Result at last

I went out to the course at 7am to sweep corners, by 10 was in the Masters 40+ wheel car (i.e. my truck), 1:58 threw my clothes on in a panic as my race staged and 2:08 rolled out. 5 laps of ~22k.

What a race. Wind, rollers, enough that when people rode fast, everybody suffered. At the end of lap 4 of 5, hitting the gravel stretch for the second to last time, we took it at some decent speed and strung things out. Then the last climb up the hill immediately after for the start of lap 5 just detonated the field. By detonated, I mean destroyed, shattered, split, tore up, shredded. We had lost maybe 10 guys prior to that. I made a selection of 4 over the top of the hill. 2 more joined up right away and by the time we were 2 miles off the top of the hill we had a huge gap to the next little group. And I would guess the second group had a good gap to the third, etc. With 15k to go there was just no-one in sight behind. 2 therapeutics and 2 fred meyer, me, and one gentle lover. I tried taking short and easier pulls, hoping the legs wouldn't be totally fried when we got to the line. Therapeutic and FM each had one guy sitting on, so I figured I had to keep working and keep the pace up a little bit otherwise they were going to start attacking and counter attacking, and I would get screwed by having to try and follow all the moves. So I pulled, but not too much. Less than 1k out from the gravel I made a move that took Carson Miller with me and the others kind of looked at each other. We opened the gap, I got on his wheel, came around too early and really sucked at the sprint. He took it back. I was hurting. He did a great ride. I didn't expect to win the sprint but had to give it a go. It was close enough we both threw our bikes at the line. Altho it was more of a tired heave-ho than a real throw... .

See the duo on the dirt, here and more here

Good times. I can't wait for next year.

Insert Wagner here

That's right. Three days to Roubaix.

Turn up the speakers. Arm the guns. Tighten your seatbelt. It's GO-time.


Walla Walla was a good test. I skipped the wet crit in favor of safeguarding my bones. It was a tough call to make, but I'm OK with it. I rode my way from the back to the front of the field on the finishing climb of the RR twice, first time to test my legs and the second time because I was an idiot. I had moved up to ~20th in the pack with 15k to go, then panicked and thought I had a flat. Hopped off the bike with the chain in the 11, realized it wasn't actually flat, then chased back on. So I had about 3k of rest before the 3k hill and started at the back again. Came across 24th 50" back. There was no reason I couldn't have been up with the front besides my own stupidity.

Still, the form is there. Now to work on the brain.

For those who give a damn any more:

Basso catching the Ullrich stink and here too

Maybe he cheated but the methods are bogus

Let's play Witch Hunt!

Justice

Bias

Even this guy tested positive once - back before the real testing began

They could very well all be on drugs - which is disgusting - but that doesn't justify the WADA, USADA, UCI and ASO methods, does it? Shouldn't the process be unimpeachable first and foremost? That's a basic element of a fair trial. You can't convict "because I'm sure he did it". That's a farce. If the process isn't clean the riders never will be.

Roubaix

Eugene Roubaix, that is. I went and rode Cantrell and Oak Hill yesterday, out and back. Took a series of pictures from the race direction (headed east). The whole gravel stretch is about a mile, the distance from the end of the gravel to the finish is 200-300m, the hill is maybe a half mile, quick and twisty (but safe, good pavement) descent, then you get back on Crow road and loop around again. Crow - Right on Petzold - Right on Central - Right on Cantrell, and that's it.

So here goes.


Start with an idyllic Oregon road...



Hmmmm....

Here we go....

All gravel, all straight

These guys had just finished work - yes, the whole road was steamrolled.

Pavement begins again right before the road rises up

Looking back

And 200, 300m ahead, after hitting pavement, there's the finish line (on that dark patch)

If it's not the last lap, then trade gravel for uphill

20mph my butt...

Over the top

Don't be deceived by the camera angle, that's a double digit percentage slope. Swing a right turn and then instantly snake into...

A left turn... get some major speed...

Don't screw this up, go left now, because right hits gravel again...

Sweep downhill and then there's a little kicker ahead

Only 80-100m but steep

Over the top of that, now there's a clean sweeping right turn again

And ahead is a stop sign, and turn right onto Crow road and be on your merry way around the course for another go

KV

Kings Valley didn't go so hot. It was a pretty easy ride around for 50some miles where I actually had the discipline to sit in for once, but on the finishing hill I didn't particularly have any pop. I looked at my power file afterwards - and basically it was a long medium paced training ride with no more than 2-3 minutes at a time going over threshold, and that only a few times. I came it to it with a TSB of 0 so maybe that teaches me a lesson. I'm starting Walla Walla next week with about +12, so we will see what the legs do.

It looks like maybe the weather will hold, too, so that would be good. I think the TT is basically like the back side of Lorane, maybe even shallower, around 1.5%, up and back. Ideal. We will see.

Sunday I got up ass-eary to watch Stuey win the real Roubaix, and was so damned tired that for once I bagged the heavy training ride and took off on my 'cross bike to scope out Cantrell. Freshly graveled, I popped a pinch flat on my second pass. I had about 100lbs of pressure in a 25mm, so I'll up that about 10lbs and ride it again and see what happens. With the way rain and traffic pushes the gravel off it should be in pretty ideal (read, tough but safe) condition in 2 weeks for the Eugene Roubaix. I'm stoked. I took the hill in my big ring (50t) no problems, tho it's a steep beggar near the top. That'll break things up pretty good. The race finishes on the false flat right after the gravel section, tho this one wont be either a real sprint or a mass gallop up some silly hill. It'll be people trickling in onesies and twosies. This might be one race that plays to my strengths, for once.

Fingers crossed. Hope the weather holds.

and again

yeah... it went alright. i went faster. not fast enough, but it was a hell of a lot for comfortable. i maxed out the legs but i have a feeling max wasn't all that high. one of these days i'll come in to it rested. still, considering the riding, im quite ok with the performance. at least i didn't get beat by as many old men.

i saw last night that vonnegut passed. that's sad news. not that there is anything unusual or unexpected about an 84yr old moving on, but it's always a little sad when an icon like that passes. it's more because that's the end of their writing, the end of a vein.

so it goes.

long weekend

Exactly 72 miles both days. 9 hr weekend. Good stuff. Lots of climbing involved.

Today is rest and recovery. Tomorrow is another TT - the legs won't be primed for that (training hard on weekends is never going to result in a fast Tuesday ride), but they should be OK. I'm going to try and add some hard miles on to the TT ride afterwards, then recover three days with short rides (a few sprints Thursday instead of the short course World's), Kings Valley should see decent fitness with fresh legs. I'm shooting for a smart ride and strong finish.
Walla Walla is the next weekend, that's big goal. Eugene Roubaix comes the weekend after that - a slightly less lofty goal but still a target.

That's why I'm on the schedule of racing weekends, training hard monday and tuesday if possible, then recovering for the next race and training block. I'm pretty much expecting to be somewhat tired for Tuesday TTs.

That doesn't mean I don't think I can gun for the win. I got beat by an old man last week - and that shouldn't happen again.

It'll be an interesting couple of weeks.

TT#1

I did a TT. It sucked. I rode slow. My butt hurt. I mashed the pedals instead of spinning because I needed to take weight off my ass. I was still slow.

Damnit.

Next week, it will be perfect. My legs will be good, my position will be good, I will have no excuses for not crushing all comers. So, I will crush all comers. Poor, poor beggars.

uh oh.

ooooooo... snap.

mmm... tasty.

I cleared a big 'ol head full of snot this AM. That actually felt good - like I cleared out some crap that needed clearing, and maybe my body got all the junk moving around (and out). Maybe the shock of racing helped, who knows. The hot steam of my shower yesterday produced some interesting results, too.

That's not the "tasty" part, however. That came about as made a small bowl of instant oatmeal for breakfast that, upon removal from the microwave, suddenly looked terribly unappetizing. Being loath to waste it, I got inspired and improvized some oatmeal pancakes that went down really, really well. Let's see:

3/4cup dry oatmeal microwaved in ~3/4 cup milk
stir in 2 tablespoons veggie oil
add another 1/2cup milk, cold
beat in 1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark rye flour
1 to 1-1/4 cup regular flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Adjust for batter consistency (it's gotta pour like regular pancake batter). Cook on hot griddle. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Makes ~ 8-9 pancakes.

I'm not ashamed to say that I ate them all.

G