Well, it’s been a while since I last blogged and a lot has been happening. Sure, there are lots of little things that are always there to fill one’s time – going to work, cooking, cleaning, going to the grocery, taking my daughter to gymnastics – all those things that make the normal routine of one’s daily existence. But recently there has been a significant event occupying nearly all of my time and energy. We finally made the decision to build a new house.
What???!!!!! Are you CRAZY, building a house in the midst of the worst economy in our lifetime??????!!!!!! Yes, yes, we are. But when we made the decision to build, the U.S. economy has not yet officially slid into the abyss in which it now resides. Needless to say, the current state of economic affairs has left us a little uncomfortable. But we’ve made our decision and we are past the point of return now, so we have made up our minds to enjoy the ride and stop worrying about the doom-and-gloom economy.
We are building the new house on the property that we currently own, so the ramshackle edifice in which we formerly resided would have to be demolished. Here is some video coverage of the event.
We are working with a great custom builder, Finish Line. Along with being a great builder, they are also fantastic remodelers, not to mention all-around good people. If you should need any type of remodeling, or you are looking to build new, do yourself a favor and check them out.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Valley City Road Race
On Saturday, August 23, I travelled with Doug McConnaha to race the State Master’s Championship Road Race at Valley City, just northwest of Medina. The course is a mostly flat 12-mile loop, broken up by some rolling terrain on the final two miles heading south along West River Rd.
Lining up for the start of the Masters 35+ race, I pick a spot next to John Lowry of Stark Velo, always a strong contender on any type of terrain. Much to my dismay, though, I noted that Tris Hopkins and Ray Huang of Team Columbus were in our field. C’mon, is there really any way I could compete with either of those two guys? Therein lays the pitfall of Masters racing. Doesn’t matter if you are a Cat 1 or a newbie - if you meet the age requirement, you can race.
The race starts with a brief neutral rollout, followed by some mild attacking, nothing too serious. Then about 5 minutes into it, Hopkins takes off of like a bolt of lightning from the back of the field with Erik Lesco (Stark Velo) glued to his wheel. The duo opens a decent gap before the peloton can organize a chase (if organization is what you really want to call it). By the end of the first lap, Hopkins and Lesko are out of sight, never to be seen again.
Laps 2 and 3 were rather uneventful, and the start of lap 4 was downright lethargic. On the backside of the course on lap 4, I pull up to John Lowry and Bruce Pisarek (COBC) and attempt to strategize. My message is that if we wanted to have a fighting chance, we needed to make the race really hard once we turned south on to the rollers on West River Road. John reported that he didn’t know if he had enough gas left in the tank, but Bruce seemed to agree, though he did not explicitly say so.
Heading into the sharp, descending turn onto West River Road, I position myself on 2nd wheel, ready to hit it hard on the first little rise. The guy in front of me had the same plan and we both punched it. At the top, we had a really good gap, but I was already at my redline and I needed to recover before I could pull through. Unfortunately, no one else (not John or Bruce) had followed the move and so it was just the two of us. When we got on the flat section before the next set of rollers, the other dude really picked up the pace and it was all I could do just to stay in his draft. He motioned for me to come through with the all-too-familiar flick of the elbow, but I couldn’t respond. He sniped, “If you can suck my wheel, then you can pull through.” Well, let’s just say he was wrong. Like I said before, I gave it all I had to just to stay in contact with him. When we hit the next roller, he gapped me and was gone for good, sewing up 3rd place. I still had a margin to the peloton and tried to hold on for the 4th place finish. I gave it all I had on the last short, steep pitch that was 500 meters before the finish line – the picture below testifies to my effort. But alas, the fresh legged peloton was upon me and sped by me in the blink of an eye. Turns out that Lowry and Pisarek were able to hold on for 4th and 5th, respectively. Hindsight being what it is, I think I could have contended with them if I had just stayed in the field and kept my legs fresh. But I took my shot and gave it everything I had, so I suppose I can’t be too disappointed with my effort. Sometimes you have to risk losing in order to achieve success.
One more thing... racing at Valley City this year brought back memories of last year's race when a stacked Stark Velo squad was able to get Scott Thor off the front and led to a long solo effort by him that resulted a nice victory. Before this year, Scott and I had been racing together for a long time, dating all the way back to mountain bike races around 2000 (I think). Scott is now in California living a charmed life. Check up on Scott at on his new website: http://www.scottthor.net/
Lining up for the start of the Masters 35+ race, I pick a spot next to John Lowry of Stark Velo, always a strong contender on any type of terrain. Much to my dismay, though, I noted that Tris Hopkins and Ray Huang of Team Columbus were in our field. C’mon, is there really any way I could compete with either of those two guys? Therein lays the pitfall of Masters racing. Doesn’t matter if you are a Cat 1 or a newbie - if you meet the age requirement, you can race.
The race starts with a brief neutral rollout, followed by some mild attacking, nothing too serious. Then about 5 minutes into it, Hopkins takes off of like a bolt of lightning from the back of the field with Erik Lesco (Stark Velo) glued to his wheel. The duo opens a decent gap before the peloton can organize a chase (if organization is what you really want to call it). By the end of the first lap, Hopkins and Lesko are out of sight, never to be seen again.
Laps 2 and 3 were rather uneventful, and the start of lap 4 was downright lethargic. On the backside of the course on lap 4, I pull up to John Lowry and Bruce Pisarek (COBC) and attempt to strategize. My message is that if we wanted to have a fighting chance, we needed to make the race really hard once we turned south on to the rollers on West River Road. John reported that he didn’t know if he had enough gas left in the tank, but Bruce seemed to agree, though he did not explicitly say so.
Heading into the sharp, descending turn onto West River Road, I position myself on 2nd wheel, ready to hit it hard on the first little rise. The guy in front of me had the same plan and we both punched it. At the top, we had a really good gap, but I was already at my redline and I needed to recover before I could pull through. Unfortunately, no one else (not John or Bruce) had followed the move and so it was just the two of us. When we got on the flat section before the next set of rollers, the other dude really picked up the pace and it was all I could do just to stay in his draft. He motioned for me to come through with the all-too-familiar flick of the elbow, but I couldn’t respond. He sniped, “If you can suck my wheel, then you can pull through.” Well, let’s just say he was wrong. Like I said before, I gave it all I had to just to stay in contact with him. When we hit the next roller, he gapped me and was gone for good, sewing up 3rd place. I still had a margin to the peloton and tried to hold on for the 4th place finish. I gave it all I had on the last short, steep pitch that was 500 meters before the finish line – the picture below testifies to my effort. But alas, the fresh legged peloton was upon me and sped by me in the blink of an eye. Turns out that Lowry and Pisarek were able to hold on for 4th and 5th, respectively. Hindsight being what it is, I think I could have contended with them if I had just stayed in the field and kept my legs fresh. But I took my shot and gave it everything I had, so I suppose I can’t be too disappointed with my effort. Sometimes you have to risk losing in order to achieve success.
One more thing... racing at Valley City this year brought back memories of last year's race when a stacked Stark Velo squad was able to get Scott Thor off the front and led to a long solo effort by him that resulted a nice victory. Before this year, Scott and I had been racing together for a long time, dating all the way back to mountain bike races around 2000 (I think). Scott is now in California living a charmed life. Check up on Scott at on his new website: http://www.scottthor.net/
The toughest workout that I do
A series of short, sharp shocks.
It’s been a while since I have blogged, so I figured it was time to put something together, just so you don’t think that I had faded off into oblivion.
At this point in the season, I am working toward my last target event, the State Championship Road Race. With that in mind, I opted to subject myself to the toughest training ride that I ever do – repeat 30-second hill sprints.
I first discovered this workout when I was working with Coach Ashley Powell at Catup.com. He prescribed this workout for me several years ago and I have used it ever since, but I use it sparingly because it’s a real killer. The idea is this: find a slight grade of about 4 to 5%, nothing too steep, but certainly uphill and with sufficient length to allow for 30 seconds of all-out effort. To start the interval, sprint uphill, out of the saddle for the first 15 to 20 seconds, then sit down and hammer out the final 10 to 15 seconds. Rest between efforts is from 4 to 6 minutes. This is a high intensity workout and I only use it once I have established a strong base of longer intervals.
Here’s a synopsis of how the workout generally goes:
1st interval: hurts a little, not too bad.
2nd interval: usually doesn’t hurt as bad as the first one
3rd interval: now we’re getting a workout.
4th interval: ouch! How many more of these do I have to do?
5th interval: dear God, I think I lost bladder control
6th interval (if I make it this far): nausea, tunnel vision, stomach upheaval, blunt head trauma
Typically by the time I get to the 4th interval, the last 10 seconds of the interval are a wrestling match with the handlebars and pedals. It is, without a doubt, the most painful workout that I do. But it's a quick death, not a prolonged agony.
Give it a try and see if you agree. Or, better yet, send me details of your toughest workout.
It’s been a while since I have blogged, so I figured it was time to put something together, just so you don’t think that I had faded off into oblivion.
At this point in the season, I am working toward my last target event, the State Championship Road Race. With that in mind, I opted to subject myself to the toughest training ride that I ever do – repeat 30-second hill sprints.
I first discovered this workout when I was working with Coach Ashley Powell at Catup.com. He prescribed this workout for me several years ago and I have used it ever since, but I use it sparingly because it’s a real killer. The idea is this: find a slight grade of about 4 to 5%, nothing too steep, but certainly uphill and with sufficient length to allow for 30 seconds of all-out effort. To start the interval, sprint uphill, out of the saddle for the first 15 to 20 seconds, then sit down and hammer out the final 10 to 15 seconds. Rest between efforts is from 4 to 6 minutes. This is a high intensity workout and I only use it once I have established a strong base of longer intervals.
Here’s a synopsis of how the workout generally goes:
1st interval: hurts a little, not too bad.
2nd interval: usually doesn’t hurt as bad as the first one
3rd interval: now we’re getting a workout.
4th interval: ouch! How many more of these do I have to do?
5th interval: dear God, I think I lost bladder control
6th interval (if I make it this far): nausea, tunnel vision, stomach upheaval, blunt head trauma
Typically by the time I get to the 4th interval, the last 10 seconds of the interval are a wrestling match with the handlebars and pedals. It is, without a doubt, the most painful workout that I do. But it's a quick death, not a prolonged agony.
Give it a try and see if you agree. Or, better yet, send me details of your toughest workout.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Danville Road Race
On Saturday, July 26, I ventured up to the sleepy little village of Danville to contest the road race which was being promoted by Team Columbus as the ABR State Championship road race. Compared to last year’s race, there was a lot to be happy about this year. Last year’s race started at 3 PM on a day when temperature were around 95 F and the Cat. 3 riders did four laps on the 18.5-mile circuit with NO neutral water support available. In contrast, this year the race started at 11 AM, the temps were manageable in the mid-80’s, the race was shortened to three laps, and COLD neutral water was made available. Despite all those improvements, the overall turnout was quite low, especially when you consider that there were no competing events in the region.
Lining up for the Cat 3/4 race were only ten riders, four of which were from Team Echelon. I didn’t like those odds, especially since no other squad had more than one rider present. I just hoped to be able to withstand the onslaught.
The course is a real toughie with one solid climb heading north, one monster climb heading back south on SR 514, and series of relentless power climbs between the big climb and the finish line on SR 514.
After the first time up the 514 monster, the group was down to 6 riders, four of which were Echelon riders, me and a Savage Hill rider. I liked these odds even less than those at the start line. Going into the 2nd lap, the Echelon boys applied textbook pressure, attacking until Steve Caminati got a gap and I was unable to respond. Going over the 514 monster for the 2nd time, we lost the Savage Hill rider, so it was down to me, Joe Bonnell, Pete Czerwinski, and Will Koehler. Things looked bleak.
On the third lap, I set a steady, but not all-out pace, up the first, smaller climb. I’m not sure if it dropped Joe B., or if he had a mechanical, but he was off the back and I got a good 50 meter gap on Will and Pete. I made them work a fair bit to catch me, but they did eventually track me down. Then on the 514 monster, I was able to get enough of a gap over the top that I could hold the duo off for the 4 or so miles back into the finish.
It was good for me mentally to have a good result after struggling at the Troy crit last weekend, so I can now take a little positive attitude into the Zoar Road Race next weekend. Not too much, though… I don’t want to get an inflated head.
Lining up for the Cat 3/4 race were only ten riders, four of which were from Team Echelon. I didn’t like those odds, especially since no other squad had more than one rider present. I just hoped to be able to withstand the onslaught.
The course is a real toughie with one solid climb heading north, one monster climb heading back south on SR 514, and series of relentless power climbs between the big climb and the finish line on SR 514.
After the first time up the 514 monster, the group was down to 6 riders, four of which were Echelon riders, me and a Savage Hill rider. I liked these odds even less than those at the start line. Going into the 2nd lap, the Echelon boys applied textbook pressure, attacking until Steve Caminati got a gap and I was unable to respond. Going over the 514 monster for the 2nd time, we lost the Savage Hill rider, so it was down to me, Joe Bonnell, Pete Czerwinski, and Will Koehler. Things looked bleak.
On the third lap, I set a steady, but not all-out pace, up the first, smaller climb. I’m not sure if it dropped Joe B., or if he had a mechanical, but he was off the back and I got a good 50 meter gap on Will and Pete. I made them work a fair bit to catch me, but they did eventually track me down. Then on the 514 monster, I was able to get enough of a gap over the top that I could hold the duo off for the 4 or so miles back into the finish.
It was good for me mentally to have a good result after struggling at the Troy crit last weekend, so I can now take a little positive attitude into the Zoar Road Race next weekend. Not too much, though… I don’t want to get an inflated head.
Monday, July 21, 2008
My Brush with TdF Greatness
It’s been a while since I have blogged. Getting sick stacked on top of all the other responsibilities will leave you with no free time every now and then. Oh well, c’est la vie.
So, do you want to hear (er, read) about my brush with Tour de France fame???!!! If you’re a tech/training wiener like me, then you know who Dr. Allen Lim is. If not, he is an expert cycling physiologist/power guru and works for the Garmin-Chipotle team. He is currently traveling with the team at the Tour de France and among other duties with the team, he is maintaining a Q&A forum on the Saris (PowerTap) website. Well, just for grins, I sent in a question to the good doctor last week. I guess I kind of stumped him as he was not able to provide a definitive answer. Furthermore, he consulted with Danny Pate of Team Garmin to get his response to the question – that’s right, Danny Pate who was 3rd on stage 15 Sunday after a monster breakaway effort. So in a way, it’s sort of like I was able to ask my question to a TdF rider. I know it’s a stretch, but that’s probably as close as I’ll get to any association with the Tour.
Here's my question and Dr. Lim’s response.
Dear Dr. Lim-
I am a loyal PT owner and user. When I do interval sessions, I find it “easier” to maintain target wattage when going uphill as opposed to trying to maintain the same target when on the flats (“easier” really just means “less painful” in this context; believe me, it ain't easy). Why is this true, and is this just my perception, or is this generally true for the majority of riders (i.e. do some believe the opposite to be true)? Is it because going uphill, a rider is fighting all of the different components of resistance – wind, rolling resistance, and gravity – while when on the flats, only two components come into play? Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dan
Columbus, OH
Dan,
I would agree that your experience on the hills versus the flats are exactly what other cyclists experience. The difference may be due to a number of factors, though I don’t have any definitive answers.
Anyway, one thought is that the on a grade your angle of attack on the cranks is different than on level ground, creating distinct torque profiles on the level versus a climb. On a climb, the impulse or area that peak torque is applied can range from 1 o’clock to about 5 o’clock. In contrast, the area of peak torque on the level is much smaller, ranging from about 2 to 4 o’clock.
Another issue may simply be the cadence or the combination of cadence and torque profile.
Resistance may also be a factor as the external resistance to motion is much more consistent than it is on the flats. At high speeds, small pauses in power production don’t result in noticeable changes in speed as the momentum is so high. But at low speeds, especially on a climb, small pauses in power production result in very significant changes in speed. That is, if you stop pedaling on a steep hill you’re screwed, but if you pause for a few seconds here and there on the flats, you’re not. As a result, the average power on the flats, is always much lower just because of those micro seconds of “float” time.
Finally, one issue may simply be specificity. What I’ve seen is that my guys like climbing. They like doing intervals on hills. But if we make them train a lot on the flats, the power differential between the flats and hills begins to drop, though they tend to always still do better in the hills.
Anyway, I don’t have any good answers, and I just asked Danny Pate if he had any ideas, and we just spent the last 20 minutes talking about it, and now we’re both confused. So just make sure you don’t neglect doing intervals on both the flats and the hills, and if you figure it out let us know.
Last thought....if you are holding on the bars and using your arms like a cable that help to hold your hips down during the pedal stroke, the issue may simply be that you are able to put down more torque due to the body position while climbing and the support from your upper body. The Italians once did the Worlds TTT with a hip strap that had a wire on the end of it that they tied down to the top tube. As they went hard, they would tighten the strap down and could push against it during the down stroke. They devastated the competition on a relatively flat course. The UCI later banned the hip/wire strap device.
Allen
So, do you want to hear (er, read) about my brush with Tour de France fame???!!! If you’re a tech/training wiener like me, then you know who Dr. Allen Lim is. If not, he is an expert cycling physiologist/power guru and works for the Garmin-Chipotle team. He is currently traveling with the team at the Tour de France and among other duties with the team, he is maintaining a Q&A forum on the Saris (PowerTap) website. Well, just for grins, I sent in a question to the good doctor last week. I guess I kind of stumped him as he was not able to provide a definitive answer. Furthermore, he consulted with Danny Pate of Team Garmin to get his response to the question – that’s right, Danny Pate who was 3rd on stage 15 Sunday after a monster breakaway effort. So in a way, it’s sort of like I was able to ask my question to a TdF rider. I know it’s a stretch, but that’s probably as close as I’ll get to any association with the Tour.
Here's my question and Dr. Lim’s response.
Dear Dr. Lim-
I am a loyal PT owner and user. When I do interval sessions, I find it “easier” to maintain target wattage when going uphill as opposed to trying to maintain the same target when on the flats (“easier” really just means “less painful” in this context; believe me, it ain't easy). Why is this true, and is this just my perception, or is this generally true for the majority of riders (i.e. do some believe the opposite to be true)? Is it because going uphill, a rider is fighting all of the different components of resistance – wind, rolling resistance, and gravity – while when on the flats, only two components come into play? Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dan
Columbus, OH
Dan,
I would agree that your experience on the hills versus the flats are exactly what other cyclists experience. The difference may be due to a number of factors, though I don’t have any definitive answers.
Anyway, one thought is that the on a grade your angle of attack on the cranks is different than on level ground, creating distinct torque profiles on the level versus a climb. On a climb, the impulse or area that peak torque is applied can range from 1 o’clock to about 5 o’clock. In contrast, the area of peak torque on the level is much smaller, ranging from about 2 to 4 o’clock.
Another issue may simply be the cadence or the combination of cadence and torque profile.
Resistance may also be a factor as the external resistance to motion is much more consistent than it is on the flats. At high speeds, small pauses in power production don’t result in noticeable changes in speed as the momentum is so high. But at low speeds, especially on a climb, small pauses in power production result in very significant changes in speed. That is, if you stop pedaling on a steep hill you’re screwed, but if you pause for a few seconds here and there on the flats, you’re not. As a result, the average power on the flats, is always much lower just because of those micro seconds of “float” time.
Finally, one issue may simply be specificity. What I’ve seen is that my guys like climbing. They like doing intervals on hills. But if we make them train a lot on the flats, the power differential between the flats and hills begins to drop, though they tend to always still do better in the hills.
Anyway, I don’t have any good answers, and I just asked Danny Pate if he had any ideas, and we just spent the last 20 minutes talking about it, and now we’re both confused. So just make sure you don’t neglect doing intervals on both the flats and the hills, and if you figure it out let us know.
Last thought....if you are holding on the bars and using your arms like a cable that help to hold your hips down during the pedal stroke, the issue may simply be that you are able to put down more torque due to the body position while climbing and the support from your upper body. The Italians once did the Worlds TTT with a hip strap that had a wire on the end of it that they tied down to the top tube. As they went hard, they would tighten the strap down and could push against it during the down stroke. They devastated the competition on a relatively flat course. The UCI later banned the hip/wire strap device.
Allen
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Campy 11-speed? WTF?
Campy's announcement that they will offer an 11-speed group for next year reminded me of this bit from Spinal Tap.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Summer Solstice Races
This past weekend, I travelled down to the Wilmington area on consecutive days to compete in Stages 2 and 4 of the Summer Solstice Stage Race, promoted by Ohio Valley Racing. The courses are pretty flat, but long, so it was a good opportunity to build some endurance and possibly help my teammates out.
Stage 1 took place on Friday evening and I decided ahead of time that I would not race on Friday. It was probably a good choice because the weather was pretty crappy with storm fronts moving through the area. Jeff Aufdencamp was able to get 6th place in the field sprint, so the team plan on Stage 2 was to work to set-up Jeff.
The scheduled race for Saturday was to complete 5 laps on a 13-mile course, for a total of 65 miles. OVR advertised the race as “rolling” but that term is relative – someone from North Carolina would have called it pancake flat. But I knew this coming into the event so I was not disappointed. Upon arrival at the race venue, the word spread quickly through the parking lot that there was a section of about 3 miles on McKay Rd. that had been chip-sealed and was quite dangerous in spots with deep sections of gravel. After the sacrificial fields of Masters, Cat 5’s and Women were allowed to “enjoy” the full course, the race officials decided to circumvent the nasty stretch for the remaining racers and quickly lined out a new course, avoiding the chip-seal roads. This left us with an 8-mile course, so the lap count was upped to 8 to leave us with a total of 64 miles.
Immediately upon roll-out, Chris Grisvard and Walker’s own Jason McCoy struck out on a “see-if-sticks” attack. This was short lived and the peloton was not about to let anyone get away in the first 5 minutes. The Walker team was very aggressive in the first three laps – Doug McConaha, Doug Green, Todd Lee, John Markstein, and I all joined or initiated several attacks. Unfortunately nothing was sticking and our protected man, Jeff, had suffered a flat tire early and his day ended prematurely. It is worth noting that Doug McConaha took the unofficial KOM on the 2nd lap… to bad the official KOM did not occur until the 4th lap. =) As the race wore on, I decided to just stay toward the front and try to mark any attacks that I could. As is often the case in racing, I was in a bad position when the attack that stuck took off and there was no chance for me bridge up to it. That was pretty much the end of the story. By the end of the day, our squad was somewhat decimated, paying for early aggressions and I think only myself, Doug Green, and Doug McConaha finished with the first chase group. I managed to sneak into decent position for the field sprint and ended up 11th on the line. It’s funny how certain details of a race can escape me. Looking at the power data after the race, I see that I hit my peak 30-second power for the year (575 W) just 4 minutes into the race. I don’t recall the effort, but I’ll assume I was trying to cover a counter-attack after Jason had been caught. The power data also showed that this was the most intense race that I had done all year, with normalized power at 245 W, which translates into an intensity factor (IF) of 0.893 for me.
Sunday’s Stage 4 race WAS pancake flat. And, I am not complaining, but it was probably one of the most boring courses I have ever done. The schedule for Sunday was 6 laps of a 12-mile course, 72 miles in all. We lost John Markstein and Jason McCoy for the day, but we picked up Scott Spees.
On the first lap, Todd Lee worked his way into a break of 6 or 7 riders that managed to stay away until midway through the 2nd lap. After that, the race primarily stayed together until Jeff Aufdencamp took off on a solo flyer just as we headed south on Larrick Rd. on the 5th lap. I positioned myself at the front of the group to try to discourage the chase effort. Jeff held the field at bay for the majority of the lap, but on the flat road heading north back to the start-finish line, the Overall GC leader and one of his Canadian countrymen conspired to chase him down. When he was caught, Mitch Tallan unleashed a furious counter-attack heading into the start-finish and the pace picked up for a few miles. For the remainder of the last lap, Mitch proceeded to attack every time the pace lulled. As we headed back into the finish, I checked with Scott Spees to see how he was feeling. Scott told me to keep the pace high, so I made my way to the front and tried to do just that. After doing one good turn, I pulled off the front and was swarmed by the field, never to see the front again. To add insult to injury, the race official pulled up on his motor bike and admonished me for pulling off to far to the left and crossing the yellow line. I pleaded that I was not taking advantage, but rather was dropping back and trying to stay out of the way of the main field, so he only administered a warning. At any rate, the peloton took this as a warning to remain inside the lane, making moving up in the field nearly impossible. I found myself in the last third of a 40-man peloton and I knew my chances were remote, so I sat up for the sprint, opting not to risk the carnage.
So that was my weekend. Well, all except for going home to find some wonderful homemade father’s day presents from my daughter. We finished the day with a nice little fishing trip to a local pond where Allie caught 8 or 10 bluegill, which we always return so we can catch them again later.
Not a bad way to end the day.
(Images copyright Jeffrey Jakucyk )
Stage 1 took place on Friday evening and I decided ahead of time that I would not race on Friday. It was probably a good choice because the weather was pretty crappy with storm fronts moving through the area. Jeff Aufdencamp was able to get 6th place in the field sprint, so the team plan on Stage 2 was to work to set-up Jeff.
The scheduled race for Saturday was to complete 5 laps on a 13-mile course, for a total of 65 miles. OVR advertised the race as “rolling” but that term is relative – someone from North Carolina would have called it pancake flat. But I knew this coming into the event so I was not disappointed. Upon arrival at the race venue, the word spread quickly through the parking lot that there was a section of about 3 miles on McKay Rd. that had been chip-sealed and was quite dangerous in spots with deep sections of gravel. After the sacrificial fields of Masters, Cat 5’s and Women were allowed to “enjoy” the full course, the race officials decided to circumvent the nasty stretch for the remaining racers and quickly lined out a new course, avoiding the chip-seal roads. This left us with an 8-mile course, so the lap count was upped to 8 to leave us with a total of 64 miles.
Immediately upon roll-out, Chris Grisvard and Walker’s own Jason McCoy struck out on a “see-if-sticks” attack. This was short lived and the peloton was not about to let anyone get away in the first 5 minutes. The Walker team was very aggressive in the first three laps – Doug McConaha, Doug Green, Todd Lee, John Markstein, and I all joined or initiated several attacks. Unfortunately nothing was sticking and our protected man, Jeff, had suffered a flat tire early and his day ended prematurely. It is worth noting that Doug McConaha took the unofficial KOM on the 2nd lap… to bad the official KOM did not occur until the 4th lap. =) As the race wore on, I decided to just stay toward the front and try to mark any attacks that I could. As is often the case in racing, I was in a bad position when the attack that stuck took off and there was no chance for me bridge up to it. That was pretty much the end of the story. By the end of the day, our squad was somewhat decimated, paying for early aggressions and I think only myself, Doug Green, and Doug McConaha finished with the first chase group. I managed to sneak into decent position for the field sprint and ended up 11th on the line. It’s funny how certain details of a race can escape me. Looking at the power data after the race, I see that I hit my peak 30-second power for the year (575 W) just 4 minutes into the race. I don’t recall the effort, but I’ll assume I was trying to cover a counter-attack after Jason had been caught. The power data also showed that this was the most intense race that I had done all year, with normalized power at 245 W, which translates into an intensity factor (IF) of 0.893 for me.
Sunday’s Stage 4 race WAS pancake flat. And, I am not complaining, but it was probably one of the most boring courses I have ever done. The schedule for Sunday was 6 laps of a 12-mile course, 72 miles in all. We lost John Markstein and Jason McCoy for the day, but we picked up Scott Spees.
On the first lap, Todd Lee worked his way into a break of 6 or 7 riders that managed to stay away until midway through the 2nd lap. After that, the race primarily stayed together until Jeff Aufdencamp took off on a solo flyer just as we headed south on Larrick Rd. on the 5th lap. I positioned myself at the front of the group to try to discourage the chase effort. Jeff held the field at bay for the majority of the lap, but on the flat road heading north back to the start-finish line, the Overall GC leader and one of his Canadian countrymen conspired to chase him down. When he was caught, Mitch Tallan unleashed a furious counter-attack heading into the start-finish and the pace picked up for a few miles. For the remainder of the last lap, Mitch proceeded to attack every time the pace lulled. As we headed back into the finish, I checked with Scott Spees to see how he was feeling. Scott told me to keep the pace high, so I made my way to the front and tried to do just that. After doing one good turn, I pulled off the front and was swarmed by the field, never to see the front again. To add insult to injury, the race official pulled up on his motor bike and admonished me for pulling off to far to the left and crossing the yellow line. I pleaded that I was not taking advantage, but rather was dropping back and trying to stay out of the way of the main field, so he only administered a warning. At any rate, the peloton took this as a warning to remain inside the lane, making moving up in the field nearly impossible. I found myself in the last third of a 40-man peloton and I knew my chances were remote, so I sat up for the sprint, opting not to risk the carnage.
So that was my weekend. Well, all except for going home to find some wonderful homemade father’s day presents from my daughter. We finished the day with a nice little fishing trip to a local pond where Allie caught 8 or 10 bluegill, which we always return so we can catch them again later.
Not a bad way to end the day.
(Images copyright Jeffrey Jakucyk )
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Garrett Wonders Memorial Criterium
This past Saturday, our team lined up to contest the Garrett Wonders Memorial Criterium in downtown Westerville, OH. Huge thunderstorms rolled through early Saturday morning, waking me up around 4 AM with visions of racing through rain-flooded streets. Fortunately, though, the rain subsided and by the time we took the start line, the skies had cleared quite nicely.
Nine members of the mighty Walker Companies - Olympus Homes squad lined up for the titanic struggle on Saturday morning. The pace was hard from the gun and stayed that way pretty much the entire time. I was thrilled to find my wife and daughter stationed at the first corner of the course, cheering for me on every lap.
With our large numbers, our general plan was to keep things together and try to set up a sprint for either Jason or Scott. There were a fair number of primes given out and this kept the race animated, but never really created a big move off the front. (BTW, I think Chris Grisvard won at least three primes… man, I don’t know how the guy does it, but he knows how to stay in position and when to attack.) As for myself, I tried my best to stay near the front and contribute to the chase efforts any time there was a gap at the front. As the pace ramped up going into the bell lap, Scott told me to get on his wheel… easier said than done. I tried to hang on to him, but was forced off by a couple of guys who beat me to the punch. In the end, Scott was able to pull out a strong 3rd place finish, and I ended up somewhere around 12th. Turns out that if your peak power is somewhere south of 1,000 watts, you don’t stand much of a chance in a crit. Who knew? I think Scott received a few bucks for his effort, but I think my reward was even better.
Nine members of the mighty Walker Companies - Olympus Homes squad lined up for the titanic struggle on Saturday morning. The pace was hard from the gun and stayed that way pretty much the entire time. I was thrilled to find my wife and daughter stationed at the first corner of the course, cheering for me on every lap.
With our large numbers, our general plan was to keep things together and try to set up a sprint for either Jason or Scott. There were a fair number of primes given out and this kept the race animated, but never really created a big move off the front. (BTW, I think Chris Grisvard won at least three primes… man, I don’t know how the guy does it, but he knows how to stay in position and when to attack.) As for myself, I tried my best to stay near the front and contribute to the chase efforts any time there was a gap at the front. As the pace ramped up going into the bell lap, Scott told me to get on his wheel… easier said than done. I tried to hang on to him, but was forced off by a couple of guys who beat me to the punch. In the end, Scott was able to pull out a strong 3rd place finish, and I ended up somewhere around 12th. Turns out that if your peak power is somewhere south of 1,000 watts, you don’t stand much of a chance in a crit. Who knew? I think Scott received a few bucks for his effort, but I think my reward was even better.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Want to Win $10,000???
Too bad, because the winner’s check already has my name on it! =) But the great 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place prizes are still up for grabs as far as I’m concerned.
RoadBikeRides.com is promoting it's new website with a kick-a$$ contest. It’s easy to enter. Just go to www.RoadBikeRides.com and become a member. Read the contest rules and start entering ride maps, uploading pictures, posting in the forum, etc. to earn points. The ride mapping is extremely intuitive with great software powered by Google Maps ®. It's really easy to do, so you have no excuse for not entering.
Good luck… well, not too much… just enough to come in 2nd!
RoadBikeRides.com is promoting it's new website with a kick-a$$ contest. It’s easy to enter. Just go to www.RoadBikeRides.com and become a member. Read the contest rules and start entering ride maps, uploading pictures, posting in the forum, etc. to earn points. The ride mapping is extremely intuitive with great software powered by Google Maps ®. It's really easy to do, so you have no excuse for not entering.
Good luck… well, not too much… just enough to come in 2nd!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Back From a Short Vacation
Well, it’s been a while since my last blog. Work responsibilities and family life often get in the way for an amateur cyclist, but I try to march, uh, er, pedal onward.
For the Memorial Day weekend, we packed up the Fit, kitted out with a new Thule roof rack, and headed for Franklin, Tennessee where my father now lives. It turns out the cycling in and around the Franklin/Nashville area is fantastic! First of all, there is the Natchez Trace Parkway, which runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, covering 440 miles. The Trace, as it is called by the locals, features controlled traffic, rolling hills, and smooth road surfaces. There is abundant wildlife along the trace, too, including wild turkey, deer, turtles, skunks, red-tail hawks, and opossums. Last year, I saw a mama opossum carrying several young on her back as she waddled along the road side. This year, I found a box turtle that somehow ended up on his back. Fortunately, it was still in the cool of the morning - if I had found him later in the day, he certainly would have been cooked inside that shell in the heat of the day. Chalk up one good deed in the karma account.
There is also outstanding riding in the areas surrounding Franklin. I found a phenomenal website for the Harpeth Bike Club that included many maps and cue sheets. I found a great route which started at the Agriculture Expo Center, less than 2 miles from my Dad’s house. The ride was great – fantastic road surfaces with rolling, twisting rural roads and virtually no traffic. At one point I saw a sign reading “For Sale: Miniature Dachshunds.” I thought that Dachshunds were, by definition, miniature and didn’t know that an even smaller version existed. Does that make the regular Dachshunds “Great Dachshunds?” I digress… another good resource for rides in the area can be found here.
Monday came too fast and it was time to go home. I got to spend some quality time with the family and some good time on the bike. We taught our daughter to play Crazy 8’s and she flourished, immediately besting Heather and I in a best-of-7 tournament. We’re back home now and back to the grind that it our work-a-day existence. I can’t be on vacation forever, but I will always have a bike to help me escape the reality.
For the Memorial Day weekend, we packed up the Fit, kitted out with a new Thule roof rack, and headed for Franklin, Tennessee where my father now lives. It turns out the cycling in and around the Franklin/Nashville area is fantastic! First of all, there is the Natchez Trace Parkway, which runs from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi, covering 440 miles. The Trace, as it is called by the locals, features controlled traffic, rolling hills, and smooth road surfaces. There is abundant wildlife along the trace, too, including wild turkey, deer, turtles, skunks, red-tail hawks, and opossums. Last year, I saw a mama opossum carrying several young on her back as she waddled along the road side. This year, I found a box turtle that somehow ended up on his back. Fortunately, it was still in the cool of the morning - if I had found him later in the day, he certainly would have been cooked inside that shell in the heat of the day. Chalk up one good deed in the karma account.
There is also outstanding riding in the areas surrounding Franklin. I found a phenomenal website for the Harpeth Bike Club that included many maps and cue sheets. I found a great route which started at the Agriculture Expo Center, less than 2 miles from my Dad’s house. The ride was great – fantastic road surfaces with rolling, twisting rural roads and virtually no traffic. At one point I saw a sign reading “For Sale: Miniature Dachshunds.” I thought that Dachshunds were, by definition, miniature and didn’t know that an even smaller version existed. Does that make the regular Dachshunds “Great Dachshunds?” I digress… another good resource for rides in the area can be found here.
Monday came too fast and it was time to go home. I got to spend some quality time with the family and some good time on the bike. We taught our daughter to play Crazy 8’s and she flourished, immediately besting Heather and I in a best-of-7 tournament. We’re back home now and back to the grind that it our work-a-day existence. I can’t be on vacation forever, but I will always have a bike to help me escape the reality.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
I hate weathermen
OK, I know that's kinda mean. And it's not really their fault. The weather in the spring is just frickin' unpredictable. I guess what I really hate is springtime. Which leads me to another point. I know many people that say their favorite season is fall. They like the cooler temps and the changing color of the leaves. Phooey. I hate fall. Fall sucks. You know why? Because fall means two things: 1) Summer's over; and B) Winter's coming.
Anyway, my tirade on weather forecasting is due to the events on Saturday. All week long the forecast had been for bad weather on Saturday. Typically I ignore the forecasts until the 24-hour period directly preceding the activity for which I need a forecast. Sure enough, Friday night, all the local news forecasters and even the online weather sites were predicting rain and scattered thunderstorms for Saturday. I woke up early on Saturday and again checked all the weather websites - same story - a chance of severe weather in the afternoon.
I am disappointed because the race course for Saturday is one of my favorites - Sugar Grove. But the course has some serious descents which are sketchy enough even when it's dry (ask Mitch Tallan about them - he beefed heavy there last year) and I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of trying to negotiate them on slick roads. And with gas hovering at $3.85 per gallon, I opted not to make the drive down to Sugar Grove.
Idiot.
Turned out to be a beautiful day.
Oh, well. At least I thrashed myself severly on my training ride trying to simulate same race-type efforts.
I hate spring.
Anyway, my tirade on weather forecasting is due to the events on Saturday. All week long the forecast had been for bad weather on Saturday. Typically I ignore the forecasts until the 24-hour period directly preceding the activity for which I need a forecast. Sure enough, Friday night, all the local news forecasters and even the online weather sites were predicting rain and scattered thunderstorms for Saturday. I woke up early on Saturday and again checked all the weather websites - same story - a chance of severe weather in the afternoon.
I am disappointed because the race course for Saturday is one of my favorites - Sugar Grove. But the course has some serious descents which are sketchy enough even when it's dry (ask Mitch Tallan about them - he beefed heavy there last year) and I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of trying to negotiate them on slick roads. And with gas hovering at $3.85 per gallon, I opted not to make the drive down to Sugar Grove.
Idiot.
Turned out to be a beautiful day.
Oh, well. At least I thrashed myself severly on my training ride trying to simulate same race-type efforts.
I hate spring.
Friday, May 16, 2008
State Road Race Championships
The Ohio Cycling Association announced earlier this week that the Ohio State Championship Road Race would take place on Sunday, September 21. The venue will be the old Caesar’s Creek course located at Caesar’s Creek State Park in Waynesville, Ohio.
This announcement was music to my ears, because I love this course. The climb on Middletown Road is amazingly similar in duration and elevation change to the CR 5 climb that I use for training on an almost-weekly basis.
This event is already on my calendar with a big star next to the date. And typically, I tend to come into my peak form in late August and September. But September 21 is a long way from now and a lot can happen between now and then, so I’ll be hoping to avoid injuries and burnout to come to a peak at the right time.
This announcement was music to my ears, because I love this course. The climb on Middletown Road is amazingly similar in duration and elevation change to the CR 5 climb that I use for training on an almost-weekly basis.
the image below is an overlay of the climbing portion of Middletown Rd with Cr 5.
This event is already on my calendar with a big star next to the date. And typically, I tend to come into my peak form in late August and September. But September 21 is a long way from now and a lot can happen between now and then, so I’ll be hoping to avoid injuries and burnout to come to a peak at the right time.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Training Rides
One reason I have decided to start this blog is to document my training rides and race results. I'll be using RoadBikeRides.com to show the routes that I am racing and training on. If you haven't already heard of that site, check 'em out.
Tuesday's I typically stick around in Logan County after work and do some kind of hill ride. The riding in Logan County is my favorite. There are all varieties of hills to train on... and I love to climb.
Tonight's workout plan was to complete 5 hill climb repeats of about 6 minutes in duration. I use a big gear such that my cadence stays between 50 and 65 rpm and I target 300 W, which is about 110% of my functional threshold power (FTP). When I'm riding in Logan County, I always complete the hill repeats on CR 5, starting at the intersection of CR and CR 25 and finishing at the top of the climb, just south of SR 540. Here is a link to the course that I used for tonight.
Today, there was an electric company maintenance crew working right at the location where I start the intervals. I got some strange looks as I kept going up and down the hill from the dude tasked with controlling traffic around the worksite. As I started my last repeat, I announced, "This is the last time," to which he replied, "Oh, good, I thought you were lost."
Anyway, it was a good ride as I completed all of the repeats at or above my target of 300 W. It was nice to get a good ride in tonight as tomorrow I will not get a chance to ride due to work obligations. Too bad, because I will miss Wednesday Worlds again.
Tuesday's I typically stick around in Logan County after work and do some kind of hill ride. The riding in Logan County is my favorite. There are all varieties of hills to train on... and I love to climb.
Tonight's workout plan was to complete 5 hill climb repeats of about 6 minutes in duration. I use a big gear such that my cadence stays between 50 and 65 rpm and I target 300 W, which is about 110% of my functional threshold power (FTP). When I'm riding in Logan County, I always complete the hill repeats on CR 5, starting at the intersection of CR and CR 25 and finishing at the top of the climb, just south of SR 540. Here is a link to the course that I used for tonight.
Today, there was an electric company maintenance crew working right at the location where I start the intervals. I got some strange looks as I kept going up and down the hill from the dude tasked with controlling traffic around the worksite. As I started my last repeat, I announced, "This is the last time," to which he replied, "Oh, good, I thought you were lost."
Anyway, it was a good ride as I completed all of the repeats at or above my target of 300 W. It was nice to get a good ride in tonight as tomorrow I will not get a chance to ride due to work obligations. Too bad, because I will miss Wednesday Worlds again.
Why "Leave The Biker"?
Leave The Biker is a song title by the Fountains of Wayne. I've always liked that song, even though it's really about a motorcycle rider, not a cyclist.
testing 1-2-3, testing 1-2-3
This is a test, this only a test. Should a real emergency have occurred, you would have been instructed to roll up in a ball and kiss your rear end good-bye.
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