Monday, March 31, 2008

Hillsboro was it's usual kick in the sack.  If anyone hears me talk of entering next year's race you get a free pass to slap some sense into me.  I have nothing against the race.  Saturday was probably the best edition yet.  I am just tired of driving an hour and a half, getting my head bashed in, driving another hour and a half. then getting frustrated and wallowing in a funk for the rest of the weekend about how bad I suck.
 
What was the first sign this race was going to be yet another case of futility?  Late Friday night I got on the internets to look at the race flyer to make sure I knew the correct start time and to plan my morning schedule.  For whatever reason, I also went to 2wheeltech to look at the registration list.  Even now, I am not sure why I looked, since the 3/4's were sold out back in February. 
 
Regardless, I was mindlessly scanning the different categories.  After passing through the entire list of 3/4's, I did not see my name.  My first thought was that I simply overlooked my name in the quick scan down the list.  I did know I was one of the final ten riders to register so it should not have been to difficult to find my name. 
 
Another scan of the names still yielded no results.  Confusion crept into my mind.  I clearly remembered seeing my name after registering.  I decided to search again but used the computer's search function.  Still, there was no name.  Now, a little panic started to set in. 
 
Then I remembered receiving an email from 2wheeltech after registering for the race.  A search of my Inbox found that the email I received was notice that there was a problem and that I should contact 2wheeltech within 24 hours to save my spot.  Unfortunately, that was a month and a half ago.  Maybe I should have read that email when it arrived, instead of ignoring it.  After resigning myself to missing the race, I realized that I am an old fart and could race Masters if the field was not full.  There were still 28 spots open in Masters.  With my registration woes cleared up, I hopped into bed for some rest.  While laying in bed I remembered that I didn't renew my license until the end of February and I registered for Hillsboro in mid-February.  I am sure that 2wheeltech caught my non-renewal and booted me off the list.
 
Saturday morning I woke up my typically early way and prepared to leave earlier than normal so that I would be sure to get one of the remaining 28 slots.  I also needed to stop by the bank for some cash since I was no longer preregistered.  As the clock struck seven, I was walking out the door.  After driving over to the bank, I pull up to the ATM and find that it is out of service.  Super!  Not a big deal but it was another couple minutes wasted as I hunted down another ATM.  After gathering some cash I was back on the road. 
 
For the past several years I drove through downtown on my way to Hillsboro.  This year I chose to take I-255 and cross the JB Bridge into Illinois.  Heading northward, I reached the I-64 exit and got confused.  I knew I-55 to Chicago was the way to go but convinced myself at the last moment that I needed to take I-64 to get to I-55 even though there was no mention of Chicago on the street signs.  As soon as I made the turn onto I-64, it just didn't feel right.  The surroundings looked different than I remembered but I drove a little further.  Once I reached the O'Fallon I knew it was time to turn back.  There went another 5-10 minutes.  Thank goodness I left an hour early.
 
Things went smoothly from then on until race time.  The usual race instructions were given with a little more emphasis than usual placed on center line violations and off we went.  I had some shifting issues that shifted me to the back of the pack as we started down the first hill.  No worries, though, as I moved up a few places on the uphill and would continue trying to pick my way through the pack.  Unfortunately, we turned off the main road and the race was on and I was not prepared.  We were riding into a crosswind and immediately the front of the field echeloned across the two lane road and everybody else was strung out in the wrong lane looking for whatever draft was there.  Call me stupid, but I stubbornly elected to stay in the correct lane as the gap began to grow.  I'm not blaming the center line rule for my gasping lungs and seized up legs but it would have been nice to at least have had a chance of catching a draft off someone.  I am not a center line Nazi, especially on roads like these that have absolutely no markings on them.  If someone drifts a little more than they should, I understand.  But there really is no excuse for being on the far left edge of the road.  You know where you are when you are over there.  Those roads around Hillsboro are not heavily traveled but all it takes is one screw up and you have a bad situation on your hands.  The pack is going 25mph.  An oncoming vehicle is approaching about about 35-40mph.  That's an equivalent of 60-65mph.  The closing speed can be fast.  And, while the first people may see that oncoming vehicle, the 50 other people behind also have to get back into the right lane safely as well. 
 
Enough bellyaching.  I got gapped and blew up trying to catch back on and we were not even 4 miles into the race.  That was one of my race predictions on Friday.  Then came prediction #2... Put in a futile chase to keep the peloton in sight.  Down the hill, I passed Dodd who had blown.  Then, it was a VeloForce.  Then, a rider in red kit as we pulled up to a generic jersey. 
 
We began turns at the front until we reached our first small hill.  I opened a gap unintentionally.  My small hill training in Columbia apparently paid some dividends.  The other three worked there way back up to me and we settled into another rotation.  I led the group into the second small hill.  By the top, they were gone again but one of the three was close enough to possibly catch back on.  I wasn't in a mood to purposely sit up, though.  If he caught back on, fine, but that was up to him.  A few miles more and I picked off a couple more riders and left them behind and then another rider as we were getting closer to the main road again.  This guy had the legs to stick on my wheel and began to pull through once we reached Walshville Trail again.  He proved to be a useful partner. 
 
We picked up Marco, who had popped off the pack, and the three of us steadily brought back the main pack that seemed to have slowed on the small farm road diversion off of Walshville as they began to catch the 1/2's.  We turned back onto Walshville and were tantalizingly close to making the catch.  More than once, I considered a bridge attempt but we were making steady progress.  We stayed steady up the feed zone hill and started the second hill still within reach.  The legs were not so spry, however, and I gutted my way over but the field seemed to pull away and our chase partner had 60ft or so on me.  I was in recovery mode and then lost a water bottle as we hit the brick road.  That was enough to break my flagging will.  I turned around and Marco was picking up my bottle.  We rolled to the finish and into the parking lot.  Another wonderful day in Hillsboro.
 
Good things:  I was happy with my chase.
 
Bad things:  Much like Tuesday Nite, the initial fast pace put me in the red zone and popped me.  That needs to be fixed.


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Friday, March 28, 2008

In just under 17 hours I will be starting yet another Hillsboro-Roubaix DNF.

If this year is the same as past years I will just underdress just enough to make racing that little bit too uncomfortable. As we start the trek back into town, probably on the first lap, I will manage to get gapped. The gap may not be my own doing but the gap will happen. Desperately, I will chase into the crosswind and headwind. The gap will be shut down to about 30ft, when I will pop. At that point, the muther that has been on my wheel will dance around me, catch the tail of the pack and then go on to have a f'ing respectable finish. Meanwhile, I will be stewing in anger on my much too early drive home.

Yes, I have lived this story more than a few times.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The US Army World Domination Tues Nite crit was a complete ass-kicking.  No excuses, though.  Instead, I will just say that I was not prepared to race last night. 
 
The race seemed to start VERY fast.  My estimate on how fast would be... oh... from zero to cardiac arrest in three laps.  After soft-pedaling while the pack came back around the pace was more reasonable.  Since I was lapped, I chose to just sit on the back and not interfere.  Sitting on the back always sucks and it took its toll last night, as usual.  The cool air was killing my throat for some reason and I eventually pulled out and called it a day. 
 
Last night was not a confidence boost before Hillsboro, where I never do well anyway.  I am riding okay though and will chalk up last night's performance to being "one of those days".


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Monday, March 24, 2008

A handy group of eight of us showed up for Saturday's ride in IL.  There was much grumbling about the mid 30 temperatures after three straight sunny and successively warmer days.  Throw in the stiff wind and most of us were probably a little surly under our jovial exteriors. 
 
As soon as we left the parking lot, the pace quickened and then settled down as the winds took a toll.  I rolled to the front to give a break to those that had been in the wind.  I'm not sure how, but I looked back after a minute or two and there was a decent sized gap for some reason, so I sat up.  Maybe that unintentionally lit the blue touch paper because what followed was a series of 3 or 4 attacks that were dropping people and leaving the rest gasping for some air before we finally settled into a more sensible rhythm.  It was fun in an "I hate you and want to pummel your face...  Let's do it again." kind of way.
 
The remainder of the trip south was restrained except for the efforts needed to get through the occasional crossind sections of road.  As we reached Rte 156, Patrice rolled off the front a little in anticipation of the sprint to Harrisonville.  Unfortunately, I think we were the only two who were aware of the city limit sign.  He had a nice gap before I had cleared the unsuspecting riders and turned onto 156.  I mentioned to Aaron that there was a city limit sign and he got on my wheel, I guess.  To be honest, I never looked back and just started winding up the pace in what was a futile attempt to shut down Patrice before Harrisonville.  I did start gaining ground, however.  Patrice looked back a few times to see where I was.  My progress encouraged me to shift to a bigger gear and the gap shrunk steadily.  Frankly, I don't think Patrice was fully committed because I had no business gaining ground the way I was.  On the other hand, it's not like Patrice to not give full effort for a city limit.  Anyway, I made the catch shortly before the sign and then expected Aaron to come around and pip me at the line.  That never happened though.  Even today I am not sure what to make of that effort.  It felt good though.
 
Our return trip was full of delicious headwind.  The wind gave us a nice chance to work on some pacelining since we were more than willing to go to the front and peel off. 
 
After returning to Columbia, four of us headed out for a second, but different, loop that went north to start.  We were rather restrained on this loop.  The only obstacle of the day was the climb up Cement Haul Rd.  I set a basic tempo and felt comfy.  The comfort was the best part of the day's ride.  After several tweaks, I think I finally dialed in my setup.  My body was not stretched, squatting or scrunched.  Everything felt just about right.


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Saturday, March 22, 2008

Milan San Remo clip if you don't want to wait for the VS coverage.

Video
It's that time of year.  Time to make a prediction on the winner of Milan-San Remo.  I could make an easy choice like everybody and say Freire, Petacchi, Hushovd, Boonen, etc.  Just to mix things up a bit I will choose somebody that is off the radar and not among the hot favorites. 
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Gerald Ciolek

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Trivia Question:
 
Who was just promoted to the position of "Commander in the Order of the Ivory Coast Sporting Merit"?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Disturbing quote of the day:
"The Tirreno gave me the answers I hoped," said Pozzato. "Even if I did not get the victory I'm serene.

A serene rider should send alarms to UCI doping officials to test Pippo with all due haste.

------------
Rode the trainer for an hour tonight as I finished watching the 2005 Tour stage from Courcheval to Briancon. As Vinokourov and Botero (two formerly serene riders) began scaling the lower slopes of the Galibier I remembered that later up the mountain would be one of my two brief appearances on OLN.

Vino and Botero approached my position on the mountain and I began to wonder if I had missed seeing myself. As it turned out, it wasn't until the yellow jersey group came by that I could be seen running up the road, mooning the camera. Just kidding. I was fully kitted and taking pictures.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Last night I took my old frame and planned to lightly fasten my old 9-speed bottom bracket and cranks in the hope of moving slightly toward assembly of the future TT bike. For some reason, I could not tighten either the left or right side of the bottom bracket much more than one revolution before it started to bind up. I did not dare try and force the issue at all for fear of damaging the threads. I need to figure out why I cannot screw them in, though.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I rode solo today and felt very sluggish in the hills. Unfortunately, my route included a good number of hills including W. Outer 21, Hillcrest, Frisco Hill, E. Swaller, Rock Creek Valley, Saline and Romaine Creek. And along the way I saw enough sand on the roads to make a Hawaiian beach jealous.

Mapmyride says the route was just under 1300 ft of climbing. My legs would argue that I climbed 3000 ft. About mile 36 I ran across a group of 14-16 guys near the intersection of New and Old Sugar Creek. I wasn't about to turn around and tag along with them so I kept rolling and doing my thing in my own little hell.

Route

The longer I rode, the more I realized that my handlebars probably need to be lowered. By the time I reached Meramec Bottom I had begun to bonk. As usual, I forgot to take any food and had only drank a half bottle in 47 miles. My eyes were staring into space, my mind was foggy and I limped home over the four remaining hills. My back was absolutely killing by this point. I cannot fix those handlebars soon enough.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

I never really mentioned what I thought of the new bike. The differences are not that large since it was a change from one aluminum Cannondale to another.

My route did pass over a number of not-so-smooth subdivision roads and the rear wheel did seem to have a different feel. I can't quite decide on a word to explain the feel. Compliant seems to fit the bill. That is the purpose of the narrow seat stays, I suppose.

If I was to make a guess, my average speed will probably increase by approximately 8.237 mph.

Here are couple more Paris-Nice videos.
Stage 3 win by Kjell Carlstrom

Stage 4 finish on Mt Ventoux

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

My new bike was not ready until yesterday afternoon, so I drove up to the shop after dinner. The new 'dale looks mighty pretty. The boys did a nice job cleaning up all my gunky, old components and presented me with a lovely, shiny piece of silver aluminumosity.

Picking up the bike meant that I missed the first Tues Nite US Army World Domination crit of the year. With nothing better to do, I took the long way home by stopping by the park to catch some of the action. The A Race had just completed so I hung out for a while and watched the much abbreviated and lighting deprived B Race. Standing on the sidelines felt odd but next week I should be back out there getting to used to crits again.

This evening I had to get out for an hour and check out the new ride and make any tweaks to the bike setup. The handlebars seemed about spot on. The saddle however was about 1 3/4" to low. That felt very odd and was quickly changed. I still think I may need to raise the saddle by another 1/8" or so.

Next on the agenda is setting up the old frame as a TT bike. I bought the aerobars while picking up the new bike yesterday. I need to figure something out for the gruppo. My old 9-speed was a possibility but I parted a few of those pieces out. Not an issues that cannot be overcome.


Tuesday, March 11, 2008

If you are wanting to see a little Paris-Nice race action up to this point, try these links

Tyler Farrar crashing during the Prologue:
Video

Stage 1 finish in Nevers
Video

Catch of the day long solo breakaway by Intxausti of Saunier Duval and Flecha of Rabobank just before the summit of the final climb of the day.
Video


I came across these 'rules' today by accident. They are said to be written by Fausto Coppi to the Carpano-Coppi team, a squad that he helped form. Perhaps these are more common than I am aware, but I never saw them before. Rule 6 does not apply to non-professionals but even amateurs would do well to follow the other seven rules.

1.
Good manners are the first requisite of the rider.

2. Show your education by the control of your tongue and by your bearing. A rider doesn't have to be a dandy, but he could be properly dressed.

3. A rider must honor the engagements for which he has signed.

4. Courtesy is the sign of a rider conscious of his responsibilities.

5. Politeness is the foundation of all education.

6. The journalist is the representative of public opinion. The rider is responsible in contact with the Press for his own standing, and he should help it to do its job without ever seeking flattery.

7. Loyalty distinguishes a great rider, in competition and outside it.

8. A rider must control his nerves in all circumstances and must accept good and bad luck with equal serenity.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Oy vey!

My man Remy DiGregorio must not like flat, windy stages. Remy managed a strong 156th of 159 riders today during stage 1 of Paris-Nice and lost 13 min 4 seconds. It takes a special rider to lose 1 minute every 4.5 miles.

Tomorrow will be much better.

Time to list of a few more things that are right with pro cycling.

The Liggett and Sherwen Show - Phil and Paul have become the voice of cycling in America. Phil is still entertaining but, to be perfectly honest, Phil's not exactly on top of his game these days. He has covered the Tour for over 30 years and it shows. Nary a broadcast goes by without Phil endearingly referring to a current cyclist as someone from 70's or early 80's. How many times have the Simon's and Planckaert's been referred to as a father or uncle who raced when Phil had command of all his faculties. Paul plays the more straight-laced, former racer giving expert color commentary but he frequently unleashes some unintentionally humorous lines.

The Dutch zone on Alpe d'Huez - There is something endearing about fans from low-lying Holland claiming a section of road halfway up a mountain in eastern France as their own.

Seas of orange Basque fans - The dutch fans have Alpe d'Huez but the rowdy, orange clad, flag waving Basque fans own the Pyrenees with their loyalty

Dolomites - THE most spectacular area for racing in Europe.

high-tech carbon TT frames - sculpted sex on wheels

Victory salutes - The victory celebrations are often similar but everyone puts their own little spin on the moment. As much as the salute, the moment that a rider crosses the line the sheer joy of victory combined with utter exhaustion written on a the face of the rider is almost a study in human nature. Some of the more pre-planned salutes, like Sastre's baby nipple in the mouth, can be hokey but they are usually unique enough that they become somewhat famous.
I found some motivation to ride this weekend.  Saturday morning was a ridiculous 18 degrees.  Even if I had a rideable bike I would not have gone riding outdoors.  Riding in those temperatures are unpleasant enough in January.  In March, I refuse to brave those conditions and watch my toes turn purple again.  Having the road bike in the shop had its advantages this weekend.  Instead, I threw the CX bike on the trainer and did an hour on Saturday and another 2 hrs on Sunday.  Two reasonably productive workouts.  Daylight savings has started, the Tues Nite Worlds start tomorrow and suddenly this week's forecast is looking warmer.  I am smelling spring.
 
Cyclysm Sunday Quote of the Day:  Paul Sherwen gets this week's award for referring to Thor Hushovd as "...a big carcass of a man"
 
Stage 1 of Paris-Nice today has been shortened to 93km because of windy, rainy conditions.  My prediction for the day...  Bjarne Riis is going to have CSC go to the front after the first climb and put the race in the gutter for a few km's and blow the peloton to pieces in a crosswind.


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Saturday, March 08, 2008

Fabian Cancellara after winning Monte Paschi Eroica today, "I think that they are working against cycling – UCI and ASO. They are only thinking about themselves and not looking for our interests, the cyclists and the sport. With doping problems, this just adds further problems. It is a big piece of shit – sorry to say."

Bingo bango, Fabian.

Friday, March 07, 2008

It was brought to my attention today that April is my month to keep an eye on how things are running during the weekend. This is always a little inconvenient but I can usually sneak away for rides or a race except for one weekend of the month where it is important that I stay vigilant for any problems that occur especially all day on Saturday.

Unfortunately, as I discovered today, that weekend is the same as the new Tour of Hermann. A race that I was really looking forward to racing. After the initial disappointment, I began thinking of ways I might be able to race a little. Sunday would normally provide a slight chance of me sneaking away for a few hours. I would miss the TT on Saturday, but maybe still salvage the road race. That idea went out the window when it was also decided to do a computer system upgrade on Sunday.

Thanks a lot, guys.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

I stopped by the shop after work and dropped my bike off to have the components swapped over to the new frame. Dirk happened to drag the boxed frame out and inside was the mostly silver frame. In the meantime, I will be rolling on the 'cross frame.



A few weeks ago I could not wait to be able to get on the bike and ride.  Now that I am relatively well I seem to be lacking in motivation.  While at work I make plans to ride but when I get home I am tired enough that I just want to lay around.  I need to change some sleeping habits or maybe take my freaking skirt off and just get on the bike.
 
On the local message board there a post about an unsanctioned ride/race in Portland that is supposed to pay homage to the Tour of Flanders.  The Portland ride is about 45 miles with a bunch of hills.  It sounds fun and definitely challenging.  But, if you want a scary glimpse into my mind, there was something about the name they chose that bothered me. 
 
I could not quite put a finger on the problem until last night.  They named the "race" De Ronde van Oeste Portlandia.  The name is a cute and catchy take off on the real race's name.  The Portlandia name is supposed to sound something like the Flandria region of Belgium, I guess.  What was bothering me about the name?  Flandria is the French name for Flanders and few Dutch speaking Flemish people would call their region of Belgium as Flandria.  Also, 'oeste' is the French word for west.  The Dutch word for west is... west.  If the organizers want to more accurately name the race it should be something like De Ronde van West Portlaanderen.


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Sunday, March 02, 2008

What motivates people to leave their dogs run free? My best guess is simple laziness. What purpose is served by not tying them up? All that is done is exposing them to dangers. There is a greater of risk of getting in a fight. A greater risk of being hit by a car. And, maybe I'm talking out of my arse, but a greater risk of exposing owner to financial responsibility. Is that worth not taking thirty seconds to hook your dog to a chain?

As cyclists, we assume plenty of risk when we take to the road. Incidents with cars are probably the most common and dangerous encounters we have. We largely put our lives in driver's hands. The one thing that eases concerns is the belief that virtually no one really wants to harm another person riding along on a bike. They may be inattentive or buzz by you but I cant believe they WANT to hit you.

That brings us back to dogs. Dogs are often playful and mean no harm. They will chase and run alongside but most of the time do nothing. The problem is that, while people may not want to do harm, who knows what is going through a dog's mind. And even the dog only wants to be friendly, it has no idea what its actions may cause.

That brings us to yesterday, near Waterloo. Three dogs were standing on a small hill by a house. We approach and they come bounding down the hill and onto the road. Marco and I pick up the pace and move by but one dog apparently stopped right in from of Patrice. Thankfully I didn't witness the faceplant into pavement as it happened. It was a hard crash that even broke his left cleat.

Tie your dogs up, people.