So, I check my blog to discover (what I already knew) that I hadn't posted in forever. So here is the skinny on my racing since the 24 Hours of Boyne. The nice thing about endurance racing is that you don't race very weekend. You get some time to do other stuff like go to friend's weddings, go to baseball games, ride motorcycles and mow the lawn. These things, while not as fun as racing, are a great way to relax mentally form the strains of multi-hour racing. I just added up my race time/miles and it comes in around 77 hours and 861 miles. That is a lot of time and focus.
Anyway, let's go back through the races since Boyne.
LUMBERJACK 100
I still don't seem to have a good hanlde on this race yet. The pacing seems to elude me. I did have a much better ride this year than my first attempt. I was riding comfortably on schedule until... my seatpost broke at the end of lap three. I rode lap four not being able to attack the downhills or put power down without rotating, so it slowed me down a bit. I still finished 12th overall.
12 Hours of Ithaca
This is always a hard race. The course is really fun, but short. You begin to get a bit of vertigo aftera while. The nature of the course (roots) also lends itself to some numb hands. My 2008 nemesis, James Gomez, pushed me hard until the end, but I stayed some 12 minutes ahead of him and got the win.
24 Hours of Nine Mile (National Championships)
I saved my worst performance of the year for the biggest race. The only thing I gained from this race was a lesson in how to let pressure get to you. I won't do that again.
12 Hours of Pando
My best physical performance of the year since Paris Ancaster. I rode with Dave Sweeney for the first four laps and never looked back. I put four laps into the entire solo field and was able to stop by 11:00.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
24 Hours of Boyne
A few myss.com team members and site members (including L.C., Napper, JBone, Chris Werth and Mark Harding) made the trip to Boyne this weekend for the 24 Hours of Boyne. This was the second race in the Michigan Cup Endurance Series.
Mike and I arrived Friday afternoon. I got the Ez-Up put up and went out for a pre-ride. The Boyne course is a tough one. Of the nine mile cousre, approx. two miles are flat to rolling. The rest is either up hill or down hill. You begin with a gentle rollout along the bottom of the ski hill. Once you skirt around to the north side of the hill you begin to climb. Single track ascents with two track descents deliver you, eventually, to the shoulder of Boyne (an intermediary step to the top) where you get some respite in the form of flowing single track. From there you ascend more rooty single track heading towards the top of the hill. More single and two-track deliver you to a golf cart path which, after a 1/4 mile of 12-15% climbing, you gain the top of the ski hill. From there it's a technical descent that winds it's way back to the start/finish. There is very little rest on the course. You are either going up, going down or getting ready for the next ascent.
I would say that Addison and Boyne are as different as two trails can be. I covered less miles in 16 hours at Boyne than I did in 12 at Addison.
The weather was perfect for the race with sunny skies and temps in the mid-60's. After the LeMans start we were off. I ran a 32x 20 for the race and so I "sped" off at a jaunty 13-14 mph. I rode alone for the first few hours swapping the lead with Stephen Cain. We must have switched the lead 6 or 7 times on the first ten hours. Then I hooked up with Mike and L.C. The three of us rode together for a couple of laps until L.C. took a break. Seaman and I rode two more, taking us to the 11:30 mark. I came completely unglued (incoherent) and decided to lay down. At this point I had done 10 laps. As I crawled into my car, I saw Seaman heading out for another lap. All I could think was, "dude's a stud." At this point I should mention that Mike is the person that got me into cycling, so basically, all of this is his fault.
I slept for three hours in my car. I awoke, checked out Cain's pit and saw his bike was gone. Fresh shorts and a clean jersey and off I went. I had no idea of where he was, or who I was, or anything for that matter. I thought that he was ahead of me, so I kept rolling. I finally spoke with one of the Fun Promotions folks and found out I was a lap up. This gave me some motivation. I carried on. At 8:30 or so, Napper and JBone showed up with coffee, it was a life saver. Cain must have stopped, because when I came in at 10:30, Napper said the standings showed me up by three and that Cain's bike was in his pit. What a relief! L.C. was flying in the morning, cleaning all of the technical climbs on his last lap! Seaman was engaged in a battle royal. He and the dude that eventually won were on the same lap for 22 hours! It takes courage to gut it out like that.
The best part of the race was riding with L.C. and Mike, hanging out with Napper, JBone, Calvin and Ashley and pushing myself to the limit. In the end these races are as much about discovering your limits as they are about winning and losing.
Next up is the lUmberjack 100.
Mike and I arrived Friday afternoon. I got the Ez-Up put up and went out for a pre-ride. The Boyne course is a tough one. Of the nine mile cousre, approx. two miles are flat to rolling. The rest is either up hill or down hill. You begin with a gentle rollout along the bottom of the ski hill. Once you skirt around to the north side of the hill you begin to climb. Single track ascents with two track descents deliver you, eventually, to the shoulder of Boyne (an intermediary step to the top) where you get some respite in the form of flowing single track. From there you ascend more rooty single track heading towards the top of the hill. More single and two-track deliver you to a golf cart path which, after a 1/4 mile of 12-15% climbing, you gain the top of the ski hill. From there it's a technical descent that winds it's way back to the start/finish. There is very little rest on the course. You are either going up, going down or getting ready for the next ascent.
I would say that Addison and Boyne are as different as two trails can be. I covered less miles in 16 hours at Boyne than I did in 12 at Addison.
The weather was perfect for the race with sunny skies and temps in the mid-60's. After the LeMans start we were off. I ran a 32x 20 for the race and so I "sped" off at a jaunty 13-14 mph. I rode alone for the first few hours swapping the lead with Stephen Cain. We must have switched the lead 6 or 7 times on the first ten hours. Then I hooked up with Mike and L.C. The three of us rode together for a couple of laps until L.C. took a break. Seaman and I rode two more, taking us to the 11:30 mark. I came completely unglued (incoherent) and decided to lay down. At this point I had done 10 laps. As I crawled into my car, I saw Seaman heading out for another lap. All I could think was, "dude's a stud." At this point I should mention that Mike is the person that got me into cycling, so basically, all of this is his fault.
I slept for three hours in my car. I awoke, checked out Cain's pit and saw his bike was gone. Fresh shorts and a clean jersey and off I went. I had no idea of where he was, or who I was, or anything for that matter. I thought that he was ahead of me, so I kept rolling. I finally spoke with one of the Fun Promotions folks and found out I was a lap up. This gave me some motivation. I carried on. At 8:30 or so, Napper and JBone showed up with coffee, it was a life saver. Cain must have stopped, because when I came in at 10:30, Napper said the standings showed me up by three and that Cain's bike was in his pit. What a relief! L.C. was flying in the morning, cleaning all of the technical climbs on his last lap! Seaman was engaged in a battle royal. He and the dude that eventually won were on the same lap for 22 hours! It takes courage to gut it out like that.
The best part of the race was riding with L.C. and Mike, hanging out with Napper, JBone, Calvin and Ashley and pushing myself to the limit. In the end these races are as much about discovering your limits as they are about winning and losing.
Next up is the lUmberjack 100.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Addison Back, Boyne Up
Last weekend was the first race in the Michigan Endurance Cup series, the 12 Hours of Addison Oaks. This race has loomed large on my calendar for nearly five months. Having not raced much the past two years, I was a bit nervous about how my body would respond to the rigors of endurance racing. Well, I am happy to report that things went well.
I like the Addison course which is a good thing. Riding a course you dislike for 12 hours can be a demoralizing endeavor. The course sets up well for a SS. I ran a 32x17 which was nearly perfect for 99% of the course. There are two short, punchy climbs that hurt a bit, but the rest of the course is twisty single-track and open two-track, so the gear was great.
I started fast as I wanted to get in front of the traffic going into the first single-track section. I was in the top 6 or 7 going in tot he tight section and settled in a bit. The SS was not giving up much, so it was not to tough to stick with the big boys. I saw Dave at the start and then again after he crashed. I never saw him again. He's just too strong to try and race with. I popped out onto the back two-track section and noticed that my HR was at 188. It was time to slow down! I backed off and got my HR under control and got comfy for the long day ahead.
I had some back pain, which is new for me. I hope that it was just an anomalous thing and not an indication of injury or age. From 1:00 until 4:00 I felt horrible. I wanted to stop and get off the bike. During this time the wind came up and there were branches crashing all around the course. It was scary. Around 4:00 the wind died down and the sun came out. The sun, mixed with some calorie intake, made me feel much better. From then on, I felt strong.
I had no idea where I was in the race, which is a bit unnerving at times. I dragged my feet on what I thought was my last lap, but I still came in at 9:46. I quickly checked off the course, scoped out the standings (which had not been updated) and decided that one more lap was in order. I think that last lap was one of my fastest! I was motivated to be done.
When it was all said and done, I won by two laps. I completed the same number of laps as the geared solo riders which made me feel great. We rode 21 laps, 140 miles, in 12:15.
Next up is The 24 Hours of Boyne.
I like the Addison course which is a good thing. Riding a course you dislike for 12 hours can be a demoralizing endeavor. The course sets up well for a SS. I ran a 32x17 which was nearly perfect for 99% of the course. There are two short, punchy climbs that hurt a bit, but the rest of the course is twisty single-track and open two-track, so the gear was great.
I started fast as I wanted to get in front of the traffic going into the first single-track section. I was in the top 6 or 7 going in tot he tight section and settled in a bit. The SS was not giving up much, so it was not to tough to stick with the big boys. I saw Dave at the start and then again after he crashed. I never saw him again. He's just too strong to try and race with. I popped out onto the back two-track section and noticed that my HR was at 188. It was time to slow down! I backed off and got my HR under control and got comfy for the long day ahead.
I had some back pain, which is new for me. I hope that it was just an anomalous thing and not an indication of injury or age. From 1:00 until 4:00 I felt horrible. I wanted to stop and get off the bike. During this time the wind came up and there were branches crashing all around the course. It was scary. Around 4:00 the wind died down and the sun came out. The sun, mixed with some calorie intake, made me feel much better. From then on, I felt strong.
I had no idea where I was in the race, which is a bit unnerving at times. I dragged my feet on what I thought was my last lap, but I still came in at 9:46. I quickly checked off the course, scoped out the standings (which had not been updated) and decided that one more lap was in order. I think that last lap was one of my fastest! I was motivated to be done.
When it was all said and done, I won by two laps. I completed the same number of laps as the geared solo riders which made me feel great. We rode 21 laps, 140 miles, in 12:15.
Next up is The 24 Hours of Boyne.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Dollars, Disappointment and Racing
I have been reminded by some people that my blog is woefully out of date. This is as telling of what things have been like as telling you about them. I won't let that deter me though.
I'll start with the bad news. The Italy trip has been cancelled. The promoter cited the weakness of the U.S, dollar as the main reason along with low booking numbers. This just gives me one more reason to be absolutely disgusted with the current leadership in our country. How can people sit by while one man and his cronies destroy our country while waving the flag and talking about patriotism. I hope that there is a special place in hell for all of them.
On to the good news. I did my first race of the season April 20. Paris-Ancaster is one of my favorite races of the year. The race is 60K of paved/dirt roads, two-tracks, rail-trail, and farmer's fields. Anne, Jack and I drove to Ontario on Saturday afternoon. We headed to the packet pick-up in Ancaster. From there, I rode back to Paris while Anne and Jack headed to the motel. We had supper at a local restaurant and called it an early evening. Race morning dawned warm and clear. We drove to the start line and I started my warm-up. The start chute was the normal push and shove match, but I managed to get a reasonable spot in the first wave. The gun went off and the season was under way. I moved forward steadily through the first rail-trail section and was in the top 50 moving toward the first dirt road and two-track sections. I maintained a steady HR and Wattage output throughout the race. The wind came up to a steady 20 MPH headwind and I got stuck alone in two key upwind stretches. This cost me. I finished strong however, beating my best time by nearly 14 minutes, good for 4th in SS.
The 12 Hours of Addison Oaks is coming up next weekend. I am entering the solo 12 hour category. This will be a true test of my fitness and my stamina. The very next week will see me compete int he 24 Hours of Boyne. I have heard that the new course is very difficult, so gearing will be a real challenge.
Pictures and race reports to come.
I'll start with the bad news. The Italy trip has been cancelled. The promoter cited the weakness of the U.S, dollar as the main reason along with low booking numbers. This just gives me one more reason to be absolutely disgusted with the current leadership in our country. How can people sit by while one man and his cronies destroy our country while waving the flag and talking about patriotism. I hope that there is a special place in hell for all of them.
On to the good news. I did my first race of the season April 20. Paris-Ancaster is one of my favorite races of the year. The race is 60K of paved/dirt roads, two-tracks, rail-trail, and farmer's fields. Anne, Jack and I drove to Ontario on Saturday afternoon. We headed to the packet pick-up in Ancaster. From there, I rode back to Paris while Anne and Jack headed to the motel. We had supper at a local restaurant and called it an early evening. Race morning dawned warm and clear. We drove to the start line and I started my warm-up. The start chute was the normal push and shove match, but I managed to get a reasonable spot in the first wave. The gun went off and the season was under way. I moved forward steadily through the first rail-trail section and was in the top 50 moving toward the first dirt road and two-track sections. I maintained a steady HR and Wattage output throughout the race. The wind came up to a steady 20 MPH headwind and I got stuck alone in two key upwind stretches. This cost me. I finished strong however, beating my best time by nearly 14 minutes, good for 4th in SS.
The 12 Hours of Addison Oaks is coming up next weekend. I am entering the solo 12 hour category. This will be a true test of my fitness and my stamina. The very next week will see me compete int he 24 Hours of Boyne. I have heard that the new course is very difficult, so gearing will be a real challenge.
Pictures and race reports to come.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wrapping Up and Starting Again
Last weekend I spent another four days in Berea, KY. I drove down on Thursday with the family and met my parents there. Travelling with two small kids is harder than many of the other physical challenges that I undertake. Driving the tractor with my son on my lap makes it all worth it though.
Friday was beautiful. 66 degrees and sunny. I rode with just shorts and a wind vest. I actually managed to get some sun on my pasty legs. I rode 65 miles on a familiar route that has a mix of long climbs and rolling hills. My legs felt really good. Saturday turned colder; only 48 or so. I only rode for 40 miles as I was beginning to nurse a chest rattle. Sunday was even colder, but I still managed another 45 miles. I rode a couple of new lanes that I will definitely revisit next week.
Speaking of next week, I leave this Friday for the final training camp of the Spring. This coming week will see the end of base miles and a transition to more Tempo/Threshold riding. There are nine guys coming down. Jerome, Chris and Derek are coming from Toronto. L.C. is coming down from mid Michigan, and Glenn, Barry, Russ and Dave from Detroit. It will be nice to have a larger group to share some pulls on the longer rides.
This is going to be an important week as it will be my last solid training block before Paris-Ancaster and the May Endurance races. Having not raced for two years, I want to make sure that I am as fit as possible for the early races. If I can look in the mirror and honestly say that I am as prepared as possible, then there are no regrets.
A quick note about my Computrainer sessions at Fraser Cycle. I feel as though this has been really beneficial. My sustainable wattage is up 65 watts as of my last test. My strength is certainly much better. Our final session is tomorrow and our "final exam" is a simulated road race. Every rider for themselves and winner take all.
Friday was beautiful. 66 degrees and sunny. I rode with just shorts and a wind vest. I actually managed to get some sun on my pasty legs. I rode 65 miles on a familiar route that has a mix of long climbs and rolling hills. My legs felt really good. Saturday turned colder; only 48 or so. I only rode for 40 miles as I was beginning to nurse a chest rattle. Sunday was even colder, but I still managed another 45 miles. I rode a couple of new lanes that I will definitely revisit next week.
Speaking of next week, I leave this Friday for the final training camp of the Spring. This coming week will see the end of base miles and a transition to more Tempo/Threshold riding. There are nine guys coming down. Jerome, Chris and Derek are coming from Toronto. L.C. is coming down from mid Michigan, and Glenn, Barry, Russ and Dave from Detroit. It will be nice to have a larger group to share some pulls on the longer rides.
This is going to be an important week as it will be my last solid training block before Paris-Ancaster and the May Endurance races. Having not raced for two years, I want to make sure that I am as fit as possible for the early races. If I can look in the mirror and honestly say that I am as prepared as possible, then there are no regrets.
A quick note about my Computrainer sessions at Fraser Cycle. I feel as though this has been really beneficial. My sustainable wattage is up 65 watts as of my last test. My strength is certainly much better. Our final session is tomorrow and our "final exam" is a simulated road race. Every rider for themselves and winner take all.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
New Bike, More Power
I can't believe that it has been nearly a month since my last post. Time flies when you have snow days, two kids and the ACT test to prep students for. The past three weeks have been very hectic, but very productive. I took delivery of my new LeMond Buenos Aires a while back and thought that it was time to post some pictures.
The bike is amazing. My first outdoor ride was in KY last month. You never quite know how a new bike is going to behave on it's first long ride. I am happy to report that the ride quality, climbing ability and overall fit are everything that I hoped for and more. The Triomphe Carbon is smooth as silk. While the Buenos Aires is not as light as the Tete de Course, it is an enjoyable "all day" bike. The Ultegra shifters and derailleurs are smooth, the SRAM Rival compact cranks are nice and the 105 brakes are better than my six year old Ultegras were. The bike is rounded out with Bontrager Race wheels and Bontrager Race X Lite stem and bars. I have some new Look Keo's that are going on as well as a new Fizik Arione saddle.
A word on power. I just took another threshold test and my numbers were up again. I went from 252 to 276 sustainable watts. This keeps me on track to get to 300 by the end of the month. I'll have to turn myself inside out, but that's OK.
The bike is amazing. My first outdoor ride was in KY last month. You never quite know how a new bike is going to behave on it's first long ride. I am happy to report that the ride quality, climbing ability and overall fit are everything that I hoped for and more. The Triomphe Carbon is smooth as silk. While the Buenos Aires is not as light as the Tete de Course, it is an enjoyable "all day" bike. The Ultegra shifters and derailleurs are smooth, the SRAM Rival compact cranks are nice and the 105 brakes are better than my six year old Ultegras were. The bike is rounded out with Bontrager Race wheels and Bontrager Race X Lite stem and bars. I have some new Look Keo's that are going on as well as a new Fizik Arione saddle.
A word on power. I just took another threshold test and my numbers were up again. I went from 252 to 276 sustainable watts. This keeps me on track to get to 300 by the end of the month. I'll have to turn myself inside out, but that's OK.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Kentucky , February 08
The past few days have been really nice. I got out of the deep-freeze and headed to my "old Kentucky home" with some good friends. South-central Kentucky has some of the finest cycling roads I have ever ridden and is truly a hidden gem. The scenery isn't too bad either.
I headed down early Friday morning and managed to get in forty miles Friday afternoon. One of the things I like best about KY is the abundance of roads. I have been riding in and around the Berea area for nearly ten years and I find new roads each time. I have been exploring some of the non-numbered "lanes." Here is what they look like. You'll notice the quality of the asphalt and the lack of motorized vehicles.
Dave, Napper, Randy, Sally and Jeff came along. This was Napper, Randy and Sally's first trip to KY. Fun was had by all.
We logged nearly 160 miles in four days, including some rippin' fast descents. Jeff tries to catch Napper to no avail.
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