Bad Hair on a Bike: The Smiths

Via fellow Turkish blogger Finduk.. I don't believe I've seen this video since the time it first came out! Compared to all the junk on MTV these days, this is pretty cool to listen to, it's nostalgic and it's full of depressed teenagers on bikes. What more do you want?

Field Test Day

If you want to call it that.. that is.. if you consider the garage to be a "field".. I have done two previous attempts at this stationary field test in the past six weeks, both aborted.. The first time, was on the rollers. Big mistake. Not enough resistance to do the one minute blow-outs.. though I managed 318 watts for the 5 minute interval. Couple of weeks later, I tried again, this time on the wind trainer.. Had to abort again after the 5 minute interval (309 watts this time) because I just felt sick and weak- didn't eat enough and had a tough day in the field on my feet for 8 hours.. Tonight was different. I set up in the garage with the door open, nice cool breeze.. Did the 5 minute interval real conservatively.. and here's how it all compares:

My first field test of 2007, my second field test of 2007, my CP5 and CP20 of 2007, and tonight:

5 min: 304 watts on 5/12/07, 315 watts on 6/13/07, 334 watts on 6/23/07, 301 watts on 1/9/08

20 min: 234 watts on 5/12/07, 256 watts on 6/13/07, 265 watts on 9/4/07, 239 watts on 1/9/08

Let me just say that doing anything super high intensity for five minutes straight, on a wind trainer, with the knowledge that you're going to do a 20 minute time trial afterwards, is very tough mentally to get through.. [for me] Maybe the reason my previous two indoor attempts were aborted is because I blew too much on the 5 minute portion.. Tonight, I reigned myself in on the 5 minutes.. pegged it at 295 or so for the first four minutes, and then really pounded in the last minute, but only got it up to 301.. By keeping something in reserve, I managed a better result on the 20 minute TT portion of the test- I FINISHED IT, for one!.. What I'm happy to see is that I averaged higher tonight than I did on May 12th of last season (even though my Normalized Power on that test was higher: 262 versus 241) There's nowhere to hide on a wind trainer! No descents where you can coast for a few seconds.. This is what makes time trialing on a stationary bike so hard.. especially for a weenie like me who sucks at time trialing in the first place! At any rate, my 239 tonight is still a better result than my "easier" field test of May 12 of last year.. However.. these numbers are NOT good! Especially considering my current weight of 79 kg! (Yes, you're not the only one who has added 5-10 pounds this winter.. Quit looking at my gut!!! I'm working on it!!! SNL skit..Hehe.) My overall wattage picture is pretty bleak, especially when my watts/kg are plugged into a Coggan Power Profile.. It tells me I'm at a cat 4 level for all durations [except for 5 min.. where I'm rated a cat 3 for some reason..] Sometimes I think that it's a small miracle that I race against and finish all of these New England Masters crits which are stacked with Masters talent.. I must be very lucky.. Either that or very crafty about when to save energy and when to open the throttle.. and whose wheel to follow.. and whose to avoid..
Now it's time to use the data from tonight's test and apply it to the next three weeks of intensity. We can now estimate that my Functional Threshold is "X", and I'll be directed to do all kinds of different percentages of FT for all kinds of different durations.. No need to try and figure it out. Paying someone who understands my fitness better than I myself understand it, to help me force my body to adapt and get stronger/faster.. is just fine with me.. One less thing. Wish I had done it ten years ago. Thanks for reading.

Commuting again?

Who wouldn't? It's so nice and mild out. Last night I rode home with no tights or leg warmers.. something I tend to do at the 50 degree threshold. Took the long way home too, in the pitch black of the Cranston bike path. My front blinky has a steady beam, but it's not for seeing, it's for being seen.. (Can someone pleae recommend a good light- somethng they already use and swear by??) I rode in this morning a little more bundled up, but I fully expect to ride home tonight in a balmy 50+ degrees. The fixed gear is still out with a flat and when I work up the resolve to touch the filthy rear wheel in order to remove it and fix the flat, I'm riding my road bike.. It will have to wait until the weekend.

Saturday plans... revised

So yes! I went out again, this time on the road bike.. Did 55 miles in 3 hours and 6 minutes.. Avg of 188 watts. Feels good to be home after that solo death march.. was getting dark toward the end. My route took me up north on the Cranston bike path to Park Ave to Elmwood to Post Road, which I then followed south all the way to route 102. Turned right on 102 and followed it all the way to 117 (that's a challenging stretch.. ouch) where I turned right again and took it to Fairview Ave.. Left and I'm almost home. I knew I needed to do a big loop or else run the risk of being a weenie and ending the ride early. Man I HATE the cold. It takes every atom of willpower I can muster to get out there on these cold days.. Though I must admit, today turned out to be pretty mild compared to my early morning attempt to ride, whn it was 24 degrees out.

Saturday plans... dashed

Grrrrrr. Last night just before retiring, there's a funny itch in the back of my throat.. I shrug it off as I read my son few children's books before bed time. Fast forward a few hours, I am sleeping alone in my son's bed to avoid cross-contamination.. My Blackberry is set to go off at 6:00 am for an early morning four hour ride.. Fast forward to 8:20 am. I am out the door on my fixed gear, bundled up with new base layer and Saran wrap covering my shoes under my booties. FF to 8:45am as I scream down route 12 in Cranston, crossing over the highway at a ridiculous cadence. Thinking to myself how indestructible these 500 gram tires must be.. when suddenly.. hissssSSSsssSSS.. My ride is over. I stop to inspect the damage. It's a NAIL. The new fixie has fenders and some fancy contraption to tension the chain.. I'm not gonna mess with it.. It's 24 degrees out. I call home, defeated. Dear wife arrives 30 minutes later and takes me home. I strip off the sweaty clothing and climb into bed, where it takes me about an hour to stop shivering. Go back out there? I can't dream of it at the moment, although the temp seems to be up quite a bit. Just had a hearty [second] breakfast.. and maybe in a couple of hours I'll go out on the road bike for a few hours.
The whole idea was to get this ride over with by noon so that the rest of the day can be devoted to family! Can't say I didn't try..

Fwd: hit and run....

01-03-08

 

This is not the best way to start the New Year. I was intentionally hit by a car on my bicycle last night at 7:20 pm. I was on my way to meet Lynn at the bike shop, we had plans to ride home together, stopping at the red fez for dinner along the way. I was stopped at the light on the corner of charles and silver spring st. in Providence . When the light changed I clipped into my pedals, a blue toyota camry plate number kl245 laid on the horn, I looked back, he raised his hands in disgust, I pedaled one more stroke, then I was hit from behind. I my right elbow, hip and head contacted the ground. I looked up as the car screeched to a halt. I  jumped up as the driver backed up, yelled profanity at me, then made a right onto silver spring accelerating hard. A universal ambulance witnessed the act, yet did not stop. Only one person stopped, A very large man in a ML350, he yelled "yo dude, that shit is F**ked up!".

I did not have my cell phone on me, so I twisted my bars and seat back into position, then continued on my way to prov. bike. I called the police from the shop, they responed in a fair amount of time, took my report. It turns out the plates were stolen, big surprise. Lynn call universal on my behalf, the driver said he only saw me laying in the street, but did not see the accident, I call bulls**t! Then he said he turned around to see if I was ok, well that's crap also.

 

So I'm ok, my beloved angus is ok, rear wheel is tweeked, my slr saddle is torn. So if you ride in providence beware of a 90's toyota camry, ri reg kl254 with a large mike sized dent in the hood, driven by a smaller hispanic man wearing a black doo rag. If you see the vehicle please call providence police asap.

 

Please pass this on to anyone who rides in the providence area.

 

-Mike Sam

Caption Contest?

Waiter Saturnino Gonzalez cycles on the spot holding a tray loaded with glasses to galvanize competitors during the Tour of Spain. 2 September 2006. REUTERS/Dani Cardona

Orientation + Training Day: Saturday January 12

Millwork One Racing would like to reach out to the New England bike racing community by offering a meeting at the West Warwick home of Murat Altinbasak. This will be an ideal opportunity to meet the team's manager and find out more about the team's sponsorships, racing schedule and goals for 2008/2009. We will be gathering for some fresh bagels, donuts and hot coffee at 8:00 am and departing for a group training ride at 9:00. Depending upon the weather, our route will meander through Coventry RI and return us to the house 60-90 minutes later. We can then get warmed up inside, change into dry clothing, top off with more coffee/tea and talk some more about what direction to take.

Attendance at this event does not constitute unconditional acceptance onto the team, but your attendance will surely be more meaningful to us than if you pass it up.

It has been announced on NEBRA that M1 Racing is a masters team, but we would like to express that we're also very interested in attracting some younger cat 2s, 3s, women and juniors to the Team.  

Please RSVP using this address: reiscotools@yahoo.com preferably not later than Thursday January 10th. This will be a very casual, fun filled morning of meeting new people, riding together as a group on beautiful roads, and exploring the benefits of being on the M1 Racing team. With a little luck, your name will be added to the team roster on this date and we can begin to introduce you to the blogosphere and to the sponsors who have made this team possible. 

Racers from CT, MA, NH, VT, ME and of course RI are all welcome to join us on Saturday. Many thanks. 

Happy New Year!

Regards,

Murat Altinbasak

www.WeeBike.com

www.AmerikanTurk.com

www.UnionVelo.blogspot.com

 

Another 3+ hour ride

Weather was fantastic! Over 50 degrees. Did my first 90 minutes on the fixed gear, with my son, in his trailer, being towed behind me. I think overall that's about 80 pounds I'm pulling along. Felt so overgeared, I could barely get the cadence to reach 60.. After depositing my boy at home I did another 90 minutes without the trailer, and it felt like I had wings compared to the first 90 minutes.. Got home pretty late too- it was pitch black outside.. and those ice patches on the bike path are hard to see in the dark!
Next weekend: 4 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. If it's very cold out I think I may stop home at half time for a quick warm-up and change of clothing.

A Keith Berger Criterium Moment (2007 30+)

Chart below shows minutes 40-42 of the 2007 Keith Berger Crit on 8/19/07. Four guys opened a gap with about 6 laps to go. I attacked hard and bridged up over the course of one full lap. On my heels was a Target Training rider who also connected about 10 seconds later, but whose departure from the pack inspired the rest of the field to really chase hard. We were absorbed after two laps, leaving us about three laps to recover and sprint. I ended up finishing 17th with those blown legs. Pictures of what it looked like 1/2 way through those very tough two minutes: The break.
Murat chasing.
Target guy (Scott Bodin? Kyle Wolfe?) chasing me.
Six man break, one lap later.

I dove into that back corner going 34.5 miles per hour.

Please vote on my new team uniform- Which one?

It looks colder than it is..

My strategy for making the morning bike commute less frigid: A steaming hot shower, followed by suiting up with apparel that has just come out of the clothes dryer. Makes it seem much more bearable. Then again.. it always seems colder out than it really is.. or rather, it never feels as cold as it looks from inside the bedroom window. Today I wore my new Providence Bicycle thermal jacket (picked up Monday off the clearance rack to consummate the store's commitment to sponsor the Millwork One Racing Team) my long sleeve jersey and my one threadbare Reebok base layer. These three layers were sufficient, while it was only about 25 degrees out. I was comfortable enough that getting to work was a bummer. I was feeling like.. "Hey let's ride some more.. this feels good.."

PS: If it seems that I obsess over riding in the cold, it's because I've never done it before! It's the first time I've ridden this much in December! To wit: in December 2006 I rode a total of 3 hours.. December 2007: 28 hours and counting!

May your rides this winter be as surprisingly toasty as mine.. -Murat 

WARNING: Don't take VITAMINS, you DOPER!

"Using any form of dietary supplement may result in a positive test for prohibited substances leading to a suspension and/or other penalties. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and other dietary supplements may contain prohibited or illegal substances that may or may not be listed on the label. Any athlete who takes a vitamin, mineral, herb, amino acid or other dietary supplement does so at his or her own risk of committing a doping violation."

These words are printed right adjacent to my new 2008 racing license, which arrived the other day. Am I the only one who finds this both peculiar and offsides? Are we being warned not to take supplements because their testing procedures suck so badly that they might mistake vitamin E for EPO?? I don't get it.

Narragansett Bay Weenies?

Okay that was unfair of me, especially since I'm acquainted with only ONE MEMBER of the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. Why the poke? Only because I was expecting a huge turnout today on their Scituate ride at 11:00 am! That's all.. no one have a hissy fit.. no one's a weenie. Just me- I'm the biggest self depracating weenie in the world, so just chill everyone..and save your finger wagging and hate mail for another time.. It was 48 degrees out at one point.. so WHERE WAS EVERYBODY?!?! I distinctly recall a person boasting the other day about how the NBW group was populated with some real die hard lunatics- that they would turn out in huge numbers even in the coldest and crappiest of weather! Oh well. Whatever. There were about ten cars in the parking lot, and a couple of people rode there from home.. I was still pulling my booties on when the "A" group (consisting of FIVE people) departed from the parking lot! About a full minute later, I managed to add my hat, helmet, gloves, phone, pump, spare, multi tool, and wind jacket and then shove off from the parking lot in hot pursuit. I think that the look of my bike was taken to be an indicator of my fitness level- I took the Redline 9-2-5 fixed gear commuter with me.. If I had my LOOK 486- they might have waited another minute.. but I'd rather not speculate and give credit where it isn't due.. SO.. I catch these five guys about 2-4 minutes later.. huffing and puffing.. as we got down route 102 in the vicinity of the reservoir.. On a slight rise in the road I go to the front and take a pull.. kind of like "hey guys.. my bike sucks, but I don't!" kind of pull. (I have FULL fenders and FULL reflectors.. and MOUSTACHE bars!) Five minutes later, we're down to three. I'm with an AFD guy and a Minuteman guy- both looking fit and comfortable.. The other two must have turned off someplace else or just gotten shelled (one had a WAAAAY over geared fixie with TT bars, the other had a Bianchi with a stem that looked just plain wrong..) Next rise in the road at about minute 25, I get shelled by my two road mates- I'm over geared a little bit too.. but I relent. I keep turning it over and after reaching Maple Valley Road and descending to the bottom (10 minutes later), I re-connect with them. Could not tell if they were surprised or happy to see me again.. but whatever. Burned a few matches to do it too. So we rode together for another hour or so, I felt better and better as the ride went on.. Didn't feel too much difficulty except when the road turned up- then I really needed a smaller gear.. but I managed to get out of the saddle and muscle my way over in good time.. until.. towards the very end we were on route 116 north and took a left on route 14. Down into the valley and across the road which cuts the reservoir in two.. the road tips up on a pretty steep grade for my gearing.. Seeing that we're only about 2 miles from our starting point at Scituate HS, I take the hill at my own pace, arriving a minute or two after my friends. From there, I phone dear wife, who's sledding somewhere in Johnston with my son and friends. So I head north on 116 and find them at Deerfield Park.. Cold and soaked thru, I get in the van and strip down, get the wet base layers off of me. Ate a donut, drank some hot coffee, some water.. I even put my boots on and sledded down the hill a couple of times with my son Reis.. Then I realized.. I feel much better.. Having ridden only 2:30 and being required to do at least 3:00.. I turn to my wife and say "I gotta ride home from here.. I need to get at least three hours in today". With that, I disappeared back into the van, suited up, put on my new balaclava, and wisely took my back pack with me to help keep my back warm (works like a charm..) One hour later I arrived at my house (most of the ride home was on 116 into West Warwick, then a turn onto 115 before reaching Hope Furnace Road) I'm very pleased with myself.. Overall 3 hours and 30 minutes on the fixed gear over challenging terrain and with guys riding light weight road bikes for the first half.. Let me tell you.. if you're in a funk and want to feel really good about yourself.. FORCE yourself to do something which you loath, but which you know is a requirement to reach your goals.. It's worth every minute of discomfort to get to the end of such a mission, because I feel like a million bucks right now for completing what I really didn't feel like doing.. (Back down off of soap box now) So.. Other than the 30 minute rest and sledding, it was all contiguous, no stops. Does that count? Let me pose a Seinfeld/Larry David-esque question: What's the cut-off? How long of a break can you take within a ride for it to be considered one whole ride and not two? I love Larry David-Curb Your Enthusiasm.. Bought a coffee mug at the HBO store in Manhattan last month: Half empty/Half empty.. Genius. If I had a chance to meet one famous person from Hollywood, he would be the one I'd choose over all others. I'd love to have a conversation with Larry David. Who wouldn't?

More Sponsors added!

We have added four cash sponsors and one equipment sponsor in this past week! Without naming names:

- one is a solid surface fabricator (Corian countertops)

- one is a custom veneer and panel product company

- another is a lumber and custom wood moulding company

- and one is a large distributor of plastic laminate, plywood and cabinet hardware

It appears that Millwork One is going to be co-sponsored primarily with partners in the woodworking industry. We're all very excited.. The names of these companies will be announced after our final apparel order is released for production next week.

Also: we've made a tentative agreement with a Rhode Island bicycle shop, the final details of which should be firmed up on Monday. Announcement of the shop's name will have to wait until then!

Good things are happening!

Those racers who are interested in being on the Millwork One Racing Team should reach out to us ASAP. Even if you're not yet sure, expressing interest will at least get you penciled-in before there are too many candidates to accept. The team's budget is limited to supporting six racers.. very well. Weite to us at: reiscotools@yahoo.com

   

 

Update on my father's condition

It's not so much that I want the whole world to know and feel pity or anything.. I have to get this stuff out of my system, and this blog is as good a listener as anyone. At least it doesn't judge me.. Here's where I "spill my poison", as the saying goes.. and no one has a gun to your head forcing you to read..

My father has lung cancer, stage 4, inoperable. Tumors have spread to his liver and to his bones.. His clavicle has been fractured by the tumor which grows on and around it, so pain is a big issue right now. When he was here a month or so ago, the doctor told him that chemotherapy would not be very effective, so my father declined the treatment. He decided to return to Turkey. As it turns out, he's started another round of chemo over there, and continues to treat the pain with morphine and other narcotic drugs. Last week he sounded quite cheerful on the phone.. Still on his feet, still trying to build his musical instruments, still smoking cigarettes too.. what's the point of stopping now if it gives you comfort? I wouldn't.

When my brother and I took him to TF Green airport the other month for his connection to JFK, we sat there with him at the gate, not knowing what to say or how to act. When it was time to board, we stood with him in line, said our farewells, hugged, kissed.. He entered the ramp to board and started walking away from us.. and just before turning the corner, he stopped, and he turned around and he looked at us for a moment, waving.. realizing that maybe, it was for the very last time. I almost fell apart right then and there.. and then he continued.. out of sight. As my younger brother and I walked down the concourse and away from the gate, I had to stay a few paces in front of him to hide the anguished and tearful look on my face.. and perhaps it would have been like looking in the mirror, had I turned around to face him, I don't know.. and who the hell knows what my father's face looked like after he turned the corner away from us.. I think I might have an idea, but it hurts to try and imagine it. Thanks for reading. 

Good things are happening

I just did what should be considered perhaps the most anal retentive move ever.. I RENEWED MY LICENSE for 2008, while it's still 2007.. Yes, not only did I have $60 burning a hole in my pocket.. and not only did I want to get my hands on the $30 coaching manual ASAP.. but the new Millwork One Racing was officially added to the Genesee Valley Cycling Club as an affiliate team on this date ..meaning that I could renew my license online, choose my new club and choose my new team. Much cooler than it sounds.. Many thanks to GVCC president Todd Scheske for making this happen for us so effortlessly. Good things are happening. Here's a screen shot of my USA Cycling account page:

Bisikletci Post No 321

Nothing much to report other than the fact that it's still.. colder than a witch's tit outside. 45 minutes on the rollers in zone1 just seemed like an eternity. It's cold enough in the garage that I train in there with long sleeve base layer, long sleeve jersey, hat, gloves and booties. Ugh.. I bore myself to death tonight.. Friggin Mondays just plain suck.

Good day to drive to work

I'm not insane. The decision to skip the bike ride to work was the correct one. My street had big patches of ice and snow that would have taken me down five different times before I even reached Main Street in West Warwick. I have two easy days before Wednesday's Field Test, which will be done on the wind trainer, in the garage. I haven't trained this much in December, EVER!

Eye openers

There's no denying that I can sometimes sound like a bull in a china shop.. but I guess sometimes that's what it takes to get other people to show their true colors. One thing's for sure.. there is no turning back for 'ol Murat. That's been made painfully clear by certain people who I thought were my friends. Shame on me for thinking I had some kind of immunity to being disliked. Meanwhile, the private e-mails from people who express their support for me have made this much more bearable- thank you.