Back from Rochester

Spent the weekend in western New York visiting family, attending an enormous Turkish Festival, and of course riding the bike. Rode for three hours Sunday, two of those hours with my friend and coach Todd Scheske, who is assistant race director for the upcoming Rochester Twilight Criterium on Saturday June 23rd. This event draws crowds of spectators numbering in the 30,000+ range. From what I'm told, this year will be even bigger and better. I'm on the fence about driving out there again next weekend for a 20 mile masters crit, but as I understand it, witnessing the Pros trade punches for two hours on this formula 1 style course is something to behold, and worth the trip in it's own right. I'd much rather stay in town and race at Cox (would be much easier on the wallet) but maybe it's time I raced somewhere other than New England for a change. Remember the tropical storm last year at? .. In case you didn't notice, the Cox PRO event has been changed to 6:00 pm this year. That's no accident. It was coordinated between Todd and the Cox folks so that those who race in Rochester Saturday can make the trip east to Providence in time for the Pro event here on Sunday. This should help make the Cox Crit a very well attended event.

Plymouth-Reebok

Does anyone remember the old Plymouth-Reebok junior team of the late eighties? I remember that their reputation was such that most junior racers would dread their attendance- they were very fast. Who was on that team? Who went pro? Who among them still races? The names John Loehner, Aaron Newland, Jonas Carney and Paul Pisani stand out in my mind, but not sure what team they were on back in the old days.. I do remember a young (15 year old) George Hincapie taking all the honors of every junior crit and then taking a top three or a win in the cat 2-3 races of the same event.. Nowadays I see Gavin Mannion of CCB winning in the same manner and it's like deja-vu. Mark that name down. You'll be hearing it again in the coming years. 

Squirrel goes on rampage, injures 3

A squirrel is seen in St. James Park in London in this May 2, 2007 file photo. An aggressive squirrel attacked and injured three people in a German town before a 72-year-old pensioner dispatched the rampaging animal with his crutch. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

This caught my eye only because these vermin in disguise populate the bike path I use to commute, in large numbers. They seem to have a short circuit with determining which side of the path is better, and at what time it's safest to cross. I kill at least one every year with a fatal bike tire across the neck... um.. regrettably.

Bike racer haircut? Pffffffftt!

I resolve to let my hair grow all through the summer, and forbid dear wife to cut our little one's hair as well. Long hair on bike racers is the shit.. and wrist bands. They rock.

Nutmeg Crit: "Not a rankable event" (?)

For a couple of days, I was given (everyone was given) ranking points for the Nutmeg Crit. I actually did well enough to average myself down to 272 points, enough to be ranked 7th in RI.. Then yesterday I discover that it's suddenly "not a rankable event" and that all points are erased. So now my 12 month average of my three best crit results is 295.. Grrrr. Still enough for 7th in Rhode Island, but what gives? These numbers do a great job of motivating me to chew through the handlebars in the last few laps of a crit.. so I'm naturally disappointed.

Functional Threshold: 268

268... that's the number of mean maximal normalized watts I can crank for an hour without blowing my wad. This is established from the [Peaks] Mean Maximal Normalized Power Chart for yesterday's field test ride. We move the cursor over the 60 min point of this chart and the value pops up: 268. Previously, my FT was established using the same chart generated by field test one, except we used the CP20 and deducted 5%, hence the 250. Now that there's a month's history in the MMNP chart, it's best to use the CP60 value.

I believe I could have performed better with more thorough rest, a less demanding work day, and warmer weather. To wit, the first field test was on a nice warm Saturday where I slept in until 10:00. Yesterday was much different.

It still confuses me that there are all of these different wattage numbers.. average, normalized, mean maximal, mean maximal normalized.. They all represent different things.. and you can't just look at your average watts or your peaks for any given ride and expect to see the whole picture.. It's all very confusing to this simple mind. 

Hartford Criterium pictures are UP..

at MJSTUART's site.. 230 photos from the Hartford Criterium, and I find only one which includes me. Serves me right for racing in the'nosebleed section' of the field. Apparently he was also at the Nutmeg Criterium and will be posting those pictures within a couple of days.

Field Test No 2 Results..

1 minute=574 watts
5 minute=315
20 minute=256 (264 norm power)
Previous Field Test Values on May 12th:
1 minute=564
5 minute=303
20 minute=234 (262 norm power)
I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one using a PT who has it set to record zeroes (while coasting).. Judging from the power levels of others which I read about here and there, it's hard to believe I am so low on the food chain. Makes it seem like a friggin miracle that I can finish a Pro crit or crack top 20 in a master's crit.. I feel like I would have done better if it was warm out.. I had no arm warmers with me and never felt comfortable in the cool 55 degree weather, which felt much colder with the wind.. I also understand that on warmer days, the PT reading can be elevated. Today I had no such advantage.. Oh well, the training program seems to be working. I see decent improvement for just a four week 'build'. Let's see what I can do in time for the New Britain Crit or the Attleboro Crit.. or BOB BEAL! I wonder what my watts were during last year's 3 mile TT.. I also wonder if I could beat that time today, and by how much? I also wonder if it's wise to share this information so freely. Now it's no secret how much I suck! (tongue implanted in cheek) One important distinction: the 20 min watts above represent FT, not the watts I could average for 20 minutes with fresh legs.. The first two one minute efforts take a lot out of you, as does the five minute effort which follows.. Weight is down to 165! Oh my! I was 175 when I did the first field test on 5/12.. What effect does this have on watts? I'm 10 pounds lighter, so it should be easier to do more watts? Or not? ... Whatever.. I miss my Polar HRM, which now resides dormant, at the bottom of my backpack.. Thanks for reading.

Field Test Day!

::Take note of corrections to the recovery times::
I'm cautiously optimistic about discovering a much higher FT value today. On May 12th it was established to be 250 watts. The test goes like this:
20 minute warm-up
1 minute: go as hard as possible
5 minute recovery
1 minute: repeat going as hard as possible
5 minute recovery
5 minutes: all out effort
10 minutes recovery
20 minute time trial
30 minute cool-down//recovery
The 20 minute TT is supposed to give an indication of what the average watts for a 40k or 1 hour TT would be. All of the above is done while seated, no out-of-the-saddle stomping on the pedals allowed.
It's highly doubtful that I'll be at 300 watts, but 275 seems realistic. I don't intend to be looking down at the average watts during the test. Just going to let the PT serve as a flight data recorder. The max avg watts for each duration are established by the software automatically.

Wells Avenue Criterium Video June 3 2007

Wells Avenue Criterium Jun 3 2007

I'll embed it later. Shows better in "original" size. I added some interesting music, all from the soundtrack of the movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On"), which is something I highly recommend putting in your Netflix que. Subtitles. Has won numerous awards. See it.

Official Gegen die Wand site

IMDB page

Sweatbands are in! Tennis players can't be wrong

I'll be going to Glastonbury and then Hartford shortly.. Took the shortcut to work this morning because sleep was feeling too good. Only 8 miles in. My hand is still numb and my crotch is still sore. Nice video of the cat 3 Nutmeg Criterium over at Sprinter della casa. Even the crash at the end which included Paul Curley can be seen.. Hopefully he and others who fell are not hurt badly.

In other news.. sweat bands for your wrist are back! I'll take full credit for making it hip again to use your wrist to catch nose drippings and wipe away sweat. I find mine at TJ Maxx or Marshalls for $1.99.. PONY.. In the winter I find that my gloves get very abrasive, so these arm bands are way soft and easy on the nose. Get some. Be cool. Don't be a dingus and wear two at a time though.. Let the revolution begin.

Nutmeg Criterium 2007 results...

...are found here. I'm thinking 26th out of 91 finishers in the 35+ is nothing to cry about... but it proves that having great legs is not the answer to an excellent result. Reading the competition, positioning in the field and nerves of steel are equally as important. Wet, slick conditions held me back (the watts are quite telling of this) as did the blurred vision due to my mistake of wearing glasses.. Big mistake.. Took them off for the 30+.

Time for some training crits! Also on deck this week, another FIELD TEST to assess the increase in watts over the past five weeks. That's gonna hurt.. but I can't wait.

Overuse Injuries: Hand and Skin

According to a book called High Performance Cycling, by Asker E. Jeukendrup, the two issues which flared up for me during the Nutmeg Criterium have names:
Cyclist's Palsy: "The common cause is a compression of the fibers of the ulnar nerve as it enters the hand through the canal of Guyon, which is situated on the medial (little finger) side of the wrist.. Ulnar nerve compression producing sensory symptoms or muscular weakness has been recognized in cyclists for more than 100 years with the first case reported in 1896."
Third Testes: "Subcutaneous nodules are unique to elite and pro male cyclists. They typically form on each side of the midline, just posterior to the scrotum. Because of their appearance and position, cyclists sometimes refer to them as a "third testis". The lesions are pseudocysts that contain little cellular material. They develop in areas of aseptic pressure necrosis in the superficial peroneal fascia and are due to chronic microtrauma of the perineum related to pressure from the saddle.."
I have both. Two medial fingers are numb and weak. (So much for "ergonomic handlebars!)
Aaaaaand there's blood in my shorts. It finally ruptured tonight while watching Sopranos. Must have been when Phil Leotardo's head was crushed like a melon. Now I gotta worry about infection too!
So in summary.. racing on the wet Nutmeg course with 100+ guys, many of whom should be named "Shifty", "Drifty" and "Brakey", caused me to have a white knuckle death grip on the bars.. And I raced so hard for so long on the nose of my saddle that I mutilated the soft tissues behind the nutsack. Oh joy.

Miles and stuff

Holy crap. 1080 miles in the past 4 weeks, including today.. That's 1738 km for you metricians.. 34,027 kJ..

Nutmeg Criterium Results

Yesterday had it's share of good and bad.. and I'll tell you more later.. For now:
26th in the 35+ (105 starters)
20th in the 30+ (around 70 starters)
44th in the Pro-3 (91 starters)
Yeah nothing but a few anonymous mid-pack finishes, hardly worth mention, but there's more to it than that. That's 80 miles of crit racing in one day.. Including warm-ups and cool-downs, 100+ miles.

Why is it so hard to tell..

..if you're fully rested? No way to find out for absolute certain unless you get into a race and start drillin'it. Maybe I'm just a dumb f--k, maybe not, but I can't friggin tell if this "rest week" has me feeling fresher and stronger than four weeks ago, or four days ago.. Tomorrow is a big test.. Three races.. 30+, 35+ and Pro..and I'm keen on who has done well at previous editions of the Nutmeg Crit. I intend to be all over them like a bad suit.. Coach believes I'll be flying tomorrow. I have no choice but to believe him. I also have my eye on leapfrogging a couple of Rhode Islanders in the RI Masters Criterium Rankings. I know.. it's cheesy to care about this stuff.. but no one falls ass-backwards into a decent ranking.. even in a tiny state like ours. Good luck to everyone. Please no rain!

The "secret" to losing weight...(?)

.. according to the "Man Show" is STOP EATING SO MUCH!

Seriously.. one of the most enlightening and simple weight loss principles which my coach shared with me was this:

"Don't eat until you feel full.. instead eat until you are no longer hungry."

I may be repeating myself here.. but that's okay because it's worth repeating. Lately I find myself eating every 1-3 hours, instead of every 5-6 hours. (and no, it's not Kozy Shack or Shift bars or yogurt..) My office is well stocked with snacks such as fruit and pretzels and Powerbars (the "Nut Naturals" kind.. original Powerbars make me gassy) Stoking the fire every couple of hours keeps away that overwhelming hunger which makes us tend to overfill to the point where we can no longer breath as freely as we did before eating..

As bike racers, we often feel that all the calories we burn (according to out PTs and HRMs), is a license to stuff ourselves until we can't eat another bite.. No.

Keep the meals small and frequent. Avoid fried foods and fast food.. eat less bread.. add more protein.. moderate the fat and the carbs a little bit. weight loss will be yours.

Of course riding your bike at least 2 hours a day helps too.

When I returned from California, I weighed a surprising 180 pounds! That's after five days of training and a day of racing at Long Beach.. I weighed less before I went out there!.. Kind of bothered me, but some of this was from the bloating which eating at restaurants causes, all the salt they add to the food to mask staleness and add flavor..

Sure May was a huge month for me, with the addition of a coach, a Powertap, 60 hours of training, over 1000 miles etc.. But the frequency and amount I ate in that time was a very big factor.

Eat until you are no longer hungry... Try it.

I'm down to 167 and still losing... and I don't look like this in my skinsuit anymore:

    

Time for Timer.. and the Family Guy version

Vandenbroucke attempts suicide.. Quick Step raided..

Vandenbroucke in grave condition after suicide attempt I was just thumbing through a 1999 issue of "Winning" this morning and saw an article about VDB being the shit.. So sad to hear this news.

Police Raid Quick Step homes 

Nutmeg Criterium Video 2006

This is a very short clip of the Nutmeg Criterium in Walnut Hill Park CT.. this is either the 30+ or the 35+ event. I did quite poorly last year, finishing in the 30s and 40s overall. It goes without saying that I intend to do better this weekend. Keeping an eye on the weather forecasts though.. I won't pre-reg until I know it's gonna be dry. I can't embed from work, but if anyone else wants to, feel free.  http://vimeo.com/206866

How'd you like that wind last night on the ride home, Ge?

It's funny how my HR while riding to work is in the 120s and riding home it's around 100. Says a lot about where we want to be, eh? This morning, only one green light out of about ten intersections. This happens mostly on rest days where I'm putzing along.. just miss the greens by about 5 seconds. I did not race Ninigret last night, though originally I was intending to. Too tired. Need rest and sleep. In fact, I went to bed right after dinner last night, like around 7:30. What a difference a few extra hours makes. I actually don't mind being at work.

Here are the 2006 Nutmeg Criterium results.

Floyd Landis and AJ Soprano

Am I the only one who sees a resemblance between these two? Think on it if you plan to watch the final episode this Sunday on HBO.

It will be a few more days..

..before I have time to polish up the race video from Wells Ave. I was up late last night listing some old woodworking tools on ebay.. I need money! Bike racing is expensive. I'm also selling a used Thule pick-up truck rack with two bike mounts. $50 anyone? I can bring it to the Ninigret Crit tomorrow.. I'm off to Boston for now.

Dying of boredom

Focus: none. Energy: none. Motivation: none. Alertness: none

It sucks to be paid very well to do something which gives no satisfaction whatsoever.

It's been over two years since I had a real vacation- which was a two week trip to Turkey.. on the south coast in one of the many All-inclusive resorts.. Did you know that they have built a replica of both the Kremlin and of the Topkapi palaces? Above is a picture of Club Zigana, where we spent a few days back in 1999. Yes there are awesome roads to ride the bike, up in those mountains... and many roaming packs of wild dogs..

Some priceless video footage..

..was obtained Sunday at Wells Ave.. featuring our esteemed Nega-Coach, Solobreak on my wheel. Pre-race, I thought he looked familiar.. but the hair was a tad longish, compared to the clippers video.. he also looks taller in person.. and the glasses, no bug-eyed glasses on. It wasn't until I heard the old man's voice that I felt sure of who he was. Anyway.. I intend to create a separate video featuring only the SB himself, unless he objects. My way of giving back for the nega coaching we've enjoyed, er.. been subjected to.

Wells Ave today: on video

Grrrr. All the fussing with the on-board camera.. and I didn't do it right this time. The camera was pointed a tad too high, so you could only see those who were on my wheel, and not beyond.. I'm pissed. Plus the overcast skies did not give a great picture, but I can get it brighter. This is going to take a lot of editing to get it right. Be patient.

Summary of today's LSD ride

When I left the house at 6:30 this morning, the plan was not to ride 87 miles.. it was to ride for 3-1/2 hours at endurance pace with about an hour of tempo pace thrown in someplace. I ended up riding for over 4-1/2 hours, and I felt pretty darn good afterwards.. Like I could go for another few hours. I weighed in at 169 when I left the house, and weighed in at 166 when I got home. Drank three bottle of water, ate one apple and one bag of Sports Beans the whole time. No hunger, No bonking, No cramping. Long steady distance.
Here's what the Powertap recorded:
Entire workout (165 watts):
Duration: 4:38:45
Work: 2738 kJ
TSS: 316 (intensity factor 0.827)
Norm Power: 207
VI: 1.26
Distance: 87.544 mi
Averages:
Power: 165 watts
Heart rate: 141 bpm
Cadence: 87 rpm
Speed: 19.0 mph
Broke a few personal best watts for the 10 sec, 20 sec and 30 sec values. Must have been during the small climb.. This was an easy ride. 80 minutes to the bike shop by myself, then waiting for everyone to show for about 20 minutes, then 2 hours endur/tempo with the team, another 10 minutes at the shop, then another 80 minutes home, interrupted only by a quick flat repair. (That's two days in a row- those Vredestein Fortezza tires SUCK- I'm sticking with Conti 4 seasons or the new 4000s- indestructible- the Fortezzas seem to be made of recycled Band-Aids.. my fingernail brushes the tire and I get a flat with those shit Vredesteins)
Looking to set all new CP values across the board tomorrow at Wells Ave.. I may be a little sore though.. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow night. Thanks for reading.

Summary of May 2007

Hours: 60:01
Miles: 1013.93

The Last Word

Yes I will be video-recording Wells Ave on Sunday. Get on my wheel if you want to see yourself hammering. Friday afternoon rides home from work are always an exercise in survival. That day I was hit by a car last summer.. a Friday. I'd leave NOW if my conscience would permit. This weekend I resolve to teach my mom how to ride a bike- she's visiting with us right now.. No one should be deprived of such a thing as bike riding. She's just never had access to a bike or a chance or the courage or the desire.. I'll give her all of those things on Saturday, in a grassy field with a gentle slope.. Take the pedals off and let her coast until she gets the hang of it. No spare tire! I guess I'll leave the pump at work.. Cell phone is a reliable bail-out in case of a flat. Then again, I need that pump for tomorrow's 3-1/2 hour ride. Shoot I need a spare tube too.. Crap on a stick.. This will be a 300 mile week. Still haven't sold that epx carbon bike... Full Campy, Rolf Vector Pros, nice ride.. maybe parting it out on ebay will bring me more dough.. I'm hungry.. Had a Kashi bar, one croisant, and a small Quiznos sub all day.. skipped the Raisin Bran this morning for lack of time.. A nice fat-burning ride home on deadly congested roads awaits me.. or I'm waiting for it.. for 5 o'clock to happen, that is. Good luck to all who are racing this weekend.. and if you're at Wells, smile for the camera.

Silent but deadly.. ?

Riding in to work this morning.. on the bike path.. and I spy two turtles, about 8 feet apart, digging holes behind them presumably for the deposit of eggs. These things were big- about the size of a bike helmet.. So I double back to get a closer look. When I'm satisfied that I've beaten them both in our respective staring contests, I head towards work. Bike feels weird.. Bouncy.. I look down and see that the air in my rear tire is making a slow exit. (and you thought I was going to write about flatulence?) Confound it.. I hate changing tires that are covered with the intestines of caterpillars and the rotting petals of spring flowers.. It's bad enough that I'm late for work because I had to take out the trash and the recycling in a mad dash to the curb while the sanitation guy waited for me... Now I had a legitimate excuse though, so I call in and let my masters know that I'm running late.. That mini carbon pump is not good for anything over 90 pounds, that's for sure. What a difference 10-20 pounds makes. Kept looking down because the ride felt so soft.. So I'll be riding home sans spare tube tonight (I don't carry patch kits- I'm no good at using them- in fact there's about 20 flatted tubes hanging in the garage- I can afford to just keep buying new ones- especially after a similar program I followed with tubulars for about 20 years- inner tubes are chump change)

Last night's ride- two twenty minute intervals with a 15 minute spin in between, consisting of 2 minute criss-cross between CP12 and CP60. Ouch. My watts are nothing to write home about, but the improvement which the Peaks software indicates for the last 4 weeks is pretty good, even without any substantial rest in all this time. Next week is rest week. Nothing over zone 3.. until Nutmeg of course.

Pardon my bad attitude

Don't mean to bird-dog anyone with my last rant.. I'm just on edge about things at work and about my dad.. who is very ill.. There's a lot on my plate these days and this is where I vent at times that I can't take out my frustrations on the bike. Thank you for reading. Comments since last post much appreciated. (I can't comment in Blogger from work.. Have to resort to posting via e-mail.. my head is totally not into work right now, I'm here in the flesh only, heart and mind is someplace else)

Today's post

I've just returned from a day trip to Falmouth where I am managing a $1.5 million project. A hearty serving of Szechuan shrimp and fried rice now occupies my stomach. Oh so satisfying. Almost went to Haruki for some sushi, but that get's kind of pricey. Bit down on my tongue something fierce this morning while eating. There was blood. Nothing breaks my intense concentration of enjoying good food more than inadvertant tongue biting. It's like Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde kind of pain. 

This is the fourth week of a solid training build and my legs really look forward to next week's series of sissy rest rides in preparation for the Nutmeg Criterium on Saturday. The month of May should total about 1000 miles by the time I complete tonight's ride home from work. Saturday is a 3-1/2 hour endurance ride. Not sure where I'll be going with that one. If anyone has compatible intensity/duration plans for Saturday, let's meet up in the early AM. Don't everyone write me all at once!: reiscotools at yahoo dot com.

Sunday I will not be driving three hours north for the RR and crit offered up there. Instead I hope to race at Wells Ave, presuming that traffic issues and weather permit. It's been many weeks and I'm anxious to test out the legs. Might even video record the race in the rear facing mode. Speaking of videos, the Hartford Crit video is getting a healthy amount of traffic.. And these days I can't help but notice [via Sitemeter] that many people are seeking photographs from that event. Well I happen to have a few in my Flickr badge, but nothing worth framing. I remember seeing a photographer at the race, taking zoom shots with a big lens. If anyone knows who that was, or if they have a website, please let me know because like many others, I would also like to get a decent pic of myself in action (in pain).

Which reminds me.. these race videos I'm recording and sharing are [regrettably] among the most thankless and unsatisfying things I've ever done. I never get to see myself, and on top of that those who do benefit or enjoy the vids don't bother to let you know it. Why bother? Well, because no one else is doing it, and someone should be.. So I continue, on a discretionary basis. And while I'm on the subject of thanklessness, let me touch upon the matter of reciprocity... Never mind... Just don't be surprised to see that my Blogroll has diminished in size. To me, failure to reciprocate seems the equivalent of refusing to answer the door when someone knocks, and they know you're home.  You try to be a good neighbor.. like a Ned Flanders would be... and... nothing. Enough of that shit. Many thanks to those who do care enough to copy/paste/modify a simple line of code.

Stefano Garzelli celebrates on the Stage 16 Giro d'Italia podium

Italian rider Stefano Garzelli celebrates on the podium after the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia from Agordo to Lienz in Austria May 29, 2007. (AUSTRIA)  REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Hartford Criterium of 2007: Pro-1-2 Race Video

As promised! I stayed up quite late getting this completed and uploaded to Google. The brightness and contrast is good, but Google compresses the file and we lose some resolution. Nothing we can do about that.. unless we burn the original uncompressed file to a DVD...
A note about comments. If you view this video at the Google website (click on the title above) then you can leave comments there and give everyone a heads up of when your team mates are in view. Simply indicat the "minutes: seconds" and Google turns it into a clickable link which takes visitors there automatically. In addition, please take a few seconds to click on my sponsor links, both here and at www.amerikanturk.com. I make a few pennies with each click, and it costs you nothing. Thanks for watching. Hope you will share the link to this page with your friends. Many thanks.

Hartford Criterium Race Report: Pro-3

I can't say that this race was much different than the 30+ event, except for a few exceptions. 40 laps instead of 25, 28.5 mph average instead of 27.5, 125 starters instead of 100, and NO time spent [by yours truly] even remotely close to the front of the field. We seemed to be strung out over 1/2 the course at all times.. making it appear quite daunting to even consider moving up there. I do not have a good history with Pro races.. and do not remember finishing a Pro crit in a long time. Seems whenever I tried them, I was pitifully lacking in power, plus I would just plain get psyched out by the 140 pound young guns with their teams of six to eight racers. I was in it for the training and nothing more, this much is certain. Of course the big motivator during the first 30 minutes was to fill up my handlebar cam with some race footage. After that, it takes a certain desire to suffer back in the nose bleed section, in order to finish. Towards the end, during the last ten laps or so, I was really getting thrashed, and really beginning to feel the 750 miles of the past three weeks in my legs. Ultimately I found myself in Gap City, back where about a dozen or so riders are hanging on by a thread, handling their bikes sloppily because they're tired, and generally just getting in eachother's way trying to survive. With four to go someone flatted in the sweeping corner with all the cracks and bumps.. My luck, I'm behind this guy (who properly raised his hand) but that little bit of hesitation and care in trying to get around him.. really cost me. There was a sudden need to drill it to regain contact and stay connected. This took a lot out of me, as I was already at my limit. Coming up the finish straight with two to go, a Good Samaritan took pity on my ineffective thrashing on the pedals and gave me a push, a nice one, and I stayed in contact. G-d bless him. Wish I took note of his number so I could look him up and give him credit. I finished at the tail end of the field, completely gassed, and might not have made it without that little push.. Many thanks..
I was using a heavy Powertap wheel and carrying a 1 pound camera on my handlebars.. For what it's worth, I would have preferred my Easton rear wheel and no camera, for a mental edge if nothing else.
Video is complete, but it's taking 40 minutes to save it, then uploading to Google takes another hour, and they take a few hours to review it and approve.. Hopefully worth the wait. I added some decent music (I don't have a huge selection, so it's not exactly what I want, but I try to pick pieces which add some suspense or excitement to the footage) At least during the first 30 minutes I'm not way at the back.. more like about 2/3s back, so there's a good rotation of riders which you'll see in there. Well.. their asses anyway. Pointing the camera in reverse has it's advantages. Thought I'd try it forwards this time, so you see what I see. You'll also see all the holes I could have used to gain position, if only I was strong enough to.. Thanks for reading.

Hartford Criterium Race Report: 30+

Since it will take about 25 minutes to upload the crit video to Windows Movie Maker, I have some time to kill while I wait.
Masters 30+: This was a very short 25 lap race with a completely full field of 100. Now that I'm being coached by one who puts more emphasis on training than racing (since I have a lot of catching up to do, according to my power meter) I did a three hour endurance ride yesterday, with a little bit of tempo mixed in the middle. Had I told the coach that this was an "A" race for me, the approach would have been different. Today's race was for training, not for a result other than finishing. So I went into it relaxed, without pressure to thrash myself at the front the whole time, or make risky and dangerous moves. I moved around in the field as much as I could, trying to get better at the art of positioning-at-will (something I'm working on) Took a couple of digs at the front, wasting energy and watts and power.. The second attempt was a complete mis-fire, but with good intentions. With about three laps to go I resolved to get my ass to the front. Yoink- a big gap opens up with guys shooting through it, so I follow. Next thing you know I'm out in "Wonderland" trying to decide whether to drill it for all it's worth (with 1-1/2 laps to go), or sit up and hastily take cover for a lap and prepare for a sprint where I had a remote but not impossible chance of beating 80-90 guys to the line.. What do I do? A little of both, but a day late and a dollar short. I dangle off the front momentarily while the field looks upon me like I'm a bucket of "chum".
"He who hesitates, is lost".
In hindsight, (duh) I should have held back and saved it for the last 200 meters. Should have sat up as soon as I reached the front of the field and fought for a wheel.. Instead I blasted out some obcene wattage for about a minute [for no reason] and then I was swallowed up and nearly spit out the back. Just dug in for the last lap and held my crappy field position through the finish. Somewhere mid-field. No regrets. I won't beat myself up for trying something.. but then again, it's hard to refrain from wondering what could have been.
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Hartford Criterium: Pro-1-2-3 race footage video coming up!

It looks pretty sweet, at least before it's compressed by Google.. Today I finished both the 30+ and the Pro race.. not with much if any distinction, but happy to finish both.. and score the video footage. Stay tuned for "Ass-vertising" galore. Stay tuned.

Still using the Polar software!

I can't help it. After three seasons of data accumulation, looking back at the history is pretty damn convenient and informative. Now I have the Powertap's "PowerAgent" software, which is horrible. It can't execute a simple click without choking for about 5 seconds. I tried to upgrade to PowerAgent 7, but that failed completely. I have a few more days of trial period left with the WKO+ Cycling Peaks software, which is marginally better than the PowerAgent. Maybe I'm just not used to it. Not terribly interested in blowing another $75 to buy it. That said..
I just looked at my mileage for the season, to date, and here is how it compares to years past, Jan1 thru May 25:
2003: 573 miles
2005: 685 miles
2006: 1029 miles
2007: 2151 miles
Training time:
2003: 49 hours
2005: 49 hours
2006: 55 hours
2007: 133 hours

Giro Stage 13 TT: Ouch

Doping: Murat's brain droppings on the subject

I've never used cocaine in my life. Something I'm proud of, but let me clarify. I've never been in the same room as cocaine before either, so claiming such a distinction isn't as big a deal is it? Maybe in my younger days if someone offered it to me, I would have accepted. Probably not- I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt on that one.. Today, of course definitely not..

What about doping? Performance enhancing chemicals? I've never used any of that stuff either. But again, it's never been accessible to me either. I've never known one who uses. I've never been offered a gel pack of testosterone. Again, I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt there too.. Not interested. My life doesn't depend upon winning races. That's the definition of "amateur" after all.. It means "for the love of".. Love of what? Love of "bike racing".. Our sport isn't called "Winning Bike Races". If it was, then about 90 percent of us amateurs would find ourselves in the wrong sport. 

I guess I'm trying to look at the situation in the Pro ranks subjectively. If you made your living, supported a family, and put food on the table by racing a bike, and if someone offered you a holy grail to job security, fame, fortune, glory.. how strong would you be to resist such temptation? What if you were a "low level pro"? Struggling with anonymity and relegated to what amounts to pack fodder? Just thinking out loud here. The vast majority of us who have never doped can be proud of racing clean and all, but bird-dogging and condemning every pro who has.. seems a little bit offsides to me. Until we've "raced a mile in their shoes", we're really in no position to judge their actions so harshly and so dismissively. Just getting to the level where doping enhances a pro's results, takes a very large level of natural talent, hard work and determination. This goes without saying. Those of us who haven't traveled that road and hit our glass ceiling of performance and results, have little or nothing of value to add to this controversy. Do I condone the use of drugs in sport? Certainly not. I'm simply taking a more emphatic, less ignorant view.

There are 1000 and 1 factors which enhance/diminish/affect performance. Training time and quality, disposable income, coaching, a supportive family, an accommodating work schedule or employer, sponsor support, equipment quality, geographic location, genetics, age, nationality, height, weight, body mass index, power.. or owning a Powertap, VO2 max, being free from disease, mental disposition, etc etc et al. How many of these factors are favorable for every single one of us? Or rather, for how many of us is every factor favorable? Which of them are in our direct control, which are not? Has doping evolved into one of the factors which are in our direct control? I like to think not, but such a denial seems delusional right now.

One thing is clear. None of the above named factors are ever considered to be unfair advantages or disadvantages, even the ones which we have some control over.

Food for thought.

Stressin' the engine.

Feeling the effects, or at least starting to. My ass is dragging this afternoon. Almost not looking forward to two hours of endurance pace after I leave this hell-hole. If not for the superb weather, I might have considered riding stright home, the short way. Maybe I ate too much at lunch time and just paying the price for it. Feel lethargic and heavy right now, when in fact I've finally broken the 170 pound barrier. I'm 169 in the AM, after breakfast and after my DME. All registered for the Hartford Crit, 35+ and Pro.. Looking forward to a result that's better than 20th for a change.. Team mate and Cinderella Man Neil Hull will be in the 35+ with me. Hope to see him continue to set a good example for me as one who can sprint pretty damn well.. The Pro event? Best to go into it with fun in mind, because all I really want to do is motorpace for 50 miles/laps/whatever. Pre-reg at the Cyclonauts Crit on Memorial Day is pretty light so far. I remember last year there was a very strong turn-out. What's up with that? One thing I liked about pre-reg for Hartford is that ALL events are $25 and that a 2nd race is only $15 more. Nice. As it should be. I see that fellow millworker Tom Officer is in there, Masters and Pro events. Fellow Amerikan Turk Turgut Balikci will be doing double duty in two masters races as well. Hope to meet him between events. Who else is going? I may enter our little one into the children's race. He's fast, even using a bike that has no pedals. 

USA Cycling Masters Criterium Rankings for Rhode Island

Bill Yabroudy tops the list of 45 total masters (all ages). I find myself in the top ten and hope to push upward a little bit after this weekend. Top ten beats a sharp stick in the eye I guess. I don't know how many people follow this stuff, but I find that it gives me a little motivation to "dig, fight and chew through the handlebars" in the final sprint, even if I know I'm out of the money. How will this list look after Hartford and Cyclonauts? I think it's worth watching. My money's on Bill to hold his position for the rest of the season. Can I scoot myself up to 6th or 7th? It's within reach I think, with a little bit of luck and some smart racing.

Still kind of tired

Very little and very poor quality sleep last night, and man I feel it today.. Overslept and drove the wife's minivan to work this morning. Then at lunch I bolted home, suited up and rode back to work. Now I can ride home and do all those nasty intervals which coach has prescribed. 20 min WU, 10 min FT, 5 min spin, 15 min FT, 10 min spin, 5 min FT ending at FT+5%, then 20 min spin 120-140 watts to cool down. Sounds easy.. until about 5 minutes into the first interval, then all of those miles I've been churning for the past two weeks will really catch up with me. I'm right in the center of a period, and in two more weeks I'll be in recovery mode in advance of Nutmeg Criterium and Keith Berger Criterium (which isn't on Bikereg???? What's up with that?)

This weekend: Hartford Criterium (my first time) to test the legs and the watts, followed by the Cyclonauts Criterium, where last year I was caught behind a crash with only two laps to go.. I promised Mike Norton that I would record the Cyclonauts race. Hopefully it's a bright sunny day on Monday or else the footage will suck.

Marco Pinotti: An unflattering photo of the Giro d' Italia leader

Thanks to... last night's episode of The Sopranos.. Am I the only one who sees that suicidal AJ bears a very strong resemblance to Floyd Landis?  

Italian rider Marco Pinotti celebrates on the podium after the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, 200 km (124 miles) from Barberino di Mugello to Fiorano Modenese, May 20, 2007. Norwegian rider Kurt-Asle Arvesen won the stage while Pinotti took the leader's pink jersey. (ITALY)  REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Tired

Numerous crashes in todays Pro-1-2 event at North Stonington.. made me wonder if getting shelled early spared me from some potentially heavy skin loss and other injury. I saw at least two ambulances and guys on stretchers. Made a training day out of it, but threw in the towel after 7 laps (of 12). Rode 212 miles for the week, 245 miles the week prior. Ouch. Yesterday was a three hour slog in the rain and drizzle at endurance pace (180 watts) Probably contributed to today's melt-down, but the plan was to stress the engine today, not to get on the podium. When you can't go any faster, you just can't. No amount of prayer or begging to the Gods of Wattage will help. Pro-1-2 races are tough. With only a few other exceptions besides myself, this 36 year old felt like the only old fart in the field. Looking forward to doing a masters crit soon.. Road races.. Grrrrr.

North Stonington Pre-ride Feedback

Seems I wasn't the only one training on the race course yesterday.. Ran into a couple of other riders.. Had to apologize to one of them for seeming unsociable, as it's hard to chit-chat while doing one minute on/one minute off intervals in rapid succession.. Also very hard to hold watts on such a rolling course. You're either getting into your granny gear or into the 53x14 to keep it pegged where you're supposed to. Still, it was great to see the course and inspect it's surface and scope out the "hill". At only five miles around, I think I can really get my head into this event. The "hill" seems to rise about 125-150 feet in 1 km, but it's really just a series of short rises with some flat relief in between them. I didn't try it in the big ring, but I imagine that with fresh enough legs, one could power to the top and easily open a gap on the little-ringers. Beautiful scenic course.. kind of narrow, no yellow line on a lot of it, might be a little hard to gain position, or easy to lose position if you're on the wrong wheel (like mine!). Kidding. I self-depracate with tongue in cheek, of couse. I think I'll have the legs to be there at the finish, which is at the top of the climb. There's a hairy fast corner at the bottom of the descent, when we turn onto Hangman Hill Road. We'll be flying through that turn.

Succinctly speaking..

I will be training on the North Stonington course later today.. caught in yesterday's rain storm while riding in Coventry after work.. pushed my luck.. got drenched.. rode 5 minutes to work this AM when I realized I forgot to take out the trash.. was under-dressed anyway, so I doubled back, took care of trash, added skull cap, wind breaker and changed shoes.. yeah my spare shoes felt too weird.. one cleat was loose.. preferred to wear the wet shoes BION.. Rode in to work late too.. one minute intervals at FT scheduled for tonight.. ten in a row with one minute recovery in between.. then another three later on at FT +5% for good measure.. one min recoveries.. fretting about the hill at Stonington a little bit.. maybe better not to see it?.. but I hate surprises. This one is supposed to be about 1 km.. I should be able to handle it. The watts will be interesting to see.. comparing today to race day.. 170.5 pounds! Almost there.. 160s here I come! Weight loss has been slow and steady since February.. There's a 150 pound person beneath all of this flubber. Ciao!

North Stonington Classic: I'm in (?)

I've been directed to do the Pro-1-2-3 event at the North Stonington Classic this Sunday. I'm apprehensive, nervous, wringing my hands about it, yet still cautiously optimistic. Road races are not my thing, especially if they're over 50 miles and include a 1 km climb. Coach says it will do me good to give it my best shot AND complete it at tempo pace if/when I get shelled. "Finish what you start" ;)
So I will pass on the 35+, which is potentially just as fast, but half the distance. Voice in my head thunders that this is the wrong move, but I guess it's for a training benefit, more so than a result. I hope not to be an early casualty. Every ounce of my being will go into selecting a solid wheel and not letting go, especially on the climb. I do like the start time very much though: 2:00 pm. Means I can get a full 8-9 hours of sleep, which is rare.
I don't know what I'm so afraid of, my form isn't that horrible right now. I'd venture to say that I'm not that far from my condition at the Topsfield race last September, where I got 23rd in the P-1-2-3 event. (I know I keep bringing that up, but realize that was only the second road race I'd done since 1995, so it was huge for me to finish something other than a crit for a change, even if it required me to sit-in the whole time in order to survive) Yeah, I know, I don't do that great in crits either, but I enjoy them a whole lot more.

Introducing: Haluk Sarci, 3rd place at Bear Mountain

Who? Haluk Sarci. I don't know him personally myself.. but the name sort of stands out for a guy like me, one who sometimes feels completely isolated from the homeland we call the Turkish Republic. So when I discover another Turkish bike racer who has earned a solid result (any result!) in a race here in the US, it's a special occasion. Forgive me if this comes off as racist, it's not. I'm a Turkish nationalist, it wouldn't matter if Haluk were a Kurdish-Armenian Sephardic Jew, as long as he's a Turkish national, that's all that matters in my eyes. That said, let me draw attention to Haluk's recent podium finish in the 40+ Bear Mountain Spring Classic. (Take note that 55 year old Tom Officer is also tearing it up in the 40+ event, in 4th place) It appears that Haluk is a very successful triathlete and also a coach. You can view the particulars here. I salute him for his great result and look forward to meeting in person, maybe at a venue in CT sometime.

Haluk Sarci was born in Istanbul, Turkey and began his athletic adventures as a member of the National Track and Field Team in Turkey. An Olympic qualifier for the 1980 Olympics, Haluk held the honor of representing his country even though they were eventually boycotted. In 1984 Haluk immigrated to the United States where he participated in six New York City Marathons and five Boston Marathons where he set his personal record of 2 hrs. 35 min. Haluk has experience in the sport of Duathlon, Triathlon, Running, swimming, and road cycling. He has been participating in triathlons for more than nine years and has competed in many national and international events.

Another quickie.. HR vs Watts

What an eye-opener this Powertap device is. Took my first ride home from work with it yesterday, at the CORRECT "active recovery" pace. Seems that I haven't really done a proper recovery ride in the past three years! Typically, my goal on recovery rides was to simply keep the average heart rate in the 135-140 range. All the while I was in "endurance" mode.. Last night riding home from work, I averaged 125 watts and 114 Avg HR. And this morning, more evidence that HR is not as useful a measure as we thought: Ride to work this AM was 118 watts, 121 avg HR. Why? Maybe because of the tail wind? Maybe because it was 20 degrees cooler out than last night? Morning vs evening? Most likely, riding to work is more stressful than riding home, me thinks.

Coach says...

No training races for the next month or so (Grrrr..) at least until after Keith Berger Crit.. (which is one of my "A" events- I am aiming to do really well there) Will be hard to keep away from Ninigret. Need to focus on other training goals right now. Next few weeks are going to hurt.

Reak quick..

Powertap lacks many of the features of my Polar 710i. (temp, altitude, lap time, start/stop) Maybe I just need to find better instructions.Not happy about that. I did my "field test" on Saturday and discovered the unsurprising/disappointing results.. Rode myself into the ground last week at 13-1/2 total hours, 245 total miles including commuting. Probably won't top that again for a few weeks. Drove in to work today. Will probably drive home and back for lunch to stock up on this week's work clothing, grab the bike and the gear and take an easy ride home. Weight is down to 171. Worked around the house all weekend pulling tree stumps, grading, moving earth, shoveling, spreading 4 cubic yards of landscape stone. Plan to race Wed night at Ninigret. I now have a definite training program in place, thanks to coach Todd Scheske.. It's nice to have a plan.

At the risk of getting soaked..

..Gewilli convinced me to ride home tonight. It's going to be a bittersweet ride too.. Saying goodbye to the old Polar 710i.. being the last ride I will use it for a while, if ever. Three years old and still works perfectly. Odometer has 10,632 miles on it, 575 hours of ride time, over half a million calories burned.. But not a single watt recorded... My 57cm epx is offered for the insane price of only $1200. A fast ride for the dough. If no interest in the next couple of days, it's going onto ebay to help replace the Powertap money.

Powertap: Little, yellow, different

Yeah that's the old "Nuprin" catch phrase from the 80s I think. Picked up my Powertap SL yesterday.. Not impressed with the amount of hardware your get for the money! (Talking over $1000 here) I'm assuming most of the bling-bling cost is in the hub and the 'puter. Worked out nicely that I was up in Boston yesterday, getting my ass reamed at an owner's meeting, by an architect who I have some history with at other projects.. Why can't I work with guys like John Lowenstein? or Wade Tardiff? or Tom Officer or Gulay's Husband Andy? (actually I did work with Tom long ago). (Any other racers work in carpentry, millwork, construction or architecture? Speak up! We'll form our own team!) At any rate, my sponsor calls and says the PT is IN. YESSS. I swing by on the way back to Providence and settle up. (My yellow epx bike is offered for sale, btw) The rest of the day sucked because I had to drive with wife and child down to JFK to pick up mother-in-law who flew in from Turkey. I love my mother in law, but I hate NYC.. even though I was born in Queens, and even though I lived in Woodside, Kew Gardens, and College Point until I was fifteen, I renew my vow never to live there again during every visit. Needless to say we got home pretty late. That's a lot of driving though.. Round trip to Boston, round trip to JFK, all in one day. Rode in to work this morning.. Keep seeing the same group of 2-3-4 guys on the bike path in the mornings, from the opposite direction. Can't make out the faces or the kits as we greet eachother. It's nice to see friendly faces before getting to work though.. I wonder if any of them are visitors here and think "there goes Murat". I flatter myself completely, I know. Not to pick at old wounds, but I can't help but note the irony of having so much weight given to my words, while being called a "nobody" at the same time. I guess that I'm not the only one who is prone to letting emotions cloud my judgment. Bygones. Peace.

Ninigret Criterium

That's me dead center:

Did the Ninigret Crit last night. I was very hesitant to put myself out there, having DNF'ed the last four races I started. Confidence was at an all time low. So I just stayed sheltered for most of the race, conserved myself. Seemed to be about 60+ guys there. Cool and foggy out. Our team had three, one (Neal Hull) took 2nd in the final sprint
I was so surprised at not being put into difficulty that I didn't know what to do at the end. I maintained field position through the sprint, somewhere in the front 1/3 of the pack. I have to work on being more aggressive and more assertive in the field. Whenever someone behind you detects a bit of weakness, they go around you. Next thing you know, you're blocked on both sides and losing position fast. Crashing three times in the past 3 seasons has not helped any. Getting hit by a car and having your first kid also takes some of the edge off. You tend to stay on the side of caution. I hate that.
You will notice on the chart that during minutes 53, 54 and 55, I made an attempt to bridge up to a break with another. First I had to sprint to his wheel, then he pulled for half a lap, I pulled for half a lap, he pulled for half a lap, and then I pulled through for a little bit but was so gassed I had to sit up. He connected on his own (we were close) but the field picked up speed and caught the whole break within another lap. Felt good to try something though.. Like I said, I have to find little boosts to my confidance any way I can. Opening a gap on the field for a lap and a half helped somewhat.
Another revelation: I've been racing on the hoods for way too long. This is a bad habit of mine, and I do it mainly because I find it painful to be in the drops. It's painful because I never do it, and because of my (disappearing) gut... Well some recent yard work and some recent crunches and core exercises and rest seem to have strengthened my lower back and my abs. I was in the drops the whole time and didn't even realize it til I sat up after the finish. It's a sign that my head was into the race. Being on the hoods felt weird all of a sudden.
Note to self: I race, sprint and accelerate much faster in the drops. Duh.
A team mate who raced there last Wed says that tonight was much faster. I don't know how "slow" it could have been last week, but tonight we averaged 26 mph. We'll be doing in the 27s by mid June.

Time Trial Umbilical Cords

What ever became of those cords which the Italians started using around 1990, to attach their torsos to the stem of their bikes using a wire harness? I remember it being a controversial enhancement to performance in time trials. Banned I suppose. Was designed to give added leverage, but when you think about it, clip-on TT bars sort of do the same thing.. Instead of having one point of contact (hands only) the aero bars give you two (hands and forearms), hence the leverage. As one who has never used such TT bars, please forgive my ignorance. I am not a good time trialist, but that could change. Did the Bob Beal TT last year with no aero enhancements whatsoever, got a shit time of 7:12. This year I might use a set of clip-ons, wear a skinsuit and maybe borrow a rear disk. Maybe not. Getting a shit time is one thing, getting a shit time with all the aero toys, is another. 

A Hopeful Sign

I skipped the ride to work today because I overslept. After work I went out for an hour to test the legs on my favorite gradual climb up Seven Mile Road. I'm in the habit of timing myself on this 2.2 mile stretch. It's not hard at all, in fact it's a big ring hill, if you can even call it that. Just a beautiful scenic piece of road that rises about 240 feet in a little over two miles. Intending to do a recovery ride in the 130-140 bpm range, I took exception and pushed it a little on the "hill", timing it out at 7:13 to the top with an avg HR of 162 (See chart, inset lap 2). Previous personal best was 6:51 last August 26th (HR avg 172). Sure there was a tail wind, but all my best times are with a tail wind on this stretch. It seems that the past many days of rest and sleep have given me benefits. I took it easy for the rest of the ride of course. Loving this weather. Will ride to/from work tomorrow, maybe meet the church riders on the way home for some social riding. Had fun with them last week. Want to do Ninigret Wednesday. Will probably record the race with cam in forward position. That way I can at least reach the start/stop button.

Jiminy Peak

I see the usual suspects among the lists of results.. but one thing was really happy about was the outcome of the Elite road race at Jiminy Peak. Third place: Mike Mathis of the Preferred Care Racing Team, centered in Rochester NY. (A link to their team site is in the sidebar)

I don't know Mike, but he's clearly an up and comer, poised to grab himself a Cat 1 license before too long. What I'm stoked about is that Mike Mathis' coach is a long time friend from of mine from the late 80s. I've mentioned him before: Todd Scheske.

Have I mentioned that Todd has agreed to coach the never before coached Murat? It's true. So what am I so excited about? Well I'm happy for Mike Mathis' podium finish, even though I don't know him personally. I'm happy for Todd, who can take a lot of credit for putting him there. and I'm happy for me, because I hope to claim some top 3 results with Todd's help as well. It might take until the late summer or fall, or until Bob Beal or Topsfield or Jamestown.. but I think my chances have doubled compared to trying to go it alone, using my failed "train when and how you feel like it" program.

I took notice that FnF finished 22nd on Saturday, just behind my old friend Tom Officer. Tom and I are both in the millwork/store fixture business, and know eachother through a former mutual employer and through doing business together back when I was remodeling COACH stores across the country. Good times.     

Resting as much as possible

Saturday: Slept in until 10:30. Took a 3 hour nap at 3:00. No ride. No heavy lifting. Nothing.
Sunday: Slept in until 9:30. Spent 4 hours working around the house, ripping out small tree stumps, grading and landscaping (arms, back and abs got a work-out) Topped it off with a one hour spin on the bike path, 131 bpm avg, no speed. Beautiful out, couldn't resist.
Should I ride to work at all this week? Is my employment one of the main culprits in wearing me out so early this season? Perhaps.. but there's little I can do to avoid that. It's only going to get worse in the summer months. I'm in the business of fitting up the interiors of high schools and colleges with woodwork, casework and laboratory fixtures. Most of the action is in the summer, when there's no class. I have my eye on trying Ninigret Wednesday.. Might have a Powertap installed by then. Time to retire the old Polar 710i? Shouldn't need it with a Powertap, eh?

Burn-out?

I am really slogging through my last few rides. HR doesn't want to go up. When I force it, the whole body screams STOP! I can't help but feel like I was more fit, more fresh back in February. I did the Long Beach Circuit Race in CA back then.. Caught behind a crash and eliminated 1/2 way through.. but we averaged 27-1/2 mph for that first 1/2 hour I was in it, and I was not in any difficulty at all. Now it seems I can't get out of my own way in crits that are not nearly as fast.. The death spiral began at Rick Newhouse I think. Figures. DNFed twice that day. Didn't have it. Naturally, I train harder, longer, faster in frustration.. and DNF again at the GVCC Classic and at Palmer. Something's not right. Do I rest my way back into shape? Forget the bike completely for 1-2 weeks? Does such a rescue plan put me even farther behind the curve? Does it get worse before it gets better, like a home remodeling project? Ugh. 

Tuesday church ride

Anticipating rain on Wednesday, I decided to make tonight's ride into something enjoyable. So I suited up from work and made my way to the church in Cranston. It's about 10 miles to get there. By the time I arrived, there were already about a dozen riders milling around, chatting, getting ready. As I'm told, the Tuesday night ride is easier then the Thursday night ride. That's what I needed, sincerely.. But, there was one rider there who I'd seen at past Thursday rides.. one who was real cool to talk with and one who says he's never raced. Could have fooled me! because on the first hill (Rocky Hill- my first time down that road- liked it) he took off on his own and hammered to the top solo. I was looking forward to an easy ride, nothing intense, but on this very gradual climb I put it into a comfortable gear and spun my way up nice and steady. Someone was on my wheel, don't know who, but I wasn't interested in dropping anyone, just going at my own moderate pace. Felt good, unlike Thursday where I'm turning myself inside out to hold a wheel on the climbs. So we meet the non-racer at the top, me and my anonymous companion. The rest of the group catches up shortly after, all strung out. Later on, we're on route 102 headed toward route 12. Kind of rolling terrain.. me and the non-racer (note to self: ask people their names!) we start to wind it up and push eachother a little bit. This guy's srong as hell in my opinion. We traded pulls down Carpenter Road, leaving the group behind. Rather, I took "a" pull and he motored the rest of the way while I kept looking down at my cassette and checking for flats.. You know what I mean.. By the time we reached Hope Furnace, I was in cool down mode and he just kept cranking all the way to 116 on his own. I caught up, a moment later the rest of the group caught up, and I had to screw to get home before the future ex-wife started packing her bags.. (or mine?) Very fun ride. Great people. Looking forward to next Tuesday. I still feel like I'm ina rut physically. Felt more energetic today for sure, legs felt heavy and stiff, but it was a good day on the bike for a change. Ninigret tomorrow? Will it rain? Should I join the big boys again on Thursday and subject myself to another thrashing?
Today I discovered that our man Arik Jon Holm won the 35+ race at Palmer! That news pretty much made my day.

Palmer Library 35+ Road Race Video

Palmer Library RR Video...

Sorry for the delay! My home wireless network kept failing, so I humped my computer downstairs closer to the router and finally got it done. Mind you, it takes about an hour to compile the video in Moviemaker, add titles, music etc.. It takes another hour to save it to disk. It then takes another hour to upload to Google, and then another hour for them to process and approve it. We're almost there. Thanks for patience.

I've hired a coach

No more riding my ass off just because the weather is nice, and then resting only on the rainy days. No more "winging it" when it comes to training frequency, duration and intensity. No more "racing my way into fitness".. No more fooling myself into believing that I have it "all figured out" just because I started started racing 20 years ago. Time for a serious gut check.. 

I have selected a coach who I believe will get me out of this death spiral, straighten me out and have me flying straight. I'm cautiously optimistic. And yes, this also means I am getting myself a power meter too.    

Palmer Library Road Race DNF Report

Grrrrrr. I continue to be eluded by the finish line of a road race.. It's no coincidence that all of the races I've ever won were criteriums. Why I continue to bash my head in trying to do an event I suck at, G-d only knows.. Maybe it's the fluke result (if you can call it that) which I earned at Topsfield last year in the P-1-2-3 race. Gave my confidence some wings.. but a few weeks later at Jamestown P-3, I quit after the first 54 minute lap. I was gassed. Seems that on a really good day, I can finish a road race. Anything less, and my heart isn't into it. The head prevails.. It says.. "You are suffering like a dog on the first lap, you shouldn't be in difficulty.. You are pack fodder today with no hope of even riding at the front, much less cracking top 20.. Three, four or five more laps of this will make you feel even worse.. and for what? To say you finished? 80th? DFL? Stop punishing yourself.. You're better than this.. Go home.. lick your wounds.. rest.. toss your training/rest plan in the circular file and start over.. Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.. All or nothing.."
Story of my life, those last three words..
After the first lap, a few miles past the finish, we were cresting a rise and I couldn't see the top.. I'm in the big ring and I notice a lot of others are in the little ring.. Should have followed suit, but I felt committed. After the top, I'm fading, dangling at the very back, legs sloshing with lactic acid, they don't want to go anymore.. It's at this point when a switch is thrown, one which illuminates the "This isn't fun anymore" sign.. I'm not a masochist, I race because I tend to enjoy it immensely, and polluting that enjoyment by forcing a bad day into a death march, isn't good for my future in the sport. After I begin to coast, a very friendly racer passes by, slows down and asks my name. In times when I want to turn invisible, I forget my manners- I didn't ask his name.. Hopefully he visits here and says hi. A few seconds later, Gewilli comes bombing down the road and the two of them try to rally me into a 40 mile training ride.. I consider it as I produce more acid trying to accelerate.. but my mind was already made up. The fire was smothered completely.. would not re-ignite. I pulled a u-turn back towards my wife and kid who were waiting for me at the Warren School. Regrets for that guys.. Thanks for trying and I hope you got more out of it than I did.
I think I'll clear my calendar of all road races for the next 30 days. "Stick to what you know" seems to ring true right now.
"All or nothing".. Destructive behavior? or not?

Palmer Library 35+ Road Race Video, Coming Up

32 minutes of footage.

Ready for Palmer?

As ready as possible I guess.. I rode 30 easy miles today.. and got to thinking.. whatever I've done in the past 30 days has a much bigger effect on tomorrow's performance than anything I do today.. So why fret about anything? What's done is done. You either have it or you don't.. Going easy today was the right move, because the most important thing of all tomorrow is to feel rested at the start.. The camera is installed, this time aimed a little lower so I don't end up recording so much sky.. I am going to turn it on at the start and we'll get about 30 minutes of continuous footage out of it- one lap or more. If it were possible to start it on the third lap I would, but it's not possible to reach under the saddle, power it up and hit the start button, not without stopping. I could lower the quality of the recording and get an hour or more out of the 2 gig SD card, but that might end up looking pretty bad on screen.

Recent charts: Loud Road & Tunk Hill Road

The first chart shows you a ride in the Pittsford/Victor area of Rochester, NY this past weekend. The hill which you see in the profile is the infamous "Loud Road" which climbs 319 feet in 1.4 miles. Then a fast descent and another 172 foot rise in 1/2 mile. I lived only five miles from this road as a junior, and used it very often to work on climbing. Back then I'd grind it out in the 42x16 seated, as I was 30 pounds lighter than present. I always feel at home on that climb. The GVCC used the two climbs for a prologue TT one year, part of a stage race we organized. I got 4th.

This second chart is tonight's ride from the Church. Big turn out, especially after we connected with another group of 6-7 riders. Towards the end of my ride, peaking in the 78th minute, is the Tunk Hill Road climb.. (I had to head towards home after this climb, hence the mirror image) This is another rise which I'm pretty familiar with, having climbed it dozens of times in the past few years, but always by myself, never in a group. I always wondered how I'd fare in a fast group like tonight. Truth is, I can't climb very well right now. Felt really good on the steeper first half, then I came apart about 100 meters from the summit. This one rises 220 feet in one mile, but the 2nd half isn't steep at all.. Looking back on my Polar records, I find that my fastest time up this hill is 4 minutes flat, using the big ring back on Oct 2nd... Today was the same exact time of 4 minutes, except using the little ring and very early in the season in comparison. I'm hoping this means I'm ahead of the curve in 2007. Thanks for reading.

Palmer Library Road Race: I'm in

Confirmed Rider List

Junk Miles?

After my meltdown at the GVCC Classic, I didn't get to see Todd Scheske again, but he called me in the evening to make sure I was okay. I love that. Says it all about him doesn't it? Anyway we get to talking about things for almost 1/2 hour and I explain that I weigh 25 pounds more than we did back when we were juniors (I'm 174) Todd, on the other hand, seems to have lost weight since that time somehow.. Todd's like "holy shit dude! Drop ten pounds and your power/kg will go off the chart" Duh! I've known this.. but no matter what I do I can't get under 170 so far this season.. Maybe I will soon though because of the daily bike commute becoming a regular thing.. Hope so.. although Todd refers to such riding as "junk miles". (Ouch) Todd's a Cat One who definitely has his stuff together, going to Master's Nationals, winning at Chris Thater et al... We're the same age. He uses a power meter and trains smart.. So smart in fact that he offers coaching... The Cat One (Mike Mathis) who won the GVCC Classic is Todd's pupil. With my recent lack of results and getting my nose rubbed in it publicly, I'm thinking I'll take him up on it. Insanity can be defined as continuing to do the same thing, and expecting different results. Could I be beyond help? At my genetically pre-disposed limits of performance? I doubt it.    

GVCC Classic

My five or so readers might want to know: I got my ass handed to me in Sunday's race. If they had a 35+ race, I might have had 1/2 a chance.. They did 40+ instead.. so I had to try the 1-2 race. Out of over 40 starters, about 18 finished. Guess I'm not the only one who needs to "turn down the suck knob". Results
My buddy Todd got 7th.. Judging from the times, the small field was pretty much shattered at the end..

Click here to visit Murat's myspace page

...NOT! Except for his anti-Semitism, I consider it a privilege to share the last three letters of my name with Borat. (yes, they are r-a-t.. go wild with that one)
IAGSHEMASH!!!

GVCC Spring Classic Prelude

Today's weather was awesome.. enough so that I took a 2-1/2 hour recovery ride in anticipation of tomorrow's death march of 66 miles in the 1-2-3 event. A good friend since 20 years ago, Todd Scheske, is the organiser (and president of the Genesee Valley Cycling Club). Today I rang his wireless kind of frantically to tell him I was on my way to Rochester, but that I couldn't find my license. No worries, he says. We made the trip in 6-1/2 hours, including one 1/2 hour pit stop. Upon arrival at my mom's, I suited up and hit the road with my younger brother Ali. He accompanied me for the first 90 minutes, then I continued on my own after that. The straight flat wide shouldered roads of northeast Monroe County are nice, especially when you want to take it easy. HR got up over 125 only once or twice, otherwise I was just doing 90-110 bpm, what a recovery ride should be.. So now I'm alone while wife, son, mother and brother are all out with friends. Sipping an Amstel Light, which I know I won't finish.. Legs freshly shorn.. I was like, wow, it's been a while hasn't it? Actually I'm on the once a week program.. Little secret: use good quality hair conditioner instead of shaving cream. So much better for the skin, no cuts or nicks, ever.. Anyways, I notice some veins have finally reached the surface! Some of the veins had veins of their own popping out.. Kidding. It's just encouraging to see that the layer of fat on my legs has gotten thinner, that's all. What will tomorrow bring? It's a rolling 11 mile loop with 1000 feet of climbing per lap, and we're doing it six times. I'm excited to be racing back in my home town.. together with some old friends here in Western NY. To be honest, a lot of the people I used to run with aren't in the sport anymore. Too bad... but many others still are.. My goal is to finish tomorrow without popping. Get to the end of the sixth lap without any stupid strength wasting maneuvers. I tend to get ahead of myself on the short climbs, pushing 100% to the top and then expecting to recover on the other side. I need to use my energy in carefully metered doses if I am to last 66 miles without cramping up. It will be a disappointment if I get shelled.. but let's not confuse humility with a lack of self-respect... I intend to have a great time and come away with a great day of training among friends, if nothing else.

Turkish weightlifters take podium in Strasbourg Euro Championship

"...Meanwhile, Sibel Simsek won the bronze medal in snatch, and silver medals in clean and jerk and the combined category for women's 63 kg class. Simsek lifted 98 kg in snatch on her second attempt to put her in third for her weight group. She also lifted 122 kg in the clean and jerk category to claim the silver medal. With a total of 215 kg, Sibel Simsek finished second, where Armenian Meline Daluzyan won the gold medal lifting 243 kg in total. Daluzyan broke the European record for juniors in snatch and the World record in clean and jerk with her performance on the second day of the tournament...." TDN Report

Is it Saturday?

Judging from the very light traffic on the roads and bike path, I wondered for a second as rode in to work this morning. Finally it looks like I can resume my regular program of commuting by bike. This requires me to keep a big inventory of clothing in my office, but it's worth the trouble of course. This morning I am reminded of how riding to work has the same effect as two cups of coffee- the fog is lifted.. thinking becomes linear instead of that chaotic white noise.. I'm NOT a morning person. On the other hand, it also has the same effect as fasting. I'm starving. Just as I was turning into my place of business on Minnesota Ave in Warwick, I encountered a "REFUND NOW" rider from the opposite direction. I had seen him before, but always on days that I drove to work. Bike commuters have this unspoken respect for eachother, you can feel it... I will be racing in Rochester NY this Sunday in the GVCC Classic road race. I'm going to do the 1-2-3 race and I'm hoping to see a few old friends at the start and finish. Good luck to everyone at Turtle Pond.

A Rare Two Hour Ride

I suited up at work and set out to meet the folks who ride every Thursday from a church on Route 12, where it crosses Pippin Orchard Road. Thanks to a teammate who took pity on me, I discovered this ride. It's kind of frustrating to discover after five years living in West Warwick, that this ride has been going off just 3 miles from my house. Oh well.. Apparently, these guys do this ride year round, which to me is stunning. As I've said repeatedly, Murat is a total weenie when the temp dips below 40. So there were seven of us. I could only recognize two of them, and in fact one was an ArcenCiel rider who I had met previously at the Sophie's ride about 1-1/2 years ago. He remembered me and I was happy about that. We chatted a little bit about this past weekend. It's all good. We took a route which I am very familiar with.. Hope Furnace is a road I know every square inch of.. but then we turned onto Maple Valley, going in the WRONG direction... (I've never gone up that hill. My typical hilly ride takes me up route 12, left on Old Plainfield Road, left on 102 and left onto Maple Valley, DOWN it, never up) At any rate, I could tell that my riding partners were doing this hill for the umpteenth time.. Me, I can't tell where we are on the damn thing. We hadn't climbed it very much when I realized I would pop long before reaching the top, if I tried to hold their pace. Besides, the future ex-wife was expecting me home by 6:30 and this road would take me to an ETA of 7:30. Not good for future riding "permission". So I nonchalantly woosed out of the hill, announced that I needed to go, and I doubled back in the most direct route home, using 117.. Overall I got 2 hours in, plus the 15 or so minutes where the watch was stopped. Took me 35 minutes to ride to the church in the first place, so I was satisfied. I don't mind admitting that I want to be strong enough to complete this ride with them in the coming weeks, and today I wasn't. I've not climbed anything over 1/4 mile since late February when I was in San Diego. Just glad to have found a local group ride where an ass-kicking is more or less guaranteed. Riding alone all the time only takes you to a certain level. I'll be riding to/from work tomorrow for sure.
Thanks for reading.

Let's look for the positive

On the bright side, my testicles have finally descended.. Additionally, the world of racers who blog.. or bloggers who race.. has received some important exposure lately. An increase of traffic here has resulted in the discovery [for many of you] that there are many other blogs out there which are authored by racers, bicyclists, enthusiasts.. etc.. I can only imagine this to be a good contribution to the future of our sport, and it's my belief that the "sport" of blogging is going to become as intertwined into bike racing as, say.. your regular visits to Velonews, USACycling, and Bikereg.. Hopefully this site will be a regular destination for many of you. Hopefully you will use this as a portal to all of the other fine blogs out there, listed in my sidebar. It goes without saying that I try to include every cycling blog I encounter, without regard for the author's achievements, race category, team, location, discipline, DNFs, choice of equipment, race, religion, ethnicity or gender. Many of the New England team sites and blogs are listed here as well. If you want your site to be added, or want to recommend a site for inclusion, please leave a comment with the address. Many thanks. 

 

More trash talk?

Well no, not really. Just a startling and unhappy realization. For many years, I've been telling my wife that the bicycle racing community is a first class group, without exception. I've been telling her that all of us are mature, intelligent, dedicated, strong, disciplined... all of the good things that one would willingly expose his family to.. I've been telling her never to worry about who we encounter at Wells or Lincoln or Ninigret, that she can follow our 3 year old son Reis as he wanders person to person and says "Hi" to total strangers, without worry or fear, because they're all great people. I've been telling her never to lock the door when we're at a race, in case I need to grab something last minute before start, because bike racers do not steal. I've been telling her that "these are the people I want to associate with, there are none better".. I've been proven wrong. What lies I've been telling.. what many words I must now eat.. Regrettably, my dear wife reads this blog, and it's comments.. Do the math. I'm thankful my son can't read yet because if he could read, he'd be afraid to come to another bike race with his dad. So to all of the basement people out there, whoever you are, and whatever your results list or ranking looks like.. my startling realization is that it's time for me to stop pre-judging all bike racers, even the very "best" ones, as though they are all saints, completely free of bad habits or language or thinking.. How pathetically naive of me. More than anything else which has transpired in the past few days, this realization bothers me the most.. Our so-called tight knit New England "family" seems to have some serious identity problems.. kind of like Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, something I spoke about as an invited guest on NPR's OpenSource last fall. Everything's fine and dandy until you are openly critical, until you expose weakness, until you denigrate the status quo. Such fascism is something which the Turkish Republic is strongly criticised for. If you know a little something about Orhan Pamuk's recent fame and fortune, you will know what I mean. If you decide that you disagree so stongly that it's necessary for you to begin throwing your own feces around like a red assed chimpanzee, go for it. You will only be perpetuating the ideas which I've set forth. Better to prove me wrong so that we can share some relief.

"In the slaughterhouse, every sheep is hung by it's own leg..."

Let me make some things clear to those who might care:
1. I first raced a bike as a 16 year old back in 1987, this continued for about five great years. (How I miss the days of winning junior races without hardly any training)
2. In 1991, as a second year cat 2 at 20 years of age, I was forced to quit the sport due to family problems. Three years of no racing, no riding, money problems, stress, depression and poor health followed.
3. In 1994 I tried to get back into it, training and racing overseas in Turkey for one season. Limited results. Demoralizing as hell.
4. I got married in 1995.. and the realities of just plain surviving trumped any bike racing aspirations.. until 1999. So another four years of no riding, no racing and poor health. I had no choice. Relocated to New England area in '99.
5. In 2000 I bought a used KONA road bike from a kid who worked at Providence Bicycle and started training again.
6. In 2001 I continued to train, got my license and tried a few races, and ended up crashing badly at Lincoln.
7. In 2002 I took the year off, regrettably, to restore the 1870 colonial fixer-upper we had bought.
8. In 2003 I started training and racing again, but I crashed hard in early August, our first son was born in late August, I quit my job, and I had serious surgery in the fall. Good times. Mediocre results, but not bad for one starting with a fitness base of less than zero..
9. In 2004 I took the year off again. Spending time with our newborn son was top priority.
10. In 2005 I started training and racing again, with the Colavita New England team. Great people.
11. In 2006 I also raced, joining my good friends at Union Velo, and kept fit over the winter by playing indoor soccer. For the first time in a long time, I didn't get dropped in my first Wells Ave race of the season. 'Broke' two fingers playing indoor soccer in February, sprained my right ankle badly in June (still have weakness in my right foot and calf), hit by a car and hospitalized in July, survived all of it and had some decent (to me) but mediocre (to most) results, but nothing to be ashamed of.
12. It's 2007 and I'm racing again.. the first time I've done it for 3 contiguous seasons, since I was 19 years old (I'm now 36) Hoping for a few top ten finishes.. maybe one or two top three finishes seem within reach..if not this year, sometime in the next few years.. my goals are modest.
So what's my point? It's this: "KNOW something about any person who you're ripping to shreds, or else ____ ___ ____ __". You can fill in the blanks. I know where I stand folks. No need to knock me down from some kind of imagined high horse using un-informed verbal assaults. It won't do you any good. On the other hand, it might be exactly the kind of inspiration I need to rise up and try to prove something, and that would be to myself, not to or for anyone else's approval. I will hungrily eat humble pie and admit that I brought it upon myself. (see title) I take full responsibility for my foot-in-mouth episode and express my sincere regrets, apologies, and salutations to those who were offended by my recent race report. Let's not let it become contagious.
Thanks for reading.