Determination

I'm pleased because even though I crashed heavily two times at today's Canton Cup Cyclocross Race, your hero never quit, he avoided being lapped and even caught four people and sprinted past a fifth right at the finish line. My son Reis pulled a similar result in his kid's race for 6 and 7 year olds. He went right off into the weeds on the first slick muddy turn and was dead last.. until he got back on the bike, chased down and passed two kids and finished fourth. Mommy for her part, put up with all the pissing, moaning, whining and bullshit that Reis and I could dish out, all day long, before patiently painting Reis' face like Spider Man so we could all go trick-or-treating. It takes a strong woman to handle a couple of selfish crybabies like Reis and I.. but the knife cuts two ways and we'll leave it at that! Finishing my first cyclo-cross race on the same lap as the leaders feels pretty good. So does catching and passing people and looking back to see the gap on them open steadily. A taste of that could light my fire to try even harder to do well.. Usually I just use cyclocross as a means to keep fitness sharp until January when the road training officially begins. Another home run from today that I'm absolutely beaming about: I found my Powertap bike computer. It was lost in mid September and I've looked everywhere for it, even in the place where it was found: the pocket of my brown camouflage shorts. I've repeatedly fondled these shorts and others over the past weeks, hoping to feel the little device from outside. Well today I said fuck-it and shoved my hand into the pocket for once and [curse your slim profile, Powertap] there it was. I came running down the stairs almost naked to report the search and rescue to Ebru. She thought I found a million dollars, I think she was disappointed. So it goes- I finally finished a race at Canton, on the 3rd try. My doors were blown off [even worse] on the 1st try and again a couple of years ago when I dragged my poor father to the race with me. He froze his balls off watching me pathetically try to ride a bike for 2 laps.. I don't think he was too impressed with me that day.. Maybe today makes up for it. Maybe finding the Powertap was payback for determination. Maybe this should be the last sentence of this story. Thanks for reading.

IRONY

For the past many months and months, Facebook has pretty much hijacked my attention span, taking it away from this blog and leaving readers twisting in the wind.. unless they themselves migrated over to the land of imitation friendships. Let's face it, accepting a friend request is the equivalent of canine crotch sniffing. We proceed to ogle all of the friends, photos and other bullshit which our new "friends" have just exposed. It's a peep show of flashers and consenting victims.

Today something different happened. Something less typical than what I describe. A couple of things happened actually. First I stumbled upon the Facebook link to mywww.americanturk.blogspot.com blog, where I was astonished to discover that I have followers. I can't think of another word which makes my insides tingle more warmly. Okay there were only six of them in there, but I am not acquainted with three- total strangers. This gives me a hard-on, figuratively speaking, and it explains the first irony which my title suggests: that Facebook played a part in getting me interested in blogging again.

The next surprise came in the form of a friend request acceptance and a message posted to my Facebook Wall by my new friend. I sent a friend request to Franz Wright earlier in the afternoon. By the time I got home from a friend's child's birthday party, he had replied with an acceptance and the following message.

Franz Wright Hi, and thanks for befriending me. I remember coming across your blog a long time ago and being greatly encouraged by some good words of yours. FW

4 hours ago · Comment · Unlike · See Wall-to-Wall
I usually have a pretty low opinion of my work, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Franz Wright won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2004. That he stumbled upon my blog and found words fit to encourage him is the biggest compliment I have ever received. Irony No 2 happens to be that for twice in one day, Facebook sent me back to the drawing board (that is, my blog), and wondering why I have let is slip so.
The third thing I want to share with you is partly coincidence and part irony. I resigned from my job last week, and yesterday was my last day after five years of service. While my pre-resignation memo and my resignation memo which followed by one month were both ignored completely by upper management, my memo to all fellow co-workers sent yesterday was much more warmly received. I received dozens of replies from well-wishers and numerous compliments relative to my writing. Even a recent e-mail from my new employer also indicated that my choice of words was impressive. Yesterday a [former] co-worker expressed to me that I could probably make a living using this skill if I put my mind to it. Having said all of this, isn't it ironic that theweakness bird-dogged the most by my former employer was "poor communication"?
Here is my Resignation memo, followed by my Goodbye memo. I think Franz would like these.Resignation Memo:

Gentlemen:

I recognize that the problems at [company] are intense enough to eclipse all other matters but it's impossible to perform at a high level when my concerns are ignored. I can't continue to pretend that it doesn’t hurt me that my previous message entered a vacuum. This lack of communication has made things difficult.

No one stays employed anywhere for 5 years for being a low performer, yet the past few weeks and months make it seem as though I am being encouraged to leave. This does not feel good and I hope that I will be proven wrong somehow. From where I stand, it’s a dishonor to stay in this position and it invites others to disrespect me if I go along with the derision as if it’s acceptable. I need to stop trying to catch a falling knife.
If there are any positive ideas or future changes which I am unaware of, now would be the time to share them with me. Otherwise this will serve as my notice to leave [company] and we should discuss an exit plan.

Best,

Goodbye Memo:

Dear Fellow Co-Workers:

"It's what we do." Remind yourself of this the next time an assignment is getting the best of you.

It has been an honor to count myself among you for the past five years. Working with the caliber of people who populate [company] is a privilege- take pride in being immersed in such a deep pool of talent. As the melancholy of leaving you eclipses the excitement of a new career, it's abundantly clear to me that five years have not been wasted. I leave you carrying a giant payload of personal growth, valuable experience, and great memories.

I humbly encourage everyone to test their limits- it's not possible to become better/faster/stronger if we do not. We all want to be strong. Fortunately, the limits we decide to test are in our control. Let's choose them wisely so that our adaptations are compatible with our goals. You’re the captain.

It is my hope to be considered as one who cares deeply about [company], as one who salutes those who try to be excellent, and that your actions say the same about you.

Best,

Thanks for reading.

There's less of me to go around..

Originally 10/15/10:

..and I mean it literally and figuratively and physically.. It's been nearly 2 months since my last contribution here, but I've become a bit overwhelmed with the amount of attention the internet requires from me. I'm now counting 8 or 9 blogs, plus 3 retail websites, a few social networking venues and of course horoscopes, news, weather, maps, five e-mail accounts, spam and youporn. Needless to say, your hero is spread pretty thin these days..
So a few hours after today's colonoscopy, my dear wife indicated with much amusement how helpless I looked in the recovery room.. that is.. high on drugs, tubes in my nose and arm, drooling on myself as I slowly regained consciousness.. and I couldn't resist asking her why she didn't right then and there take a picture and "Facebook it". Well apparently the idea did cross her mind but she refrained from exploiting my pain for your entertainment. Good girl.. It got me to thinking.. as we drove to the PTO meeting tonight- there must already be some good images of me injured or suffering that I can share.. and bingo! I remembered the self portrait I took of myself 4 years ago, in the ambulance after being hit by a car in Cranston while riding home from work. So after sending Ebru off to bed (she fell asleep while we watched our Netflix movie- "Guru") I resolved to find that picture and explain to you how, if that accident happened today I would have probably broken some bones.. At my annual physical this past Tuesday, I asked my doctor what my weigh-in was two years prior- 183.. one year ago- 173.. and two days ago.. drumroll..... 162 (fully clothed of course..) so at the time of this accident where I destroyed my helmet (I had blood coming out of my ear and I had stitches in my ear canal) I was about 25 pounds heavier, more cushioned with fat, perhaps even more muscular. I don't know how I would fare today in such a T-bone collision.. This morning I weighed in at 157, but of course this was in my birthday suit, and after an 18 hour period of liquid diet, Dulcolax and other bowel cleansing medications I was required to imbibe. I don't miss those extra 25 pounds. After disrobing for today's procedure and laying on the gurney, two nurses attended to my IV, blood pressure and oxygen.. when they took my pulse it was nice to hear them say "heartrate is 46- you are very fit!". Indeed, a big strong heart doesn't need to pump so often- it moves more blood with less work- an advantage which hopefully pays big dividends when I'm an old man. Ebru was with me in the recovery room today- and I don't remember a thing- but she says the alarm kept going off because my heart rate kept falling below 45. Sweet. If I never win another bike race ever again (I hear that stifled laughter- not cool), I still feel like I've won something priceless: more time on this planet with people who I love.. which assumes of course that a piano does not fall onto me or my plane does not crash or other unmentionable abbreviations of life do not occur to me..
I'm reaching an age where it's probably going to be hard resisting the urge to judge myself, judge my achievements, judge my health, judge my life's quality. So far I'm looking forward to the occasion, and hopefully many of the more difficult albeit correct choices I've made and hard work I've done for the past 10-20 years will continue to bear fruit. With so many blessings to count, age does not matter.
For those of you who wondered, my colonoscopy was a success- only one small polyp was found and removed.. and if/when I get my hands on a picture of it, hell yeah I'm going to Facebook it!
Thanks for reading.
Hoscakal.

Posted By Murat Altinbasak to Amerikan Turk™ at 10/14/2010 11:56:00 PM

WeeBike - USA Cycling promotion

You have all seen my boy go from a two wheel LikeaBike to a two wheel FELT and SKIP THE TRAINING WHEELS. Here he is coasting to victory up at the Boston Mayor's Cup.

Anyway, we need to move some bikes and pay some bills, so I am offering the following to anyone who buys a LikeaBike and holds a USA Cycling racing license:

One free race entry fee on us when you purchase any model of Likeabike from WeeBike.

Only one caveat: you must complete your transaction at http://www.weebike.com/ (not Ebay) and take delivery at a local race event. Payment by Paypal is fine. Just indicate your racing license number with your payment and we will issue a refund of $25 after we verify that you're you and that you hold a valid racing license.

This promotion is offered for a limited time.. at least until Christmas.. We've been in business for nearly two years and every penny we've made selling the bikes has been spent on funding the M1 Racing - WeeBike Team. Please, if you're in the market for one of these high end bikes, buy from WeeBike and help us keep this team going. Spread the word!

Three free Livestrong bracelets with each purchase too (two adult and one youth size)

Whyemseeay

I did a SPIN class last night, followed by a little bit of upper body work on the Nautilus machines. Noticed on my chart (still there after all this time) that the last time I lifted weights was on my birthday March 19^th. So I haven’t lifted in six months and 10 days. Interesting… The good news is, I kicked the SPIN class’ ass last night. Where a week ago I was dying just to avoid falling off the bike, last night I was strong and had a good time. Tonight I’m doing Pilates again. Every Tuesday 6:30 at the Kent County Y.. I’m usually the only guy in there.. which is a good ratio for me.. some of the moves we do down on the floor would not make it onto prime time television. I credit a lot of the good racing I did in May to the lifting, Pilates and yoga I did all winter. Now I’m prepping for a better cross season using these disciplines. Let’s see if I can escape being lapped for a change!

Note to self:

Burn-out at work causes burn-out on the bike.

I did a spin class last night after work and basically had to fake my way through and use less resistance than I was supposed to. Couldn’t wait for it to end, because walking out would be too embarrassing.

Dear wife was just diagnosed with Lyme disease, which explains a few things. Now I wonder if I have it too somehow, though it’s not known to be contagious.

My back has been killing me for months. I’m in the care of a chiropractor. An x-ray taken a month ago showed my spine curved sideways from my tailbone up. Looks like the kind of trauma that would be caused by being hit by a car from the left. (ie July 2006 when I was hit)

I’m registered for the Mayor’s Cup but I have very little time to tune myself up. The goal is to hopefully hang in there and tail-gun it to the finish. I have to try, no matter what.

Maybe skipping the racing this weekend and a couple of long zone rides followed by good food and quality rest will get me out of this rut. Good 4-5 hour rides always seem to precede my best results this season.

Pilates tonight at the Y. Should I go? I can ride there I guess, then ride home after. Or not. Fatigue and stress has me cross-eyed.

Thanks for reading.

 

Solo Break Racing

Apparently there’s a new team which is sponsored by the mild-mannered alter ego of our beloved Nega-Coach:

www.solobreakracing.com

 

 

 

 

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers to the new Powertap head unit that arrived today! I lost my computer at Concord on 8/1 and found a nearly new head unit on Ebay- snagged it for $46. Yay! Data restored!
Jeers to my job and for occupying me for 60-70 hour weeks for the past many weeks. Training volume is sub-100 miles and form is sneaking away from me. Must find a way to evade the long hours!
Cheers to my latest vehicle purchase- a brand new 2009 Honda FIT Sport- bought for under invoice and an awesome 33 mpg. This car is extremely loaded, versatile, and has pretty nice lines for an economy car. Got it in whit so it look like freshly wrapped Pro bar tape.
Jeers to me for not blogging at all for the past week! Too busy too tired..
Cheers for my son Reis- his 6th birthday is on Saturday!
Jeers to me for missing this year's edition of the Chris Thater Criterium. No form, birthday on Saturday- made it impossible.
Cheers to getting my Powertap today! So psyched to see where I stand.. and this new unit has only 60 miles on it. It's the latest generation of the wired units. Liking it lots.

Found this in Facebook!

..thanks to Alain Ferry. Genius indeed! This is good.

Harder than it looks

I did this entire ride in the big ring- forgot to hit the start button for the first 3 miles.. Also kind of upset that a driver who was behind me at a dark intersection rolled down his window and yelled "You are an asssss-hooooole". I was on the left anticipating my left turn long before he ever reached me, so what's the problem? I reached the intersection first and did not delay him. What is it about a bicyclist who's just making his way home, minding his own business on the side of the road in the pitch black darkness, with reflective back pack, blinky and headlight, that brings out the worst in people? This was a new route for me. Kind of challenging. Basically it followed Park Ave (Route 12) out towards the reservoir, all the way to the end. That's about 1/2 of the ride. Then where 94/14/102 split, bear left and follow 102/14. Another few miles up, bear right on 14, then a few miles later, follow signs for 117 East. Take to Sandy Bottom Rd in Coventry- turn right and go to Division Road a few miles up. Left on Division Road takes me straight across route 2 and to Main Street in East Greenwich, which I now call home. Got home about 9. It was dark! If not for the 'Auto-on' being disabled on my Polar, I would surely have cracked 20 mph, which of course, is a requirement for any ride.
Still no sign of my Powertap- lost it at the Concord Crit.. Damn. I could use a little do-re-me for a replacemtn head unit, so if you are looking for a new bike for your 2-5 year old or looking for a few wool base layers for the fall/winter, please go buy some of my stuff: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/WeeBike__W0QQ_armrsZ1 If you find something you like, such as a LikeaBike Jumper, let me know via e-mail and I can knock 10% off the price for cash sales that are delivered to you in person at a race.
Thanks for reading.

2009 Concord Criterium Results

I was on the rivet for the whole entire time, and it took some coaxing and encouragement from a good team mate, but in the end, I found myself in the top ten going into the correct inside line of the corkscrew with 1/2 lap to go. There was a crash in the final corner- on the outside. This was both a curse and a blessing- it required me to shift my weight to the right at high speed and reach for the brakes, losing a touch of speed. On the other hand, it delayed a few guys enough for me to hold onto 9th place with lots of room to spare, or so it seemed. Hopefully the results this year will show a high speed shot of the top 15 as they showed in last year's results. Needless to say, it pleases me immensely that Matt Kressy won, that three of our team populate the top ten finishers, and that all five of our team raced honorably and finished.

Lost my Powertap at 2009 Concord Criterium

I'm offering a reward. The irony is that I didn't even use it- the PT wheel went into the wheel pit and I used my light rear wheel! I left the dang computer on the bike and probably kicked it off with my knee when I got out of the saddle. Looked all around the course, asked people, made an announcement- no luck. Kind of bummed.. I'm not a wealthy person.
The race is one redeeming thing about the day though. Everyone on our team: Adam S, Ralf G, Alain, Matt and I- each of us populated at least one serious break during the 20 lap masters race and in the end, Matt Kressy smoked everyone in the field sprint, our J Alain Ferry was 4th and your hero was 9th, so I'm very pleased.. The announcer reported that our 35+ masters race had faster lap times than the pro race, so it's little wonder that 25 guys DNF'ed. 62 starters and only 37 finished. Running the course in reverse suited me just fine! Absolutely loved it.
Thanks for reading.

2009 Norwell Pro-Am

I trained more in January than I did in June, and the same can be said for July, unless I crack about 100 miles this week- who knows.. My form is systematically being stolen from me week after week by a completely unpredictable, highly demanding and stress-intense career. It wasn't always like this, as you can see from the nice graphic chart I've shared with you showing how my CTL and ATL evolved since January. Look at the blue line during the time between May 20 and May 31, where I can tell you that I was the strongest all year. It comes as no surprise- I did almost 54 hours and over 1000 miles of riding in May. But in June- after returning from Turkey- I was saddled with a new project at work which needs constant nurturing- and it's so large that I'm co-managing it with another PM. Management changes at work make it even more sensitive of an issue because all new eyeballs are looking at this thing extremely closely. There's enough dick-wagging and pissing matches going on that anyone can be violently thrown under the bus at any given moment, even though this train wreck of a project was inherited from a person who drove it into the ground and then got fired. My job is to turn it around, and it has basically consumed me. I've averaged about 100 junk miles a week since returning from Turkey in early June. This is going to change beginning this week, because it's now time to engage in a bail-out plan of my own. I'm going to look very closely at the training I did in April/May and with a few adaptations relative to intensity and volume, I'm going to shoot for a CTL of at least 100 for the week leading up to Chris Thater. That's only 5 weeks from now. At Norwell there were no surprises and I performed about as lousy as I expected to, maybe a little more. The good news is that my 60 minute normalized power has not fallen dramatically- it's still pretty strong even though it's dropped under 300. I was torn between using my light rear wheel and my Powertap, but the need for some quality data made the decision easy- at a race where my participation was purely for enjoyment- who cares about an extra 300 grams at the hub? What's that, half a water bottle's weight? Yes so this is not really a race report- sorry if Google led you here in anticipation of reading something exciting. I finished Norwell even though I was dropped on lap 4. I finished it even though I was lapped.
A bad day of racing is always better than a good day at work!
Thanks for reading.

Above, my son and I at Goddard Park. The bike is a FELT. I bought it a year ago, but never pressured him to ride it- he always preferred scooting around on his pedal-less LikeaBike Jumper. The nice thing is that he went straight to a big boy bike, without falling down once, without ever using training wheels, and without any of the "can only ride in a straight line" syndrome which infects all training wheel users. He corners like he's on rails. After getting on the podium at Attleboro and winning a "nickel", he says he wants to race a thousand times and win a thousand more "nickels". That's what he calls the medal they gave him.

Curses

Curses to this weather. Its become such that I get headaches when its sunny out- not used to it.
I raced Ninigret last night, it was nice and warm and fun. Jumped onto a late flyer with two to go and got smoked. The field swarmed us with one to go and I coasted home, watching a winnable field sprint unfold before me. Bad judgment like that makes my skin crawl, but I should remind myself that I wasn't there to win, I wanted to test limits and see where I stand. I already know that I have a decent sprint. What I really need to learn how to do is hold 27 mph for an extended period of time, as in a breakaway- seeing as the typical masters crit averages about 26 mph..
So lately, I'm less interested in watts and more interested in speed. I want to practise going 30+mph for 2-4 minute durations, such as during the last 2-3 laps of a crit. I didn't even use my power meter at the Attleboro Crit- instead I used my much lighter Easton wheel.
I'm pre-registered for Norwell, now if only I could train a little bit for it.. I'm averaging 2-3 rides a week lately.
Thanks for reading.

Scene from a 2008 Crit

This is one of my favorite pictures. I am populating a smart little rotation with a couple of cool guys. Its pretty pathetic when your best result for an entire season is 6th place in a crit. Or 7th. but you take what you can get and you must avoid second guessing yourself because no matter the result, remember that our class of athlete usually isn't satisfied until we've pushed ourselves to the point of cramps, nausea, tendonitis, dehydration, road rash, broken ribs and collarbones. No one can push you harder, than You. There's always a few times in a race where you either crack, or don't crack, ("the moment") but you never discover that breaking point unless you're on the rivet and going for broke. Hopefully my rambling does not pollute an otherwise serene scene. We were in between the 4 guys up the road and the 40 behind us, and that's how it finished. Sure I cracked and had no choice but to excuse myself from the winning break, but persistence paid off and after about 5 solo laps, two others reached me, as you can see. It was a good day no matter how you look at it. Thanks for reading.

Post 701 = Millwork One Racing slideshow

Hope you like it.

My new favorite park:

Goddard Park
There is a one mile loop in the middle of the park  that's ideal for intervals of one minute or less. Also ideal for an early Sat morning crit a la Prospect Park. Goddard is also just a mile or two from my house.

3667 miles thru 6/30

2009 Attleboro Criterium Results

I have a few pics that I will add later.

A day in the life

Alarm goes off at 5:30
Out the door at 6:25
Bike ride to work is 29 minutes
Change into street clothes in time for 7:00 am meeting
Meeting ends at 8:30
Head out for Boston at 9:00, after a pit stop at DD for toasted sesame bagel and coffee
Arrive on Beacon Street 10:30
Go to work at project- keep busy til 12:30- time to feed the meter, change parking space and get lunch
Walk to Viga and use Davio's bathroom
Line at Viga is out the door all the way to the corner- I grab two slices of pizza and a Coke.
Walk over to the Park and grab a park bench, eat pizza, drink Coke, feed pigeons and squirrels (you can't spell "Pigeon" without P-I-G! These things were huge!) Squirrels get right up on park bench and beg for piza crusts. Awesome.
Head back to project for more project managwr stuff. Leave Beacon St at 4:30- lots of traffic.
Get back to the office at 6:30
Suit up and hit the road- head down to Narragansett Town Beach on Route 1/1A. Takes 1:15 to get there- a city bus almost kills me- - catch the mofo at a red light and have words (he could not hear, with elderly driver, who keeps pointing to the sidewalk.. Get to beach at 8:00 to meet wife and son. They're packing up, but there's time to stick my feet in the water and have a beer.
Wife drives us home- we quickly change and we're walking up Main Street to get ice cream for dinner. We stroll around for a bit and get home at 10:00. Time for bed.
Tomorrow I'm up at 4:30 so I can be in Bridgeport by 8:00.

Life gets in the way

Where I work, two project managers were fired last week. Another project manager committed suicide the week before.. Requiring me to move from my cushy new estimating position to their former office, in order to co-manage and "turn-around" a $3 million hospital project that's in a nosedive death spiral. I'm going to work earlier and earlier, getting home later and later.. Not only am I missing a lot of training, I'm also feeling more stressed and fatigued than ever, so even if there were 27 hours in a day, I'd probably not spend the 3 extra hours training. So, as much as I would have loved to race Attleboro on Saturday all pumped and primed and ready, I'm going to have to just do it for the fun of it, if I do it at all. I think I'm expected to be in the office Sat and Sunday.. It's another cool gray New England morning and I'm headed up to Beacon Street to babysit some carpenters. Thanks for reading.

2009 Keith Berger Criterium 30+

I always enjoy racing in East Hartford. So much so, that I avoid missing it even when I haven't been training right for 2 weeks and on a weekend when I'm in the middle of moving all our furniture and belongings to a new residence. My balls are bigger than my brains I guess, and it's a miracle my wife didn't leave me, but I pulled it off somehow. I traveled to East Hartford, registered, raced as best I could (14th out of 65 starters) and headed straight home for more packing and furniture humping. I'm still doing it and it's 8:30. This morning, every muscle was screaming in pain from Saturday's movement of possessions. I debated for many many minutes what I wanted to do, and in the end, I found myself throwing the bike, shoes and helmet in the car and taking off.
Race-wise, I have little to report since I did nothing of great merit, there is little to tell. Five good riders broke away and the rest of the field sprinted for 6th or 7th. Targettraining and Spooky seemed to dominate and to wit, their lead out person (SB?) sat up and coasted just before the final corner where everyone was trying to accelerate. This caused a bunch of us to grab the brakes and avoid stacking it up on top of him, and this could not have hurt his team mate take the field sprint for 6th.. Well played I guess.. I ended up 8th or 9th in the sprint and 14th overall. One crash took me out of the race completely- I had to come to a complete stop, to avoid smooshing a certain recently crashed GA who was curled up in fetal position, eyes closed, under his bike. I only really stopped to make sure he was okay, and he was just bracing for me to leave tire tracks on his cadaver I think. He and I and a few others took a free lap for this delay. I wish I could have cracked top 10, but I've ridden one time all week since Harlem, and only twice the week before. Feeling fresh, but not particularly fast. Thanks for reading.

Turkish Eye Candy: Nil Karaibrahimgil

Yes and the next puke to ask me about deserts and camels or other ignorant shit gets a swift backhand to the mouth. I swear..

The Masters Nationals Results and Data and more Pining

The chart below is the 10k Nationals time trial I rode in Turkey- 292 watts (3.9watts/kilo) for 14:43. That's nothing to sneeze at, [if you're me..] You will notice the speed going out is much higher than the return, but the watts are pretty close- almost dead nuts averages for both the out leg and the return leg. ( wonder what Nega Coach and Friel would have to say about my pacing here?) Winds were kind of wild and the roads were awful. If you didn't weave across the lanes to find the fastest line, the road was beating the crap out of you. They shut down one side of a four lane highway- with cops at every intersection. Chips were used for timing- a good PRO set-up was used with a huge red, inflatable finish "kite". What a site for sore eyes that was as I rounded the final bend, smoking my BB with an insane 97 rpm cadence.. Good times. I can't wait to go back. For that matter, I can hardly wait for the Bob Beal Omnium! I've already set up my old epx road bike with clip ons and I've been trying out different positions- it definitely needs a shorter stem.

The infamous 10k Nationals time trial where I thought I was 8th- apparently someone bellyached about being delayed or something and had their name shoe-horned in there, so now I'm 9th. Ugh. This was such a mind-fuck. Think of it- me -a good time trialist? I knew I'd be top 10- life is harder in Turkey- these guys can't train 1/2 as much as we can, they race 2-3 times a year, not 20-30 like we do. So being the 11th finisher, I was told I had the fastest time- one of the officials said that he doubted anyone would beat my 14:43. It held up pretty good for about 1/2 hour. I could hardly believe it- so I did not celebrate. though all my friends were patting me on the back and I let them.. Sure enough, the last guys to roll off were the ones with the best results from last year's nationals.. so eventually, I was knocked down to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th,.. and finally 8th. That really sucked donkey balls. My benchmark was public information and everyone knew what time they had to beat, relative to beating me anyway.. So if you scroll down and look at the times, you will see that only 21 seconds separated me from the podium. I will probably pine about this for years and years, but I had no aero helmet, wheels, tt bars, skinsuit or disk. I was cannibal except for lycra shoe covers. I am soooo going back there next year and returning with a medal. But don't get me wrong, I know my place here. If I tried the US Nationals TT, I'd be hard pressed to do better than an anonymous low-mid field finish, at best. I can live with that, really.
I don't mind pointing out that in the road race, I was popped on the first big hill, and then turned myself inside out catching back up to the leaders, which happened right at the turn-around.. Needless to say, the road tilted up again at that point, and your hero was gassed.. I chewed through the handlebars to stay with the leaders, but the next hill was a wind-swept ball-buster, and I fell apart completely about 200m from the top. I was alone, completely alone.. Only about 12 guys were behind me all blown apart, and about 20 guys ahead of me- also blown apart.. But 6 of them opened a gap and that was that. I did another pursuit after this hill and picked up two guys to work with and we drilled it to catch back on to the primary chase group. When we caught up, we were 1 minute down on the leaders, and there was still about 40k left to race. Team mate Murat Akyazi and I had this group strung out the whole entire way to the finish. No one could be bothered to take a pull, and a few guys were dropped along the way. The gap kept growing though- there was not enough help. When it came down to 1k2go, I took a position at the front and watched everything. Someone launched a sprint from 500m out (they painted this on the road) and I followed.. After he blew his wad, I opened up my sprint and was passed by one of the guys who used the "It's not in my best interest to take a pull" tactic the whole way.. Check his TT time. Such is bike racing. That's all I'm gonna say.

Thanks for reading.

2009 Harlem Skyscraper 35+ Criterium Report

My little boy gave me a cold for Father’s Day!.. So Sunday morning I had a raw scratchy painful cough and congested lungs.. I went to Harlem anyway as planned. It’s been a year of waiting! They combined the 35+ and 45+ for about 40 total guys.. separate prizes and rankings though.. Three guys broke free fairly early- I’m pissed that I didn’t bridge across when they went.. but I guess if I believed I could have, then I would have. Confidence is such a huge factor.. Duh. On the bright side, the rain held off- not sure how the pros made out.. The small field was more or less strung out the whole way.. No primes that I can remember.. With 6 to go, someone attacked, I followed, I pulled through, and rode him off my wheel. So now I had a ½ block gap to try to hold for 4 more laps. I was committed- riding with my wrists on the tops, I was holding them off pretty good. Coming up on 3 to go, just before the final corner, I hit a hole in the road so big that I’m amazed my fork didn’t break. It threw me partially over the bars, but I recovered and avoided falling. Speed dropped, nerves were shattered and I lost momentum and was swarmed during the following lap. Two to go.. I’m hanging on in the field as best I can- breathing in short gasps- wishing it were over, or wishing I had my late May form.. With one to go I’m nurturing my position- or rather- fighting for it literally- this is Harlem. Guys were PUNCHING eachother at one point- and lots of yelling.. I’m one of the top guys through the 2^nd to last corner, but it cost me dearly- Everyone went to Mach 5 on that final run-in before the final corner, and I had nothing left- could not get up to the proper speed.. but I tried so damn hard. I sprinted- if you can call it that, to minimize the number of guys passing me. It was an all out effort that had me slowing down just before the line.. A few bottom feeders passed me with a like 5 meters to go- I was done.. They ranked me 10^th in the 35+.. Better than last year when I was 18^th out of about 71 starters- on a soaking wet course- but I was there to do better than 10^th. Wish I could have delayed getting a cold by one day..

Now if Sunday were as prestigious as the 2008 edition, this would have been good enough for 16 rank points.. but I’m not so lucky- this year it’s a “D” event instead of an “A” event, so 10^th place is only worth 1 point. I’ll take it. I know I did my very best physically, because when I do, my head feels like it will explode after the finish, followed by nausea and dizziness. Check, check and check.. It’s partially because I’m sick, but mostly because I didn’t sit up at the end, no matter what. In a mixed category event, you never know for sure who is passing you- it’s best to go full tilt no matter what.

Thanks for reading.

Next up: Keith Berger Criterium on Sunday. My favorite.

 

It passes you by

And you think the curve is still going steeply upwards- it's not. It reverses course and sends you into the death spiral of form which follows peaking.. You know- those weeks when you always feel like you have two flat tires and begin to reflect on how unbeatable and fast you felt a few weeks ago. Sadly, if you knew at the time that you were peaking back then, your whole outlook, attitude and confidence would have been on a different level.
My volume is down in June, for a lot of reasons.. May was 1000+ miles though- with five consecutive 240 mile weeks. Friday afternoon I just had to go out and do a field test- a 20 mile loop of rolling hills. Personal best last year was 58 and change. This year I had yet to break 1:01. Friday's time was 58:30.
By the way- I broke the bb spindle of my ergomo while tightening a crank arm. I'm now using my new-to-me Bontrager Powertap set and I gotta say- it's quite stingy with the watts compared to the Ergomo.. But that's also partly due to weight loss.
Hope to throw it down tomorrow in Harlem.
Thanks for reading.
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Post this on your refrigerator tonight!

2009 NUTMEG Pro Criterium Photo Finish and Results

The first crit in New Britain usually blows for me- I always do better in the July edition- this year will not be an exception. I did so much screwing around before the start of the 35+ that I got no warmup and rode straight from the car to the line. That sucked. Not a good race for me- I felt like I had a flat the whole time. When it came time to sprint, I was lethargic and fatigued (forgot to down my Red Bull before the start, too) and with no room to go anywhere, I practically coasted to a finish in the mid-20s.. The 30+ race which followed was no better. In fact, after three laps I took myself right out of it. Head was not on straight- my son Reis was throwing a tantrum when I went to refill bottles and change numbers- and it became un-fun to the point of wanting to stop and lie down. I forgive myself now, but at the time a sickening sense of self hate came over me for being such a pussy. This forfeiture meant that I had nearly 2 hours to kill before the Pro race. I can write thousands of words about the dozen or so times that wheels touched and squealed, handfuls of brakes were grabbed, and bikes swerved in anticipation of horrible crashes. This was probably the most dangerous crit I have ever raced. 125 guys do not fit too well on this venue, where in three places, the course narrows and funnels everyone into eachother. With 3 laps to go Ka-BOOM! huge crash takes out 6-7 guys. Two laps to go, another crash crackles like lightning and takes aout another 3-4.. One lap to go- going into the final uphill chicane- Ker-POW! 4-5 bodies go flying and push me into the curb at eye popping speed. I stay upright, but the lead 25 guys are pulling away from the huge gap. I sprint to get back on but by this time the front of the field is single file and leading into the final corner. I catch up and dive-bomb into the corner when SPLAT!- three more guys take eachother out while cornering at MACH 3. I get inside of the carnage and uncork the fumes left in my tank. The results were posted and right where I expected to see my name is an "X". So naturally I go to the camera tent and advise them that "I'm the guy who is your 26th place, Bib No 1". Done.
The last three laps were a lottery. You were either lucky or unlucky. Don't anyone give me any crap about there not being any luck in bike racing. I did not survive all the close calls and the crashes by being an awesome bike racer. The Red Bull sharpened my senses and that helped a lot- I felt totally wired- but I had luck on my side today. 125 or so starters and 80 finishers.. 80 lucky finishers..
Gotta hand it to CCB! They lined up their team at the front for three laps, fighting like mad to reel in the two guys who were up the road. Not only did they succeed- without any help from any other team- they also launched Colin J to victory with an armchair leadout. I salute their excellence today. Tomorrow I expect to feel a little more opened up than I did today. Breathing was short for some reason, maybe having ridden only once at Ninigret all week, a definite loss of form was detected today. It's no surprise, really.. I will sharpen up with some proper volume in the next two weeks. Thanks for reading. Whaling City Cyclone tomorrow! No rain!

RIP

Today I am asked to move into the cubicle of a person who took their own life over the weekend.

He will be missed.

Few pics from the trip

Bursa in the distance, nestled against Uludag Mountain with ski reort on top- I've climbed it, it's over one mile of vertical distance you see there.Europe on the left, Asia on the right..
Murat x 2 = trouble
Snake tattoo
"Feribot"

Ninigret No 5: Sleep-racing

Past two years I’ve gone to Turkey and returned on a Sunday and raced Ninigret the following Wednesday. Last year, I was somehow able to win the field sprint and get 7^th, but I just wasn’t feeling the love last night and it was all I could do just to avoid quitting. A few accelerations early on really put me in the red, and it took forever to shake the effects. I’m a little bit discouraged, but the jetlag and the fatigue of my vacation still lingers in a big way, if that makes any sense. Technically, at 7:00 pm Ninigret time it’s really 2:00 am for me.. Anyway, I like the way that I’m accelerating but I don’t like the amount of recovery time I’m needing between big efforts. Also worth mentioning, I almost crashed last night when another rider who I’d overlapped shifted suddenly left, and my front wheel started to hug their rear wheel. Some quick thinking and weight shifting freed me from this, but then sent me careening off at high speed into the grass on my right. If this had happened from the inside of the course, everyone to my right would have been taken out like bowling pins. From that point on, I resigned myself to tail-gunning the field and just finishing in one piece.

Sad week so far..

This wonderful April-like weather isn’t enough of a downer- a co-worker here at MW1 commited suicide over the weekend. And just now I discover that the Turkish cycling legend Rifat Caliskan (2^nd from the right- my father Irfan is on far left) has passed away from a heart attack. He was a friend of the family who raced with my father in the late 60’s, who coached me in the summer of 1989, and who was Turkey’s answer to Eddy Merckx at one time. RIP.

Starting to sink in.. Grrrrrr

As I view the podium photos and the pictures of guys warming up on TT bikes from last weekend's Nationals racing, I am gradually stinging with regret and infected with jealousy. Clip on aero bars would have scored a Silver Medal. On one hand, me.. winning the TT would have been somewhat of a disgrace, especially considering my sub-par time trialing ability. On the other hand, my superior racing frequency probably gives me an edge over the others, who have probably not time trialed since the last Nationals and who definitely have not raced even 1/5 as much as I have... No doubt about it- the winning time was clocked by a very good time trialist- he beat No 2 by 50 seconds and me by 70. Still, he had the advantage of a TT bike, helmet, skinsuit, and going out last, presumably because he's last year's winner. I have one year to improve my equipment, my position and my attitude toward time trialing, and I can't wait to get started. I'm cautiuously optimistic about time trialing- it's a discipline which I think I may have more success improving- relative to climbing anyway. One thing which I definitely resolve to use is 172mm cranks which are what I've always raced on before buying the LOOK 486 back in 2006. Thanks for reading and for tolerating my woe-is-me crap.
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Forgot to include:

Dacia, Alfa Romeo and Citroen.
These are some interesting cars.
I'm blown away by the new hatch version of the Honda Civic. That thing's a work of art.
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CARS

It always amuses me how this country went from having three or four auto brands back when I was a kid, to now having more than we have in the US. Back in the 70s, the only cars on the road were LADA, Skoda, Renault and TOFAS (Turkish FIAT). These days we see such oddities as SEAT, Peugeot, and OPEL- all of which make very handsome cutting edge vehicles. Then of course the ubiquitous Kia, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW, and Volvo are everywhere. I have not seen any Saabs. Honda Accords look like Integras and Civics look like American Accords. Weird. Imports such as Land Rovers and Lincoln Navigators cost DOUBLE, yet you see more in one day than we see in a month driving in New England. On the interstate highway between Istanbul and Ankara, we were passed by some pretty sick drivers doing nearly 200 kph in their Beamers and Benzes. Speaking of BMW- I saw one yesterday which looked like it was on steroids- a kind of bad-ass looking cross-over. I would like to have one-but even with my generous income, it's impractical and out of reach (I'm a cheap bastahd) How do they afford it? Well apparently there are two classes here- have and have not. Both are immense. Middle class is a minority. Time for breakfast. Its rainy out today so we're keeping the rental car one more day.
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Time Trial what ifs

I do not like to express regret, but two things have been turning my crank ever since Saturday:
1. Not having any clip on bars or aero helmet or aero wheels or skinsuit, did indeed cost me a spot on the podium. Over 10k distance, all I needed to pick-up was 2 seconds per km (needed 22 seconds to be 2nd and 18 seconds to be 3rd)
2. Going out early was not an advantage. I was 11th out of 40 to start and had the best time up until the 30th rider returned. It could have helped me, too, if I had a time that I could shoot for.

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Masters Nationals 70km Road Race in Turkey

The road race turned out to be a nasty little smack down. Closing roads in Turkey usually causes a disruption of Tiananmen Square proportions, so the road courses are usually out an back like a TT course. Ours had one diversion that was also out and back, so picture a course that is T shaped. This means that any hills that you climb, will be climbed again in reverse on the way back. I was pitifully shelled on the first windswept one miler. Actually, I wasn't shelled so much as dropped by the 6-7 leaders, which also included fellow team mate Murat Akyazi. I let myself get swarmed by the field and put my head down and dragged everyone up to the leaders with help from a couple of others. We caught them right at the turn around point of the first leg of the course. From here it was a very gradual big ring climb for 3 miles, then a nausuating corkscrew descent, followed by the back side of the original hill where I got gapped. This time I really chewed through my handlebars to stay connected and probably made some womanly noises trying to stay on.. The hills out here are wind blown and the roads are extremely heavy and rough. I was dropped again, but this time I exploded completely and ended up having to ease off until I got over the top. For a minute there I felt like my race was over, but I pulled myself together.. From here, it was a long straight downhill with a tailwind. I was last over the climb, except for maybe 10-15 guys who were shelled for good on the first climb. After getting my lungs to retreat back down my throat, I started to attack the road with vigor, picking up one then two then three others and getting them into rotation with me. I took the longest pulls! We could see the field 30-40 seconds up the road and it took about 5-6 minutes to close it and latch on. Unfortunately, six of the tops guys went clear on that last climb and had about a minute on us at this point. Our group never closed the gap and I got 2nd in the field sprint, so 8th again! Doh! I can tell you that Murat and I had the field strung out single file for the 2nd half of the race. We got away a few times but kept getting caught- and then no one else would work with us.. We rode an honorable race. Murat ended up 16th after blowing his wad in a solo kill with 2km to go. A very exciting race!
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Masters TT Nationals in Turkey

I was 11th in the start list of 38 in the 10k Masters Nationals TT here in Bartin, Turkey.. After finishing my flat and very windy 10k in 14:43, I was in 1st place for a time. This false sense of achievement continued for another 1/2 hour as other riders continued to depart and return in 2 minute intervals. Then the last 10 guys on their tricked-out TT bikes took start. I didn't even have a skinsuit. My only aero advantage was arm warmers and booties. Anyhow.. After much nail biting and wishful thinking, I was beat.. First by a few seconds, then 10, then 20.. And I was eventually relegated to 7th.. Only 20 seconds separated the top 7 at this point- the only ones who beat me were the aero bars and deep dish carbon wheels and disks. Until the very last starter rolled up- he could not be more than 120 pounds soaking wet- but he demoralized everyone with a time of 13:34.. Full aero everything- So my cannibal time got me 8th out of 38. If I had a way to cheat 20 seconds using some aero gear, I would have populated the podium. I guess I'm pleased to be top 10 in a TT for the first time ever, but a set of clip on aero bars would have been nice! Redemption tomorrow in the road race!!! Thanks for reading.
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2009 Tour of Somerville Pro Race Report

As told by the recent winner of the Sunapee Road Race:
Folks,

Just a note to let you know what happened at Somerville.  In case you have not heard, the most notable result is that Alain got caught up in a crash with 2 laps to go and broke some ribs.  Prior to the crash he was looking strong!  It would be great if everybody could send him some love...

The race was super fast.  On the front straight we would be between 30-33mph every lap.  On the back stretch, we were doing 29-32.  The style of riding was very aggressive.  Guys would pass you and as soon as their hip passed your bars they would come across your wheel.  This would force you to hit the brakes to avoid touching wheels.  I must have hit the brakes 20 times a lap.  It got to the point where I wouldn't even stop pedaling while braking.  It was crazy, and stupid, and exciting.  One thing to note is that the smoothest classiest riders were New Englanders like Jonathan Page and Robbie King.

Eventually, I started getting wise and made it my mission to stay on the inside of the field and would move out into passing riders.  Alain and I had very good position throughout the race and I was really feeling great.  I was in an early break.  Alain got a prime.  We'll have to wait for his report on this as I did not see it.  With about 6 laps to go, Alain came by me so I could grab his wheel.  We then started moving up to the front.  We would get up there and then 20 guys would swarm up the outside and then we would have to start again.  Eventually we got separated and then the crash happened (this was the second or third one).  At this point I had no idea that Alain was in the crash, so I was looking around for him, but with 2 laps to go, I started looking for the United train.  Didn't matter, I had hit the wall and when I stood up to go I had nothing.  FYI, I was spinning 53x11 and really needed another gear!  Quite an experience...

Attached are 2 pics from Cycling News.  One with Alain, one with me (I'm on the far right against the barriers).
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Part 2 is a Go

Your hero is going to be a licensed participant of Turkish Masters Road Nationals this weekend
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Part 1 of plan A is complete

To get an "Athletic License" in Turkey you must first get a form filled out by a doctor, indicating that you are fit to compete. After completing this task I ask my brother in law why the doctor didn't collect a fee and I discover that health insurance is free in this country. The exception is drugs, and there are enough Turkish pharmaceutical companies making licensed knock-offs that most drugs are pretty cheap anyway. For example a months supply of Nexium is 360$ in the US, last I checked. Here, its about 100$. Anyhow.. My brother in law is inside the Sports Federation building trying to get my license for me so I can race in the Masters Nationals this weekend. It's a 10km time trial on Saturday and a 70km road race on Sunday. Of course, the way things are organized here, no one knew until yesterday what kind of races there would be. Maybe in the next 48 hours they will be kind enough to announce the start times.. But I guess that's what Friday's "technical meeting" is all about. They tend to do some things really pro and others really lousy.
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Priceless

My 90 day Visa stamp is 20$.. The porter at the airport gets 20 TL for helping me with my bags and getting me a big taxi.. (I found my Thule bike case in the middle of the floor in baggage claim) The cab ride to the bus station is 40 TL.. Porters descend on my cab and carry my bags and bike to my bus. There's 2 of them and I give them a 10 TL bill to share. The younger one wants me to give his buddy another 10.. I show him only 50s in my pocket and he's reaching for it saying he can break it. I'm astonished by the lack of manners. If this guy is making 10$ every 5-10 minutes just to roll a tourist's luggage about 100 feet, he's doing a LOT better than you or me.. Fuck that- the bus ride cost 20 and I'll lbe damned if using a porter doubles the cost.. This country is crazy. I'm now considering a career change.
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2009 Cyclonauts Criterium Results & Report

Forgive me for including only the results of my events. Millwork One Racing had a very good day in the 35+ race at Stafford Springs. I raced as aggressively as the legs would go, and considering my goal of being in the top ten, I'm pleased with my form and my result. The field sprint played out the way we wanted it to- Alain was up the road shutting down and passing the two breakaway riders with two to go (these two were originally accompanied by our Adam). Matt and Patrick R were on Alain's heels with one lap to go, fighting for 3rd and 4th, and the field followed by a few seconds in the sprint for 5th. I got the "D" spot, as this race paid only 6 places.. A decent result for me- one which gives my confidence a nice boost.
The Pro race was a blur- the laps went flying by so fast that I was often surprised when the card seemed to go from 30 to 20 in a matter of minutes. Again I raced aggressively, I mean, relative to staying near the front as much as possible. This race had an early break with Matt in there, a chase groups with Alain in there, and another chase group with Adam S in there. These three groups totaled 14 guys and they eventually got together and lapped the field. Just before they caught us from behind, a field prime was announced. After getting through the chicane and onto the fast back straight, I turned on the gas. It was not a mind blowing acceleration- but enough that all but one was caught off guard. I buried myself into the curve, clocking some eye popping speed and apparently dragging someone along for the ride. I cant turn around and check- I'm forced to assume that someone is there in stealth mode, waiting for me to sit up so they can steal my thunder. So I just pin it.. and get out of the saddle for the last 50 meters. This afforded me a chance to take a peek and sure enough there he is, all out sprinting a few bike lengths back. I take the prime and look back- the field is still rounding the bend. My passenger gives me kind words for sticking it and I'm happily $10 richer, with completely dead legs. The field went flying past me and it took some very deep digging to get back up to speed and tag myself back into the field, but I did it, no worries. One lap later, the break catches us. Final sprint was a bit chaotic, and technically, it would have been better if no one sprinted except for the leaders, but there's pride at stake I guess and most everyone tried to get their nose up there. I was so gassed by this time, but happy to have the legs to make my mark in both races. Sadly, my Ergomo was out of juice for some reason (it has been draining completely on me whenever I leave it on the bike overnight, I just discovered), so I have maybe 20 minutes of data from the 1st race.
I'm proud of my team for delivering the Win and the multiple top ten results today. In the 35+ race, we were the only team with more than one guy in the top 10.. in fact we had 3 of us in the top 7! I'm very happy with this little statistic.
I would also like to salute Alain and Matt for being the kind of guys who make the rest of the team perform at a higher level. Best of luck to them on Monday at the Tour of Somerville. With Matt Kressy's upgrade to Category One this week, we now have two Millwork One Racers in the Pro race. Thanks for reading.