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.
Upload complete!

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.

Rick Newhouse Criterium 1-2-3 Race VIDEO

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Rick Newhouse Criterium: Race Report

Where to begin?... Saturday was a disaster for me on many levels- mostly performance related. I signed up for the 35+ and the 1-2-3.. Had the camera program all figured out, or so I thought.. When I returned to my car from registration and started looking for the 2 gig SD card which I was sure I had thrown in my bag.. my skin crawled. Nowhere to be found... No worries, I have a 1/4 meg SD card in my digital camera.. or do I?? Nope. SO, Murat suits up and unclips the camera from his bike.. cursing under his breath all the way to the start line. grrrrr. The best laid plans.. ruined. This no doubt weighed heavy on my mind for the whole entire 9 minutes which I raced in the 35+.. Well, no it wasn't only that.. There was also some weird tactics which our hosts subjected us to on the second lap... Three of them decide they want to split the field and SIT UP going into the hard left turn.. WTF?.. Whatever.. this may be the last Rick Newhouse or Arc en Ciel crit I ever do.. So what happened in the next 3 minutes after this maneuver pretty much sealed my fate in the 35+. When the Arc riders sat-up for whatever reason, Skip Foley, and others and myself went around the outside of the next corner and started really working it towards the front half of the field, which by now had opened up a 25 meter gap on us. Skip connected in no time, but myself and the others were popping veins in our heads trying to bridge. Once my fuse was lit, the implosion was inevitable and with my head now out of the game, it wasn't long before I ended up just riding to the car. So my premature ejection from the 35+ meant I could salvage the day's true mission: to capture video from within the pack.. Wife agrees to grab the SD card and meet me 1/2 way (sort of). I met her at the Wendy's in Coventry (exit 7), got the card and doubled back in time for the 1-2-3 start at 1:15.. Mounted the camera (with SD card and new lithium batteries in it) and took start with no trouble at all. Thankfully, everything worked out as planned from here on out. The melt-down of the 35+ was still fresh in my mind though, and it had a limiting effect on the psyche.. Having the camera on me though, gave some much needed motivation to stick it out with these speedsters, for as long as possible. My goal was to fill up the camera, which I pretty much did, capturing 28 minutes of non-stop footage in rear view mode.. After that though.. I felt much better about my form.. stopped beating myself up about the 35+ race, forgave myself for falling victim to a dumb prank, and coasted back to my car before the race ended. Eleven guys had rolled off the front anyways.. leaving about 25 of us with table scraps (beer primes? what a terrible idea, sorry) Field got lapped anyway.. and my mission was accomplished.. With some quality rest and fine tuning I know that I can hold my own in a 1-2-3 race no problem. The real prize of the weekend is the 26 minute video I put together, complete with some decent background music.. By the way, Gary Aspnes won the cat 4 race and Gavin Manion won the cat 3 race.. or vice versa, not sure. (I know Gary because he almost caught me at the Bob Beal TT last year.. and Gavin.. the kid needs no introduction) I salute them both..
Video coming up!

Murat Needs a break from New England!

Looks like I'll be racing "back home" on April 21st.. The GVCC Classic Road Race is in my cross hairs. Murat knows the roads in Bloomfield, New York and has many old friends in the Rochester area.. Todd Scheske, Derek Larson, Jon Wirsing and I all started out as juniors back in the late 80s. I was president of the Gensee Valley Cycling Club in 1989. Todd's been the president for the past many years.. Here's a shortlist of my many racing friends out West, at least the ones who still race:
Todd Scheske Derek Larson Scott Hollenbeck
Ken Wright Chris Tirone Jon Wirsing
Mike McKnight Don Vescio Mike Beaudrie
Lots of great memories racing every Thursday night at the old Victor, Mendon, Webster and Chili race courses we had set up back then, each about 8-10 miles around.. all gone in favor of newer, harder, and safer venues.. The GVCC has come a long way since then.. and I owe a lot to those who helped me learn how to race a bike.

East Providence Bike Path: Not what it used to be

Murat went riding today at one of his old stomping grounds, the East Providence Bike Path. Last time I was on it, a raw sewage line had burst stinking up the place and obstructing the path with some bypass piping.. Today I just wanted to chill and spin the little ring.. and that's what I thought I was doing.. until the 38th minute when I look down and realize I'm in the 53x19.. Murat shrugs at this point and says 'Fuck it'. Today the east side's stunning beauty and waterviews were eclipsed completely by the degenerated condition of the path's surface. In many places, there's hardly a square inch not covered in dirt, gravel, and seashells. I've also forgotten how narrow the path is.. Makes the Cranston path feel like the Cross Island Parkway (remember when Kramer re-painted the stripes?) One thing which did like was that there was no broken glass anywhere. Yes our Cranston/West Warwick path is plagued with young people and their infatuation with diminishing the enjoyment of others. Sunday I had to clear tree branches which were deliberately placed to obstruct the path entirely.. Shit like this makes me really dislike teenagers.. all of them.. guilty by association. If I could only catch the fuckers in the act of breaking bottles, I will make them regret it with a very fast call to the police department and some choice words.. Anyway.. Murat rode out to Colt Park, circled around the back side, and enjoyed a nice tailwind during the 13 miles back to the car.. Today it occurred to me that the roads in Colt Park can potentially be a pretty good criterium course.. A little on the long side maybe (we can call it a "circuiterium") although there is a road cutting through the middle of the course making it more compatible to a typical crit course in length. I will consult with the Union boys and explore whether we can resurrect our defunct Lincoln Crit with a replacement at Colt.. Make it an early Saturday morning event... Around the 90th minute of my ride, the inevitable...Like two ships passing in the night, Murat and Gewilli saluted eachother as they passed from opposite directions.. I would have stopped, but the future ex-wife was already engaged in the act of dividing up our shit because I'm habitually late getting home as promised.. Sorry boss. Also worried that you might jack knife the trailer and crash trying to slow down so suddenly.. Next two days will be some active rest.. maybe a spin class tomorrow night to stay loose. I want to race the Pro-3 and the 35+ on Saturday at Ninigret.. If it doesn't crack 40 degrees, I may pass on it though. Pressing my luck with catching a cold lately, riding in these 40 degree temps.

Gorilla math, child's logic:

Each passing day should be warmer and warmer than the last, at this time of year.. but instead we are seeing a complete reversal.. It was in the sixties, in San Diego, in February! Why do I live here??..
So instead of a nice hike in the woods, Murat stocked his new IKEA wardrobe (it's huge), fixed some electrical problems in the kitchen (after an hour of mapping, turned out to be a loose wire), and then went for a ride in the freezing cold. One thing I noticed: legs are completely kaput.. telling me I worked harder than I thought yesterday at Chris Hinds.. The moral of the story is that I'm glad I skipped Wells today (did they even race?). It's time to heal, not sprint for primes up in Newton. So I took a typical route into the wind and uphill, gently of course, and only gunned it for about four 15 second burts, all downhill. I am a big fan of conditioning myself to be so used to drilling it at 35 mph, that it becomes second nature, instinctive. One realization: I need to train with others, more often. This solo training regimen of mine is getting old. Need to be with riders who put me to the test, make me cry, drop me at will. I'm finding that training solo all the time can be a big disadvantage. Where the F are all the RI racers? Used to go with the Arc-en-Ciel boys once a week. That ended when they booted me from their Yahoo group. I expressed hesitance in joining their team, and that was it. Booted. How welcome would I feel riding with them again? If for no other reason, I'd do it to hang out with brother Jonathon, but the rest of that team can go pound salt... A couple of those boys hooked me pretty carelessly and without remorse yesterday. Picture me unloading the really bad Turkish swear words under my labored breathing.. Anywho.. Just discovered a pretty cool tool available via Velonews: Map My Ride The system gives you the mileage, allows you to save the maps for others to view and share.. Seems like something I can get into. Here's the map of today's ride:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ri/west-warwick/325354240

No Wells Ave for me today

I went out early this AM to go to the drugstore.. It was still below freezing as I was pumping gas and I decided to pass on today's race. Maybe an off-road ride or hike at Big River will be better for me anyway. It's nice and sunny out, just cold. I did buy some lithium batteries for the camera- $10 for 4 of them. There was a $2 coupon on the package though.. These things better work for me next Saturday at the Rick Newhouse Memorial Criterium!
This time I plan to do the 35+ AND the Cat 1-2-3 event.

Chris Hinds Criterium Race Report

First of all: Many thank to our race organizer: Jonathon Lowenstein..
Not much good to say about my performance today.. Although I'm kind of exhausted, it's late and I just finished assembling some very large IKEA furniture.. Murat is disappointed.. I had all kinds of gas left in the tank after the final sprint.. unhappy about holding back and not leaving it all out there. I know when I've given it everything.. I'll have weird cramps and nausea after the finish. Not debilitating, just a nuisance kind of feeling. How I allowed myself to be shuffled to the middle of the field with just a few laps to go.. I can't explain. But it took some kamikaze cornering, some short bursts on the grass, and a lot of risk taking to get up into top friggin twenty, barely. One thing I found to be helpful was taking off the gloves at 5 to go. The mushy feeling they give kind of dampens my confidence and makes me overly careful. Bare handed: much better. Our team had six riders today, with best place going to Neil who actually finished in the money. Lots of respect to Neil and the rest of the team: Michael Andelman (15th), Steve Bonadio (34th), Rick Kotch and Jay Busse. Even if our results seem kind of like Powerball numbers: 10-15-20-34-37-48.. All we need is a Powerball.. I think I'll play these numbers next Wednesday.. One lesson I re-learned today: When there's a big field, it's even more important to stay up front as much as possible. There are so many more people competing for position.. This race had over 70 starters.. Today's speed was not very high- around 25 mph.. but the cold has an effect on everyone I think. It was around 40 degrees, with a wind chill much lower than that. My average heart rate was high: 173. What's up with that? I did in fact feel pretty fresh and strong, just didn't feel very fast. Saw fellow blogger Solobreak at the start.. Must have been tired from the fine place he earned in the 45+. Didn't see him again. Where's Gewilli? Where's Colavita? Where's the rest of the Union Velo team? Lots of no shows.. Then again, look at the weather. It did suck to be all bundled up. Man I miss San Diego.. The other thing which took the wind out of my sails: damn camera didn't work. Very sorry about that.. Was very excited about giving you guys some great footage tonight.. I was at the start line trying to power it up and no dice. Too cold out.. That and the crappy IKEA batteries I put in it.. which used to be made in Germany.. now they're coming from China.. Need to get lithiums.. more tolerant of the cold. Should be at Wells tomorrow.. weather permitting. Full results

Chris Hinds Criterium: Water finds it's crack

My brain resisted the idea of riding home from work, but my heart was into the idea, and won the debate. No doubt it was cold.. but nothing ends a work week better than a bike ride home. Enough said. It took a while to get warmed up. The stop lights seemed to be timed to impede my progress. Couple of times I thought I'd make it, only to grab the brakes hard and put a put a foot down.. which explains why my left Speedplay cleat has been loosening up every few weeks. At last night's spin class at Bally's (which I'm proud to say, included my wife Ebru) I tightened up the cleats and ended up stripping one of the screws.. Time for new $40 cleats I suppose.. On the bike path, lots of roller bladers today. I had to approach one from behind.. He was in the left side of the path. Steady. Moving forward in a stright line without swerving. I'm about to pass on the right.. then he unexpectedly does some effing maneuver right into my path! I'm in the dirt and rocks all of a sudden, leaning on him shouting "heads up! heads up!". "Sorry dude." Pffft. "Me too" was my reply. Almost hit the deck there.. Other than that, the ride was cool, quiet and uneventful. I give myself points for not bailing and taking the short, direct route to my house (at 14 miles).. Instead I took the long way that I usually take, making it a 21 mile ride. Chart above represents 19 miles.. because my wireless Polar is quite finnicky in the cold.. One thing I discovered recently: Backpacks are a good thing in the winter. Keeps the back nice and warm. Not great for when you want to get out of the saddle though. Tomorrow is Chris Hinds Criterium at Ninigret. The weather's going to be crap, as it should be in April. I guess a little bit of extra discomfort and suffering is something we should be able to handle. And as for our mutual friend Chris Hinds, let me salute him with the timeless Anatolian proverb: "Water has found it's crack".

Back on the rollers, and another video

I can't do more than 20 minutes without requiring a break.. or else the twins go MIA.. Ugh. This weather sucks. Two full days off the bike since Wells. Plenty of sleep too. Feel fresh! Spun the rollers tonight with an avg HR of about 125. Not quite a workout, but stretches in between the 20 minute sets really felt good. Looking at Saturday's weather report and it says a high of 42 ??? WTF! I wanted to do the P-3 and the 35+.. Might just do one of them, depending upon how late I decide to sleep in the AM. Should I record video again? Will I escape scrutiny at the start line? Will some weenie say something to the officials? I hope not.. As I've told others, the camera is more secure than any water bottle or bike computer. Hopefully it all works out and I deliver you some more good footage from within the pack. Check back on Sunday.. For now, here's a vid of one recent ride home from work. Kind of lame, but I offer it as a salute to all those who leave the car at home and get to work on their own "power" ;)

Wells Avenue Criterium Video April 1st 2007

Wells Ave Race Report for April 1 2007

Today had it's highs and it's lows.. Great weather for racing.. about 60 degrees when we started, slight wind, partly cloudy.. but the field was rather small, I think there were only about 40-45 starters in the A race, thanks to the Marblehead race drawing most of the region's competitors. Me, I decided to be a cheap lazy procrastinator and missed a chance to register. I had no idea it was so popular.. Well it made for a light field today at Wells, both in attendance and depth of participant wattage.. Not to say it was easy, not at all.. there were lots of attacks to cover, breaks to chase down and primes to sprint for.. But compared to the race exactly one year ago (again, Marblehead was same day) this year was a click faster for sure... Murat spent lots of time at the front with his head down, trying to contribute to the overall average speed.. Our Union team had four entries: Rick Kotch, Dave Lyman, Neal (sp?) and myself. Regrettably, the CCB riders stole the show in spite of our best efforts. Three riders escaped, another two bridged up late.. leaving us with the field sprint for sixth place. On the bright side, Mr. "I've ridden five times all year" Kotch took the field sprint, and embarrassingly, he did it while trying to lead me out. It didn't work out what can I say? I was a part of what I believed to be the lead-out train, in fact I got a little aggressive on the last lap and shouldered my way onto the wheel I wanted- Thad Lavallee's. Then as we're rounding the last bend before the straightaway, Kotch comes flying up on the outside and says "Murat let's go" or some such remark. No worries, I shift left and start winding it up behind Kotch. As it turned out, I ended up blowing my wad with about 25 meters to go.. sat down and spun it out as best I could, crossing seventh in the field sprint, 12th overall. Yeah five guys got past me in the last 10 meters, I was pretty much siezed up by this time. On the bright side (I know I said that already) a pack prime was announced for the 27th lap, and I won it with time to sit up early.. Felt gooood. At first it was Dave Lyman who jumped for it early, followed by the one woman in our group and another rider who I can't name. First our lady friend peeled off, then Dave Lyman.. leaving me with unidentified sprinter. At this point Dave yells "GO Murat, you got him!" and this was what I needed to snap me out of a trance. I shifted and went for it, per his suggestion, as if my life depended on it. It's amazing what a person's positive encouragement can do. I must tip my hat to Dave Lyman for taking an earlier prime himself, and for helping me get one also. Rick Kotch in his terrible form with no training won the field sprint, and I respect that immensely (I have 800 miles in my legs and maybe I have something close to his form at this point) Neal? I don't know much about him, but for one who hasn't raced in a loooong time (as I understand it).. you looked pretty solid to me! Here's the coolest thing about today (except for the batteries dying): I was able to video record the first 9 minutes of the race using my "handlebar cam" mounted discreetly under the bars. Batteries were due for changing though, and it just died after 9 minutes. Footage will be posted here ASAP. Need to choose some good background music for it. Thanks for reading.