Power failure

At about 2:45 this afternoon something happened to the electricity in North Conway. Most of the village lost power. Once that happens in our office, the network goes down, the phone system dies and very quickly work comes to a halt. So I took this as a realy "Good" Friday and closedthe office early and headed home. Since I had been driving my bike around the past couple of days on top of my car with good intentions of riding it I figured that the early release from work was the perfect opportunity to ride.

The new team Bikeman.com kit had arrived a couple days before so I decided to get all suited up and see how the new knickers and long sleeve jersey fit.

2009 Bikeman.com Kit


Since next Saturday is the Inferno Pentathalon and I have really been slacking or at least letting the weather be a good excuse to keep from riding anything other than hte spinning bike a couple hills were in order. The goal was about an hours ride and 20 miles or so.

Ride Map

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:10:54 3:29 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:10:48 3:29 pace
Distance (mi ) 20.31
Moving Speed (mph) 17.2 avg. 34.9 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,258 / -1,258

Avg. Heart Rate 161 bpm Zone 4.5

Temperature (°F) 55.4°F avg. 55.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) WNW 8.6 avg. WNW 9.2 max.


Ride elevation


So it turned out to be a nice ride, a bit over 1,200 feet of clmbing over 20+ miles in a touch over an hour. I was pretty happy with the average speed , but had some pretty good cramping in both calf muscles as I hit the 14 mile mark. Luckily for me the climbing was pretty much over and there was some good descending where I could try to stretch a bit as I could not turn the peddles with any force at that moment.

Once I was back ont he flats the cramps had subsided and I was able to make it home without an issue. THe cramping is a concern as that would be a really bad thing next weekend. Need to solve that problem, hopefully I can get fit in 6 days, ya that should do it.

JJ

The Answer

I think I found the answer to DEA's brocken ass. Now he can get out and ride.



JJ

Wondering about bike seats

I went to Colorado with the family to ski and hang out with my sister. We skied. I fell down went boom on a pile of rocks and stumps. My bum is injured. My bike is now mocking me. My bike seat looks like it is a razor. The sun is out the roads are clean, the trails are drying. The food that I eat is now not going to pedaling circles, instead making my belt use a notch it shouldn't use. Argh.

DEA

Where Is My Bike?

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I'm ready for things to relax a bit and to get into the cycling season. But before I do that I've got one more ski focused trip to take, as we are jumping on a plane tomorrow (K, the girls, and I) to head out to Colorado for a visit with my sister and to get in some skiing. I know I should be taking my bike, but just wasn't in the cards for this trip.

But when I get back it'll be full on cycling season with a few trips up to Mount Washington thrown in for good measure (and fun). Hopefully we'll also be looking at some dry trails within a couple of weeks- so the mountain bike can come out of hibernation as well.

Until then...

DEA

Trail Booty

Not really sure of the proper spelling for "booty", maybe its "bootie" either way I found some on my ride today.

I put my road bike on top of the car this morning when it was 18 degrees out hoping the weatherman was right and temps would rise to almost 50 by late in the day. By about 3PM I still had not made it out for a ride. I must have been acting miserable or maybe I was being mean to my secretary as by 3:30PM she told me to leave and go for a ride and that she would see me tomorrow. So I took her order and threw on some lycra and headed out.

Turned out as a very nice day. Temps were in the high 40's with only a light breeze. I ended up riding not far from the office looking for a few small hills to climb and then recover. After about 45 minutes I figured it was time to head back so I could change and head home.

As I was about 2 miles from the office I saw something laying right along side of the road. It looked like a book or magazine. I got closer and saw that it was a magazine indeed. As I we right above it I was the cover and almost crashed into the ditch laughing.

I realized that I needed to loop back and take a photo of the trail "booty" that lay at my feet. I have found CD's, money, sunglasses and all sorts of stuff while riding. Things that fall off cars or people throw out windows, but this was a first.


True Trail Booty

My first trail porn.

JJ

Nervous

I'm finding myself looking more and more at dual squishy 29er frames. Is it just a curiosity? Is it just to know what the rest of the sane world gets excited about? Or is it the beginning of bike lust? Hmmmmm. I've already bought my one bike for the year, so I have a while to let these fleeting feelings run their course without any concern of pulling the trigger!

I think I just need to get out and ride my trusty SS, that will fix everything!


DEA

Interesting Effort

Pretending to be a cyclist

I've snuck out on the bike a few times this past week as I'm realizing that I've got a lot of work to do to get fit, or even remotely fit.

Here is Sunday's ride
and then today.

Been out on the Surly with cross tires and damn it's heavy, I'm ready to get out on the road bike and maybe, just maybe feel a bit faster!

That's it at the moment- more to come now that I'm thinking about the bike a bit more.

DEA

Time to get crackin'!

Well it's rain/snow/yuck outside right now. This weather doesn't get me excited for much other than going back to bed.

Road a bit this past weekend, here is Friday, and here is Saturday. Friday was a good day, as I also skinned up and got in a run at Shawnee Peak first thing in the morning (tougher now that the clocks went ahead).

So I haven't totally been sitting on my butt, well I have the past couple days, but that will need to change and quick.

So far here are the confirmed races for 2009
Crank the Kanc
Mount Washington Hillclimb- foot race (WTF?)
Four on the Fourth foot race (WTF again)
Newton Revenge- a bike race up Mount Washington
24 Hours of Great Glen
Porky Gulch Classic (which includes the Toughest Two TT up the first two mile of the Mount Washington Auto Road)

I hope to add to this a 12 hour race and a number of XC races as well as cross season. We'll see how that all adds up!

Anyway that's it for now- time to go to work.

DEA

Frozen gravel

First ride for me outside since dislocting my shoulder last weekend. It felt good to get outside and ride for a bit. Spent about an hour out and rode up a pretty good hill and back. Was going to ride some snowmobile trails but they were a little too soft and I was sinking in too much to make it any fun.

Ride Elevation

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:09:20 7:09 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:56:20 5:48 pace
Distance (mi ) 9.70
Moving Speed (mph) 10.3 avg. 29.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +962 / -961

Avg. Heart Rate 143 bpm Zone 3.6

Temperature (°F) 24.8°F avg. 24.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) N 5.2 avg. N 5.8 max.


Ride map

It was a little chilly and after about 45 minutes my feet were getting pretty cold. Need to get me some of them fancy winter riding shoes that DEA has.

Supposed to get another dump of snow tonight, really want to get in a powder day but should probably stay off the snow for another week and rest the shoulder. We shall see.....


JJ

Chilli Con Crosso

Found a pic of the new Chilli Con Crosso from Salsa over on the Soiled Chamois and he had this pic of the new bike up- I've got one of these on order and can't wait for it to get here so I can drool on it. I just hope I can stay smart and ride the Cross-check until the roads get a bit cleaned up- no need having a brand new rig get all salted up!

That's it for now, I got out for a great ski this AM, recap over here.

later,


DEA

Skiing at Smugglers Notch, VT

D3 in the Terrain Park
Spending the week in Vermont at Smugglers Notch. DEA and his crew were here for a couple days for some fine skiing and riding. We are here a couple more days and are getting some major weather right now. Calling for 4-8 inches, hoping for the 8. Need a powder day before we go.

View from the chair at Smuggs

JJ

Can I use this as a reason to buy a new bike

I saw this and think it is the perfect reason to justify a new bike purchase (well I already pulled the trigger on a new Salsa Chilli Con Crosso- so this just further makes me feel like I'd doing my part!)

Temps today- 40+, rain, fog- killing the skiing but getting roads just a bit more bike friendly!

later,


DEA

Snuck out again

Two rides in two days- but the streak may end there.

Here is the map from yesterday:

It was nice to get out in mild temps, but the wind was a bit excessive, gusting to 28mph (I'm sure Blue would laugh at me calling that wind).

My knees are telling me that a 42x27 isn't cutting it this time of year- so I think I may been to go back down to the 39 or maybe even put the 36x50 back on the front end and make the bike a full on shifty bike. I keep looking at my fixie wheel- and I will soon put that back on- but I want a few more miles in my legs before I start doing that. I can't wait to feel how out of round my pedal stroke is!

I'll keep you posted.

later- DEA

More drug testing

To follow up on DEA's post earlier this week about Michael Phelps and his taste for weed. Another problem for a major star in The National Pastime. Can you say A-Roid?
Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003

Sad is the world of pro sports. I'm sure all of my Steelers were clean. At least these types of disclosures show that cycling is not alone in the world of performance enhancing drugs.

JJ

My first Feb ride

January started with a fair amount of riding, but then it tailed off as we got slammed with snow (stories about that over here) but today I got back out on the bike after a great day of skiing with K and the girls over at Shawnee Peak. The skiing has been great, and should be for some time- but the reality is that I need to start putting in at least a few hours a week on the bike (I can say a few as long as I hit at least three- right? Blue we'll need a judgment on that!)

Today I snuck out as soon as we got home from skiing, knowing that if I didn't go I'd end up on the couch and just drink beer. Not that that is a bad thing, but I've got the 24HOGG on the mind these days as I've raced there for 12 years and the last two as a solo and have yet to have a solo race that I felt like things went well. I realize part of it is learning how to deal with it- but I'm hoping I've learned some lessons and this year I can hit the race with the intention of riding well.

So here is a link to today's ride. Slow and short, but the goal was to get my ass on the bike. I may take a some time this week to put the Surly back over to a Fixie as the Salsa ChilliCon should be on the way soon I hope. Of course I may find myself having a hard time taking that out in the winter grit for it's maiden voyage!

Ride safe and enjoy the skiing.


later,

DEA

First Race of 09

So I am signed up for my first race of 09. Doing the cycling leg of theTuckerman Inferno Pentathlon. DEA has done this race in the past but this will be my first go at it. Now I need to figure out how to get on my bike again.

JJ

Drug Testing

Ok so Phelps competes in an IOC sanctioned discipline, and has to follow WADA- so does this photo= a failed drug test? Also how can a dude who is a world class swimmer kick everyone else's ass while pulling bong hits? If he doesn't fail an out of comp test, does that mean that he's able to beat the system? What if he were a cyclist- just the questions that I wonder about.

Maybe he's quitting swimming and going to the SSWC09 tattoo.......

DEA

24 Hours of Great Glen Reg. open

Registration is open for the 24 HOGG- and they have an early early discount- so don't miss out!




DEA

A bike race that I didn't do...

...that was right in my back yard. Not a race I would be skilled enough to do (I can't ride downhill fast on dirt, much less snow!)

But a cool race anyway over at my home ski hill.

later,

dea

Random Cycling Video clips from this fall

I shot these on various rides this fall and never put them together, but on a cold January day I got bored- so here they are!

Enjoy.

You can can also check out our recent WVT video over here.

Getting cold

It's cold. My eyelids froze shut as I walked back up the hill from getting the girls on the bus. It's cold like 300 weight fleece on under a heavy down puff ball jacket. It's cold like my cats water bowl was frozen solid- IN THE HOUSE this morning.

So with that said, no desire to go out on the bike. I'd be willing to get out on by skinny skis, but the bike doesn't offer much appeal in these temps. That being said it should warm up (to the teens) by the weekend, so maybe a quick spin on one of those days.

Working on my cross bike for next year. Big Al at Team World HQ is helping me with my sizing. I think I was about to order to big of a bike, so I need to do a bit of math to make sure I get the right size. Looking at the Chilli Con from Salsa- nice ride.

Ok, back to work.

Ride safe.- DEA

Ski Racing

Seems my ability to get on my bike has been derailed by ski season. Particularly my oldest kid's ski season. Here's a pic from last weekend's GS race at King Pine. He placed 13th out of 40 racers.



These two were taken today at Wildcat Mountian. This was a GS that was in pretty tough racing conditions. We had 6 inches of new snow fall before the race and another 3-5 fall during the race and that snow was on top of some pretty icey base. Made for a lot of crashes and some pretty cautious skiing by a lot of kids. D3 finihed 19th out of 46.






I have been shooting photos and getting a fair amount of snowboarding in so its all good. Still need to meet up with DEA and A! for some turns though.

JJ

2009 off with a bang

Been out riding a fair amount in 2009, it's the 3rd and I've ridden the past two days- so I'm at like 66%. So here was tonight's ride.

Now it's off to the movies with the girls (each have a friend over)- good times!

Ride safe.

DEA

A few thoughts on winter gear

I've been riding with these shoes for the past few days and I am pretty happy so far. The temps haven't been out of control cold, but I do have one ride that was into the upper 20's with a good deal of wind and a bit of water and snow spray coming up from the road. I'm wearing just a thin wool cycling sock (PI Tour Socks) and I think I can go up to a slightly thicker sock and stay comfortable down to 20 degrees, beyond that I think I'll have to through booties on over the shoe- and then they should be super warm. I did make one modification, I put in a piece of plastic between the cleat and the bottom of the shoe to completely cover the holes in the sole for the cleat plate. I'm sure that area is sealed, but water and cold always seem to find ways to get in so why give them easy access?

Now that is keeping my feet warm, I'm also trying to keep the rest of me a bit cleaner, dryer and ultimately warmer. So introduce my newest front fender (I don't know where all the old ones go?), this one is from a large plastic kitty litter container. It works well!

Why a fender? Cuz I don't want all this up in my teeth:

Here is my poor bike in all its dirty splendor. I might try to sneak out on the cross bike for my next ride since I'm mainly on roads and maybe I'll get my average speed up over 10mph!

For night riding I've found that the Knog Frog can attach right to your helmet. These are crazy bright for their size.

That's it from here, tomorrow is a new year- and I'm pretty psyched with that idea! Happy and Safe New Year to everyone and ride on.



late edit: cool idea here
DEA

yup I'm hooked

ok, it's like crack, use it once and want to use it more.

Rode again today.

DEA


PS- did get out to ski today as well, so I do know it's winter!

New Toys and Soon a New Year

My wife led the charge in hooking me up with a new toy for Christmas, a toy I've quitely coveted for a few years now. I think I'm glad that a bit of time had passed as the latest version is just ridiculous in terms of features. What is the new toy? Not this:
That is Dennis's new toy- and yes I now have car envy- but back to me, my new toy- a Garmin Edge 705

This is the craziest piece of electronics I've ever owned. And I've been owning electronics for a day or two. This is on par with when I bought my Commedore 64 back in the early 80's. So needless to say it's cycling season again in my world!

Got out for a ride with Dennis on Sunday, a short gravel grinder. He had a few drive train issues that kept us from climbing too much (see what happens when you grab a geared bike!). This was D before the trouble came:
You will notice he is wearing knickers and not going for the full on winter tights, he's tough. I was in full on snivel gear, and happy I was.

Just to prove I too was on the ride:

Now that you know that we actually rode I can give you the cool map and player that shows where we went, how fast, what the elevation was, how long it took, yada yada yada- this stuff is crazy! Here is the link- when you get to the page you can select the map view (I like the satellite view), and then you can click on the play button to make it all work.

That was my first ride, but I wasn't done. It might be ski season and Shawnee Peak might be tempting me with their lights for night skiing, but I chose instead to go for a night ride. Here was the loop. I will say you may need a bit of patience as the pages can be a bit slow to load.

In other news I also got my first two rides in the new Pearl Izumi winter shoe, so far so good- but I do see myself needing to wear booties in real cold temps. Last night was down to 35 and my feet were fine for out over an hour, but I would guess that at that temp I would start feeling a bit cold at two hours- but we will see.

That's it for now. Home with the kids today and thinking of sneaking out for some turns over at Shawnee Peak.

Ride safe.


DEA

Winter is almost here

Sunday is the Winter Solstice, that will be the "start of winter" but more importantly it will be the shortest day and hence the turning point when days FINALLY start getting longer. That is one tough part of living in a northern clim, the days can get really short. By 4 pm this time of year it is already getting pretty dark. And as I write this at 7:05am the sun is just coming up. It makes for a tough go at staying active when you leave the house in the dark and return in the dark. That being said we are almost at the turning point, can you tell I'm ready for that?

The holidays are almost here, so I'm getting excited for a bit of down time and the chance to get out on the hill with the girls.

The bike- haven't ridden it since that warm night. We're full on back in cold and snow, so soon we'll be heading out for night skiing instead of thinking of the bikes. Of course I'm thinking a great deal about what frames will be on the order form from Salsa. They have a new scandium 29er SS that looks pretty sweet- basically the Mamasita with an EBB. Then there is also the Chilli Con cross bike that is priority one. Time will tell!

Ok enough out of me, I need coffee.

DEA

A night ride

Temps crept up into the 50's yesterday rendering my dreams of getting out for some high speed crust cruising null and void, so I chose instead to grab the bike and lights and headed out for a little over an hour. The funny part was riding around in December, checking out all the holiday lights and being HOT. I didn't think I was over dressed, (on top- long sleeve craft baselayer, craft fleece jersey, sugoi shell) but it wasn't long before the jacket and fleece were unzipped well past the 3/4 mark.

It was a great ride, with only a few surprises. A couple times I found snow and ice in the road when I wasn't quite ready for it- but just as the bike was starting to get away from me I'd end up on clean pavement and it would all come back together.

I'm wondering if that will be the last "warm" ride. Usually this time of year a ride can only last as long as my hands and feet will stay warm- nothing over two hours. We shall see!

I hope everyone is having a good build up to the holidays. I know I need to get shopping here pretty soon!

later,

DEA

Does a bike get lonely?

My bikes are spending their first winter in a space that is unheated. I wonder if they get lonely? They are dry and out of the weather, but have no heat to keep them warm. Do they care? Time will tell.

I have not been on my bike in over a week. That sort of scares me, I need to get out on a ride or set up the trainer. I want to make sure my legs and namely my ass don't forget what riding a bike is all about. Time will tell.

It's warm out right now- hmmm maybe an outdoor ride?

DEA

Its a comin.....

THE FIRST MAJOR WINTER STORM OF THE SEASON WILL DEPOSIT A VARIETY OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS WESTERN MAINE AND MUCH OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND FREEZING RAIN ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION.

FREEZING RAIN WILL ACCUMULATE UNTIL MIDDAY FRIDAY OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. SOUTHERN INTERIOR MAINE AND SOUTHEAST INTERIOR NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL SEE A HALF TO ONE INCH OF ICE... ALONG WITH SLEET AND SOME SNOWFALL. THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE WILL BRING DOWN TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES... RESULTING IN POWER OUTAGES. LESS ICE... A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH... WILL ACCUMULATE IN THE FOOTHILLS OF MAINE AS WELL AS WESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE... WHERE SNOW AND SLEET WILL DOMINATE. ICE ACCRETIONS WILL ALSO APPROACH A HALF INCH ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE COASTLINE.

IN ADDITION TO THE ICE... SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE 8 TO 14 INCHES OVER NORTHERN AREAS. ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS OF MAINE... 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE. OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST INTERIOR NEW HAMPSHIRE... 4 TO 8 INCHES SNOW WILL FALL. LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS... 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL FALL OVER THE CAPITAL REGION OF MAINE... WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES ACCUMULATING OVER FAR SOUTHWEST MAINE AND SOUTHEAST NEW HAMPSHIRE. FINALLY... AN INCH OR TWO SNOW WILL FALL ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE COASTLINE.

COASTAL FLOODING WILL OCCUR NEAR THE TIME OF THE MID MORNING HIGH TIDE FROM ABOUT PORTLAND AND POINTS SOUTH ALONG THE COAST.

THE WINTER WEATHER IS DUE TO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH WILL MOVE UP THE COAST TONIGHT... CROSSING OVER THE MAINE COASTAL WATERS FRIDAY MORNING. WARM AIR POURING IN ALOFT WILL OVERRIDE COLD AIR NEAR THE GROUND. THIS WILL CAUSE THE MIX OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION.

Grinder Bust

Saturday morning at 7am, it was cold and lonely. In fact it was so lonely that I opted to get back into bed (where it wasn't so lonely).

Later as the sun came up and the temps reached a balmy 26 degrees I went out for a ride. The gravel was nice, slick in places, but firm and fast (and I was slow and fat). So not much in the way of a group ride, but that will come.

That's about it. Ready to ski. Missed the sprints up at Great Glen- looked like a good turn out.

Time to think skiing!

later

DEA

Gravel Grinder is coming

Saturday, December 6th the Gravel Grinder will take place. The weather looks good- high temp of 35, sun, and a cold night leading into the day means the gravel will be firm and fast (and I'll be slow and fat).

We may negotiate the start time to an 8am start just to better deal with the temps- but we'll see.

Looking forward to this!

later,

DEA

December 1st

The first day of the last month of 2008. Hmmm, can't say I'll be upset when 2008 is behind me! That being said I had a great couple of days as K and I headed over to see PowderJew in Vermont. We hit up Killington for our first turns of the season while PJ hucked steel for a few hours. We then just chilled out in the hot tub and watched HUNDREDS of canadian geese come in and land on the river behind PJ's house. Add to that great food for both dinner and breakfast and it was a good weekend over in the green mountain state.

As far as riding my bike- nothing to speak of since Thanksgiving. It snowed last night, followed by rain so the roads suck at the moment- may be time for the studded tires.

That being said I'm starting to get ready for ski season (after we do the TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder this weekend)- still looking to be skiing over at Shawnee Peak this winter, so that will be cool to be back at the hill I grew up on. My parents ski there as well (my Dad is there every day, all day) so it will be fun to connect with them on a regular basis.

That's about it at the moment, waiting for my new winter riding shoes to show up- tracking them now- should be here tomorrow. Then at least I'll have toasty feet!

Ok enough out of me- get out and get some fresh air.

later,

dEA

Thanksgiving Day Ride

I'm listening to Alices Restaurant as I missed it yesterday and the day just didn't feel complete. That being said we did start a new Thanksgiving Day tradition as my brother in law Frank and I got out for a good spin down at Fort Rock in Exeter. Now I have a special relationship with Fort Rock, as I left a great deal of my shin down on some rocks at Fort Rock, and that was in the back of my minds when we got down there. With that said the wreck had to do with a bridge, so I just made sure I walked the bridges- and that served me well.

We lucked out with the weather, it was about 40 degrees, no wind, and it was dry. I had brought down the Mamasita for the day, which meant I had brought gears and suspension- which quickly revealed itself as a good decision.

We spent a good hour out cruising around and found some great sections of trail that I would like to get back and ride again. Especially one section that reminds me a great deal of some of the trails over at Kingdom, fast, swooping (sort of like Old Web), and fairly smooth. We also rode some trails that had more roots and rocks than any one trail should have. The type of trail that you can clean if you go balls out on it, but if you check up and loose your momentum you end up stopping dead.

By the end we knew we had to start heading home as there was some juicy Turkey waiting. So we loaded up and headed back for a fantastic Thanksgiving Day dinner.

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

Ride on.

DEA

How Many Layers

Riding your bike in November in northern New England can be a bit of an exercise in how much you can wear and how many lights can you put on your bike. The reason being rather simple, it's dark by 4:10pm and the air temps are in the 20's with wind chill taking things down into the single digits.

But with it not quite ski season yet (Shawnee Peak is slated to open in mid December)and knowing the holidays (read wayyyyyy to much food and beer) right around the corner it's important to try and stay moving and try to keep the belt creep from going much beyond one notch.

This all brings me to last night. I thought I had another rider to go with me, but he bailed out about a half hour before we were to head out so it was me and the iPod. As I was getting ready I began to find it humorous how much crap went into a hour or so ride. Here is what I was wearing: long sleep t-neck base from Craft, my winter full zip jersey from Bikeman, a second heavy full zip "jersey" from Craft (more like a 200 weight fleece), a wind/rain shell from Sugoi, thermal knickers from Pearl, thermal wind front tights from Craft, heavy wool socks, heavy shoes, Pearl AmFib covers, fleece balaclava, Smartwool spring weight ski gloves, helmet (with light) and clear glasses. Then on the bike:2 knog flashers, one big flasher, a bar light set on flash mode, and the L&M Arc on the head. All this crap to go for a ride. It takes me about 15 minutes to get it all on and situated and another 10 to take it all off- for a ride that last night went for 70 minutes. The comical part- I have to trainers that I could have set up in the room and just donned shorts and shoes and been good to go!

Of course that would defeat the purpose. There is something very satisfying about riding in cold, dark, even wet conditions. It you've got the right snivel gear you can really be comfortable, and for what ever reason you feel tough (and in my case it makes up for my obvious lack of fitness!).

TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder Part Deux Update

Here are the excuses or comments thus far:

A1: "Two weeks to get in shape, two weeks to get in shape, two weeks to get in shape..............shit"

JJ: "at least there are no food gorging type holidays before then"

Someone who claims to be my mother: "Very funny! Should I warn everyone that after many many many many
many ...... years of experience following the author's father that a time frame is an absolute JOKE as are any attempts at saying where you will go, end up or otherwise travel?! I hope the snow isn't too bad! I might be tempted to join you if I knew there were other 60 year old women in the crowd~ M"

Howie: "Oh, sure…..schedule it on the day of the Atomic Sprints…..nice. Now I’ll have to make up some excuse as to why I’m not at the Sprints…."

Fletcher: "This is awesome--here's the rub; it falls on the big SAT test date, so I won't be able to make it... Great invite, though!"

My boss: "Hi Captain of TWAF and Minister of Propaganda,

I am in, but I am hoping that I can't go. If my beloved UNH Wildcats win 2 more games (Sat vs Maine and 2 days after Thanksgiving in the NCAA Playoffs), I hope to be on a road trip to watch them.

Also, I need to be at Gordon College by 7pm that evening to listen to an angel (I mean my son!) sing. Maybe we can just ride back roads all the way down to Cape Ann?

By the way, don't you know that it is ski season, it's cold, I haven't been on my bike since July, and What are you thinking, anyway?

The Chief Head Knocker"

JJ again: "ran the TWAF GG part deux by the boss, was informed that D3 and I will be in Boston the night before at Celtics game returning very late/early. Also on the 6th, I have to attend a parade that D3 is in for school that I was informed would not be wise to miss. I'm old, lazy and out of shape. The moon is in the wrong phase. My biorhythms will be off that day. I might have gout or some other aliment by then. I might not come back from Jamaica. The ride won't be challenging enough.
How's that? Trying to cover myself with ample excuses."

And we also have one t-shirt going out to Brian Roche, "I'll bite...gotta tune up my MTB trannie though..."

So there you have it. I'll keep you updated as we get closer.


later and ride save,

DEA

TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder

Getting COOOOLLLLLDDD

Got in an hour on the road last night, and in some ways I'm still thawing out. Pretty soon I'll be spending more time at Shawnee Peak, getting in turns instead of riding, but right now the bike remains the priority.

It felt good to get out, it's amazing how the thought of riding in the dark with temps in the upper 20's and a ripping wind can almost cause you to grab a beer and hit the couch. But once you are out there it's not bad (provided you have the appropriate snivel gear!).

I've got a good loop for this type of ride where I'm never more than 3 miles from the house, that way if anything goes south on me I can either get home quick or K can come to my rescue in a short bit of time.

That's it at the moment.

Ride safe.

DEA

Late Fall Ride Pics

 
 
 
 

JJ

Final Race of 2008

Last race of the Great Glen CX series, and I have to say it was good that it was the last race! I had fun, but I was slow and just didn't have any snap. In some ways I'm very ready to put the 2008 season behind me and get down to doing the work needed for 2009.

Today the wind was a big issue as well as a good amount of mud. In fact I crashed on my first lap when my front wheel found the edge of a ditch and the wet earth just gave way- it was sort of funny but I was third wheel when it happened and by the time I picked up my butt off the ground I was DFL. From there I fought back to the pack and then blew up. So for about two laps I held tough, then I hung back for the final four laps. I beat on other dude who looked to be struggling sort of like I was.

The other issue was the temp dropped by over 15 degrees in less then 30 minutes- so a race where you were very comfortable in shorts and a summer weight LS jersey quickly became a very cold race with winds up over 40 mph and temps dropping into the 30's.

I am looking forward to building my base for 2009 and seeing how I can vastly improve upon this season. It shouldn't be hard, but I will have to put in the work and make sure I remain consistant. Time will tell!

Now it's time to start dreaming of snow storms and great days out on the trails (XC) and out on the hill for some lift serve.

Ride safe!

DEA

Wet and dark ride

This whole daylight savings thing messes with my chi (whatever that is) and has caused me to not ride my bike. With it being Thursday (yesterday, not today) and with the past weekends efforts still making me walk funny and the upcoming weekends efforts in front of me I decided it was time to ride my bike. Of course when it's 7:30pm, raining/sleeting and is 34 degrees out you have to dig around for snivel gear and lights.

I was half hoping to not find what I was looking for and say I had put in the effort, but much to my surprise everything sort of found me (or was that my kids and wife wanting me to get the hell out of the house and stop complaining about not riding, so they brought me a big pile of snivel gear and lights?)

I suited up in my kermit the frog ninja suit (mash these two up),
found the booties, grabbed the ipod, grabbd lights and headed out the door. I got outside and thought to myself, "self, this is stupid. It's cold. It's wet. It's dark. You have two perfectly good trainers you could mount up and watch Smallville while you twiddle away on the bike."

While that was a good thought I also realized I was all dressed up so I might as well get out for a spin. I grabbed the cross bike, hit play and out I went. It wasn't long before I was actually enjoying myself and thinking about what people must think as they drove by. My version goes like this: "wow, look at that dedicated and rugged cyclist who is out in this crazy weather. If only I could find a poster of him I'd hang it on my wall and build a shrine to his greatness."

Of course here is the likely reality, "Really Buffy I just can't figure out this housing crisis, OH JESUS i just about ran over some fool on a bike, he must be riding to the night shift at the Big Apple, Stupid bastard- next time get a designated driver! Sorry about that Buffy, what was I saying- oh wait I've got another call coming in- it's my shrink."

Anyway the ride went well and I got in after about an hour. The best part is stripping down, I always feel like I'm pulling off a wet suit, reminds me of when I used to windsurf in the fall and you had this massive pile of wet clothign that was supposed to keep you warm.

So that's my story, not much of one, but I do feel better today and my legs were happy to get out and spin- now I just need to do this everyday and then I too can mount a comeback.

ride safe,


DEA

DEA making it bigtime.

http://www.velonews.com/article/84971/ostroski-takes-porky-gulch-classic

Check out the photo.

JJ

Porky Gulch Classic

I'll write up the report later, but here are some pics from the PGC- and here is a link to videos from each segment. I should point out the photo credits go to: Ryan Triffitt (HC+SL), Karen Cole(SL), and Boogie Cole(RR).

Toughest Two

Racing at StoryLand






RockPile Rampage

A day of racing

This past weekend I managed to get my bike all the way to the race site without it falling out of the truck and going boom. I still haven't figured out how the bike fell out last week, but it is now behind me and the bike now has shiny new parts from World Bikeman HQ so all is good in the world.

The day was a perfect blue bird day, but cold. The warm-up laps were done in full snivel gear, winter tights, winter jacket, mittens, etc. It may have been overkill, but I wanted to be warm during my warm up! Eli had put together a good course, a few small tweaks from last year, but for those who have raced up at Great Glen in the past couple years the course was pretty similar.

During my warm-ups I was feeling pretty good on my remounts, but I wasn't able to hold any speed on the fast dismount/run-up. I couldn't figure out what was going on, especially since last year that was my fastest section of the course. I guessed I'd have plenty of chance to figure that out during the race so I headed back to the base lodge to get into dry clothes and get ready for the race. K and the girls were inside and helped me get my number pinned on and find my knee warmers. I lobbied to have a lemans start from inside the building so we didn't have to go outside before we were going hard and staying warm- my idea fell on deaf ears.

We lined up for the start and I found a place near the back. I'm just not that comfortable in a cross start. I need to find a way to work on that, but I get a bit sketched out in certain starts, especially the first corner or in the this case the first hard transition between hill and pavement. I also find that my legs take a few minutes to get up to race speed- so I tend to work my way up from the back (or that is the theory).

The start saw me stay in the back, per normal, but within the first lap I did start to see opportunity to start to move up. I figured the high speed dismount run up would be the place where I could pick up a place or two- but in the first lap I actually lost a place on that portion of the course. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, so I spent the next lap watching the rider ahead and I realized I was trying to ride too far up the hill instead of pushing hard and coasting, with my leg already up and over as I rolled in- once I did that I was going fast on that part again. I find it amazing how much fun that can be- rolling along at a speed much faster than I can run- but still being able to hit the ground at full speed and carry that momentum over the barriers and then to blend right back onto the bike- such a cool feeling.

Anyway I worked my way up through the field and chased hard a couple of guys in all yellow that were about 25 meters ahead of me for a couple of laps. I slowly made progress, but could never make the connection. With two to go I did make the catch and pass, only to be passed back half a lap later. I descided I had the kick so sitting back wouldn't be a bad way to go. As we passed through the start finish Eli yelled two to go, but less the ten seconds later the leader came through for the bell lap- so I knew there was a good chance we'd get caught- and that we were likely on our bell lap as well.

I tried to stick to his wheel- and was able to for sections but as we climbed I lost a bit of contact- then the leader caught us and I knew I had to go. I chased and finally caught back on just as we hit the tunnel, I waited to pass until we were on the grass sidehill and then just went- I got the pass but I think it was more due to surprising the rider and not giving him time to respond, but I was glad to get the pass.

I finished third for the day in the intermediates. So I was good with that.

After K and I took the girls out to lunch and I ate the largest omlette I've ever seen. I'll be carryign that pile of eggs for weeks!

Next up- Porky Gulch.

Ride on.

DEA