Got out for about 2 1/4 hours yesterday on dirt. Was supposed to meet JJ around noon but got a text message saying "My day just went in the shitter..." didn't bother with the rest, I'm going solo. Parked at Mt. Cranmore and rode the powerlines to Sticks and Stones. Went up the Peaked trail to middle mtn. traverse. Only problem was I didn't know where the new trail was so I kept climbing until it was way to far, turned around and headed down. Did a few lasps through sticks and stones (nice new sections) then headed to Whitaker Woods for a few laps. Called DEA and asked where the new trail for middle mtn. was, he wasn't sure but gave me a rough idea. Decided to ride back up Peaked and found the traverse. Again, nice new section of trail. Rode across to Sticks and Stones and did 3 more laps then back to the truck. Good ride. This was the first time I've climbed Peaked on my SS. Got to say it's a pretty good climb for a SS. Took a good wreck too.
Sounds like a night ride maybe tonight forming.
A1
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Needing a Goal
I've been feeling a little lost, a bit misguided, a tad off track, you know what I mean? Last year we had that beast of a race- the Jay Challenge and that had all of TWAF very focused and pulling in a good direction for training. My overall milage last year was way ahead of this season and my head was working in a good direction, but this year- hmmm not so much. Now that being said we've got the 24HOGG out there on the horizon but for some reason it hasn't really kicked in that we're all planning on racing Solo on SS's (well A1, JJ and I- NK I think is riding on a team and PJ is talking about coming over and working the pits).
I did talk to A1 last night and he reminded me that the 24HOGG is only about 10 weeks away. Hmmm, maybe that's the reality that I need to get moving. I think the thing is that I've raced 24HOGG so many times (10 so far) that I know the course and the environment so well that it's not scaring me. That's bad- I need it to scare me so that I come to grips with my goal of riding 20 laps (enter laughter here).
That's it, that's where I'm at. I'd like to get in a century ride here pretty quick as a good fitness guage- any thoughts or takers?
That's it from here.
later
DEA
ps- looking at those photos from Crank the Kanc- hmmmm, we're not he well oiled machine that we should be! Look at those gaps between the wheels!. Next year- next year we'll be laying the smack down.
I did talk to A1 last night and he reminded me that the 24HOGG is only about 10 weeks away. Hmmm, maybe that's the reality that I need to get moving. I think the thing is that I've raced 24HOGG so many times (10 so far) that I know the course and the environment so well that it's not scaring me. That's bad- I need it to scare me so that I come to grips with my goal of riding 20 laps (enter laughter here).
That's it, that's where I'm at. I'd like to get in a century ride here pretty quick as a good fitness guage- any thoughts or takers?
That's it from here.
later
DEA
ps- looking at those photos from Crank the Kanc- hmmmm, we're not he well oiled machine that we should be! Look at those gaps between the wheels!. Next year- next year we'll be laying the smack down.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Saturday Morning Group Ride
6 of us got hall passes on Saturday morning for a nice ride. The weather was perfect, mid 60's when we started at 7AM. Ended up almost 75 by the time we were done. Davis HIll has a group of usual suspects that ride most weekends, but only a couple of them joined DEA and I, but we did have a special guest in Radair. With Radair, DEA and I the SS crew was evenly matching the geared bikes. We rode at a pretty good pace and had to stop a bit to let the group get back together, but it was not a problem except for the bugs, THe skeeters were out in full force.
DEA and I were sorta out front most of the ride, which can and does lead to sometimes getting lost. Well it was no different this morning. We made a right turn onto a trail we had taken lsat year and sorta ended up lost or at least somewhere we didn't know where we were exactly. It was deja vu all over again as we led our group to the same dead end. Oh well. We made it back to the more well travelled trails and spun around those for a bit until the geared bikes headed home and the SS guys went on for some more climbing and some fast singletrack. It was a great way to kick off the long weekend and fun to ride with Radair. Rumor has it there's a night ride tonight and a 6PM group going off south of us tomorrow....
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:08:47 10:35 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:40:50 8:17 pace
Distance (mi ) 12.15
Moving Speed (mph) 7.2 avg. 33.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,136 / -1,047
Avg. Heart Rate 148 bpm Zone 3.8
Temperature (°F) 74.3°F avg. 75.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) WNW 8.1 avg. WNW 8.1 max.
JJ
DEA and I were sorta out front most of the ride, which can and does lead to sometimes getting lost. Well it was no different this morning. We made a right turn onto a trail we had taken lsat year and sorta ended up lost or at least somewhere we didn't know where we were exactly. It was deja vu all over again as we led our group to the same dead end. Oh well. We made it back to the more well travelled trails and spun around those for a bit until the geared bikes headed home and the SS guys went on for some more climbing and some fast singletrack. It was a great way to kick off the long weekend and fun to ride with Radair. Rumor has it there's a night ride tonight and a 6PM group going off south of us tomorrow....
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:08:47 10:35 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:40:50 8:17 pace
Distance (mi ) 12.15
Moving Speed (mph) 7.2 avg. 33.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,136 / -1,047
Avg. Heart Rate 148 bpm Zone 3.8
Temperature (°F) 74.3°F avg. 75.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) WNW 8.1 avg. WNW 8.1 max.
JJ
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Last Night's Ride
For my birthday, it was a few weeks ago for those of you that missed it. I'm still accepting gifts and $$ in case you were concerned. But anyhow I got a new HID light which I finally got to use last night on a late evening ride with DEA. We headed out for our local ride and had a very good time. Did some hills and have found a new challenge for us for the season, to clean the Nasty. A very fun ride to go down, but pretty technical and steep in spots to go back up. SO the goal is to clean it before the other does.
Light was great, my first ride with an HID. I used to think my normal halogen lighting system was pretty good, I was in the dark ages. Still need to get the mount tweaked for the best angle, but this should be the nuts for 24 & 12 HR racing this summer.
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:27:07 8:42 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:13:50 7:22 pace
Distance (mi ) 10.01
Moving Speed (mph) 8.1 avg. 18.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +893 / -894
Avg. Heart Rate 150 bpm Zone 4.1
Hope to sneak out during work for a good afternoon ride in the heat tomorrow, any takers?? Heading out around 2 I think. Long weekend too, hopefully leads to some long rides.
Its all good....
JJ
Light was great, my first ride with an HID. I used to think my normal halogen lighting system was pretty good, I was in the dark ages. Still need to get the mount tweaked for the best angle, but this should be the nuts for 24 & 12 HR racing this summer.
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:27:07 8:42 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:13:50 7:22 pace
Distance (mi ) 10.01
Moving Speed (mph) 8.1 avg. 18.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +893 / -894
Avg. Heart Rate 150 bpm Zone 4.1
Hope to sneak out during work for a good afternoon ride in the heat tomorrow, any takers?? Heading out around 2 I think. Long weekend too, hopefully leads to some long rides.
Its all good....
JJ
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Good ride
I spent a good part of the day in the car as I had a client meeting in Bar Harbor, about 220 miles (one way) away. I got picked up by my boss early this morning and we picked up one of our designers in Bridgton and then headed up the Maine coast. Beautiful day for a drive, and headed to a pretty spectacular part of the state. The meeting went well, got to go out to lunch at a good restaurant in Southwest Harbor (had a killer lobster roll) and then we jumped back in the car and headed home. I figured a day that had nine hours in the car could only be capped off by getting out for a night ride. JJ was game as he had had a similar day spending time in a cramped space down in Concord so we hit the trails at 9pm. I got in about 1.5 hours total (I picked up about 20 more minutes then JJ as I had the ride to his house and the ride home)- it was good to get out into Davis Hill and we got to ride the new section of Two Bridges and then headed over and climbed Nasty before turning around and riding back down.
Tonight JJ's legs were more of what I had expected on Saturday and I was seeing pretty crooked as I tried to stay on his wheel going uphill. I've descided that my goal this summer is get to the point where I can ride clean up Nasty on the SS. I'm not there yet but it's doable.
Rumors are flying around (or at least I'm trying to start them) that PJ may come over this weekend for either skiing or riding. I'm voting for riding as I really don't have any interest in skiing right now. Time will tell!
That's it for me- midnight is only a few minutes away and I need to go snag some sleep. But maybe I should check for ticks first.
later,
DEA
Tonight JJ's legs were more of what I had expected on Saturday and I was seeing pretty crooked as I tried to stay on his wheel going uphill. I've descided that my goal this summer is get to the point where I can ride clean up Nasty on the SS. I'm not there yet but it's doable.
Rumors are flying around (or at least I'm trying to start them) that PJ may come over this weekend for either skiing or riding. I'm voting for riding as I really don't have any interest in skiing right now. Time will tell!
That's it for me- midnight is only a few minutes away and I need to go snag some sleep. But maybe I should check for ticks first.
later,
DEA
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Crank the Kanc results posted
Results were posted this morning for the 2007 Crank the Kanc. Team Bikeman.com/TWAF posted a 4th place finish in the Team Category. Respectable, but it would have been nice to be on the podium, however not sure that was a realistic hope. Either way, another race in the books and a descent showing.
JJ
JJ
Monday, May 21, 2007
My take on Crank the Kanc
Saturday morning was Crank the Kanc. A 21 mile time trial up the Kancamaugus Highway. It's basically up hill the whole way. We (DEA, A1 and I) decided to try out the new team format this year. It sounded like a good idea anyhow. A1 and I met at 6:30AM to stage a car at the top as the weather was not looking to nice to ride back down and we wanted to drive down and cheer on our wives who were riding it for the first time as their first bike races ever.
After registering and getting our start time we had a bit of time to hang out and wait. DEA arrived and both A1 and I made fun of him when he broke out his trainer and started warming up. We shouldn't have laughed as I definitely could have used something. We rolled up to the start line and got ready to roll as the timer ticked down and we were off. I stared out front and was supposed to do a 30 sec. turn on the front. We were quickly moving along at about 23 mph and I didn't peel off as soon as I should have. We were pulling close to a minute right out of the box. Once we stared to climb it became evident that we were not all riding at the same level this wet chilly morning. DEA was feeling great and A1 and I were just not right. I did not feel bad, but there was no snap in my legs. As we hit the 6 mile mark we were having trouble staying together and were staring to get strung out a bit. Sort of defeating the whole drafting thing.
The and of the first third of the ride was a 1/2 mile section that was under construction and all the pavement was torn up, so we were riding on dirt that was a mess. My HR quickly went from a comfortable 165 to 180ish and I was in the red. We regrouped once we were off the dirt but I had burned a match or three trying to keep momentum over the uneven dirt section.
The middle third of the course is the flattest, well its a false flat that continues to climb. A1 seemed to get his legs back and gave DEA a break out front and put in a nice pull but all of the sudden he peeled off and was spent. I was fortunate to be on the front for another couple town lines, probably the only uncontested lines I'll see all season, but I'll take em.
AS we hi the 16 mile mark the real climbing began. I was starting to feel a little better and were made our way up the climb. A1 was in front of me and I was just staying on his wheel keeping pace. At about the 18 mile mark I pulled in front of A1 and rode up front with DEA and was feeling better as we progressed up the hill. Figures that it took this long to find any legs. Problem was A1 was not feeling it. As we hit the last mile to go marker we picked off another team that was in front of us, but that joy was short lived as the Red Jersey team came by us with about 1/2 mile to go. We regrouped for the last 100 yards and rolled across the line.
It was a chilly wet day on the bike and was tough as I was not feeling 100% and neither was A1 so I think we both felt a little bad that we were not on top form to go along with DEA who was really feeling it. I guess that's what can happen with a TTT. I had a blast as its always nice to suffer with good friends.
Not too many events on the calendar for the next few weeks, but looking forward to getting in some long MTB rides over the long weekend coming up.
See ya on the trails....
JJ
After registering and getting our start time we had a bit of time to hang out and wait. DEA arrived and both A1 and I made fun of him when he broke out his trainer and started warming up. We shouldn't have laughed as I definitely could have used something. We rolled up to the start line and got ready to roll as the timer ticked down and we were off. I stared out front and was supposed to do a 30 sec. turn on the front. We were quickly moving along at about 23 mph and I didn't peel off as soon as I should have. We were pulling close to a minute right out of the box. Once we stared to climb it became evident that we were not all riding at the same level this wet chilly morning. DEA was feeling great and A1 and I were just not right. I did not feel bad, but there was no snap in my legs. As we hit the 6 mile mark we were having trouble staying together and were staring to get strung out a bit. Sort of defeating the whole drafting thing.
The and of the first third of the ride was a 1/2 mile section that was under construction and all the pavement was torn up, so we were riding on dirt that was a mess. My HR quickly went from a comfortable 165 to 180ish and I was in the red. We regrouped once we were off the dirt but I had burned a match or three trying to keep momentum over the uneven dirt section.
The middle third of the course is the flattest, well its a false flat that continues to climb. A1 seemed to get his legs back and gave DEA a break out front and put in a nice pull but all of the sudden he peeled off and was spent. I was fortunate to be on the front for another couple town lines, probably the only uncontested lines I'll see all season, but I'll take em.
AS we hi the 16 mile mark the real climbing began. I was starting to feel a little better and were made our way up the climb. A1 was in front of me and I was just staying on his wheel keeping pace. At about the 18 mile mark I pulled in front of A1 and rode up front with DEA and was feeling better as we progressed up the hill. Figures that it took this long to find any legs. Problem was A1 was not feeling it. As we hit the last mile to go marker we picked off another team that was in front of us, but that joy was short lived as the Red Jersey team came by us with about 1/2 mile to go. We regrouped for the last 100 yards and rolled across the line.
It was a chilly wet day on the bike and was tough as I was not feeling 100% and neither was A1 so I think we both felt a little bad that we were not on top form to go along with DEA who was really feeling it. I guess that's what can happen with a TTT. I had a blast as its always nice to suffer with good friends.
Not too many events on the calendar for the next few weeks, but looking forward to getting in some long MTB rides over the long weekend coming up.
See ya on the trails....
JJ
Crank the Kanc
Saturday morning came and it was time to try and make the legs work. I was not thinking I was going to have good legs as the two weeks leading into the race had not gone very well from a riding point of view. I meet JJ and A1 at the staging area to get my number, they had driven to the top of the course to stage a car as both of their wives were racing as well. My wife was going to meet us at the top (stopping along the route to cheer us on with the girls). It was misting and in the upper 40's when we began to get ready. I chose to chuck the bike on the trainer to try and get my legs to open up a bit, and despite the chuckles from A1 and JJ I think it was a good idea.
We were the fifth team on the road and the start was somewhat comical as I couldn't get clipped in. I figured that was a sign of what was to come. We had descided to do 30 second pulls, that quickly fell apart as we were doing minute plus pulls right from the start. I quickly became apparent that A1 was a bit tired from setting something like eight tents the day before (each tent weighing in excess on a thousands pounds or so- and in the rain) and JJ had spent the better part of the week in Colorado drinking and eating good food. My pre-race fears of struggling to hang on washed away and JJ and A1's comment about me pulling them to the base of the climb seemed to become sort of a reality. I was having a tough time picking a pace and I think JJ and A1 were a little uncomfortable getting tight enough on my wheel to enjoy the vacuum like draft my large ass offeres up. In hindsight we should have practiced pacelining a bit more prior to the race.
Either way we rode well to the base of the climb, JJ managed to snag all the town and county lines out on the course. Not that we were racing for the town lines but we mangaged to put JJ on the front each time we came to a line. I knew A1 must not be feeling good when we hit the climb as that boy has been climbing like a 200 pound Pantani- I was certain JJ and I would be struggling to hang onto his wheel but it was clear early in the climb that he was hurting. He still managed to maintain a good pace- even at one point putting it in the big ring for a bit to "stretch his ass"- we ended up posting a time of 1:25 or 1:27, not to bad. It was a lot of fun (at least for me).
We all took the easy way down, via car and looked for Nikki and Susan and cheered them on.
All in all a good day.
Yesterday it rained all day so I took the girls for a hike and then sat on the trainer for a half hour last night just to spin the legs out. Commuted to work this morning and hopefully there is a NEMBA ride going out tonight- will try to take advantage of that. I'm hoping A1 and JJ will make the ride and I have a feeling they will be riding a bit stronger today.
That's it from here.
later,
DEA
We were the fifth team on the road and the start was somewhat comical as I couldn't get clipped in. I figured that was a sign of what was to come. We had descided to do 30 second pulls, that quickly fell apart as we were doing minute plus pulls right from the start. I quickly became apparent that A1 was a bit tired from setting something like eight tents the day before (each tent weighing in excess on a thousands pounds or so- and in the rain) and JJ had spent the better part of the week in Colorado drinking and eating good food. My pre-race fears of struggling to hang on washed away and JJ and A1's comment about me pulling them to the base of the climb seemed to become sort of a reality. I was having a tough time picking a pace and I think JJ and A1 were a little uncomfortable getting tight enough on my wheel to enjoy the vacuum like draft my large ass offeres up. In hindsight we should have practiced pacelining a bit more prior to the race.
Either way we rode well to the base of the climb, JJ managed to snag all the town and county lines out on the course. Not that we were racing for the town lines but we mangaged to put JJ on the front each time we came to a line. I knew A1 must not be feeling good when we hit the climb as that boy has been climbing like a 200 pound Pantani- I was certain JJ and I would be struggling to hang onto his wheel but it was clear early in the climb that he was hurting. He still managed to maintain a good pace- even at one point putting it in the big ring for a bit to "stretch his ass"- we ended up posting a time of 1:25 or 1:27, not to bad. It was a lot of fun (at least for me).
We all took the easy way down, via car and looked for Nikki and Susan and cheered them on.
All in all a good day.
Yesterday it rained all day so I took the girls for a hike and then sat on the trainer for a half hour last night just to spin the legs out. Commuted to work this morning and hopefully there is a NEMBA ride going out tonight- will try to take advantage of that. I'm hoping A1 and JJ will make the ride and I have a feeling they will be riding a bit stronger today.
That's it from here.
later,
DEA
Friday, May 18, 2007
Back from Altitude Training
Last weekend we headed out to Colorado to visit a friend in Denver to do some high altitude training(drinking). We had a great time and caught a Colorado Rockies game.
Got to go to Co. Springs and check out the Olympic Training Center and the Velodrome. Went over and saw Red Rocks and a few other spots as well. Now we're back and tomorrow is the next event of the season, Crank the Kanc. Weather is iffy at best.
We'll see how it shapes up as it looks like it will be maybe 40 and raining during our start time. Yipee. Hopefully someone will take some pics of the race and we'll get them up this weekend.
JJ
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Out and back
Nikki and I got out yesterday for 1 3/4 hours. We planned on doing the Kanc but by the time we got going we didn't have enough time. We're leaving the driveway and Nikki fell over in the sand and scunned her knee, so back to the house for a bandaid. We rode up Mill St. to Hampshire Road where Nikki go a flat, fixed that and we were on on way again. Decided to do Old County as we were now running shorter on time. Up and back on Old County back to Hampshire Road and then back up Mill St. Total was just over 21 miles, good climbing too. Saturday is looking like rain which will make the race even more interesting. Looks like the teams are going out first at 8:30 according to schedule instead of 9:00.
A1
A1
Monday, May 14, 2007
Happy Monday
I'm not sure how the weekend got away from without a ride, but it did. A1 and I got out with a huge group on Friday after work for a couple hour spine over in Cedar Creek. It was great to ride with a group, except for the stopping and waiting. I'm so used to riding with TWAF and we don't really stop very often, or if we do it's for about 30 seconds or if it's longer it's due to a mechanical or need to do trail work.
With that being said it was still super fun to get out with a group and ride trails that we don't often ride (but we should!) JJ was missing as he had to pack for his trip west, so he was missed- but we'll get him next time.
Then the weekend came, I played a bunch of softball and wiffle ball with the kids but no riding. Also did a lot of work around the yard- so that's good. I have to admit I can't remember the last time a weekend with two gorgeous days got by me like that- oh well.
Next weekend is CTK so that should be fun. I'm planning on just hanging onto A1 or JJ and letting them pull me up the climb.
That's it from here!
later,
DEA
With that being said it was still super fun to get out with a group and ride trails that we don't often ride (but we should!) JJ was missing as he had to pack for his trip west, so he was missed- but we'll get him next time.
Then the weekend came, I played a bunch of softball and wiffle ball with the kids but no riding. Also did a lot of work around the yard- so that's good. I have to admit I can't remember the last time a weekend with two gorgeous days got by me like that- oh well.
Next weekend is CTK so that should be fun. I'm planning on just hanging onto A1 or JJ and letting them pull me up the climb.
That's it from here!
later,
DEA
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Training Ride on the Kanc
The DestinationSnuck out of work early today to pre-ride the Kanc before next weekends TTT. It has been pretty warm the past couple of days and it was today as well. It was almost 90 and for early May that's a bit above the norm. My wife is going to give the Kanc a go next weekend as well and she has never ridden it so today was her first try. We drove in past the construction and left from the Rocky Gorge parking lot. Figuring we'd have a good distance to get warmed up befor the nasty climbing started.
As you can see the ride is pretty much just up and then turn around and come back down. I didn't feel too bad but it was hot and once I made the top I looped back down a ways to meet my wife a couple times as she made her way to the summit.
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:39:44 5:16 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:09:06 4:15 pace
Distance (mi ) 30.32
Moving Speed (mph) 14.1 avg. 35.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,821 / -2,820
Avg. Heart Rate 135 bpm Zone 3.3
Temperature (°F) 84.8°F avg. 87.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) ESE 9.2 avg. ESE 11.5 max.
As we climbed there was still snow along the sides of the roads. Pretty crazy for as warm as it was. We hit the top, took a break and chatted with another guy who was training for the race next weekened as well. On the way down you can pretty much go as fast as you want or feel comfortable going.
Overall it was a good ride with some good climbing and very nice views from the top today.
JJ
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Sticks & Stones for lunch
Got out for an hour during lunch to go ride Sticks & Stones. Headed from the office over through Whitaker Woods. It was mostly dry but the Perimeter Trail was still pretty wet. Continued over to Cranmore and then to Sticks & Stones. It was my first ride there this year and I noticed some new trail has been added which was nice and also some of the rock elements have been made a bit more rider friendly. Maybe if I get the stones I will attempt some of them instead of riding past and just looking at them. It was very dry and pretty dusty, quite a difference from a week ago. Doing a training ride tomorrow afternoon on the Kanc to remind myself that it wasn't a good idea to sign up for that race. Then we're off to Denver on Saturday for a visit to some friends. Should be a good time with plenty of good eats and margaritas.
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:04:22 7:47 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:57:27 6:57 pace
Distance (mi ) 8.26
Moving Speed (mph) 8.6 avg. 23.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +569 / -570
Avg. Heart Rate 139 bpm Zone 3.5
Supposed to be a good group ride heading out friday after work (6 ish) leaving from Echo lake if anyone's interested.
JJ
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:04:22 7:47 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:57:27 6:57 pace
Distance (mi ) 8.26
Moving Speed (mph) 8.6 avg. 23.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +569 / -570
Avg. Heart Rate 139 bpm Zone 3.5
Supposed to be a good group ride heading out friday after work (6 ish) leaving from Echo lake if anyone's interested.
JJ
Couple good rides
Got out yesterday with Nikki. We rode the Mill St. to Hampshire Road to Eaton Village and back up 153 to Conway. About 1:45 ride time and about 25 miles (I erased the numbers prematurely so I don't have exacts). Decided to try and sprint the hill on Hampshire Road near the state line on the Eaton side. I made it, barely, then road back down past Nikki turned around and did it again. Thought I felt OK but few minutes later I was suffering and it took a good 5 or so miles to get it together. We were running later than expected so the pace was a little more elevated than we had intended the remainder of the ride. Good to get out with Nikki though, she's doing Crank the Kanc now so she'll hopefully get out a few more times before then.
Got out again after lunch today. Fired down a can of Hormel Corned Beef Hash (one of my secrets to keeping my 19 year old figure JJ) and headed out the door. Rode 302 to North South Road up to North Conway Village, averaged 19.2 MPH to the village taking 22:42 to get there. Headed out West Side Road to Conway village and back up 302 and home. Absolutely beautiful out with little wind, even got a few good wiffs of cow manure by the farms on the West Side, good times 90 degrees and cow poop. Here's the numbers.
Ride Time - 1:01:33
Total Miles - 19.5
Avg. Speed - 18.9 mph
Max Speed - 32.5 mph
Hopefully JJ, DEA and myself can get out and ride the Kanc together before the race. Off to the Red Sox game on Saturday then riding Sunday morning in Vermont with my brother in law. Should be fun.
A1
Got out again after lunch today. Fired down a can of Hormel Corned Beef Hash (one of my secrets to keeping my 19 year old figure JJ) and headed out the door. Rode 302 to North South Road up to North Conway Village, averaged 19.2 MPH to the village taking 22:42 to get there. Headed out West Side Road to Conway village and back up 302 and home. Absolutely beautiful out with little wind, even got a few good wiffs of cow manure by the farms on the West Side, good times 90 degrees and cow poop. Here's the numbers.
Ride Time - 1:01:33
Total Miles - 19.5
Avg. Speed - 18.9 mph
Max Speed - 32.5 mph
Hopefully JJ, DEA and myself can get out and ride the Kanc together before the race. Off to the Red Sox game on Saturday then riding Sunday morning in Vermont with my brother in law. Should be fun.
A1
Countdown to Crank the Kanc
We're only a couple weeks away from Crank the Kanc, for A1 and I it will be our first race of the season. JJ of course has a podium under his belt- he's kinda setting the standards pretty high!
Rode the Kanc on Sunday with Vos, it was great to get out on the bike with him again. Vos is a long time cyclist and skier and I've had many a great trips (both on skis and bikes) with him- so it was good to reconnect. It's also good to get your ass handed to you just when you start to feel good. Sunday was supposed to be a recovery day for him as he had raced a TT on Sat. Well his recovery was my Zone 5! Maybe not quite but pretty damn close. Anyway it was good to get out a put in 50+ miles with a good chunk of climbing.
I heard from Howie up at GGTOC and they're looking to open the trails in a couple weeks as there is still some mud and snow. Their trail running series starts tomorrow night if anyone interested!
Anyone wanna take bets on how many doping stories vs racing stories there will be on Velo this morning? Argh!
That's it on my end. Time for coffee.
later,
DEA
Rode the Kanc on Sunday with Vos, it was great to get out on the bike with him again. Vos is a long time cyclist and skier and I've had many a great trips (both on skis and bikes) with him- so it was good to reconnect. It's also good to get your ass handed to you just when you start to feel good. Sunday was supposed to be a recovery day for him as he had raced a TT on Sat. Well his recovery was my Zone 5! Maybe not quite but pretty damn close. Anyway it was good to get out a put in 50+ miles with a good chunk of climbing.
I heard from Howie up at GGTOC and they're looking to open the trails in a couple weeks as there is still some mud and snow. Their trail running series starts tomorrow night if anyone interested!
Anyone wanna take bets on how many doping stories vs racing stories there will be on Velo this morning? Argh!
That's it on my end. Time for coffee.
later,
DEA
Sunday, May 06, 2007
First Race of the Season in the Books
We, I guess I should say me and the family headed to Amherst Mass. on Saturday for the Orchard Assault Mountain Bike Race put on by the UMass Cycling Club. The idea for the race was DEA's. Funny, he didn't go. For some reason I did. I had not heard of this event before and had no idea what to expect before arriving.
Car loaded and ready to go
I sent an email to the Race organizer asking for some description of the course and was told that it was about 3 miles long and had about 600 feet of climbing per lap. I started to do some high level math in my head and came up with about 18 miles and 3,600 feet of climbing. That sounded pretty steep and like the climbing might be a bit exaggerated. Either way that was the entire description of the course. I was wondering about my gear setup and whether I had the right one. I was running a 32x20 and thats all I was bringing with me. Once the car was loaded up with the bikes and the family we rolled out at about 7:00AM and got to UMass Amherst about 11:15AM. It was a pretty easy drive and was a little quicker than I thought. My heat was scheduled to start at 12:30PM so I had a little time to get ready and warm up some. They were still running the sport division race as we waited and I asked the race dude how it was going and he said that the course was a little slower than expected and that lap times were running close to 30 minutes. As a result I decided to not go out and pre-ride the course. I was thinking that it would be a bit risky but I was not looking to go too crazy as this was my first race on a single speed, let alone a fully rigid single speed 29er. My goal was to finish. By the time we headed to the start line there was quite a group of expert and semi & pro riders. They gave them a 1 minute lead and my class, the Single Speed Open was a group of four nut jobs like myself. There was one other 29er in the class, but I was the only one running fully rigid. Right before we stared they gave the racers the option of cutting the number of laps from 6 to 5 and because of the slower lap times we agreed.
Starting Line
The race started out climbing a short dirt road to let folks spread out before entering the woods and singletrack. The course was very twisty and turny. It wound around over many a log and then began a sharp descent only to turn right back up. All the elevation that was lost was quickly back in front of you as you began a lengthy series of switch-backs. This foretold the way the rest of this course was. If you were not going up a switch-back you were heading downhill at a pretty good clip.
My first lap came in about 25 minutes or so. I felt OK, but knew that there were 4 more laps to go.
End of First Lap
The second lap just about killed me. I was severely spent at this point. The climbs were getting unridable as I was really suffering. I was getting so that I could not turn the cranks climbing and when I was going down I was just coasting trying to recover.
Problem was there was not enough downhills and too much uphills. The course was designed with so many switch-backs that for a single speed there was no way to carry any momentum. As a result I began to really wonder if I was going to be able to finish this race. Its not like I've never walked during a mountain bike race before though. I ain't proud. So I kept going.
The lap times didn't really fall off that much more and I was sort of just working through it lap by lap. By the fifth lap my legs were cramping and really shot and my upper body was getting very fatigued as I was using everything I had to rock the bike back and forth on the climbs as I was no longer able the climb at all while seated and had to stand quite a bit.
I got passed by a few folks and passed a couple myself. I think they abandoned as I never saw them again. It was a very tough race. Haven't decided if I enjoyed it yet. I was happy to finish and not quit, cause it definitely entered my mind. I hung around for the awards and was very pleased to take 3rd in my class and got a nice UMass Racing sweatshirt.
Lap Times
Lap 1 25.02
Lap 2 27:45
Lap 3 27:47
Lap 4 29:09
Lap 5 28:06
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:19:03 9:25 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:14:40 9:07 pace
Distance (mi ) 14.75
Moving Speed (mph) 6.6 avg. 24.1 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,908 / -2,872
Avg. Heart Rate 168 bpm Zone 5.1
Temperature (°F) 62.6°F avg. 62.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 9.2 avg. NW 9.2 max.
So it ended up being about 15 miles with a touch under 3,000 feet of climbing. It kicked my ass. I was very pleased with finishing but would have liked to have felt a little better doing it. I guess its early. I saw one other Bikeman.com teammate at the race who said hello and chatted with another guy who rode SS with me that does the Pats Peak 24 Hr race so maybe we'll race again this season. All in all it was a good weekend and a lot of fun with a significant amount of suffering. A prelude to the next event, Crank the Kanc.......
JJ
Car loaded and ready to goI sent an email to the Race organizer asking for some description of the course and was told that it was about 3 miles long and had about 600 feet of climbing per lap. I started to do some high level math in my head and came up with about 18 miles and 3,600 feet of climbing. That sounded pretty steep and like the climbing might be a bit exaggerated. Either way that was the entire description of the course. I was wondering about my gear setup and whether I had the right one. I was running a 32x20 and thats all I was bringing with me. Once the car was loaded up with the bikes and the family we rolled out at about 7:00AM and got to UMass Amherst about 11:15AM. It was a pretty easy drive and was a little quicker than I thought. My heat was scheduled to start at 12:30PM so I had a little time to get ready and warm up some. They were still running the sport division race as we waited and I asked the race dude how it was going and he said that the course was a little slower than expected and that lap times were running close to 30 minutes. As a result I decided to not go out and pre-ride the course. I was thinking that it would be a bit risky but I was not looking to go too crazy as this was my first race on a single speed, let alone a fully rigid single speed 29er. My goal was to finish. By the time we headed to the start line there was quite a group of expert and semi & pro riders. They gave them a 1 minute lead and my class, the Single Speed Open was a group of four nut jobs like myself. There was one other 29er in the class, but I was the only one running fully rigid. Right before we stared they gave the racers the option of cutting the number of laps from 6 to 5 and because of the slower lap times we agreed.
Starting LineThe race started out climbing a short dirt road to let folks spread out before entering the woods and singletrack. The course was very twisty and turny. It wound around over many a log and then began a sharp descent only to turn right back up. All the elevation that was lost was quickly back in front of you as you began a lengthy series of switch-backs. This foretold the way the rest of this course was. If you were not going up a switch-back you were heading downhill at a pretty good clip.
My first lap came in about 25 minutes or so. I felt OK, but knew that there were 4 more laps to go.
End of First LapThe second lap just about killed me. I was severely spent at this point. The climbs were getting unridable as I was really suffering. I was getting so that I could not turn the cranks climbing and when I was going down I was just coasting trying to recover.
Problem was there was not enough downhills and too much uphills. The course was designed with so many switch-backs that for a single speed there was no way to carry any momentum. As a result I began to really wonder if I was going to be able to finish this race. Its not like I've never walked during a mountain bike race before though. I ain't proud. So I kept going.
The lap times didn't really fall off that much more and I was sort of just working through it lap by lap. By the fifth lap my legs were cramping and really shot and my upper body was getting very fatigued as I was using everything I had to rock the bike back and forth on the climbs as I was no longer able the climb at all while seated and had to stand quite a bit.
I got passed by a few folks and passed a couple myself. I think they abandoned as I never saw them again. It was a very tough race. Haven't decided if I enjoyed it yet. I was happy to finish and not quit, cause it definitely entered my mind. I hung around for the awards and was very pleased to take 3rd in my class and got a nice UMass Racing sweatshirt.
Lap Times
Lap 1 25.02
Lap 2 27:45
Lap 3 27:47
Lap 4 29:09
Lap 5 28:06
Garmin Edge Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 2:19:03 9:25 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:14:40 9:07 pace
Distance (mi ) 14.75
Moving Speed (mph) 6.6 avg. 24.1 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,908 / -2,872
Avg. Heart Rate 168 bpm Zone 5.1
Temperature (°F) 62.6°F avg. 62.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) NW 9.2 avg. NW 9.2 max.
So it ended up being about 15 miles with a touch under 3,000 feet of climbing. It kicked my ass. I was very pleased with finishing but would have liked to have felt a little better doing it. I guess its early. I saw one other Bikeman.com teammate at the race who said hello and chatted with another guy who rode SS with me that does the Pats Peak 24 Hr race so maybe we'll race again this season. All in all it was a good weekend and a lot of fun with a significant amount of suffering. A prelude to the next event, Crank the Kanc.......
JJ
Friday, May 04, 2007
TGIF
Wow what a week. Work has been crazy and I don't think I've wanted a weekend to get here quite like this! T-four hours.
Busy is good but it's been tough to get out on the bike. Today was the only day I was able to commute and only got in one night ride this week- so slacking on the saddle time. I'll try to play catch up this weekend. Hopefully I can also get my oldest out on some mellow single track as well- she'll dig that. May even try to see if my youngest wants to give the trail-a-bike a go. Should be fun!
Good luck to JJ in his race tomorrow. I'm somewhat envious but I also know that right now I'm so far off the back in terms of fitness that it might be more frustrating than anything else- but it'll come around.
That's it from here. Just got an email that Wildcat is going to spin the lifts again this weekend- so who knows maybe a last hurah up on the mountain?
later,
DEA
Busy is good but it's been tough to get out on the bike. Today was the only day I was able to commute and only got in one night ride this week- so slacking on the saddle time. I'll try to play catch up this weekend. Hopefully I can also get my oldest out on some mellow single track as well- she'll dig that. May even try to see if my youngest wants to give the trail-a-bike a go. Should be fun!
Good luck to JJ in his race tomorrow. I'm somewhat envious but I also know that right now I'm so far off the back in terms of fitness that it might be more frustrating than anything else- but it'll come around.
That's it from here. Just got an email that Wildcat is going to spin the lifts again this weekend- so who knows maybe a last hurah up on the mountain?
later,
DEA
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Late night TWAF spin
DEA, A1 and I got out for a nice spin in the dark. Pretty good pace considering until near the end when A1 decides to go for a town line about a mile away and we lost sight of him for about 5 minutes as we just rolled along wondering when he was going to come out of the shadows and scare the crap out of us. He went hard and dusted us easy. Kudos to him.
Garmin Edge 305 Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:32:44 6:32 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:29:15 6:18 pace
Distance (mi ) 14.16
Moving Speed (mph) 9.5 avg. 25.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,013 / -1,014
Avg. Heart Rate 143 bpm Zone 3.7
SO I am signed up for my first race of the season, which was DEA's idea. Needless to say he is not doing it but I am. It is The Orchard Assault Mountain Bike Race Presented by UMass Bike Racing Club, Amherst, MA, Saturday, May 05, 2007.
I'm registered in the SingleSpeed/Open Cat. so that should be interesting as I am usually a Sport class rider.
Hopefully I'll get some pics from the race and represent Team Bikeman.com well, or at least not cause too much embarrassment.
JJ
Garmin Edge 305 Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:32:44 6:32 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:29:15 6:18 pace
Distance (mi ) 14.16
Moving Speed (mph) 9.5 avg. 25.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,013 / -1,014
Avg. Heart Rate 143 bpm Zone 3.7
SO I am signed up for my first race of the season, which was DEA's idea. Needless to say he is not doing it but I am. It is The Orchard Assault Mountain Bike Race Presented by UMass Bike Racing Club, Amherst, MA, Saturday, May 05, 2007.
I'm registered in the SingleSpeed/Open Cat. so that should be interesting as I am usually a Sport class rider.
Hopefully I'll get some pics from the race and represent Team Bikeman.com well, or at least not cause too much embarrassment.
JJ
Pretty Quiet
Looks like the weather has turned for the better (hopefully). DEA and I got out Sunday afternoon and rode the Davis Hill area for 2+ hours. Trails were still pretty wet in spots but should be good by the weekend if this weather holds. It's a good thing DEA was hitting the Total Gym hard this offseason(insert laugh here), we had to move a ton of downed trees. It was good to get out there, next time we won't have to stop so much. Logging has done a number on the section climbing over by state line but once it dries it shouldn't be too bad. Seems like everyone is busy working once the nice weather arrived, there is rumor of a night ride tonight. Happy belated birthday to JJ.
A1
A1
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