Paul's Pedaling Thoughts

Specialized TriCross 2006 58cm For Sale

2011-07-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

I'm upgrading my cyclcross bike, so I'm selling my TriCross. It was my first cyclocross bike which I purchased at River City bike shop in 2006. It's a fantastic bike for someone looking for their first cross bike or a seasoned racer looking for a pit bike. Drop me an email at paul.formiller@comcast.net if you'd like to take it for a test ride. Asking $600 for it or make an offer.

A few highlights on the bike.

• the wheelset hung in my garage most of the time - only 500 miles maximum on them.

• brakes upgrade last year to Paul TouringCanti brakes - all new cables and housing - setup is "euro-style" which makes barriers much easier since back brake is on the left

• setup as a "single chain-ring" on a 36T since the front shifter is damaged and doesn't function. The front derailleur acts as an excellent chain guard. If you don't like that setup, let me know I also have some Ultegra shifters I can sell you for an upgrade.

• Link to the original specs on frame: TriCross Comp Double

• Total weight is approximately 21 lbs.

Here's the component details.....

• FRAMESET: Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, double-butted tubing
• REAR DERAILLEUR: Shimano Ultegra RD-6600
• FRONT DERAILLEUR: Shimano 105 FD-5501
• HEADSET: FSA
• BOTTOM BRACKET: Shimano Dura-Ace SM-FC7800 upgraded in 2010
• CRANKSET: FSA Gossamer 48/36T
• BRAKES: Paul Touring Canti Brakes upgraded in 2010
• SHIFTERS: Shimano 105 - note that the front shifter won't shift into big ring - see note below about upgrading to Ultegra shifters if you'd like.
• CASSETTE: Shimano HG50-9 12/25T
• CHAIN: Shimano
• HANDLEBAR: Specialized Zertz Comp handlebar, 31.8 clamp
• STEM: FSA OS-190 31.8, 120mm +/-6degrees
• TIRES: Michelin Mud 2
• SEATPOST: Specialized Pavé, FACT carbon seatpost with Zertz insert, 27.2mm
• SADDLE: Specialized Body Geometry Avatar, microfiber, gel padding, hollow Cr-Mo rails
• PEDALS: CrankBrothers Eggbeaters upgraded in 2009
• WHEELSET: Roval Classique Pavé, aluminum double wall rim, machined sidewalls, with stainless eyelets, hubs are Roval Classique Pavé, spokes are DT Stainless 14g – less than 500 miles on these wheels – hung in garage most of life

Other 9 speed components available if you'd like: Ultegra shifters, an extra rear derailleur, a couple extra cassettes. These items are sold separately (off my previous road bike).

PacCrest Long Course Triathlon

2011-07-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I decided to participate in some triathlons this year for some "base training" before cross season. Here's alittle report on the PacCrest Long Course event I did this past weekend.

SWIM:
I swam in high school and I've been doing alot of swimming in the pool. However, I learned that open water swimming is a whole different thing. I did a few open water swims before the Portland Tri Club "mock tri", but I discovered a mass start is a whole different thing. After that "learning experience" I did some training swims and completed the Hagg Lake Swim and Blue Lake triathlon for some more experience. Well, the first part of the swim at PacCrest was still a bit of a "challenge". P robably a mixture of the cold water (60F) and the altitude. I finally settled down into my stroke after the 1st buoy. Finished with a 42:00 swim - not too far off my 40 minute target. I will say that it's a beautiful lake to swim. The skyline view of snow covered mountains you see while taking a breath is awesome.

BIKE:
The course took you from Wickiup Reservoir over to the Cascade Lakes highway, over Mt Bachelor and down into Sunriver. A total of 58 miles or so. I was verify familiar with the climb since I"ve done the Cascade Classic a couple times. However, the strategy is ALOT different. There's that half marathon afterwards that you need to save some gas in the tank for. The road was lined with 10' snow banks towards the top, so that was an awesome sight. I road my Corsa wheels, so no PT for pacing. I was "guessing a 2:40 bike time and ended up with about 2:51. I'm happy with that. Any harder and I would have totally died on the run.

RUN:
OK, this is part I was concerned about. I've only started running in January, so I don't have too much running mileage in the legs. During training, I was finding that anything over 10 miles was a killer to recover from since I just didn't have the experience. At Blue Lake, I found that I can run great for a 10k in the Olympic distance and finish strong. So, I really wasn't sure what was going to happen with a 1/2 marathon after a 58 mile bike. I was hoping to beat a 2 hour time.The transistion off the bike went fine. After a mile or so, I was putting out a decent pace of 8.5-9 min/mile. I walked through the water stations every mile (just like many folks). I knew the tough part would be coming up. The route followed the bike path trails through Sunriver. The first 8 miles were in the trees and I was feeling good.Then, I got to the "dead zone" about mile 8 or so. That's when the path heads out to the stables and there's no tree cover. This year, we were lucky and the temperatures were in the mid 70s. However, it still got much hotter in that direct sun light. The legs started to ache, my feet were killing me, and the gel and liquid in my stomach were starting to rumble. Luckily some friends came by on their bikes to cheer me on. I started brief walks alittle more often and saw the 5:30 stretch goal time fade away and I was mustering all I could to keep the "lead leg shuffle" going. The crowd kept me motivated to "run" that last mile and I finished with a 2:04 run time and 5:44:44 overall time (16th out of 44 folks in the M40-44 division).Overall, a great race experience. I'd recommend it if you're looking for alittle extra variety in your endurance training.

Now it's time to get these aero bars off and enjoy some Saturday ride slug-fests with the PV race team.

Link to results: http://www.racecenter.com/results/2011/res_ct11.htm

Cross Crusade - Rainier

2010-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

In the past, the course at Rainier has treated me well. The course isn't super technical, lots of room to pass, and there's a good climb at the end of each lap. A good fitness course. It's also been dry the past few years, so that makes it less technical.

Well, this year was quite different. It rained considerably the few days before the race and it was a mud pit in sections. It stopped raining in the morning and the sun came out. By my race at 1140am the mud in the woods section dried out enough to become a very thick mess which was nearly impossible to pedal through. That meant: running. Yuck!

There was mud (photo courtesy of Victor Duong)

My start position wasn't too bad - half point in the field. We started straight up the big hill. I passed a bunch of people on that hill and had the leaders in my sight. Got to the back woods section and I was still looking good, but had to get off the bike and run like everyone else. That winded me a bunch so I eased off a bit, but didn't seem to recover very well at all. I was going full tilt to keep my position. Got to the hill the at the beginning of the 2nd lap and that's when disaster stuck. Wasn't a mechanical - it was my body.

All cross races hurt, but this was something different. I was definitely charging up the hill hard like everyone else, so definitely in the VO2 max region. However, my lungs and legs weren't doing well at all. I backed off for some recovery, but I just couldn't recover. I was losing a bunch of spots and I could tell my day was about over already. It took most of the next lap to settle down and by then I was on a joy ride.

I was not feeling good (photo courtesy of Victor Duong)

Earlier in the work week I did something I always do. When I got the call from the nice old lady at the Red Cross, I said sure I'll donate blood like I always do. Not a good idea 2 days before a cross race. I sure missed all my oxygen giving red blood cells.

So, I rode the rest of the race for fun and enjoyed the ride. Didn't really enjoy the run in the mud, but that's OK. There's always next week - Sherwood. It's got a big hill also I hear. It's was a new course last year and I haven't done it yet. Should be interesting.

Even enjoyed the bill hill (photo courtesy of Victor Duong)

Here's another awesome video by team-mate Burk Webb.....

Cross Crusade Race #2 Rainier High School from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

Cross Crusade - Alpenrose

2010-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

It has begun..... the Cross Crusade series. What a turnout on Sunday. Over 1500 racers participated. Most likely the biggest cyclocross race in the world. There were ~250 kids in the kiddie race. How crazy is that.

I was pumped up for my race. Took a rest week last week since I've been training pretty hard the last 7-8 weeks in preparation. My legs felt fresh. Unfortunately, I started behind a 100 or so guys in my field since my random number draw wasn't great.

The course was new and awesome. It was quite different from the last few years since they moved a bunch of earth around the velodrome. Everyone seemed to enjoy the course. Alpenrose is definitely one of the more technical courses in the series, in my opinion. That makes it tough to pass folks. Here's a photo of me in the "pain cave" on a run-up.

I put together a Kill Stat spreadsheet that estimates how many people you passed. It's a fun way to look at results when there's a huge field. There were 135 folks in my field and about 250 on the course including the other categories racing at the same time. What a circus! But it's all good fun. Here's a photo of my butt at the finish.....

Photo courtesy of PDX Cross

Here's a way sweet video that one of my PV team-mates created - he's a professional.

Cross Crusade Race #1 Alpenrose from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

Next week is Rainer School. It's a good course for me..... lots of room to pass and a good hill to power up. My goal this year is to get call up points by getting in the top 18. This should be the course for me to do it, even if I start in 123rd place. Keep the rubber side down!

Enjoy the Ride

2010-08-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Ali and I took a trip down south for the Crater Lake Century. We've been planning this ride ever since Ali completed her triathalon in June.

The ride was on Saturday, but we decided to leave PDX on Thursday so we'd have a full day to enjoy the scenery around the lake. We camped at the Mazama campground where we were lucky to find a somewhat private spot in the midst of 200 other sites. There isn't much campground selection around the National Park, so we had to go with the tourist site.

Friday morning we took our time around the campground. It was best to sleep in since it was absolutely freezing in the morning. It took a bit to warm up. Our plan was to take the boat tour on the lake. Unfortunately, getting to the ticket booth at 12pm wasn't the way to get a ticket - sold out. Well, we hiked down to the boat ramp which is the only location on the lake to access the water. We found a great rock to eat some lunch and watch others jump into the lake. Surprisingly, no one was shivering when they got out of the figid cold water, so we decided to take the plung. Here's Ali taking the leap of faith......

On Friday evening we decided to stay on Saturday night so we wouldn't have to pack up camp so early in the morning. We overheard some Pacific Crest Trail hikers getting the "we're full" speech from the corporate campsite management. We both thought that was a real bummer and invited The Fuzzy Monkey and Boots McFarland to stay at our site. It was great to hear about their great adventures on the trail and how they do it. FM was doing a straight through trip, so he started in April and should finish in September. BM is a sectional hiker, so she has done 1-2 weeks sections over the past 8 years. They called us Trail Angels for helping them out in a bind and were very appreciative. Wow, what a logistical thing to pull off and what a committment. Ali and I decided to stick with car camping and the comforts of home at camp.

The morning came quickly on Saturday since we had to leave camp at 7am. We drove down to Ft Klamath where the ride started. All the downhill driving on the way to the start was a sign of things to come.

We decided to do the metric century that only had 5000' of climbing. No big deal for me since I ride like 7-8 hours per week. However, that's alot of UP for a girl that hasn't been riding much this year (foot problems have been keeping Ali off the bike). So, I knew I had to be on my BEST behavior and sit back and ENJOY the ride.

Here's a photo of us entering the park and the open road before the major UP started......

We came from the south and passed the Mazama campground. It was a steady grind up the hill and the hill didn't let up. My bike was geared with a double chainring while Ali had the triple. This allowed her to keep a slow and steady pace. I had to slow my cadence way down since I was pushing a bigger gear. This made it a bit of a balancing act for me and since I don't have much balance it was alittle challenging at first. The roads were narrow so my front tire would start to wobble at the slow cadence. By the end I was much better at it.

The century riders headed to the west and circled the lake in a clockwise direction. We turned to the east and started the ride around the rim of the lake in a counter-clockwise direction. Our route took us over hills, past a couple of waterfalls, and through the trees a distance from the lake. I was kinda bummed that our route didn't provide the majestic views of the lake, but that was OK since we drove the entire rim the day before. Here's a photo from our turn around point at the Phantom Ship..............

We headed back the way we came to the turn-off. Unfortunately, there was still some UPhill before the turnoff. Ali was a trooper and finished off those last few hills with a vengence. The downhill to the finish was welcome sight! We caught up with a few riders on the downhill and Ali found her legs again. She was cranking up there to the front and showing the boys how to ride downhill fast.

We got down to more level ground and hit the pasture area we saw early in the morning. I jumped on the front and pulled us all through a few miles. It was a "no chain"** section of road for me. Big sky, green pastures, cute cows, and open road. It was a beautiful way to end the ride.
We enjoyed the barbacue back at the start and called the day a success. It was a good break from the fast pace of the PV race team and the "numbers" of the power meter on the trainer. All I did was "enjoy the ride".

**no chain day...... that's how Lance Armstrong refers to those extremely rare days on the bike when the pedaling just seems so effortless you swear there's no chain. They're a gift from the gods and there's no way to make them happen or even predict them.

and so it begins......

2010-08-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is finally starting in Oregon but I'm already thinking about fall and cyclocross. The official training for cross season officially started for me this week. So, you may ask and I do ask myself, "what have I been doing the last 6 months". Let's call it "base training". :-)

Last week of July, Ali and I went to Bend for me to "participate" in the Cascade Classic. I say participate since I really didn't feel very competitive this year, but that really wasn't my goal. The amount of time to train for a stage race is simply something I don't have. The good thing is that I realize that and I'm OK with it. A few highlights from the race....

First Stage

I loved my new Corsa Concepts wheels on the first stage. They felt light, cornered fantastic, and it was nice to race without a power-meter.

I avoided (my the skin of my teeth) a big crash. I was able to chase back to the group.

Felt great going into the last big climb up Bachelor. However, my legs exploded a few minutes after we started it. Talked to a few others after the race - sounds like it happens to everyone.

Second Stage - Time Trial

My primary goal was to do better than last year. I used my powermeter, so I could compare.

I definitely did much better than last year. It's uphill on the "out" and downhill on the "back". I focused on having good steady power on the downhill (key problem last year). Lesson I learned was that the "bang for the buck" on power vs speed isn't to great on a downhill - aerodyamics have a big affect. You definitely make better time if you go harder on the uphill.

Third Stage - Criterium

Yikes, skipped a pedal and rolled a tire on the first lap. Got a new wheel, but I was totally flustered and hanging off the back. I lasted only 5 laps. Good thing was that the wheel was fine. I'll just get my first chance to glue on a tublar soon.

Fourth Stage - Aubrey Butte Circuit

This is a very tough circuit. Lots of punchy climbs. There are 4 laps in the cat3s. Last year we did 3 laps in the cat4s.

A few of us lost contact with the group on the 1st steep KOM. We chased for 2 laps and got pulled on the 3rd lap. Oh well, I was glad it was over.

I took 2 weeks off the bike after the race. Spent a week in Orlando for a business trip and hit the treadmill a few times during the week. This week was my first week back on the bike. Typically after a rest period it's good to do some power tests to see where you stand. Well, I found that all that "base training" has paid off and I hit some major milestones.

My 20 minute test was 11% better than last season and I hit the 4.5 watts/kg milestone. That's a great sign for starting the cross season. The 20 minute test is an indicator of your threshold power and that's a major part of a cross race.

The 5 minute test is always been something I've struggled with. It's a measure of VO2 max. This is an effort than puts you in serious suffer mode. There's a major mental component of it since it's easy to just "give up". The coach I work with occasionally told me 400W would be a good target. It's taken me about 2 years to get there, and I finally achieved it - 406W (5.2 W/kg). This is another major component of a cross race - especially at the start.

Well, it looks like I'm stronger than last year, so I'm excited for my second year in the Master B category. I should be able to achieve some top 10 spots this year.

I'll be doing quite a bit of this for the next 6 weeks in preparation for the first Crusade race....

Corsa Concepts 2.3T Review

2010-07-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

In 2008 I purchased my first set of serious road racing wheels. I got some Reynolds MV32C carbon wheels that had a power tap. I got them on Ebay for a great price and started training with power. They were clinchers so I used them for training and racing. Not very light with the powertap but I was getting great training feedback from the data.

In early 2009 I had a tire blow out on a decent that destroyed the back rim. I had the wheel rebuilt with a new rim. Not a cheap repair since it was a carbon rim. Unfortunately, the LBS (local bike shop) agreed to rebuild the wheel with the old spokes. Turns out that was a really bad idea. I was breaking spokes. Finally, I had the wheel rebuilt with all new spokes. It ran like a champ for about 9 months. Then another broken spoke during a race at Kings Valley. Unfortunately, the spoke break fractured the relatively new rim.

The thought of the cost and potentially dealing with broken spokes on a rebuilt wheel was not sitting well with me. One of the key factors was the expense of replacement. Many wheel companies won't warrenty a rim that is built by a LBS, so if you break it you pay full price to replace it. I had the LBS build a wheel with a bullet proof aluminum DT Swiss RR1.2 rim around the power tap. Definitely increased the weight of the wheel considerably, but I knew I wouldn't be frustrated.

I did a bunch of investigation into wheel options before going to the DT Swiss rim. I finally decided that the powertap wheelset would become my standard everyday training set. My thought was to purchase a raceday wheelset in the future.

Well, the future finally arrived. The PV raceteam is sponsored by Corsa Concepts. They are a small local company that is associated with Veloforma bicycles, a local frame company. Luckily, one of their sponsorsed racers was in town and I setup a time to test ride the wheels. Well, a test ride on these is similar to test ride of a brand new sports car - WOW. I decided to purchase a few days later after consulting a bunch of racers with similar wheels.

Tubular vs Clincher
This is my first set of tubulars. My intention is to use these wheels solely for racing, so I figured this was a good way to go based on recommendations from others. We'll see how I feel after having to change my first set. Luckily the wheelset I purchased already had a set of Vittoria Corsa EVO CX tires mounted.

Deeper Dish
The Corsa rim is 58mm (2.3") deep. It's essentially a Zipp404 rim and I understand the rim is made in the same factory as the Zipps. My Reynolds wheelset was 32mm rim depth, so I again spoke to a bunch of racers with the Zipp 404s to get their opinion on the 58mm depth. Everyone agreed, if you have 1 set of aero race wheels it should be around 58mm. It's a excellent comprimise between weight and aerodynamic advantage.

No Powermeter
I've trained and raced with a PowerTap for a couple years now. For training on rollers (which I do alot) a powermeter is an essential item. It gives you instant feedback for training intervals.

However, for racing isn't not such a great thing. Basically, if you're not keeping up with others it really doesn't matter what your powermeter says. I'll say that looking a the powermeter during a race can play mind tricks on you. Seeing a number you don't think you can hold for very long is not very motivating. Sometimes it's best not to know. It's nice to review files after a race, but if you've done the race once with a powermeter it really it's too interesting to see it again.

Of course, no power meter makes a huge difference on the weight of the wheel.

Weight Change
The weight difference to my powertap wheelset is probably the biggest difference. I measured a difference of ~1.2 lbs (from a bathroom scale, so I'll say that's approximate). That brings my bike overall weight to 16.7lbs (down from 18lbs). All is a reduction in rotational weight which makes a huge difference in acceleration.

Ride Review
I haven't put many miles on these yet, but I already have an opinion - WOW. I raced them last night out at Mt Tabor. The difference in accerelation is amazing. Actually, you really need to pay attention to your body position when you jump on these. You need to have weight over the back wheel, otherwise the tire will slide out. Also you can jump the back of the bike around pretty easily based on a talk with Corsa owner (who is much more of a sprinter than me). So, alittle form is necessary.

Tabor has a good short 2 minute power climb. They felt great. I just wish my legs felt good after the 5th lap!

Descending seemed very solid. By the 3rd lap I was starting to trust the wheelset and it was sticking to the road very nicely. Obviously, I need to get some more experience with them on the longer descents that take you up to 40+mph.

Overall, I very happy with the wheelset so far. It will be great to race them at the Cascade Classic later this month.

Ramping Up

2010-07-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well, in the middle of June I really started focusing on training. Cascade Classic stage race is at the end of July and I need to get in shape or get my a$$ handed to me. I guess I've been doing some form of training since the beginning of the year, but it was more fun rides and morning endurance/threshold sessions. I really started the intervals and the long weekend rides.

I joined Ali in Bend last weekend when she did the PacCrest triatholon with Team-in-Training. I got in some excellent rides with Sunriver being the base. I did a 90 mile ride on Friday out to T1 at Wickiup Reservoir and then head back to Sunriver via Mt Bachelor on the 1/2 ironman route.

Here's a photo from my favorite lake along the route (Devils Lake) - the view on this route is awesome!

I've also been getting in some good long rides with the PV guys on Saturdays. Yesterday we did Mountain Home hill and I set a new 5 minute power record with 382W.

Tour-de-France has started - enjoy the race. It's going to be a good one.

Eugene Roubaix - 5/1

2010-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Carpooled down to Eugene with a couple other Master racers to hit the Eugene Roubaix race. The quick summary is that I got dropped on the 4th lap on "the hill". Very dissappointing to ride the last lap all by yourself. However, a few days after the race I've had time to reflect and get things into perspective.

Number 1 - Road racing isn't my goal this year. I really haven't started any hard intervals yet, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I get dropped when the cat 1/2 riders hit the hammer on the hill of the last lap.

Number 2 - I've come a long way in my strength. I first did this race as a cat 5 in 2008. It was my only DNF as a road racer since I got dropped on the same hill on the 1st lap. Yikes! Now I'm racing with the cat 123 Masters crowd and I made it to the last lap.

Number 3 - Cramps suck. It's a similar story to last year. I get dropped when my legs seize like bricks and I'm in crying pain if I try to turn my legs any harder. It happens during the attacks after I'm been on the bike for 2+ hours. Looks like I'm not the only one based on this article that came out today. I'm pretty sure my issue is the "train right" section. I'm typically doing 60 minute rides on the rollers during the week. Now that the sun is out later, I'll be getting in some longer rides.

The OBRA road race calendar changes now and there aren't many 1 day road races left. I'll be doing some evening races at PIR and Tabor. My next big race will be the Cascade Classic at the end of July. I better get in some long rides before that!

Here's a cool photo of the gravel section. It's about 1/2 mile long and everyone stays in the car tire "lanes". This year the gravel wasn't very deep in between the lanes, so it really wasn't a big deal. Actually, it's the easiest part of the race since your in a paceline and in a tailwind. It adds a fun twist to the race. Photo courtesy of OCA

De Ronde Van West Portlandia

2010-04-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

The DeRonde Portland is a bike ride based on the Tour of Flanders in Belgium. It's a road race that covers 17 cobbled hills which are really steep. Well, the organizer of the CrossCrusade in PDX thought it would be a treat to replicate the fun in the West Hills of Portland. They started the DeRonde a few years ago. Initially only a few people join and last year it swelled at 500 riders. Even OPB did a video segment on the news.

It's about 40 some miles and approximately 7500 feet of climbing. The two steepest hills are streets called Brynnwood and College. Byrnnwood tops off at a grade of 31%. I had a moment of lost concentration on that one and lost my momentum. There was no getting back on the bike and continuing to ride with that type of grade. I made it up College - photo below (I'm in the center).

We had a great turnout from Portland Velo. A few of the guys finished in the top 10 finishers (not that it was a race). It was great to have a friendly ride with folks you race with and enjoy the city. We stopped at a couple lemonade stands and a beer stop along the way. We're very blessed to have opportunities like this in Portland. Yes, we're spoiled.

Piece of Cake

2010-04-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've neglected my blog something terrible. I'll use the excuse that I've been training in the pain cave and there hasn't been much to report. My approach to road racing has been much different this year. Last year I started early with the Banana Belts and didn't miss any opportunity to race. This year, I've been taking an more casual approach in order not to burn out for cross season. I've been working on endurance and really haven't done any hard intervals yet. Looks like I'm getting stronger for the longer efforts. My 20 minute power is up to 330W. I was at 300W this time last year, so that's a good sign of improvement.

However, all training and no racing makes Paul a boring boy. So, it was time to put the legs to the test. I was going to race Piece of Cake (POC) rain or shine. Well, there wasn't any shining that day. It was windy and cloudy when I showed up to the race. The morning PV boys had the new tent setup, so there was a good place to stay dry.

Of course, it started pouring rain 5 minutes before the start gun. Everyone was cold and wet and the officials got eager beaver and started the race a few minutes early. We were riding for about 5 minutes really hard to warm-up, but then the officials car stopped us. We waited in the cold rain for about 3 minutes to wait for a couple guys that missed the early start. Yikes!

We started cranking away again and the pace was fast since it was cold. My team-mate got in a 2 man break right off the beginning of the 1st lap (he pulled off 2nd place for the race). About 15 minutes later I saw the guy I marked jump off the front so I put out a big effort to catch his wheel. We did a serious TT effort for quite a while. We caught the 3rd chase group and became a group of 4. I wasn't working too much since I had my team-mate in the lead break. My error of the day was doing too big of a pull to close the gap on the 2nd chase group. My legs were toast and I lost the groups wheel. I was in "no-mans land". I sat up and went back to the pack.

On the 4th lap, 5 miles prior to the finish they closed the road. There was a bad wreck in the womens field. We were all stopped and had to wait for 5 minutes. They kept track on the time splits of the breaks. There was about 10 of us left in the pack. The hard wind and rain did the damage. We were all cramped up and decided to soft pedal in since we were racing for 8th place.

It was a good hard race to start the year. I was happy with my efforts. Took 11th place.

Rolling in at the finish - I'm on the left.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-01-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, new year, a new decade, and most importantly a new season. I took the last few weeks off the bike after Cross Nationals. Holidays were great with my son, Luke. Christmas is so much better through the eyes of a 7 year old. I also took some time to reflect on 2009 and do some planning for 2010. I met with coach Cree at UEF to make sure I wasn't off my rocker and here's a taste of what I came up with.

2009 Review -

I believe I made some good progress on the bike in 2009. It was the first year I was really organized training and stuck to a "training plan". I pretty much self coached myself and met with coach Cree every few months to make sure I wasn't doing anything stupid. I attended all kinds of clinics, read books, read lots of forums on the web, and listened to my team-mates. Of course, I learned some things and I'll make adjustments in 2010.

Changes to make.....

1) Start road racing later in the year. Damn, it was a long year when I started racing at Cherry Pie in February and ended at Cross Nationals in mid-December. Can't do that again. I've decided to skip the early spring races and start in April. I'm bummed I'm going to miss the Bananna Belt, but I need a break since cross is still my primary focus.

2) More focus on 3-5 minute power. I had a tough time at the end of road races with cramping and missing the big surge at the end of a race. I finally realized when I started cross season the benefit of 3-5 minute intervals. Last year I focused more on short 30s-1minute stuff in order to improved my biggest weakest (a sprint). I started the 5 minute intervals for cross season and saw a dramatic increase in strength and power. Well, I have now realized I'm not going to win a sprint so I really shouldn't focus on the real short stuff. However, getting cramps at the end of a road race due to that 3- 5 minute big effort is not acceptable. A change I will make in 2010.

Good results.....

1) Cross.... I was satisfied with my results in cross this year. I upgraded to the Master Bs and I felt like I was in the right group. I can race with these guys. I never was able to combine a good start position with a non-problem day at the Crusade. However, I did an excellent job passing folks when I started in the back. Next year, I'll be shooting for some top 10 finishes.

2) Power numbers.... It's great to have a method to measure progress. A power meter definitely gives you that ability for cycling fitness. I'll be focusing to increase 5 minute to 400W and 20 minute to 345W. I'm weighing in 168-170 consistently now, so my power-to-weight ratio is pretty decent for 20 minutes. I'll never be a sprinter, so I'll just let my 5s anc 1min fall where it does.

A comparison of 2008 versus 2009 best average power outputs.....
5second: 896 - 1031
1minute: 512 - 569
5minute: 360 - 378
20minute: 294 - 322

2010 Racing Plans -

Well, I'll be holding off until April to hit the racing circuit as I mentioned above. I upgraded to category 3, so that I can hang with the rest of my PV team-mates and push myself alittle harder. This will most likely be the category I stay at. You have to "earn" your upgrade to a 2 and that means alot more work and dedication. I'll also be able to race in the Masters Open category. This is the 40+ group that includes category 1,2,3 racers. I raced with these guys a couple times last year. Much safer group and learned alot about tatics since they are much more experienced. However, these guys are fast.

I'm going to race some time trial events this year. This will give me more experience in this discipline for the stage races. As for stage races, I'll plan on Cherry Blossom and Mt Hood Classic. I'm not sure about the Cascade Classic in late July. I might want to have a bigger break before cross this year.

I'm also committing myself to an AquaBike event this year. I've always wanted to do triathlons, but my knee problems prevent me from running. A aquabike event is swim and bike. I swam in highschool and enjoy it, so it will give me some cross training during the road season. The 2.4 miles of swimming is intimidating, but my training partner is willing to coach me on the swim training.

Cyclocross will again be my focus since it is my true passion. I love cyclocross - the racing, the training, and especially the atmosphere. My goal will be a top 10 finish in the Master B group. I'll also participate in Cross Nationals in Bend Oregon again. That was an unforgettable weekend.

Well, they say that sharing your goals with others is a good way to motivate yourself. So, there they are. Let 2010 start rolling!

Cross National Champions

2009-12-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Last race of the season. The top dog, the big enchilada, numero uno.... Yep, it doesn't get much bigger than Cross Nationals. This is where they hand out the stars and stripes jersey to the winner.

Yes, I know I really wouldn't "compete" for the top honor. So, you may ask "why the hell bother if you're not competitive"? Good question. Here's my thoughts when I decided to do this race months ago.

1 - It's freakin' cross nationals! In our backyard. How can you not be a part of that experience.
2 - It will be in Bend 2009 and 2010. I'll be stronger and more competitive next year.
3 - See if I can race late in the year. Last year I was totally burned out in November after the Cross Crusade.
4 - It's Bend Oregon. One of my favorite places in Oregon to have a 4 day weekend.

Pack my gear, bike, and Ali and I hit the road on Friday afternoon for the adventure. Yes, Ali is the girl I met a cross race at the beginning of the season (you see, I knew this bike racing stuff was good for me). She found this fantastic B&B, the Hillside Inn. Totally a fantastic location. Stay there if you're in Bend. It is totally worth the extra ~$15 per night.

My race (40-44 men) was 930am on Saturday morning. The earliest race I've done all year. I got registered and my number bright and early at 730am. The USA Cycling official that signed me in was grumpy. You see we're totally spoiled in Oregon with our OBRA officials.

We got to the course and I was able to do a pre-ride of the course to check it out. It was about 32F outside. Cold, but I guess much warmer than the previous 2 days of racing (a friend raced on Thursday and it was about 4F). The course had icy patches and of course snow. I've never ridden or raced in those conditions before. I was totally nervous. Slipping and falling on my side on hard ice was something I didn't want to do. I was feeling OK about it after my pre-ride, but I was still nervous.

Spent the next hour on the trainer next to the car. As you can see I was pretty well bundled up. I even slipped some toe warmers in my shoes. It wasn't my typical season warm-up. I was taking it pretty easy and skipped the higher intensity parts. It's quite different racing in a category that you know you won't be in the top 1/4 of the field. I would say it's more difficult to mentally motivate yourself. Especially when it's freezing outside and you're thinking about the hot tub back at the B&B.

The start call ups were based on national points and then registration order of your USAC license category. I just got a USAC license for this race, so I was going to be in the back. The way back that is. There were 190 riders pre-registered in my field. However, not everyone shows up. Actually, only 147 guys lined up. I think I was like 130th in the call ups.

The race started with a "bang" or really a big crash. It happened quite a bit in front of me, so I was able to run around it. However, it split the field up quite a bit. Which means the top guys were that much ahead (remember, in a national race you get pulled when/if the lead guys catch you). Here's a video I found on the internet of our lovely start......

Video - Start of Mens 40-44 Race

The first lap was bascially total chaos. However, us guys in the back were having fun with it. We all knew we were way off the lead group, so we joked around while waiting at the pinch points. The first section was in the trees and lots of switchback corners. It's tough to finesse the corners when you are surrounded by fellow racers.

They added a cool set of man-made wooden stairs on a run-up. This would be a great photo spot (unfortunately, I haven't seen one of me on these). Only one set of 2 barriers, but the good news is that my personal paparazzi, Ali, got a great photo of me there. I "nailed" the barriers and looked good while doing it since I did alot of barrier practice at the beginning of the season and have a few years of experience now. There was one large run-up and downhill on the backside of the course. The downhill was icy during my pre-ride and it was a congested mess on the first lap. I ran down it like most guys. This led into a pavement section across the start/finish line.

As normal, riders began to string out by the beginning of the second lap. I was now able to hit the straights with power and had the entire lane to finesse the corners. I was finding my snow riding technique. Lap 2 and 3 were fun and I was looking good. Heidi Swift, who writes for the Oregonian and Wend Magazine, captured a few sweets photos of me.

Near the end of the third lap, it happened. :-( I got pulled. There was quite of few of us pulled at the same time. I recognized my RiverCity nemesis from the Crusade season. We joked about how that was the quickest race we've ever done and it's time to start the off-season.

So that's what I did the rest of the weekend..... started the offseason. Ali and I hit the after race party that evening, went snow shoeing, hiked around Smith Rock, and of course enjoyed the hot-tub back at the Hillside Inn.

Fantastic weekend to end a good cross season. Now it's time to enjoy the break.

Final Results - (at least I wasn't DFL)

Cool PDXCross Photos - (I'm number 470 in the gallery)

USGP - 12/5

2009-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

The USGP is a national series that ends in Portland. In years past, I would go to watch the pros and other team-mates since it was so late in the season. I had to do it with nationals the week afterwards. I figured I would do it in the "open" masters field. Then I would have 2 weekends in a row of getting my a$$ kicked.

You see, I've been racing the master B category this year in the Cross Crusade. The next group up is the A field. These are the guys that have either been racing for years and have tons of experience in their legs or they have lots of time to train during the year. Basically, they are way faster than me. So why am I even bothering? Well, the B race at nationals is on a Thursday - can't do that, so I needed to sign up for the "open" category for my age group. I knew that I would struggle in this group, but it's always good to push yourself and get some good experience. BTW, you know you're in a tough group when the national bike rag has a story on one of your competitors (cool to see a story on a masters racer).

USGP was in a similar boat. The B race was at like 8am in the morning! Forget that!!! The "open" 35-45 age group was a 12:30. A good thing since it was WAY COLD that morning. I go there about 10am and it was freezing. There were a couple team-mates racing at that time. I found the warm-up tent, got my number, and packed my gear over to the tent. They gave us a timing chip and numbers for our shoulders - how pro. I started "warming up" about 90 minutes before my race just to prevent myself from freezing!

I was able to get a lap on the course about 11:15am. That was one of the first times I did that this year, but it was important since I've never raced this particular course at PIR before. The mud was greasy. I didn't pay attention on 1 corner and "ate it". Great, mud on my number even before the race started. Good thing they gave me an extra! Got to line up at a national caliber race "looking good".

The sun came out and things warmed up just before my race. Calls up were based on national points and registration order. I started in the back of the field which was fine with me. The course was about 2.5 miles. My key goal was not to get lapped since you get "pulled" from the race if you get lapped by the leaders. I held on pretty well the first lap, but these guys were smoking fast. I rode my own race - strong on the straights and finesse in the corners. I was competing with the guys I recognized at the the back of the field.

The top 2 or 3 riders caught me on the end of the very last lap. So, I didn't get pulled. I stayed upright the entire time. I placed 83 out of 98 riders. Obviously, not a great result, but I'm happy I raced, had a great time, and got some cool photos.

Photos courtesy of OregonVelo. These guys take great photos.

Krugers Mudfest

2009-11-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a cross race out at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island. They typically hosted the pre-cross season Kremesse races, but this year they were unfortunatetly canceled due to some permitting issues. However, they were able to figure things out for the post-Crusade race. I've heard stories about this venue from last year - cornhusks and mud mix eat bike parts. So I was prepared for a mess.

photo from PDXcross.com

We drove out in the pouring rain and I was expecting some epic conditions. I was running alittle late, but I got the trainer setup in the tent and was ready for a warm-up. It was horizontal rain and really cold. About 60 seconds into the warm-up, the wind howled and blew over the tent. Into the course. Hitting a rider that was racing. What a mess! Whoever setup the tent forgot to stake it down. Needless to say, I had no warm-up since we had to setup a different tent.

No call-ups, so I got out to the start line alittle early to get a decent start position. I started in the third row which was great. Talked to a couple guys I raced with last year in the C crew and talked about how the Crusade series was a new experience since we upgraded. The skies parted and the sun came out for the start of our race and remained that way the entire time.

Start horn goes off and we're on our way..... slowly. Wow, it was muddy and slippery. The water puddles were deep. There was a section of mud next to the corn field with SUPER thick mud. It was unbelievably hard to pedal in. I finally just got off my bike and ran. I hate running, so it was that bad. However, running that section proved to be a good thing on the 2nd and 3rd lap.

I found myself passing folks on the 2nd lap. The course was flat. However, the deep mud made for leg zapping pain. It was a slugfest. My mind was wandering and I wanted to quit many times, but I knew everyone else was in the same boat. I found that running the real deep mud section I was able to maintain the same speed as the guys riding. I'd get back on the bike and crush them in the next section since they zapped their legs so bad riding that section.

I caught one of my PV team-mates on the 3rd lap in that deep section. John is a super strong rider and always did well in the Crusade races with his call-up position. I was pumped to catch him and drop him after the deep section (finished 2 spots ahead of him).

Overall a very, very hard race. Probably the hardest cross race of the year. Mud was EPIC. I placed 13th out of 48 racers. One of my best results of the year. Very happy with that.

I'm in the "peaking" section of my training plan. I've really done all the work I can to get stronger this year. No more of that. Now it's time to "sharpen the edge" with shorter and intense workouts. Next race is USGP series on 12/5 and then nationals aon 12/12. I'll be racing the 40-45 open category with the "big boys". This extra challenge is motivating me for the last efforts of the season. I'll be looking forward to a break from the bike after that!

Check out photos of the EPIC mud at PDX Cross.

Crusade Complete - End is Near

2009-11-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Barton Park on November 15th was the finale of the Crusade Series. I still hadn't secured any call-up points so my start spot was left to "random" chance again. I started about the middle of the pack, so it didn't really suck. I knew the course was fast and plenty or room to pass, so I was ready to roll.

Unfortunately, I neglected to select proper tire pressure for this rock garden. Not sure what I was thinking. My front tire became a victim about 10 yards past the pit on the 1st lap. It sealed with some air left in it, so I was able to ride it in the less rocky sections. Otherwise, it was quite a run back to the pit.

Luckily I stuck with it and got 3 more laps of "fun" after the wheel change. It was fun because I was so far off the back that I just concentrated on going fast with good form in the slick mud. I wasn't DFL so I guess it wasn't a total loss.

Thoughts on the Crusade series:
1) I knew it was going to be a tough year since I upgraded to the B group. I couldn't expect results like last year. It would take me a year to "earn my wings".

2) Race results were decent. In the 25-30 range out of 80-130 persons. I typically started middle of group to the back, so I did alot of passing.

3) Alpenrose was my mistake of the season. I raced the day before and put in some huge efforts for a 3rd place finish in a small Salem race. I thought I'd get a poor call-up. Turned out it was my best all season. I could have easily got top 18 if I didn't race the day before. Oh well, water under the bridge.

4) Figured out I have plenty of fitness to race in this group. Felt good to be able to compete at this level. I passed tons of people at Rainer and Astoria.

spot - location - date
65 - Barton Park - 11/15/2009
26 - Astoria - 11/01/2009
26 - Astoria - 10/31/2009
32 - Wash County Fairground - 10/25/2009
30 - Rainer - 10/11/2009
24 - Alpenrose - 10/04/2009

Crusade 2010:
My key goal for 2010 will be to make the top 10 in the Master Bs. I'll maintain and improve my fitness by road racing in the category 3 and master's open group. I'm going to upgrade on "experience points". I need to race with a faster/harder group to improve. No need to hang around and beat up on the category 4 group.

Here's one of my favorite photos of the year. It's out at Barton Park after my wheel change. I hate running and really had no need to push it. However, that's what cross racing is about. Digging deep and pushing yourself at all times - always make it count.

Three more races for me this year. Two of them will be with the "big boys" in the masters category for my age. Last challenge for the year.

Slip-n-Slide

2009-10-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at the Washington County Fairgrounds we had our first "real" cross race. There was MUD. Finally, we had some rainy weather worthy of the Pacific NW. The course was similar to last year without the horse ring with all the poop. Flat, slick, and lots of corners.

I had Luke with me, so I didn't get a chance to pre-ride the course. However, we did some time on the trainer warming-up. The big local bike blog writer was hanging in front of our tent, so I made an effort to strike up alittle conversation. He was doing a story on the race teams that do the Crusade. Luke was the highlight of the story! Check it out at BikePortland.

I haven't cracked the top 18 yet to acquire a call-up. The line-up after that is based on a random number draw. I got lucky and was the 2nd group, so I was toward the front with a great position. Unfortunately, my start lap was TERRIBLE. Probably the combination of no pre-ride and 1st time on mud this year. I fell backwards pretty quickly. A couple of my team-mates that started behind me caught me and I was chasing on the 2nd lap.

I was accelerating out of the corners too soon and did the serious slip-n-slide. As caught on film below. Horizontal is not a good position for bike racing!

photo by pdxcross.com

Things finally started to settle down for me on the 2nd lap or so. I started closing gaps on the straight aways and started passing folks. The power was in my legs and I needed it to catch-up. I made good progress and caught back up to my nemesis, Ken, who started in the same group as me. We went back/forth the last couple laps. Unfortunately, I pulled my last stunt on the last lap and he passed me as I fell directly in front of him.

Key takeaways from the race for me: 1) I have the fitness and the mental strength to fight back. I got back up and kept on charging after 4-5 falls. I was happy with myself not giving up. 2) I've been sick the last three weeks and avoiding the VO2 intervals. I definitely felt it as my legs cramped up the last couple laps. Especially felt it when I dismounted and ran the barriers. 3) Need to keep in control in the corners. Lost WAY to much time on the groun

Fantastic, fun, big grin on the face type of race. Let the rain, mud, and fun continue.

photo by Victor Duong

don't SLAP ME

2009-10-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple technical change I made to my cross bike that someone might find useful. My Shimano 105 front shift lever broke a couple races ago and I can't shift to my big chain ring. I figured this was an opportunity to test out the single chain ring idea. Many people run this on a cross bike to reduce the risk of chain drop. Much of this is due to less chain slack which reduces the opportunity for chain slap which reduces dropping a chain. I'll give this new setup a try the rest of the season and plan to upgrade to an "official" single chainring if all goes well.

I consulted the fellow with the most impressive toolbox at the team tent last race and he suggested remove links of the chain until your hanger is about 45 degrees to the flat chain. Here's a couple before and after photos.

BEFORE (about 135 degrees when in big ring in rear and small ring in front)

AFTER (about 45 degrees in same condition - much more tension on chain)

Remember, technique of bike handling plays a BIG part in dropped chains. It's important to set a bike down gently after a bike carry and getting ready to re-mount. Also important to pick up the rear wheel alittle if you run along side your bike instead of carrying it. I rode a 2 chain-ring setup for 3 years and rode in the small chainring most of the time. However, I really only had a couple dropped chains.

Cyclocross racing has alot to do with "avoidance of bad luck". Reducing the chance of a dropped chain that can take time to repair and that just means you getting passed by others.

Ride hard and ride smart!

Heiser Farms - 10/3

2009-10-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the "big" kickoff to cross season since Cross Crusade starts Sunday at Alpenrose. However, I decided to get it kick started with a smaller race in Dayton OR at Heiser Farms. One might ask, "Paul, why aren't you saving your legs for the big race on Sunday?". Well, in my view Alpenrose is classic and awesome, but it's a big circus for the race. Last year, I had about 140 racers in my field and it was the biggest turnout ever at ~1300 racers. This year they expect about ~1600 racers. So, I'm really "saving my legs" for next week at Rainer - an open course with plenty of opportunity to pass.

I never raced at Heiser, so I convinced my carpool mates to leave early to pre-ride the course. Took only 50 minutes to get there instead of the 80 minute google estimate, so they gave me a bunch of hell for waking them up to early. However, it's always best to be early to pre-ride and get into the "game mode".

I didn't race last weekend at Barlow, so I had a couple week break from racing. I wasn't sure how the legs would do. However, I was feeling confident since I met a major goal during the week in my training. Exceeded my year goal on the 20 minute test. I set a goal of 310W back in February when I was 290W. I had hit about 310 on the road in July, but my true "measuring stick" is the test on my indoor trainer. I hit 322W (4.2W/kg) and still had some in the tank! That made me feel great about the progress this season.

Sorry, I digress.... back the race report. My bike seemed to be in good shape. I had some mishaps earlier with flat tires due to "operator errors", and I worked out all those bugs. The engine didn't feel great during the warm-up on the trainer, but I wasn't too worried about it. I rolled over to the start line.

There were two team-mates in my field. Jeff, is an ex-pro mountain biker and a very strong masters rider. I also recognized a fellow from River City that I raced with in Eugene. Big strong TT rider. I couldn't keep his wheel in Eugene. However, today he was my "marked man". I told myself that I HAD to stick with him. That was my goal! Having a goal in a race really helps the motivation going when it starts to hurt.

There were about 15 guys in our field, so the hole shot wasn't a big deal to fight for. Jeff and RC guy took the lead and I stuck on their wheel. Here's a cool photo from the hole shot (cool since it makes me look like I'm in 1st place!).....

There was about 6 of us together at the end of the 1st lap. It dwindle to 4 of pretty quickly after the grass power section. I was going back and forth with a fellow while Jeff and RC guy were in the lead but not far off. They were starting to form a gap so I told myself "get that RC wheel". I passed the guy I was battling with and got back to leaders. At the end of the 2nd lap, there were 3 of us with a good size gap.

The next 4 laps went like this...... I would catch the leaders, hang with them, get gapped in a deep gravel power section, chase like hell, catch them in the barriers at the start/finish line. Since I was in 3rd, my team-mate Jeff didn't have to do any work. Poor RC guy had to do all the work. I knew in my mind that Jeff would crush him on the last lap (you see, Jeff really should be an A rider).

The night before, I was talking to some fellow PV rides about recovery in a cross race. Honestly, I haven't really focused on planning my recovery during races. I would go hard as I could and recover went I was pooped. Tatically, it wasn't a smart way to recover. They reminded me to go hard in the hard sections and remember to go hard before a "recovery section" to catch a wheel. Sit on that wheel during the recovery section. Then go hard and pass in the next hard section. I think I did much better with this plan at Heiser.

On the last lap, I caught them again at the barriers and I sat in back waiting for Jeff's move. He went and RC guy and I couldn't keep up since we worked like dogs the entire race. RC guy started to gap me, and I really didn't respond with the killer instinct. Sure I went fast and hard since it was the last lap, but I really didn't kill myself to keep his wheel. At that point, I settled for 3rd place since I was very happy with my race. Of course, I almost caught him towards the end at the barriers and missed 2nd place by only ~5 seconds.

First podium in a cross race. Yes, it was a small field, but it was a small field of the my new B+ category. The finish spot wasn't my success. It was meeting my goal of sticking with RC guy. A major confidence boost for me.

Later today is Alpenrose. Let the true mayhem begin!

Scrubbing Speed

2009-09-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

Using the terms "slowing" or "stopping" isn't good when you're talking about bike racing. I mean, racing is all about going as fast as you can. However, in cyclocross it's critical to stay upright in all those corners, off camber sections, barriers, and all those other obstacles. So, scrubbing speed prior to the obstacle is necessary in order not to "eat it".

Earlier this year I attended a cross clinic and my key takeaway was that I needed to upgrade my brakes. I had an offline discussion with the coaches and they brought up a few key features that my setup was missing.

First, they had the "euro style" brake lever setup. Basically, the levers are swapped so the rear brake is on your left hand. This is a huge benefit while dismounting prior to obstacles. You can get your leg over, hold the top tube with your right hand, and actually scrub speed at the same time. Currently, I'm having to keep my right hand on the rear brake so I can slow down without going over the bars with using my left hand on the front brake.

Secondly, the brake hanger on the front brake is positioned really high. This helps to reduce the power on the front brake. Remember, we're trying to "scrub speed" and not stop on a dime. My current setup is way to strong and results in lots of chatter in the front fork.

Lastly, the higher end brakes look more pro and they should be easier to adjust.

Last year I upgrade the wheels, so this year it had to be the brakes. I got a set of Pauls Touring Cantis installed by the folks at Velshop (photo below). Some folks put the NeoRetro on the front and Touring on the back. The NeoRetro is more "eurostyle" and looks cool, but they stick out and become a "leg grabber" so they put the Touring on the back. I stuck with the Touring on both to keep the maintenance the same. BTW, the Pauls came with some "post style" pads which I didn't install based on the shop recommendation. They placed on the brake shoes that take the pad inserts. This should be much easier for maintenance since you don't need to "start from scratch" when you replace your pads.

My first ride/race with them was last week at Psycho cross. I finally made it out to the park this week to get some more practice with them also. Totally awesome having the euro setup. Much easier to hit the barriers with speed during the dismount. Actually, I'm sure the setup change was probably the biggest difference instead of the phyiscal brake change. Something to consider since it was about $250 with installation. However, they look great and feel great so I'm convinced it has been a "worthy" upgrade.

Here's a good article on brakes in Velonews

Circle of Life

2009-09-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

This past week I had a serious "Lion King - Circle of Life" experience. I took Luke to his first cub scout meeting. I grew up in scouting, became an eagle scout, and looking back it really impacted my life. It taught me work ethic, values, leadership, and having fun in the outdoors. My mom was involved from the start. She was a den leader and all that stuff.

Well, all that came rushing back this week. Luke and all the other boys checked out reptile man while the parents got the orientation. It talked about how at this age kids are so "formable", the values it teaches, and involvement of parents. I can see why my mom was sold on it for me years ago. Sometimes you don't realize the impact parents had on you until quite later in life - I called my mom and thanked her later in the week.

I did my best not to "push" Luke into it, but I of course I was excited that he was excited after the first meeting. We will see how it goes, but I have a feeling he will stick with it for a period of time and "the circle of life" will continue.

Psycho Cross Race - 9/13

2009-09-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a report on the Psycho race I did on Sunday. Early season races are all about tuning/testing new gear, the "skills", and checking out the competition.

Course: Great course at Camp Harlow. Same location as last year. Gravel, some farm field, big single track sections, and a couple sand sections. Had a 4-pack barrier section, a barrier after the downhill sandpit, and a couple other single barriers. Smaller fields are great for the early season races. Sal puts on a good race.

Competition: I'm starting to notice a few Cat 2 road racers pull up to the line in these B+ races. I start to wonder "what am I doing in this cat", but then I remember that it gives me a good excuse to "suck their wheel" and not feel bad about it. We also race with the 50+ guys. Wow, some of those guys are really fast. Now I know what I want to do when I grow up.

Skills: Last year I really didn't do much mountain biking and I suffered in the handling skills in the early races. This year I've been riding with some guys from work to improve that. Felt much better in the single track than last year. The barriers felt even smoother with the brake lever switch.

Gear: My new brakes with the Euro setup worked great. It was my first ride/race with the left handed rear brake, so nothing like throwing yourself into the fire. It was great for the barriers. It took alittle getting used to in the single track section.

My key lesson of the day was "don't be lazy with tire setup". I had a flat at bunny hop practice earlier in the week and I threw in a tube into my tubless setup. Well, that came back to haunt me. In the 3rd lap I pinch flatted in the 1st single track section. Which wasn't that far after the wheel pit. So, I had a LONG run/walk. Got in a couple laps after the wheel change, but I was a lap behind everyone.

I got some good early season experience and learned a lesson on equipment. Good race even if the result wasn't the best.

DFL is always better than DNF.

Indoor Training

2009-08-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's September already. That means fall is around the corner and it will start to get alittle wet in Oregon. Folks are starting to discuss indoor training alittle in the cycling forums. Unfortunately for me, I end up doing ALOT of indoor training no matter what time of year. I like to spend time with my son when I get home for work, so that means I'm on the indoor trainer in the morning before he wakes up. Luckily, I'm a morning person.

Recently, I enhanced my indoor "experience" by purchasing a pre-owned set of E-motion rollers (check out the videos on this link). Turns out they are built at a machine shop just west of Portland (big town of North Plains). They are on the pricey side - took me about a year to find a used set. However, they are worth it.

I ride these things at 5 am, so it was important to find something I wouldn't be falling off. The bumpers on the sides really prevent that. I actually don't use the bumpers too much when I'm riding a constant speed, but at the end of a hard interval when your gasping for air and a lower gear - they come in handy.

Benefits of indoor training include: 1) easier to fit into schedule, 2) very focused workouts, 3) keep your bike cleaner than riding in the rain.

Problems with indoor training include: 1) difficult to do high end intervals, 2) can't reach same power levels indoors as outdoors (many reasons), 3) definitely not as fun as outside

Here's a couple other handy ideas that make the indoor training better.

1) You must have a good fan. I place mine in front of an open door for cool air.
2) Some video distractions can help. The fellow at the SufferFest provides some excellent videos with bike racing to music.
3) I'm trying on this new application for the I-Phone. Should be out of beta testing soon. You can assign music selections to different effort "zones" for intervals - very cool feature. Make your own workout, pick existing workouts, etc. http://imobileintervals.com/
4) Setup alittle "trainer cave" if you can. Near the garage is always good - cooler, quiter for others in the house, and OK if you sweat on the floor.

Best of luck keeping the bike rolling even when it gets nasty outside or your schedule forces you inside.

Cross is on the Horizon

2009-08-28T08:27:00.001-07:00

I've neglected this blog for awhile, but now that cross is on the horizon there's lots to discuss. The bike community is buzzing about cross clinics, cross training, what are the best tires, etc. That's a sign August is here and September is quickly approaching. Where did the summer go?

Well, I spent most of my summer road racing. My results weren't fantastic, but none of the races were considered an A race for me. It's important to define the importance of a race before you do a race. Otherwise you can set yourself up for some disappointment. This year I focused on stage races. I knew they would be solid base training and they might fit my riding style better. I completed 3 this year, and I enjoyed them a bunch. I believe they will give me a good solid base for cross season.

I took a few weeks "off" after the Cascade Classic at the end of July. It was hard and hot race, so a mental/physical break was necessary. My plan is to do some "base" training for 4 weeks in August/early September (I'm in the 2nd week) - continue with "build" training for about 8 weeks in September/October and then peak for the end of Crusade and see if I can maintain it for Nationals (in Bend OR). Here's some good links on training for cross that I found.....

Intervals for Cross

Train Plan for Cross

http://imobileintervals.com/ - this is a new Iphone App I'm trying out - very cool!

Next entry, I'll review some stuff about getting my "steed" ready for battle. Only ~9 days to the first test of the legs at CrossOver Race.

Miles this week

2009-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

I had a furlough week at work, so that meant hanging around town and putting some extra miles on the bike. I joined the PV club rides on Wednesday and Friday morning. Solo rides on Monday and Thursday.

It was fun riding in the morning hours during a weekday. Traffic is much lower which makes the riding much more peaceful. It's much easier to train later in the morning on the open roads than 5am on a trainer.

I've had a good run of training the past four weeks. I actually hit my planned 8-11 hours per week. I'm definitely seeing some results in the power numbers, so "doing the time" is paying off.

I picked up a set of "used" rollers this week. They only had about 200 miles and appear to be in mint condition. Good time to find some deals on the used equipment list since the economy isn't hot and folks are trying to raise funds. The InsideRide rollers definitely have a unique design. Check out the videos. They're made just west of Portland.

Cascade stage race is just a couple weeks away. Time to focus on some intervals and less miles. Back to reality next week for a normal work week, so I'll be putting the rollers to use.

Elkhorn Report - Stage 1

2009-06-27T06:45:00.001-07:00

Overall, Elkhorn was a really fun race even though I was alittle dissappointed with my results. There were 5 of us PV team-mates in the cat5 and we had a great time racing, recovering, and telling stories.

We road-tripped over on Thursday morning. It took about 4.5 hours from Portland to get to Baker City. It was a partly cloudy day and just beautiful out. I was expecting terrain like Central Oregon - very dry and brown. I was pleasantly surprised by all the green and the snow capped mountains. We did a 1 hour ride around the finish climb of the 1st stage. Got back to the car and the huge batch of mesquitos almost ate us alive.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling really strange. I felt dizzy and pukey when I stood up and walked around. I thought, "great, one of those mesquitos gave me malaria or something". Luckily the race didn't start until 2pm, so I just laid on the bed hoping I'd feel better.

Race time I was feeling better but not 100% so I planned to sit in the back of the pack and see how it went. The stage was 73 miles with ~6500 feet of climbing and all of the climbing was in the last half of the race. The pace to the first feedzone was very mellow - thank goodness I thought. It was rainy but not terribly cold. We actually stopped for a peleton pee break at one point - that was very civilized. At that point, Candi, the nicest race official in Oregon, started yelling us from the car about hitting the gas since the gals were only 60 seconds behind us. The pace picked up and we finally hit the big climb to the 2nd feedzone.

This is where the pack shattered. I was at 350W for a good 5-7 minutes trying to hang on, but finally fell off and rode my own race when I knew I was going to explode. I got to the feedzone and looked back to see a couple big strong TT looking guys I spoke to earlier. No need to race downhill alone, so I wait alittle for them and we started a pace line.

A rotating paceline in a race really makes you feel like a bike racer. It was awesome. Short pulls and rotating like clockwork is a great feeling. It's way cool when you can organize one of these with people you don't know but have that connection of racing a bike. We caught about 10 or so riders. We made it over the finishing climb and then 2 miles on the flats to the finish line. I took a pull that was alittle long at the end and got dropped from the group with about 1k to go - darn it. I finished 24th, an entire 5 minutes behind the leader. A couple team-mates finished 11/13 - about 3:30min behind the leader. Only 2 guys in the top 10 were from Oregon.

Time for the Saturday ride, so I'll continue my report later on. Cheers.

Neglected Blog, Birthdays, and BMI

2009-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've really neglected my blog. Wow, it's June already. Wow, my birthday is less than two weeks away. Yes, time flies.

After Cherry Blossom, I took a couple weeks off the road bike - rest week and did some mountain bike races. It was the end of my 16 week training plan, so it was good timing to get the mind right. I got the mountain bike tuned up and switched over to tubeless tire system so I can run some lower pressures. I'm going to really try it out in July on the short track at PIR.

I started a new 16 week plan in the beginning of May. I modified the current plan to focus more on the short intervals. That's my weakness so that's what I need to work on. I really hate the 1 minute stuff, but it seems to be getting better. However, it's got a long way to go.

The big race coming up is Elkhorn. This is another 3 day race with 4 stages. The 2 road stages are much longer than the ones I did at Cherry Blossom. It's also in eastern Oregon in June which means some hot weather. The final stage which is 100 miles with ~7,000' of climbing is on my birthday. I figure I had to do something significant to get my mind off the fact that I'm turning 40. Yes, probably some mid-life crisis thing.

Have you ever heard of BMI, body mass index? I've heard of it, but never really gave it any thought until the other weekend. I was at a barbacue with a bunch of college friends and they were giving me a hard time about being "too skinny". I'm currently the same weight as a my freshman year at OSU (I remember since I was rowing on the lighweight boat and I had to be 170 max at races). Well, actually if you look at a BMI Calculator such as this one, I'm actually "normal" weight for my height. Play around with the weight numbers for your height. It's actually pretty surprising. I think it's interesting how America's definition of "normal" is now actually "overweight". It's definitely easy to move to that category when you get out of college, starting working, have kids, etc. The key is to find a combination of exercise/diet that works for you. For me, I eat like a horse so I exercise like one.

Anyway, just goes to prove as long as you feel good, who cares what others think.

Cherry Blossom Stage Race

2009-04-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

My first stage race was the Cherry Blossom last weekend. It included 2 road races, a time trial, and a criterium. All over 3 days. It was a great experience, and after almost a week of rest I can finally say I would definitely do it again.

First Day (Friday) - Columbia Hills Road Race

Two laps on the course for a total of 38 miles. Sounded pretty simple. Our race started at 1pm, so a team-mate, Alex, and I drove over in the morning. Got there to see the 1/2/3 women start the race at 9am - it was sunny but cold. The word from the morning races.... wind. Not a good sign when it typically is not as windy in the morning.

First lap started out very mellow and stayed pretty mellow. Climb up the hill was slow and folks in the pack would yell "speed it up". Well, I spent alittle time at the front and you soon discovered why the pace was slow and there were minimal break attempts - there was a serious headwind.

Second lap a couple Team Oregon guys broke away on the flatter tailwind section. They were moving pretty good so I got to the front and folks were chatting about chasing them down. Well, I attacked after them myself. I guess I unleashed the dogs because we did a really fast pace all the way to the hill. A couple team-mates at the back later stated "that's what dropped me".

I was feeling good until the peak of the second climb. It was at that point I realized I wasn't taking my electrolyte tablets during the race. It was pretty obvious as my left leg froze with a cramp and I almost fell of my bike in pain. I had to stop and watch the pack climb away without me. I chewed an electolyte tablet (not a pleasant taste) and it kicked in. I caught on with a group and finished 1:50 back in the second chase group behind the pack. Lesson learned.

Second Day (Saturday) - Time Trial and Criterium

I've never done a time trial, but my 20 minute power is my strength so I figured I should do OK. I purchased some clip on aero bars (you can tell they make a huge difference). The course was 4 miles up a 2% grade hill and back the same route. I had my power tap on the bike, so I planned to keep my threshold power as a target. Reviewing the power file... mission accomplished on the uphill but I didn't do so well on the downhill. My 20 minute intervals are mostly on an indoor trainer - very consistent. I discovered it's a story going downhill. It's a tricky effort to maintain the power when going down. A technique I need to improve. I was definitely not "spent" when I finished and felt I could have gone much harder. I finished 3:05 minutes behind my powerhouse team-mate who won it.

I've raced a couple criteriums last year. They are always fast paced and intense. I really enjoy them even though they tend to be the risky part of road racing. The course was a 1 kilometer circuit downtown with 4 corners. My plan was to stay safe and definitely stay with the pack - no time loss this time. Mission accomplished. It was actually a pretty "easy" criterium. I'm guessing because everyone had the same plan since it was a stage race - stay safe. I finished easily with the pack 22nd out of 76 riders.

Final Day (Sunday) - Columbia Gorge Road Race

My powerhouse team-mate, Ron, was sitting in 1st place and I was in 40th place down 4:55. However, this day was the "queen stage" - 2 loops - 55 miles - 4280 ft of climbing. This was the big one for the STRONG after 2 previous days of race.

Well, the fireworks started on mile 3 at the beginning of the 7 mile climb. The pack shattered. Long climbs are something you need to do at your own pace. I felt pretty good about my efforts on the 1st lap. I was behind the 1st chase group. There were maybe 15 persons ahead of me. I hooked up with 2 riders with Starbucks kits and could tell they were good decenders. My powertap computer wasn't working, but it folks were saying we hi 45-50mph on the descent. I lost the wheel of the 2 guys and hooked up with a group with a few team-mates on the way back.

We were in a group of 15 riders that started the climb again on the 2nd lap. Again I was pretty happy with my climbing. I was definitely feeling it on this second round. I was taking my endurolytes and drinking water, so no sign of cramps. However, I wasn't doing a good job drinking my fuel bottle on the climb and no way to reach for it on the fast descent. So, I was feeling bonky at the bottom of the descent. I knew I was hurting when everyone was chatting and I was at the back thinking "if I don't hold this wheel I'll be dropped and be roadkill out here". I was fueling and just holding on. I finally felt better with about 5k to go.

Finished with that same group - 32nd place out of 76 riders and 15 minutes behind the leaders. My powerhouse team-mate did his best to hold with the lighter guys, but he didn't make it. He finished 8 minutes behind and dropped to 11th in the GC. My carpool team-mate climbed with the leaders and finished 3rd in the stage and jumped from 10th to 4th on GC. Wow, alot of change in GC in one day - that's why they save the "best for last".

Overall, I finished 34 out of 68 (86 in original field - 18 folks didn't finish) and 19:36 behind the leader. It's a fun experience to live like a pro for a few days. Race, eat, sleep, and recover. I couldn't imagine doing this for 21 days like TdF. I figure not bad for a working dad. I also figure I'll do it again. Actually, I already planned my 40th birthday weekend...... Elkhorn

Spring Break Update

2009-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

I had the week off due to "economic slowdown" at work, so I spent some extra time on the bike. I realized I haven't update this blog in awhile, so here's a summary of the past month.

I raced in the 2nd Bananna Belt race as a category 4. I found out that I need a few more races before I can officially upgrade to a 3. It was a good race. The 2 highlights for me were at the end of the race. I made it up the Lee Hill with the lead pack on the final lap. That tells me the work I've been doing on the 1 minute power is starting to help out. That is the first time I haven't been dropped on that hill in the final lap, so I was happy with that. That allowed me to jump to the front and ramp up the pace and string out the pack. That allowed my team-mates with the high end power to move up and take over at the 1k sign. It setup our sprinter for a victory so it was a great team victory. There were good comments from other teams in the parking lot and on blogs about our teamwork.

That inspired my new favorite quote.... "Let them hate, so long as they fear", Lucius Accius, a Roman tragic poet. A good quote for us guys in the pack causing havoc at the front.

A week or so later, I had a crazy blow-out on my rear-wheel. I wish I took a photo. Basically, the sidewall of the tire blew out at 30mph downhill and somehow the tube wrapped around the cogs and brake which ceased the wheel from spinning. My carbon rim lost about 1/4" as it slid across the pavement. I've been without my powertap wheel for 3 weeks. I should get it back this week.

This week I did some weekday rides with the club. This got me some extra miles in this week before I taper for the Cherry Blossom Stage Race. This will be my first stage race and I'm looking forward to it. It will also be my first time trial (race against the clock). My strength is my 20 minute power so I think I should do good in that. I've been riding well, so I'm hoping to crack the top 15 (currently 85 riders in the field). I'll be racing in the category 4 group.

Other stuff in life..... Luke went to sports camp a couple days this week at the community center. He loved it. He's growing up way fast. Work is interesting since the economy is hitting high-tech sector hard. It's a big company, so they aren't going away. I'm sure there might be some more reductions in the next couple months. Good thing I'm good at a$$ kissing. Finishing up the spring break painting project at the house.... bedroom and small bath. No fun looking at the same brown around the entire house.

That's it for now. Cheers...........

Going to start to HURT

2009-03-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

I've been on this training plan since the beginning of the year. Wow, two months have passed already. The plan had me working on the foundation for the 1st couple months. Mostly endurance (zone 2) and "sweet spot" training (just under threshold in upper zone 3). I also had a big mileage week in the beginning of February with my trip to sunny Tucson.

I believe it's paying off. The standard test is to ride for 20 minutes at zone 4 and determine your average power wattage. I typically do this test once a month after a rest week on my indoor trainer. It's a controlled setting. My first test of the year was late December and I managed 285 watts or 3.67 watts/kg. The power per weight ratio is typically used since bigger riders naturally produce more power. My test this morning I produced 306W or 3.98W/kg. The 300W is a "magic number" and so is the 4.0W/kg - it puts me at a mid range category 3 rider. I'm happy with that for 2 months of training.

In March, the plan really ramps up the training load. The hours on the bike is the same 8-9 hours per week. However, the intensity increases. The "hard" days I'll be doing 20 minutes at threshold (zone 4) and some microburst intervals. The intervals are really the killer and the area I need the most improvement. This is in the 1 minute power range. The range where fast-twitch muscles are working. The area that's really hard for us slow-twitch muscle guys. This is the area I know I need to focus since it's critical to help respond to surges in the peleton during a race - keeps you from getting dropped by the group.

I attempted my first set today. 40 seconds "on" and 20 seconds "off" and repeat that 5 times. The "on" time is all out effort. I was having a hard time maintaining the full 40 seconds. I consulted the "big power" guys on the team forum and got some technique tips. Hope they help out. Basically, eveyone said that these are going to hurt.

So, I'm going to start to "embrace my weakness" and see how it goes over the next 3 weeks.

Banana Belt #1

2009-03-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

The Banana is a "spring classic" in Oregon. It's held at Hagg Lake outside Forest Grove.

The Masters 1/2/3 field was packed with the big guns in this race. My key take away.... racing with these guys will force me to be a smarter racer.

At the car we were all discussing what to wear for this odd weather. It started raining the moment we pushed off and it was raining for most of the 4 laps. It didn't matter what you were wearing since it was soaked to the bone after the first lap. Actually, I think it stopped during the final lap, but you really couldn't tell or care at that point.

There were two other team-mates in the group. One guy, Todd, got a flat in the first few miles, but caught back on alittle later (great effort, Todd). It got alittle dicey on the third time up Lee Hill. Went up at a good pace and then everyone let's up at the top. An important time to pay attention since the speed change is dramatic. One guy kissed wheels and took a couple others down about 2 bikes ahead of me. I was glad to make it around that.

I was hanging out towards the middle/back with Todd the first few laps - the smart thing to do. I decided to get alittle closer to the front on the final lap to keep an eye for any breaks. No breaks today - everyone just wanted to get this done. I chased down a couple attacks, legs felt good, and I didn't listen to my smart part of the brain. I found myself pulling these guys up the hills on the backside on the final lap. There is NO reason I should be doing that with these guys - they are way stronger than me. Well, I finally moved to the back for alittle recovery and held on to a few surges.

After the dam I worked my way up towards the front for the infamous Lee HIll. I was 3rd wheel heading up it. About 1/2 way up, my legs remembered that pull on the backside and weren't as frisky as the last 3 times up this hill. I hate that hill (about a 400W effort for 1 minute 1st 3 laps - only managed 350W the last time). It always seems to get 2X steeper on the final lap. So, I faded and lost contact with the pack. Hooked up with 3 guys for a roaring pace line to catch back on - dropped 1 - didn't quite catch them before the finish line.

Last year I always cracked on Lee Hill on that final lap in the cat5 crew, so it happened again. Primary goal for next races....not again......... Good thing I finally start working on those shorter intervals in the training plan this month.

OregonCyclingAction has a good report on the race and some photos.

Good to know a bike designed in sunny Arizona works so well in rain. The VeloVie road like a champ - flawless.

Pimp My Ride

2009-02-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

This week all the rumors, discussion, and anticipation came true. The FedEx man delivered the newest member of the family (much easier than a delivery room). The new VeloVie arrived - Portland Velo Team addition.

I went with the Ultegra SL components, Ritchey WCS stem/bar/seatpost, and of course the Reynolds MVC32 PowerTap wheels from last year.

I lost almost 3 lbs overnight. Previous road bike: 19.8lbs. The VeloVie: 17.0lbs.

It looks really fast. Now I just need to train harder to keep up with it.

PezCycling did a review of the Vitesse 300SE

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Sublimity Road Race

2009-02-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

Pissed, disappointed, trashed, confidence, impressed, surprised. A bunch of different thoughts to express this race for me.

Pissed - that I totally cramped up with only about 5 miles left. Didn't have any Hammer products so I really missed those eudrolytes. Oh well, live and learn.

Disappointed - I jumped on a two guy break on the first lap. Ivan and Sal -a couple of Finnagens guys I knew were strong based on a fellow team-mates scouting report. I didn't know the course so I backed off halfway up the steep hill - didn't realize that it ended in 500m and a long downhill after that. That was the winning break. Probably a good choice - first lap and I probably don't have the legs to hang with those guys just yet. I was bummed when another team-mate flatted at lap 1.5 - he was busting them up at the front!!!

Trashed - Wow, that was a tough course. AC intervals on rollers are more fun than on a trainer. 25% of my race was in zone 6 - ouch. I felt good on those hills (probably another reason my legs ceased up at the end).

Confidence - I'm slowly building some confidence in this group. These guys are much more experienced than I am, so I'm happy when they aren't pissed at me for screwing up a line - so far so good. Legs felt pretty good in the hills until the end - I'm pretty sure that was due to not enough calories during the race.

Impressed - Ty had the strongest pull of the day by the entire group on lap 3. Jeff, another team-mate, is way strong - awesome 3rd place result for his first race in quite 9 years (I'm guessing he has alot of race experience in those legs). 2nd race with a breakaway on lap 1 that sticks the entire race - these guys know how to sustain a break. Way cool to see my buddy Evan (Capitol Subaru) with a huge gap on the 1/2 field as we road back - guess he did that for a few laps.

Surprised - I felt like I was DFL when I crossed the line all by myself - my legs were devastated. Just got to remember..... when you're suffering so is everyone else so don't give up.

I believe the consensus of most people was that was one tough course. Take a peek at all the DNFs on the results - ouch!!!

Looking forward to BBWC (Banana Belt World Championships) in March. Let the fun continue.

Cherry Pie Road Race

2009-02-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Cherry Pie is always the race to kick off the Oregon road racing season. Well, I decide to join a couple teammates in the Masters 40+ Open field since Portland Velo was well represented in category 4 . I was quite nervous about this decision after looking at some of the names pre-registered in this group. Basically, many of these guys were Cat 1-2 racers in their younger years. My plan to was to "hang in" and learn from the experience.

Dave was my only teammate in the race and he is a well experienced racer from California. During the rollout, Dave says "follow any break with ZTeam and Hutchs" since they had the biggest team representation. I don't think either of us expected a 2 man break on mile 2 would hold. But the "big dog" Karsten from Z team and a Hutchs guy were there. Perfect tatics since the 2 big seems just hung out on that first lap.

I just "hung out" the first lap towards the back. I was impressed with the "steady wheels" in this group. I didn't notice any close calls and folks were friendly. I got to get the scoop on the season of Velo TV from Sal as we chatted in the back. I climbed the hill just fine on the 1st lap and was feeling very good after lap 1. I noted that Dave was racing very smart in the front - 6 to 10 wheels back and not doing too much work.

Lap 2 I decided to get up front and "hang out" with Dave. It was relatively easy to move around this pack with only ~30 folks. Towards the front, I got "caught up" in cat/mouse games at the front. What the hell, it was fun. Dave and I were jumping on attacks, closing gaps, and did a couple attacks ourselves. The Z Team and Hutchs boys were chasing down every attack - perfect "decoy" tatics. So, we tried to get some other teams in breaks, but it wasn't happening.

My key error during the race was chasing down a 3 man break on the last lap with about 5 miles to go. I caught them and then "paid the price" as I slipped off the back with 4-5 other guys as the pack surged. Nice timing, Paul!!!!

That's when the AZ training kicked in and I organized a 3 man rotating paceline to catch the pack. 30 seconds pulls for a 10 minutes of threshold intervals. We did it. That was the victory of the day. Of course, I had nothing left for the hill, but I didn't care. I was able to "hang with" the pack until the finish.

Now I remember why I spend time on the trainer at 5am - thanks Cherry Pie. :-)

The local Corvallis newspaper did a story.... Sweet Ride
OBRA results posted at OBRA (at least I wasn't DFL).

Mt Lemmon Video

2009-02-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a video on the ride on Mount Lemmon.

I purchased the GoPro camera at Interbike last year. This was the first time I used the handlebar mount. Heidi mounted her camera on the helmet. She did a great job editing the video - that's wear all the work is done. She has a blog on WEND magazine which is totally worth checking out.

Cycling House - Day 5 - Madera Canyon

2009-02-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

Earlier in the week there was talk about attending the weekly Saturday ride in Tucson called "The Shootout". This is a long standing ride were local cyclists and visiting pros "lay it down" in the early morning when the streets are empty. Our group wasn't even thinking about this ride after conquering Mt Lemmon yesterday.

We headed out to Madera Canyon. We took the shuttle to get on the south side of town and unloaded at a local gas station. We rolled out downhill straight into a strong headwind and stayed as group. We made a brief stop at the gelato shop before the climb.

We rolled out as a group and the climb started at a 1-2% grade. I threw out a "flyer" and held off a short solo break to get things rolling. I sat up and the chase group of 5 caught me and I jumped on the train. It was a worthy group and we did a rotating paceline for a few miles before I decided to save some for the rest of the climb. We made a big gap on the rest of the group.

I stopped at the van to top off the water bottles and watched 4-5 people catch up and pass on by. Owen was taking photos and got a couple that will definitely be on computer desktop for awhile. "Looks like I got some work to do to catch up", I said. Owen gave me the thumbs up to get it done. I held a sub threshold pace for 3-4 miles to catch them. I knew I had to do it before it got steep.

The road started to head up after I caught them. It was a "solo" hill for all of us. We all had 5 days of long rides in our legs and the road started to pitch up 10-15%. Everyone has their own method of keeping the cranks turning over on that type of climb. As I turned one corner I saw a fellow lounging on the deck of a bed and breakfast enjoying the sun. I was thinking, "that's what I really should be doing". However, the road kept climbing up.

I thought I was going to fall over at one point as the road got to it's steepest point. I made it around the next corner and saw Owen waving with the camera in hand. YES, the finish was in sight and that gave me the strength to stand on the pedals and finish it off for a few good photos.

We all gathered at the top - totally exhausted and so glad that was over. We refilled the bottles and put on the arm warmers for the decent down the hill. We all decided to end the ride at the gelato shop. The last stretch of the week. That meant..... GAME ON again.

The quick decenders headed down the hill and topped speeds at 53mph. I hit about 46mph in the steep section. I caught up to a couple guys when things started to flatten out at the 2-3% grade. One of the Cycling House boys blew by us after a few minutes. I knew that was the wheel I needed to catch. I jumped and punched those pedals to grab his wheel. I hung on and enjoyed the wind break for awhile as I catched my breath. We then started trading quick 30-60 second pulls. The power meter went from 340W at the front down to 100W when in the slipstream. We were making progress on the 2 guys ahead of us and we tried our best to catch them before the gelato shop. We didn't get them but it was a great effort to end the day. It was good to hear they were burying themselves to try to catch the group ahead of them.

Fantastic week of riding. No doubt the most hard miles I've done in a week. Should be an excellent base for the rest of the season.

Totals for the week.....
Elevation: ~21,000 feet
Ride Time: 15.5 hours
Distance: 260 miles

Cycling House - Day 4 - Squeeze the Lemmon

2009-02-06T15:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a well needed "rest day" in preparation for today. We rode 2 hours and took a nice endurance pace ride in the sun. Fanastic accomplishment since typically someone throws down a couple attacks during a group recovery ride. However, we all knew the next day was a big climb, so we took it mellow. Dinner was red meat and red wine followed by a kick ass mountain bike video - The Collective. A very "pro" recovery day.

Today's goal was Mt Lemmon. The "crown jewel" of long climbs in the Tucson area. Needless to say, it didn't dissappoint. Starting in the desert at ~2500' covered with cactus and climbing 21 miles at 4-5% to an alpine forest even with some snow at ~8100'.

We rode about 10 miles out to the base of the mountain. And that's where I threw out the book on good hill climb strategy of "don't start out to hot and build up". I hadn't completed a good 20 minute threshold test in over a month and I was feeling good, so what the hell. What an AWESOME location to do a hard interval. I knocked out a personal best (303 W), so I was happy with that.

Well, of course I was alittle concerned about "blowing out" to early. I was drinking my liquids and sucking down my "fuel" and it never happen. I was really happy with that.

The temperature dropped considerably after the Windy Point visitor center. Damn, it was getting cold. Kept on pedaling and saw the boys hanging out at the support van at the top. A welcome sight since the van had all the warm weather gear for the ride down.

I turned on the camera mounted to the handlebars (link to video coming later) and we sped down the hill. Totally awesome descent.

An EPIC ride here in the valley of the sun. I can really get used to this!!!!!

Ride Time: ~4.5 hours

Distance: 63 miles

Elevation Gain: 6786 feet

Saturday is another day with a good climb...... Madera Canyon

Cycling House - Day 2 - Gates Pass

2009-02-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after the ride of course my legs felt like rocks. Good thing we had a fanastic dinner to help the recovery process. We also had a living room discussion about nutrition on the bike. This was led by Russell Cree of Upper Echelon Fitness. Cycling House has Hammer Nutrition as a sponsor and have the products we can try out. The key tip I learned was to separate your fuels: hydration, electrolytes, and calories. The cool thing was being able to put the learning into action the next day during the ride. I thought it worked well.

Today we headed to the east side of town for a ride on Gates Pass. Tucson streets are a big grid with strip mall after strip mall. So, luckily we loaded the van to cross that mess.

We started the ride as a group and then the road headed up to Gates Pass. That's when the hammer was thrown - hell with the warm up. BigRing Ben lead the charge up to the top and finished very strong. I had to taper off with about a 1/4 mile to go and the top in sight since my voice of reason said "Zone 6 this early in the ride might not be a good idea". We descended a killer decent - one of those you wished was alot longer.

We did some loops on the other side that included alot of rollers. The decents were fast and we "spun out" the chain as we reached 40mph+.

At one point we did an out and back road on some rough pavement. We looked down at our power meters and said "wow, 25mph and only 60W". We all knew the ride back was going to be bruttal with numbers like that when the tailwind became a headwind. It was time for a SST (sweet spot training) ride back in the wind and up the road.

We stopped for water and got back on the bikes to head back on the steep side of Gates Pass. I was feeling alittle weary all the sudden, so I grabbed that "fueling" bottle of Hammer Perpetuem and took a few long pulls. I was feeling much better at the base. Pull off a strong climb, but I just couldn't hold onto BigRing's wheel once again (must have been all that pulling at the front I was doing during the day).

Once again a fantastic day on the bike. Tomorrow is "planned" to be an easier ride since Friday and Saturday are the big climbing days.

Distance: 50 miles
Elevation Gain: 4100ft'
Ride Time: ~3 hours

Cycling House - Day 1 - Saguaro Park

2009-02-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

I arrived at the Cycling House in Tucson on Monday evening. Great 3000+ sqft house in NE Tucson area at the base of the mountains. Desert, coyotes, and ALOT of cactus. The trip started great with an awesome salmon dinner. We reassembled the bikes and got them ride ready.

Our hosts include a few national pro road and mountain bike racers. So, these guides are more than worthy and full of knowledge. I just hope to gleam a small amount of their "tricks of the trade" this week.

Tuesday started with a nice breakfast and we rolled out. We headed SE through town and out to Old Spanish Trail Road. We made a brief stop and started the climb for the day. It started out with an attack from a couple boys blowing out the cobwebs. 5 of us started a rotating paceline to catch them and we were making good progress.

Then, the wind started to blow. A headwind. A good 20-30mph at times. Our paceline broke up and Ty and I were exchanging pulls into the wind. I think we were holding our own very well since we kept pace with the boys up the road that included the legs of one of the national pros pulling the train. We turned the corner for another mile of climbing and the headwind turned into a nasty cross wind. Whoa, that breeze can blow you over when you have the 32mm wheels.

We regrouped and the top and had alittle re-fueling break and headed down the hill. I'm not sure if it was the smooth wind, the tail wind, smooth road, or a combination of them all - but we were smoking. I'm not sure if a 20 minute threshold pace going downhill was the best idea since we have 4 more days of riding, but DAMN it was fun.

We finished up with an 8 mile loop in the Saguaro National Park . Wow, what a beautiful ride. 1 way traffic with rollers and alot of prickly cactus on the side.

Elevation Gain: 3780
Ride Time: ~3.5 hours
Miles: ~60 miles
Personal Records: I'm sure everyone broke a couple today - must be the Vitamin D overload!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Rest Week Complete - Back to Work

2009-02-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

I finished my 1st 4 week block of this "training plan" with a rest week. My first time trying a plan, and so far so good (I think). This 1st month has been focus on building a base. Mostly zone 2 rides and increased to some upper zone 3 (sweet spot) at the end of the 3 weeks. The workouts weren't really hard, but they were more consistent than I've done in the past. I was doing 7-8 hours on the bike each week. Much more time than last January.

One highlight of the month was a "break-through" for me on yesterday's team ride. I finally achieved a 4 digit number on my power-tap. Hit a peak of 1035W for a couple seconds. It wasn't even a real sprint - just "jumping up" to catch a guy off the front. I only hit ~875 last year at the peak on summer racing. It's not a big number for sprinter folks, but for me it was a step in the right direction. That strength class must be paying off.

I can start to see the benefits of rest/recovery. I definitely feel good on the Saturday ride after a mellow day on Friday after a week of workouts. I came across an article on Training Peaks that talks about form, fitness, and freshness. The first couple paragraphs get across the point and the rest is details about a charting function in their software.

February brings on the 2nd month of the plan. I'm tossing in a good Monkey wrench by heading to Tucson for a week long training camp at the Cycling House. So, I'll get in a week of major base miles. Looking forward to the good weather, long climbs, and hanging out with cycling friends and crew. The rest of the month starts to incorporate some shorter threshold (zone 4) intervals and mostly longer (2x20 minute) sub-threshold intervals. Looking ahead to March, this is all in preparation for the hard work in March and April (20 min threshold).

Sounds like the VeloVie bike was delayed due to painting and Chinese New Year. Hope to see it in the next couple weeks.

VeloVie Review

2009-01-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

The road bike I have on order finally got an official review. Looks pretty good. I especially like these couple of quotes......

"The 300 SE is basically what happens when you take the already buff Vitesse 300 and make it wash down a couple Viagra with a can of Redbull."

"But it’s definitely in the category of the type of bike best suited to merciless attacking and inflicting pain on one’s friends. "

Here's the link...... VeloVie300SE

Should arrive here in early February. Looking forward to it.

Welcome 2009.....

2009-01-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

I'm pumped for 2009. Like many people, I'm pretty happy to get 2008 done and over with. However, 2008 was pretty good for me in the cycling arena. So, a couple thoughts to cap off the year....

It was my first year road racing. I joined the road race team of Portland Velo and did a variety of races for the experience and training. I was fortunate to stay upright in all my road races - now that's an accomplishment in itself. I won a couple "hot spot" laps during the year on breakaways - one at Sunset Crit and one at PIR. My main goal was to use it to increase my fitness for cross......

Well, the cross season in 2008 was a major improvement from 2007. I raced the same category as last year - Masters C+. My results were much improved, so the road racing plan worked. A highlight was my first ever bike race victory at Krugers Farm Crit #1. That was really awesome to see my name at the top of the results list. I was in the top ten for the other 2 races in that series and got a 2nd place medal.

I was happy with my results in the Cross Crusade series in 2008. In 2007 I was placing 40-60th place out of ~130 riders in my race. In 2008, I placed 11th overall in the series for my category. The highlight was the Astoria Halloween weekend - two races and I place 5th and 6th place.

So, here we are in 2009 - the year of "change" and "yes we can". The PV team has partnered up with a local coaching service, Upper Echelon Fitness. I have no plans to hire a coach full-time, but we have monthly meetings with them to discuss topics. I plan to meet with the coach every 3 months to review my plan for 2009. Having a plan is my big change for 2009. A training plan that is consistent and with training blocks to "peak" for some key races. Talking to the coach just having a plan should help my results a bunch.

Goals for 2009.....

1) Number one goal.... have fun and be safe.
2) Develop and stick with a training plan to measure some results.
3) Training camp in Tucson Arizona - Cycling House. This will be a great way to get in some base miles and get a break from the Oregon winter weather.
4) Willamette Stage Race will be an "A" race for me. Not really to win, but to finish well. It will be my first stage race.
5) B races will be some crits and Mt Tabor throughout the road season. My training time and my interests direct me to the 1 hour races - similar to cross.
6) "A" cross race is Krugers Farm Crit Series. I debated over this series and Cross Crusade and decided on Krugers. It's a fun series, it suits my style, there's about 100 less people in a field, and they have cool medals. I plan to race Masters B+ during cross season.
7) Power goals (us engineers love numbers in our goals).....

5 sec: 1050W (got to break 4 digits on my power meter - really not my thing)
1 min: 540 W (biggest area of improvement, so I don't get dropped like a bag of rocks)
5 min: 400 W
20 min: 310 W (I was 290 peak in 2007, currently at about 285 now)

Here's to 2009. It should be a great "ride". Especially on my new VeloVie that shows up in the next few weeks (I'll post a photo when I have it ready - more sweet wheels and paint job).

Thankful for a "no-chain" ride today

2008-11-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, I had a "no-chain" ride today. They don't happen very often, but when they do it's just like magic. Everything just clicks, your bike feels great, and your legs are turning those pedals like there is "no chain". The ride only lasted 2 hours, but I felt like I could just go all day long. Not sure what it was.....

Maybe it was the great sunny crisp fall day.
Maybe it was riding my road bike on the road and not a trainer for the 1st time in 3 months.
Maybe it was that the Beavers won a great football game last night by determination and not giving up in the last minutes when all looked doom and gloom.
Maybe it was not having knobby cross tires under me.
Maybe it was the 1st day my legs didn't ache walking up the stairs after my 1st "house of pain" strength class last week.
Maybe it was not being in a race.
Maybe it was my first road ride on my bike since a bike fit by Russell C. It felt like a rocket ship in the corners (he dropped my handlebars 8mm).
Maybe it was my new road shoes feeling good and not getting cold toes.
Maybe it was my PV kit - they are know to provide superhuman strength at times.
Maybe it was riding some roads in my old stompin' grounds I haven't ridden for 6 months.

Maybe it was all of these, some of these, or just one. It doesn't really matter. The key was that I realized a "no-chain" day was happening and I just enjoyed the ride.

Have a great Turkey Day and remember there are always many things to be thankful for.

Crusade Finale

2008-11-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

The final race of the Cross Crusade was at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro. I'm guessing these fairground are just dying for some money, so they turn out to be easy venues for the organizers to setup. It was a "double points" race since it was the last one. I knew I had to do well and get some points this race since I was just out of the points the last 2 races.

I was expecting a flat power course since it was at the fairgrounds and that's what it was. The biggest elevation gain was the bark dust pile they had us ride over in front of the team tent. There was gravel roads, lots of bumpy grass, 1 barn, 1 set of six-pack barriers, and a rodeo pen. The rodeo pen was the highlight since it was full of mud and water. I ran it 3/4 way all the laps, just like everyone else. Luckily, it wasn't the 1/4 mile run that we did the other week at PIR.

I started in the 2nd row of the call up - an excellent spot. It was the same crew at the front of the line. It's fun getting to know these guys, chatting at the lineup, and racing them each week. We're in masters crowd, so all are 35+ probably have a real job, kids, etc. - just like me. Everyone is friendly and out to have a safe and good time racing hard. We're "weekend warriors" that train all week long for this stuff.

I was sitting nicely in the top 5 on the paceline the first part of the lap. I knew I had to "suck some wheel" and just hang in. I was feeling great. However, disaster struck at the first round of the barriers - I caught my foot and fell. Luckily, it was on grass and no pain so I got up and actually recovered really well. We had a good gap so maybe 1 guy passed me. I rode hard to catch up to the paceline and did it.

The 1st round on the rodeo pen was challenging. Rode about 1/4 way and then started running. I know the running is my weakness - I really can't train it much due to my knees. So, my plan was small quick steps and don't pass - just maintain. I did alright. Luckily it was just around the pen and not very far.

The second lap I was hanging with the top 5 crew. However, disaster showed up again after the rodeo pen. I remounted my bike and no chain - must have drop in the pen. Took me way too long to get it back on - a few guys passed me.

Third lap I was needing some recovery so I jumped on the wheel of a guy that passed me. I figured I was sitting in the top 15 at that point. I got some good rest, but probably alittle too much. We weren't making fast enough progress on the guys ahead of us. Third time in the pen and I heard/saw Denise and Luke and they gave me some needed inspiration. I felt good coming out of the pen since I didn't push it too hard running. It was 1 lap to go and it was time to lay down some hammer.

I was in the big ring (cross chaining 48x25) most of the race and it got me over the bumpy section well. I took 1 or 2 guys in that section. I think I got 2 other guys on the final lap. I finished hard as I could running in the pen 1 last time. My goal was to not let anyone pass me in there - goal accomplished.

I missed 10th place by 2 seconds and finished 11th with points. I guess I rested alittle too much that third lap.

Great photos at PDXCROSS. Yes, I'm in #10.

The Crusade is now over. I'm tired, so I'm glad I really don't have to race anymore. I'll probably do the USGP on 12/5-12/6 when the big pros are in town. But, it will be just for fun.

I'm very happy with the progress I made this year. Last year I was 40-60th place and this year I was competing for the top 10. My entire reason for starting road racing this year was to get better fitness for cross season. Well, I'd say it worked.

Road racing is fun, but there is no comparison to cross racing. Cross racing is an amazing scene in PDX. It is popular, fun, addictive, a great social scene after the race. You don't find that in any other bike racing. Yes, it can be a "zoo" out there, but as long as you remember it's for fun - you're going to have a great time and get a good workout also.

Next year, I plan to move up a category to the Master B. These are typically cat 3 road racers and much faster guys. They just started posting times the last few races. My times would put me in the 30-40 range. So, I know I'll need to work hard next road season. Cross is my motivation.

Keep the rubber side down.............

Barton Park EATS You Up

2008-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Sunday was the 1st "official" cross race of the season since mother nature finally bestowed conditions worthy of a cross race. Wow, talk about a change to the racing.

I started the day with a pre-ride of the course prior to any racing starting. It had rained the evening before and there was standing water and the dirt sections were soft mud. The course is at Barton Park / gravel quarry next door. There is quite a bit of gravel roads, pavement in the park, single track, and the "pit". The "pit" is inside of the gravel pit and consists of gravel roads, 2 substantial run-ups, 1 straight steep ride down, and 1 off-camber squirrly ride down.

Well, I started at the front of the line today (with about 140 riders behind me - the largest field yet for Master C group). I "lit up" fast and led the group most of the 1st lap. I eased up after the road section since everyone was sucking my wheel and I "broke wind" for the top ten group.

The course was considerably different when we rode after ~300 racers in the previous 2 races. The mud was wetter/slicker and more exciting. A fellow fell right in front of me in the tight tree section. I couldn't avoid him and went down. Took me too long to get up and regroup. I probably lost about 15 spots. My brain wasn't quite in the race after that. I found myself hesitant and lost my "mojo". The rest of the race was "get this thing done" and keep safe.

A couple key lessons learned this race....

1) Don't lead the pack too early. It would make much more sense to pick the top 3 riders and stick with them at all costs. Let them "break the wind" since they are the top dogs. The key to these races is "hanging on" the 1st lap and then being strong the final laps. The race strings out after that 1st lap.

2) To have a top 5 finish, you need to avoid bad luck. However, that's not going to happen every race (especially in slippery conditions). That's OK. The key is to RECOVER from that set-back and get your mind back into the race as quickly as possible. I failed to do that on Sunday. My fitness wasn't the issue - my head was the problem.

Live and learn for next time.

The course got more slippery as the day continued. Looking at OBRA emails, there were 3 broken/separated shoulders and 1 guy got plastic surgery from that off camber descent. The descents on this course are always tricky. The key is to play in safe as possible in these "high risk" areas. Speedy recovery to those fallen racers.

Check out these great photos at pdxcross

Astoria Halloween Cross Weekend

2008-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

It was a 2 day race weekend at the coast in Astoria Oregon. The course was setup at the county fairgrounds. A nice venue with camping, showers, and brewpubs nearby.

Saturday Race

I left early Saturday morning to get in a couple pre-ride laps before the first race. The course seemed to suit me. Not too technical with a couple bumpy hill climbs on the dirt. My warm up was interesting since I got a flat on the 2nd preride lap. No big deal since I had plenty of time, so I threw in a tube. However, I noticed I lost air before getting on the trainer, so one more tube and hope for the best.

A modification was made to the course prior to the race before mine. They added 1 barrier in the middle of one of the hills to force a dismount. Turns out that was a well chosen location. It was the toughest part of the course. Since it was on a hill, you had no momentum on the dismount and getting back on and starting was tough. I was "crawling" over that barrier by the final laps.

Overall, I had a good race. I was "called up" in the first part of the line up since I scored some series points in the previous race in Rainer. I was in the second row. I had a good start and was in the top 10 the entire time. No mechanicals or flats, so I guess the 2 before the race cleared out my bad luck.

I passed a fellow on the last section of the final lap. However, he sneeked up behind me and passed me prior to the short downhill corner prior to the finish. I hestitated passing on the corner since I didn't want to slide out. He beat me at the line. That was a bummer since my goal for the race was "top 5" and I ended up 6th. We exchanged congrats and good race battle stories after the race, so I knew I'd be after him on Sunday.

Sunday Race - Halloween Race

Saturday evening was lots of fun - nice dinner, brew pub drinks, crashed Halloween party, and campfire back at the course with the team-mates. There were a few provided kegs, so it was tough to remember that another race was on Sunday. I drank a bunch of water in the tent prior to crashing in hopes that the hangover wouldn't be too severe.

My primary goal on Sunday was not to hurl in front of the team tent. I still had that weekend goal of a top 5, but I really wasn't focusing on it since I didn't feel "on my game". The preride lap showed that the course was much easier. They switched the directions and removed the hill with the 1 barrier. I was so happy that was gone - it really messed up my back - turns out everyone hated that barrier.

My costume was the "Beaver Dam Cam" since I wore the Beaver jersey, helmet cam, and knee high orange/black socks. I still got some heckling so I probably need to step that up next year.

My start wasn't too great. I was probably in the 12-15 range after the 1st lap. I started feeling better after a few laps and starting "picking off" some riders. Riding by the team tent was inspiring with all the cowbell and cheering. I loved passing folks in that section.

After one such pass, a dude with no costume decided to attempt to pass me in a corner alittle further down the course. I held my line and pushed him off the course (he was the guy trying to pass on the inside of a corner). I was saying things like "hey, sorry, take it easy". He rolled off the course and passed me later with some stupid comment. One of those comments that wanted to make me punch him in the nose in the heat of battle. However, I collected my thoughts and knew a hill, six pack barrier, and another bumpy hill was coming. It became my mission to "bury this guy".

Well, lesson learned..... contain your reaction in a race and let your legs "do the talking". I passed him and 3 other guys after that incident. I finished 5th (the other guy was 10th). Weekend goal accomplished with my best Crusade finish yet.

Here's a photo slideshow of me and folks I race with.....

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

A Tale of Two Races

2008-10-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend I did the double in preparation for next weekend in Astoria. Need to see if I could survive and recover a race on Saturday and one on Sunday. Well, I think I did reasonable.

Psycho Cross

Saturday I went down to Eugene for the Psycho Cross since I was in Corvallis visiting my parents with Luke. This is a "low key" event in contrast to the mob scene that happens at the Crusade. There was only 1 person in the Master C category last race, so I decided to sign up for the C category for a "bigger" field - there turned out to be 10 of us.

Fun course with a mix of singletrack, gravel roads, sandy run up, and farm fields. There was a 5" metal barrier before the start/finish line. The intent is to bunny hop it to clear it. I caught my back tire on a preride lap and flat. 20 minutes prior to the race. Put a tube in the tubeless tires since the tire was torn. Disaster overcome.

Well, the single track slowed me down as normal since my technical riding skills have been lacking this year (didn't do any mountain biking this summer). So, I'd make good progress on the flats and get caught in the single track. Probably didn't help that I dropped a chain, crashed once, and got stung by a bee in that section. Oh well, that's the fun of cross. I had a fun "battle" with Devin as we did the "slinky" the entire race (he was much faster in the technical sections and I'd make progress on the non-technical sections) - just got him at the end. I ended up 5th place in the C class.

Cross Crusade

I did a bunch of driving on Sunday since we were staying in Corvallis and the race was in Rainer Oregon. I raced it last year and knew it was my kind of course since it wasn't very technical. Got there early to do a few laps and didn't see any big surprises. There are some long power sections, a fast downhill, some wide trails in the woods, a big uphill gravel road to the finish. Plenty of spots to pass other riders.

The big change this week was the line up process. It's been crazy the last couple races. People were lining up 40 minutes early since there are 150 racers and everyone wants a good spot. The Crusaders came up with a good plan for call-ups. Guys with series points first, then call up by th e last digit of your bib number (randomly selected for the day). The guys that are last call up all get a free six pack (how cool is that).

I was the 5th group to get called up, so about mid pack and ~50 riders ahead of me. My goal of the race was to 1) not fall more than 5 times, 2) finish top 18 to get some series points. I probably passed 30 people the first lap and picked off a few more as we went.

Good news - I didn't crash at all. I finished 11th place.

Good photos from the race at: pdxcross

This photo is from early in the race and I look fast.....

This photo is from the last lap or so. I doing my best to lift my legs over the barriers and not trip for a yard sale in front of the crowd......

Looking forward to next weekend. Halloween race weekend in Astoria Oregon. We'll be jumping coffins for obstacles and wearing costumes on Sunday. Should be lots of fun.

Cross Crusade - Alpenrose 10/5/08

2008-10-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

OK, this was my first cross race of the year. I got out on Saturday for a preride of the course - it was similar to last year, so that felt good. Check out my first footage with a helmet cam I picked up at Interbike (alittle rough when I exported to web format, so let me know if you have suggestions).....

This morning started out alittle rough with a dead battery in the car. Luckily, I was able to call a team-mate that lives nearby to my rescue. Got to the course and it was obvious the rain the night before and 300 riders had made the course much slicker than my pre-ride. Thought about doing a lap between the races, but it was too packed to fit that in (note for the next race - get there earlier). I did alittle riding in the grass next to the baseball field. I was alittle concerned about the cleat setup on the new shoes. Shoes felt great, but I was having a tough time clipping in (sign of things to come). The PV team had a tent setup so I got a good warm-up on the trainer. Felt good.

About 25 minutes prior to the race I started to hang out by the start line. Sure enough, a couple guys loitering by the start got the line-up going. I got in the second row. So, we hung out for 30 minutes. I was planning to wear the helmet cam, but alas the battery was dead (maybe the colder weather or maybe I left it on) - ditched it to a team-mate that was grabbing jackets.

Great start. I powered on the pavement to bump up to 5th place. Hauled but down the hill and into the trees. I caught a couple guys on the uphill. Feeling pretty darn good as I passed the team tent in 3rd place. Made it up the run-up into the Velodrome. Had a tough time clipping back in (problem all day long). Made it over the barriers and slowed down for the corner onto the Velodrome concrete - put on alittle power and that's where I got my "Velodrome Tattoo". I went from 3rd place to 10th pretty quickly. Nice.......

I basically ate mud about 8 times during the day. I kept recalling a discussion with a team-mate last week "gee, I'm not sure if these Kenda Kwicks are made for mud, maybe I should get some Michellin Mud2s that the pro in the clinic recommended , and he says "do it BEFORE Sunday". I called around and found the best deal on the other side of town instead of the shop down the street. I didn't make it over there. I'm going there TOMORROW - $20 extra - my aching backside doesn't care how much they are!!!!

Well, I proved to myself again something I already know about cross..... go slow in the corners to stay upright and apply power on the straighter sections. I got that point "beat into me" today.

Even with that, I had a big smile on my face and mud in my eye.

Cross Season is HERE - YOU GOT TO LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

Great photos of the race at pdxcross

BTW, looks like I finished 20th out of 150 rides in the 35+ category. There were 1267 riders today - another cross race participation record for the USA. Got to love PDX.

Interbike 2008

2008-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

I got an opportunity to attend Interbike this year thanks to my cousin. Interbike in the bike industry trade show that is the biggest in the world. First 2 days are an outdoor demo at Bootleg Canyon west of Vegas. The next 3 days are the show at the Sands Convention Hall on the Vegas strip.

We arrived at the demo day at 830am just before they opened. We were the first guys on a couple bikes on the mountain bike course. WOW, is all I can say. There were probably a couple hundred booths and most of them had the "top-of-the-line" bikes to demo. You name the company, they were probably there. I figure I tried about ~$100,000 worth of bikes those 2 days.

Bootleg canyon is known for it's great mountain biking. The desert trails were great. They even had a shuttle truck to the very top of the hill. I rode mostly 29ers since I've never tried one and I've heard great things about their handling. Started with some hardtails (thinking I'd use one in the future for racing), but I talked myself out of that and went back to the full suspension. Very nice rides.

I actually spent most of my time riding road bikes. I'm in the market for one in 2009 and my mountain bike skills were lacking since I don't get a chance to ride mine in PDX that much. They had a 1.5 mile road loop to try them out. These were the high dollar bikes - awesome bikes that I couldn't afford. Even if I could, I probably wouldn't buy one since I'd just cry if I damaged it.

Wednesday was the first day at the show in the convention center. It was my only day since I had to fly back on Thursday for the OSU-USC game (glad I did that - what a game). The show was very overwhelming. ~1300 total booths. We did alot of browsing for free goodies and cool things for sale. Some booths will sell things, but not many. My great purchase was a pair of Shimano custom fit road shoes and mountain bike shoes - had to get both since the price was fanatasic.

Wednesday night was Cross Vegas. It was rumored that Mr Lance Armstrong was going to show up. I was alittle skeptical when I saw an email that he was in New York for a press conference that morning. But sure enough, Mr Jet-Setter was there. What a great venue to see him since he passes you about 30 times on zig-zap 2 mile loop for 60 minutes. He did well, but of course couldn't beat all the top guys that train for this specific event. Ryan Trebon from Bend OR won. I got to talk to him a few weeks ago when I registered him for a cross race that my team put on in PDX. There were 3 guys with Oregon roots that finished well.

I talked to a few guys that regularly attend the show since they are in the industry, and of course if you go every year it becomes "work". However, for a first timer - WOW, what an amazing experience - like a kid in a candy shop.

The following slide show shows most of the bikes I rode, a photo of Christian Vande Velde (5th place in Tour de France) and me, and Lance at CrossVegas.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Kermesse HARDWARE

2008-09-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Last night I got an email about the series standings. I was sitting in 2nd place. 11 points behind 1st place and 1 point ahead of a team-mate. I knew my team-mate wasn't racing, so I knew it was me and Mr Guinness (that's his team). I also knew he raced yesterday at a race my team put on - I was in charge of registration so I signed him in. He took 7th place in the Master B group (category up from what we were racing today).

I made one critical change today - went back to 30psi in the tires (1st race the same - 2nd race ran 37psi - too bumpy). Got there early and I did a couple practice laps in between races. Hit the corners hard and bike felt great. I can't believe ~5psi makes such a difference. Lesson learned.

Weather was alittle cooler than last week - mid 80s. Got in some warm up on the road and pulled up to the start line next to Mr Guinness. Had a good chat with him. He got back into racing this year and he's moving up through the categories. These were the first dirt races of the year, so he sign up for C - makes sense.

Horn blows - I'm in the top five through the bumpy, grassy turns that lead into the gravel road. Mr Guinness is at the front - he's got legs the size of my torso, so good sprint guy (decent results at PIR). I hit the juice to get up on his wheel. I lose him half way on the lap in the corners. He was going like strong bull and I realize I'm pulling about 5 guys and starting to blow my legs.

I decide to ride my own race and within my limits - critical thing was to stay in the top 10 and top 5 would be awesome. About 4 of us are kinda working together but not very well. I pull ahead with a couple guys and we get a gap and we have Guinness man in our sight. I started trying to motivate the others because that would be the only way to catch him now (had about 30 seconds I'd guess). The working together wasn't happening and I didn't want to pull these guys around and have them blow by me.

We started catching quite a few B riders (they started ~40 seconds ahead of us). I knew there were only 2 others C guys with me. On the last lap, one guy pulled alittle ahead of me after I buried myself and he did some wheel-sucking. I hammered as hard as possible and no one passed me after that.

Finished 3 place. Probably around 30 to 40 seconds behind Mr Guinness. He finished 1st in the series and he's upgrading to B now. I finished 2nd in the series for my category and got some cool hardware to take home.

BTW, the definition of a Kermesse is defined here .

Based on the series, I believe my fitness level is ready to compete decently in Master C cross this year. I was finishing in the 30-40 place range last year. That was my top reasons for starting to road race this year. Looks like it should be a good season. Looking forward to it.

Krugers Kermesse #2

2008-09-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

My mom and Luke came out to enjoy the race day. It was a beautiful sunny day, but alittle on the warm side. We started the day with Luke completing a lap on the kiddy race. He said, "wow that sure was bumpy and I'm really hot". I think that was a sign of things to come.

Heard an announcement that they stopped the race before me. I guess a fellow went down pretty hard in the C race. I ran into the promoter at the registration tent after the dust settled. Sounds like someone was pushing things and possibly people alittle hard in the beginning of the race.

Our race started about 15 minutes late and was going to be shorter - only 6 laps. The master Bs pushed off and we started about a minute later. The course was in the opposite direction this week, so the "hole shot" was completely different. The "hole shot" is the sprint in the beginning to get in the lead group. This is absolutely critical in a cross or mountain bike race in order to avoid the others in the bottleneck sections. I found myself in the top 5 but I decided to hold back alittle this week. Not sure if that was the correct decision. I found myself behind a couple guys and watched the guy that was 3rd last week get up in the front.

Well, I didn't feel as confident on the corners. Especially in the first lap. I prerode the course and there was one left corner that was really nasty. It was nasty for everyone, but it just threw me off. I was riding with my tire pressure about 5 psi higher this week. Decided to do that after talking to everyone that was running higher pressure. I think that was a mistake.

Another teammate (he got 6th last week) pulled up with me on the second lap and he said "let's go". Well, that's when I discovered that the legs didn't really have the same mojo as last week (he finished in second place -he's on the right in the photo - I should have held his wheel !!!).

Seemed like about 7 or 8 folks were ahead of me. By the third lap, you're in you're own little race. By this time you're racing the guys around you.

On the 4th or 5th lap I caught up with a master B rider that seemed pretty strong - I held onto his wheel on the straight gravel section since I needed a break. We exchanged pulls and were making some headway. It was a good 2 man effort. You know this when the conversation at the pull exchanges are "good work" - "same" - the talk is short since you're suffering. We caught the C rider in front of us and he started "sucking our wheel" and wouldn't do any pulling. I pulled away from the B rider on the last lap and that wheel sucker was still on me. He dropped me since he had been enjoying the break for the last lap or so.

I went as hard as I could that last lap. Mostly to hold off anyone behind me. No one passed me and I think I made some progress on the guys ahead of me. I crossed the line and went straight for the chair. I was spinning like a top when I stood up. Probably overheated the radiator and got a touch of heat exhaustion (did I mention it was about 90F).

Results weren't available until the next day. 8th place - a top ten finish - I'll take it.

Can't believe I'm going to say this, but....... I can't wait until cooler weather and alittle rain.

Krugers - 8/24/08

2008-08-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, my first bike race VICTORY !!!!

I entered the Masters 35+ C category since that was the category I raced last year and never had a top 10 finish. Well, what a difference a year makes.

I got to the start early, so I was able to line up in the front of the line. I knew that the start and the first lap was critical. I found myself in the top three around the 1st corner, so I knew it was time to "bury myself". I knew that if I could create a gap on the first lap or so then I could recover and then get into "git'er done" mode. Well, that's what I did. I was leading the pack the first couple laps.

One fellow caught me on the third lap as I got into recovery mode. I found that being first is a real tough spot mentally. You can look back occasionally, but it's tough to know what pace to hold. So, I let him pass me and followed him for a few laps.

He started to slow down on the 6th/7th lap, so I decided to pass him. In retrospect, probably a poor strategic move. Once again I wasn't positive what pace to hold. So, I just rode my own race. Ride hard enough at a pace you know you can maintain and try to recover alittle.

Well, on the bell lap (last lap), I looked back and didn't see him. It gets confusing on these races about position since I was passing the riders from the other category that started before us. I knew I had to finish strong, so I rode at that point where that blood taste as I coughed was bearable. I hammered hard on the straight stretch prior to the last corner - didn't look back, tried to listen for him - didn't hear anything, so I just hammered with what I had left. Well, turns out he was catching me on that straight stretch, as the crowd got all excited as we went through the final corner. I slowed down enough - since going to fast in a corner can mean big trouble.

Well, I held him off !!!! We had some good laughs after we both got up after collapsing in the field area after the finish.

I was very happy with my new wheels. I ran about 32psi which was much lower than most people I spoke to. They did awesome in the corners and my rear wasn't in total pain.

I was very happy with my mental toughness to continue on. Wow, that is the worst part to keep going when you get that "pukey feeling" or when you cough you taste alittle blood.

The post race victory beer tasted AWESOME.

Cyclocross is Coming

2008-08-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't made a post since springtime, but with cyclocross around the corner it's time to blog again. First, a few updates on the spring and summer riding.

This year, I joined the race team of Portland Velo. I've raced mountain bike and cyclocross for a quite a few years, but I figured some road racing would get me in shape for the 2008 cross season. I've done a mixture of road races just to get some experience, figure out what I'm good at, and improve my fitness.

I've learned that I'm too big to be a "climber" and too small to be a "sprinter". That leaves the middle ground of "guy that works for the team". This turns out to be a "strong man" position - spending time at the front means alot of work. My best chance of winning anything is to get in a breakaway with a few guys or if it's short - just by myself. Well, I think that will be good training for cross.

I've done quite a few races at PIR (the car race track in PDX). They have a couple races a week in the evening during the summer. This is a great place to get race experience and get some training.

I find that I enjoy the shorter races such as PIR or criteriums. These are typically 30 to 60 minutes races. The crits are alot of fun since the are fast and lots of corners - you have to be on "your game" the entire time to keep the rubber side down.

I got some new wheels for my cross bike - Stan's NoTubes. They are tubeless so you can run much lower pressures without pinch flating since there is no tube. I'm pumped to try them out.

Well, the first taste of dirt is this weekend at Krugers. This is a basically a strong man crit on gravel. Race is for 45 minutes on the farm roads. Should be lots of fun.

Kings Valley Road - 4/12/08

2008-04-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

What a great day for racing. It got to 79F in Oregon on Saturday (too bad it only lasted one day). The course was fantastic - beautiful area. It was a 19 mile loop - lots of roller hills to burn the legs - and a 1k climb to the finish line.

This was my first race mixed with the cat 4 guys, so my plan was to hang in the pack and do a hard effort on the final hill. Well, that was definitely the right plan. Now I just got to get the legs alittle stronger to finish alittle better. I was happy with my finish for the fitness level that I'm at - I put in a good strong effort on that last hill - passed a few guys and got passed by a few guys.

It was interesting that basically the 1st 50.5 miles (51 total) was alittle "dance". It really didn't matter too much where you were at. The front half of the pack was a good position since the pack "exploded" on the final hill and it was easy to get around riders if you had the legs for it. The second photo is me in the "pain cave" crossing the finish line. However, it looks like I recovered quickly at the 3rd photo after the finish.

The team had 2 guys in the top ten. One of them rode with me in the pack the entire race. The few guys at the front probably spent too much energy at the front. A good learning lesson for a race that isn't a flat finish.

Hot New Hoops

2008-03-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I made my very first purchase on e-bay (and survived). I resorted to the "pre-owned" market after a few calls to bike shops revealed that a set of nice wheels with a PowerTap was going to cost me ~$3k. Wow, that's alittle to steep for my squeeky tight budget. So, I consulted a few of my guru bike buddies and discovered, "there's no reason you shouldn't buy a used PowerTap". So I started the search.

I found the set shown below on my 1st day of searching ebay and craigslist. Sent the guy a few emails and decided he was a honest fellow. I lost the last minute bidding war, so I was really bummed out. However, got an email from ebay stating the auction was "canceled" and saw that the wheels were posted again later that day. I emailed the seller and turns out it was a "spam" bidder and ebay caught it and canceled it. A few days later I won the 2nd auction.

Then I had to sign up for a Paypal account to pay for them. What a pain. Turns out you need to get "verified" for larger money transfers. Had to connect a bank account in addition to having a credit card. After about a week I finally figured out that I was 1 digit off on the routing number.

Anyway they showed up quick after I finally paid the fellow. It was just like Christmas. Nothing like coming home to a big box sitting on the porch of cool toys. I took the evening to swap out the casette (it had Ultegra 10 speed - I got the older 9 speed). Jumped on the trainer at 1030pm at night to collect a few minutes of data on the PowerTap.

Downloading the data turned out to be a challenge - darn Windows. About 1am I finally figured out to change the "baud rate" (a setting for a USB communication device buried in the Windows device manager). Finally, cool graphs of more data than I knew what to do with.

Luckily, one of my teammates let me borrow this book, the current "bible" of training with power. Never read a 200 page book so quickly. Good stuff.

Finally, I got the bike on the road last Wednesday afternoon. The indoor trainer doesn't give you much feedback on the wheels. WOW, talk about some SWEET and STIFF hoops!!!! Probably, more of a placebo effect, but after spending more on wheels than on my bike - I need to believe it.

No excuses now - training with POWER.

Death Ride Selection

2008-03-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Found out today, that I'm one of the lucky 2800 folks to ride in this years Death Ride. I got selected last year, but had to sell my spot due to my shoulder injury.

How can you say no to a T-shirt that looks like this.....

Banana Belt #2 - 3/9/08

2008-03-11T12:36:00.001-07:00

Sunday was our 2nd race of the Banana Belt around Hagg Lake. It was clockwise direction once again - they couldn't change direction due to some road damage on the other side. The weather was overcast with sunbreaks, so we lucked out again for cycling weather.

There was plenty of chitter-chatter on the PV forum amoung us Cat 5s for tatics this time. Gives us something to do during the week. The plan was to stay in the pack and "lay down the hammer" on the last lap with 3 miles to go after we passed the dam. Well, plans and reality are always alittle different.

One of the strong PV guys (1st place at Cherry Pie) race tried alittle breakaway on the 1st lap and got pulled back in. He did it again on the 2nd lap and this time it worked out. There were 2 men in the breakaway and the rest of the team "sat on it - slowed down" back in the pack to let him get away. At one point, the chase car came along side us to tell us to speed up. Well it work - Mike got 2nd place - turns out the guy he was with was really strong on the last hill.

I started to lead the pack for the 1st climb after the dam as planned. Well, I didn't get any relief from others, so I "blew a gasket" on the 2nd steep hill to the finish.

Here's a photo of me in the "pain cave" crossing the finish line.

Here's a photo of the guys I need to listen to.

Patience, grasshopper.

Banana Belt #1 - 3/2/08

2008-03-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

The Banana Belt Series started this Sunday around Hagg Lake in Forest Grove, Oregon. It is a ~11 mile loop around the lake. The cat5s did 3 laps. Denise and Luke showed up at the start to take some photos and cheer me on. It was a beautiful sunny day - you couldn't ask for anything better.

There were 7 of Portland Velo riders, so we have one of the bigger teams in our race. The first couple laps were pretty mellow. It's all about saving energy and letting other people work. One of our guys did a breakaway for about 1/2 a lap but was caught by the peleton. The pace picked up on the 3rd lap. I found myself leading the pack on the backside hills. We actually caught the race that started 5 minutes before us. I was proud that I "held on" and didn't get dropped after my long pull at the front. We probably put some hurt on some of the guys in back, but most of the pack regrouped when we crossed the dam.

It's only a couple miles to the finish after the dam. There are 3 hills and the 2nd is quite a "wall". However, our team was broken up at that point and we weren't leading the charge up the hill. So, the pack was bunched up and it was a big crazy sprint for the finish.

Results are posted, but there are quite a few errors at the moment - namely they have me at #1. I finished about 20th out of 50 I would estimate. I was very happy with my ride. I did some hard pulls and never got dropped. A big improvement from 5 years ago (the only other time I did the BB series).

Here's Luke getting in a few laps after my race......

I'm looking forward to next week - BB#2. We'll try some different tatics and see if our results improve.

Commute by Bike

2008-02-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

I started the morning by reading this terrible article in the Oregonian about gas hitting $4 per gallon this spring. That's nice. Well, it's time to get back on the bike again.

Why I commute by bike (I only do it 2-3 times per week in the summer, but better than not at all).

Day Light Savings time is near.
Great way to get in a workout!!!! - This is my #1 reason.
Looks like Earl is working on a tax break
Save some gas money.

So, give it a try if you haven't already.

Cherry Pie Race Report - 2/17/08

2008-02-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

This was my first road race with a team. Actually, my first road race in about 5 years. Weather was great and no crashes - that I consider a good success.

We had 7 guys in Cat 5 men, only UoO men had a similar size group. Everyone was alittle nervous on the neutral roll out to the start. However, things settled down once we started going. I was actually surprized how mellow the pace was in the pack.

My plan was to gain experience and lead a couple attacks for the team. That plan worked out great. The point of my attacks were to cause confusion in the pack and make some other teams work. I figured that was working when guys were getting annoyed when I'd start to soft pedal after awhile.

Before the final hill at the finish, I started a lead off of our group. I was dead before the hill so I lost quite a few spots there, but it help to start off my teammates that got 1st, 2nd, and 5th. We also made the local Corvallis paper (I'm the third from the right).

Vegas MTB

2007-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

Mountain biking in the Southwest - now that is "chicken soup for the soul." I spent 3 days in Las Vegas last weekend with my cousin getting a taste of the excellent trails just outside "sin city". Wow, they were awesome. Lost every penny I gambled ($2 at the airport on the way out of town).

DAY 1: It was a rather cool 30 degrees when I woke up on Saturday morning. It warmed up to about 45 degrees when we got out to the trail head. We hit the trails in Cottonwood Valley. The Spanish Trail cuts through this area, we were on the lookout for the wagon-wheel tracks, but I missed them since I was busy avoiding the multiple cacti. The most wicked of the cactus was the the choia - that's the ones with all the nasty stickers in the photos below. Luckily, I learned quickly and missed those guys the entire trip.

The scenery was awesome. The area is so different than the Pacific Northwest. This was real desert riding (not that Central Oregon stuff). The trails were rocky and dusty. Definitely more technical than I'm used to (got to work on that balance: a swiss Ball is on the Christmas list).

DAY 2: We hit the cowboy trails on Sunday. Wow, you soon learned where the name came from. Rocky, bumpy, and technical. Near the top is a gypsum mine (the rock they grind down for sheet rock in homes). I brought about 15lbs of samples down the hill in my back-pack. I figured the extra weight would help me keep from flipping over the handlebars (must have worked).

Great view of Vegas at the top of the hill. The descent was a quite a roller coaster (note to self: bring my full suspension Stumpy next time). The views again were awesome.

DAY 3: Snow in Vegas?!?! Yep, I was one of those tourists that only thought there was gambling, strippers, and sagebrush in Vegas. I was proven wrong as I blazed fresh tracks through virgin powder. Luckily, it was all downhill. My cousin was kind enough to shuttle me up the road a few times (he prefers extreme skiing in the snow). Mt Charleston is the mountain bike escape when it's 100+ in the summer. It's nice and cool at 11,000 feet and there are fine trails to enjoy.

Sunny weather and access to trails only known by a local. Now that's a trip to paradise. Enjoy the photos below.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Timber Park Cross - 11/11/08

2007-11-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

Timber Park near Estacada was the site for my 4th Cross Crusade race. It was also the Unofficial Official Cyclocross Single Speed World Championships (SSCXWC) - when one doesn't exist you can claim whatever title you want. Single speeders and cross means lots of crazy folks and beer. Actually, it was so cool that the national cross champion couldn't pass on showing up to this one (he beat everyone easily).

My race was a lesson on what NOT to do to prepare for a cross race - drink too many cocktails the night before. My morning mantra of "man at night, man in the morning" faded to "survive this last lap". I started out just fine. Got a great starting position (our group lines up 20 minutes prior to the start since it is the biggest class). I was hammering at a good pace. The course was fast and slippery. I fell on a corner in the 2nd lap and my shifter was jammed - stuck the big chain ring the rest of the race. The previous night activities started to take it's toll about the 25 minute mark. Survival mode kicked in and I made it through the finish. I was a bit shocked when the early results came out - 86 of 90 persons. I knew I was bad, but not that bad. Luckily, the officials reviewed the photo finish and realized they miss counted my laps. I moved to 41 of 90 on the results. Just imagine if I actually prepared for these tests of pain.

Luke competed in his 2nd Kiddie Kross. I figure it was the kids division of the Single Speed Championships since tricycles are indeed singlespeeds (however, no free beer for them). He did great. Looks like he is turning into quite the competitor. Enjoy the photos below (courtesy of Denise).

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Dream Bike

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

OK, I fell in love this weekend. It was at the Handmade Bike Show. I've been thinking about a custom bike for about a year now. Always "checkin' out" the figures and lines of other rigs at the cross races. Yes, it is bike ENVY and LUST.

However, I didn't really know what I wanted in my dream cross rig until this show. TITANIUM Wow, what a perfect metal for a cross bike. Stronger than steel, lustrous, corrosion resistant (good for wet and muddy), and a beautiful finish. No paint is required, so that means no paint chips when you bang it around. All you do is buff out a scratch with a brillo pad. How wonderful is that.

One builder had a frame he was passing around. It looked brand new, but it was 13 years old and had over 50,000 miles of racing on it. Amazing!!!!!

Now, I must decide who will build my dream bike. Definitely local and someone with lots of experience. Looks like either DeSalvo out of Ashland or TiCycles out of Portland.

Oh to dream, and dream big.......

Barton Park Cross Race

2007-11-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

It was back in the saddle this weekend for cross racing. It was out at Barton Park near Estacada. A venue that I haven't raced before. Actually, it probably should be called Barton Rock Quarry since most of the course was at a quarry next to the park.

It was another sunny day for cross racing. This is actually unusual since rain and mud is typically a requirement for cross in the NW. Luckily, there was some mud on the course. There were a few run-ups, a fun quick decent (see photos below), and a mix of gravel roads and pavement. This was the first course with these longer run ups. Boy, they put me in the "red-zone". I was typically passed by a couple people on the run-up and pass them on the straight away. Looks like I need to work on those hill sprints!!!

My last lap was a great finish for me. There was about 1/2 mile of gravel road with a slight up hill to the finish. I caught the guy I was back-n-forth with most of the race and then passed a few more. It was a down to the wire sprint with another fellow to the finish. The finish line was right after a 180 turn around a tree (an odd finish line position). He lead into the corner since I slowed down since we were going way to hot. I slipped by him on the inside corner as he slid out to the outside since he was going to fast. Sometimes technique is the key in these races.

Denise and Luke will be out for the race next weekend, so look for a report next week.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Cross Crusade #3 - Rainer "Playground"

2007-10-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the third race was shaping up to be a classic cross race. It was pouring down rain on Saturday, so I expected the same on race day. To my surprise - no rain and saw the sun!!! Luckily, the course was wet and slippery!!!!

It was about an hour trek up to Rainer, so I picked up my carpool mate, Matt, bright and early at 6am. It was his 1st cross race, so he was raring to go. The venue was at Rainer high school, a new course for the Cross Crusade. Hopefully, we didn't piss them off too much. 800+ racers doesn't treat the landscaping on the course too well.

The course was AWESOME. The highlight of the day was the "playground". The Crusaders laid a new "sandbox" that was about 25 yards of deep sand. It was off a descent, so you could pick up speed and maintain momentum through most of it. A few pedal strokes at the end and you were out of it. It was definitely the spot for the spectators since not all made it through. At least it was a soft landing.

The Human Bean team had a decent race. Some problems with my rear derailleur made the climb to the finish a pain with slipping gears. I finished in the top 50%. My carpool mate finished in the top 10 with the rookies. I'm sure he'll be schoolin' us in the Masters Cs soon and movin' to the B league.

I'll be missing the Halloween race next week, but the schedule in November looks great. Good courses near PDX again. Come on out and check out the races - I got a cowbell you can borrow.

Excellent coverage at BikePortland .

Words of wisdom to remember (got to remember this next race):

"Pain is the sign of weakness leaving the body"

Cross Crusade #2 - Hornings Hideout

2007-10-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hornings Hideout, located about 20 miles west of Portland, was the site for the second race in the Cross Crusade series. It was foggy in town, but as you drove up the hill to the course the sun was actually shining.

There was another large group of racers in 10am race. About 250 riders total. The first lap was really congested at the beginning, but it soon spread out like it always does. The course weaved in and out of the trees and across some open fields that were really bumpy. In the woods, there were some steeper short climbs. I was able to ride them all through the entire race, so that was a good sign. I avoided the slippery roots in the corners (good thing since one poor fellow didn't heed the low friction of a wet root and ended up going home with the EMTs).

Good race for me overall. Put in a good effort the entire time.

If you’re going to charge, charge hard.

Cross Crusade #1 - Alpenrose

2007-10-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

First day of CrossCrusade. Wow, doesn't get much better than this. The entire Formiller family hit the dirt. Weather was great and the course was fairly dry. An excellent day for the first race of the season. There were 1078 racers. That's a new record for a cross race in the entire USA.

Denise and Luke competed in their first cross races. Denise joined the "girl power" crew in the Womens division. She dug deep, looked great, and finished the race with style. See her guest blog entry below.

Luke competed in his first kiddie cross race. Down the pavement and in the grass (we skipped the barriers). He was the only one to bring home a ribbon.

I'm racing in the "crazy C" division. Cranked out the first lap in the top 15 or so. However, I think I burned alittle to much reserve on that. Riding the entire race in the drops this year. Feels much more stable and powerful. I think I stick with it. Lost a chain on the last lap after the stairs - not sure how that happened.

Video of the event at CrankMyChain
Great coverage and photos at BikePortland.org

Enjoy the photos below.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Right Here, Right Now - Denise takes on Cyclocross!

2007-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: Denise Ker

There was no turning back as I lined up at the back of the pack waiting for the whistle to blow for my first Cyclocross race and for that matter, my very first sports-related competition. Ignorance is so bliss, I must say. I had not idea what I’d gotten myself into as I agreed to try out Cyclocross while sipping cocktails at a Labor Day party with my girlfriends. Seriously, it’s 45 minutes of my life, no problem. I’m a gym rat, I can get my butt kicked in spinning class and come out feeling great! Hey, it’s nothing compared to what my marathon buddies endured during their races held earlier that morning. All those thoughts kept replaying in my head as I headed into the first lap.

OK, I started out looking for the nice paved road, where was it? All I found was dirt, gravel, and a blur of cyclists speeding past me. Holy crap Denise, kick it in a high gear to gain some speed, but wait... stop, get off your bike, throw it over your shoulder climb a hill, hop back on, turn some sharp corners and get off again, run over six barriers, get back on and then ride a bit more up and down some steep bumpy hills and climb a flight of stairs with bike slung over your shoulder – ouch! What the hell, I was in utter shock; I just kept going like a lab rat in a maze searching for the brie and pinot noir at the end of the maze! But no, I endured a total of three laps and finished without falling of my borrowed bike, never walking when I should have been riding, and didn’t trip over any of the barriers in front of the crowds. Phew! I didn’t even finish last, imagine that!

Those that know me well know I always have my top key take-aways list…so here you go…

1. Next time, skip the pre-race preparation of half-time celebratory cocktails at the OSU tailgater the night before.
2. Try riding the bike you plan to race more than a lap around your suburbia neighborhood.
3. Never underestimate the power of cheering for the cyclists on the course. The crowd and fellow cyclist were amazing, encouraging me every step of the way. I plan to hang next race at the toughest hill cheering to return the favor.
4. Be confident it your body and strength, believe it will match your heart and soul.

A shout out to my two biggest fans, Paul and Luke. Thanks for all the support, prep and encouragement before and during the race. You guys ROCK!

My next guest blog entry should come after the next race scheduled for Sunday, October 21. Enjoy life and connect! All my best - D

LiveStrong Challenge

2007-09-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

Days like today you really discover what "LiveStrong" is all about.

I volunteered with the Portland Velo club at the 1st reststop at the LiveStrong Challenge. About 40 people showed up on a rainy miserable day to "see Lance" and give a helping hand.

Well, we got to see Lance as he turned the corner and gave us a wave. Turns out he wasn't the one that inspired me today.

Working the rest-stop I jumped on handing out the PowerBars. It was 10 miles into the ride and you could tell these folks needed some movitation in the freezing rain. Well, when you try to provide some inspiration, you find that you'll get alot more inspiration in return.

LiveStrong is the riders who aren't typically bike riders. They are doing the ride for a reason or a person. They were all in different abilities, shapes, sizes, and personalities. They wore signs that said "Survivor". Lord knows what kind of story they had - there wasn't enough time to find out as they stood in the pouring rain and grabbing a PowerBar for some physical energy. However, you could tell there was no doubt they would finish the ride. They had a reason inside them that was driving them to complete that ride today.

There was one fellow in particular. He was an odd duck - everyone was wondering who is this guy talking to. But, when you listened to his story, you saw his "passion for life". Young kid, must have been in his twenties, from Modesto CA, obviously was expecting sunny weather because he was definitely not dressed for the occasion. Testicular cancer survivor - he was proud to show the scar on his belly. He had no idea what idea he was doing on that bike, but as he rode off there was no doubt in my mind that he would finish. He was proud and full of passion for life.

Met Chris Carmichael, Lance's coach, as you can see from the photo below. Lance canceled out on the speech he was going to give at 1pm. However, there was no disappointment in me. I already met and saw plenty of people that LiveStrong everyday.

A day a today confirms that saying, "give alittle to others and you'll receive more in return".

Now that's LivingStrong!!!!

Another amazing story that was posted.....

The last rider to finish was a cancer survivor who road alone through the rain and wind for most of the day. At one point she was at least 5 miles behind the next to last rider. Often moving along at barely a walking pace, with inspiring fortitude she never wavered in her determination to finish. A sag wagon stayed with her and even offered to give her a ride back when it seemed she was not going to make it. She replied, "I've got three hours until the course closes, I'm going to keep going". And she did. She finished the 70 mile course in just under 8 hours, long after most of the participants had gone home. Maybe the second hardest thing she's done in her life. You know what the hardest thing was.

The Kermeese - 9/15

2007-09-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, it feels good to be back in a race. It was a great warm up for cross season at the Kermeese at Sauvie's Island. The course was about 1.5 mile lap around a guy's farm. It was a great course to hammer on the cross bike.

I felt great the first few laps, slowed down during the next 4, and hammered the last two. You really need to dig deep in the middle. I think the taste of blood from the bottom of my lungs got me motivated. Always remember - PAIN is a sign of WEAKNESS LEAVING the body!!!!

The bike performed well - no mechanical issues.

Saw a collegue from work - his son and grandson were out there. His grandson is about 10 years old and he's really into it. Great to see.

Welcome Cross Season!!!!!!!!

Back in the Saddle Again

2007-09-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a few months since I got on a bike, so I haven't been "inspired" to blog much.

The separated shoulder kept me off the bike for awhile. Then I figured since I was down, I may as well get "fixed" at the the same time (those male procedures at 37 years old gives a new meaning to "saddle sores").

Well, after 3 months without reasonable heart pumping excerise, I was a physical example of how biking is directly proportional to happiness. I lost my mojo, man.

The good news, is that I started riding at the beginning of August. It took a few weeks, but the MOJO IS BACK. Over this weekend, 6000ft+ of climbing and 30mph decents on gravel roads - I found it.

Don't miss the Bike Film Festival this weekend. I'm planning to go Thursday night and program 4 and 5 on Saturday.

Cross season is almost here and I'm pumped. It's definitely the most fun you can have on a bike while busting your lungs for 45 to 60 minutes. Here's an excellent blog on cross racing by a local racer (best I've seen).... Laatste Ronde

Here's the races I have circled on the calendar. Hope to see you there.

Sept 15th: Krugers Kermesse
Oct 7th: Cross Crusade at Alpenrose
Oct 21st: CrossCrusade at Rainer
Nov 4th: CrossCrusade at Hornings Hideout
Nov 18th: CrossCrusade at Hillsboro Stadium
Dec 2nd: Cross Crusade at PIR (national guys will be here, you don't want to miss that).

New Helmet Required

2007-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

I got 3 substantial cracks in the skull lid from my episode. So, now that I'm on the mend it was time for a new top rate brain bucket. No expense was spared for the noggin' with the Giro Atmos (OK, it was on sale at Performance).

However, I'm still sticking to the trainer and doing some short road rides on the weekend. So, alittle inspiration is needed at times. I've been packing the Ipod with tunes recorded from internet radio. I also found this great video of the man....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw

On the Mend

2007-06-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Making progress on the shoulder - got full range of motion but still can't put too much weight on it. Plan is to visit the physical therapist every couple of weeks to track progress and get new torture exercises from the cute doc.

Spending time on the trainer in the garage to keep the legs going. Made it out for my first road ride last weekend. Good training for the legs since I have to do the seated hill climb.

Had to sell my Death Ride ticket. Oh well, I'll plan for 2008.

Badge of Courage - 5/20/07

2007-05-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday started out like a normal race day. Woke up, coffee, loaded bike and gear, warm up laps, etc..... However, the 2nd lap at the Falls City Firecracker didn't go as expected.

Fast, faster, bump, endo, airborne, and then laying on my back grasping my shoulder. Thanks to some friends, I got a ride to the Dallas ER. Denise didn't totally freak when I called her (probably because I was at least able to call myself).

Yes, my string of never breaking a bone still stands - only tearing joints!!! "AC shoulder separation - go see an orthopedic" was what the Dallas ER doctor said.

Wasn't too painful as long as I kept still. Actually, the most painful part was getting off my stinky bike jersey on Sunday evening (no way I could cut the Beaver jersey).

Called the orthopedic on Monday AM and after 10 minutes of hold music, finally got the message that Mondays are "high call volume". Finally drove to the "walk-in" clinic and found out that I didn't qualify since I went to the ER (it was probably worth it since my helmet had at least 3 cracks - a new addition to the "saved my life" shrine).

Finally got to the orthopedic today. Sure enough, grade 2 AC shoulder separation, click here to read all the gory details. Sounds like it is a very common sports injury, especially for cycling. Good news, no surgery. Bad news, I'll be doing physical therapy for ~12 weeks (nothing worse that a cute doctor gal making you cry in pain each week). Making progress already - I can button my own shirt again.

The gal rolling me to the x-ray room put it in perspective well..... "at least you were having fun, alot of people get injured at work."

That's right - a tough day having fun always beat working!!!

I'm thinking about cross season already!!!!

Spring Thaw, Ashland OR - 5/6/07

2007-05-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Good times in Ashland, Oregon over the weekend. You can't go wrong with moutain biking, Japanese Spa , and Shakespeare (OK, we went to a more modern play). Denise and I had a great time.

The course worked out to be about 28 miles. First 12 miles straight up the road out of the local park. Totaled about 3300 feet of climbing. The last 5 miles or so was some most excellent single track (the stuff Ashland is know for).

I maintained a good hard pace for the entire uphill without bonking at the end, so I was very happy with that. Lost about 10 places on the downhill. My official excuse: must of been the locals.

Denise and I even went on a ride "together". Jacksonville and back turned out to be about 34 miles round trip.

Definitely need to plan to do this next year.

Commuting to Work

2007-04-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

There is finally a break in the rains in Portland area. Therefore, it's time for us fair weather bike commuters to start hit the streets.

My commute from Wilsonville to Beaverton is 19 miles and takes about 1hr-20min each way. There's a great gym at work to take a shower, so I pack my gear on car days.

Some key benefits...
1) Great way to get miles on the bike. I shoot for 2 times per week, so that's ~80 miles of riding.
2) Save gas. However, it's not the economics - I don't pack a lunch when I ride, so the money I save each day (~$6.50) is spent on buying lunch.
3) Great way to lose weight by burning extra calories.
4) Doesn't cut into family time. Got to go to work anyway!!!

Give it a try. Once you do it a couple times, you resolve all the excuses.

Mudslinger - 4/22/07

2007-04-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

I had to skip out on one of the annual campouts with the guys to make it to this years Mudslinger. I've been doing it off and on since highschool, so it's a fun local race.

The race started with a good long uphill on logging roads up to the top. It rained pretty good the day before, so the singletrack downhills were good and slippery. I was finally getting my balance for the slip down after the 1st lap. Started to rain for at the end for a wet finish. 3000 feet of climbing over 22 miles - not a bad Sunday stroll.

My results weren't stellar, but it was fun. My buddy Evan (who I used to ride with) captured 1st place in the PRO division (yes, he is a mountain bike stud).

Here's a photo from the event and the heat-monitor printout (gray peaks are elevation). I'm smiling since I'm finally going downhill!!!!

Hornings Hideout - 3/25/07

2007-03-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a mud-fest. I knew it was going to be alittle sloppy when I drove in and the redneck in front of me had to stop to lock in his hubs to get his truck to the parking lot. That's expected this early in the year.

I got there early to pre-ride the circuit. It wasn't too bad since not many people had rode it yet. Well, that changed quickly after the first lap. Luckily, they reduced the number of laps for all. It took a almost 2 hours to slug out 10 miles. Alot of pushing involved.

Mudslinger is on April 22nd!!!!!!!!

Death Ride and Others 2007

2007-03-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Beware of what you wish. That's what I thought this week when I found out I was one of 2800 lucky souls to participate in the Death Ride.

Well, I was looking for a good goal to set for the season. This should get me motivated when I'm riding that trainer at 5am in the garage during these dark rainy days in Oregon. Here's a link to the course map that I hung on the wall for inspiration: Death Ride Map.

Talking about schedules. Here's the schedule I'm planning for this year.....

3/25/07: Horning's HideOut
4/22/07: MudSlinger MTB
5/5/07: Spring Thaw MTB
5/20/07: Falls City Firecracker MTB
6/10/07: Test of Endurance MTB
6/23/07: Tour De Blast Road
7/14/07: DeathRide Road
8/4/07: 12HRS at Willamette Pass MTB
10/07 to 11/07: CrossCrusade

Should be a good season.

Torque Wrenches

2007-01-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

So, I was installing the cleats on my new Shimano M225 shoes (Christmas present to me) and I did it again - stripped the darn hex screw. I thought I'd learned my lesson from 2 years ago. Added a new tool to the toolset after a trip to the local hardware store: screw extractor.

Anyway, I've been looking for a torque wrench ever since. Well of course the boys at Park Tool have the perfect tool, but you need to spend $80 to get both wrenches for the full range of in-lbs.

I did a google search, for torque wrenches. About 5 places down on the list is: TORK-GRIP, The Ultimate Torque Wrench For The Bicyclist. This link is definitely worth the read. Actually, this guy has quite a few humorous inventions for the cyclist.

Anyway, I chatted with my co-workers for some ideas (these guys have hobbies like machining and reworking old oscilloscopes - yes, we're a bunch of nerds at Tek). The Park Tool beam wrench is only as accurate as your steady hand, so we're thinking the dial-n-click wrench that we use at work. We'll those cost a small fortune at most places.

Well, my buddy knows a good low cost tool store. Yes, it's MIC stuff - made in China, but he says he's been happy with the stuff he's bought. Located in Salem. So, for about $40, I'll be totally set. I'll give them a try and report back.

Small Torque Wrench

Big Torque Wrench

Cold Feet but No Rain

2007-01-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Went for a ride with the Portland Velo folks on Saturday. 28F out, but a least it wasn't raining. Did 38 miles and my feet were FREEZING at the end. Couldn't feel a thing. Which brings up the topic of cold feet.

I actually went to GI Joes on Friday in preparation for this chilly event. However, they SOLD out of foot warmer inserts. Bought some battery heated socks. However, gave up on that idea when I put them on with the D size battery hanging on the side of my calf (didn't think it was the best thing for spinning pedals. So, my feet FROZE on Saturday and it's my new mission.

Today, I went back to GI Joes to return my battery socks. I came across some Little Hotties hand warmers that came with a free toe warmers. It was only $5, so I figured I'd give these toe warmers a try. I'll report back after this weekends ride. Looks like you can buy a case online at their website. Hope they work out!!!!!!!!

Goals for 2007

2006-12-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

In bike riding, I don't think New Year's resolutions are applicable. However, setting goals are very applicable and important. I just finished my last ride of 2006 and the 38 degree weather got me thinking about sunny summer days and things I want to accomplish. So, here are the things I going to committ to. Of course, having a 4 year old will probably throw a monkey wrench into some of this plans, but it's good to have a list to aim for.

Elevation Goal: 150,000 feet in the year. I'll still use my Polar altimeter to track this. I know there are those fancy GPS models, but I'm still happy with my Polar (and getting my $300 worth of good use).
Mountain Biking... A least 3 races this year. I'm planning to focus on this more than the century rides. Alittle competition is good for cross training.
Test of Endurance... Complete the 12 hour solo again (miss last year). In the 2005, this was the hardest and most awesome bike ride I've ever completed.
Death Ride..... I'm going to do it this year. No free trip to Hawaii with Denise, so no more good excuses. Registration opens Jan 1 and they do a lottery selection of 2800 riders on March 1st, so let me know if you to road trip with me and sign up.
RAMROD.... I'll sign up again and hope I get picked. This is an epic NW ride.
Torture 10k... I've skipped this one the past couple years. No more excuses.
TransRockies.... Sign up on November 1st!!! This looks epic - need to do before the big 40.
Cross Racing.... Upgrade to Masters C class and finish in the top 25.

Big Time Cross in Portland - 11/19/06

2006-11-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

The "big dogs" came to Portland for the USGP series final race. The race was out at Hillsboro stadium and the weather was PERFECT for a cross race (rain and ALOT of mud).

I was recovering from a cold I had all week, so no racing for me. However, I couldn't miss a chance to see the big boys and girls ride. My cross buddies Neal and Evan did brave the elements and survived the slug through the mud.

It was amazing how much better these national guys/gals were. They opened up some serious gaps between them and the top riders from Oregon.

Chris Horner (raced in the Tour de France, lives in Bend OR, rides Specialized like me - however, a nicer bike) was there. I actually got to chat with him after he pulled up next to me as I was watching at the start line. He made a point that he was just doing this for "fun". How cool is that!!! Here he is slugging in the mud.

Barry Wicks is a fellow that grew up in Corvallis and is now racing the national mountain bike and cross scene. I chatted with him while he was warming up on the trainer about Cornvalley. I think he likes the sunny weather in CA now ("big time" must be going to his head). His teammate, Ryan Trebon, and him are called the twin towers because they are about 6'-5" and skinny as a rail. They also kicked butt (Ryan won the series).

Here's a article in Velonews about the race (note the hot tub photo - only in PDX - way cool): VeloNews

Way cool awards party afterwards. Congrats to my buddy Evan who placed with the A crew.

Until next September - cheers to CrossCrusade.

Estacada Cross (Cross Crusade #6) - 11/12/06

2006-11-12T15:05:00.001-08:00

Luke and Denise joined me again as I traveled to the fine town of Estacada for the Cross Crusade .

It's kinda off the beaten path, but that's probably a necessary thing for a cross race.

Weather turned out great. The rain and the big predicted storm held back. However, it's been raining the past week, so the course was nice, muddy, and slick.

The course wined through the park. There weren't any hill climbs or steep nasty sections to run up. They set out a section of 4 smaller logs which were great for a bunny hop (took a couple laps to nail down the technique). There was a nasty off-camber turn that required a dismounted run otherwise you'd slide down the hill. Overall, a nice fast muddy "stroll" through the park.

I did have one slippery corner close encounter with the mud. Went in alittle to fast. Luckily, it was a nice soft landing. Did scrape my scabbing knee (that was finally healing from the 1st race). Noticed a couple holes in my favorite $150 bike shorts when I got home - another LESSON LEARNED.

Wow, this photo makes me look really fast. I think it's my favorite.

No "computer enhancement", of course.

Well, this is probably the final cross race for me this year. It's so sad that it's coming to an end. Good thing the Crusade Party next week has free beer and a raffle for free cool stuff - can't miss that.

Spooky Cross (Cross Crusade #4) - 10/29/06

2006-10-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

What a weekend - Beavers beat #3 USC and a great day for Spooky cross. Can't ask for a better weekend. In honor of the Beavs, I made a last minute costume change to Captain Upset. It was a hit for the spectators and it got me $5 off my entry fee. There were some killer costumes out there. I still can't figure out how the girl in the blow up Sumo outfit got over the barriers.

It turned out to be a nice sunny cool morning. The course was great. Reminded me more of a mountain bike course, but you don't ever jump over a COFFIN in a mountain bike race. There were some technical turns in the trees. I kept the speed down in the corners for recovery (learned that one in Hillsboro after 4 crashes). There were a few straight away hill climbs to max out the lungs and pass the slackers.

An extra bonus was FREE beer at the keg stop along the course. I decided to pass during the laps since it was on the dark side. However, it hit the spot after the race was done. I mean, you can't find a better time on a bike than a cyclocross race.

Denise and Luke joined me at the race. They took some great photos below. What a great way to spend a 12th wedding anniversary day (not sure if that's what she had in mind).

Catching the Competition

GIT- R - DONE

My Favorite Fan

Cross Crusade #2 - 10/15/06

2006-10-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect for cross on the 2nd Cross Crusade event. Plenty of rain to slicken up the playing field. No-more sunny summer stroll in the park. It was time to get wet, muddy, and exhausted.

I placed myself to earn a free six-pack of Mac's in the first race (landed on the lucky number 7 with 17th), so I was geared up to perform. Unfortunately, my bike handling skills on the new steed were alittle lacking in prowness. By the 3rd or 4th crash around a muddy slick corner, I realized that a conservative appoarch in the muddy corners would save me time.

Denise and Luke showed up part way through the race. They captured a few photos of the effort shown below.

Some lessons learned....

It takes a lot longer time to crash and recover than to take it slower in the muddy corners/gravel.
I guess it's a good thing when the doc gives you alittle something and says "normally I tell people to suck it up and don't worry about it, but your's is really looking infected". Guess I better shave my legs after all.
The free beer prize sure tastes good later that day.

31st out of ~105 folks in the rookie class. I'll take it.

Putting down the hammer

Negotiating the "six-pack" barriers

Muddy with a big grin

Luke is wondering "what is dad doing?"

Cross Crusade #1 - 10/1/06

2006-10-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

The first cross race of the season was at Alpenrose for the Cross Crusade. http://www.crosscrusade.com/

It was also my first race with the Specialized TriCross bike that I'd been using for commuting this year. Wow, what an improvement over a retro 90s converted moutainbike I used last year. It worked like a champ.

The weather was beautiful (not really appropriate for a true cross race. The course was lots of fun through the Alpenrose area - up some stairs, up the velodrome side, and a lap in the velodrome.

Finished up at 17th in the rookie class. The extra bonus - the lucky number was 7, so I won a six-pack of Macs.

I put together alittle setup in the backyard to get some practice (here's a photo).