Racing My Bike

March 10 and 11

GSC #1 time trial in Macon Ga. went off under perfect conditions.  The course was dry (which turned out to be a good thing) and fun.  Not a big turnout with about 50 riders total.  I had a hard time getting going because we sit in line for so long. I still beat all the 50+ sport riders and all 3 guys in my class.  Blake got 3rd overall which made him smile, second in his class.  This is his first time in the cat 1's and I'm proud of him.

Over night a storm moved in bringing light rain and cooler temps.  Fortunately the trail handles rain well and even though the roots were slick in spots it wasn't a big problem.

Blake went off in the 930 wave, starting about 5 out of 8, but moving up on the last lap to 3 overall and second in his class.

I didn't have much competition.  I had Stan on my wheel until the first tight section of single track then I never saw him again.  So I spent my time picking off Juniors, Clydesdale's, and even a few 50 + guys.  Eventually finishing 6 minutes up on Stan.

I only struggled with one short climb with a root section at the top.  I just couldn't make myself pedal through it.  All in my head I know but frustrating none the less.

At awards it started raining heavier and got colder.  We hit a Chipotle on the way home and put a hurt on some burritos.  We even got home in time to watch the women's UCI MTB race.  Good times.

San Destin

The Lovely Wife and I spent a couple of nights here since she was on spring break.  Not really my cup of tea but I enjoyed the change of scenery.  Enough about that.

March 25 and 26

Hailes Trail, Newberry, Gainesville, SERC #1, whatever you want to call it.  Lots of steep ups and downs, rocky in spots, a hard place to like.  Saturday practice had me in a bit of a funk.  I just can't stay with the short steep stuff.  I bail really before I have to.  I tried to stay focused on the stuff I can do and just let the other happen.  A cold beer at Chili's help my attitude.

Race day was perfect weather.  60 and a light breeze, it had rained earlier in the week so the trail was as good as it gets. 

Blake got a good start, running 4 in the elites which was the 19-39 and the 40-49 cat ones combined.  I think there was 20 all total.  On the second lap he said his back brake was fading.  He still managed 3 in class and I think 4 overall.  His training and diet are really allowing him to improve.  He just has so much going on with school and just life I hope he doesn't burn himself out.  He has applied for internships in Colorado and California.  I can feel him getting away.  I know that's what is supposed to happen but it doesn't mean it's easy.

There were 6 in my class, I didn't recognize any of them.  Someone asked if David Norman was here.  I raised my hand and a collective sigh went up from a couple of guys.  One congratulated me on my SERC sweep last year, making me feel very uncomfortable.  Another said he'd be glad just to hold my wheel for a couple of corners.  Then the guy next to me tells me he hasn't pre ridden the course.  Really?

Anyhoo, one of the guys got the jump on me at the start.  I had scoped out a line to the outside on the approach to the first turn that no one was using.  I just moved over and sprinted to the turn, passing him on the outside.  By the time I reached the bottom of the first hill I couldn't see anyone behind me.  As it turned out I shouldn't have worried about the steep climbs.  There was somebody from another class on every one I came up to.  I just ran them, mostly it was faster than they were able to ride up them.

Once I decided to just run them I was able to just put my head down and ride the rest of the course, focusing on just the trail in front of me.  And just like Macon I played the game of catch the rider in front.  I had a good ride and was well into my cool down when second place came in.

Third place didn't show up till later.

So back to my internal debate on my class choice.  So far I am definitely in better shape than the guys I've raced with.  Also better prepared.  I saw the third place finisher riding one of the climbs I ran when we were taking a practice lap Saturday.  So what does that mean?  One dude on the line said he hadn't even pre ridden the course.  Another was on a 10 year old 26".  So beating some of these guys isn't saying much. 

When you could move into another age class didn't you?  If you finished mid pack in 40 sport and turned 50 would you stay in 40 just for giggles?

I keep hoping someone will show up.  There are some guys in 50 sport or expert who have to be getting close to 60.  Where will they go?  Terry Berger (Gone Riding owner) says they need a class just for me.  Why should I stay with guys 10+ years younger than me when nobody else has to?

I am super fortunate to be able to (and want to) do this stuff.  It's all for fun.  In the end nobody else cares who I race against or how I do.

Some Downs, Some Ups

I had to put my old dog Sandy down a week ago Friday.  It had been coming for a long time, still didn't make it easy.  We got her when Blake was in first grade so she'd been with us for 15 years.  She was a sweet dog and will be missed.

Still I will admit to a certain sense of relief.  She had been deaf for the past 5 years and had had hip problems for the past year.  I would look out in the garage every morning to see if she was still alive.  A gentleman I used to bird hunt with told me once "If you're gonna be a dog man you'll have to put a few down in your life".  This was number two, I'm not sure I can do it again.  So we'll spend a while dog free and see how that goes.

Anyhoo, so much for the downs.  On the up side Blake came home for his spring break and we got to ride the Dirty Pecan together.  Rumors of 500 riders showing up had me wanting to be anti social and roll out early.  Blake was okay with that as he had a certain wattage he wanted to do for 3.5 hours and being around 500 bobos would make that difficult.  Turns out there wasn't near 500 but we had already made our plans.

I soon discovered that holding a certain wattage was quite a bit different from holding a heart rate.  At first it felt easy, but as we got into the hills I discovered that you pedaled just as hard going down as you did going up.  Every time we crested a hill Blake would go "click, click, click" on the gears.  I soon worked up a little hate for that sound.  He dropped me not long after the water stop in Boston but couldn't leave me since he had forgotten to download the route (snicker).

What a great day though.  I'm very fortunate to be able to do these things with my son.

Race

This weekend is the start of the Georgia Series.  Rain is in the forecast so I'm having to work to stay positive.  My training is going good so far.  Training Peaks shows my fitness is on the rise and I'm looking forward to the time trial Saturday and the XC Sunday.  I can't believe it's race season again, once again I sooooo happy to be able to do these things.  Let's see how this goes.

Brown House

There used to be a brown house sitting here.  I have no idea what it was ever used for.  This is now a parking spot for moto heads using the ANF, it's right next to the bike path along side Silver Lake Rd.  I wonder how many people remember it being there?  Back when I was riding moto it was common to meet "at brown house" for a ride.  We even had monthly club hare scrambles just down the road.

Testing, Testing

I unloaded the clay bike at Trout Pond trail head a couple of weekends ago to do my LT test.  The test itself isn't much fun but I do enjoy the ride down to Bloxham Cutoff and back.

Oh yea, they call that trail the GF&A.  It used to be a railroad when Helen was an active town.  Now it's just good spot to listen to the wind blow.

After completing the test I rolled back up to the pond and sat on the dock for a while.  

I love days like these.

A Trend?

I skipped the Urban Gorilla ride this past Sunday.  Just as I had bowed out on a group clay ride Saturday.  I did go with a group on a MTB ride instead of the clay ride, so that was kind of sociable.

I am beginning to see a trend.  Less group rides, more time on the bike alone.  I could use some more friends but you wouldn't know it by the way I avoid people.

Anyhoo, I'm in the first week of Build, Peak, Race.  Since the OMTP is not very flexible it doesn't yield itself to social rides (see above) but I do enjoy my solitary time at Forest Meadows.  Zone 4 and zone 5 intervals coming up from the lake on a cold winter afternoon makes me smile.  It really is a perfect place to ride.  Especially with Overstreet right across the street.  Throw in the trails that are orange and it gets even better.

I have managed to get a little more comfortable with Red Bug clockwise.  This route includes the rock climb, rooty route, and the climb after the long bridge.  All of these challenge me in some way.  My goal is to get really comfortable with these sections and be able to ride them with confidence.

Our group MTB ride on Saturday took place in the forest.  Munson and Gold Mine were in perfect shape.  Gold Mine is my second favorite trail system.  I really appreciate the woods elf that takes care of it.  After hunting season I'll hit the trails to the south of 305, maybe get in some 40 mile days.  We had a good group and I enjoyed the company.

For some reason my weight is up 2 pounds over my average for the past couple of weeks.  I don't think I've changed my eating patterns.  I wonder what's going on.

I was looking at the pictures of the 60+ class at cross nats last week.  Damn those guys look fit.  I have something to aspire to.  I wonder if they eat the whole bowl of chips at the Mexican restaurant?  Not that I do.

A Bad Idea

I am circling around the idea of a dual sport motorcycle.  Big Jim started this fantasy while we were eating oysters and drinking beer (something else those 60+ guys don't do).  I need one like I need a hole in the head...... but.  When would I ride it?  Cycling takes up so much of my time.  Still, it intrigues me.

Longer Days

Finally getting daylight back for my evening rides.  I don't even take the light with me anymore.  I need to work in some clay rides to get my butt used to 5 hours saddle time since the Dirty Pecan is coming up in a few weeks.

Older

Yep, in a few weeks I'll turn 62.  I was supposed to be retiring with a huge pension right about now.  My how things changed.  No complaints though.  I'm just damn glad to be here.

Group Rides vs The OMTP

After wimping out on my Thursday workout because of the cold I rescheduled it for Friday.  5/8 minute zone 4 intervals felt good, but left me a little tired Saturday.  Dr. Sworks and Catman agreed to ride with me Saturday.  The Doc is still rehabbing so we stayed on multi use and kept a moderate pace.

Catman peeled off but bumped into Postman and they both found me after Doc went home.  It was then the pace went up and so did the single track.  I was working hard and they were talking.  Not quite the 2.5 hours the plan called for but close enough.

Sunday brought word of a group ride with the promise of pizza and brews afterward.  Once again not what the plan called for.  I was already tired but felt like I could work a good effort into the ride by starting early and maybe riding longer.  I had forgotten how easily people who don't ride often tire out.  Look, I get it.  Just two years ago I was rehabbing and wasn't able to ride long without stopping, so I know how it feels.

This is where I struggle with a training plan vs just riding my bike.  I did manage to ride 3 hours, which is what the plan called for.  However, it took over 4 hours to get that 3 hours in.  I enjoyed the fellowship of the group ride, they are more talented than I will ever be.  I liked watching them have fun on their bikes.  But, combine the erratic pace with what some would call a questionable recovery strategy and I worry I may have thrown away a hard training block.  Should I worry?  I mean really, it's just the 60 plus class.  That's not it though.  I enjoy the process and I think I let the process down.

Anyhoo, it was still a good day on the bike.  The beer was cold and the pizza tasty.  In the grand scheme of things having fun with friends will be more important than a training day (?).  The group rides don't come very often anymore.  So I guess I should just chill the hell out?  On the other hand I enjoy finishing a hard training block also.

If this is all I have to worry about everything must be going pretty good huh?

I'm Sorry

The launguage in that last post was rather strong.  I apologize.  I had a better control over that type of thing when The Kid was in the house but I seem to be slipping back into bad habits.

Training

Anyhoo, I'm feeling pumped about the OMTP this year.  I downloaded the plan to Training Peaks (TP) ( I think I already covered this didn't I?) and it's adding a layer of accountability to my training.  It's week 10 of base and it's hard to believe I'll start Build Peak Race in two weeks. 

My first event is the Georgia State XC Series (GSC) on March 10 and 11.  The South Eastern Reginal Championship Series (SERC) starts March 25th.  I have both series in TP and Linda (the lady who makes these plans) set up the training schedule.  I have followed the plan closer this year than I have ever done before.  Like foam rolling and Yoga, I have skipped those in the past.  My mistake.  Doing both of those on a regular basis makes a huge difference in my workouts the next day.

Linda set me up to peak twice, once in April and again at nationals in July.  I'm going to stay in the 60+ class again (cue the groans).  Yea I beat those guys pretty bad last year but going down an age class doesn't make any sense to me.  Everybody else in 60 + can train harder than me, if they want to.

I had to pause there after that last sentence.  I'll have to admit I like being able to race at 90% and win the class.  There I said it.  I have all the rationalizations I had last season.  It was obvious a season of that class didn't prepare me for the 60+ nationals.  Would 50+ sport prepare me better?  Comparing my lap times I would have struggled to finish mid pack in that class.  I would have been competitive in 50+ base but that's still a base class.  Well that settles it.  I'm sticking with my first pick.  60+ it is.

San Elfreezo

The Tour Of San Felasco was this past weekend.  CS and The Kid and I rode together (sort of).  I can remember when just finishing that deal was tough.  It's never really easy though.  

Temperatures started out in the low 40's and by the time we got to the lunch stop they had dropped.  It was cloudy with a biting wind.  Many garmet changes were made.  I ate two tacos which I regreted as we rolled out.  But the sun finally came out and it warmed up for the last hour of the ride.  We sat in the grass eating pizza and having a beer afterwards.  I love days like that.

Thieves

I'm gonna rant. 

It all started in my neighborhood in Beautiful Downtown Havana the week of Christmas.  The thieves got into unlocked cars and the back of pick up trucks.  Stealing whatever they thought was worth anything.  Expensive coolers and even a gun from one unlocked vehicle.

Then The Kid got word that their house in Gainesville had been broken into sometime around Christmas.  The thieves broke a window in a door, stealing two TVs, a bicycle, and anything else they could grab.

The walking pieces of shit that do this don't deserve "a second chance", or "rehabilitation", they just fucking need to go to jail.  I'll gladly pay taxes to build more prisons to hold these bastards until they rot.

Didn't they used to hang horse thieves?

Couldn't you get shot for cattle rustling?  I'm almost ready for some Game of Thrones justice.  They used to do some really horrible things to thieves in 15th century England.

But you know it didn't stop them.

This is all an old tired story.  There will always be bad people.  They will always have a rationlization for doing what they do. 

I'm thinking of getting a rattlesnake and putting it in a cooler, drill some holes so it can breath, and set it on my porch.  That would be fun to watch.

There, I feel much better.  Back to cycling stuff next time.