Writing Home to Mom

Dear Mom,
Today I did a bike race in Snelling (don't ask me where it's at, cause it's nowhere).

Quick note from the master's battle field, Nathan makes break with Hernandez(Safeway) and Hutchinson(Spine) for a 3 man break and takes second beating out Hutch.

Back in the pack we are covering attacks and doing our best to make sure Safeway and Spine do not bridge a second rider up to Nate's group. That goal was achieved but a second break was formed, I was so close but just couldn't close the last couple of meters and was cooking in the wind riding at exactly the same speed as the break. I had to shut the motor down so that the injector ports could cool and couldn't get the system back on line in time to cover Big Steve's(Morgan Stanley) bridge.

Rode in the pack with our new team mate Alex from Sactown and we put in a fair sprint. Reports from our teammates that raced later in the day said the results showed us as 10th and 11th, Alex in front and me on his coat tales. (with a fair amount of riders seeing The Ride Home in front of them)

AMD/Discovery Masters Team seems to be really solid in the crits, but they were not much of a factor today. Much like their pro counter parts in the Tour of CA. today, they missed the break. Unlike their pro counter parts today, they couldn't bring it back. Maybe they need to watch more TV.

Other than that, not much to write home to Mom about (Dear Mom, today I did a bike race...)

Bike Fight Royale (Snelling)

Looking at the start list for the Masters 1/2/3 and it's shaping up to be a knocked drag out slug fest New York Gang Fight Style on bikes.

We bring our boys, our weapons, and a adrenalin out to some lonely park in the middle of nowhere and go at it like nobody's bidness. I suspect it's going to be wicked fast and an all out blitzkrieg attack from all the big teams.

The Spidey Folk? We got about 10 boys coming out, we have some new playas ready see how they fair among the Masters. We are excited as we have a very well rounded team this year (no, I am not talking about my waist line). We have some really fast sprinters, a couple of climbing Gods, and a couple of boys that can climb and sprint.

My predictions:
If it's windy, nuclear blasts will break up the pack on the first lap with a group of 20ish making it the race.

If the wind is not a factor, then breaks will get off, but it will most likely come down to a field sprint.

For me it's been a fair recovery week after doing a 3 week block of serious overload and sustained effort work. We will see if the legs are dead, or ready to rock.

What kind of Otter?

Is it me, or did these guys shoot themselves in the foot this year?

Let me get this straight:
1. You piss everyone off in 06.
2. You charge and overpriced entry fee.
3. Prizes, considering entry fee, are pretty lame (and they are donated so they don't cut into the revenue).
4. Masters 1/2/3 road events are on a Thursday and Friday meaning I have to burn two vacation days, and it's not a stage race.

Does that pretty much sum it up?

What was the attraction?

Sickening Public Display of Affection

It's Valentine's Day, and I just want to do a post to tell my beautiful, loving, and sexy wife how much I love her and think about her each and every day. It's and incredible life we have, and each day I feel like the richest man in the World thanks to our relationship and future.

Happy Valentines Day to my Wife!

To everyone else, sorry for making you gag. Ha ha.

Paskenta Tickler

No time to do a big report, but here are some highlights.

Fantastic weather. Big Guns O plenty to battle it out with.

Nate was in a 7 man break before Corning accompanied by Gianni doing his best impression of Jens Voigt to make the break stick.

Personal best for me, I made it through the dirt without a hitch and even kicked up a little dust of my own to remind the boys that I play in the dirt once in while.

With Nate off, I was left to do 4 hours of interval workouts and got to practice bridging gaps without pulling the whole pack with me. Shut a lot of attacks down.

Finished in the lead group, we unfortunately caught Nate about 2 K from the finish. He had one hell of an epic ride. He entered the gravel section with 7 other riders, a tandem, and 4 minute gap. He exited the gravel solo and left shrapnel of the breakaway strewn all over the gravel road.

Total non-stop ride time was 4 hours 12 minutes for this 100 mile slug fest.

Equipment:
Vellum Edge Bike
Demo Williams Wheel System 30
350 gram Fatty Fat training tires.
2 spare tubes
Pump
Cell Phone
Money
Credit Card
Drivers License
Too much food

Goin to a Bike Fight

Some call this Sunday Super Bowl Sunday, not sure why, maybe they put a bunch of chips in a giant bowl and mix it with beer or something.

To us bike geeks here in Nor Cal it's known as Paskenta Sunday. A knock down, drag out, play chicken with on coming farm equipment, attack while riders are laying on the ground Bike Fight.

In 05' I marked the winning move, a 5 man group chasing a two man break containing at the time teamy The Thurmanator up the road with Nor Cal cycling legend Elgart keeping him company.

I was feeling great and the dudes in my group were savvy enough not to complain about my non-contribution knowing I had a man up the road. They knew the game and that I was doing the right thing.
I had made it to the dirt/gravel section and we punched it. I was having a blast slipping and sliding in the sand at 25+, but like many, that section claimed my tires. Race over, the truck containing my spare wheels was up the road with Thurman. I had tubes, but you gotta be quick or you are out of the hunt. I finished it up in a mellow pace line group for a good workout and later followed was the best race season in my career.

Last year the conditions were awful, nasty ugly cross winds from hell and a tire with a bulge in it rubbing on my break caliper. So I took the short cut with Snap and got to see Nate Dawg ride everyone off his wheel.

This year? Who knows? But the weather forecast is for 70+ and I hear rumor that Team Spleen will be out in force. Good fun!

Living in the Red Zone

Feeling MUCH better now, and mostly I just wanted to update the blog so that it does not look like I am on my death bed.

Quite the contrary. The health is back and this week I have transitioned my training to learn to be comfortable in the red zone.

Tuesday: Back to the old 3 minute intervals HR 185. Unless of course Joseph Mendes decides to bridge up to me when I am supposed to start my recovery interval. "OK, I guess I'll do a 10 minute interval instead of 3 and launch JM on the climb."

Last interval my 3 minute plan was foiled again. I launched out of the group to start my suffering and built up a bit of a gap. As I sat up at the end of the 3 minutes I realized the group had really let me roll away. 40 seconds into the recovery phase with the full intention to just let the group catch me a big rig rolls by and I find myself in dead air and only Kilo and half from the sprint sign. So I cranked it up again to hold the group off.

Finished off the day with a leadout practice at final sprint point. My sprinter took it easily and I coasted in for second.

Wednesday: Flying solo and a repeat of the 3 minutes on 5 minutes recovery intervals. 1 set of 5 and on the third I felt like I was going to puke.

Re-learning to live in the red is brutal!

Can't I just be a wheel sucking sprinter?

Please!?

I promise to pull really hard at the end.

If you pull me around I promise to exert as much energy in the last 200 meters as you did cumulatively the whole race, you won't have to pull through at all.

Deal?