Pinning Numbers

This weekend turned out to be pretty good. I was able to get in some good riding and pin the numbers on for the first time this season. It was also my first road races ever. The Spring Training Series has started.

After a ride on Thursday that left me soaked in rain and cold feet, the temps dropped from mid 30s to low 30's and started the snow. By Friday morning, the snow was 4" deep. Luckily, the sun came out and temps hit 40. The snow melted and roads dried. Just in time for the Waterford Hills STS.

Saturday I left in the 25F temps to ride out to Waterford/Clarkston for the race. Got there 45min before the race which left ample time for registration for the B and pre-riding the 1.7 mile race car track. It was pretty cool. The goal for this race was to stay up front and keep the intensity high.

The race started well, but slow. On the long straightaway, I just road by everyone up to the front and pulled for a lap. That was how the day went. I wanted to ride hard, not easy...it is a race. It seemed like I was out front for most of the race, which I had no problem with. Nothing was sticking, but with 3 laps to go, a guy went off and had a huge gap. I was stuck on the outside, and couldn't react. With 2 to go, I went to the front and pulled him and his 20 second gap in. Then no one would come around, finally, someone did before the finish, and I jumped on his wheel. Going around the last corner, he's drilling it, standing up half the time, while I sit there and pedal. Then he goes for the sprint a ways out, I am now out of the saddle, but he is tired and stops. People go by and I'm boxed in. I coasted in and I guess ended up 13th which was a suprise. I thought almost all 41 went by me. The it was off rding back home. Finished up with 4:45 of ride time and 92 miles.

Sunday was even better, colder/cloudier, but racing was better. With a road race under my belt, and not riding to the race, I registered for the A and B race for some good training. With a lap in on the B race, a guy is off the front with a large gap. I go to the front and peg it, and reeled him in. I looked back and saw 2 guys on my wheel and the group was gone. From there 3 of us worked while the other finally fell off. Within 15min, we had lapped the main group. We each pulled a lap at a time and worked together very well. I pulled the last lap and lost in the sprint, but it was fun. We finished just as the main group crossed the line. One more lap and they would have been double-lapped.

Then came the A race. I was just going to sit in and ride. It was fun, moving around, up front and mid-pack. About mid-way through, there was a break with 6 guys in it that were moving well. I jumped at the opportunity and went for it. I bridged the gap, but as I caught up at te top of the hill, I was somehow now in 3rd of the break. The front guy pulled off and now I'm in 2nd. Crap. I was looking for a bit of recovery. I took my pull and the moved back. We went a few quick laps before it was brought back. It was a fun race. I ended with the main pack somewhere. Ended up with 50 miles and about 2.5hrs for the day.

If your comparing, notice the speed difference between B and A. The B race(or the break) was faster than the group in the A race. But, normal power is lower due to more drafting, unlike WH and Runway B races.

Too bad it rained later. I was headed out for a 2hr gravel grinder to figure out how to ride a mountain bike again. I am 4 days short of 5 months without riding it. I was not in the mood for another cold, rainy, ride. Next up, MTBing!

Water looked calm today after turning back to liquid form

Interesting...
Bluebird skies on Monday
It's 5 days until the end of March, and it's the second time I have ridden without booties.
And it was only 40-45F during my ride.

Rain->Sleet->Snow tomorrow and into Friday. High 30's.

Hopefully it's not too bad. I want to race on Saturday. Maybe Sunday. I need to ride my MTB sometime too. Haven't ridden that since Nov 4. Trails might thaw out by the end of April. Snow and ice are still covering the 1-track from what I could see. PLRA is going to be muddy.

A Trip Through Hell

Things That Don't Happen Everyday

Exhibit A:

Riding out to Grand River on Wednesday and crest a hill before the freeway overpass. A State Trooper stops in the middle of the road on the opposite side (coming at me). He's ~100 yards ahead of me and has no lights on or anything while cars are sitting behind him. The closer I got, he waved me down. It went something like this...

Me(thinking): WTF

Me(thinking): There was no one around at that last stop sign I ran a mile ago.

Me passing the cop, taking the earbuds out and curling back.

Cop: Hey, sorry to interrupt you from your workout.

Me(thinking): damn, he called it a workout. I guess I have a purpose being out here.

Cop: I am looking for a juvenile runaway. Tall, white male, wearing a baggy white sweatshirt. Have you seen him? He should be along this road.

Me: Nope, didn't a single person. Only thing I passed was a garbage truck.

Cop: How long have you been on the road.

Me: Since Spencer Rd. (The road doesn't go very far.

Cop: So you haven't seen him.

Me: No, but I would recommend asking the guys in the garbage truck, since they have been driving through the subdivisions.

Cop: Okay, thanks. Sorry from interrupting you.

And I went on my way.

Exhibit B:

50 friggin' degrees on Friday!!! And it was sunny. And I wore knee warmers. No wool socks. One base layer and a jersey. Oh yeah, it was nice.

But, it was cloudy and cool-low 30s today.

Exhibit C:

Feels like summer even when it's winter. This house rocks. It has a long walkout in back with a lighthouse looking building attached to the back of the house. And on a lake.

A Return to Normalcy

After a week+ of being sick, I am just about 100%. I took last week easy just trying to kick the bug and keep the legs spinning. Now I have to ramp it up to keep my place in the 10,000 Mile Challenge. Just out of first place now...but what will March bring. Hopefully normal temps and lots-o-miles. With the temps below normal for much of the winter, the 40's look like they might be hit and kept for a bit. That's a nice change for sure. Just think of all those great base miles in frigid and snowy conditions. They should pay off come April.

On the racing front, I have not touched my mountain bike since Iceman. After a few part changes, it should be up and running late this week. My SS is just about built up as well. Just waiting on a BB and then it is good to go. Gotta love spare frames and parts. What will flat bars, suspension, and nobby tires feel like? I can't wait. But the downside it the trails and dirt roads are going to be avoided for a few weeks. When will the first trail ride be?

My racing schedule has also changed a bit. The family is taking a trip to Colorado in early April, so I will miss the PLRA race. I was looking foreward to it, but I'll have to wait for Yankee for some MI competition. The last weekend I am there, I think I am going to head over to the Western Slope and ride in Fruita and race on the Sunday at Rabbit Valley. Hmm, Karmas or Crows? Since I have been on 700c's all winter, I am going to hit up the STS crits at the end of March to test the fitness.

Ahh, almost racin' time.

Ugh

I caught the cold that has been going around. It was so miserable, I even took a day off the bike. Still trying to get over it now, but at least I am back on the bike and spinning the legs. It's weird how the body gets used to doing things, then acts strangly when things are not happening. Example: Mondays are my off days, and I took Sunday off. That is the first time I have taken two days off in a row since the end of November. I got on the bike and my legs felt like I hadn;t ridden in a month. They were sore, but not fatigue sore. It was quite strange, but after and hour they felt a bit better. Maybe it has something to do with the cells overtaking my body. After 3 hours, I cam eback and managed a nice VO2 Max coughing session for the good part of an hour.

Last week was snow, cold, snow, cold, warm and rainy, and tonight into tomorrow is more snow!

A Week in Pictures

Tuesday's clouds

Light trying to escape

Bearing disintegration on Wednesday-all those metal shavings were all part of a bearing at one point in time

Thursday temps kept with the 20 degree pattern

"WE HAVE SUN"
Cruisin'

Testing out the rail trail on Friday
A taste of gravel...icy, slushy, flodded, and muddy
I thought Holly was east of Fenton?
Then I ventured west on Sunday
...And then south
Now we are getting snowed on!

Style Points

DZ at ToC Prologue or Adam Craig at MTB Worlds?

Credit: Cycling News

Memories

With winter still with us and arctic air flowing freely, I am going back to reflect on a few pictures that make me smile from 2007.

Overlooking the Pisgah NF

Finishing the Lumberjack 100 under my goal time of 8hrs

Standing 450ft above Lk Michigan on Pierce Stocking Drive and looking over the treeline to Glen Lake

And lastly, suffering with the pain face in 85F temps running on the beach while swimmers enjoy the waters

Hopefully March will bring temps into the mid-30's at least.

I'm Getting Soft

I rode the trainer.

Also went to the MMBA expo and had a good time seeing everyone in the long of winter. Picked up 24 Solo and watched it while on the trainer. GOOD movie. Gripped Films did an awesome job filming and editing the movie to make it exciting.

No, I am not doing any solo 24's. I have done a 12 and two hundies. They are very fun, but solo 24 is not for me right now.

Couple more weeks and hopefully the temps will turn upward. We can't go much lower than now.

Cruising

Dang, January is almost done. That's a good thing from here. This means warmer weather is closer and spring is on the way, but we still have February to get through.



I spent almost a week riding like this with temps hovering on the low teens and windchills below zero. I was still out chugging through the miles and having fun. With the cold temps came some snow. I resorted to riding the trails for a few days to try and stay out of the open roads. Suprisingly my feet stayed relatively warm(not numb) for 3-3.5 hours. With the snow riding on the fixed gear came some good force workouts, but low speed and miles. Closing out January, I will hit 1000 miles outside, along with some trainer rides that I don't count. Not a bad month for me. Biggest mileage ever!



I went to the auto show on MLK day and found a sweet concept vehicle I would buy.

Rugged, great room, long bed and space for bikes and gear, give it AWD and a biodiesel engine...boy would that be sah-weet.

Take it or Leave it

With the low sweeping jetstream blowing the arctic air from Canada onto much of the US this week and into the weekend, you have to plan accordingly. Lucky for me, I am on a much needed recovery week, so I ride as far as I feel like, as hard as I feel like, and frankly, go wherever I want. With my first Thursday all day adventure in Ann Arbor, I went out in the midst of some flurries to put some time in the saddle. Cruise down Huron River drive into Dexter, up around to Hell, and back through Chelsea was the route of choice. Coming back to the start, I opted for some off road riding. Jumped into Barton Nature Park, out into Bandemer and end twisting throuh Leslie Park. Got some road riding in, then got my fix of dirt and trees.

Today was SUNNY. Decided to enjoy some gravel to give me a block from the wind. Conditions were good and bad. Some road were all clear, some were snow covered, while others were a sheet of ice. No falls or slips, just and nice peaceful ride with low traffic. Out riding around breahting fresh air, spinning the legs, and enjoying the scenery.

Some graffiti painted on the rail trail. I think it says, "Bary Peach" Maybe a band or the famous "Rail Trail Banditos"!

Also finished some bike projects lately. Took the fork all apart, re-lubed a few parts, changed the oil (3 different kinds-why?), and put in some new seals. With some added parts coming in from Manitou this week, I was finally able to put it back together. Now, only a few more months and I can get it back on the trails again.

8 Day Binge

25.5 hours, 426.5 miles, one day off, one recovery ride, pavement, dirt roads, and even some trail.

What a week for riding. A few days of warmer weather and almost no precipitation this week lead to a big grin and some sore, but a good sore feeling in the legs. I got in a groove and stuck to it. Riding the CX bike early in the week lead to some exploration. To my surprise, the trails were in great shape. Frost still in the ground and no tire marks left. After a long ride on Tuesday, I threw on and HID light, grabbed the MTB fixed gear, and hit the trails over at Brighton Rec. Nothing like the rush you get when riding a fixie on the trail at night in unknown conditions. Its the unexpected thrill and "oh shit" moments that bring the fire back. Bombing down a hill uncontrollably with legs spinning and seeing a patch of ice around the corner. Get through it and have a sense of relief and then excitement. Stupid, maybe, but exhilarating, hell yeah!

Rode some of ILRA and Proud Lake trails this week on the skinny knobbies to see the trail conditions. Just as fun to cruise the trails at high speed rounding corners on narrow tires and smashing through sand pits like Sven Nys. This week brought back thrill and excitment for the upcoming season.

With the 14" of snow and inch of rain, the water has been really high. Normally, this is a dry swamp.

I was planning on hitting up a WRCS ride on Saturday to ride with some people for a change. Opening up a work e-mail late Friday night put the end to that. Add in a game mid-day, and I had to shuffle the schedule. Maybe sometime soon. Nothing like riding in the cold with like-minded individuals.

I rounded out the week with a morning gravel grinder on the fixie. No gears, no coasting, and no target number to hit and look at. Just pedaling for a few hours soaking in the outdoors. Nice temps out and no winds to fight with. Just me and one gear pushing up hills and spinning madly down. Ran across the Michigan State CX Champion also enjoying a little gravel goodness this morning.

Next up is the start of a new semester. I have a decent schedule, but a 6-9 class on Thursdays. That gives me 5.5 hours to waste down in A2. Looks like the bike will be packed and new routes explorered. Anyone with route suggestions starting in A2 to anywhere, Dexte, Waterloo, Chelsea etc.. post them up. I have been riding down from Brighton via Mast Rd to Huron River and back Whitmore Lk alot lately. If this weather holds, I will be able to search for some gravel as well.

Weather Turning...Cogs a burning

Well, the cold snap has left and now the warm weather is here for a few days. After some cold days of bundling up and trying to stay warm for multiple hours, I was excited looking at the forecast. Temps in the 40's and 50's with chances of rain. There goes the foot of snow.

With temps reaching 40 today, I set out for a 5 hour ride down to Ann Arbor and back around through Wixom and Milford. I was planning on throwing in a loop or 2 of Kensington to fill my time on the way back. Then I woke up. Fog. More Fog. Weather man says, "The fog will be staying all day." Yup, no pictures were in store for today. If you want to visualize and you don't live in SE MI, then go into Paint(non Mac users) and use the fill bucket with grey. Yup, thats what it looked like.

So what did I do. Put on 3 blinking lights, put the road wheels on the CX bike with full fenders and set out on the wet roads. 5 minutes in the glasses came off. 4:20 later, back home, a little wet, still warm, and not hit by a vehicle. Brutal day outside. Some areas had 1/3 mile visibility, while the open areas with more steaming snow had barely enough visibility for me to see the computer on the stem. Yeah, not a good day for riding on the road. Guess I was lucky.

Looking like tomorrow will be mid 50's and a chance of rain. Much less of a chance for rain tomorrow than Tuesday. Don't start school back up for another week, so big miles are a coming!

Happy New Year

Nothing like a full 12" of snow to ring in the new year. Now, what to do? Ride outside, err...no. Don't feel like getting killed by drunks today. Ski...oh yeah, can't even get out of the nieghborhood. Clear the driveway...DONE. Hmm, looks to be the first day of the new year and the first day on the trainer this year. Should be a grand time. Roads will hopefully be cleared enough to get out tomorrow. If not, XC skis will be the weapon of choice.

Holidays were good, except for the part where I was on the couch with the flu for 4 days. Then add in a few days of holiday gatherings, and I found myself cramming in big hours in a small amount of time. Now it looks like the weather is going to get colder for a few days then hit the upper 40s and maybe even 50 by the weekend. Nothing like bushwhacking in 12" power on the XC skis, and riding the skinny tired bike without a jacket and few days later. Gotta love it!