for racing next year at some point. I have narrowed it down to a few choices, but these are leading the pack so far.

Have a good week.

Things..........

2007-09-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here is what I am up to:

1) Work travel is exhausting. This week I was to be gone M,T and W in SoCal. I got a call from a sales guy that needed my help so I agreed to fly from SoCal to Minneapolis for 3 meetings. Now I won't get home until late on Friday night.

2) Yesterday it was determined that I would have to attend a meeting next week in Germany. So yesterday I booked travel for this coming Tuesday to Munich. I am flying over Tuesday, arriving Wednesday morning, having a meeting and dinner on Wednesday, and then flying back to Texas on Th morning. With the wife extremely pregnant, I just can't be gone two full weeks in a row, so this crazy schedule is what has to happen.

3) I was going to ride in an organized "Tour" this Saturday morning with some guys from work. It would have been fun - 65 or so miles at a nice leisurely pace. That is not going to happen now because of the work travel and home responsibilities. But mostly because I want to hang out with The Bug as much as I can this weekend.

4) My off season is not off to a great start. I am eating too much, drinking way too much booze, and not exercising enough. That shit has to change this week.

5) On a positive note, after a marathon weed eating session last weekend my eyesore hill is showing potential. I need to get it in shape as soon as I can make some time.

Have a good Wednesday.

A Saturday in September

2007-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

I got up today and had some yummy coffee. Then I had to take our male Boxer, Ender, to the vet for the 3rd time in 4 weeks for an eye issue. We have now been referred to a pet eye specialist that should be able to figure out what is going on. Poor puppy. :(

I got out on the bike for a short ride today. I chose to ride the Retro Rocket because my other bike is still in a few pieces from the trip to MI. I will put it back together tomorrow.

After the ride I cut my grass in the front and got stung by some big giant wasp from hell. It hurt like a bitch and still does. My retribution is that I squashed his ass as he was inflicting his pain on me. Bastard.

I am going to do some yard work tomorrow. I just may take another ride. Who knows.

Off season stubble already.

The Rocket anxiously waiting.

The National Beer of Texas, but nobody drinks it.

One weird looking donkey.

Season Ending

2007-09-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Travel over the next few weeks has basically decided for me that it is time to end this racing season. I had planned on doing my last race on October, 4th. I am gone Monday through Friday next week and will most likely be gone the first part of the following week. That is just not conducive to training and staying fit. Oh well, it was a good first season.

Upgrade to Cat. 4 complete.

We were informed that The Bug bit another kid at daycare a few days ago. We told him he couldn't bite and of course he just looked at us like he couldn't understand what we were saying. I suppose he probably couldn't since he is only 20 months old.

Later when it was just me and Bug, I asked him again why he bit the kid. He told me that the other kid owed him money. I have never been so proud. Before I know it he will be running a crew.

Yes. I am joking :)

Week in Review

2007-09-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last week began with me taking two days off the bike. Monday and Tuesday I was off the bike with chest and head congestion. The Bug dragged something home from daycare on Friday. Those of you with kids know that there is no way around it - when your young child has something, you are certain to get it due to all of the close slobbery contact. Wednesday I rode the trainer for an hour and felt a bit better. Thursday I went out to the Thursday Crit and sat in for about 8 laps before having enough and pulling off the track. Friday I spent traveling to MI for the Priority Health Classic Crit.

I got to my hotel around 1pm and called Brian. We decided to go look at the course and have some lunch. The crit was on a 1km loop in the center of "Old" Grand Rapids. Two of the streets were completely brick, including the start/finish stretch. Some of the older brick was rough. I have a new respect for the pros who race on cobbles. I was in the second row at the start of a combined Cat 4/5 race. I would guess there were 40-50 riders in total. I didn't get a great start because I missed my pedal the first time. Once I got rolling I was about mid pack. The second time onto the back stretch of brick I heard a wreck right behind me. I heard someone hit the bricks hard, then slide, and then hit the metal barrier fence that surrounded the course. It had to hurt! I started to move up over the next few laps. The race continued for a bit and then there was a crash in front of me that took out about 5 riders. I was able to squeeze by and keep going. After a few more laps I was at "the pinnacle." I don't know if you all experience this in crits, but there is a point mid race when I feel absolutely awful. It is at that point in a race when the decision is made to either go or quit. I pushed through it and as expected over the next 5 laps I felt better and better. I found myself pretty tense at times and my right shoulder was killing me. I forced myself to relax and felt much better. Over the last 5 laps I moved up a bit more, but had trouble keeping passed riders behind me. On the last lap I had it matted on the last half of the course. I was able to get around a few more riders to finish 16th or 17th (estimated by Brian). They only listed the top 15. Over the last 150 meters I had blurry vision from the vibration of bricks and the exertion. I hit my season high max HR on that last 1/2 lap. I would have liked to finish better, but for a week with little training and riding doped up on decongestant and nasal spray, it was as good as I could do.

Brian was a great host and his wife and family are awesome. The dude has an awesome river front spread and a fantastic house. It was also great to meet Danielle and Bonnie and their husbands. Hopefully I will get to meet more of you soon.

Labor Day

2007-09-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is what today is about:

"Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday in September. The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create a day off for the "working man". It is still celebrated mainly as a day of rest and marks the symbolic end of summer for many. Labor Day became a federal holiday by Act of Congress in 1894."

I'd like to thank Wikipedia for the information above. So all of you hard working people out there kick your feet up and relax :)

Not much has happened with me this weekend. I feel a bit fatigued and have decided to take today off the bike to rest. Good thing, because it is wet and rainy this morning in Texas.

On another note, I got a very disturbing piece of information late last week. At daycare they have costumes that the kids dress up in for fun. Guess what Bug's favorite costume in the world is? SNOW WHITE! I was going to wait until he is 13 to make him watch First Blood, but I may have to move that up about 11 years:) Of course I am joking, but SNOW WHITE??

Thursday Night Crit Report (8/30)

2007-08-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

I made it out to the crit tonight after hopping myself up on pretzels, a tuna fish salad sandwich, and some sports drink. I got there early because the power went out in our office this afternoon, then the phones went down, so I decided it was a sign to get going. I warmed up on the track for about 20 minutes before the Cat 3/4 race got started and continued warming up sporadically while they raced. I did 3 or 4 laps before my race and arrived at the starting line in the second row and was mentally ready to race. Goals for the race: 1) Stay in my drops the entire race and not go back and forth from the hoods to the drops like I have been doing. 2) Win.

The race started off at an average race pace. Not crazy fast and not slow. After 3 laps there was a paceline about 20 people long and I was probably about 15th or so. Some people were falling off the back already. After a few more laps I decided to move up a bit. I moved up to around 8th or 10th and was feeling good. The pace picked up a bit and things were uneventful for a few more laps. We were lapping slower riders at this point. With about 5 to go I was still around 8th wheel and touched wheels with the guy in front of me. I damn near went down and it must have looked really sketchy because everyone said "nice save." With 3 to go the pace was picking up and I was marking my target. The guy I was watching won the previous two races and is super strong on the last lap and has a hell of a sprint. I was able to get on his wheel. With two to go we were coming around the sharp corner before the start/finish and I heard a bad crash behind me. I didn't look back because the pace was pretty high and the guys ahead weren't slowing. With 1 lap to go I was still in 8th or so and felt like I had the lungs and legs to win. The last lap pace was fast. I moved up to about 7th and as we were hammering toward the corner before the finish one of the guys ahead popped. He slowed and was right in the middle of the corner. The few ahead of me squeezed past and as I was coming through it was shutting down so I had to dart through the corner flatter than I wanted to. The fact that I was taking the corner at 30+ mph didn't make it easier. Long story short is I went way wide and a gap of a few yards opened and that is how I finished my sprint. I think I finished in 6th place. I still feel that physically I could have won, but I didn't put myself in a good position to win. The dude I marked won again - 3 in a row. He is tough. Goal 1 met. Goal 2 will have to wait until next week.

I will do one more Thursday crit next week and then it is off to Grand Rapids, MI to do the Priority Health Criterium and meet some bloggers. It should be a blast. Have a good Friday.