After my last post, I decided to not make a run at the "Fall mini series" competition. I've sat out the first two events and just coached. I was able to fully concentrate on helping my junior athlete win his "Youth A" category with a few well-timed jumps and sprints.
I skipped last week as well, as when I got there...no legs. Never even pulled the bike out of the truck.
When you don't even want to ride, you should certainly not race.
I may do one or two of the Saturday afternoon events in November, but purely for the workout. First or last place...don't really care.
Season is done, time to hibernate on the trainer and lose some gut.
It may be awhile before I come out of the cave to post again, so you guys take care, keep the rubber side down and your eyes to the skies.
DB
Cyclist to pray for: All of them.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Whew....long season!!!
Man...just when I thought the season was over and I could go into "weight-loss" mode (euphamism for slowing it down), the Superdrome sucked me back in :)
Rode in the "Dollar night" and "Festival of speed" events this weekend. Shall we say I have not been doing high RPM and sprint training in quite some time. My results showed it. I'm quite sure I got last in my group on Dollar night...and got 8th out of 10 or 11 on Saturday night.
But!
Both were fun and I got to watch a junior I am coaching improve. Results were the same as the previous week, but he rode smarter and stronger.
Even worse, the 'drome will be running a fall "endurance series" all the way through the end of November.
So my season is now 11 months long :)
Side note: the aging cyclist hits 40 tomorrow. Rub a bald head or pot belly for me, wouldja?
Cyclist to pray for: Stephen W. and family
DallasBikr
Rode in the "Dollar night" and "Festival of speed" events this weekend. Shall we say I have not been doing high RPM and sprint training in quite some time. My results showed it. I'm quite sure I got last in my group on Dollar night...and got 8th out of 10 or 11 on Saturday night.
But!
Both were fun and I got to watch a junior I am coaching improve. Results were the same as the previous week, but he rode smarter and stronger.
Even worse, the 'drome will be running a fall "endurance series" all the way through the end of November.
So my season is now 11 months long :)
Side note: the aging cyclist hits 40 tomorrow. Rub a bald head or pot belly for me, wouldja?
Cyclist to pray for: Stephen W. and family
DallasBikr
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Well, shoot.
I've been looking forward to an event for a year now...the 12 hour race at the Texas Time Trials in Cleburne, TX. I was hoping to be able to best my personal record of 156 miles in 12 hours which I set long ago in a different (thinner/younger) body.
Last Friday's ride proved to me that there was no way I was going to be able to hit 160 miles in 12 hours, since I can't even do 2 hours without low back pain. So I dropped my expectations to doing the 6 hour event and justified that the logistics were much easier this way.
Looking at the entry form this morning, reality set in. $95 entry fee, plus a $20 late fee = $115.00 for a self-supported century. Too much. If it was supported, maybe. But I can essentially do the same thing by doing a 20 mile loop starting and ending at my house...free. Without having to drive 90 minutes to get there.
Understand this is no knock on the promoter...they have every right to charge what they want and I respect that. My job is to decide if I am willing to pay it.
Nope.
So...on the flip side, I will go do 2 track races that weekend for Texas Cup points and have a good time. I may decide to do the "local 6 hour" this weekend, just to say I did it.
Aging Cyclist lesson: None of us are as young as we once were, and we have to be relistic in our goals.
Cyclist to pray for: Gabby (she just got her first new MTB)
DB
Last Friday's ride proved to me that there was no way I was going to be able to hit 160 miles in 12 hours, since I can't even do 2 hours without low back pain. So I dropped my expectations to doing the 6 hour event and justified that the logistics were much easier this way.
Looking at the entry form this morning, reality set in. $95 entry fee, plus a $20 late fee = $115.00 for a self-supported century. Too much. If it was supported, maybe. But I can essentially do the same thing by doing a 20 mile loop starting and ending at my house...free. Without having to drive 90 minutes to get there.
Understand this is no knock on the promoter...they have every right to charge what they want and I respect that. My job is to decide if I am willing to pay it.
Nope.
So...on the flip side, I will go do 2 track races that weekend for Texas Cup points and have a good time. I may decide to do the "local 6 hour" this weekend, just to say I did it.
Aging Cyclist lesson: None of us are as young as we once were, and we have to be relistic in our goals.
Cyclist to pray for: Gabby (she just got her first new MTB)
DB
Monday, September 8, 2008
Ahhh....life.....
Hazards of being responsible :)
I was hoping to get in a 6 hour ride this Saturday, doing various 20 mile loops startnig and ending at my house, which would have left me no more than 10 miles from my house at any given time. This was for two reasons: Refueling, and I was on call.
A side note about my job: I am an escalation engineer in the IT world, and am on-call every third week for 7 days, 24 hours. Then off-call for the next 2 weeks. If a "Severity A" call comes in, I have 30 minutes to be in front of a computer. "Sev B" I have 4 hours. 99% of the time, this is not a problem as Sev A calls are rare.
So Saturday I'm on my first loop, really just getting good and warm on an out and back. Went out 12 miles and turned around. 4 miles later, the phone rings and I actually hear it! Missed the actual call but dialed up the office to find out I've been hit by the 1% of the time something serious has blown up. So...back to the house. Got there in exactly 30 minutes.
An hour and a half later, problem solved so I head back out to go try to salvage some of the ride. Of course I'm completely cooled down and momentum is shot but I need the miles. Head down the road to do a 15 mile out and back (different from the previous one) that I generally do as a time trial effort. I get all the way to the far end and the phone rings again. Call the office and get voice mail. Nobody is willing to claim having called me, one dude won't even do me the coutesy of asking the guy next to him, and nobody left voice mail or sent an email. Crud. Back to the house.
Get to the house and there are two more calls I didn't hear. This time they actually left VM, and it is something I could put off a few hours. But my ride is toast.
Got in 40 miles, 2 customer issues and lots of frustration. No more calls the rest of the day.
Didn't even bother to ride Sunday.
Aging cyclist lesson: Sometimes the job gets in the way of training, but the job pays the bills and that's part of the game until you get that "Master's pro" contract ;)
Cyclist to pray for: Stephen W.
DB
I was hoping to get in a 6 hour ride this Saturday, doing various 20 mile loops startnig and ending at my house, which would have left me no more than 10 miles from my house at any given time. This was for two reasons: Refueling, and I was on call.
A side note about my job: I am an escalation engineer in the IT world, and am on-call every third week for 7 days, 24 hours. Then off-call for the next 2 weeks. If a "Severity A" call comes in, I have 30 minutes to be in front of a computer. "Sev B" I have 4 hours. 99% of the time, this is not a problem as Sev A calls are rare.
So Saturday I'm on my first loop, really just getting good and warm on an out and back. Went out 12 miles and turned around. 4 miles later, the phone rings and I actually hear it! Missed the actual call but dialed up the office to find out I've been hit by the 1% of the time something serious has blown up. So...back to the house. Got there in exactly 30 minutes.
An hour and a half later, problem solved so I head back out to go try to salvage some of the ride. Of course I'm completely cooled down and momentum is shot but I need the miles. Head down the road to do a 15 mile out and back (different from the previous one) that I generally do as a time trial effort. I get all the way to the far end and the phone rings again. Call the office and get voice mail. Nobody is willing to claim having called me, one dude won't even do me the coutesy of asking the guy next to him, and nobody left voice mail or sent an email. Crud. Back to the house.
Get to the house and there are two more calls I didn't hear. This time they actually left VM, and it is something I could put off a few hours. But my ride is toast.
Got in 40 miles, 2 customer issues and lots of frustration. No more calls the rest of the day.
Didn't even bother to ride Sunday.
Aging cyclist lesson: Sometimes the job gets in the way of training, but the job pays the bills and that's part of the game until you get that "Master's pro" contract ;)
Cyclist to pray for: Stephen W.
DB
Friday, September 5, 2008
How to feel young again....
...ride with a kid.
I spent an hour riding all over the neighborhood last night with a 12 year old and his 10 year old brother. We played follow the leader, slow race, drag race, etc.
More fun than I've had on a bike in years :)
Cyclist to pray for: Landon.
DB
I spent an hour riding all over the neighborhood last night with a 12 year old and his 10 year old brother. We played follow the leader, slow race, drag race, etc.
More fun than I've had on a bike in years :)
Cyclist to pray for: Landon.
DB
Friday, August 29, 2008
Aches and pains are part of the gain
Whine, gripe, moan, complain....the hazards of pushing yourself too hard
Did the HHH race/rally on 8/23 (dropped at 40 miles, rallied my way in to the finish. Yay me for 100 miles!). I decided somewhere about mile 50 that despite how much I spent and how cool the Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow saddle is...it sux. For me. Fine for some other dude, but my old bones need some cushion.
I picked up a Specialized Rival of the proper width (slightly wider than the the SI), and lots of cushion. Stuck in on in the parking lot Tuesday before a 35 mile hammerfest known locally as the "Popsicle ride" which implies something nice and pleasant....not so much. Be ready for 20 avg, bursts to 30. I felt good durng the ride, but the adjustments are still to come as I strained a back muscle with bad positioning.
Rode again Thursday night after lowering the saddle 1 cm, hoping to get 40 miles in. Heat got me and I abandoned my 27/33 mile loop and cut it to 22 miles. Heavy bike, aero bars, CamelBack, saddle issues, etc. Felt like I was riding a 1970s Raleigh Touring bike (which I happen to have one of for sale in my garage!) complete with fenders and a rear rack.
I'll make another small adjustment tonight (lower the nose, scoot it forward) before Saturday's Tour de Bikemart metric attempt. need to get a metric this weekend (or two), a trial run at 6 hours next weekend, another metric at the Patriot Pedal on the 13th and hopefully another metric or hundred on 9/20.
All of this preparation is for my 12 hour attempt at 160 or more miles at the Texas Time Trials on 9/27.
I might go race the Superdrome on 9/19, mainly because I have a new junior teammate that has just started his track training, and I am targeting that as his first race. Local, low key and he can watch a lot of different skill levels when he's not on the track to learn from them.
Thing to learn if you're old: Make adjustments in fit or equipment well before your event.
Cyclists to pray for: John S, Todd, Dan. All for different reasons.
DB
Did the HHH race/rally on 8/23 (dropped at 40 miles, rallied my way in to the finish. Yay me for 100 miles!). I decided somewhere about mile 50 that despite how much I spent and how cool the Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow saddle is...it sux. For me. Fine for some other dude, but my old bones need some cushion.
I picked up a Specialized Rival of the proper width (slightly wider than the the SI), and lots of cushion. Stuck in on in the parking lot Tuesday before a 35 mile hammerfest known locally as the "Popsicle ride" which implies something nice and pleasant....not so much. Be ready for 20 avg, bursts to 30. I felt good durng the ride, but the adjustments are still to come as I strained a back muscle with bad positioning.
Rode again Thursday night after lowering the saddle 1 cm, hoping to get 40 miles in. Heat got me and I abandoned my 27/33 mile loop and cut it to 22 miles. Heavy bike, aero bars, CamelBack, saddle issues, etc. Felt like I was riding a 1970s Raleigh Touring bike (which I happen to have one of for sale in my garage!) complete with fenders and a rear rack.
I'll make another small adjustment tonight (lower the nose, scoot it forward) before Saturday's Tour de Bikemart metric attempt. need to get a metric this weekend (or two), a trial run at 6 hours next weekend, another metric at the Patriot Pedal on the 13th and hopefully another metric or hundred on 9/20.
All of this preparation is for my 12 hour attempt at 160 or more miles at the Texas Time Trials on 9/27.
I might go race the Superdrome on 9/19, mainly because I have a new junior teammate that has just started his track training, and I am targeting that as his first race. Local, low key and he can watch a lot of different skill levels when he's not on the track to learn from them.
Thing to learn if you're old: Make adjustments in fit or equipment well before your event.
Cyclists to pray for: John S, Todd, Dan. All for different reasons.
DB
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Season is almost over
HHH is coming!
In preparation for my last two events of the year, I've been trying to log some serious saddle time the last week or two, and will continue up through next Tuesday.
HHH (Cat 4, 100 miles) is August 23, 7am start. I don't expect to win, place or show in this one. I'd like to still be there at 40-50 miles, since my best Cat4 performance ever is 37 miles with the pack down in Copperas Cove back in January. I've gained back up to 172 lbs, and its not all muscle. When/If I get dropped in this race, I'll find others or wait for the rally riders on team IC3 to catch up with me and roll back in to Wichita Falls with that group.
Texas Time Trials is September 27 (for me). 12 hours, see how many miles you can do. This is a 20.01 mile loop in Cleburne, TX. My goal is 160 miles, since I have previously accomplished 156 in a 12 hour event in the past (1996). Once HHH is over, the aero bars get mounted and I start the longer training. 40 milers during the week, 80-100 on the weekends.
Crits and track are pretty much out for the year unless I just need a break.
Oh, and I start seminary classes on 9/15/08, which runs into November for my first class. My son starts a new school this year (cross your fingers) and my middle child goes off to college at the same time. Lots of changes around DB house in the next months.
Cyclist to pray for: Mrs. DallasBikr - she has to put up with me and watch our daughter move off to school. And yes, she is a cyclist. She has a recumbent trike!
Ride safe,
DB
In preparation for my last two events of the year, I've been trying to log some serious saddle time the last week or two, and will continue up through next Tuesday.
HHH (Cat 4, 100 miles) is August 23, 7am start. I don't expect to win, place or show in this one. I'd like to still be there at 40-50 miles, since my best Cat4 performance ever is 37 miles with the pack down in Copperas Cove back in January. I've gained back up to 172 lbs, and its not all muscle. When/If I get dropped in this race, I'll find others or wait for the rally riders on team IC3 to catch up with me and roll back in to Wichita Falls with that group.
Texas Time Trials is September 27 (for me). 12 hours, see how many miles you can do. This is a 20.01 mile loop in Cleburne, TX. My goal is 160 miles, since I have previously accomplished 156 in a 12 hour event in the past (1996). Once HHH is over, the aero bars get mounted and I start the longer training. 40 milers during the week, 80-100 on the weekends.
Crits and track are pretty much out for the year unless I just need a break.
Oh, and I start seminary classes on 9/15/08, which runs into November for my first class. My son starts a new school this year (cross your fingers) and my middle child goes off to college at the same time. Lots of changes around DB house in the next months.
Cyclist to pray for: Mrs. DallasBikr - she has to put up with me and watch our daughter move off to school. And yes, she is a cyclist. She has a recumbent trike!
Ride safe,
DB
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