Posts Tagged ‘John James’

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What a relief!

Friday, July 10th, 2009

When I left the office and headed home to get ready for the Thursday ride, I was feeling pretty apprehensive and yet excited.  Excited because I was going to get to ride after being off the bike for two days and apprehensive because I wasn’t sure how my shoulder would react to the effort.  The ride would tell the story.

I stopped into Sunshine Cycle Shop to pick up my new helmet before heading out. Steve Baker came in while I was there to interview John James for a story he is putting together for GO Magazine.  I won’t give away his subject, but I’m pretty excited to read it when it comes out.

When I brought my bike up to the group, I was happy to see there were a number of riders there.  It was a good group of regulars.  It was good to see Rob back out.  Anthony was also there.  Speaking of Anthony, turns out he was the Barley’s rider that was telling me to pull through at the last Donaldson Center ride I rode.

We pulled out and I was feeling pretty good.  I had rubbed my shoulder down with some Biofreeze and it felt downright normal.  Word was we were going to go on the Hour of Power route.  That sounded good because there would be less climbing.  Then I heard that we would be tacking Paris Mountain onto the end of it!

The first test of my shoulder would be the Meece Bridge Road sprint.  As we approached the attack zone, John moved over and Anthony moved to the front.  I moved onto his wheel.  It was pretty much he and I as we neared the rise that starts the run in to the finish.  He shifted to gain more speed and I shifted two and jumped.  He let me go.

Then it was time for a little climb.  This would put a different strain on my shoulder as I would climb the quarry road.  I let the group go on ahead.  My plan was just to ride up steady at my own pace.  I had already told John that I wasn’t going to go for it.  He would have to fly the POA banner on this one.

Well, what do you know.  By the time we reached the false flat I was sitting on the wheel of Art who was in the lead at that point.  I just kept tapping out my cadence and moved to the front.  There was no doubt that John was back there and soon he would be coming around to take over.   My plan was just to keep spinning and keep the force in my legs and avoid pulling on the bars. Sure enough, John came around and took the finish.

Now I was toast. To say my legs felt like Jello wouldn’t be a good description.  Do you remember Stretch Armstrong – those dolls that you could stretch for unnatural distances?  Well, that is what my legs felt like – gooey but hard.  It didn’t help that Bob and I got caught at an intersection and had to chase back to the group just before we turned to go up Altamont Road.

Again the rest of the guys started up ahead of me.  I was about 30 seconds behind because I got caught up in some traffic at an intersection.  I figured some of the riders would come back to me, but there were several I knew I wouldn’t see again until the top.  Anthony had gone home, so I knew he wasn’t ahead.

Passing several riders I came up on Bob and Tyler.  I was surprised that I caught Bob just before the halfway point.  However, I couldn’t get past them.  They sped up a bit and I slowed some.  We continued this way for some time.

It was on this climb that the ache in my shoulder became more noticeable.  It was probably because my body was just getting tired.  I was also rocking on the bike a bit more causing me to pull on the bars.  It is a good training mechanism to cause me to focus on using my legs more instead of burning energy in the rest of my body.

This post is getting long enough.  There were lots of other things that I could write about – like the time Bob and I went into an unfamiliar corner way too hot and nearly came to grief together.  There was the race between Tyler and I to see who would be back to the shop first.  There were plenty of little odds and ends that make these rides so much fun.

I just hope that this time McPain will read this before Gunny calls him.

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Talking Trash

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Trash talking can be fun.  It always reaches that point where it gets old and you hope everyone has the maturity to just shut up before it gets on everyone’s nerves.  However, at this point, trash talking with Tyler Crotts has not reached that point.  It is even better when the talk leads to some fun competition on the road.  It can spice up an otherwise routine ride.

Tyler is a freshman at Brevard College.  He is a member of their cycling team (not a bad crew in mountain biking).  Most recently he is known as one of the newest members of the Sunshine Cycle Shop staff.

I don’t know why I started ribbing him.  I guess some of it is because everyone else at the shop was doing it.  On top of that, he gives as good as he gets and does it with a smile.

After showing up for a ride Thursday evening to find no one there to ride with, it was nice to pull up to the Sunshine Cycle Shop parking lot and find a good crowd of riders ready to roll out.  There were several riders I did not know well – or at all.  Molly was the lone lady in the group – a rose among thorns.

I knew that before the ride was over there would be some fireworks sparked by the trash talk.  It would be welcome since the group seemed quieter than normal.  We all just needed to warm up first.

I was feeling pretty melancholy at the start so I led us out from the shop.  The point was my position until we reached Rutherford Road.  At that point, I slid back a bit to socialize some with the group.  The melancholy was passing.

We headed up Tanner to Reid School Road and then a quick dive over to Stallings Road.  As we were riding along this extension, I heard Art say, “Cop!”  I didn’t turn to look for myself, but as I made my right turn onto Stallings, I pulled over.  My mind was trying to figure out what we had done wrong that would get us pulled over.

I heard the engine pulling up behind me.  I decided that if the police asked me any questions, I would point them to John, our ride leader.  Hey, that’s his job, right?

Turns out it wasn’t a police car at all.  It was a wrecker truck!  The lights were flashing and I guess the lights made it look like a police car from a distance in Art’s little rearview mirror.

With that bit of excitement over, we headed toward our rendezvous with Meece Bridge Road.  This is a favorite sprint point.  However, most riders know it by another name.

When I first started the ride, I thought they were calling it the “Peach Tree” sprint.  I never did see a peach tree though.  There was a magnolia type tree with low branches at the conclusion of the zone where riders would often take a nature break.  Ahhhhhh, now I understand… they weren’t saying “peach.”

My hope was that I could get a pull going that would bring Tyler up behind me.  I would stretch it out and then either attack when he attempted to come around me, or wear him down and let John finish him off at the line.

Things were going as planned though I admit I was about ready for the pull to end.  I could see Tyler’s wheel just behind my own.  I knew he would sit there until the last second.  The finish was coming up and I decided to try and get a jump on him.

I stood and attacked.  Tyler responded.  I was spinning for all I was worth.  Tyler pulled even.  I tried to get a little more.  Tyler passed me.  I felt like I was sitting still!  Tyler left me.  I looked down to see I had only put out 800 watts.

As he took his blue Giant over the finish, I looked down at my feet.  Well, that explains it!  I had been riding in my 39 ring the whole time.  I had forgotten to shift out of it during the climb up to the attack zone.

My confidence returning, I waited to redeem myself on the quarry road sprint.  Tyler had a bit of a lead heading up to the base of the climb.  John and I were riding side-by-side at that point.

“Let’s crush him,” I said to John.  “I’ll pull you and wear him down and then you finish him off.”  “No,” he replied.  “I’ll pull you and you finish him off.”  We both knew the work would be at the finish.

About that time John Davidson came by us and said, “I’ll give you guys a pull to get you started.”  So, I jumped in behind him and then John came around and we entered the climb in that order.  There was Tyler and one other rider ahead of us.

I was in my big ring and I didn’t even shift out of it.  As I came around Tyler I thought I heard him say something like, “You’ve got it.”  I forgot to ask later if he indeed conceded the sprint, but based on our finish I imagine he did.

The attack felt great!  I was going over 20 mph up the climb in that first section.  The effort didn’t hit my legs until just before the false flat.  If my legs would just get me over the rise, there was no way anyone was going to get me.

As I neared the tree line that means there is only about 150 meters to go, I looked back.  I saw a lone rider at least 150 meters behind me.  It was Bob.  Farther back behind him were a number of riders.  All I had to do was keep my cushion and this sprint would be mine!

Nobody tried anything until we reached the State Park entrance sprint.  Actually, I was the one that lead the group out.  It is so fun to have a line of bikes pacing along at over 30 mph as we head toward the dip in the road near the dam.

From behind, I heard John tell me to pull off.  He went flying past me with Tyler right on his wheel.  There was a small gap behind him to the next rider, but I couldn’t fill it fast enough.  As we neared the climb up to the entrance, John and Tyler had a gap with a couple of riders between us.

I almost gave it to them, but I simply couldn’t let Tyler get there first – not today!  So, I sucked it up and went after them.  I think the gap worked in my favor.  Both riders eased up a bit and appeared to be measuring each other.  It gave me the element of surprise and with my momentum; I came around both of them with not enough time for them to react.  Sweet!

After suffering up Oak Leaf, I really felt that Nature Trail was not in the cards for me.  However, by the time we reached base of that final climb of the day, I started feeling better.  Once again I stayed in the big ring.  If I could just get the momentum going, I could make good time.

Bob took off and got a good-sized gap on us all.  I slipped in behind John and Tyler.  The plan was to stay and attack Tyler when the time felt right.  The problem was, being in a bigger gear; I couldn’t go as slow as they were.  To keep my momentum, I had to come around them.

Once again I felt the bike start getting faster and faster beneath me.  Turning the big gear felt easier because it was as though I was on a fixie.  The pedal motion kept building with each stroke.

Looking back between my legs I could see a wheel.  I assumed it was Tyler.  I kept going in hopes of riding him off.  My next glance back showed empty asphalt.  Now, I just needed to catch Bob.

Yes!  Nature Trail was mine.  The point being, it wasn’t Tyler’s.  Of course, that didn’t stop the trash talk.  Really, Tyler might have a point.  It is one thing to finish first in a race.  It is another one to finish first on a shop ride.

Wait a minute.  It is true that Tyler finished in front of me during the last Blair Cup.  However, I finished in front of him in the first one.  Hmmmm, that means we are tied.  Guess that means the trash talking (and the fun) will continue until June 25th when we face off again in a points race.

The quarry road sprint gave me my highest one-minute peak wattage at 625 watts.  That put that bar on my power profile over the cat 3 line!  One more bar to raise and I’ll have the goal of getting all of them over the line.

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Remember the joy of “just riding”

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

I have a confession to make.  My bike sat in the basement from Monday to this Saturday morning.  Actually, I didn’t even know where it was.  Was it in the basement or was it still in the back of the Suburban?

Thankfully the beautiful redhead was watching out for me and had moved the bike out of the truck to its spot downstairs.  I crawled out of bed with just enough time to wake up a bit and then go look at the Giant that was waiting for me in the darkness of the unfinished portion of basement.

It was unchanged.  I looked at it for a bit.  Did I really want to go out there?  Unlike a dog, the bike couldn’t wag its tail and act excited.  The desire to get back on that thing had to come from within me.  I’d like to say that at that moment the desire washed over me.  Nope.  What made me get on the bike was the realization that the guys were going to be waiting for me and I would soon be late.

My Saturday morning ride

My Saturday morning ride

It was the Sunshine Cycle Shop’s Hour of Power ride that I was leaving for.  Almost immediately after getting in the group I started to feel better.  Group riding isn’t just about how “I” feel – it is really like an organism.  Sometimes you can receive strength and encouragement from those around you.  Yes, on the flip side, it can also be a drain.  However, with these guys it is always good.

There is plenty of time for socializing as we ride easy during the “neutral” sections.  However, as we neared the first sprint of the day, John talked to Luis and me about the upcoming effort.  “Let’s do this like a race.  One of us go for it and the others cover any moves that come.”  Tony was nearby and I got the impression he figured something was up with those POA kits grouping together like that.

Sure enough he went uncharacteristically early.  Luis went with him.  “Oh good,” I thought.  “I don’t have to work on this one.”  John and I sat back to let Luis go man-on-man with Tony.  Just for good measure I did a short sprint to see how the legs would do.  Hmmmmm, not bad – at less than 100% I put out 1100+ watts.

Tony held off Luis at that point.  I determined he wasn’t going to get the next one.  That one would be the quarry road.  We made the left turn out of a pace line and then headed toward the base of the climb.  Bryant had taken the lead so he could get a head start up the climb.  I drafted off of him – he just never ceases to amaze me.

As the road kicked up, Web moved to the front and I sat on his wheel.  Earlier I told John I would try to stretch out the field and let him conserve for a final sprint at the top.  However, I had enough of a lead that as I went around a right hand bend that would obscure me from their view, I attacked in hopes that I could get a lead before they realized what happened.

Sure enough as I topped the false flat and made the left hand turn toward the uphill finish, I could not see anyone behind me.  I eased up to rest.  My heart rate was knocking on 180 bpm at this point and there was no need to make things worse.

I looked back again and here they came with Tony at the lead.  I picked up the pace just slightly.  There was a full on field sprint coming behind me!  I tried to time it so that I could go as slow as I could and still make it before the group.  As I was passing the finish, John came out of nowhere to take second.

The State Park finish was fun as usual.  Tony and I had another battle on that one.  It was one of the funnest of the day for me as it was neck and neck to the finish.  Mt. Mitchell hadn’t taken the kick out of my legs and I was able to barely hold Tony off.

Nature Trail has always been a climb I hate.  However, I’m finding that it is coming to me.  I started near the end of the group today and still managed to work my way up to finish 1-2-3 with John and Luis.  I’m starting to enjoy that little stretch of road.

At the top most of the guys headed toward the shop, but John and I headed toward Paris Mountain.  He was on his way home and I was enjoying riding so much that I didn’t want to call it a day quite yet.  We talked as we climbed Altamont and then separated as we neared his home on the way to Travelers Rest.

I went on to TR and stopped at Leopard Forest Coffee Shop.  It was nice to sit for a bit with a muffin and coffee checking my Twitter and e-mail (have I mentioned that I am LOVING my new iPhone?) before heading back home.

I hopped on the Swamp Rabbit Trail right there and started home.  I wanted to see how far I could go.  The trail went quite a ways out of TR, through the back of the Furman campus, and then finally to section where they said not to enter.

At that point I wasn’t sure where I was.  I turned in the general direction of Greenville and started pedaling.  This led me to Berea.  Things seemed a little more familiar as I continued until I got to Highway 25.  This was a section of Greenville I don’t frequent every often.

At long last I came upon a sign telling me that Greenville was only 3 miles away if I would just take a turn.  Otherwise, I would end up in Easley.  I made the turn and after a solid 3 hours on the bike I arrived at home after 53 miles.  I didn’t see that coming while I was looking at the Giant in the basement this morning!

Sometimes it just pays to get on your bike and ride.  No big event.  No big goal to train for.  Just ride.

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Those Hour of Power rides can be so much fun

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

I had three pretty hard days of riding Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Thursday was a very tough POA Cycling Summer Series crit.  Friday was an unplanned 2+ hour ride that included a 12 minute push up Paris Mountain in 90+ degree heat.  Then I got up early on Saturday to do the Hour of Power.

Probably most riders from Greenville were in Athens for the racing or participating in the Meal for Wheels ride.  However, there were ten of us on hand for the 8 AM ride.  We rolled out for a fun morning.

I won’t spend too much time on all the action.  There were three instances that added a little more fun to the morning.  Let’s get started on Meece Bridge Road.

We were stretching things out a bit on the road.  Bob Rentz was leading the pack as we started the climb to the sprint zone.  I was sitting on his wheel when I saw Ed Buffington come up beside Bob to say something.  Then Bob slowed just a bit, but not too much.

Then Tony Warmuth came by and the sprint was on.  Bob jumped on his wheel and I stayed where I was.  We continued until we neared the traditional spot where someone tries to close the deal.  I decided to get a jump and took off a little early.

I pushed pretty hard and then looked to see if there was anyone on my wheel.  No wheel.  No shadow.  No rider.  I twisted to get a better view.  There was no one there!  I had killed myself and no one reacted to even make it interesting!

I wondered if this meant that the morning would be just a social ride – which is just fine – it is just that normally that isn’t the case.  We always regroup for slower riders, but typically it is all on during the sprint zones.  Socialize during the neutral zones.  Kill each other in the attack zones.

We pulled up to the stop sign to regroup and Tony had to head to work.  Ed left us at that point as well.  I learned that what he had told Bob was to slow because he was breaking up the field.  Well, that broke it up.

Now there were eight of us.  We rode on together talking and recovering from the move.  We were getting closer to the quarry road.  It all started in a pace line.

We neared the turn that would take us to the climb.  Randy Hutchison, John James, Rob Crouch, and I were on the front at this point.  Randy and Rob went ahead while John and I followed at a little slower pace.

I decided to turn this into a team deal.  My plan was to hold a steady pace knowing that we would probably catch Randy and Rob on the start of the climb.  Then when we reached the climb I would lay down a steady hurting while John sat back for the final move.

It was one of the most fun points of the day because it worked to perfection.  I just kept tapping out the cadence.  We passed Randy and Rob and then there were just a couple of riders on my wheel.  I could look under my arm and see the wheel inches from mine.

I picked up the pace some more.  I started to hear labored breathing.  Then I saw John going around me.  I kept my pace.  Still the wheel was there inches away.  John was going up the road.  I had the urge to drop the rider on my wheel and took off after John.

It wasn’t my intention to try to beat him.  I wouldn’t have been able to anyway.  However, he slowed and I did catch up to him as we neared the line.  He reached his hand back to do a track sling, but I didn’t have the strength to get a good hold on his hand.  I crossed the line just behind.

John returned the favor on the Paris Mountain State Park sprint.  We were chasing down Randy who had launched the attack.  John pulled me past him.  Then he pulled off.  I was now on point with a good amount of the sprint left.  I didn’t like that.

I eased my pace just slightly so that hopefully a rider or two would come past me.  Here came John and Randy.  I jumped in behind them as we raced toward the bottom of the dam.  Then when we hit the climb, John attacked.  I followed him up.  I saw him look back and then say, “You’ve got it.”  I left him and churned up the climb.  “Keep going,” I heard John say behind me.  I picked it up a bit and reached the top first.

I’ve been doing Hour of Power for years.  This was the first one since I joined the POA Cycling Team. Back when I first started, I never dreamed that I would be doing stuff like this.  I really never thought I would be racing on the same team as John – who is someone I looked up to as a rider since the beginning.  It was really cool to have those two POA Cycling kits crossing the line on twin Giant TCR Advanced road machines.

Maybe someday we’ll be able to do that when it really counts.  However, the more I think about it, that IS when it really counts.  When you are out riding with friends and having these good natured competitions there is something you don’t get in a structured race.

Oh, I finally met John Davidson who, it turns out, lives about four blocks from me.  We rode back home together from Sunshine Cycle Shop.  Good guy.  I appreciate what he does for the Donaldson Center C ride.

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Sometimes you just need a Giant carrot

Friday, April 17th, 2009

First things first.  You’ll notice the sponsor section over to the right – on the main page.  I’m trying to line up some sponsors for the blog and I’m glad to say that Quarq is the first on board.  Obviously, I’m looking for sponsors who have products I use and believe in.  Quarq falls in the category.  Thanks Jim and Mieke!

Now for the ride. I sent a text message to John James early in the day.  We had been getting together to do some riding and Thursday evening was supposed to be the next opportunity.  He responded with “I’m riding easy.”  I was hoping he would say that.  A hard ride on Tuesday and Wednesday had me tired.

When I showed up I found that Bob Rentz was there.  Now things were getting to be like old times.  Mike and Art had ridden the night before so a reunion wouldn’t be complete.  Matt – Turner, that is – was there as was Anthony and Rob.  The only guy along for the ride that I hadn’t ridden with before was James Barker, the regional sales representative for Giant.

We rolled out and indeed it was a nice leisurely ride for the most part.  For the first hour we averaged 161 watts.  The only excitement during that hour was nearly having the whole group taken out by a family with a bassett hound in the middle of the road.

We came around a curve and there they were.  The poor dog didn’t even move.  I did my best to keep from taking down both Matt and myself when my wheel got caught between his wheel and deraileur.

The only other dog issue came when a little wiener dog came flying out in the road to eat me up.  I had been lulled to a false sense of safety because most of the homes in that area had hidden fencing.  So, as I saw the little runt heading across the grass toward us, I figured he would stop.  No.  He kept coming.  My fear wasn’t that he would bite me.  I was afraid he would get that pointed nose stuck in my spokes!

Then it was time to climb Altamont.  I started up behind Matt and James.  This would be James’ first attempt up the climb.  I was curious to see how he would do.

Matt eased up some and then Anthony came to join us.  Before long it was just James, Anthony, and myself.  At the halfway point, Anthony backed off and I was left to hang onto James’ wheel.

He didn’t look in trouble at all.  He was just holding a steady cadence.  I started getting into difficulty.  This was not supposed to be a night for an effort.  With about a third to go, I eased up just slightly and just focused on my own pace.

I figured the one thing I had going for me was that James had not climbed this road before.  He had never encountered “The Wall.”  I decided to recover a bit and see where he was in front of me when we were both on that stretch.

When I entered the straight, I could see him about halfway up.  I dropped my gear about three rings and stood on it to see if I could at least come up close behind him.  As I reached the halfway point, I looked up to see him in trouble.  Ah! There was a chance!

I started huffing and puffing to get around him and passed him in the last 30 to 50 meters.  I rolled across the KOM line in 12 minutes and 12 seconds – just 7 seconds off of my personal best.  My Quarq CinQo was telling me I had put out an average of 304 watts for the 12 minute climb.  Mr. Barker was a very good carrot!

I figure he came across no more that 15 seconds later.  So, his first ever attempt of Altamont was around 12 minutes and 30 seconds.  I guarantee that his second time would be better.  Matt put in a 13:12 effort – a personal best for the big man.

Of course, we still had to go down.  Anthony took off to claim that prize.  Matt and I took off after him.  Sure enough, James was right on our tail.

Matt had his best climb ever up the mountain, but when he is along on a ride I figure the downhill portion belongs to him.  He and Anthony were tearing it up and I was just along for the ride.  I’m still a little fearful after my broken finger incident so I was not taking some of the turns as hot as they.  I slowed James down a bit.

As we came off the mountain it was Matt in front with Anthony, myself, and James finishing up the train.  I tried to get some momentum to come out of the draft, but the two guys in front were just too strong to get around.

The best part?  I feel great!  This weekend is the State Criterium Championships and I’ll be joining my teammates to see how we can do.  I’ll admit that this is not my favorite style of racing, but maybe if I just do it some more I’ll get used to it.

All I know is that we have some awesome bikes to ride on out there.  Thanks, James!

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It was like an evening time one day classic

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Last night I managed to get out on a group ride. Wednesday was a short spin for me, but that was the first time back on the bike since Sunday afternoon. It has been even longer since I had ridden in a group.

This was just an unofficial ride with some friends. Eight of us headed off toward the base of Paris Mountain and over near Travelers Rest. We would turn around out there and then head up Paris and then back home.

John James was out of the blocks fast. Matt Tebbetts, Matt Turner, and I were hanging on. Before long, we were away from the other riders.

Understand, this is not a No Man Left Behind kind of ride. It varies in purpose. Sometimes in the past it has been a conserve and then see if each member of the group can get his personal best up Paris. At other times it is simply a hammerfest to see how many riders are left at the end.

This ride was one of the later. Turns out John was working to keep his average power for the ride over 250 watts. Several times I looked down and saw numbers of 300 to 400. On one section where John and I were pulling up the road together I saw sustained wattage of over 500.

The four of us went looping through some roads between Furman and TR. On the way back, we turned onto the Swamp Rabbit trail and did some rough riding in honor of the classic going on over in Belgium. That was a lot of fun.

As we flew along the road we had John, Matt Tebbetts, and I in POA Cycling kits. Matt Turner was the odd man out with Les Amis colors. John slid back to me once and said, “I feel like we are away off the front in some one day classic.” If so, Mr. Turner was in trouble. Actually, he was riding very well and had put a hurting on me during a couple of pulls.

As we neared the base of Paris for the climb up, we saw Mike, Art, and Blair going toward Altamont on the Frontage Road. By the time we got there, they had already turned up for the climb. Too soon it was going to be our time to follow them.

I knew there would be no personal best for me tonight. My hope was that I could just make it to the top without the other riders creating to big of a gap on me. As soon as we turned up I knew that was going to be tough.

Before long it was just a line of red going up the climb as Tebbetts, John, and I got around Mike and Blair. Art was no where to be seen. I didn’t expect that we would catch him before the top.

Tebbetts kept talking about how he would see us at the top. I was jokingly accusing him of sandbagging. I know he wasn’t. The issue is that he just can’t stand not being with the leading group. He was going to work to stay there regardless of how he felt.

John and I were starting to get put into trouble as Matt just kept tapping out a steady cadence. Then John eased up a little to recover some energy. Then he moved to the front and created a gap between the other two of us.

When we got to the wall, I was behind the other two guys. I could see both guys ahead of me. John was going to get to the top first. Matt had a pretty good gap on me as well. Perhaps if he slowed I could catch him before the top.

I shifted to a slightly harder gear and slogged along after them. Matt beat me to the top, but I had gained on him enough to cross the line close to his rear wheel. Still, it was a bad night with a time of 13 minutes.

After waiting for Turner to join us at the top, we started down the other side. Now the group was larger with Mike, Blair, and Art joining us for the ride down. Blair and John took to lead. The rest of us followed.

Blair then went way off the front. I could tell that most of the riders decided that we were not going to allow him to make it to the bottom first. Turner moved up and started pulling us through the rolling sections. By the time we reached the downhill portion, he had brought us even with Blair.

There were several attacks before the final turns, but then it was just Blair on the front with me right on his wheel. I sat there and let his draft suck me down the road. No need to work here. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment to go around him.

We made a right turn and then started into the final left sweeping turn. I slipped out of his draft and put the hammer down. My bike went by him with ease. It is amazing what the draft can do for you. I came through the final right turn onto the straight with lots of speed.

I’m sure I was hitting close to 50 mph at that point. My WKO+ says I registered 71.8 mph as my max speed. Obviously, the satellites got mixed up on that one! Looking back at my Garmin I see that it registered a top speed of 50.18.  Hmmm, I wonder what makes the big discrepancy?

There was one little sprint to close out the night. Once again I got in Blair’s draft and nipped him at the line. Then John came flying pass me saying as he passed, “I’m not trying to be a pill, I’m just trying to keep my power average high for the ride.” I took a breath and jumped on his wheel.

We finished together and had amazingly similar power averages. He uses a Powertap and I use a Quarq CinQo coupled with the Garmin 705. He is about 5 pounds lighter than I am, but was putting out more at some points. Had we switched power systems, I believe the results would have been the same.

That was a big effort. It was easily harder than any Donaldson Center ride I have been on this year. Come to think of it, that was probably the most effort I have put out in an hour and a half for a long, long time. You know what? It was a blast!

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Posted in Rides | 2 Comments »

Just what the doctor ordered

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

I was wrong.  Last evening’s ride turned out to be great!  I didn’t even have that “I’m about to explode” feeling on the second lap.  I guess being a cyclist isn’t all bad.

This time I made it out to Donaldson Center with time to spare.  Everything was in order on my bike – I was sporting my new Quarq CinQo Saturn power meter.  I even had time to ride out on the course a bit before heading to the start to hand over my 5 bucks and get in line.

We rolled out and I counted at least 8 POA Cycling teammates in the group.  Actually, I believe it was nine.  It was good to see the spidey suits out in force.

I dropped immediately toward the back.  I had no idea how my body was going to respond to the effort.  Thankfully, on that first lap, though there was a group that went off the front, things went easily and everyone spun along to loosen up.

Even the second lap continued to be relatively laid back.  The speed did increase overall, but there weren’t any attacks that had me trying to hang on for dear life with my tongue hanging out.  I was proud of myself for staying about mid-pack to near the rear.  I made an effort to try to work as little as possible.

Coming into the third lap I began to pay more attention to my teammates and tried to stay in contact with at least one of them at any given time.  Since John has always been my “unofficial” coach, I kept an eye on him and basically mimicked what he did.  That was the best way I knew not to have him tell me I did something stupid during the ride.

The fourth lap arrived and I was feeling amazingly good.  It was time to start moving closer to the front – but not too close.  It was not time to start being a hero.  There were still 14 miles to go.

Then it arrived… the fifth lap.  A gap formed almost immediately.  I couldn’t tell exactly who from my team was around.  I thought we had one guy up in the break, but I wasn’t sure.  Louis and I moved toward the front and we tried to figure out how we were placed.

If we did have someone up in the break, I wasn’t in a big hurry to go after them.  They would have a better chance without the group swallowing them up.  Then I saw the rider I figured was out there coming back to us and looking over his shoulder waiting for the group to join him.

As we were going up the climb before the golf course, John really turned up the wick and I followed.  Before I knew it, I was on the front of the chase group.  I sensed I was on the point and people were happy to let me be there.  That wasn’t what I wanted.  I peeled off and sat up to let someone else come to the front.

Then I came up beside Randy and told him, “I’ll be glad to try to go all out and pull you to the break and then drop off.”  I knew if I did it, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the group.  However, I also knew we had no rider up there and Randy could give them a run for their money if I could just deliver him there with fresh enough legs.

Randy responded (sounding rather doubtful), “You can give it a try.”  So, I started up the remainder of the climb with Randy in tow.  This is when I wondered what the week off the bike would do to me.  I was either going to be really fresh and able to pull or I was going to be really weak and croak.

As I climbed toward the turn where the “club house” is two Barley riders came flying past me.  My first thought was that they were wanting to chase as well.  So, I got on one of the riders’ wheel.  He certainly didn’t keep up the pace he had when he passed me.  That should have been a sign.

Both riders kept a reasonable pace, but I wouldn’t call it a chase pace.  From behind I heard Randy say, “Move around these guys.”  I realized too late (rookie mistake) that those guys weren’t chasing.  Most likely they had a guy in the break and they were covering Randy and me.

So, I went around and started to hammer it.  Of course, by this time the entire peloton became the chase group.  Here I was once again asking myself, “What are you doing?”  This was not the plan for the evening!

Just as we reached the bottom of a downhill before starting up another roller, I knew I had to get out of the way or I was going to get run over.  I was out of juice.  As I moved to the left, I saw Randy continue forward.  I felt really awful that I was dumping him right at the bottom of a climb with him pulling the entire field!

As I hugged the yellow line, I kept waiting to see POA riders go by me.  Ah, there went a couple.  Hopefully, they would be able to get up there and help Randy out a bit.  Me?  I had shot my wad.  I did recover enough to jump on the back of the field for a bit, but I started to yo-yo and finally decided to just let them go.

The best part of the night was when I was unloading my bike from the car.  My legs felt sooooo good.  It was that comfortable soreness that comes from a good workout – tiredness that tells you you are going to sleep like a rock!

All those negative feelings from earlier in the day?

What negative thoughts?

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Posted in Racing | 3 Comments »

Okay, that just looked weird

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

I headed out to Donaldson Center a little late.  The bike came out of the car in a rush.  The helmet got slapped on my head and the shoes on my feet.  The tires were just going to have to make the ride on the air I had put in the night before.  I DID NOT want to get left behind by the A group.

The group was just finishing up listening to the announcements as I pulled my bike up to the front.  After having a few seconds to say hello to some of the riders around me, we heard that wonderful sound of “click. click. click.” as riders mounted their bikes for a fun 35 mile ride around Perimeter Road.  The weather was beautiful and the group was large.

There was a good contingent of POA Cycling riders in the group and as we began the ride we took some time to catch up a bit.  This was great, but I was a little uncomfortable.  It wasn’t because of the guys.  It was because of the bike.

This was only the second ride on the road for me and the Giant TCR Advanced.  My muscle memory was still treating this new bike like the Specialized Tarmac Pro.  With the Tarmac, my movements could be rather abrupt and the reaction of the bike would soften my actions.

With the TCR each movement would cause a quick reaction.  Now, that isn’t a bad thing — it is a good thing.  The only problem is I needed to learn this new bike and riding in tight formation is not a comfortable thing when you are unfamiliar with the sted you are astride!  I didn’t want to take out my teammates!

I drifted to the back to avoid being a danger to anyone and stayed there for about a lap and a half until I started to not think about how the bike felt and movements became more of a second nature.  By the end of the second lap, I wasn’t thinking about the bike anymore.

Well, except for one thing.  I had ridden the first lap in the small ring.  When I moved up to the big ring I started having all kinds of trouble with the chain slipping.  My cables must have stretched and shifting was a mess!

On the second and third lap I was fighting the gearing.  I would shift for climbing and could not get power because the chain kept slipping.  The group would gap me and then I would have to work to catch back on.  Finally, I found that if I rode the big ring and stayed in about three of my smaller rear gears, I could avoid the slippage.

Going into the fourth lap, I was feeling pretty good.  As we came by the golf course and started up the next climb, I noticed an attack.  I moved to cover it because it was a rather large group and I did not want them to get away.  For a bit I dangled near the rear just to look back and see I had the main field right behind me.

At this point I realized that the next lap was going to see a pick up in speed.  If I was in the same state I was in at this point, I was going to get killed.  So, I eased up and moved over to let the field come by.  I figured I could recover a bit and then work my way back to the front.

A little over half the field came by when John James passed me and said, “Stay up here.”  I was feeling better by this point, so I moved back into the group and decided to work my way back up to John.  By the time we reached the fire station, I was able to tap John’s back to let him know I was there.

The bad news at that point was that while my lungs and quads were feeling good, my right calve muscle was twitching on that final climb.  I was able to spin through it and as we passed the start finish line, I was thinking things were looking good.  Maybe my first Donaldson Center ride of the year would be a good one!

As we made the first turn after the start finish line, I heard John say, “Let’s go!”  He took off and I just hung onto his wheel.  By the time we reached the golf course we had reached the front of the field.  Hey!  If I could just be smart here, I would have a really good finish!

Just about that time the cramp returned.  This time with a vegence!  As we made the sweeping left hander by the golf course, my calve just pretty much locked up.  I couldn’t spin out of it.  My ankle wouldn’t bend!  I motioned that I was moving to the right and unclipped so I could try to shake it out.

The entire field moved past me.  I tried to catch back on up the climb and into the next right turn.  It was no use.  I was right on the edge of another one of those cramps.  Then the same thing started on the left leg.  It was weird!  I could look down at my leg and actually see the cramp “rolling” up my calve muscles.

I just had to get out of this big ring!  I dropped the chain once, but was able to pull it back on without stopping.  I did my best to keep from locking up the muscles again and by the time I reached the railroad track, I was putting out about 280 watts again.  Still, all the way to the car, I could feel that “just about to seize” feeling.

Overall, it was a good ride.  I checked my numbers and the ride at Donaldson Center took more work than my 4th place finish at River Falls earlier this month!  If I can hang out around the front of the pack going around Donaldson this year, I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble being there at the end of a Category 4 race.

My take aways? 1) I have simply got to hydrate more leading up to the ride.  Sure, drinking during the ride is good, but I need to have it in my system as well. 2) Patience.  It was obvious that I pretty much could have conserved a lot of energy and still been there at the end.  The fact that John pulled me all the way to the front from near the back proves that.  That move to bridge the gap was actually a stupid one.

On the positive side, I ended up feeling very comfortable and happy with the handling of the bike.  I just need to have a tune-up — which is to be expected.  I also worked through those times when it feels like you are going to explode and then you come out on the other side feeling ready to take on the world.  Without the cramp I was in a very good position for a front of the pack finish.

Maybe next time.

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Posted in Racing, Rides | 1 Comment »

First date and I’m in love

Friday, March 13th, 2009

As I watched John turn the wrench to loosen the heart of my Tarmac I felt a tinge of guilt for the action I was about to take. My Specialized Tarmac Pro had been a wonderful friend. We had climbed Mount Mitchell together and crossed the finish line as winners for the first time. Now another would take its place.

Enter the new Giant TCR Advanced. It arrived just yesterday and I got the call to bring my Tarmac to the shop so I could switch out the crank and wheels. The crank had to go with me because it houses my Quarq CinQo power meter. The wheels were my better ones so I wanted those on there for my first ride.

2009 Giant TCR Advanced

2009 Giant TCR Advanced

Looking at the two bikes, I wasn’t so sure what I thought. The Tarmac is a very elegant looking machine. The curving top tube and narrow carbon fiber frame of pearl white and blue is very appealing. The Advanced is the dark color of graphite. The header and bottom bracket are over sized and the down tube is huge. The look isn’t elegant. The look is solid and fast.

Of course, you can’t judge a bike by its looks. John finished the construction and told me to hop on and take it for a ride. The first thing I noticed was that it was lighter. When I rolled it out the door for the test ride, the bike weighed 15.5 pounds. That is nearly a pound less than the Tarmac.

John did an excellent job moving my measurements over to the Giant. The bar was slightly lower but the hoods were in the same position. He said I now had the “racer boy” setup. My quick spin around the block showed some promise.

Now it was time to give the bike a better workout. Not too much… I didn’t want to stress the cables and connections too much. Just a bit of a test to see how my body worked on the new setup.

I met up with my friend Chris Hartzler at Cleveland Park and we began to make some laps. I’m not here to say that I could notice all the nuances of difference between the two bikes. I could obviously tell I was using new components. The shifting was crisp and responsive.

The ride was very similar and I’m sure a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was using the same wheels. However, there were some differences that I could feel. These changes had more to do with the geometry of the frame.

The Advanced frame is slightly smaller. So, there was a bit less bike beneath me. I noticed this mostly when I would come out of the saddle to sprint. The top tube was much lower as I rocked back and forth. The center of gravity was lower still. This gave me the feeling of the bike being more nimble.

The setup is different, but I like it. The TCR Advanced gives me confidence. Diving into the corners was enjoyable. Coming out of the saddle on a burst up a climb was exhilarating. What a ride!

There is still a soft spot in my heart for the memories I made on the Tarmac, but the way I figure I’ve got more time ahead to make some new ones. If the next rides on the Advanced are anything like the first one, I’m pretty sure my future memories are going to be great ones. Let’s go!

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Posted in Bicycles, Review | 2 Comments »

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