Late-night work emails, Family Guy, Econ 200 homework, and a double shot of rum. It's an interesting night.
My woman picked the early season for a grand 3 month trip over to the old countries for work (with a 2 week return in the middle). No sooner was she out the door than the laptop came out, and yours truly was hunched over excel scheming how to cram in the training hours to get really, really fit and still accomplish large amounts of steelhead fishing, duck hunting, and cartoon watching. Then, it got cold.
It's that's lovely two weeks in January that we get every year, where the low overcast rolls in and sticks around for a while, maybe burning off in the afternoon, maybe not, and if not, then the temps stay low and the lower Willamette Valley stays indoors. Rideable. Unless you're me. If you're me, you bundle up, ride slowly, then sit inside and wish it was raining. My legs still turn in the rain. Something about the cold shuts off the old furnace and my riding turns to stink. Hence the rum.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday:
Pork Roast.
4lb roast, 4 golden potatoes, 5 large beets, 1 red onion, 1/2 bottle cabernet sauvignon, spices.
roast pork 20'@ 425, fat side up. have slices in the fat to let it open up.
glaze with a warmed mixture of honey, a little butter, paprika, pepper. roast another 15'
add the diced veggies (halve the potatoes, dice the rest), and the wine.
roast at 450 for 1hr or until done.
Pork Roast.
4lb roast, 4 golden potatoes, 5 large beets, 1 red onion, 1/2 bottle cabernet sauvignon, spices.
roast pork 20'@ 425, fat side up. have slices in the fat to let it open up.
glaze with a warmed mixture of honey, a little butter, paprika, pepper. roast another 15'
add the diced veggies (halve the potatoes, dice the rest), and the wine.
roast at 450 for 1hr or until done.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
winter
It's official, winter is now upon us. For roadies, that often means the end of the 'off season'. Some of you have been riding "base miles" since November, but for the rest, the quickly approaching 2008 road season means that around about January 1 is the right time to kick in some serious winter training. The best preparation for a 6 month race season is 8 weeks of long, slow miles, right? It's time to zip tie some fenders on and old frame, strap on a heart rate monitor lest you inadventently tip into the triple digits, step on a scale and substract 20 for your spring season target race weight. Since 2lbs a week is the max medically recommended weight loss rate, you're right on track to be a grand tour contender by the time the Giro comes on RAI TV. Let's ride, boys.
Well, the official start to the 2008 Base Training Season is the perfect time to indtroduce my new company, Cycleon, and lauch the inaugural product: HeaviCranks.
HeaviCranks are the product of the future, due to revolutionize base training for cyclists. You've all head of PowerCranks, which force you to pull up each leg individually to elimiate dead spots. You've heard of PoweTap, to train smart, and CyclingPeaks, to track it, and RotorRings, for greater efficiency, and Fixed Gears, for smooth strength, and MuscleTension intervals for quads of Steel. Now comes the next step in the evolution of your revolutions.
HeaviCranks combine the best of cycling wisdom, long slow base miles with winter strength work, so that you can perform at your peak at your races of choice. By providing resitance to your every motion, you train your legs to pull through a complete circle and deliver power efficiently to your rear wheel. By adding mass (an astounding 2kg, or just more than a new SRAM Red gruppo!) to your bike you train yourself to compensate for the extra grams so that when you switch to your road bike, you will fly up hills you will have found challenging in training. In face, HeaviCranks are so revolutionary that we were tempted to keep the secret to ourselves in order to secure a Professional Contract for the 2008 season. The opportunity to lead the way into the next generation of training tools was just too great to pass up, however, so we went ahead with the product launch.
For just $899 you too can own the training device of the future. The ContinuousDrag feature will provide you with the highest quality miles you can imagine. You will double the efficiency of your training time, all without having to ride harder or longer! Keep that HR low and your legs grinding. You will rule the Cat 3 sprint.
HeaviCranks - buy them now, before the competition does!
Well, the official start to the 2008 Base Training Season is the perfect time to indtroduce my new company, Cycleon, and lauch the inaugural product: HeaviCranks.
HeaviCranks are the product of the future, due to revolutionize base training for cyclists. You've all head of PowerCranks, which force you to pull up each leg individually to elimiate dead spots. You've heard of PoweTap, to train smart, and CyclingPeaks, to track it, and RotorRings, for greater efficiency, and Fixed Gears, for smooth strength, and MuscleTension intervals for quads of Steel. Now comes the next step in the evolution of your revolutions.
HeaviCranks combine the best of cycling wisdom, long slow base miles with winter strength work, so that you can perform at your peak at your races of choice. By providing resitance to your every motion, you train your legs to pull through a complete circle and deliver power efficiently to your rear wheel. By adding mass (an astounding 2kg, or just more than a new SRAM Red gruppo!) to your bike you train yourself to compensate for the extra grams so that when you switch to your road bike, you will fly up hills you will have found challenging in training. In face, HeaviCranks are so revolutionary that we were tempted to keep the secret to ourselves in order to secure a Professional Contract for the 2008 season. The opportunity to lead the way into the next generation of training tools was just too great to pass up, however, so we went ahead with the product launch.
For just $899 you too can own the training device of the future. The ContinuousDrag feature will provide you with the highest quality miles you can imagine. You will double the efficiency of your training time, all without having to ride harder or longer! Keep that HR low and your legs grinding. You will rule the Cat 3 sprint.
HeaviCranks - buy them now, before the competition does!
Coming soon, in fall of 2008, our next big step bike evolution revolution: Cycleon introduces the HeaviBike.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
water
Stupid rain. Stupid wind. The Sunday ride got cut to 2hrs as we dodged flying sticks, leaves, grit, rain, and all sorts of shrapnel in 25mph winds with gusts to 50. Then, it rained.
Riding = not fun. Hours = pathetic. Frustration = mounting.
Riding = not fun. Hours = pathetic. Frustration = mounting.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Close...
We put on the 2nd Fox Hollow 'cross race last Saturday, and I came close. In cyclo-cross, no less. There may only have been 9 guys, but I will take it.
Starting from the back of the pack, per usual, I found myself riding by everybody on the first climb of the course, which is good, because that means that when I laid out the hilly upper section the night before, I sure made it fit my strengths. Up, down, turn, up, down, turn, up,... .
Soon enough it was two of us on the front, with a couple more chasers just a few seconds back. I passed the Veloshop guy I was with, put a gap down, he closed it slowly through some corners, then I dialed it back. Stayed in front, we got caught by a Half Fast Velo who had been right there all along. A second Veloshop started to come up so I started punching it on the climbs, and could get a little gap, but not enough. Last lap, still on the front of the 3 man group, I kicked it on the bell and dropped the Veloshop at last. Half Fast glued to the wheel. Last two climbs, I could get a tiny gap and he threw it all down during the corners. Wheel to wheel. See the finish below and here. Over the barrier shoulder to shoulder, we knocked each other twice. Close.
The bike went up in the stand last night to fix the loose left crank which was discovered as I cleaned it after the race, which turned into hours of struggling and cursing, while discovering that the BB was indeed totally screwed, with the little inner bearing race on the left side firmly pressed over and onto the body of the crank spindle, impeding the removal of the crank from said bottom bracket, and thereby from the bike itself, while the BB was still threaded into the frame... I eventually managed to knock the crank just far enough out to get the bottom bracket tool over the mangled wreck and remove the whole shebang from the frame. The BB eventually came off the crank, as well. Now I have no bottom bracket.
Bummer.
Starting from the back of the pack, per usual, I found myself riding by everybody on the first climb of the course, which is good, because that means that when I laid out the hilly upper section the night before, I sure made it fit my strengths. Up, down, turn, up, down, turn, up,... .
Soon enough it was two of us on the front, with a couple more chasers just a few seconds back. I passed the Veloshop guy I was with, put a gap down, he closed it slowly through some corners, then I dialed it back. Stayed in front, we got caught by a Half Fast Velo who had been right there all along. A second Veloshop started to come up so I started punching it on the climbs, and could get a little gap, but not enough. Last lap, still on the front of the 3 man group, I kicked it on the bell and dropped the Veloshop at last. Half Fast glued to the wheel. Last two climbs, I could get a tiny gap and he threw it all down during the corners. Wheel to wheel. See the finish below and here. Over the barrier shoulder to shoulder, we knocked each other twice. Close.
The bike went up in the stand last night to fix the loose left crank which was discovered as I cleaned it after the race, which turned into hours of struggling and cursing, while discovering that the BB was indeed totally screwed, with the little inner bearing race on the left side firmly pressed over and onto the body of the crank spindle, impeding the removal of the crank from said bottom bracket, and thereby from the bike itself, while the BB was still threaded into the frame... I eventually managed to knock the crank just far enough out to get the bottom bracket tool over the mangled wreck and remove the whole shebang from the frame. The BB eventually came off the crank, as well. Now I have no bottom bracket.
Bummer.
Monday, November 12, 2007
So I'm beginning to think that my favorite 'cross strategy could use some revising. I pulled into the back of an 89 rider pack at Estacada - thinking that would be about the right place to be. But something is clicking with line choices, tire pressure, cornering skills, or something. So I rode by 68 in my field and some single speeders. I doubt I'll manage a good start place next weekend at the Crusade race in Hillsoboro, but I should probably at least give it a try.
Or not.
It's going to rain all week. Estacada was a little muddy, but mostly it was tacky, soft, and pretty clean. Not sloppy. Hillsoboro will be sloppy. Last year I fell over 3 times in 2 laps and whacked my hip and knee good enough to pull out. I biffed it on straight stretches, I biffed it trying to unclip for barriers, and I biffed it through a mudpile. Not a good time.
Now for something different. Here's a single picture to keep in mind any time you hear someone claim 'I/he/she/they are just naturally big boned'...
Yeah, that's some big belly bone right there, all right... next time, try and picture the skeleton inside the person, that really puts it in perspective. Your pelvis don't grow when you pack on the pounds, cleetus, so that ain't your hip you're feeling, that's your last 20 packs of cheetos.
Keep riding.
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