News from Beebs

Hard Wednesday

2006-07-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

Today I just felt like hammering, and hammering I did. There was a decent turnout today, but no one really fast other than Teaters. The ride started out pretty reasonable but then it quickly turned fast. Not fast in the sense of race-pace, but just no dicking around, enough to make the occasional person drop off the back every now and then.

On the rollers just before G I decided I needed to up the pace a bit so that's what I did, and quickly the group broke up. When we got on G, we had a paceline going but in the end, only Teaters, Justin, and myself were able to make it to the end. It was a really tough stretch, and Teaters took the Stop Ahead sign just ahead of me, but I had no sprint to speak of. I also managed to take the sprint into Gibbsville, one of my favorites on the Cedar Grove route.

All-in-all I got 46.5 miles for the ride, and it's the first time in a very long time that my legs have actually been sore after a Wednesday ride. I road hard cause I really didn't get any hard intervals in on Tuesday, and I don't plan on racing for a week or so, so I had some energy to expend.

July 4th Spin

2006-07-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

Dano called for a ride this morning, so a crap-load of people showed up, and a lot of fast guys! Where the hell are all these guys on a Tuesday when you're hoping they show? Anyways, we went pretty far north and west, into Manitowoc county and then back through Cleveland and home. The ride was 48 miles of pure spinning, NO hard efforts whatsoever (although we did have one little spring, Steve, Adam, and myself).

It was nice to just relax, chat, and spin the legs on a beautiful day. No one was in the mood to go fast and if anyone was, no one really said anything, or made it known. I'm guessing that tomorrow's ride will be slightly faster seeing as to how it's the last official ride before Superweek, which starts this weekend.

Summer Oostburg Ride

2006-07-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

Yup, we took the 'route less traveled' we take every so often in the summer to Oostburg. This ride is always pretty fun...it presents a good mix of rolling hills, long straight-aways (for some nice pacelines), and some good sprinting spots. It's also nice cause we get to stop at Dips 'n Sips in the summer where the food is always good. It's always kinda weird to stop in Oostburg in the summer on a Saturday cause we're use to walking out with wet clothes into 20 degree temperatures, but this Saturday it was more like 84 when we got done with breakfast!

I tied for one sprint today, made a nice long pull to try to bring a small break back and worked well in a paceline that lasted for about 5 miles. I can feel my strength really coming along, and my ability to suffer for much longer periods of time...hopefully I can turn this into some results once Superweek rolls around. 57 miles today and I feel good, but kinda drained from the heat.

Fast Tuesday

2006-06-27T23:40:00.000-05:00

I was watching radar and saw a strong cell moving through Sheboygan county at about 3:30 this afternoon...behind it, clear skies. I was hoping it moved through fast so it could dry up for the ride. Well, it did, and I was pumped to do another Tuesday, afterall, I think it's been over a month since I attempted one.

We had 12 show up initially and those numbers kept changing as riders were permanently dropped and new ones were picked up. By the time we were on our way out of Falls, the pace picked up, and it never really slowed down. I managed to impress myself when I was able to hang with the fast group on Silver Spring till about half way up. I could've hung just a little longer but I wanted to drop off and set tempo the rest of the way up rather than blow up completely and struggle the rest of the way.

The ride was a usual pre-Superweek ride in that everyone wanted to go extra fast and no one really wanted to rest at all, which was fine by me, it gives me a good race simulation since I haven't done any road racing yet this year.

Another 48 miles tonight and I felt pretty good most of the time. My legs don't even feel all that sore. I remember when I first started these things a few years back and my legs would hurt for three days after a Tuesday ride...not anymore!

Maywood Intervals

2006-06-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

Another night of fast group Maywood riding for me. Tonight Dave concentrated on easy interval training by taking each rider out of the pack individually and having them do a tough little interval (for them). The riders each week in this group always seem more than willing to learn and are very thankful we're (Dave especially) teaching them a thing or two about how to ride more efficiently, especially in a group setting.

Once again I logged 27 base miles, which worked some of the kinks out from the long Saturday ride. Hopefully the rain will hold off and I can finally test myself on a Tuesday night ride again.

St. Cloud = Brillion?

2006-06-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

What the hell...today was supposed to be the Brillion ride but once we got started, the clouds scared everyone and they bitched and moaned that we were gonna get pissed on...c'mon! When I complain about that stuff I look like a wimp, but when everyone else does it, it's ok.

So we took the usual route to Kiel, then ate breakfast. When we left we basically headed out towards (and through St. Cloud), then through Glenbulah, then around Crystal Lake and Elkhart Lake, then past Plymouth and on to Falls. On our way out of St. Cloud, we headed east on C to Glenbulah, and boy were those some nice tough climbs, just the kind I like! Erich, Mikey, Tony, and myself all lit it up in this section and dropped the rest. It was nice to hold on most of the time on such a challenging road since I know I've gained some strength this spring and summer.

Once I got home I had logged 81.5 miles, a far cry from the 100 that I wanted, but oh well, my legs are feeling it anyways. Since I rode hard today, I'll be skipping the SCIO fundraising ride tomorrow as that is another hilly course and I don't feel like killing myself two days in a row.

A Change of Pace

2006-06-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

Due to Dave Nagode's persistence, we managed to take a completely different route today, one filled with hills and some fast paces. I was all for it as everyone knows who reads my blog, I'm sick of the same old crap...it's time for a change of scenery.

The route took us out on Sumac Road to Blueberry Lane to U, then U all the way out to A, where we turned right and headed towards Z. We took Z all the way into Plymouth, then PP out of Plymouth to Falls to end the ride. Z was crazy though...first we have a huge downhill section where I reached 47 mph, then the climbing started along with the fast pace. There were only about 6 of us who could hold the pace, and I even went to the front several times on the climbs to really turn the screws up. Dave was sitting in the back and once he shot out from behind, I popped, but luckily this was just before Plymouth so I wasn't dropped too badly.

Then, when we crossed 57 on PP and headed towards Falls, same thing, blistering fast, and only half of us were able to hang. I hung about a mile or so before the Armory parking lot where the pace just got way too fast. Eventually I could see others popping so I didn't feel all that bad, especially since others were not able to hang from the start.

When I got home, I saw that I had 44 miles on for the day...a nice total for a Wednesday ride, and finally a new route with some really fast paces being set, I liked it a lot.

Maywood Pacelines

2006-06-19T21:22:00.000-05:00

I helped out again in the fast group today and I don't think these guys are getting the concept of a paceline. They seem to be all over the road, drafting over the wrong side, and just overall sucking it up, big-time. I'm not being hard on them, I just think the concept is pretty easy and even though they're not experienced cyclists, this is pretty elementary stuff. Steve seemed to have a hard time convincing one of the riders to stop spinning so fast and move to a harder gear. This guy was peddling so fast, I thought his legs were gonna fly right off, and at the same time it was causing him to ride very erratic, all over the damn road. I gotta give these guys a lot of credit though for doing so well and taking our advice on riding in a group...one of these days they'll really get it.

I did another 27 easy base miles today, and I'm not complaining, it keeps the legs stretched out for Tuesday rides (if it doesn't rain tomorrow).

Another Wednesday through Cleveland

2006-06-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

Here we go again, another ride through Cleveland on a Wednesday (yes, I'm in from the cabin again so Katie can work). At the beginning of the year it was all Cascade, now it seems to be all Cleveland. I understand it's cause of the wind direction, but I'm sure there are other routes to take than the same thing week after week.

It was an extremely slow relaxing ride, and Big-B wasn't having any of it. Right after we crossed 23 on Meadowlark he decided to ride solo off the front for basically the whole ride. When we (the group) got to LS, the pace barely lifted, but eventually, about 1 mile before the Plant Entrance sign, we went a little harder and when I saw Jim go for the sprint, I put in a vicious acceleration and blew right by him to take the win.

Big-B was waiting for us here and since I had a gap, I decided to hold it. The rest of the group tried chasing me down, but it didn't work, so Big-B kept trying by himself. He never caught me until I let up at the stop sign on North Avenue and then we rode the rest of the way home together. Another easy 40 miles...I just wish we would've hammered a time or two.

Teaching at Maywood

2006-06-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

We had to run into town today from the cabin we're staying at so Katie could go to work. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and ride with the maywood riders. Since I needed to be back a bit earlier, I put myself in the fast group with Dave, Justin, and Brian. Dave taught the riders how to keep a paceline going, while we all helped show them how it's done. Once we hit LS, Dave wanted to teach them all a hard lesson about doing too much work and how that doesn't benefit a group trying to work together. He sent Brian, Justin, and myself up the road to do a really fast pace while everyone else was forced to try and catch us, which means they suffered like animals. One rider managed to stay with us, good for him, and another was about 150 feet behind us at all times.

After we got back to Maywood, Dave huddled us all together and made it clear to them what he was trying to show them. We added a few notable points ourselves and I think everyone is starting to understand just a bit more how riding as a group can really pay off. I got 27 base miles in again today, and it felt good after relaxing all weekend by the lake.

Vacation Time

2006-06-10T12:56:00.000-05:00

We leave on vacation today and I thought I'd get a ride in before that if I could. I rode in to Falls today for the Saturday ride and back again after the ride, that way I could add to my weekly mileage since I don't know if I'll get any riding in this coming week...62 miles in all.

Today was just the usual ride to Kiel. It started kinda cool but turned out to be a nice mild summer day, the kind I like. There wasn't a lot that made it today since a lot of people planed on racing the state road race championship (I wish I could've made it). Either way we had a fairly relaxing ride and good conversation as usual. On the way back, I swept up a bunch of hilltop sprints as my legs were feeling on fire due to the relaxing pace all day, and those seem to suit me the best since I'm not a pure sprinter.

A Pizza and Beer Ride?

2006-06-07T23:46:00.000-05:00

Man, you'd think the sky rained cyclists today. The usual Wednesday ride had 24 guys on it today, by far the most I've seen on a Wednesday! I thought it was due to the fact that we were heading over to Firehouse afterwards for some pizza and brew, but I was wrong, only about 9 or ten of us did that.

Anyways, the day was a great day for riding and the wind dictated we go to Cleveland again and back. I drove the car into Falls today so I could change after the ride and go out to eat and I still got 43 miles logged. The ride started out slow as usual and then came to a grinding hault when Big-B got a flat Rangeline Road. Once that was taken care of we traversed through the country side taking it relatively easy till we got out of Cleveland and onto LS. There, the pace instantly picked up and before we could all figure out what was going on we were pacelining like ravage animals. Brian Matter put in some rather hard efforts, one of which I grabbed his wheel and held on for dear life. The paceline had to be one of the fastest ones I've ever been in, and by the time the sprint came to the Plant Entrance sign, there were no more than 10 or 12 of us left...I felt kinda pumped that I made it that far while a lot of others couldn't hang on.

The ride back into Falls was pretty relaxed but I was feeling good so I lit it up several more times...sometimes the rest followed, other times I was on my own.

After all the dust settled, we all hung out and enjoyed some great pizza, a little Spotted Cow, and some great (or probably stupid) conversation...a great way to cap off a fine ride.

Maywood and Wind

2006-06-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

I helped again on the Maywood training ride again tonight and it was quite interesting. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but I was in the medium paced group again and those guys are not exactly fast. Throw in a bit of wind out of the northeast and you have a snails pace ride with a bunch of inexperienced riders. The riders are all glad to push themselves but sometimes I think they should split this group up as it's usually spread over about 2 miles, which isn't really a group at all then.

I managed 31 miles today, all purely base miles, but as I've said before, those are nice to have mid-season and keep the legs fresh and ready to hammer on those faster group rides throughout the week. Oh, I picked up my free t-shirt tonight...pretty neat design...just another perk of being part of the support crew!

Redlining in Wausau

2006-06-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Well, another WORS race, another shitty result. This year I seem to have the road stuff dialed in but I just can't put together a decent mountain bike race.

I started near the front but as soon as Don let out the usual "Gooooo", I was quickly losing places and had to work hard to regain my position, which really didn't happen. In the process, I redlined and was really hurting once we hit the singletrack, not the way you want to race a fast course like this. As usual my first lap here stunk and I seemed to ride a pretty good second lap. Due to my crappy start I only managed an 18th place in my age group and something like 81st overall, not a good result when I know I'm capable of a whole hell of a lot better than that. I put in about 20 miles today with the warm-up and race and I feel like I rode 100. Live and learn I guess...it'll be awhile now till I tackle another WORS race as Superweek is coming and I want to get dialed in to hang in some of these races this year.

To Cleveland and Back

2006-05-31T21:12:00.000-05:00

Due to the northeasterly winds today, the group ride heading up to Cleveland and back. It was nice to change it up again, but the chill in the air at this time of year is never welcome. The route we took today was just 40 miles for me, but I enjoyed the relaxing ride and felt good on the bike today.

I put in a couple of nice little efforts today, but nothing too serious. When we turn onto LS on these rides, everyone starts to turn the pace up and on these slower rides, that always hurts a little at first, even though the legs are warmed up. I sat on Mikey's wheel for quite a bit until the rotating paceline finally started, at which point I was feeling a bit winded. We kept taking our turns and as the pace lifted and guys dropped, I was really starting to feel the pressure. Just as the truck entrance sign appeared ahead, and the sprint started, I dropped off just a bit. After that it was a smooth relaxing spin home down the rest of LS.

Brillion Ride

2006-05-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

Today was my first Brillion ride and dare I say, my first century. I've been riding bikes for a good portion of my life and have never done a 100 miles in one day, as shocking as that may sound.

The ride started from Falls at 7:00 in the morning (ouch!) in what turned out to be a gorgeous day. The group was about 12 - 14 riders, some of whom peeled off early, but overall a nice showing. We rode paceline-free for the first 20 miles or so, then when we got on some nice long straightaways we pushed the pace and got a nice rotating paceline going. Forty nine miles later (for me), we reached Brillion.

The restaurant we stop at there has great food, but smaller portions than most at a slightly higher cost. We spent a good forty five minutes or so eating and talking, then we hit the road again, this time straight into the wind!

We got the pacelines going almost immediately to help make the long ride home a tad easier, but after awhile of that, guys' legs were starting to feel the distance and effort. Once we got close to Falls, on Meadowlark, the group just splintered and I was off the back with Josh. There musta been at least three or four very tiny groups of riders and I helped pull Josh back into Falls. A short while later, Josh and I rode back home with Josh doing most of the pulling, which was greatly appreciated.

Well, my legs are absolutely cooked and hurting from the efforts and I think I'll rest them up for a few days. There's talk of a Memorial day ride, but I think I'll exclude myself from that one and let the legs heal for a bit.

Cedar Grove, C'mon!

2006-05-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

This sucks, it was a nice day out today and I couldn't ride cause we had to pick up our daughter at the airport. While all of that was ok by me, what actually sucked was the fact they finally took the Wednesday night Cedar Grove route...one I've been bitching about us not taking all year so far. Well, guess it looks like they waited till I wasn't riding before they decided to do it.

Dead Weights and Airport Blues

2006-05-23T21:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight's Tuesday night ride was my first without my rear Zipp wheel, and boy did it blow. I'm not blaming my poor riding on the wheel, but I can certainly say it didn't help matters. I swear that it felt exactly like someone was pulling on my seat and causing me to work extra hard. It's a heavier wheel than my Zipp, and the tire is slightly dry rotted, but I'm just glad Karl let me borrow it for a time...or I wouldn't be riding at all!

Even though the ride for me is just 48.5 miles, it felt like more. Some of the big guns are turning out now and that makes the rides all that more challenging. On these super fast rides I always ride fairly well until the climb up J. Now everyone knows I like to climb, but after the Crystal Lake effort and then the fast pace to J, I just don't have the stamina required to then pound up yet another steep climb.

O was also the same drill...just before the airport it felt like a Pro/1/2 race and I got dropped like a rock. I wasn't the only one as there were riders scattered all over the damn road and several of us rode in together, the rest were just too cooked and spun in nice and easy. I'm finding that endurace is my real weekness. I can go hard for awhile, but then my body just seems to shut down. Guess this means I have a lot of work to do even to contend for 4/5 races.

FIrst Race of the Season

2006-05-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

I finally got to race, finally, and the results sucked...at least in my opinion. I did one of my favorite mountain bike races, the WORS Alpine Valley race and I felt great during the whole race...so great that when I finished my legs weren't sore and I wasn't even out of breath, I felt fine. All that of course translates into me not putting in a hard enough effort, a big no-no in sports, but in my defense I didn't know I was quite as strong as I was.

So anyways, I finished a measley tenth in my age group and 62nd overall, which pissed me off...I know I could've done a hell of a lot better than that, but live and learn I guess. That's ok, maybe I can get my revenge up at Wausau which is half a roadie's course...I love the leadout, it suites me perfectly.

Maybe Good News

2006-05-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

Well, my Zipp wheel isn't under warranty, but there is a company out in California that are carbon experts and even hand-built a carbon frame for Greg LeMond that he raced in one of his Tour de Frances. I saw a response to a user regarding a technical question by the owner of the company on VeloNews.com that mentioned they can repair most carbon frame damage and some wheel damage. I immediately emailed him and a few emails later he determined my situation is fixable and will allow the wheel to be used again like it were new without having to worry about any further damage. Cost for this is just $195 and it's back here in less than two weeks. I can't afford that right now but when I can it's getting a make-over, can't wait to have my wheel back...they're such a great ride.

And then there was One

2006-05-16T23:42:00.000-05:00

Yup, I'm only riding on one Zipp wheel now...the front one, after the rear one busted due to the impact on railroad tracks. This all happened on the Tuesday night ride which looked originally like it was going to remain dry, but later pissed on us. After 57 (on U) when we rev it up after climbing the little hill, there is a set of tracks which claimed the life of my rear Zipp wheel. Dave Nagode was next to me when I crossed the tracks and we both heard a super loud cracking or breaking sound. He asked me if everything was ok and I said it appeared that way since it did, but later I'd find out that there is an inch long crack that runs perpendicular to the braking surface on both sides of the rim.

The rest of the ride went just so-so. I rode pretty well up Silver Spring and really lit it up on Kettle Moraine, but then the rain hit, but just light rain. Either way it was enough to soke us all and require my bike to get that washing its been needing. 50 mile ride, one cracked Zipp wheel, and a pissed off cyclist...yeah, I think this was a day I'd like to forget!

No racing...again

2006-05-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Well, no racing again today. It's cold and raining for 3rd straight day and I refuse to race in the rain (last year's Heritage Square doesn't count). This kinda blows because I'm riding better than I ever have this early in the season and I really wanted to see how I stacked up against some of the other 4/5s in the state. I'm sure I would've just been pack fodder, but it's nice to see how you can go in race compared to just testing yourself on the occasional group ride. Other than bad luck last year at Muskego, I felt good the whole race and thought I could've done ok, but I guess I don't get to verify that this year...at least not since it's raining.

Just in Time

2006-05-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

I got a ride in just before the rain hits. They're saying it will rain for the next five days or so which really sucks cause I've been riding very well lately and I was planning on racing on Saturday to test my form.

It was the usual Cascade route again and it was pretty much the same drill. I hammered up the Dooley road wall and dragged a few guys with me. I fell off the pace a little earlier this time but still finished 3rd in the sprint at the top. For some reason I felt like crap for the next five miles or so and couldn't quite figure out why, but then I realized it was probably the Monster energy drink I guzzled down just before the ride. I managed to ride pretty strong after that for the rest of the ride, attacking several times before sprints only to lose at the line. It was a good ride of 28.5 miles and the great weather made it even better. Hopefully I can get out again soon to continue working on my early season form.

First Maywood Training Ride

2006-05-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today was the first Maywood training ride of the season (for me at least) and I was glad to help out again as I did last summer and fall. After signing my waiver, signing in, and grabbing my first-aid kit, I was ready to roll with the trainees. This year there are a ton of riders and I ending up in the average speed 20-mile group. They weren't as slow as I expected, but it gives me an opportunity to get some slow base miles in all season long, which is a valuable thing. As always, the riders are very thankful we help out, and are always interested in talking bikes with us guys who train and race on a very serious level. Good luck to all the participants this year.

What a Bummer

2006-05-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

I was feeling a bit down today. It was a great day outside and I couldn't make it to Iola for the first race of the season due to financial problems. I love that course and am feeling very strong right now...I know I would've done quite well to open up the season.

To fill the void, I spent several hours outside cleaning my mountain bike up from last fall and this past winter's rides (which I did very little of). With a complete cleaning, including taking the crank off, taking the rear derailleur apart, and slapping a brand new chain on, I think I'm in business. It looks sharp and rides even sharper. That's right, I had to take it for a spin on the trails in Evergreen and everything seems to be race ready, although I may need a new rear skewer, mine doesn't seem to be holding the wheel completely tight anymore.

Racing...NO

2006-05-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

That's right, I'm not racing tomorrow's WORS race at Iola, which I'm pissed about, but...what can ya do when then money just isn't there? I decided instead to ride with the group today and it was pretty low in numbers compared to previous Saturdays, probably due to the fact there is three races this weekend. I think we only had like 12 or 13 riders, which kept peeling off at various sports on the way to Kiel and back, leaving me to ride in by myself! That's never happened before, but it was just one of those days...49 miles, and very few hard efforts...boy do I want to race.

In with the Fat Kats

2006-05-04T22:42:00.000-05:00

Big B and I had talked over the past week and he seemed to think it was a good idea I come to the meeting and volunteer my services since no one else wanted to pick up the ball on the jerseys for Fat Kats, as well as revamp the website. Since I have the skills and the time (yeah right), I decided to do both of these, which I guess made me an official Fat Kats member...cool. I can't wait to get started on both, but of course there are things I need from Dano and the guys. Once I get started, I know I'll make the team proud...can't wait get things off the ground and running!

I'm bored

2006-05-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm officially getting bored with the whole Cascade route...I really think it's time for our Wednesday group rides to shift directions and take the route we used to take all the time, besides, the other route is more fun. Don't get me wrong, I like the Cascade route, especially the Dooley Road climb, but I could use a change of scenery.

I rode into Falls today and hooked up with the group at the usual spot. Other than a really fast pull up Dooley Road and another tough interval with Mikey heading to 5-corners, the ride was fairly calm and relaxed. By the time I got home, I had exactly 40 miles in, but my legs still felt good and strong, even though I rode yesterday too...guess all this riding is going to mean I'll have to race soon, but not sure if it'll be happening in the near future.

Where's the group?

2006-05-02T23:54:00.000-05:00

Another Tuesday ride, and finally they're starting to get hard, but c'mon...where the hell is everybody? We left the Sports Core parking lot with six guys and picked up another three for a total of nine, but given the great riding weather and lack of wind, you would've thought there would have been at least 15 guys or more.

While the ride was hard for early May, I did quite well, including a close third on Silver Spring (I'm climbing better than I was last year at this time), helping bring back some breaks on Kettle Moraine Drive and around Crystal Lake, and then suffering hard in the pace line on 'O' from Hwy 57 to Hwy 32. I managed to get in 49.5 miles and my legs actually feel pretty damn good, but it's too bad my back is totally killing me. If it's nice out for the ride tomorrow (they're saying rain), I may just do another back-to-back group riding week.

Cascading into the season

2006-04-26T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today our group ride took us through Cascade again, and as always, it's a nice short (29 miles) hilly ride. The ride was pretty mellow until we hit Dooley Rd. Mikey was well up the climb already and since the group was just spinning along and I was feeling good, I decided to sprint up the hill in hopes of catching Mikey and dueling it out for the Stop Ahead sign. I caught Mikey pretty quickly and we worked together up to the Stop Ahead sign, but I just didn't have the juice left to take it.

After that, we had times were we kicked it up pretty good for a mile or two, but overall it was a pretty solid ride, I rode well and that's what counts. As each ride comes and goes, I'm feeling better, building endurance, and increasing my power output, which will bode well for my upcoming races.

Another spin...of different sorts

2006-04-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

Today it was too chilly for me and having ridden yesterday, and again tomorrow, I decided to tag along with Big-B for spin class over at Synergy in Falls where he usually teaches (but not tonight). Spin class was a lot of fun, but a lot of work. For the first 10 minutes my thighs were about to burst, but as I got warmed up I fell right into rythm and had a pretty sweet workout. Who knows, maybe I'll actually stay in shape this coming winter and do some spinning on a regular basis, but that's too far away to think about.

Nice day for a spin

2006-04-24T23:57:00.000-05:00

Ah, what a nice day...warm, and just a light wind out of the west. Since Big-B is back, I thought I'd ask him if he wanted to go for a nice spin, but he just didn't have the time with spin class and all. He still managed to ride out to 32 with me, and then I went crazy. I headed straight west, into the wind, and was pounding at my pedals, turning out a nice cadence in the big ring, and feeling the pain in my legs as well. I wanted to give myself a small test today to see how I could handle a long fast interval on my own, and I didn't do all that bad for early spring. I clocked just 22.5 miles for the day, but it felt good to get out again and put some hurt into the legs, especially since it was a great day for riding.

New kits are here!

2006-04-19T23:26:00.000-05:00

YES, the new kits are here! I love this time of year when the new team kits come in and I get to go pick mine up and see what they look like. It's even sweeter to put them on for the very first time. I was quite pleasantly surprised this year as the whole design has changed, and it looks awesome. Those who know me know I've been critical the last two years of our "swiss flag" design, but oh well, you can't have everything your way I guess.

The shorts are great, the jerseys are great (Louis Garneau), and it's about time we had a really high quality team kit that fit, felt, and looked great...thanks Paul and Rob!

Tuesday already?

2006-04-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

It's already Tuesday again, and again, another low turnout. Today it was myself (no Big-B, he's in Georgia enjoying the Tour de Georgia, lucky shit!), Clif, Chris Z. (tree trunk), and someone visiting here from Seattle.

No sooner did we take off and boom, there goes my back tire...not even out of Kohler yet! Clif helped my loser ass change the flat, and we were back on our way in a short amount of time. We took it easy for the most part and Brian Kaufman joined up with us after 57. Even though the ride was fairly relaxed, we did light it up in the usual spots. I was first again up Silver Spring, and was really hurting with the headwind. On Kettle Moraine Drive, I narrowly missed out on the sprint with Chris Z nipping me at the line...and on the hill up J, I easily smoked everyone.

By the time we got onto O, the sun was starting to get low in the sky and we were all getting cold. I was obviously underdressed cause by the time I made it home (47 miles later), I was frozen to the bone...but live and learn I guess at this time of year!

Getting Stronger

2006-04-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

Another Saturday, another good ride. It was a pretty relaxed ride, even though I managed to take a couple of sprints, the biggest one being the Stop Ahead on Little Elkhart Lake Road. It was my first one on that damn stretch of road, even though I'm usually pretty close...and this time I even took it kinda easy up the 'wall'. The other one I took was from Billy Street on 'M', just before Franklin. I always like to go for that one but rarely get a quality jump like I did this time around, and Billy knew it too, he didn't even have a chance.

It was another packed ride, and we did the usual Kiel route of 49 miles. My legs are feeling stronger with each ride and I'm slowly building my endurance up...let's just hope I can actually do something come three weeks from now up in Iola.

Another Wednesday, Different Results

2006-04-12T21:08:00.000-05:00

Second Wednesday group ride today and it went a LOT better than last week. First of all I was surprised I even got out today seeing as to how I had a tough ride yesterday, but with temperatures hovering around 70 in mid April, how could I refuse. 12 of us again on the ride and it was basically just a simple loop North and then South, just so we could buck the gusty winds that were blowing again today.

We took Meadowlark north until Orchard road, then Orchard over to Y, then Y back into Kohler and PP into Falls. Dave Nagode really picked the pace up into the wind not long before we hit Orchard and once I found that sweet spot in the echelon I just hung in for dear life, hoping I could hang given my hard effort yesterday. Once we took a right on Orchard, Dave immediately jumped and I grabbed his wheel. We set a blistering pace east on Orchard and not even the group could reel us in until a half mile before the stop ahead. Dave and I both took a slight rest behind the three that caught us, then I drove the pace up again, we dropped two more and all that was left was Dave, John Madson, and myself. Dave jumped again, this time to grab the Stop Ahead sign, then I put the hammer down again and dropped John to get second...I felt extremely good and think I'm getting a tad bit of form coming back.

The rest of the ride home was tough with the wind and guys trying to form pace lines, but all-in-all it was a windy 30.5 miles with very little relief from the wind. Today was definitely another moral booster for me and with almost 80 miles in the last 24 hours, I feel I may be willing myself into form.

Rippin' It Up!

2006-04-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

YES, Tuesday night rides are back on the road...well, not officially, but Big-B, Chris, and myself all made it out at least and had some fun in the wind, but yes, we rode hard too. Brian pulled between M and 57, which was nice since I wanted to hit the rollers out in the Kettles full on, and I did. The rollers leading up to Silver Spring were taken relatively easy with Chris and I just spinning to keep a decent pace, but once we made our turn onto Silver Spring it was all or nothing. Since I felt like complete crap two weeks ago when I did it, this week I decided I was going to go all out, balls to the wall, and just kill everyone else, which I sucessfully did. I felt absolutely great and dropped Chris about a third of the way up. Brian was nowhere in site already at that point but then again, when is he?

After that came Kettle Moraine Drive and Chris immediately turned the screws up the climbs. At first it took me a climb or two to get my momentum going and my breathing down, but once I did I hugged his wheel till he popped and I was off to the races...cruising all the way to the end in Greenbush well ahead of Brian and Chris. I basically time-trialed the whole couple of miles and after my Silver Spring effort was still feeling rather well...I may be making some early season progress! The ride finished with Brian setting a high tempo all the way from 57 to Y on O with Chris and I grabbing at his wheel and barring some slight cramps in my calves, the ride was great and I'm starting to feel it again...not bad for my first Tuesday road ride. All-in-all a very well earned 47.5 miles and I can't wait for next week!

First Saturday on the Road

2006-04-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

That's right, our first Saturday group (breakfast) ride on the road bikes for the year. Damn did it start off shitty too...29 degress and a nice chilly wind. I thought I had dressed for the occasion but once we got going I realized my choice in gloves sucked, and my fingers immediately turned to blocks of ice. Astonishingly just 5 miles out, the sun started to warm them up which was a welcome surprise. We decided to head to Kiel and I immediately thought that may be too long of a ride with the group, especially if you throw in some hard intervals, but I faired quite well and even hung when the pace got really high. Breakfast was great and the ride home was a tad warmer and a bit crazy at times with the Stop Ahead signs, but all in all a quality 49 miles for the early season...and my moral is slowly building...

First Wednesday Ride

2006-04-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today was the first Wednesday group ride of the year and boy am I out of shape. To get dropped on a Wednesday night is just pathetic for me and shows just how little shape I'm actually in. We did a short route out through Cascade and back, about 28.5 miles, but I was hurting nonetheless. I managed to get dropped at least once or twice and hopefully that'll be the last for this year's Wednesday night rides...no more drops! There was about 12 of us that showed up for the ride and several split off after 57, but overall the pace wasn't bad at all, I'm just low on power right now in my legs and I'm seeing what happens when you take 3 1/2 months off. Hopefully I can get it together within the next month for my first race of the season...we shall see.

Hurricane Season?

2006-04-04T20:23:00.000-05:00

What's with all the wind we've been getting latey? Anyways, even though I didn't want to overcook it before the first Wednesday group ride of the year, I decided to ride with Big-B into the hurricane force winds to loosen my legs up a bit...besides, who couldn't use more miles? Since Brian can't ride tomorrow cause he has to teach spin, he decided to get a good workout today and pull all the way down O to Hwy 57, into the hellacious wind that was whipping right out of the west. Before we left I noticed gust up to 38 mph being reported in Sheboygan, but we were determined anyways. After a long grueling ride to 57, we made a u-banger and headed straight back to Sheboygan. Actually it was more like flying, but who cares...we got back in about 20 minutes and we were really motoring, but it felt good given the hard ride out. After 21 miles my legs feel good, and hopefully warmed up for tomorrow's ride with the guys.

Feeling a bit better

2006-04-01T23:28:00.000-06:00

Today I'm finally feeling a bit better in the legs...damn was I hurting the past few days. Maybe it was all the beer I had last night, maybe it was just all the relaxing, either way, my outlook on cycling is not as grim as it was after my Wednesday ride when I wanted to practically quit cycling for good. I thought, if this is how it's going to be this year, the hell with cycling, but like all true athletes, there is no real way I could walk away from the sport after one torturous ride. I'm still planning on riding Tuesday, I just hope it's on the road, I want to redeem myself through the Kettles again.

I'm cooked

2006-03-29T19:24:00.000-06:00

Billy Street, Big B, and myself all got out for a ride today, and it was about as shitty as I can remember since I started riding again. For one thing, it was not nearly as nice out as they said it would be, and the clouds took all our sun away which cut the temperature down as well. The wind was mainly a cross wind so that was the only real positive of the day.

Brian met me at my place and we rode into Falls to pick up Billy. We hit the road and did the usual summer Tuesday group ride route. I was feeling ok until we got past 57, then I started to feel the legs hurting already. By the time we got through the Kettles and back around to O and 57, my legs were in so much pain with so much lactic acid build-up, I could barely even pedal, and that's the honest truth. I'm not sure if it was a lack of riding this winter or my diet combined with lack of hydration and no stretching. I'm sure it was probably all of the above, but either way, 48 miles later, I was so cooked that there is no way I'll be doing the breakfast ride on Saturday and probably won't ride again till Tuesday night...as for now I just want to lay down and start the recovery process.

Tuesday night?

2006-03-28T21:36:00.000-06:00

That's right, I actually got out for my FIRST Tuesday night ride of the season, even though the night rides will probably end as of this week, or maybe next! It was fun, that's for sure, but I sure felt like a putz seeing as to how I haven't been on a trail in about 6 months. There were six of us that made it out and I decided to do something different on a Tuesday night...ride in with Big B and back which added some much needed miles into my legs. The riding was for the most part rather slow, but then again my legs don't have the ability to turn out fast speeds right now. 27 miles and I'm feeling good.

A couple of us plan on going for an afternoon ride on the road tomorrow...hopefully it'll be as warm as they say it's going to be.

Before the storm

2006-03-15T22:41:00.000-06:00

I managed to get out and do a nice short road ride today, even though it wasn't as warm out as they said it'd be. My ride was another simple County O ride out to 57 and back, 21 miles in all...just base, even though there was a light breeze out of the west. On the way home I was feeling ambitious so I decided to do some power work up the rollers in the big ring. The legs felt good and responded accordingly, even though I don't yet have the endurance to take the intervals farther yet. I guess this might do it for the road rides for a few days...they're saying a late season snow storm will hit tomorrow, gosh, I sure hope it doesn't, but that's life in Wisco.

Great Breakfast!

2006-03-11T16:52:00.000-06:00

That's right, I could actually enjoy my breakfast for a change...cause I didn't ride! I know, why not, eh? Well, my tendonitis is officially rearing its ugly head this spring, which it always does, but this time I probably deserve it. Not riding for three months and then putting in almost 100 miles, and half of those hard will indeed cause unforseen pains. The only part of that that sucks is that I was forced to miss the Saturday morning breakfast ride, which had a huge turnout and was blessed by the cycling gods with nice warm, sunny weather. Oh well, there's always freezing ass cold temperatures to ride in this week I guess.

Don't worry Dano, at least I got to make up for the food you weren't able to eat this morning...you gotta learn to keep it to zone four and only go into zone five when absolutely necessary! And to Justin...what the hell do you have against mexicans, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout...

Good day to ride, but...

2006-03-10T22:54:00.000-06:00

Well, Big B and I got out for a ride, but what the hell, now my knee is killing me which means my chances of riding tomorrow are slim to none. I basically just wanted to take a short easy spin to work the kinks out of the legs since they were still sore from Wednesday's ride, but I guess I did more harm than good. I got myself a nice windy 20 mile spin...it was nice and easy, and relaxing too. We had to stop twice, once to fill my back tire up, and another to check the pressure...guess I have a slow leak, or the valve stuck when I attempted to fill it up before the ride.

Tomorrow, tomorrow

2006-03-09T10:28:00.000-06:00

Looks like 48 degrees tomorrow and partly sunny...hmm, can I resist the temptation to play hookey yet again and get out to spin the legs? I'm not sure, but I'll give you the results tomorrow. With Saturday's threat of rain and thunderstorms, I'm not sure I want to risk it, but you never know, road bikes with the group is always fun in the spring. Now back to work for me!

Longest one so far

2006-03-08T20:38:00.000-06:00

I managed to get out two days in a row, and both on the road bike. Today got up to 49 degrees, but wouldn't ya know, by the time I left for my ride (1:40 in the afternoon) it cooled down to 43 degrees with the wind starting to pick up and the cloud cover thickening the sky. So, what looked and felt like a great day to ride, turned into a rather gloomy cold day, at least from my perspective.

So I throw on the leg warmers for a change, the arm warmers, and no jacket, just a vest, and head out for a long ride. Right away I could feel the cold air blasting through my arm warmers and I knew at that moment I was slightly under dressed. I headed towards Falls and basically did the Wednesday night ride route, but cut it off at 32 and took that all the way into Falls, then back home. By the time I got home I realized I had done the longest ride of the season so far, 43 miles, and I did it in under 2 hours and 15 mintues for a 19.5 mph average...not bad for early March by myself, but damn do I feel it in the legs...72 miles in the last two days.

Now that the rain is here, I think I'll rest for a few days and resume training at the next span of dry weather, hopefully between thunderstoms some day soon.

On the road again!

2006-03-07T19:57:00.000-06:00

Yes...the road bike has been dusted off and has reappeared in my training routine. Big B and I got out this afternoon and tackled the fierce south winds just before the full week of rain begins...what a bummer.

It was a great ride and I felt pretty good from the time we left. We basically went through Kohler, out on A to Oostburg, then back in on A and took 32 into Falls and then home on O. It was hard for either of us to really pull for the other in the wind since it was whipping around from the south and east so finding that sweet spot and locking in for an easier time just wasn't really happening today. On the way back though, heading north, we reached speeds of 33 mph, and that was just sitting down and turning the legs really hard.

I got in a nice 29 miles, but I would like to have gone further had the cold wind not penetrated every part of my body, and the sun not set so early. I hope we get at least one afternoon in the next few days without rain so I can get out again and spin for a couple of hours on the open road. If that happens though, it will be warm enough to take the road bike out again...can't wait!

Riding with the group

2006-03-04T13:34:00.000-06:00

Well, it's about time I got my lazy ass out of the house and on a group ride for once. I managed to lift my head off the pillow at 7:00 this morning and get ready to ride. I was kinda excited cause I wanted to see how the past few weeks of riding has gone and whether or not I could hang once the pace went up. All-in-all, not bad...we started off on the beach, which was pretty good but was quickly softening, and then backtracked to Foster Road and up into Oostburg.

As we passed under 43 and headed up to Oostburg, Mikey was out front and kicked it up a knotch, at which point I followed. Then pastor Jim came by me and I grabbed his wheel. As he drove the pace up even more I looked back to see we had formed a pace line. As we got further towards the downtown my turn came around again and I was starting to feel the pain in my legs and the cold air in my throat. I gave it one last hoorah and put my balls to the wall and gave it everything I had up the hill. As I drifted back I knew I was done. Then Big B drifted off the back and thanked me for pushing the pace really hard up the hill.

I guess I am starting to get a tiny bit of fitness back, but I know it's going to take a lot of Tuesday night rides to flush that winter laziness out of me. I had 27 miles in by the time we got back to the parking lot and I felt it. Group rides for me are the ultimate training cause it's hard to push myself when I'm riding alone or just with Brian.

Rain coming up this week, hopefully I'll get out at least once though.

Lots of work...

2006-02-28T18:38:00.000-06:00

Man do I have lots of work to do before racing starts this season. Big B and I headed out again for our usual short winter spin up Y, then over on Orchard Road, then back in on LS (22 miles round trip). While the wind wasn't bad at all, the legs were sure feeling the long off-season. From the time I road down the driveway to the time I got home my legs were feeling really tight and out of shape...but I suppose that's what happens when you take about three months off without turning a pedal. I'm not overly worried though, I did the same thing last year and rode better than ever, just couldn't translate that into racing come race day, but live and learn I guess.

I hope to get out on Saturday morning for a breakfast ride, gosh, it's been awhile since I did one of those. It looks like it's gonna be nice at least which will help me get motivated just a little bit more.

Some Wind

2006-02-22T23:36:00.000-06:00

That was some wind we rode into today. Again, Big B and I shortened our usual route and this time cut it off at real early at Garton Road, 17 miles in all (short but hard earned). We decided to do this because there was a hellacious wind out of the north, north west, and it happened to make things really chilly as well. When you'd get into the clearing you'd literally have to lean into the wind and one particular time it was gusting so severly I swerved into the gravel on the shoulder, but thank goodness we were on mountain bikes or I would have probably biffed.

Either way, by the time I got home, I was chilled to the bone and miserable, but the time trial going east on Garton Road and the two stop ahead signs I nailed in that time kept me warm if ever so briefly.

This coming week looks like things may warm up a bit again and I'm sure the Litespeed might even make an appearance...can't wait, later.

Another Week...

2006-02-20T22:35:00.000-06:00

It's the start of another week and that means more riding, more training, and of course, more fun. Big B and I got out again for another road ride on the mountain bikes but it was slightly cooler than we would have liked, but it didn't prove to be a problem. We left around 3:15 in the afternoon and did a shortened version of our usual ride up Y and then back into town on LS. This time we cut over on highway FF to Haven and then back home.

While it's supposed to be just base miles, I couldn't resist putting the hurt into Brian and sprinting up the long hill just out of Kohler on Y. I proceded to then take several stop ahead signs on the way as well and then declared myself the winner of not only the climber's jersey, but the sprinter's jersey as well. All-in-all a good 18 miles, but who cares, I got a good workout in and it was cold anyways, so I feel great!

Ravenous Dogs, But No Snow

2006-02-16T22:45:00.000-06:00

Ahh, what can I say...two rides in three days, I'm feeling the urge again to ride, and I'm loving it. I went out again yesterday at around 2:15 in the afternoon with temperatures hovering around freezing, so not bad for a mid-February ride. I did the usual short Maywood training ride route, but had to do some back-tracking and short cutting due to some unruly dogs.

Yesterday, every road I took, every turn I made, there was a dog coming after me...whether I out rode him, or whether he was tied to a leash, the race was still on. All the way out just south of J and west of Alpine road, a dog decided to do some trigonometry and make a perfect line to where I'd be going in seconds. He cowered in the tall grass in a ditch waiting for me to approach, but scared 'ol me turned around, headed back to J, and then south on Alpine for my return home.

Without the dog problems though, I had a good winter ride. I finally got more base miles in than I did on Monday, doing a very slow pace with just several small intervals to keep me warm. I managed another short ride of 26 miles, but I felt better than I did on Monday. Looking out my window this morning I was certainly glad I rode, with about 6 inches of snow already I realized my timing was right, and now with cold temperatures coming, it may be a few days till I get out again, but I'm determined to stay the course and I promise another ride and an update within the next few days...

Back to Training

2006-02-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

I finally decided that I've had enough rest and it's time for me to ramp the training up again. I started out yesterday with just a short 20 mile ride, but it wasn't easy to say the least. My intention was to go out for just a spin, get some base miles in, and then relax today and repeat the process tomorrow. That didn't happen...instead I pushed it straight into a brisk wind out of the west and by the time I got home, I was dead, exhausted, cooked, you name it. Needless to say, I didn't really do many base miles...it was the bike racer in me that wanted to just go and go hard since I haven't really ridden this off season. All said and done though, I feel great today and can't wait to get out tomorrow and do it all over again, only maybe I'll increase the distance a little, just to see how much juice I have in the tanke so-to-speak.

For all you 'avid' readers of my blog, sorry for the lack of updates, but you should see several a week now until next fall, or at least I'm hoping so. Oh yeah, let's hope that snow doesn't hit on Thursday...I'd really like to get out and ride the road once more after Wednesday, but if the roads are all crappy for awhile, It's unlikely I'll be doing that.

Finally...

2005-12-19T12:34:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not keeping this thing updated regularly, but I haven't been riding either. I did finally make it out for a group ride last Saturday and it sucked...well, not the riding, but the route we took. It was 18 degrees in the morning and actually once we got going felt just fine, but some of the guys decided to ride through the Terry Andre trails that were all snow packed...BAD IDEA. While it made for great bike handling lessons, it royally sucked on the body the next day. All the balance work you need to do on a ride like that really jars an old man's body around, ouch, but I was ok, really, and I never went down like most of the guys did at some point. We hit the beach after the trails and that wasn't much better, although there were some pretty decent spots. Altogether I got in a hard-earned 24 miles, but it was pretty tiring giving the riding situation and the fact I haven't turned the pedals in five or six weeks. Oh, and thumbs up to the new breakfast spot in Oostburg...great food, and fast service, I like it like that!

Saw It!!!

2005-10-31T07:59:00.000-06:00

Yes...I got to see SAW II. What an awesome movie... Carol and I went to the 2:30 showing yesterday afternoon and it was great, just as advertised, more blood and gore and terror than the first one. Kind of sucked at the end again though because it was SO obvious there would be a SAW III that it kinda leaves you wondering for another year what will happen, and I hate waiting for sequels, I want to see them all in a row. The most fun though was watching Carol cringe everytime something extremely gorry was about to happen...she would turn away and cover her face with her hand. I have to admit, some scenes were pretty bad, but isn't that why you go see a movie like that?

Nice day to ride, but...

2005-10-29T23:26:00.000-05:00

That's right, a ride would've been awesome today given the great weather, but I also couldn't resist spending some quality time with my wife...just the two of us getting away and enjoying nature and being around each other. We started out the day by getting a great breakfast at McDonalds (is that possible), and then headed home to watch the rest of a movie we had started days ago...yes, a chick flick, but I endured.

We then headed towards Fond du Lac where I spent most of my childhood. While there I took a moment to show Carol where I had grown up and went to school. From there it was on to the Army/Navy surplus store where we shopped for a Christmas gift for our daughter's boyfriend who loves military and fire stuff. Then we headed over to Horicon Marsh for a relaxing time viewing the ducks and other fine wildlife. To our dismay, the marsh is practically dryed up in most spots, but that was most likely due to our dry summer. On our way home we stopped at Salty's in Fond du Lac for some drinks, food, and great conversation...so yes, it was a great day despite not riding.

Things Are Getting Hairy...

2005-10-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

That's right...unlike some diehards out there, I let the hair grow out on the legs in the off-season. I haven't shaved in two weeks and already it's grown out to about 1/4 inch long! I went all of last off-season with hairy legs, but I'm rethinking this...I may just want to continue shaving just to make things easier come spring, besides, I feel more like racing with a pair of freshly shaved legs, and racing keeps me motivated!

Late Season Chill Factor

2005-10-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

Today was the first chilly ride of the year and the wind sure didn't help. I figured it'd be probably thee last road ride of the season so I just had to bundle up and get out. Brian and I went out about 4:30 (after getting a quick picture in) and headed north on CTY Y up to Orchard road, then over to LS and back home. The wind sure bit into us at first, but I was dressed almost perfectly for the weather...long sleeve base layer, jersey, jacket, shorts, leg warmers, cold weather booties, earband, and the cold weather gloves. Brian wished he has put booties on because by the time we rolled in shortly before 6:00, his toes were quite chilly I guess. All-in-all a quality 23 mile late season road ride, not very long, but we kept about a 19 - 20 mph average heading into a strong northernly wind, which at times kinda hurt.

This Sucks

2005-10-19T20:15:00.000-05:00

Today really blew...sore eyes from staring at my damn computer screen all day, headache, sore back, saddle sores, and enough work and bitchy clients to last me a year. What I could've used was a nice ride today, but I was too busy and sore to even attempt one.

Looks like this weekend is going to be cold and rainy...hopefully I can get out on the road bike but if not I may hit some trails instead. Trails are probably covered with leaves by now but I should be able to pick my way through them.

70's In Mid October?

2005-10-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

So I finally got out on one of the last nice days we're going to have for the year. Big Brian and I went out around 2:00 for a 26 mile spin with a few "Stop Ahead" sprints and I have to say I whooped him...4/4 when I was actually trying, but I made the poor guy pull into some of the nasty headwinds that were out there. I was planning on going tomorrow as well on the group ride from Falls, but I doubt it now, I have some bad saddle sores that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and besides, it's going to be colder and windier anyhow, so who cares.

I also changed my first tire on these Zipp 404s that I got last year. They're tough to change for whatever reason so I always brought them to Mikey to do. Well, I noticed before the ride that the rear tire was flat, and since I was too lazy to run out and in a rush as well, I thought what the hell, and did it myself. Turns out, putting the tire on isn't as hard as Mikey always made it out to be...maybe his arms are weaker than mine...who knows, but Mikey will be glad he doesn't have to wrestle with 'em anymore.

Fall Colors

2005-10-16T22:59:00.000-05:00

Carol and I decided to take a walk down in Maywood Environmental Park this afternoon and the colors were quite stunning. They're not quite at peak yet, but beautiful nonetheless. We thought bringing the camera along on our walk would allow us to capture the park's natural beauty, and give us something to look at when all the leaves are gone. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a walk and taking pictures, and we weren't the only ones who felt that way. Along the trails were many folks snapping pictures, most with better cameras than ours, and even one girl getting her senior pictures taken...man, she couldn't have gotten a better day for those! Anyways, we snapped a bunch of shots and I'll post more here in the coming days.

I should've went for another ride but I thought I'd be lazy today...I've been feeling that way far more often lately, maybe my body just wants to rest from a busy year of training and racing, but I can't let that happen...

Cool and Relaxing Saturday...

2005-10-16T12:53:00.000-05:00

So I finally got out for a Saturday breakfast ride, first one in over a month. It was nice to take a long road ride since I've put most of my training in on the mountain bike lately. I've also raced the last 5 weekends so I was more than ready to take a little time off and just enjoy riding again. Sometimes, even as a beginner, you get so caught up in the competitive aspect of cycling, you forget how much fun riding can be.

Ride left at the usual 8:00 from the Sheboygan Falls, but I was tired and personally would have preferred to start at 8:30, but either way I was fine I guess. Since I knew it was going to be windy and chilly out yesterday, I had the knee warmers, leg warmers, and long fingered gloves on. Glad I did, cause the wind was quite brisk out of the north and west. We headed north to Kiel where the food and service is always good, but since I don't do a lot of breakfast rides during the summer, I don't eat there all that often. There were about fifteen of us riding and the pace was quite relaxed, but then again, I didn't do much pulling into the wind either. There were a few "Stop Ahead" sprints, some of which I took, but damn did they hurt from breathing in that cold fall air, guess I have to get more used to it if I want to bust my ass on Tuesday night rides coming up here shortly.

I think I had about 50 miles by the end of the ride, which is more than I've done in a while on a single ride since mountain bike training rides are more about the effort and technique then the long spinning with intervals mixed in. The fall colors were great to look at and hopefully I can enjoy at least one last group road ride on Wednesday when they're saying it's supposed to be 73 degrees and mosty sunny! Can't wait...

Ouch! That had to Hurt...

2005-10-13T14:16:00.000-05:00

Hey, check speed racer out!

Ah yes, Wednesday night ride over on the race course...kinda cold, damp, and dreary, but I thought I'd give it a shot nonetheless since I could use some more miles in my legs this year, even though racing is over. I headed over to the parking lot at the Quarry around 4:30 and waited to see if anyone was going to show up, other than Big Brian which I had called earlier and knew would be there. No one showed initially except Brian, so we headed out on the Quarry side for a relaxing time on the trails, just chatting and riding slow...Brian on his Singlespeed, me on my Specialized full suspension. Brian decided to give Pucker another shot, since when we rode Monday he decided to make a comical decent into the big tree half way up the hill. Although he wasn't hurt, it's one of the funniest damn things I ever saw, just the kind of thing you'd see on American's Funniest Home Videos, or something of that type.

Anyways, so we're up at the top looking down, and I decide once again I don't feel like killing myself, but I'll watch Brian give it a shot, since he had tried it twice on Sunday rather successfully. So Brian proceeds to head down toward the big tree, then cut left and meander down the center to the bottom...well, it didn't quite go like that for him. Instead of hitting the center after the tree and getting to the bottom, Brian decided to let go of the brakes and never recovered his left line and went full bore into the smaller tree on the bottom of the hill. I swear that guy hit so hard and so violently, I thought for sure from the looks of it his collar bone was busted, for sure... Turns out, after calling him later last night, his collar bone is fine, just a swelled up area which he iced, his thumb was in quite a bit of pain from the contact with his bars, his left knee looks quite mutilated, his right ankle is gouged up from his pedal, and his inner thigh (he told me, I didn't look) is kinda hurting, but no visible damage. I guess Brian is taking some time off the bike now for fear he'll go down or barrel into something again shortly, and the shear fact that he is in a tad bit of pain...ouch.

Well, looks to be a nice weekend and I plan on getting the road bike out on Saturday for a nice October morning 60 mile spin, should be one of the last warm ones for the year...

What a Blast!

2005-10-11T23:52:00.000-05:00

WOW, what a fun day. I've been doing this racing stuff now for two years with mixed results...man, finally got it right. In the 30 - 34 Sport wave, 2nd through 6th place (me) was a total of 20 seconds apart, talk about a close race! If I hadn't eased up ever so slightly, I would have came in 5th place, but it wasn't meant to be as I was passed 3 feet in front of the finishing banner by David Knuff of Team Extreme. To those guys that narrowly beat me, way to go, and what a battle! It was my first race where I was actually racing, and felt like I was really competing. Myself and at least 5 others in my age group battled it out constantly over the three laps...sometimes I'd pass them for half a lap, then they'd pass me, only to have me pass them again, AWESOME. I gotta say, I had the time of my life (if you can say that about feeling like someone punched you in the chest and stomach consistently for almost 80 minutes straight), it was a real blast, but I never guessed I had nailed down a top 20 overall in Sport when my best previous result was 63rd.

The really neat thing was the guys that I was battling it out with, and fininshed within seconds of were the same guys that whooped me all year long, sometimes by 5 minutes or more, but it's just been a terrible season for me and I knew all along I had this kind of potential. I kept telling my wife, "when I get everything dialed in, when everything clicks, you'll see what kind of results I can post", and I guess I did. Hopefully with off season training I can move up to the top of the Sport category next year and quickly advance to Comp...gosh does that seem strange since I haven't even been riding, yes riding, not only racing a mountain bike for less than 2 years. Sometimes it takes a lot of hard work to achieve results, and I think I did just that this year, work real hard on the bike and I think in the next year or two I will really come around to where I want to be.

Well, WORS is a wrap for this year but now I'm pumped up and really looking forward to next season, can't wait, and it's now time to sit back and relax for a day or two, winter will soon be here and it will be beach riding time...later.