Ho hum

Mayo.

Well, it seems like the cycling year is now officially winding down. The tour is over as well as the careers of many of the riders. The vuelta is on the horizon, but alas, it is during football season. I have trained as much as my schedule would allow, and came up a tad short. My main problem in the crit on sunday was that I'm a scaredy cat 4. I think I'm a little gun-shy from Saturday's wreck that came out of nowhere. I did not have the nerve to get in the pack and so just hung on at the back until I was dropped about 30 minutes into the race.

I hope I get to race in September, but I will be back in school then, so it is doubtful.

Before every race, I vow that it is my last. After every race, I can't wait for another chance.

So Jill and I are going to take a little weekend trip to KC on either the 10-12th of August or the 17-19th. I have assured her, and I'm serious, that I have no intention of doing the Cliff drive classic or whatever it's called on the 11th. I mean who would want to go into that "Cauldron of pain?".

I wonder if she'll say "I think you should do it. It would be a good thing."

I don't really wonder. I don't even want to do it.

Ok, maybe a little.

I mean, I'd like to give Jill a chance to go shopping and everything because I am a good and thoughtful person.

Gee whiz I'm selfless.

Are they Americans?

Hamilton? A cheat? No way. He's boyish looking, and American. He soloed to a mountain top victory with a broken collarbone.


Landis? Forget about it. His parents are religious. He had a miracle comeback after seemingly losing the tour. Then swung his fists at reporters. Seems completely natural. I mean, he even wrote a book, too. Kind of O.J. style, I know, but I don't think guilty people write books.

Sinkewitz?


Vinokourov?

Rasmussen?

filthy cheaters.

Moreni? never heard of him. don't really care. The bad thing is cheating and still only being 102nd. If he was clean, I might be able to beat him.

ERRRRRRRRRRT!

No wonder Vino was able to beat Kent so handily. Cheater.
I think maybe, just maybe, we now know where Tyler's twin is living.

I guess Kloden is out too then. I really hate this sport. Maybe by the end, it will be the first ever time the maillot Jaune and Lanterne rouge will be awarded to the same guy.

Vinokourov beats McNeill by more than 2 hours.

Kent's version of the day is on nebraskacyclingnews.com. very cool.
Vino - 5:34:28
Kent - 7:38:25

So I guess Kent will have to really do an excellent time trial if he wants to get back any of that 124 minutes.


The winner of L'etape finished about 10 minutes behind the last place
finisher(s) today. Wow.

And for personal perspective, Kent can drop me up any climb while he's chatting away about his childhood or something. Must be because I'm old (42.5). And heavy (190 LBS, 86K). And weak. Damn.

Tomorrow (Sunday) - 6AM

That's when I'll leave my house to go for a ride on my bike for no particular reason whatsoever. I will take my yellow bike tomorrow. I mean so what if I once beat Munson in a Time Trial on it. So what if I'm riding north to State to Military to 216th, then around the Mt Michael area.


Me beating Munson

Ahh those were the days. I was looking for a photo of my yellow bike, and I found some pretty good old ones.

Um Here's one in St Louis, 2003. A few minutes after this was taken, Jon Randell (and the rest of the field) finally caught up to me after my bold attack off the back.

Me in cool red shades, Jon is AHAMO

Here's a preseason crit training ride. Joe Savoie is in it. Man he's lost some weight. He could beat me then too. Let's just say we're both faster now.

That one guy, Me, and Joe Savoie

Here's one of me and some short guy during a Nebraska Game/Social Ride. This is at Nino's along the Keystone and Grover St. I don't think it's there any more. Maybe it drove away.

"My name is Judge"

And now for something completely different

Sure. Leave one kid stranded on the interstate, and all of the sudden, you're a bad parent. What's the matter with this country? Oh wait, they dropped the child-abuse charge. Whew.

from wowt.com
A Lincoln soccer mom accused of slapping her daughter and then leaving her along Interstate 80 has been put on pretrial diversion. Authorities say 42 year old Terrell Mackey was upset with her teenage daughter on April 14 because the girl had played poorly in a soccer game.

Lincoln police say Mackey yelled at the 15 year old on their way home from the game, then ordered her to repeat lines about improving her performance. When the girl flubbed the lines, her mother slapped her, then pulled over along I-80 in Lincoln and told the girl to get out.

A teammate and her parent spotted the girl, took her to their home and called police. Mackey pleaded not guilty in May. After being approved for the diversion program, prosecutors have dropped a child-abuse charge.

Ultra Slim Fast® Wednesday Night Ride

Wow – that was warm. There were about 15 or so people at the Trek Store® Ride Last night. I only got obliterated a couple of times. For the most part, because of the heat, the pace was a little slower than normal. I made it up the last climb (north of Dodge park, where I constantly drop Jon Randell) with the 4 or 5 others. Shim actually looked around and I believe almost fell off his bike to see me there. “fredcube®” he yelled. I was about to issue some reply, but I had to stop with the whole talking thing in order to push my lunch back down where it belonged. The fact that it was slower actually made it harder for me, since it was slow enough that I could hang on if I really worked.

During the ride I drank 48 oz of water and 48 oz of Gatorade® . It wasn’t enough, I was still very thirsty, but I was out of liquids. When I got home, I had another 20 oz of water and about 10 oz of V8® . Man, I love V8® .
For dinner, I had no appetite for solid foods. I went to McDonald’s® and ordered the only thing (besides coffee) I ever get from there. A large vanilla recovery shake. Mmm. Then I went to bed with a slight case of the “Jimmy legs®".

Good ride.

McNeill beats LeMond by more than an hour.

This is from L'Etape Du Tour. That's pretty cool, I guess.

Roy, roy roy roy …

I feel like Rocky after his first fight with Clubber Lang. Yeah, chasing chickens around and pushing an old guy in a wheel barrow or whatever ain’t getting the job done. Time to give old Carl "Baby, you got a stew going" Weathers a call and up the training a notch. Get that “Eye of the Tiger” as the kids’ grandparents say.

So today’s lunch ride was extremely painful. My legs haven’t felt this way in a year or more. And they used to feel like this just about every day. I said the other day that I think heart rate monitors suck. Bullshit. I wore it today. Looks like I’ve been training in about Zone 2/3 most of the time. Oops. I guess I overestimated how hard I was working.

Every year there’s this time when I remember what pain feels like and that I can handle it for a little longer. Just a few more seconds … Now quit? no, just a few more seconds, and maybe a little harder, etc.

Jack's 4

So I was taking the number off of my jersey today to wash my clothes. Jack saw me doing this and said "What's that?"
I said "That's the number I had for the race I was in?"

Jack: (very excited) Did you won or something?
Me: No. I lost. Those guys were too fast for me.
Jack: Well, it's ok, dad. You'll get used to it and then you'll won someday.
Me: Thanks Jack.

Post Failure, punish-fest

Cat 3, Papillion Twilight Crit. Hey - there's Shim!

Ahh, the post "I suck" ride. Always a good one. I usually work harder on these than even planned hard days. Today was no exception. I went out for 30 miles on a certain route that I keep track of my personal best. Yeah - I shattered it today. If you want to know how the crit went for me, read how it went for Bryan. Then add more (except for the really sad part). I get upset, kind of, but it really focuses me. I really think about what was missing and what needs to be changed. Maybe I'm slower (personal results on lone rides beg to differ) but it seems like the competition level is higher than it used to be.

I don't even know that I'll get an opportunity to race again this year, but my training will be better now.

For me, racing, at least once a year, is a good training tool. It lets me know how bad I suck. From that I know that there is no fear of the dreaded "overtraining". I can just go as hard as I want from now on. Which is pretty hard.

This bike is clean (well, sort of)

The important part anyway


Oops, looks like I missed a spot behind the bottom bracket area thingy ...
Sorry about the bluewall tires. They were on sale.

See, this is not a good excuse

Oh yeah, of course. I don't dope, I just swallow pills because they must be some kind of non-banned supplement, right?

cyclingnews 7-12-2007

Kessler's B-sample positive

Matthias Kessler's B-sample has also tested positive for testosterone, with an equally "exorbitantly high value" as the A-sample, according to the Sueedeutsche Zeitung, leading the newspaper to say that he had "obviously been caught in flagranti."

Kessler, who has denied doping, also gave an explanation for the positive tests. He told his attorney, Michael Lehner, that shortly before the Fleche Wallone, when he was tested positive, he swallowed the contents of four packages "with Chinese writing on them." He had received the packages from his alternative health practitioner, and assumed they were food supplements.

The German rider tested positive on April 24, and the test showed a testosterone value of 85:1, while a normal value is 4:1. Professor Wilhelm Schaenzer, leader of the Biochemistry Institute at the Sports School in Cologne, Germany, said that a natural value of over 15 to 20 is "not possible." His is currently suspended by his Astana team.

Albi, the racist dragon

4 days until certain glory

Well, today's Union Pacific lunch ride was excellent. Legs are feeling good. I can't do the Wednesday Night (Trek Store) ride this week due to a schedule conflict, but maybe the difference will be beneficial for the crit I'm going to win on Saturday.

I haven't raced since 2005, and that was one of those Branched Oaks road races. That was the day my legs both froze up (cramps) on the last lap. That was actually pretty funny (except for the pain). I could not bend my legs. The quads were stuck in the "on" position. Ouch.

I remember one thing, though. Even though I finished like something-teenth out of twenty-something, I knew beyond a shadow that I gave it everything and felt better about my performance than ever before. I mean, at one point, I got dropped and caught back up to the group once they hit the headwinds. Who does that? I'll tell you who. This guy (just before cramping up and nearly falling off my bike because my legs wouldn't bend).

She's so hot, boom

Yeah - I'll probably race Saturday.

So - uh. I've been debating about this because I don't want to be immediately dropped and stuff. Also, I'm scared about my handling skills (lack) because I'm kind of a pussy. But then I realized I have to race some time to find out if I can hang or not. So it might as well be at a relatively inexpensive ($20) race. Maybe I'll just attach a bungee to Bryan's seat post. Maybe I'll shave ... Naah. I might clean my bike though.

The hills are alive ...

EDIT: In answer to Munson's question(s), I welcome any and all who wish to join, and most likely drop, me. The amount of the pain is entirely up to you.

with the sound of PAIN.

Ooh scary.

Saturday morning, I will leave my house at 6AM for a hill loop that I haven't done for a couple of years. The old Sunday morning Olympia ride. It's down by Dodge park. Lots of climbing. It should take about an hour to get down there. I will repeat the loop for about 2 hours. then go home for a total of about 4 hours. The loop includes Hummel from the steep side every other time by. The loop goes clockwise. Below is a map. The bluish line is the first time. The red is the second part of the loop. So there's kind of an inner loop and an outer loop.



I was just reading through this and noticed I didn't say "loop" enough.
Loop, loop, loop. That's better.

Wednesday Night Ride (morning version)

It ended up being Munson, Randell, Bryan and Brady. Oh yeah, I was there too. We started at 7AM, so Munson was left behind, since he didn't show up until 7:01.

The pace was not too fast. I don't think anyone really wanted to push it, but it was a good workout. There were a lot of people on the trail even on the way out (at 7:00).

Not much of interest happened until we got to highway 36 and 72nd street. That's when I realized that Brady is a genius. I was pretty out-of-breath from going up that last hill, trying to breathe normally so the others (who were breathing normally) would maybe think I was also just coasting up the hill. Anyway, my game was about to be revealed but I was saved by Brady's brilliant "flat tire" move. Then, to make it even better, we did a really slow flat tire repair. It was like a ten minute break or so. Yaaay!

Ok, so then we were off again coasting on the trace rollers. Anything interesting there? Hmm. Well there was the part where Mike hit a hole or something, and almost swerved into Jon. Jon was like "step off" and stuff. For the record, nobody else saw this phantom hole of Mike's either. In any event, I decided it was time to drive for a while. So I kicked it up a notch to about 16 MPH. Party's over boys!


That's about the time we saw a lone female road rider ahead going the same direction as us. That was entertaining for a while. There were Phil Liggett impersonations, Jokes about how she had dropped us in the first place, etc. etc. Oh - Shh ... we're about to go by her. Ok, anyway, more joking I don't remember, but it was funny. I assure you.

Ok - then the ride down the big hill to Hwy 75 was entertaining. Just because it's fun to see Mike and Jon do the "Extreme Aero" thing. I hope I'm not around when one of them loses control.

When we got past Chip Davis' place, the guys went fairly easy up the first part of that big hill north of Dodge park. As it levels out in the middle, we were all together. That's never happened to me before. I know I usually gain ground on the Wednesday group on this section and up the next hill, so I thought I'd give it a whirl and see what happened. I got the bike going 22 and kept it there until the engine blew at about 20 yards from the summit. I know "summit" is kind of a lofty word for that hill, but it makes it sound cool.

I wouldn't even bring it up, but I promised. Jon said I dropped him on that hill. Um, well I guess I'll always have that. Kind of like that time I obliterated Munson in that 2.5K time trial. Neither of those things are representative of reality, but I will hang on to them to comfort myself and stave off the voices for yet another day.

The worst part of the ride was the trail on the way back. There were lots of people, and a surprising amount of "trail rage". I guess everyone made their Independence day resolutions and was getting pissed off at all the people literally standing in the way of their fitness. The comfort bikers were the main offenders. It was crazy to see. Baggy nylony shorts, upright seated, growling and yelling at people strolling their toddlers.

It just verifies a theory I've had for a while. Comfort bikers are assholes.

So Brady and I jumped off the trail at Western and snaked our way back to my house, just in time to catch the whole neighborhood, including my family, getting ready to go to the July fourth J.E. George parade. I really just wanted to go inside, but Jill made me go. Really. I had no choice. I'm like "in these clothes?" Then she gave me that irresistible tongue-click, eye-roll combo. I had to go then. I can't argue with that. Oh well, here's a picture of Jack. It's B&W, because I seem to have changed some setting when I grabbed the camera from my jersey pocket. Notice he's got the Bike Master's Jersey on. Traitor. By the way - Thanks Brady for the flags. The flags in the handlebars of Jack's bike are the same ones that Brady had on his (see top photo).

July 4th Morning ride

Since I doubt there will be a Wednesday night (Trek Store) ride (I won't be going if there is), I'm planning to do the ride Wednesday Morning, starting at 7AM.

Sunday - recovery done correctly with no meat product.

Last night, when I went to bed I said "to heck with it."
The reason for my unusually course language was my decision to sleep in. I'm not setting the alarm clock. I will not get out of bed until my eyes pop open and I'm ready to welcome the new day with a great big smile and a pat on the back.

And that's what I did. I think it was the 77 mile ride of Saturday and a relatively busy weekend. I felt a little tired and entitled to a little "me time."

So at 6AM, I was beginning my recovery ride. This is a ride that I usually don't do correctly. At some point there's someone on the trail (where all of my recovery rides are held) going faster than I am. Since I think I'm the main thing on everyone's mind, whether they know me or not, I have a hard time letting the 70 year old mtn biker with cutoff jeans go. Why, I can't have him thinking he's faster than me (even if he knows me only as "some guy"). So I work too hard on recovery day - so complete strangers don't have stories for their buddies about this "roadie" on the trail. All of this actually does go through my mind.
"I'm so vain, I probly think this blog is about me ..."


Today was different, though. Maybe I'm growing up. Maybe, just maybe I can let the mtn biker go. Nope. There was no one on the trail today (at 6 AM). So I did about 17 miles of painfully easy spinning. It took 72 minutes (14.17 MPH).

Then Jack (first born son, age 4) and I went to taco bell for perhaps the most disgusting breakfast imaginable. I saw exactly the same people at taco bell that I saw on the trail (nobody). I can understand, though. It was terrible. Not only that, but it wasn't very good either.

They have this scrambled egg, bacon taco thing. How could that not be excellent?
Well the egg was all chunky like it had been baked in a mold or something and chopped up. The bacon was just this salty bacon bit crap. Yuck.

There was also coffee. And I'm not joking here. It had a slight aroma of old dishrag. You know that smell that a rag gets after it has been in the kitchen, wiping down the counters too long. Kind of a rusty, rotting smell? Maybe you don't. Maybe you don't let it come to that before you change out the dishrag - but let's just say - it's not a smell you want coming out of a cup of coffee.
"I had some dreams, they were rags in my coffee ..."

Taco Bell should just serve their nasty lunch/dinner/fourth meal menu for first meal. It sucks, too. But at least it's genuine meat product.

Mmm meat product.