Day 5 - The TT

Analysis from the DS -

All the women faced fields much more competitive than last year.   All did their best in the face of puking and other issues.  Bikes performed well and organization was smooth.

Teenie - Rode hard but her time fell greatly behind known competitors.  I know she was disappointed but right now has amnesia.   She was 12th in a field of 12.  The winner in this field may have posted the best female time, overall?

Emily - Secured 9th but was only about 1 minute out of 3rd or 4th.  She is a real newbie to TT'ing and with experience, can play in this discipline at this level.

Linz - 4th in very fast field.   Linz has room to improve in this with equipment and better aero position?

We had very bold goals and fell short but that is the risk.  If you don't try to win, you never will.


Right now we are getting ready for the Crit tomorrow.   It will be Teenie and I.  She faces a star studded field of 22 and I will go out against 57 including 3 national and world champions.   I will be watching David LeDuc among others.

The Crit course is 1K with seven turns and we do 30 and 35 laps respectively.

We will report back.

GO Em, Teenie, and Linz!!!!

May there always be a tailwind for the three of you, but ONLY for the three of you!

Bend Day 4

Tough place to ride with this type scenery!

This was our last prep day and we are now looking at 5 days of racing.  

We only work on one day at a time.   We have serious race plans.  Steve will be our field general tomorrow as Teenie, Linz and Emily attack a super technical and hard TT.  It starts with a 5 mile climb.

Joe, Sam and I are assigned as suaniers to each rider and Stratton is handling trainers, chairs, coolers and other equipment.

Steve and I will take the van up to the course tonight, to get 'our space'.  The women will actually ride over and then use the trainers.   We start between 11:56 and 12:30.  

It's game on.

  

Day 3 - Masters Nats - Post 2

We are here because Carolina Tri, Reynolds Investment Management, and Jon Limbird support us generously.

For this evenr,  Hincapie Sports lent a hand with the bottles we would need all week.

We were a bike assembly line this morning after Fed Ex final came thru.   We had some banged up derailleurs and a few other issues that we got repaired.

We were dispersed this afternoon over the RR and TT course.

Steve and Sam are cooking up dinner tonight!

    Wow, just finished and it was good....off to the TEAM meeting.

One thing I keep hearing is, " I wish ________ was here."  You can fill in the blank with your name.

Day 3 - Masters Nats

Emily, Teenie and I are up early as we are rested........Stratton is up also.  We are trying to let our team mates rest.

We are excited as USA Cycling has announced a team award for the team with the most points.  Points are given down to 8th place.

We had a team meeting before bedtime last night and we will have one every evening.   We will go over schedules for the next day and plans.   Who is racing...who is in support.  What we did right, what we can improve on.  The days out here are intense so far.   It is all about the racing!  No movies, no swimming........eating and sleeping.

Teenie prepped spaghetti and meatballs last night.....awesome.

The coffee is flowing and the sun will be up in few minutes.   Maybe we should be TEAM STARBUCKS??

Sam and Joe are alive...........the day has begun!

More to come.

"Trample the Weak and Hurdle the Dead" - Kimberly Morgan

We are using this for the thought of day.  All the TEAM is here.

What seemed like heaven yesterday turned more to hell today.   We are having serious smoke from forest fires and it was very hot this afternoon.

Bikes are at a warehouse here and we hope to get them before lunch.  Emily rented one today.

We rode the TT course and the crit course and I did final intervals.

We are having big fun!

Day 2 - The Baker Factor

Steve Baker will accompany TEAM headstrong during our Master’s Nats quest this year in Bend, Or.   As DS, I could not be happier. 

I must have met Steve circa 2005?   We moved into 400 N Main in 2005 and became next door neighbors to George Hincapie.  Soon, the neighbor became our friend.  In 2005, Teenie spent a season coaching him.   I got the cycling bug after Teenie instigated our first bike tour to Tuscany.  

You can’t be a cyclist in the upstate without knowing ‘of’ Steve.   He was President of the Greenville Spinners in those years while in a marketing position at Hincapie Sports.   In a different way than George, Steve was (is) Mr. Cycling in the Upstate.  Steve is Everyman when it comes to cycling.  He is articulate and an excellent writer.  He has a unique way of looking at things and often draws humor out of the mundane.

In 2008, Rich recruited Teenie and I to be mentors/coaches for the Hincapie Barkley Development Team.  This was an opportunity to get to know Steve much better.   In 2009, he and I took the Hincapie Devo Team to the first Junior UCI Race in the US......Red River Gorge Stage Race.   A week with a guy, under these intense circumstances, can move things down the road.

During the two years with the Devo Team, I went from riding to racing.  After we formed TEAM headstrong in 2010, we continued to have more contact with Steve both professionally and personally.   Our kits and gear were provided by Hincapie (no surprise) and Samantha Smith and Steve were quickly becoming ‘an item’.   As Sam, became a true core TEAM member, Steve became a close friend of the TEAM.

Steve joined many TEAM rides, taught skills clinics, and coached us at SCTAC.  He came to parties and helped us at races.   

While Steve has remained a Cat 3 by choice, he is a very accomplished cyclist.   He teaches spinning and even though he often trains sparingly, he is ‘forever fit’.  Steve is a student of cycle racing and most of all, a great teacher.

In the last weeks, he has helped with organization, suffered through brutal training to support us, and will serve as saunier and maybe even Assistant DS in Bend?   I really have not talked much about it with him as I know he will do whatever it takes to help us be successful.

Steve taught me to Anticipate and Intimidate in a race!  I will do my best in Bend.

Am I glad he is going to be out there this coming week?  Yes,  is an understatement. I am very glad he will ’be along’.   I am dead level sure that we will be more successful with him around.   And, by-the-way, Steve is a lot of fun.

Day 1 - Masters Nats

Bend, Oregon - Teenie and arrived late afternoon and things looked familiar in downtown (see pic).  We headed for the house, unloaded, turned on the AC and jumped back in the car.  By 5:30, we were eatin' some good Mex food at El Jimador in downtown.

Town is really busy.......seems cool.  I gauge that by the fact that I saw a lot of people with tattoos and body piercings.  There was also one large woman smoking a short cigar.

After dinner, we hit Safeway for two carts full of stuff.  Linz confirmed our first setback, the bikes won't be here until Monday.   Linz had tracked them and we were pretty sure they were going to cram a 7 day delivery into 4 day promise.

Back at the house, it was 80F when we rolled in.  Air coming out of vents was not cool!  After fiddling with it, I called the owner.   I found out WE HAVE NO AIR CONDITIONING.  We have windows and 2 fans.   A second set back.   I went over this house, prior to renting, with a fine tooth comb.  It is the 21st century.   I never ask about AC!  Oh well.

Tomorrow, we have a busy day planned and we are both beat.   The groceries are up.  I am going to stand in front of the refrigerator and look at some of them, an old trick (to cool off) I learned when I was I kid.  This time, my Mom won't be around to yell at me.  Also maybe a cold shower will help?

Training Induced Sleep

I realized this afternoon, if only by mistake, that I have made a world changing discovery.  As I awoke from a long nap,  I knew that a TEAM headstrong Training Ride (ThTR) was the sure cure for insomnia.  

You see,  I have experienced the benefits of ThTR before, but it was confirmed today.   You shower and fall into bed so tired you do not look at the clock.   You awake after 'who knows' how long.   You have not moved.  This is not only not 'tossing and turning', this is sleeping like a dead man, or woman, as the case may be.  I failed to cover my shoulder in the cool fan aided climate of our bedroom.   My freezing skin did not even pierce my unconsciousness.

And, not to worry.  Tonight, like many before, I will enjoy an unabbreviated nights sleep of 8-10 hours more.

Can you imagine, millions of people receiving the prescription for ThRT???  Imagine how many people this could affect?.......the elimination of insomnia in our life time.  It's huge!

We can promote ThRT on TV!  After the FDA gets ahold of this, a woman with a lyrical voice will end the commercial as follows:

"Always tell the DS if you feel poorly prior to the workout.  Do not undertake this effort if you have worked out hard the previous day.  This workout will induce serious pain.  You may become severely dehydrated, exhausted, experience muscular fatigue and hallucinations.   You may become drowsy and you should limit your driving to 'just getting home'.  Under no circumstance should you operate a forklift, road grader or helicopter for 24 hours.  You should only undertake this intervention if you have trained heavily for one year and your schedule allows a minimum of 12 hours of sleep the day/night of....   Have a minimum of $35 as you will be ravenous.  Allow for the intake of high carbohydrate fluid, such as beer.  You may experience periods of sexual disfunction.  If this disfunction persist for more than 24 hours, see your physician.   ThRT is not for everyone."  

You know, I have always wanted to make a difference.   Students, in the future, will learn about Jonas Salk, Louie Pasteur and now the DS!  You guys have all been part of this discovery!  I will know my life's work is done as I go to bed tonight.......at 8:30.

Masters Nats Preparation

So the DS wants us to post more blogs. I have been racing 2 years now and am going to Masters Nats. Nuts most of you might think. Am I nervous? Yes very. Why am I doing this? Maybe I have something to prove. Am I getting prepared? To the best of my ability. I have been training hard for the past weeks without overcooking. 5 laps weekly of SCAT in the A group, plenty of races and specific workouts or group rides. Is it enough to compete with the best in my age group at Nats? Physically yes and mentally will be the big question mark. Last night I did the A ride from Ride on. There were plenty of riders at the start and someone asked me how old I was? So I told him and he did not understand how someone my age would want to go through so much pain and ride with these jung studs. Well I‘ve been thinking about the answer and I guess it is because I can! After 15 minutes into the ride a group of 5 got separated from the rest. No wonder Eric Cristophersen, a SC State Champion, was leading to make things fast or maybe super fast. Eric asks the group if we want to wait for the others and I immediately respond with yes. I was outvoted 4 to 1. Then I think I am in deep sh.. because there is no way I will be able to keep up with these guys. So the party begins and I keep away from the front just to hang on. Hill after hill Eric and the Colombians are pushing so hard that I think my heart will explode any minute. At the midway mark I begin to settle down and start to think that I can finish this ride. So long story short. I finished and we did about 33 miles in less than an hour and a half. Not bad for an old guy. So I guess I can.

4 and a half years ago Cinthia and I did our very first group ride from Carolina Triathlon. Jim Cunningham was the ride leader of the C group and I told Cinthia that we don‘t have to do the D ride because I felt very macho. The last 5 miles to the shop I got dropped and was cooked. Jim stayed with me and had to virtually push me over the last 2 or 3 hills. I will never forget this as long as I live. Today we joke about it. So what is the motto of our team? Something about dreaming and making things happen. Bend here I come! I‘m even getting goose bumps while writing this!

Dogs Days and Dreams

It is August.  It has been very hot.  We have been racing for months.  The season is over for some of us.  It is a time when many of us are pretty burned out.   Heck, I can't even get anybody to post a blog.

Seven of us are not done yet.  In fact, you might say our season hangs in the balance.   We have brought ourselves to a high level of fitness.  We have a few very hard workouts left and thank goodness, some of our team mates are supporting us by helping us train.

Now, is when it starts to 'get mental'.   Joe pulled up beside me last night SCTAC.  When I ask, how he was doing, he replied, "I am getting a little nervous."  Joe is not alone.  This week it hit me.

I always 'get mental' when I go for something big.   You see, it all sounds hunky dory to me as I set these bold goals but when it gets to where the rubber meets the road, I ALWAYS have a turn of negative thoughts.  I call it my, 'Holy crap, why did I ever think I could do this __________?', stage.

There are, inevitably, these points in the journey, when the goal seems bigger than me.

So, if you ever feel this way....about Master's Nats or you fill in the blank, you are not alone.   There is at least two of us!

Teenie has taught me that is OK to feel intimidated but it is not OK to stay intimidated.

In the many years and many experiences I have had in this area of FEAR, I have tried many remedies.  I have tried talking myself out of it, ignoring it....you name it I have tried it.  One thing works and one thing only.   I place pictures in mind of me being successful.   I visualize myself in the peleton, in the winning move, in the winning sprint.  I even see myself standing on the podium with David LeDuc and Kenny Fuller.

When you dream big, this 'get mental' thing is all part of it.   There are points when the thing will be bigger than you.  Just don't let yourself 'stay mental'.

When people think about TEAM headstrong, I hope they have many positive thoughts.   I guess it would please me a lot if people thought,  "Wow, those dudes (and dudettes) dream big and they go for those dreams.

Hey guys, the season is long in the tooth, but let us here from you with a post!

Master's Nats Training

We were 'wheels up' this morning at 8AM at Einstein's.   Emily, Teenie, Sam, Linz and I were joined by Debbie S and Mel.    You gotta love two team mates like Debbie and Mel that would support us in this Sufferfest.

When I told the crew we were splitting into 2 teams for 4 handicapped points races, Emily had a very stern look on her face.   Teenie had already acted rebelliously to the news.   The previous week was brutal and these guys were skeptical, at best.

The race over to the base opened up everyone's legs for blast up the shed.   We were flying, taking advantage of every possible race tactic we could.  Teenie and I, nailed on Linz's wheel, reached the steep pitch past the right turn to Saluda when a large group of more sane riders were there.   We were closing very fast as they stayed spread across the road, even when we yelled multiple times, "On your left!"  We flew by them like they were going backwards.

It was a close finish at the State Line where we regrouped and Teenie took us through a round of "what did you do right?"  We then rode down like 'bats out of hell', pedaling hard and avoiding nasty gravel.

When something is so fun, you gotta do it again!  So, we raced up and back down again. At the bottom, we regrouped one last time for the 'race' back to the Hgwy 11 stop sign and then soft pedaled to Einstein's.

When we organized the Master's Nats group some time ago, I was charged with setting up group training.   We have trained together often and intensely.  Speaking of intensity, an Intensity Factor (IF) of 1.00 means you are riding at a rate that is the max rate you can hold for 1 hour.  For 2:20 duration, a VERY hard workout is .80-.89 IF.  A race is usually requires a .90-.95 IF to be competitive.   Today, my IF was .92.  I am really sure my team mate's effort was equal or greater.

Today drew the following comment from me: "You guys are f*%$#^g bad a&%!"  

Oh yea, who won the race?  We'll have to wait until Bend to find that out..........maybe, no not maybe....likely, all of us!

     

Tour de LaDoe - The Final Chapter

The Tour ended Friday in Solvang, Ca.  Yes, I did achieve a PR on Mt Figueroa.  Despite some serious heat and a dismount for a dropped chain, my time was 1:18:53 (prior PR was 1:22:55 set in March of 2007).

The trip highlighted wonderful scenery along the Tour of California route, real camaraderie (my 5th tour with these guys), great food and 27.5 hours of serious on the bike time.

All this and an experience hard to describe.   I am 5 years into cycling and really 3 years into racing.   I have improved steadily but the last week can possibly be described as breakthrough?   Time after time, I seemed have 'another gear'.

Whether an 18 minute pull on Hgwy 101 or a 25 second bridge in Ballard Canyon, when I called down to the engine room and asked for more, by body responded.   It's a helluva lot of fun to feel like Superman!  I hope I can experience this often in the future.  

So, now is the time I ask myself, "How many more great trips does a guy like me have left?"  The answer is always the same: "All of them."

See ya out there.

Tour de Ladoe

This is my 5th time in the 6 year history of these epic tours.   The 8 day Tour this year, is running through California much like the Pro version.

Today was the 6th day and a short stage.  It was a must break.   Imagine if you will, the first 4 days ridden back to back at intensity of one of our TEAM rides......2:45 to 5 hours long.   Cap that with yesterday.   We rode 96 miles from Carmel to Cambria at roughly 18 mph.  Mostly on famous Hgwy 1,  we climbed a total of about 8000 feet in short climbs, less than a mile.

I rode the last 27 miles solo.  I won't get into how this happened.  Only a 4 mph trailing wind saved me as I drove very hard, head down and in the the drops.

Most of you know I don't do a lot without a purpose in mind and for the Tour this year, I decided to test my limits and see just what I might be able to do at Nats.   I learned the last few days that I have a lot more than I thought.  My body has continued at max effort for a long periods after my mind told me to quit.

I have had 2 broken spokes, a failed tire and had to borrow a wheel.  I started the Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge, rode 5 miles, broke a spoke, rode back to the start for a wheel, and then completed the Century, beating a couple of hundred folks.  I have ridden every stinking mile in the Tour.....only four of us have achieved the feat.  It ain't over, yet.

Two key days remain in the Tour.   We ride tomorrow for about 75 miles across a mountain range to Solvang, in the San Ynez Valley.  Friday, we take on Mt, Figueroa, aka the The Stinger.   It is an HC rated climb.  I have had two previous dates with the Beast and I will be looking for a PR.  About 4000 feet of climbing, 3 water crossings and a half mile of dirt road stand in my way.   Wish me luck.  I will keep you posted!

POA Crit

Ray, Brian and I raced the crit last night at BMW.  This time it was a points race.   Every 3 laps, the top 5 guys get points, double points on the last lap, add 'em all up and the most points wins.

Sounds simple right?  For the story see Brian and Ray.  We did get great sprint work....6x the usual crit.  Maybe 8x because of the premes.

It was hot but a blast.   Hey, for $15 how can you beat it.

Don't even know how we came out but as always, we were a factor.   Great training for Master's Nats for me and thrill to be racing with Ray and Brian.

TEAM 2012

This week, formal invitations will go out for TEAM headstrong 2012.   If you have any input let me know.
We have some exciting prospects for an even stronger and more exciting team than ever.

FBC

I did my final easy ride on my TT bike today.  Only one hour at high cadence.......3 ea. spin ups at race pace....for about 30 seconds each.

The gear is mostly staged for transport.  All the tires are inspected, the bikes washed (you really can't race on a dirty bike), the brakes adjusted, the spares wheels all set.

For me, this culminates months of training and is a final step to Master's Nats in about 6 weeks.  I have peaked......there are no excuses.

Goal for the TT is a PR that would take me under 30 minutes.  I did 30:14 last year but they lengthened the course .5K (after 2009) and that was the thing that kept me above 30 last year.  My emotions are mixed.........I have had little time, since the SC State Championship, on my TT bike.   I know my competition and though only 9 have currently signed up, I have never beaten 4 of them.  Hopefully a few more of the area's top riders will come in late.  My neck is feeling better and I am positive (but then what's new about that?).

The RR is really a challenge.  Last year, I said that I would stop picking courses that suited me and just race.   This seemed essential if I was to reach my dream to be a top stage/omnium GC contender.   Forty mile in the mountains.......I have to tell you, I feel like Fabian Cancellara must have felt facing today's stage in the Pyrenees.  This year, us 60 year old guys don't have to pace with the Cat 4's.......we are riding with the Juniors for 17 miles until they finish and then on our own.   I plan to attack if I have any capacity to do so.   If I do not, I will take a mid pack placing and just get some Omnium points.   This will allow me to save energy for the crit.

Who knows about this crit??  At 1.1 miles and having no sharp turns, the course should be fast.   I will not underestimate the little climb we should see about 12-13 times.   The truth is, I am goal setting for the podium, plain and simple.

Of course, the GC is my real focus.   TOP 3.............that's the goal.  No duckin' or dodgin'.........that is it.

 Looks like about 12-14 of you will be joining me for all or part of this party.......are you ready??  What are your goals??

Training in Tucson

We spent 4 days this week in Tucson, training and overseeing work on Western HQ.

My ole friend, Steve Miller says, "It takes a little more to be champion." In Tucson, this means starting rides, this time of year, at 5:30-6:00 AM to beat the 100+ degree heat. We are in a 'go very hard or go very easy' mode leading up to FBC so we had two Break Through workouts. Twenty minute intervals on Wednesday went well.

On Saturday, 5:45 AM (we got up at 4AM) we lined up at the Arizona University (AZU) for The Shootout. Isn't the name just a little intimidating? This was our second 'go around' but this time a 10 mph wind would be in our face going out for the first twenty or so miles. Kinda sounds like my walk to school when I was a kid, uphill and into the wind. Yes, I am old enough to have actually walked to school.

Ralph, the founder of the ride some 25 years ago, started us off. The owner of Fairwheels Bike Shop and an icon in AZ cycling, Ralph still looks like a combat soldier at about 150 lbs. and 6% body fat. He is joined by about 50 more combat soldiers and 10-12 'fit as hell' women. Everyone is quiet, some are nervous....is this a ride or a race? The first twenty minutes, until we get past the last red light, really lulls one into a false sense to security. Then it goes and when we reach a bridge, we lose the the first 12-15 people, including most of the women. It seems that these people traditionally pedal back to Starbucks, beaten and abused. Teenie and I easily makes this selection.

For 45 minutes it goes above my threshold. At one point, I join another rider to pull the entire group up to a 4 man break. My HR is pegging and I need recovery. In a really hard effort up a small but steep hill, the field splits in half. I sense Teenie is in the second group, as I barely make the first. We have about twenty riders and I am hurting. I do recover and about 1:20 out, I see Helmet Peak Rd, pull over and wait for Teenie at this turn. We are only doing 50 miles today due to race peaking.

In about 2 minutes, I see a pace line top a small ridge in the distance. Approximately 15 riders are strung out in single file in the drops, going hard. There are only men but then, maybe 12th wheel, I get a glimpse of the B&W? "Good", I think, "She has made this selection."

I grab on just after the turn as several of her ride mates have taken the short course option. I go to the front for a long pull as we begin the 7-8 mile downhill at 30-35 mph. A left turn on Old Nogales Hgwy reveals only 5 of us left. We head back for the 20 mile flat ride to AZU at 24-26 mph., each of us taking our turn and doing what we can. Teenie, a Hispanic fella, and I prove to be the tip of the spear!

As we head under the underpass about 3 miles from AZU, we hit the sprint zone. Caught completely off guard, Teenie is 3rd and I am 4th. We both know we would have been 1/2 if we had seen it coming!

Ah! Then Starbucks. We laugh and smile and relive the ride! We are ready for FBC......one more hard effort of 3 laps at SCTAC will be the icing on the cake.

Hope to see ya out there.

Coon Dog Day and Compact Cranks

Emily, Linz and I left from Furman at 9 this morning to do a leisurely ride up to the Saluda Bakery and back, if there is such a thing. For the 4th year in a row (some people never learn), I've ridden into Saluda on Coon Dog Day.

The first time this happened, again by accident, was my second bakery ride after moving to Greenville. I was riding with a friend who was still showing me some riding routes in the area, and we happened upon this culturally intriguing festival. I didn't even know what a coon dog was. Or a funnel cake. Both in abundance at this grand affair, and both could kill you.

So this being my 4th trip through the festival, and Emily's first (Linz wasn't saying), we decided to make the most of it, and pose for a picture with some confederate soldiers. Real ones of course. Their uniforms look like they were made with horse blankets and they must have been melting in that heat. The guy on the far right confessed that he had a performance moisture-wicking t-shirt on underneath. I doubt the real guys would have approved of such namby-pamby behavior.

After feeding our faces at the Wildflour bakery, we watched the tail-end of the procession, and then made our way back out of town and up the road. Emily especially was delighted to have witnessed Coon Dog Day; after all, isn't life about the little adventures? Linz still wasn't saying..

So the reason I added "compact cranks" to the title of this blog post, is because I've been stuck between a rock and a hard place with regards to crank size recently. I've been riding a compact crank for 4 years now, and have been pretty comfortable climbing. Coming from mountainbiking, I tend to spin my legs, and the compact works great for all the hills around here.

When I got my new Giant bike in May, it came with a regular crank. I thought it would work just great (truth was, I didn't want to put my manky old scratched compact on my shiny new steed, so I just thought I'd tough it out. Little did I realize it wouldn't fit anyway because I was still on 9 speed and now moved to 10 speed.) My legs have been becoming noticeably more and more tired after riding, and the last straw was a ride in Brevard with the team on the 4th that had me getting off the bike and walking up a climb. The ride absolutely killed my knees. Ridiculous. So, despite the advice of many well-wishing people that I needed to ride full size cranks in order to be competitive, I wussed out and got some compacts. Shiny new ones. And today was my first ride back on a compact crank. Heaven!! I learned something from that. Two things actually: one, people will offer advice and it's okay not to take it and do whatever you think is right, and two, I just have to pedal faster!

Thanks for the fun ride today girls.

July 4th - Brevard trumps FAB 4

Heat and money is driving a decision to do a team ride vs the 'cookie ride'.

We are riding out of Brevard:

Wheels up: 8:00 AM

Place: Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot (on 276 next to Quotations...on the rifht coming in)

Duration: 3-3.5 hours

Miles: 50-55

Course: Many short climbs simulating the FBC.

Lunch after: Hob Knob - bring $10-12

Pros:

* Save $25 ($40 entry less $12 for lunch)

* Ride in temp 10 degrees less

* Avoid riding with some dangerous circumstances

Cons:

You have a few more miles to drive

Hope to see you there.