Face the Pain

While many people were doing the KissKross Alleycat and drinking tasty Founder's beer on Saturday, I was in Muskegon sitting on my trainer. Specifically, I was sitting on my trainer doing a 25-minute time trial. My heartrate was between 183 and 190 for the entire 25 minutes.

Ouch.

Anyway, it was for a good cause. The guy who promotes the Milkjug race series asked my to pitch in and help his team and I was happy to do so. I guess we took 2nd in our division. I think I was in the top 20 individual riders as well, but I didn't stick around to see the results.

Went out for a nice four-hour spin with Dan Jansen and Scott Chambers today. MTB's on the road. I switched out the 34x15 Eno setup for the 38x15 Shimano XT. White Industries makes a 38t ring, I just don't happen to have on in my collection. Anyway, 38x15 is no joke. I had to clock in to make some of the hills. It was a good ride, all things considered.

With any luck, I'll be getting 5-6 hours on the dirt next weekend. I've put in a decent amount of time on the road with the 29er, but my dirt time is still limited. I've got to get that sucker dirty! Let's hope the weather cooperates.

Truths

1. It doesn't take much warm weather to make the cold feel COLD.
2. Riding alone is not as much fun as riding together.
3. Singlespeed is the only way to fly.
4. Steel, baby!

Took the day off yesterday and put in an hour and a half today. Four butt-kicking hill intervals put just the right amount of hurt on. The new team kit worked well. I didn't think I'd get to use the super-thermal jacket, but I sure-enough did. I'm betting it will see some use this weekend as well.

I think the cold is 100% gone. I sucked in a ton of cold air tonight, with no wheezing or shortness of breath. What ever that was, it sure held on for dear life.

The new frame is built, now it just needs to get through paint. Working on the last of the parts orders as we speak. This will be one sweet ride; by far the nicest combination of craftsmanship and top-notch parts of any bike I have ever owned. I don't think there will be anything on the bike that I would want to be better/nicer/lighter, and that will be a first. Photo's as soon as the box hits the doorstep.

Something old, something new

Scott is sporting the new Founder's Ales team kit on out ride tonight. I am on the right, with last year's kit. Notice that I am wearing shorts--it was like 70 degrees when we started the ride at 5:30PM.

We rode for two hours. Dan Jansen of Niner Bikes fame was on the camera. I was on the singlespeed, Dan was on the 1x9 and Scott was on the full-geared 26er. It was a nice ride; I had to spin like a gerbil on crack to keep up with these guys, but everything worked our for the best.

The weather is going to turn to crap tomorrow, so it's back on the trainer for a while. Looks like some decent riding this weekend, and I'll be sporting the new kit by then as well.

A few more pics from the ride:

One of Dan's fancy bikes:


A whole pile of bikes:

Legs of steel:

"I don't know; I woke up and I had these huge eyes, kind of like a bug. Just call me Mr. Bug Eyes..."

Two days, two rides

Went for a nice long ride yesterday with Danielle and Dan. Dan and I were on singlespeeds and Danielle was on her geared MTB. It was a good ride-for the first 3 hours. After that I was about thigh-deep in the hurt locker. Not waist deep, but greater than knee deep for sure. I just plain ran out of gas. I ate enough food and drank enough fluids; I'm blaming my poor performance on being sick and not riding enough in the last few weeks, but who knows for sure. Danielle has a few pictures up on her blog, and Dan took a few that are posted below. Not a bad ride, 75 miles and almost 5000 feet of climbing on a singlespeed mountain bike. Details can be seen here: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2210898

Went out for an easy ride today. Ran into Nate, who was riding a singlespeed cross bike...pulling a Burely filled with about 80 pounds of his daughter Kate. We rode for a while, just catching up. I rode Nate's bike up on of the larger hills on the course we took; man, it is no wonder that guy is a killer on the bike. Pulling that burley will make a man out of you for sure.

Bits and pieces are selling on MMBA and MTBR. Act fast if you want a piece of Partridge Cycling History (TM)!

Pics from Yesterday: Ride Start

Dan fixing his seat:

Me, looking like a bucket of crud:

26" Stuff for Sale

I have a few items on sale on the MMBA board:
King wheels, White Industries ENO Eccentric wheel, old Skool Airborne ti frame, and a Spicer ti fork. If you read this site, you know that these parts have some miles on them! But if I wasn't switching to the 29er format, I'd keep useing these parts.

Whatever doesn't sell in a week or so goes on e-bay. I also have a nearly-new King 'patriot' headset that will be going on e-bay. $65 takes it locally.

Niel has dibs on the King wheels; others should feel free to let me know if that want any of this stuff. I also have a ton of new and nearly new 26" tires; if you need something along those lines let me know.

90-95%

It seems like it takes forever to get ride of that last little bit of sickness. I feel better every day, so I'll just wait it out.

I had a good news/bad news event yesterday. No Dirty Kanza for me this year. I'll be leaving for two weeks in Italy the Thursday before that race. So, Italy good; missing Kanza bad.

The weather seems to be warming up a bit. Hoping for 5-6 hours outside on Saturday, with maybe another 4 on Sunday. I'll believe it when I see it; my long rides have not panned out well so far this year.

80%

Maybe 85%. Still a little tired and congested, but much better than last week.

The final team parts orders will be in next week. Tires and brakes, and I'll be getting some of each. Ah, the sweet sweet smell of small block 8 and marta sl... Timing on the frame and parts will be tight for Ouchita, but no problem for Cohutta and beyond.

Rebounding

I'm feeling better. Not great, but on the way back. The twelve inches of snow I had to shovel over the last two days isn't helping. The bummer thing is I can't even get out and ski...

I did set the cross bike up on the trainer. I was able to spin easy for an hour. I'm thinking another hour tomorrow as well. My spin on the cross bike reveals that it might be time for a new bottom bracket; lots of crunchy-grindy going on down there.

Dan Jansen just got back from a top-secret recon mission of the Ouchita course. He brought back important info regarding gearing for that race. Much thought is going into tire selection as well. After last years disappointing season, I'm looking forward to racing again, even if Ouchita is only 60 miles... :)

Yeah, sick... :(

Stuffy head, fever, chills, the whole encilada.

This sucks.

No riding tonight, and I suspect no long ride this weekend; just me sitting here, drowning in my own phlegm.

Crap.

Sick?

Not real sick, but I haven't felt right since Sunday. I woke up feeling weak and with stomach cramps. The cramps stayed with me all day Sunday and Monday. I felt better yesterday, but now I have kind a general weakness and a stuffy head. I felt good enough to spin yesterday, but only got in about an hour and a half.

Could be worse.

I'm supposed to ride with the Crazy Bastards tomorrow, but the weather is supposed to be real crap; ice then rain then more ice and snow. Could be epic, or it could just suck. We'll see.

I meant to say "metric century"...

JoeFro and I rode bikes yesterday. I rode the Quiring in full-on mtb mode: Ignigtor up front and nano out back and 34x15 gearing. Joe was sporting a sigulated cross bike with a pretty big gear and cross tires. The plan was for 100 miles of roads.

Well, the wind was blowing at around 20 mph dead out of the east. Our route (Ok, my route) had us going due east for the first 25 miles. It becase clear after about 10 miles that this plan was not going to work for me. We turned off the main road and made some headway by takeing a slightly more sheltered route. We got to a 'checkpoint' and I decided that we needed to ride with the wind for a while. Truth be told, I was feeling pretty bad at this point. My hands and feet started to get very cold, and I was thinking that home was looking pretty good. Joe, however, saved the day by saying "Well, we have to get at least 60 miles in, right?".

An alternative route was created. The chemical heaters in my shoes and gloves started to kick it, I sucked down more of the frozen Perpetum from my water bottle and things got a bit better. The wind was really hellatious; even as a crosswind it was not alot of fun. Eventually we turned west, and at last the wind was out friend. We were able to move along at a nice clip.

We ended up with 69.75 miles and just over 5 hours on the bike. I was a mess when we got back; a little Recoverite and half a frozen pizza were consumed. I clicked on the Tour of California, wrapped up in a couple of blankets and promptly fell asleep on the couch!

I did get up in time to head over to Little Mexico for some food and Clique Lanes for some bowling with the good folks from the Western Chapter of the MMBA. Good times were had by all; it turns out that I can't bowl worth a hoot! But Scott Chambers, that man is a God of Bowling. He has his own ball and one of those fancy wrist brace things. He was en fuego all night.

The lesson from this weekend: Don't get too used to riding a super-light cross bike if you think you want to race a durable singlespeed during the season! I plan to spend much more time on the mtb for the next month.

the b to the i to the k to the e

Did a nice ride with the Crazy Bastards last night. It was a bit chilly, but nothing like recent cold-weather epics. The warmer weather resulted in a longer ride; we were out for around 2.5 hours. Roads were mostly in good condition, with a few soft spots here and there to keep things interesting.

Planning a 100 miler for tomorrow: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=726555

At least one other fool seems game, so I won't have to spend the whole time talking to myself. The weather will be the x-factor: if it gets just a bit warmer than predicted and the snow holds off, this will be a nice ride. If it gets just a bit colder than predicted and/or the snow comes early, this could get interesting. Whatever, it beats working around the house... :)

In other news: Got my confirmation from Barbara at the Cohutta 100; approved the drawing for my new bike from the new bike sponsor; and ordered a shim for Jones HBar #2. Good times...

Training, on the Trainer

I did a massive lunge session on Monday, which put the hurt on legs already sore from the 3.5 hours of skiing on Sunday. Topped off that pain sandwich with two hours on the trainer yesterday. I tried to keep the resistance light and the revs high; it didn't help. I was in pretty bad shape by the end of the night. Nothing a cookie or two couldn't solve, however.

Some nice stretching tonight and riding with the Crazy Bastards tomorrow. I expect lots of mud and slop. Not ideal, but it means warmer weather is here, with actually decent temps in the near future.

Registration has been sent for Dirty Kanza, Ouchita and Cohutta. Race season is right around the corner.

Choices

Today I had to make a choice. I could go to the Y and do a double spin class. Or I could get out the skis and enjoy the great outdoors.

Yeah, I was on skis. I ended up with about 3.5 hours. The weather was great; mid 20's with bright sunshine. I felt good until the last half-hour. I was getting tired and had developed a blister on my left heel. I also did something to one of the toes on my right foot. So by the end, I was about ready to be done.

This should be a good week. Team spin on Tuesday, Crazy Bastards on Thursday with lifting in between. Not sure about the weekend; if the weather is a bit warmer then I'll ride 6-8 hours. If it's cold, then maybe another day of skiing will be on tap.

As I sit here, the Tour of California is on the TV. That reminds me that I will be in Italy during the Giro this year. If anybody has advice about renting a bike in Italy, I'd be happy to hear it. I plan to see Stage 17, which includes the monster climb up Monte Zoncalon. I hope to ride that climb the day after the stage, but after all the hassle I had when I took my bike to the TdF I need to rent a bike rather than haul mine over there. So speak up if you know a good place to rent a quality road bike in Trieste or Venice.

Home Again

I made it home from KY. It was a good trip, but I was ready to get back. I was able to keep my fitness up, but no time was spent on the bike. It looks like the weather is starting to break here in Michigan, so I plan to be out on the singlespeed more often. There are only five weeks till race season!

And I raaaan...

...I ran so far awayyyyy.

Ok, not so far away, since I was running on a treadmill in the hotel gym.

I did my best Dallas Sigurdur impression by running long, or at least long for me. I ran for an hour, at a pace that would have Dallas on the floor in stitches with laughter but felt like a workout for me. I'll lift hard tomorrow and ride the spin bike for two hours on Thursday. This is turning out to be not a bad work-out week, considering I am on the road.

Here's hoping the snow clears in Ohio so I can drive home Friday. There is a 100-mile stretch of highway that I need to use that I hear is closed because of the snow/sleet/flying monkey infestation. I don't got time to mess with no monkeys, is all I'm saying.

Valentine's Day is for Lovers...

...Especially Meat Lovers!

That was the sign that greeted my this morning at Denny's here in Lexington, KY. The worst part of travelling is the need to find decent food to eat. Strangely, that same Denny's served a passable grilled tilapia, rice and vegetables for dinner last night. Not great, but passable. Today I should be able to branch out and find something better.

Any suggestions for places to eat in Lexington, KY would be appreciated.

The gym at the hotel is passable. A couple treadmills, a spin bike and a multi-station weight machine. More than enough to get me through the week, and unlike the YMCA there is no waiting! I had hoped to bring a bike down here, but the weather just didn't justify it; cold rain or worse every day.

Training is coming along well. All I need now is for the temps to get about 32F so I can get in some good 6-12 rides. The power is there; now I just need to make sure the endurance is good to go.

Holy Mary, Mother of God...

...pray for us sinner now, and at the hour of out death. Amen.

Sorry, I'm so sore that I was smacked back to my Catholic upbringing. I just got done with a couple of hours of XC skiing. I have not skied in a year, and I have less than 10 hours of XC skiing ever. My legs are fine; about what I would expect after a couple of hours on the bike. My arms and shoulders are so sore that I can just tell that tomorrow is going to SUCK!

Anyway, I did a couple of hours on the bike on Thursday with the Crazy Bastards. It was pretty cold, maybe mid-teens. I hit the nail on the head as far as clothing was concerned; I was not too cold and I didn't sweat. I think I could have gone another two hours without a problem. That being said, I was just as happy to get to the bar and have a bite to eat and a beer after only two hours or so.

Next week I will be in Lexington, KY for work. I was my hope to bring a bike, but it looks like the weather will be cold and snowy. Pretty much like Michigan. In that case, I will be spending quite a bit of time after work in the hotel gym. I may or may not bring the bike and a trainer; time will tell.

How may I serve you?

Not much to report. It's cold and slippery, so riding outside is problematic. I was on the trainer on Tuesday with Scott and Dan. We watched another fighting movie; this one was called "The Protector". Lots of Thai kickboxing, which I understand is the sport of the future.

Even though it is still cold, I'll be out riding with the Crazy Bastards tonight. Rumor has it that the ride will be short and sweet. I don't like short rides, but I don't like loosing bits of my extremities to frost-bite.

It sounds like a group will be doing 3-4 hours on xc skis on Saturday. I have not had my skis out all year, so I should be hurting like a dog by the end of the day. Monday I'm off to Lexington, KY for a week. I was hoping it would be a chance to get some riding in, but it looks like I'm be sweating my arse off at the hotel 'gym'...

Blizzard

Rode with the crazy bastards on Thursday. It was cold, but not that cold. Good bunch of folks.

Today it is like 10 degrees outside, with lots of snow and 30 mph winds. I've shoveled the driveway twice, and it looks like it will need at least one more go. The weather is so bad that the YMCA is closed. Needless to say, I rode inside on the trainer.

I'm guessing more trainer time is in store for next week. I hope to get outside on Thursday, but otherwise I'll be up in the gym, just workin' on my fitness.