12.26.2007
12.23.2007
Athletes of the Northern Hemisphere- Rejoice!
As I watched the setting yellow moon on my way to the Phoenix Airport early this morning, I realized a beautiful thing. The Winter Solstice has passed. A little more daylight every day for the next 6 months.
I celebrated with my longest training ride of the last four months and some seasonal ales. I didn't leave the house to ride until later, but props to Arizonian's stubbornness about that whole Daylight Savings thing- I could ride outside past 5 p.m. on the shortest day of the year. It was like an early Christmas present.
I celebrated with my longest training ride of the last four months and some seasonal ales. I didn't leave the house to ride until later, but props to Arizonian's stubbornness about that whole Daylight Savings thing- I could ride outside past 5 p.m. on the shortest day of the year. It was like an early Christmas present.
12.18.2007
O-Town
It's been a busy week. The lovely Rosa Linda and I jumped in the car last Friday and dashed up to Oakland both for my little sister's graduation and to see her new house. I can't decide what's bigger: graduating or being a home owner? (and in California, no less!) It was great to finally get up to her neck of the woods, but the 5.5 hour drive on the I-5 through central California... not so great. I forgot just how desolate it is. Fortunately, Rosa kept me entertained with sweet serenades... Take a good luck at this picture:
For the younger readers, what she's holding is a cassette tape. Larger than an iPod, that baby has music on both sides, and up to a whopping 120 minutes! Now you older readers, see who's on the cover? Oh yes, it's the New Kids On The Block Christmas album. Rosa dug this baby out from deep within her glove box, popped it in, and opened up the liner notes to sing along. I told her to stop the ruse. I knew she didn't need the liner...... and she didn't. She knew every single word. Fortunately she showed some mercy and only subjected me to three songs.
For the younger readers, what she's holding is a cassette tape. Larger than an iPod, that baby has music on both sides, and up to a whopping 120 minutes! Now you older readers, see who's on the cover? Oh yes, it's the New Kids On The Block Christmas album. Rosa dug this baby out from deep within her glove box, popped it in, and opened up the liner notes to sing along. I told her to stop the ruse. I knew she didn't need the liner...... and she didn't. She knew every single word. Fortunately she showed some mercy and only subjected me to three songs.
12.14.2007
"I know I saw that chopper..."
-Captain Murphy, Sealab 2021
Yesterday I snuck out for a Coach Farrell "hour of power" on the LA River bike path, which runs along the I-5 interstate, and I was amazed at the lack of traffic on the 5. Then, as I rode a little further down the path I noticed the helicopters circling overhead... oh man.
Sigh... I suppose it was only a matter of time before the LA networks learned of the new ABD/Gear Grinder Pro Development Team and would want the story straight from me... these interviews were really going to put a damper on my training....bummer I wasn't in a new kit yet for my close up... at least I was really hungry so dropping a reference for how I was starving for Qdoba would be easy... maybe I should take a cue from Burgundy and give 'em free tickets to the Gun Show?
But alas, it was actually some moron who'd stolen a Mustang and lead the police on their daily high speed chase that attracted the vulturous News birds. I mean c'mon, what news is that, especially in LA? The guy was in the Northbound lanes when he stopped too- he wasn't even headed to Mexico like any self respecting criminal. Sheesh...
Guess I'll have to wait just a little longer for those 15 minutes.
Yesterday I snuck out for a Coach Farrell "hour of power" on the LA River bike path, which runs along the I-5 interstate, and I was amazed at the lack of traffic on the 5. Then, as I rode a little further down the path I noticed the helicopters circling overhead... oh man.
Sigh... I suppose it was only a matter of time before the LA networks learned of the new ABD/Gear Grinder Pro Development Team and would want the story straight from me... these interviews were really going to put a damper on my training....bummer I wasn't in a new kit yet for my close up... at least I was really hungry so dropping a reference for how I was starving for Qdoba would be easy... maybe I should take a cue from Burgundy and give 'em free tickets to the Gun Show?
But alas, it was actually some moron who'd stolen a Mustang and lead the police on their daily high speed chase that attracted the vulturous News birds. I mean c'mon, what news is that, especially in LA? The guy was in the Northbound lanes when he stopped too- he wasn't even headed to Mexico like any self respecting criminal. Sheesh...
Guess I'll have to wait just a little longer for those 15 minutes.
12.07.2007
You Think You're Tough?
The following showed up in my inbox the other day courtesy of former ABD'er Pete Hill... and makes me feel like a total wimp.
It's official I've gotten enough responses that the first Dubuque to Dyersville to Dubuque Winter Survival Race (TripleD for short) is on for January 19Th I'll be posting updates and flyers for this event in the days to come... However, below is the critical information that you'll need to know right now:
Please forward this to all that you know who bike, run, ski, snowshoe. This event is more about completing it, than it is a race, but a race it is...
Bike (~60 miles Dubuque to Dyersville and back + some) Foot [Run/Ski] (~20 miles Dyersville to Dubuque) Estimated finish time between 5 - 10 hours.
Rules and deadlines:
1. Registration with check or money order must be received by December 26th. See Address below.
2. Hotel reservations must be made prior to December 26th! This is critical! We have a great rate for all... see Hotel Information below. This is a great race to bring the family along to, let them enjoy the resort while you enjoy... well you get the idea. Need to specify that you are with this event to receive the discounted rooms. 3. Entry fee is only $40 for all categories (tandems, if your crazy enough to attempt this is $40 total, if you decide the day of the race to ride singles the other rider must pay $40 - this is the only exception to pre registration).
4. There are multiple categories (Bike and foot [run, snowshoe, ski, etc.]
5. The bike course will be a full 60+ miles. The non-bike category is will most likely be somewhere around 20 miles. 6. No refunds will be allowed. However, you may change categories the day of the race.
7. Sign in will be at 10 am on January 19th in the Platinum B suite at the Grand Harbor resort (Dubuque, Iowa) Directions will be posted in the near future (its next to the river boat casino). You will be required to sign a release form at this time. Also, it is recommended that you carry a cell phone, and include this on your registration form. We will use these if you go missing from an eta checkpoint.
8. Pre race meeting will also be held in the Platinum B suite at 11 am. Bikers, you will then have about 45 min afterwards to get ready. All foot racers (ski, run) will be transported to the "Heritage Trail" Dyersville Trailhead where they will also start at 12:00 noon. 9. Race will start at 12 Noon sharp. For the bikers in the parking ramp of the Grand River Center (across the street) from the resort and connected with a sky walk. Runners and Skiers at the Dyersville Trailhead. 10. No outside help from anyone except other racers. This means that there are no support crews of any kind. If you take a ride, you are forfeiting your right to finish the race and you must contact race officials to notify us when/where you are dropping out of the race and if you need one of the sag vehicles to pick you up. However, participants are encouraged to help each other. The buddy system is a good way to do this race. 11. Any combination of forward motion is allowed (i.e., skiers can run, runners can snow shoe, bikers can push, etc.). No towing/pushing other racers, you can assist them but not in the forward direction. 12. No littering (and no stashes). This should be obvious but it is so important to us that we thought we should put it in the rules. Leave no trace. Make use of sanitation facilities provided along the trail (there are a couple of restrooms on Heritage trail and at the trail heads in Dubuque and Dyersville. Bring your own t.p. just incase. If you start with a bike or ski's you'd better finish with them.
13. If you leave the race course for some reason, you must re-enter the course exactly where you left it or notify race officials that you are dropping out as soon as is feasible. Short-cutting the course is not allowed and may be grounds for disqualification, at the discretion of the Race Director, at minimum you will be required to buy a round of drinks for those you didn't take your route.
14. Stop at all intersections and obey traffic laws. 15. The course will be marked and maps will be provided (GPS and cycling computers are allowed - but temperatures may prevent them from working). 16. There will be no cut off time! This race is about finishing! However, we will have sag available. It is recommended that everyone have two lights: a. white head light, b. red flashing tail light (even foot category racers).
17. Stay safe, stay warm, warn other trail users when passing, etc... 18. Awards will be given for first place in each category (categories TBD, but they will be something like [Male/Female], [Bike/Tandem/Ski/Foot], etc. ).
19. Awards will take place at 10 PM on the 19th (Platinum B suite). Yes, it late, but your staying at the hotel anyway... and some of you may just be finishing.
20. Numbered tickets will be given to all starters. Additional tickets will be issued to finishers. The better you finish the more tickets. We will then give away all race profits lottery style. Exactly the same as the Colesburg 40 Gravel Race. I estimate based on the number of "Yes" replies that I received that we will have about $500 to work with. However this could be much higher if you pass the word... race expenses will be kept to an absolute minimum, no profits to anybody (expenses include: insurance, trail access fees, shuttle, sag, course markings, beer, etc.)
Send $40 per person to:
Triple D c/o
Lance Andre
1735 Eden Lane
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4027
Must be received by December 26th roster will be updated daily.
Race Director Contact Information:
(563) 543-2784
(800) 678-6565 ext 3166 (9-5 m-f)
It's official I've gotten enough responses that the first Dubuque to Dyersville to Dubuque Winter Survival Race (TripleD for short) is on for January 19Th I'll be posting updates and flyers for this event in the days to come... However, below is the critical information that you'll need to know right now:
Please forward this to all that you know who bike, run, ski, snowshoe. This event is more about completing it, than it is a race, but a race it is...
Bike (~60 miles Dubuque to Dyersville and back + some) Foot [Run/Ski] (~20 miles Dyersville to Dubuque) Estimated finish time between 5 - 10 hours.
Rules and deadlines:
1. Registration with check or money order must be received by December 26th. See Address below.
2. Hotel reservations must be made prior to December 26th! This is critical! We have a great rate for all... see Hotel Information below. This is a great race to bring the family along to, let them enjoy the resort while you enjoy... well you get the idea. Need to specify that you are with this event to receive the discounted rooms. 3. Entry fee is only $40 for all categories (tandems, if your crazy enough to attempt this is $40 total, if you decide the day of the race to ride singles the other rider must pay $40 - this is the only exception to pre registration).
4. There are multiple categories (Bike and foot [run, snowshoe, ski, etc.]
5. The bike course will be a full 60+ miles. The non-bike category is will most likely be somewhere around 20 miles. 6. No refunds will be allowed. However, you may change categories the day of the race.
7. Sign in will be at 10 am on January 19th in the Platinum B suite at the Grand Harbor resort (Dubuque, Iowa) Directions will be posted in the near future (its next to the river boat casino). You will be required to sign a release form at this time. Also, it is recommended that you carry a cell phone, and include this on your registration form. We will use these if you go missing from an eta checkpoint.
8. Pre race meeting will also be held in the Platinum B suite at 11 am. Bikers, you will then have about 45 min afterwards to get ready. All foot racers (ski, run) will be transported to the "Heritage Trail" Dyersville Trailhead where they will also start at 12:00 noon. 9. Race will start at 12 Noon sharp. For the bikers in the parking ramp of the Grand River Center (across the street) from the resort and connected with a sky walk. Runners and Skiers at the Dyersville Trailhead. 10. No outside help from anyone except other racers. This means that there are no support crews of any kind. If you take a ride, you are forfeiting your right to finish the race and you must contact race officials to notify us when/where you are dropping out of the race and if you need one of the sag vehicles to pick you up. However, participants are encouraged to help each other. The buddy system is a good way to do this race. 11. Any combination of forward motion is allowed (i.e., skiers can run, runners can snow shoe, bikers can push, etc.). No towing/pushing other racers, you can assist them but not in the forward direction. 12. No littering (and no stashes). This should be obvious but it is so important to us that we thought we should put it in the rules. Leave no trace. Make use of sanitation facilities provided along the trail (there are a couple of restrooms on Heritage trail and at the trail heads in Dubuque and Dyersville. Bring your own t.p. just incase. If you start with a bike or ski's you'd better finish with them.
13. If you leave the race course for some reason, you must re-enter the course exactly where you left it or notify race officials that you are dropping out as soon as is feasible. Short-cutting the course is not allowed and may be grounds for disqualification, at the discretion of the Race Director, at minimum you will be required to buy a round of drinks for those you didn't take your route.
14. Stop at all intersections and obey traffic laws. 15. The course will be marked and maps will be provided (GPS and cycling computers are allowed - but temperatures may prevent them from working). 16. There will be no cut off time! This race is about finishing! However, we will have sag available. It is recommended that everyone have two lights: a. white head light, b. red flashing tail light (even foot category racers).
17. Stay safe, stay warm, warn other trail users when passing, etc... 18. Awards will be given for first place in each category (categories TBD, but they will be something like [Male/Female], [Bike/Tandem/Ski/Foot], etc. ).
19. Awards will take place at 10 PM on the 19th (Platinum B suite). Yes, it late, but your staying at the hotel anyway... and some of you may just be finishing.
20. Numbered tickets will be given to all starters. Additional tickets will be issued to finishers. The better you finish the more tickets. We will then give away all race profits lottery style. Exactly the same as the Colesburg 40 Gravel Race. I estimate based on the number of "Yes" replies that I received that we will have about $500 to work with. However this could be much higher if you pass the word... race expenses will be kept to an absolute minimum, no profits to anybody (expenses include: insurance, trail access fees, shuttle, sag, course markings, beer, etc.)
Send $40 per person to:
Triple D c/o
Lance Andre
1735 Eden Lane
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4027
Must be received by December 26th roster will be updated daily.
Race Director Contact Information:
(563) 543-2784
(800) 678-6565 ext 3166 (9-5 m-f)
12.05.2007
Training Tip
Educate, assuage, and/or aggravate the power of your constitutional right-to-vote by checking out some of these links for your next training playlist. They can all be downloaded to your computer or preferred media player.
Video or Audio of both Republican and Democratic Forums held in September
Audio of the Democratic Debates held last night.
Video of the Republican debate from last Wednesday
They don't have the driving power of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning", but there's bound to be something that will get you going... yelling back at your computer or iPod is optional.
Video or Audio of both Republican and Democratic Forums held in September
Audio of the Democratic Debates held last night.
Video of the Republican debate from last Wednesday
They don't have the driving power of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning", but there's bound to be something that will get you going... yelling back at your computer or iPod is optional.
12.02.2007
Without Further Ado: back to bike racing
ABD/Gear Grinder announce 2008 Pro Development Team
ABD Cycling, based in the Chicago suburbs, and Gear Grinder Cycling, based in Milwaukee are partnering to sponsor a Midwest-based Pro Development Team in 2008. The team will compete in the region's biggest events and target select NRC races with the goal of reclaiming the top spot for an amateur team in the NRC rankings.
The 2008 ABD/Gear Grinder PDT jersey, designed by Dave Hornung at Graphic Center.
ABD Cycling, based in the Chicago suburbs, and Gear Grinder Cycling, based in Milwaukee are partnering to sponsor a Midwest-based Pro Development Team in 2008. The team will compete in the region's biggest events and target select NRC races with the goal of reclaiming the top spot for an amateur team in the NRC rankings.
The ABD Team, part of the 200 member ABD Cycle Club, finished as the number one amateur team in the NRC rankings two years ago and 10 riders have come out of ABD's Elite squads to move to the professional ranks or the US National team.
Gear Grinder Cycling is the new name of PCW Cycling, one of Wisconsin’s largest cycling organizations, created by cyclists Paul Weaver and Rob Boldt ten years ago to promote all facets of cycling, with an emphasis on mountain biking, road bike, triathlons and cyclocross racing. Nearly 130 athletes strong, PCW has developed and supported top riders such as Megan Monroe (Spot Bikes), Travis Woodruff (Momentum Endurance), Tristan Schouten (Trek VW), Brian Matter (Gear Grinder Cycling), Brian Schaning (Timex Triathlon) and Chad Melis (Spot Bikes).
“Sponsoring and promoting competitive and recreational teams and events enables people of all fitness levels to satisfy their desire for competition, fitness and fun,” says Gear Grinder Cycling team leader Paul Weaver. “ABD is of that same belief, and together we can create greater awareness of the benefits the sport of cycling offers.”
Cyclists Pat Peery and Dan Mahlik join Weaver and Boldt to extend the Gear Grinder brand, launching in early 2008 a line of cycling-inspired apparel for consumers’ active lifestyles.
“Cycling is more than a way to stay fit or a means to get to a destination, it’s a feeling that just envelops you…the inspiration for the Gear Grinder brand comes from that bicycling culture,” says Weaver.
Equally important to supporting the club and keeping the team competitive, the Gear Grinder brand extension will donate to organizations that utilize the bicycle to inspire and educate our youth, provide opportunities for underprivileged children, protect the environment and promote health and wellness.
Says Weaver, “ABD shares in Gear Grinder’s philosophy that we each have a responsibility to give back more than we take out. Both teams are focused and goal-oriented so our combined effort will not only develop stronger riders but benefit those in our communities as well.
"Gear Grinder's philosophy of giving back to the cycling community is the perfect extension of ABD goal to make the sport of cycling fun and accessible for all riders", said ABD president Mike Farrell.
Gear Grinder's support insures the team's continued success and extends to adding two strong riders to the roster. The White twins, Rob and Ryan, both bring horsepower and a strong finishing kick to complement team sprinter Josh Carter, who in 2007 took ABD's first Superweek win and a silver medal at the US National Criterium Championship. The team has also added John Meyers from the Turin squad, who at 21 is now the youngest rider on the team. "John reminds me a lot of former ABD'ers Reid Mumford(KBS/MEdifast) and Bryce Mead(Jelly Belly), and not just because he's a foot taller than me!", says team manager Mike Ebert, "The really exciting thing is that he's still so young."
Qdoba Mexican Grill is another new sponsor to the program. "Qdoba is the perfect sponsor for a team that is always on the road and needs quick, healthy food choices," adds Ebert. With 44 locations already in Illinois and Wisconsin the team will never need to look far for refueling.
In 2008 the team will ride LeMond Triomphe Ultimate frames outfitted with Bontrager wheels and components and rolling on Serfas tires. Serfas Optics will also provide eyewear and other returning sponsors include PowerBar, Emergen-C and Voler Team apparel. The team will train on CycleOps PowerTaps under the coaching of Julie Carter.
ABD/Gear Grinder Pro Development Team roster:
Josh Carter Fairview Heights, IL
Mike Ebert Glendale, CA
Rob Jungels Elmhurst, IL
John Meyers Barrington, IL
Jeff Schroetlin Decatur, IL
Alex Sharon Wheaton, IL
Brett Stewart Munster, IN
Rob White Brown Deer, WI
Ryan White Lomira, WI
Gear Grinder Cycling is the new name of PCW Cycling, one of Wisconsin’s largest cycling organizations, created by cyclists Paul Weaver and Rob Boldt ten years ago to promote all facets of cycling, with an emphasis on mountain biking, road bike, triathlons and cyclocross racing. Nearly 130 athletes strong, PCW has developed and supported top riders such as Megan Monroe (Spot Bikes), Travis Woodruff (Momentum Endurance), Tristan Schouten (Trek VW), Brian Matter (Gear Grinder Cycling), Brian Schaning (Timex Triathlon) and Chad Melis (Spot Bikes).
“Sponsoring and promoting competitive and recreational teams and events enables people of all fitness levels to satisfy their desire for competition, fitness and fun,” says Gear Grinder Cycling team leader Paul Weaver. “ABD is of that same belief, and together we can create greater awareness of the benefits the sport of cycling offers.”
Cyclists Pat Peery and Dan Mahlik join Weaver and Boldt to extend the Gear Grinder brand, launching in early 2008 a line of cycling-inspired apparel for consumers’ active lifestyles.
“Cycling is more than a way to stay fit or a means to get to a destination, it’s a feeling that just envelops you…the inspiration for the Gear Grinder brand comes from that bicycling culture,” says Weaver.
Equally important to supporting the club and keeping the team competitive, the Gear Grinder brand extension will donate to organizations that utilize the bicycle to inspire and educate our youth, provide opportunities for underprivileged children, protect the environment and promote health and wellness.
Says Weaver, “ABD shares in Gear Grinder’s philosophy that we each have a responsibility to give back more than we take out. Both teams are focused and goal-oriented so our combined effort will not only develop stronger riders but benefit those in our communities as well.
"Gear Grinder's philosophy of giving back to the cycling community is the perfect extension of ABD goal to make the sport of cycling fun and accessible for all riders", said ABD president Mike Farrell.
Gear Grinder's support insures the team's continued success and extends to adding two strong riders to the roster. The White twins, Rob and Ryan, both bring horsepower and a strong finishing kick to complement team sprinter Josh Carter, who in 2007 took ABD's first Superweek win and a silver medal at the US National Criterium Championship. The team has also added John Meyers from the Turin squad, who at 21 is now the youngest rider on the team. "John reminds me a lot of former ABD'ers Reid Mumford(KBS/MEdifast) and Bryce Mead(Jelly Belly), and not just because he's a foot taller than me!", says team manager Mike Ebert, "The really exciting thing is that he's still so young."
Qdoba Mexican Grill is another new sponsor to the program. "Qdoba is the perfect sponsor for a team that is always on the road and needs quick, healthy food choices," adds Ebert. With 44 locations already in Illinois and Wisconsin the team will never need to look far for refueling.
In 2008 the team will ride LeMond Triomphe Ultimate frames outfitted with Bontrager wheels and components and rolling on Serfas tires. Serfas Optics will also provide eyewear and other returning sponsors include PowerBar, Emergen-C and Voler Team apparel. The team will train on CycleOps PowerTaps under the coaching of Julie Carter.
ABD/Gear Grinder Pro Development Team roster:
Josh Carter Fairview Heights, IL
Mike Ebert Glendale, CA
Rob Jungels Elmhurst, IL
John Meyers Barrington, IL
Jeff Schroetlin Decatur, IL
Alex Sharon Wheaton, IL
Brett Stewart Munster, IN
Rob White Brown Deer, WI
Ryan White Lomira, WI
Team Coach: Julie Carter
Team Manager: Mike Ebert
ABD/Gear Grinder riders stop by Prairie Path Cycles' Batavia location to pick up their 2008 LeMond Victoires. From left to right: Brett Stewart, Rob White, Josh Carter, John Meyers, Ryan White and Rob Jungels. (Not pictured: Alex Sharon, Jeff Schroetlin and Mike Ebert)
Team Manager: Mike Ebert
ABD/Gear Grinder riders stop by Prairie Path Cycles' Batavia location to pick up their 2008 LeMond Victoires. From left to right: Brett Stewart, Rob White, Josh Carter, John Meyers, Ryan White and Rob Jungels. (Not pictured: Alex Sharon, Jeff Schroetlin and Mike Ebert)
The 2008 ABD/Gear Grinder PDT jersey, designed by Dave Hornung at Graphic Center.
11.30.2007
Guess What I had for Thanksgiving?
It was a traditional Riveras/San Marchi Thanksgiving for Rosa and I. We rounded up the cutest dog we could find and cooked it.Not really, of course- but that's what Rosa's sister gets for naming her Chihuahua puppy "Porkchop". When Rick DeMoan heard of such a name, his immediate reaction was "It needs a brother named Meatball".
Countless jokes can be made about a 6 pound dog named after a meat product, but the title goes to our family friend Emilio. Amongst a room full of Dog lovers, on Thanksgiving night Emilio maintained a steady stream of perfectly timed yet subtle references to kidnapping, sedating, seasoning, and cooking said animal. They were so subtle that it often took 10 of 15 seconds for someone to ask, "did you really just say that?"... It was priceless.
The blog will get back to bike racing soon, I promise. Most of my time over the last month has been dedicated to what ABD has in store for next year, and I finally get to start talking about it!
11.27.2007
Two Rides in Two Months
Mark it down, it's a streak...
Rode for a whopping 75 minutes yesterday, but managed to sneak in 1,000 feet of climbing at 300+ watts. Since I've been running 30 to 60 minutes a shot my fitness is coming around pretty quickly...
"Don't call it a comeback/ I been here for years" -LL Cool J
Rode for a whopping 75 minutes yesterday, but managed to sneak in 1,000 feet of climbing at 300+ watts. Since I've been running 30 to 60 minutes a shot my fitness is coming around pretty quickly...
"Don't call it a comeback/ I been here for years" -LL Cool J
11.21.2007
Travel, travel, travel
The view to the right? That's Glendale, about a mile up the mountain from our house. I've started running to maximize the amount of time I have to workout and get my body back in shape. If I leave the house and start running I'll make it to this view in about 10 minutes- pretty sweet. The cluster of buildings to the left-of-middle is downtown Glendale, the skyline in the center is downtown LA, and the mountain pouring into the right side of the frame is Griffith Park.I actually got lost running up this mountain yesterday-which was pretty funny. I came up the back side of the mountain, took one wrong turn, and ended up descending another couple miles away from the apartment. It's always fun seeing parts of your own neighborhood you've never seen... but not when it involves 500 feet of elevation gain and doubles your run time!
My time has been limited by a lot of things lately- primarily just playing catch up after a two-month leave of absence, but also due to the travel. Although I was back in Glendale for a whopping three weeks it was a complete, fun whirlwind that included a guaranteed, good-time trip to the Santa Ynez wine country. Then last Thursday I jumped on a plane to Chicago, had a handful of ABD meetings, caught up with family and friends Friday night at the "Team Betty" dinner party for everyone that helped take care of Grandma, drove to Wisconsin on Saturday for a delicious, home-raised Turkey dinner with the Ebert/Vriezens, drove back to Chicago on Sunday (I love that drive), and jumped a plane back to Burbank Sunday night in time to throw the bags in the car Tuesday morning to drive to Phoenix... where I'm writing from now. Did I unpack? Heck, no! I just packed my Chicago bag inside a bigger bag with some dirty clothes to boot. Were staying with Cathy, Rosa's mom, and she'd prefer we get to town a few hours earlier to hang out then staying home to finish laundry. Works for us, and way better than $1.75 a load and the chance to get yelled at in Armenian for something. (Another story- Rosa was accused of stealing laundry money... she thinks).
And through all that rush? It's been super easy to just throw the running shoes in the bag. I better get out there.
11.07.2007
O'Neill...
One question:
Why the hell is a professional cyclist prescribed appetite suppressants?
Nevermind, two questions...
And why do the UCI and WADA ok Phentermine as long as the athletes aren't in competition?
10.29.2007
That familiar uncomfortableness
Yesterday I rode my bike for an hour, spandex and all-- but not until after spending 30 minutes mowing down the foliage that had spread over my legs.
We live in pretty tight quarters here on Stocker Street, so I automatically think of that famous leg-shaving scene from Breaking Away when I'm sitting in my kitchen with the clippers in hand and a leg propped up on the trash can... and my neighbors walk by. What do they think of Rosa and I? I disappear for months at a time, then upon my return, mow down my legs with hair clippers in preparation to leave the house everyday wearing an outfit tighter and stretchier than a superhero's?
More importantly than what the neighbors think, what do my muscles think after clipping in and turning the pedals for the first time since Downer's Grove? They seemed to remember the drill well enough, but my sit bones are wildly protesting the return to the bike. That's my own fault though, as back in August I'd put my comfy Serfas Furano saddle on another bike to test it out... and when I went for my ride yesterday I had just some standard OEM saddle on the bike- dumb.
And for anyone wondering about the SoCal fires, we're pretty lucky here in Glendale. It sounds like the folks in San Diego have it really tough, but they are finally getting to go home and return to school. Fortunately for us, none of the blazes are too close to us and the smoke isn't too bad in our immediate area. There are quite a few mountain rides that I'll be putting on hold though.
Last but certainly not least, huge props to Jim Nowak and the ABD crew for pulling off our first 'Cross race! Thanks to the over 170 riders that came out and ran around Sunrise Park for the day!
We live in pretty tight quarters here on Stocker Street, so I automatically think of that famous leg-shaving scene from Breaking Away when I'm sitting in my kitchen with the clippers in hand and a leg propped up on the trash can... and my neighbors walk by. What do they think of Rosa and I? I disappear for months at a time, then upon my return, mow down my legs with hair clippers in preparation to leave the house everyday wearing an outfit tighter and stretchier than a superhero's?
More importantly than what the neighbors think, what do my muscles think after clipping in and turning the pedals for the first time since Downer's Grove? They seemed to remember the drill well enough, but my sit bones are wildly protesting the return to the bike. That's my own fault though, as back in August I'd put my comfy Serfas Furano saddle on another bike to test it out... and when I went for my ride yesterday I had just some standard OEM saddle on the bike- dumb.
And for anyone wondering about the SoCal fires, we're pretty lucky here in Glendale. It sounds like the folks in San Diego have it really tough, but they are finally getting to go home and return to school. Fortunately for us, none of the blazes are too close to us and the smoke isn't too bad in our immediate area. There are quite a few mountain rides that I'll be putting on hold though.
Last but certainly not least, huge props to Jim Nowak and the ABD crew for pulling off our first 'Cross race! Thanks to the over 170 riders that came out and ran around Sunrise Park for the day!
10.25.2007
Aaannd, I'm back.
Back in all sorts of ways: back in LA, back "in the office", back on the bike. Well, almost back on the bike. My legs haven't been this hairy since I was 14 years old...
Last weekend we celebrated Grandma's life just how she would have wanted. The family gathered, talked a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot. We were up until the wee hours of the morning most nights, and then turned around and did it again. There was definitely some readjusting to life in the days after her death too. For 67 days Mom, Dad and my lives revolved around Grandma, and we enjoyed it. It was very, very odd the first few mornings that I woke up and didn't check in on her, help her enjoy a cup of coffee, track her medicines and help her to the bathroom. That's not to mention how odd the first night of sleeping without the constant hum of the monitor was too. But, being surrounded by family and partying to exhaustion helped keep us distracted.
It was the second night after Grandma died that a long-lost feeling crept in... I wanted to start training. Rosa's analysis is probably right: I have an addictive, probably-even-obsessive personality, and it had been a real easy move to transfer my energy into helping Grandma. Then, once that job no longer required me, my mind turned to it's trusty, old, two-wheeled fix. Oh well, there are certainly worse things.
In between gatherings and services I packed my life back up into a duffel bag and a bike box for my flight back to LA on Tuesday. Bless the bike-box. If I'm going to pay $80 to bring it on the plane, rest assured I'm going to use the biggest cardboard bike box I can find and stuff it to the gills. And as a bonus, all the clothes stuffed into plastic shopping bags and packed around the bike act as extra padding. I've made three-week trips with nothing but a bike box and one carry-on.
The flight home was a bit of a pain as the leg out of ORD was delayed 70 minutes, so I missed my connection in DFW by seconds. I could still see the plane at the end of the walkway as I ran to the gate: AAGGHH! "Sorry Sir, they just closed the doors. You were the only passenger that didn't check in." Still being able to see the plane is probably the worst scenario in missed-flight history, especially if it means a 3.5 hour layover. The looooooonnng walk (I despise airport trams and people movers except when used by the injured or elderly) from A10 to D37 helped me cool off, in addition to a couple of Tecate's and my amigo Rick DeMoan "talking me off the ledge".
The final leg of the trip went smoothly enough, and since it was night it was easy to see the SoCal fires as we flew in. That was weird- just isolated bunches of orange flames dancing on the mountainside. There were also a few firefighters on the plane that were coming into help. They definitely looked a little pensive when they saw the fires.
Speaking of which... I best light one under my a#! and go exercise.
Last weekend we celebrated Grandma's life just how she would have wanted. The family gathered, talked a lot, cried a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot. We were up until the wee hours of the morning most nights, and then turned around and did it again. There was definitely some readjusting to life in the days after her death too. For 67 days Mom, Dad and my lives revolved around Grandma, and we enjoyed it. It was very, very odd the first few mornings that I woke up and didn't check in on her, help her enjoy a cup of coffee, track her medicines and help her to the bathroom. That's not to mention how odd the first night of sleeping without the constant hum of the monitor was too. But, being surrounded by family and partying to exhaustion helped keep us distracted.
It was the second night after Grandma died that a long-lost feeling crept in... I wanted to start training. Rosa's analysis is probably right: I have an addictive, probably-even-obsessive personality, and it had been a real easy move to transfer my energy into helping Grandma. Then, once that job no longer required me, my mind turned to it's trusty, old, two-wheeled fix. Oh well, there are certainly worse things.
In between gatherings and services I packed my life back up into a duffel bag and a bike box for my flight back to LA on Tuesday. Bless the bike-box. If I'm going to pay $80 to bring it on the plane, rest assured I'm going to use the biggest cardboard bike box I can find and stuff it to the gills. And as a bonus, all the clothes stuffed into plastic shopping bags and packed around the bike act as extra padding. I've made three-week trips with nothing but a bike box and one carry-on.
The flight home was a bit of a pain as the leg out of ORD was delayed 70 minutes, so I missed my connection in DFW by seconds. I could still see the plane at the end of the walkway as I ran to the gate: AAGGHH! "Sorry Sir, they just closed the doors. You were the only passenger that didn't check in." Still being able to see the plane is probably the worst scenario in missed-flight history, especially if it means a 3.5 hour layover. The looooooonnng walk (I despise airport trams and people movers except when used by the injured or elderly) from A10 to D37 helped me cool off, in addition to a couple of Tecate's and my amigo Rick DeMoan "talking me off the ledge".
The final leg of the trip went smoothly enough, and since it was night it was easy to see the SoCal fires as we flew in. That was weird- just isolated bunches of orange flames dancing on the mountainside. There were also a few firefighters on the plane that were coming into help. They definitely looked a little pensive when they saw the fires.
Speaking of which... I best light one under my a#! and go exercise.
10.19.2007
Grandma G
Last night my Grandmother passed away as we sat with her, our hands on hers.
She was pure Betty Geraghty to the end, gracious and composed. Her final words were "Thank you" after she'd had a sip of water earlier in the day.
No. Thank you, Grandma.
She was pure Betty Geraghty to the end, gracious and composed. Her final words were "Thank you" after she'd had a sip of water earlier in the day.
No. Thank you, Grandma.
10.18.2007
If I liked it bumpy...
... I'd head on over to Palos this weekend to check out all of Trek's new mountain bikes and see what sort of damage I could inflict on myself. (The word on the bikes is that they can take it with aplomb).
Grandma's Going On the Payroll
So since we've been taking care of Grandma here at Mom and Dad's place, almost every ABD and Prairie Path Cycles' meeting has taken place here at the house. There is no doubt that Grandma can now run both entities.
Of course, my guess is that she'd just want us to start making donations with her salary- 'cause that's the kind of lady she is.
Of course, my guess is that she'd just want us to start making donations with her salary- 'cause that's the kind of lady she is.
10.12.2007
Short Post, Big News
I'm squeaking this post in just under the self-imposed one week wire....
Well, the Fling's done. We had record turnouts on Saturday and Sunday to go along with our near record weather. There was close competition in all the races, and it was sweet watching teammate Josh Carter power that 54x11 to a pair of sprint wins to close out the season.
...and with that, no more donning of the race director's cap. This year's Fling marked my final round as an ABD event director.
It's been an awesome five years running the events- starting with our first Fling in 2003. Thanks to all the riders and volunteers who've been with me along the way. I've had the opportunity to get to know most of you, and it's truly been a pleasure. It's to the point I can watch finish line film without even looking at your numbers: "Oh yeah, that's Uwe; that's Scott V; that's Cecile; there's Fabio..."!
But never fear, the ABD army is chomping at the bit to take over for me, and per usual, the events will just keep getting better.
So, what now?....
To be continued
Well, the Fling's done. We had record turnouts on Saturday and Sunday to go along with our near record weather. There was close competition in all the races, and it was sweet watching teammate Josh Carter power that 54x11 to a pair of sprint wins to close out the season.
...and with that, no more donning of the race director's cap. This year's Fling marked my final round as an ABD event director.
It's been an awesome five years running the events- starting with our first Fling in 2003. Thanks to all the riders and volunteers who've been with me along the way. I've had the opportunity to get to know most of you, and it's truly been a pleasure. It's to the point I can watch finish line film without even looking at your numbers: "Oh yeah, that's Uwe; that's Scott V; that's Cecile; there's Fabio..."!
But never fear, the ABD army is chomping at the bit to take over for me, and per usual, the events will just keep getting better.
So, what now?....
To be continued
10.03.2007
No, I really suck...
A week without a post!?!? That's unacceptable. I'm putting myself on blogging probation. Another week-long gap and I'll fire my ass.
But...in my defense, I have been a little busy. Grandma's going strong, we kicked off the Fall Fling this last weekend and it's "reload" time for ABD as we look ahead to '08.
Grandma is truly amazing. No matter what might actually be happening to her, anytime we ask if we can get her anything she always looks up, flashes a beautiful smile and says, "No thanks, I'm fine." Total Grace.
The Fling started off fabulously. The weather was perfect, the riders were fast, and as always the ABD volunteers did a fantastic job keeping things moving smoothly.
Last but not least, we're deep in discussions for the ABD program in '08. No official announcements yet, but "I've got one idea that I'm especially psyched out of my mind about." (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that's from.)
Alright, back to Fling details. Riders, don't forget to keep your number!
But...in my defense, I have been a little busy. Grandma's going strong, we kicked off the Fall Fling this last weekend and it's "reload" time for ABD as we look ahead to '08.
Grandma is truly amazing. No matter what might actually be happening to her, anytime we ask if we can get her anything she always looks up, flashes a beautiful smile and says, "No thanks, I'm fine." Total Grace.
The Fling started off fabulously. The weather was perfect, the riders were fast, and as always the ABD volunteers did a fantastic job keeping things moving smoothly.
Last but not least, we're deep in discussions for the ABD program in '08. No official announcements yet, but "I've got one idea that I'm especially psyched out of my mind about." (Bonus points if you can tell me what movie that's from.)
Alright, back to Fling details. Riders, don't forget to keep your number!
9.26.2007
Now these guys really suck!
Congrats to the team formerly known as Priority Health. Cyclingnews.com reports today that uber-vacum maker Bissell has taken over title sponsorship of the team.
Hey, maybe it's the trickle down effect from the Disco team's demise? That's great if it means more money for the US domestics. I'm trying to use the same logic while re-upping the ABD deal with Trek-- if they don't have a ProTour team there's got to be warehouses full of carbon stuff, right?
Another noteworthy tidbit from the Bissel press release: Aaron Olson's coming home after two years racing the ProTour. Aaron is a tough rider and a huge addition to the squad.
Hey, maybe it's the trickle down effect from the Disco team's demise? That's great if it means more money for the US domestics. I'm trying to use the same logic while re-upping the ABD deal with Trek-- if they don't have a ProTour team there's got to be warehouses full of carbon stuff, right?
Another noteworthy tidbit from the Bissel press release: Aaron Olson's coming home after two years racing the ProTour. Aaron is a tough rider and a huge addition to the squad.
9.24.2007
Fall Heats Up
no really- what's with this 90 degree heat? I mean, c'mon! I love Fall weather and crisp air. These 90 degrees have got to go. Rosa reports that it's colder and rain-ier in L.A. right now. ...although you know, if the heat is keeping those Cubbies hot, then that's o.k... even if it is causing our other team to melt.
The weather's keeping the ABD'ers hot too. Josh Carter won another race on Saturday at the Tour de St. Genevieve, and no-longer-unknown Bob Marshall attacked late at yesterday's Kenosha Crit to almost take the win. The eternally crafty Richard Adamczyk caught him on the last lap, but Bob was able to dig deep enough to hold on for second.
I'd love to hear more reports from this weekend, please send them to ebert@abdcycling.com or just shoot 'em out to the club. How about Saturday's road race or the Jackson Park 'cross race?
And don't forget the Fall Fling kicks off this weekend - four more chances for for glory this season!
The weather's keeping the ABD'ers hot too. Josh Carter won another race on Saturday at the Tour de St. Genevieve, and no-longer-unknown Bob Marshall attacked late at yesterday's Kenosha Crit to almost take the win. The eternally crafty Richard Adamczyk caught him on the last lap, but Bob was able to dig deep enough to hold on for second.
I'd love to hear more reports from this weekend, please send them to ebert@abdcycling.com or just shoot 'em out to the club. How about Saturday's road race or the Jackson Park 'cross race?
And don't forget the Fall Fling kicks off this weekend - four more chances for for glory this season!
9.20.2007
More on Off-Season Shuffling
Wow, the US racing scene is going to have a much different look to it next year.
First up, the programs going bigger:
- Slipstream: so big we might not even see them in the US much, except to take Discovery's place in winning California, Georgia, Missouri.
- BMC: Former Phonak Sugar-Daddy brings his bucks across the pond.
- Toyota United: replacing Harm and Kirk with Moniger and Pettyjohn and signing more Aussies.
- Rock Racing: Major rumors floating around concerning these guys. I'm not even going to comment on them yet, but when you charge $300 for a pair of jeans, you can afford some big talent.
- KBS/Medifast: Well, I'm not really sure how much bigger they're going, but adding the only fu man chu mustache in the pro peloton is huge in my book.
And then the reductions/disappearances:
- Discovery: dun.
- Navigators: RIP. 14 years is a good run.
- Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada: The squads are splitting, but they say that they still might have teams... I'll believe it when I see it.
- Jelly Belly: Just a few grumblings that they might be shrinking the squad even further. Let's hope that it's just grumblings. The Bean boys have always been fun underdogs to route for.
- HealthNet: A slightly smaller budget and a new director. The green machines will be getting a run for the money in '08.
So, with lots of riders losing jobs, the amateur scene is going to get pretty tough next year. Don't worry, we're getting ready.
[Thanks again to Rick for keeping me in the loop while I'm in the midst of my half-leave of absence]
First up, the programs going bigger:
- Slipstream: so big we might not even see them in the US much, except to take Discovery's place in winning California, Georgia, Missouri.
- BMC: Former Phonak Sugar-Daddy brings his bucks across the pond.
- Toyota United: replacing Harm and Kirk with Moniger and Pettyjohn and signing more Aussies.
- Rock Racing: Major rumors floating around concerning these guys. I'm not even going to comment on them yet, but when you charge $300 for a pair of jeans, you can afford some big talent.
- KBS/Medifast: Well, I'm not really sure how much bigger they're going, but adding the only fu man chu mustache in the pro peloton is huge in my book.
And then the reductions/disappearances:
- Discovery: dun.
- Navigators: RIP. 14 years is a good run.
- Kodak Gallery/Sierra Nevada: The squads are splitting, but they say that they still might have teams... I'll believe it when I see it.
- Jelly Belly: Just a few grumblings that they might be shrinking the squad even further. Let's hope that it's just grumblings. The Bean boys have always been fun underdogs to route for.
- HealthNet: A slightly smaller budget and a new director. The green machines will be getting a run for the money in '08.
So, with lots of riders losing jobs, the amateur scene is going to get pretty tough next year. Don't worry, we're getting ready.
[Thanks again to Rick for keeping me in the loop while I'm in the midst of my half-leave of absence]
9.19.2007
The Off-Season Shuffle
There's still a handful of events left in the '07 season— what with this weekend's ABR events, the Fall Fling and the Cross Cup still to come— but as things wind down it seems inevitable that riders start thinking about "next year". (Or maybe it's just the Cub fan in all of us that starts thinking about next year.) Regardless, it also seems inevitable that when riders think about next year, they go BIG.
My advice? Keep it real. Right now you're coming off a long season with lots of conditioning, and I recommend using that energy to log some miles while it's stay warm.... or you can even organize a "de-training camp". I'll give you two examples:
- Get together all your racing buddies for a weekend and grill out lots of food and drink lots of BEvERages. Ride only to get rid of hangovers.
- Work on a borderline, non-healthy hobby-- taste lots of new wine, find a cigar you like, do some crazy fast/cleanse to shed a few extra pounds.
As for your plans next season? Put out the feelers, but carefully consider all the options and measure EVERYTHING against the most accurate B.S. testing strip you've got. You want substance, not sensationalism.
My advice? Keep it real. Right now you're coming off a long season with lots of conditioning, and I recommend using that energy to log some miles while it's stay warm.... or you can even organize a "de-training camp". I'll give you two examples:
- Get together all your racing buddies for a weekend and grill out lots of food and drink lots of BEvERages. Ride only to get rid of hangovers.
- Work on a borderline, non-healthy hobby-- taste lots of new wine, find a cigar you like, do some crazy fast/cleanse to shed a few extra pounds.
As for your plans next season? Put out the feelers, but carefully consider all the options and measure EVERYTHING against the most accurate B.S. testing strip you've got. You want substance, not sensationalism.
9.18.2007
Are you kidding?
Cyclingnews.com reports from the Rumor Mill that Levi Lepheimer and Johan Bruyneel might end up Astana.
...C'mon, Levi! You've managed to avoid any major drama this long, please be careful getting mixed up with a program who's reputation is so tainted. The only reason I could see it being worth it is if they are the ONLY program that will give you 100% support and freedom to build upon your '07 success...... but it's still a risk. If there's any other option at all, I nominate my buddy Rick DeMoan to "talk you off the ledge" and negotiate your new contract. The man can sell imported ice to eskimos.
...C'mon, Levi! You've managed to avoid any major drama this long, please be careful getting mixed up with a program who's reputation is so tainted. The only reason I could see it being worth it is if they are the ONLY program that will give you 100% support and freedom to build upon your '07 success...... but it's still a risk. If there's any other option at all, I nominate my buddy Rick DeMoan to "talk you off the ledge" and negotiate your new contract. The man can sell imported ice to eskimos.
9.14.2007
Back in Chicago
I saw on the Velonews headlines that Christian VandeVelde's latest update is "Where am I?"... although I haven't been doing any bike riding, I know exactly how he feels. I went Chicago, LA, Chicago this past week... and never even spent a night in my own bed back at the apartment. The last time I did that was July 10th, and the next scheduled slumber in said bed won't be until October 23rd...
As I alluded to on 8/30, I've become the primary caretaker for my Grandmother, who decided to go off kidney dialysis on August 13th and is going strong. The past month with her and family has been truly amazing. She's such a selfless and gracious woman that being her caretaker is a pleasure. All the nurses that come by said they've never been thanked so much for just doing their job!
Of course, I'd be lying if I didn't say it's been a bit tiring. Most nights Grandma and I don't sleep much, and last week we had six consecutive days of three-hours sleep a night (although Grandma does a great job of watching TV with her eyes closed during the day!). I'm not so good at that trick as I've been working as much as I can, but that didn't leave much time for blogging or for riding the bike.
So, after four-weeks of being on duty 24/7, the rest of the family gave me four days off to go home and see Rosa. I played travel agent last Saturday to make a bunch of last minute arrangements, and flew out on Sunday. I went from Winfield to this...
....the 6 a.m. view from a place where we were both supposed to be house/teenager/dog-sitting. Now Rosa's tackling it solo. This shot is over the pool looking at the Santa Monica mountains to the south. On the other side of those is the mighty Pacific. It's pretty sweet, but the gig has been a challenge in it's own right. The dog was diagnosed with blood cancer 10 days before Mom&Dad were scheduled to fly to China for three weeks! After a few dodgy days the pooch is doing much better on some medication... but Rosa's a saint for taking care of everything so that I was able get back to Winfield last night.
And here I am, just in time for the Cubs to take the solo lead in the division. I keep trying not to care- you know they're just going to break my heart...
As I alluded to on 8/30, I've become the primary caretaker for my Grandmother, who decided to go off kidney dialysis on August 13th and is going strong. The past month with her and family has been truly amazing. She's such a selfless and gracious woman that being her caretaker is a pleasure. All the nurses that come by said they've never been thanked so much for just doing their job!
Of course, I'd be lying if I didn't say it's been a bit tiring. Most nights Grandma and I don't sleep much, and last week we had six consecutive days of three-hours sleep a night (although Grandma does a great job of watching TV with her eyes closed during the day!). I'm not so good at that trick as I've been working as much as I can, but that didn't leave much time for blogging or for riding the bike.
So, after four-weeks of being on duty 24/7, the rest of the family gave me four days off to go home and see Rosa. I played travel agent last Saturday to make a bunch of last minute arrangements, and flew out on Sunday. I went from Winfield to this...
....the 6 a.m. view from a place where we were both supposed to be house/teenager/dog-sitting. Now Rosa's tackling it solo. This shot is over the pool looking at the Santa Monica mountains to the south. On the other side of those is the mighty Pacific. It's pretty sweet, but the gig has been a challenge in it's own right. The dog was diagnosed with blood cancer 10 days before Mom&Dad were scheduled to fly to China for three weeks! After a few dodgy days the pooch is doing much better on some medication... but Rosa's a saint for taking care of everything so that I was able get back to Winfield last night.
And here I am, just in time for the Cubs to take the solo lead in the division. I keep trying not to care- you know they're just going to break my heart...
9.12.2007
A punch in the gut
I just received a phone call that Pieter Ombregt died from an accident in a training race last night. Pieter had raced with ABD in '05 and spent the last two seasons with XXX.
This news is completely devastating. It comes right on the heels of the death of Gerry Turrubiartes, a pillar of the Cafe ride, and on top of that, is the second death in the XXX family this season following the passing of Beth Kobeszka.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends, family and Chicago cycling community.
This news is completely devastating. It comes right on the heels of the death of Gerry Turrubiartes, a pillar of the Cafe ride, and on top of that, is the second death in the XXX family this season following the passing of Beth Kobeszka.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends, family and Chicago cycling community.
8.30.2007
I lied
Ok, the fact of the matter is that I genuinely wish I could do some proper updates here at "Ebert Checks In", but it ain't gonna happen for a while.
My grandmother's ill and moved in at my parents' house on August 13th (the Monday before Downer's Grove). I moved (back) in on the same day to help out. She's keeping us busy.
I'll shoot out an e-mail to family, friends and the club once I'm back at the Blogging helm.
My grandmother's ill and moved in at my parents' house on August 13th (the Monday before Downer's Grove). I moved (back) in on the same day to help out. She's keeping us busy.
I'll shoot out an e-mail to family, friends and the club once I'm back at the Blogging helm.
8.27.2007
8.25.2007
Powerless
And no, I'm not referring to a pensive performance at Downers Grove... =
Powers been out since Thursday. Back online soon, I hope.
(sent from handheld)
8.21.2007
Downer's Report Teaser
Josh rode like a stud to stay top 10 pretty much the ENTIRE race, and second is definitely something to be proud of.
8.18.2007
Downer's Grove Pro Prediction
Preidction for a winner? Hardly. I won't go that far. Besides, I'm still riding the coattails of my pick for Stuey at Paris-Roubaix (not a doubt in my mind after his early season form).
No, I'm predicting a major crash late on Sunday. The way things have gone this year (Athens, Charlotte), I think it's really gonna be stupid this time.
But one caveat: if the HealthNet train is clicking on all cylinders, then everyone stays upright as they gasp for Pipp and Menzies wheel.
No, I'm predicting a major crash late on Sunday. The way things have gone this year (Athens, Charlotte), I think it's really gonna be stupid this time.
But one caveat: if the HealthNet train is clicking on all cylinders, then everyone stays upright as they gasp for Pipp and Menzies wheel.
8.16.2007
Catchup
Sorry for no updates in a week. The ABD taxes were due on Wednesday and I finally wrapped up and posted the details for the 2007 Fall Fling.
The biggest change this year is that we've given the Cat 3 guys their own prize lists, so hopefully we'll see more of them on lining up, or maybe even some of those fast Cat 4 men will take the plunge and upgrade. Of course, with all the ABR Rider of the Year Points still to be decided riders might not want to upgrade until the season's over. [NOTE: The ROTY points are also the reason we (the ABD Board) couldn't pull off our planned AM4 split field. We were hoping to hold both "under 30" and "over 30" Cat 4 men races, but too many riders are gunning for those points and they can't be awarded if we split the field.]
Now on to news from the front line of racing...
The Elk Grove race was not as "stoopid" as I expected and most riders behaved themselves. However, the course makes this race kinda dumb... and boring. Please, promoters of Elk Grove, change it up! The 180 degree turns kill the pace so badly. There has to be a way to "lollipop" the course into the neighborhood for a block or two, thus eliminating the 180's but keeping the field racing up and down the boulevard for the spectators. Luke over at Chicago Bike Racing opened up a discussion on the event -- be sure to chime in with your thoughts.
Fortunately, our man Josh Carter did't let a boring race course keep him from making some money. Carter nabbed two $500 primes and finished third after Jeff Schroetlin laid down an "Extended Play" leadout. Everyone was content to let GP man the front for the last few laps, but unfortunately it wasn't fast enough to keep the rest of the field from boxing each other in. We moved to the front on the last lap, but since Jeff and Josh couldn't get on my wheel I just ended up moving the field to one side of the road so that those two could get out of trouble. That meant Jeff was on the front as the only lead out guy with over 1 kilometer to go... but he's the sort of masochist who likes that thing.
The $4,000 winner's check in Elk Grove was certainly the biggest Amateur-only pay day of the year, but it doesn't really compare to this weekend's US National Championship. The win at Downer's is something special. Hope to see you there.
The biggest change this year is that we've given the Cat 3 guys their own prize lists, so hopefully we'll see more of them on lining up, or maybe even some of those fast Cat 4 men will take the plunge and upgrade. Of course, with all the ABR Rider of the Year Points still to be decided riders might not want to upgrade until the season's over. [NOTE: The ROTY points are also the reason we (the ABD Board) couldn't pull off our planned AM4 split field. We were hoping to hold both "under 30" and "over 30" Cat 4 men races, but too many riders are gunning for those points and they can't be awarded if we split the field.]
Now on to news from the front line of racing...
The Elk Grove race was not as "stoopid" as I expected and most riders behaved themselves. However, the course makes this race kinda dumb... and boring. Please, promoters of Elk Grove, change it up! The 180 degree turns kill the pace so badly. There has to be a way to "lollipop" the course into the neighborhood for a block or two, thus eliminating the 180's but keeping the field racing up and down the boulevard for the spectators. Luke over at Chicago Bike Racing opened up a discussion on the event -- be sure to chime in with your thoughts.
Fortunately, our man Josh Carter did't let a boring race course keep him from making some money. Carter nabbed two $500 primes and finished third after Jeff Schroetlin laid down an "Extended Play" leadout. Everyone was content to let GP man the front for the last few laps, but unfortunately it wasn't fast enough to keep the rest of the field from boxing each other in. We moved to the front on the last lap, but since Jeff and Josh couldn't get on my wheel I just ended up moving the field to one side of the road so that those two could get out of trouble. That meant Jeff was on the front as the only lead out guy with over 1 kilometer to go... but he's the sort of masochist who likes that thing.
The $4,000 winner's check in Elk Grove was certainly the biggest Amateur-only pay day of the year, but it doesn't really compare to this weekend's US National Championship. The win at Downer's is something special. Hope to see you there.
8.08.2007
From Elgin to Elk Grove
Ugh. The Elgin race didn't go so well for me. My fitness allows me to go pretty hard... but then I have no endurance to recover from those big efforts. Schroetlin ended up 5th, which is solid, but far from the podium we'd want at a home-town race and a far cry from the ABD sweep of '05.
Being down two guys (Carter & Sharon) didn't help either, but all hands will be on deck for this weekend's Cat 1/2 only, $17,500 race in Elk Grove.
It's gonna be stoopid.
Being down two guys (Carter & Sharon) didn't help either, but all hands will be on deck for this weekend's Cat 1/2 only, $17,500 race in Elk Grove.
It's gonna be stoopid.
8.05.2007
The August Crits Begin
The Chicago area is a great place to be in August if your a rider. Every weekend there are great races with good money within an hour of home. We can just throw a bike in the car (sans overnight bag), race hard, either eat at a favorite local restaurants or have a home-cooked meal in our actual homes... and then sleep in our own bed. Heck, there's even time to catch up on some household chores (or update a blog...)
After making it through about seven Superweek races my fitness is coming around enough that I can have a good time and make a little money in these local events. There's still the occasional tenderness where they cut me and a sharp stab when I do sit-ups, but it's all pretty manageable.
Yesterday at the Grayslake Cycling Classic I played the aggressive card off the line long enough for Jeff to get in a break of eight guys with one of our "not-quite teammates", and from then on my job was pretty easy. Little accelerations in a little gear to cover moves, and then trying to set-up the guys for the win. A crash on the back side of the course foiled our plans and a shot at the win, but it was still a pretty good day as Jeff finished 4th and I won a prime for a $80 bottle of Benziger 2004 Tribute.
Of course, with the Elgin Cycling Classic today I decided let the wine age at least one more day.
After making it through about seven Superweek races my fitness is coming around enough that I can have a good time and make a little money in these local events. There's still the occasional tenderness where they cut me and a sharp stab when I do sit-ups, but it's all pretty manageable.
Yesterday at the Grayslake Cycling Classic I played the aggressive card off the line long enough for Jeff to get in a break of eight guys with one of our "not-quite teammates", and from then on my job was pretty easy. Little accelerations in a little gear to cover moves, and then trying to set-up the guys for the win. A crash on the back side of the course foiled our plans and a shot at the win, but it was still a pretty good day as Jeff finished 4th and I won a prime for a $80 bottle of Benziger 2004 Tribute.
Of course, with the Elgin Cycling Classic today I decided let the wine age at least one more day.
8.02.2007
Catch Up
The past five days of blog silence have been brought to you by:
-Superweek: Downer Avenue is definitely the best criterium in America.
-A Squirrel: It went kamikaze style, ended up in my Dad's spokes, and Dad ended up in the hospital for a night.
-Columbia St. Mary's Columbia: aforementioned hospital. Great staff, but no public wi-fi.
-Rosa: the lovely lady's in town to break up this 7-week stint I'm away from home, so we're running around, having fun.
-The 1st-placed Chicago Cubs: Rosa and I are bringing out our inner-beacher-bum today.
Let's get some runs!
-Superweek: Downer Avenue is definitely the best criterium in America.
-A Squirrel: It went kamikaze style, ended up in my Dad's spokes, and Dad ended up in the hospital for a night.
-Columbia St. Mary's Columbia: aforementioned hospital. Great staff, but no public wi-fi.
-Rosa: the lovely lady's in town to break up this 7-week stint I'm away from home, so we're running around, having fun.
-The 1st-placed Chicago Cubs: Rosa and I are bringing out our inner-beacher-bum today.
Let's get some runs!
7.28.2007
More on the TdF
According to Cyclingnews.com, the riders are considering a "spectacular" protest against doping at the beginning of tomorrow's stage.
I have a better idea, instead of the traditional "celebrations" during the stage, how about the riders race their asses off and give us fans who've stuck with it a good show. There's less than 30 seconds separating the top three places ... so don't waste time celebrating before the final finish line and compete for every second out there. I don't think the Tour should be won or lost on time bonuses, but it'd be awesome to see a breakaway shake things up.
I have a better idea, instead of the traditional "celebrations" during the stage, how about the riders race their asses off and give us fans who've stuck with it a good show. There's less than 30 seconds separating the top three places ... so don't waste time celebrating before the final finish line and compete for every second out there. I don't think the Tour should be won or lost on time bonuses, but it'd be awesome to see a breakaway shake things up.
7.25.2007
Pate will win the 2008 TdF
"I'll give DNA. I'll post my information on the internet. I'll do whatever it takes to save the sport." -Danny Pate, Team Slipstream
If the UCI and ASO carry on with their no holds barred, zero-tolerance policy on dopers (which needs to be done), I'm putting my money and faith in DP for the '08 Tour.
If the UCI and ASO carry on with their no holds barred, zero-tolerance policy on dopers (which needs to be done), I'm putting my money and faith in DP for the '08 Tour.
7.24.2007
Dopers Suck
Grrrr... another black eye on our sport. I suppose if we really want to clean it up then this is how it’s going to happen. Would the news have been any less devastating if we’d found out after the Tour? Of course not, and there would have been a lot of questions about how Vino (or Rasmussen) and the teams affected the results.
As a rider looking to make a meager living from this sport, the news is like a punch to the gut. How do you convince sponors to give you money for a sport that’s constructed a cloud of suspicion over every competitive cyclist at any level? Our heroes test positive, guys I race against on the regional level have tested positive, and a mountain biker I coach who races in the Expert class has had a competitor test positive. Now as soon as a rider at any level starts to enjoy a little too much success, there are immediately grumblings that “he must be on something”.... and unfortunately, the rumors are proved true too often.
I’m tired and don’t want to go into it too much... but it seems that throughout history, in pretty much every sport, there are athletes that will desperately search out an advantage to win — and the desperation is so deep that ethics of the methods don’t even enter their minds. How do we stop them?
Fortunately, it looks as though cycling is on the right path to a clean sport by working to create a community that is completely intolerant of doping. Riders need teammates, teams need managers, managers need sponsors. The riders, managers and sponsors that survive this painful “culling” will hopefully be the people we need to give cycling a clean rebirth.
As a rider looking to make a meager living from this sport, the news is like a punch to the gut. How do you convince sponors to give you money for a sport that’s constructed a cloud of suspicion over every competitive cyclist at any level? Our heroes test positive, guys I race against on the regional level have tested positive, and a mountain biker I coach who races in the Expert class has had a competitor test positive. Now as soon as a rider at any level starts to enjoy a little too much success, there are immediately grumblings that “he must be on something”.... and unfortunately, the rumors are proved true too often.
I’m tired and don’t want to go into it too much... but it seems that throughout history, in pretty much every sport, there are athletes that will desperately search out an advantage to win — and the desperation is so deep that ethics of the methods don’t even enter their minds. How do we stop them?
Fortunately, it looks as though cycling is on the right path to a clean sport by working to create a community that is completely intolerant of doping. Riders need teammates, teams need managers, managers need sponsors. The riders, managers and sponsors that survive this painful “culling” will hopefully be the people we need to give cycling a clean rebirth.
In God’s Country; Heartland
Those are both U2 songs, and they always pop into my head when driving through the rural Midwest, especially en route to the family farm outside of Wautoma (non-operational farm nowadays). The photo is shot out the driveway.
I joked with my teammates that when I go up there I’m torn between riding my bike all day, sitting in a boat and fishing all day, or doing absolutely nothing all day. After weeks or months in LA or the Chicago Suburbs, I sit out on the porch at the farm overlooking the surrounding farms and forests and soak in the stillness in the air like sun rays.
If I do muster up the motivation to go ride my bike — well, that’s pretty perfect too. I can ride out the door for anywhere from 2 to 5 hours and spend the whole day on lightly-traveled country roads, seeing a stoplight only if I decide to head towards a town (and if the town even has a stoplight!). My biggest challenge is deciding just which way to go.
I lived in the Wautoma area for the first five years of my life and have spent vacations and holidays in the area, and there’s something special about riding the oldest roads in your memory.... maybe it’s just nostalgia, but that’s ok too.
7.21.2007
Superweek: Week One
Oh, Superweek... a wicked mistress indeed. Every July a hundred or so young men leave their homes to head to America's heartland for a shot at glory and a few pennies. This year it seems that fewer fellows bothered to come out, but it hasn't made the going much easier.
Just over a week ago the doc gave me clearance to go out and give it a whirl for as much as I was up for, and we started the ICC festivities last Friday in Beverly. Everything went pretty well as our mohawk-sporting Sugar Glydar, Alex, and two of our not-so-clandestine combine all made it into a break of 16 that went on to lap the field. However, as they came around the back with 20 to go the Glydar (whom I also coach) asked me to pull out because his knees were killing him. It turns out the made a significant cleat adjustment just days before the start of the series and it was coming back to haunt him. I urged him to stay in and finish because for a rider in his first ever Superweek race to make the winning move boded very well for the races ahead. However, we should have known better as the Glyder is now on an indefinite period of rest while he makes sure he's 100% better before he gets out there again.
We miss you, Glydar, and there is a good chance I'm going to accept the burden of sporting the mowhawk until you return -- because frankly, it doesn't seem like any self-respecting squad at Superweek can be there without at least one team-member with an outrageous hairdo.
My own race at Beverly was pretty solid considering it was my first race since April 22nd and only my 4th race all year. I was able to help the guys maneuver around and lead Josh out for $100 prime. A huge thanks to the Oehmen family for letting us use their home as "base" for the Beverly race and then cooking up huge quantities of tasty post-race food.
After Beverly I skipped the Blue Island event on Saturday, where Carter placed a respectable 12th, and decided last minute to jump in with the crew at Bensenville. I'm really glad I did because if I'd been on the sidelines for Josh's victory I would have been kicking myself. While he was off the front I even went for four primes... only to get 2nd or 3rd in every one of them. Finally I learned my lesson and for a $70 prime I had Schroetlin lead me out... and then let the gap open up to him in the turns so that he was able to ride away and win it. If you can't beat 'em, have your teammate do it, right?
Carter's victory at Bensenville was a huge first for the ABD team too. We'd taken the points jersey twice and Pipp, Dierking and Mumford had all made the podium over the last 5 years, but we'd never been able to score that elusive win. Bravo, Josh.
After Bensenville we had three road races on the docket that didn't leave too much to write home about. Brett was the only ABD rider at Alpine Valley and finished a respectable 22nd; at Whitnall Park we had a guy in every major move except the one that stuck- curses; the MGA Proving Grounds race had about 1000% humidity and turned into a death march, but one of the aformentioned not-quite-teammates pulled off a great ride to make the break and finish 5th.
Thursday was a night off for everyone and then last night Carter, the two not-quite-teammates and myself lined up for the inaugural Green Lake Criterium. A tight course with a little hill made for a fast and brutal race that didn't even have any primes - but only about 40 guys actually finished. Green Lake is only about 40 minutes from my birth-land of Wautoma, WI, and I'd actually headed up to hang out at my Dad's right after Wednesday's race. He, my grandparents and aunt were all able to come out and watch the race, which was awesome, but unfortunately I wasn't able to put on too much of a show. About 40 minutes into the race my back really started to hurt and spots on my left leg were even going a bit numb. It's the same pain I've dealt with for years and the reason I spent three months in the winter on the physical therapy table and not-so-much on the bike, but it appears the 6 weeks of "off-time" with the hernia didn't help the situation too much - double curses.
So now it's time to head back to the suburbs for the ABD Tour de France party (always a good time) and then some stretching and strengthening for a few days before jumping back into the final week of Superweek.
Next up: More on Wautoma and the return to the Motherland.
Just over a week ago the doc gave me clearance to go out and give it a whirl for as much as I was up for, and we started the ICC festivities last Friday in Beverly. Everything went pretty well as our mohawk-sporting Sugar Glydar, Alex, and two of our not-so-clandestine combine all made it into a break of 16 that went on to lap the field. However, as they came around the back with 20 to go the Glydar (whom I also coach) asked me to pull out because his knees were killing him. It turns out the made a significant cleat adjustment just days before the start of the series and it was coming back to haunt him. I urged him to stay in and finish because for a rider in his first ever Superweek race to make the winning move boded very well for the races ahead. However, we should have known better as the Glyder is now on an indefinite period of rest while he makes sure he's 100% better before he gets out there again.
We miss you, Glydar, and there is a good chance I'm going to accept the burden of sporting the mowhawk until you return -- because frankly, it doesn't seem like any self-respecting squad at Superweek can be there without at least one team-member with an outrageous hairdo.
My own race at Beverly was pretty solid considering it was my first race since April 22nd and only my 4th race all year. I was able to help the guys maneuver around and lead Josh out for $100 prime. A huge thanks to the Oehmen family for letting us use their home as "base" for the Beverly race and then cooking up huge quantities of tasty post-race food.
After Beverly I skipped the Blue Island event on Saturday, where Carter placed a respectable 12th, and decided last minute to jump in with the crew at Bensenville. I'm really glad I did because if I'd been on the sidelines for Josh's victory I would have been kicking myself. While he was off the front I even went for four primes... only to get 2nd or 3rd in every one of them. Finally I learned my lesson and for a $70 prime I had Schroetlin lead me out... and then let the gap open up to him in the turns so that he was able to ride away and win it. If you can't beat 'em, have your teammate do it, right?
Carter's victory at Bensenville was a huge first for the ABD team too. We'd taken the points jersey twice and Pipp, Dierking and Mumford had all made the podium over the last 5 years, but we'd never been able to score that elusive win. Bravo, Josh.
After Bensenville we had three road races on the docket that didn't leave too much to write home about. Brett was the only ABD rider at Alpine Valley and finished a respectable 22nd; at Whitnall Park we had a guy in every major move except the one that stuck- curses; the MGA Proving Grounds race had about 1000% humidity and turned into a death march, but one of the aformentioned not-quite-teammates pulled off a great ride to make the break and finish 5th.
Thursday was a night off for everyone and then last night Carter, the two not-quite-teammates and myself lined up for the inaugural Green Lake Criterium. A tight course with a little hill made for a fast and brutal race that didn't even have any primes - but only about 40 guys actually finished. Green Lake is only about 40 minutes from my birth-land of Wautoma, WI, and I'd actually headed up to hang out at my Dad's right after Wednesday's race. He, my grandparents and aunt were all able to come out and watch the race, which was awesome, but unfortunately I wasn't able to put on too much of a show. About 40 minutes into the race my back really started to hurt and spots on my left leg were even going a bit numb. It's the same pain I've dealt with for years and the reason I spent three months in the winter on the physical therapy table and not-so-much on the bike, but it appears the 6 weeks of "off-time" with the hernia didn't help the situation too much - double curses.
So now it's time to head back to the suburbs for the ABD Tour de France party (always a good time) and then some stretching and strengthening for a few days before jumping back into the final week of Superweek.
Next up: More on Wautoma and the return to the Motherland.
7.17.2007
Superweek's On
Turn left, turn right, sprint. Thus is my life for the next two weeks.
Body is holding up much better and the racing's going pretty well too. Check out Carter's win in Bensenville. It took the Elite team a few years, but we finally got one.
I raced last Friday, Sunday, today in Whitnall Park and then having a go at the Road Race tomorrow. A proper update will be out on Thursday.
7.14.2007
Tendonitis of the what?
It's great to be back in the Midwest when the weather is as nice as it was today. Steady winds out of the West meant an hour and 15 minutes of torque work going out and 45 minutes of 30mph tempo coming back. There's nothing like a ripping tailwind to make you feel like Superman.
Made it to the doctor this morning and the diagnosis is that the pains I was getting are like a form of tendonitis as the wound heals up and pulls and rubs against various parts of the nether region. If there's no pain, I can go as hard as I want. If there is pain, grab some couch and rest just like any other form of tendonitis. The harder I go the more I increase my chances of irritating something, but I can take some preventative measures like stretching, ibuprofen and ice.=20
So if see you me at Superweek of course I'll be happy to see you, and why yes, that <i>is</i> a bag of ice in my pants.
7.11.2007
Just Riding
The past couple days haven't been so bad for riding. I like riding my bike, so the 4.5 hour ride from the apartment to Ojai on Monday followed by a 2 hour ride from Ojai to Santa Barbara yesterday were nice.
Did they hurt?
Oh yeah. Especially the 2 hours of constant headwind across the Heritage Valley. That was awesome.
Were the power numbers any good?
Uh, sure - for a ride.
Am I ready for Superweek?
Hahaha... well, since the pain came back I haven't done too many efforts comparable to jumping out of a turn at a Superweek crit...200 times in a row. Mentally, yes. Phyically, should be soon. I guess the doctor gets to answer this question tomorrow.
As I said though, I was on my bike for a couple of days through some beautiful scenery. It was good.
I'm ORD-bound via BUR & DFW this afternoon. Hello humidity!
Did they hurt?
Oh yeah. Especially the 2 hours of constant headwind across the Heritage Valley. That was awesome.
Were the power numbers any good?
Uh, sure - for a ride.
Am I ready for Superweek?
Hahaha... well, since the pain came back I haven't done too many efforts comparable to jumping out of a turn at a Superweek crit...200 times in a row. Mentally, yes. Phyically, should be soon. I guess the doctor gets to answer this question tomorrow.
As I said though, I was on my bike for a couple of days through some beautiful scenery. It was good.
I'm ORD-bound via BUR & DFW this afternoon. Hello humidity!
7.08.2007
Debauchery in SD
Well, the riding didn't go so well this week with the sensation of minor tears in the gut and getting what felt like a "cup check" through half my workouts - but nothing helps you wash your worries away like good friends, coastal air and a little vino. Warning, not much about bike riding in this report...
Rosa and I headed down to San Diego yesterday to celebrate my college buddy's engagement. We went to he and his fiance's house first for a late-afternoon BBQ and then headed over to the Hillside neighborhood and a place called Wine Steals for the official party.
Any entrepreneurs or restaurateurs in the Chicago area should take note of this joint. It's a wine-tasting bar that includes a small retail section of unique but reasonable priced wines ($5 to $40). I'd never seen 90% of the labels before. Then in the "tasting area" (80% of the space) they serve you any wine they sell in portions ranging from the "mini-taste" (just 25¢!) up to a full bottle, and local beers, coffee, tea and all sorts of hors d'oeuvres (although they serve an enormous cheese-focaccia-artichoke bread that's a pizza by any other name). They have a standard, brass-rail bar for tasting, but otherwise the place is packed with big comfy couches and coffee tables. Folks can browse the immense chalkboard menu above the bar or walk through the retail section, pick out a bottle, and grab a spot for an hour or two. The place was packed from 5 in the afternoon until closing time... errr, at least I was told they were packed until close.
In addition to the main seating area, there's a room off to the side for private parties up to about 40 people and filled with more couches, loveseats, and a big tasting table. The only thing required to reserve the room is the guarantee that you'll run up at least a $250 tab. Yeah, I think our party of 45 went from $0 to $250 in 2.8 seconds.
The entire place had a great casual atmosphere without the "dingy-ness" of a bar, any wine-snob pretentiousness, and a more laid-back feel than a coffee shop.
Bless Rosa for stepping up as the evening's d.d. as we chatted it up with friends old and new well into the night. The ladies even did a little bit of dancing, which energized Rosa enough to drive the two hours back to LA so we could avoid traffic and crash in our own bed.
Today I actually had a decent ride in spite of the aforementioned pains. They're still there but they aren't getting too much worse. I see my doc when I get back to Chicago on Thursday so he can tell me what the heck is going on and how much I'm allowed to push it. If he keeps me in the holding pattern I might just focus the energy I would have spent on Superweek into opening a fun little cafe of my own in the Western Suburbs.
I'll keep you posted.
Rosa and I headed down to San Diego yesterday to celebrate my college buddy's engagement. We went to he and his fiance's house first for a late-afternoon BBQ and then headed over to the Hillside neighborhood and a place called Wine Steals for the official party.
Any entrepreneurs or restaurateurs in the Chicago area should take note of this joint. It's a wine-tasting bar that includes a small retail section of unique but reasonable priced wines ($5 to $40). I'd never seen 90% of the labels before. Then in the "tasting area" (80% of the space) they serve you any wine they sell in portions ranging from the "mini-taste" (just 25¢!) up to a full bottle, and local beers, coffee, tea and all sorts of hors d'oeuvres (although they serve an enormous cheese-focaccia-artichoke bread that's a pizza by any other name). They have a standard, brass-rail bar for tasting, but otherwise the place is packed with big comfy couches and coffee tables. Folks can browse the immense chalkboard menu above the bar or walk through the retail section, pick out a bottle, and grab a spot for an hour or two. The place was packed from 5 in the afternoon until closing time... errr, at least I was told they were packed until close.
In addition to the main seating area, there's a room off to the side for private parties up to about 40 people and filled with more couches, loveseats, and a big tasting table. The only thing required to reserve the room is the guarantee that you'll run up at least a $250 tab. Yeah, I think our party of 45 went from $0 to $250 in 2.8 seconds.
The entire place had a great casual atmosphere without the "dingy-ness" of a bar, any wine-snob pretentiousness, and a more laid-back feel than a coffee shop.
Bless Rosa for stepping up as the evening's d.d. as we chatted it up with friends old and new well into the night. The ladies even did a little bit of dancing, which energized Rosa enough to drive the two hours back to LA so we could avoid traffic and crash in our own bed.
Today I actually had a decent ride in spite of the aforementioned pains. They're still there but they aren't getting too much worse. I see my doc when I get back to Chicago on Thursday so he can tell me what the heck is going on and how much I'm allowed to push it. If he keeps me in the holding pattern I might just focus the energy I would have spent on Superweek into opening a fun little cafe of my own in the Western Suburbs.
I'll keep you posted.
7.06.2007
"The waiting is the hardest part"
- Tom Petty.
So I was planning on racing this weekend at the La Mirada Grand Prix, but it turns out my body isn't quite ready. I started getting the pain in my gut last Sunday after a really solid week of riding, but then it took almost four days of rest before I could get out and ride again. I would head out the door this week and within 15 minutes I'd feel a little twinge telling me to go home. Oh well.
Today I went out and did a little tempo and everything felt pretty good again. I'll just have to keep the really high torque efforts out for another couple days, but as long as I can still do the longer tempo days I'll be in good shape. It's just a matter of being able to do some all out efforts by Superweek in 7 days...
Since I started out the entry with a musical reference, I thought I'd make a few musical confessions since my only other tuneful Blog post was the pre-surgery "depressing" emo stuff. The last couple of weeks I've had some stellar workouts (best watts I've seen all year) to none other than AC/DC and "the Boss" (and specifically early Springsteen). The drums, guitar and vocals get you all pumped up and then the sax solo carries you home. And do I really need to say anything about AC/DC?
And don't worry, I only wear the headphones when riding the mostly deserted bike path (with no street crossings) along the loveliest stretch of the I-5 I know.
So I was planning on racing this weekend at the La Mirada Grand Prix, but it turns out my body isn't quite ready. I started getting the pain in my gut last Sunday after a really solid week of riding, but then it took almost four days of rest before I could get out and ride again. I would head out the door this week and within 15 minutes I'd feel a little twinge telling me to go home. Oh well.
Today I went out and did a little tempo and everything felt pretty good again. I'll just have to keep the really high torque efforts out for another couple days, but as long as I can still do the longer tempo days I'll be in good shape. It's just a matter of being able to do some all out efforts by Superweek in 7 days...
Since I started out the entry with a musical reference, I thought I'd make a few musical confessions since my only other tuneful Blog post was the pre-surgery "depressing" emo stuff. The last couple of weeks I've had some stellar workouts (best watts I've seen all year) to none other than AC/DC and "the Boss" (and specifically early Springsteen). The drums, guitar and vocals get you all pumped up and then the sax solo carries you home. And do I really need to say anything about AC/DC?
And don't worry, I only wear the headphones when riding the mostly deserted bike path (with no street crossings) along the loveliest stretch of the I-5 I know.
7.05.2007
Pain in the...
Not a lot to write about pertaining to bike riding.
Some painful twinges near the repaired region (6 weeks after surgery) are annoying the crap out of me.
Some painful twinges near the repaired region (6 weeks after surgery) are annoying the crap out of me.
7.03.2007
Ups and Downs
Training has been going pretty well. Last week I put together three, solid 4-hour rides and even hit some personal bests for some of the shorter power intervals. Unfortunately, I might have pushed just a little too hard because there was a little pain around the incision the last couple days. It's been five weeks since the surgery, but apparently I'm still not 100%. Oh well, a couple days rest is never a bad thing.
In more important news, the past few days have been a rollercoaster on the Midwest cycling scene. As many of your have heard, the ultimate tragedy occurred at Saturday's state championship road race outside of Peoria. Beth Kobeszka, 24 years old, was killed during an accident in the Women's 4 race. Then, on last night's Monday Night Ride two ABD members crashed and were taken to the hospital. Brian McCrae escaped with a broken clavicle, while Bill Michaux suffered a broken clavicle in addition to pelvic and hip bone fractures. Thanks to all the ABD members who have been checking in on them.
But there have been some bright spots too the past few days: ABD'er Tom Egan has stabilized and is doing better. Josh Carter took the overall win at Proctor, Susan Peithman finished second overall in the Women's Omnium behind two third place finishes, Konrad Witt was crowned the Illinois state road race champion, and Jessi Prinner won the scratch race at the Junior National Track Championships! Congrats to all of them.
In more important news, the past few days have been a rollercoaster on the Midwest cycling scene. As many of your have heard, the ultimate tragedy occurred at Saturday's state championship road race outside of Peoria. Beth Kobeszka, 24 years old, was killed during an accident in the Women's 4 race. Then, on last night's Monday Night Ride two ABD members crashed and were taken to the hospital. Brian McCrae escaped with a broken clavicle, while Bill Michaux suffered a broken clavicle in addition to pelvic and hip bone fractures. Thanks to all the ABD members who have been checking in on them.
But there have been some bright spots too the past few days: ABD'er Tom Egan has stabilized and is doing better. Josh Carter took the overall win at Proctor, Susan Peithman finished second overall in the Women's Omnium behind two third place finishes, Konrad Witt was crowned the Illinois state road race champion, and Jessi Prinner won the scratch race at the Junior National Track Championships! Congrats to all of them.
6.30.2007
Don't Skimp On the Meat
- and I mean that in two ways.
1) I'm a firm believer in the power of animal protein - specifically of the red variety and especially for athletes. I went vegetarian for a while mainly because it was cheaper and I thought it would be healthier. I did see an improvement in my riding for a while and I did feel healthier... but then I hit a ceiling in my performance, and it wasn't until I started craving hamburgers after races that I realized something was missing.
Once I introduced red meat back into my diet (two or three times a week) my recovery improved significantly both during workouts and from day to day. In addition, I felt just as healthy as long the meat was in moderation (...not so much in Germany when it was sausages and schnitzels every day).
Now don't get me wrong, I've seen Fast Food Nation and I'm not proud of the 42 degrees of separation between me and my meal, but urban living doesn't provide me with an opportunity to honorably hunt my own meal or otherwise raise a herd. Which brings me to...
2) Go big when purchasing the protein. Sure, a cut of beef from a place like Whole Foods may cost two hours wages for some of us - but if it's just two of three times a week it's worth it. Yes, there are lots of feel-good and healthy reasons to drop the extra dough (vegetarian-fed, free-range, humanely treated, no hormones...), but there is one undeniable reason - flavor. Consider the extra money spent as a guarantee of good taste. As long as you don't overdo it on the seasonings it's failry impossible to screw up a good piece of meat... and even if you don't use any seasonings at all, it'll still be pretty good. It's tough to say that about any other form of protein.
Although the Sugar Glyder recently referenced my daily cup-of-raw-oats habit (and sometimes twice a day), it's all for naught without the beef.
Bon Appetit.
Going Coastal
Training is going well -- despite two rear tire blowouts in two days. The first one was on a Serfas Combi Tire that had 3,500 miles on it, so I wasn't too bummed (I ran over some gum then ran over a heavy duty staple). But then, of course, the second blow out happened on the brand new tire on the very next day on a nail I never saw.
I've been doing the Mulholland Ride pretty often - three times in the last seven days. It's probably the most "interesting" 3+ hour ride I have. The terrain is challenging, the views are pretty cool, and once I get to the other end I see the Pacific Ocean. There's something about that large body of water that just never gets boring. This time of year the cool breeze is much appreciated too. Inland, near the apartment, it's hitting 90 just about every day.
Several ABD'ers, including the Elite Team, are out tackling the Proctor Road Race today. This year some of the P-R-O's came out from Colavita and Priority Health, so that will change the strategy in the 1/2 race quite a bit. The organization has been good about posting results right away so those of us at home can follow along.
6.27.2007
CyclingNews of the Weird
Here's a great story from CyclingNews today: "BMC riders help Navigator soigneur apprehend thief"
The short of it is that a 250 pound man was harassing a Navigator's soigneur outside the teams' hotel, and BMC sprinter Dan Schmatz had no hesitation about physically intervening - and the rest of the team jumped in to help.
When I was a Boy Scout back in Junior High, I was a proud member of Troop 21 in West Chicago. Every year when all the regional troops came together for "Camp-o-rees" (or whatever they were called), our troop would win the competition for having the cleanest and most-up-to-Boy-Scout-code campsite. That was hysterical, because we were also the troop that would organize and instigate a midnight brawl with any and all comers from other troops - it was like Boy Scout Fight Club.
Which brings me back to Team BMC kicking some ass. For years I've been talking about a Cycling Team Fight Club - primarily because I think it would be absolutely hysterical. Have you ever seen a bike racer fight? Most of us have long since trained away any upper body strength and most likely couldn't even hurt each other. Actually, the pain riders inflict on each other at races like Stillwater, Tri-Peaks or the 78th day of Superweek is so much worse than a punch in the face. Maybe that's the truth behind my Team Fight Club joke: I'd prefer a nice, swift shot to the jaw over sucking wind for 10 laps while the Euro-jauggernaut strings it out at the Sheboygan stage of Superweek.
But if it ever did come to blows, there are definitely a few riders out there that could dominate a ring full of cyclists like an adult playing king of the hill with preschoolers. It's nice to read that Dan only uses his powers for good.
The short of it is that a 250 pound man was harassing a Navigator's soigneur outside the teams' hotel, and BMC sprinter Dan Schmatz had no hesitation about physically intervening - and the rest of the team jumped in to help.
When I was a Boy Scout back in Junior High, I was a proud member of Troop 21 in West Chicago. Every year when all the regional troops came together for "Camp-o-rees" (or whatever they were called), our troop would win the competition for having the cleanest and most-up-to-Boy-Scout-code campsite. That was hysterical, because we were also the troop that would organize and instigate a midnight brawl with any and all comers from other troops - it was like Boy Scout Fight Club.
Which brings me back to Team BMC kicking some ass. For years I've been talking about a Cycling Team Fight Club - primarily because I think it would be absolutely hysterical. Have you ever seen a bike racer fight? Most of us have long since trained away any upper body strength and most likely couldn't even hurt each other. Actually, the pain riders inflict on each other at races like Stillwater, Tri-Peaks or the 78th day of Superweek is so much worse than a punch in the face. Maybe that's the truth behind my Team Fight Club joke: I'd prefer a nice, swift shot to the jaw over sucking wind for 10 laps while the Euro-jauggernaut strings it out at the Sheboygan stage of Superweek.
But if it ever did come to blows, there are definitely a few riders out there that could dominate a ring full of cyclists like an adult playing king of the hill with preschoolers. It's nice to read that Dan only uses his powers for good.
6.26.2007
Ahead of Schedule
Sorry for the delay in updates - I did two, 4-hour days on the bike this weekend with lots of climbing, and that pretty much knocked any productive juices out of me. After 9 hours my first week back on the bike I made it up to 17 hours last week. That was 100% increase and 20% more than I originally planned -- and I certainly felt it. By the end of Saturday and Sunday's rides I was just dragging myself home.
I'm not planning on getting the volume much higher than 18 or 20 hours as in the past I generally average only 18 hours per week Superweek - so now I'll just be mixing in the intensity - VO2 and sprints.
Today marks the 4-week mark since my surgery so technically I've got full clearance... I better get going.
I'm not planning on getting the volume much higher than 18 or 20 hours as in the past I generally average only 18 hours per week Superweek - so now I'll just be mixing in the intensity - VO2 and sprints.
Today marks the 4-week mark since my surgery so technically I've got full clearance... I better get going.
6.23.2007
There is Hope
This has nothing to do with bike racing, but I couldn't help commenting.
From the LAtimes.com:
"Paris Hilton to go on Larry King show — unpaid ... after the three broadcast networks spurned her request for a lucrative deal."
NBC, ABC and CBS all took a pass on Paris - good for them. May she fade away from the public psyche and take all reality television with her.
I promise to never mention her again.
From the LAtimes.com:
"Paris Hilton to go on Larry King show — unpaid ... after the three broadcast networks spurned her request for a lucrative deal."
NBC, ABC and CBS all took a pass on Paris - good for them. May she fade away from the public psyche and take all reality television with her.
I promise to never mention her again.
And Then There Were Two
It’s been another rough go at it for the ABD Men and Women at the Nature Valley Grand Prix. With two stages to go only Alex remains in the Men’s race, and Susan is holding her own with the Pro Women.
The race started out with a 1 kilometer, 6-corner course... which is awesome... NOT! There were a lot of crashes in the Women’s race and lots of amateur men were just blown out the back as the peleton stretched almost 1/3 of the course - Brett Stewart’s out.
Next up: a 63 mile road race with a fear of deathly crosswinds. ABD is prevented from fielding a car in the caravan because the officials decide that since we only have four riders left we can’t have a car... lame. In this day and age, not having a car in the caravan of a stage race is like putting blinders on riders. Most everyone who’s a contender is radio-wired to the team vehicle to get updates and breaks, splits, wind, course conditions, upcoming obstacles, etc, etc, etc. Oh yeah, and in the case of a major crash team vehicles are essential to take care of the mass of riders. Guess what happened? The mass of super-tense riders yard sales it just two miles from the start. Jeff Schroetlin breaks his cleats and helmet (spares of which would have been in the team van), Josh Carter breaks a frame - but continues on, Ryan Baumann gets tangled up with some pros and chases the rest of the day, only to finish 32 minutes down and outside the time cut. But, he rolled in with local hero and Cyclocross World’s Silver medalist Jonathan Page. Of course they wouldn’t cut Jonathan Page?!?! And they didn’t. Jeff’s out.
Friday morning the three remaining guys tackled the 5-mile TT (Josh on a neutral support bike)..... and they all finished without any casualties(phew). Then on Friday night they all took on the downtown Minneapolis Grand Prix. Josh struggled to get comfortable on a borrowed bike that the neutral guys seemed to alter the position on each time they gave it to him.... Ryan started coughing uncontrollably about halfway through the race (a cold he’d been trying to hide coming out in full force)... and Alex just sat in the field, out of harm’s way. Two more out....
Which brings us back to today and our survivors - Susan and Alex. At the moment I’m writing this both of them are duking it out somewhere amongst the wind-swept plains of southern Minnesota. May the force be with them...
The race started out with a 1 kilometer, 6-corner course... which is awesome... NOT! There were a lot of crashes in the Women’s race and lots of amateur men were just blown out the back as the peleton stretched almost 1/3 of the course - Brett Stewart’s out.
Next up: a 63 mile road race with a fear of deathly crosswinds. ABD is prevented from fielding a car in the caravan because the officials decide that since we only have four riders left we can’t have a car... lame. In this day and age, not having a car in the caravan of a stage race is like putting blinders on riders. Most everyone who’s a contender is radio-wired to the team vehicle to get updates and breaks, splits, wind, course conditions, upcoming obstacles, etc, etc, etc. Oh yeah, and in the case of a major crash team vehicles are essential to take care of the mass of riders. Guess what happened? The mass of super-tense riders yard sales it just two miles from the start. Jeff Schroetlin breaks his cleats and helmet (spares of which would have been in the team van), Josh Carter breaks a frame - but continues on, Ryan Baumann gets tangled up with some pros and chases the rest of the day, only to finish 32 minutes down and outside the time cut. But, he rolled in with local hero and Cyclocross World’s Silver medalist Jonathan Page. Of course they wouldn’t cut Jonathan Page?!?! And they didn’t. Jeff’s out.
Friday morning the three remaining guys tackled the 5-mile TT (Josh on a neutral support bike)..... and they all finished without any casualties(phew). Then on Friday night they all took on the downtown Minneapolis Grand Prix. Josh struggled to get comfortable on a borrowed bike that the neutral guys seemed to alter the position on each time they gave it to him.... Ryan started coughing uncontrollably about halfway through the race (a cold he’d been trying to hide coming out in full force)... and Alex just sat in the field, out of harm’s way. Two more out....
Which brings us back to today and our survivors - Susan and Alex. At the moment I’m writing this both of them are duking it out somewhere amongst the wind-swept plains of southern Minnesota. May the force be with them...
6.22.2007
"Money-makin"*
*the Beastie Boys
As I rode up and down the bike path along the I-5 (the only flat stretch of pavement sans stoplights within a 20 mile radius of my apartment), I devised a plan for making me a stronger rider... and boatloads of money.
As I rode up and down the bike path along the I-5 (the only flat stretch of pavement sans stoplights within a 20 mile radius of my apartment), I devised a plan for making me a stronger rider... and boatloads of money.
Parked alongside my training route were thousands of Angelenos stuck in traffic - pretty much a constant on this stretch of the Interstate. What if I did two-a-day workouts during the morning and evening commute and hooked up a trailer with advertisements to tow in front of these captive audiences?
I'm sure ad execs are going to be lined up around the block to book time for their company's sign on the "Ebert Express"! And then come race time I'll be flying (or at least feel like I am) when I don't have to tow around a trailer.
I'm gonna be rich and fast.
6.19.2007
UCI Strongarm
A News Flash from Cyclingnews.com reports that every ProTour rider is being forced to sign an anti-doping agreement if they'd like to participate in the Tour dee France. The statement reads:
"I swear to my team, my colleagues, the UCI, the cycling world and the public that I have not cheated, have not been involved in the Fuentes case or in any other doping case. I declare myself ready to give a DNA sample to the Spanish judicial system so that it can be compared to the blood bags taken in the Operación Puerto."
In addition, the statement reads: "I accept that if I break the UCI's anti-doping regulations to pay in addition to the statutory sanctions a contribution equal to my salary for 2007"
And the big finale: the UCI is publishing a list on it's website of all riders who have and haven't signed the document.
This is a hardcore move on the part of the UCI which I'm sure violates certain liberties on the parts of the riders -- but pro riders lost those privileges a long time ago, and anyone whose clean should be proud to prove it.
And speaking of clean, it really sounds like T-Mobile is making a big change and earning the rep of a "clean team". Check out this recent interview (also on CyclingNews) with Greg Henderson. Some of the ABD guys can attest to just how wicked fast this guy is (ask Mumford, certainly no slouch, to tell his story of being in a two-man break with him at Bensenville) -- but now Henderson's just suffering to get through some of the ProTour races. Granted, some people just have the genetics to go real fast, but you still have to wonder about how titled the playing field might be when a guy like him is suffering as badly as he says.
[Sidenote: it was cool of Henderson to drop Pate and Candelario's names in an interview about riding clean.]
Stay tuned for team reactions. This could get interesting, especially on the heels of the recent news that Discovery has left the Association International Group of Cycling Professionals (AIGCP).
"I swear to my team, my colleagues, the UCI, the cycling world and the public that I have not cheated, have not been involved in the Fuentes case or in any other doping case. I declare myself ready to give a DNA sample to the Spanish judicial system so that it can be compared to the blood bags taken in the Operación Puerto."
In addition, the statement reads: "I accept that if I break the UCI's anti-doping regulations to pay in addition to the statutory sanctions a contribution equal to my salary for 2007"
And the big finale: the UCI is publishing a list on it's website of all riders who have and haven't signed the document.
This is a hardcore move on the part of the UCI which I'm sure violates certain liberties on the parts of the riders -- but pro riders lost those privileges a long time ago, and anyone whose clean should be proud to prove it.
And speaking of clean, it really sounds like T-Mobile is making a big change and earning the rep of a "clean team". Check out this recent interview (also on CyclingNews) with Greg Henderson. Some of the ABD guys can attest to just how wicked fast this guy is (ask Mumford, certainly no slouch, to tell his story of being in a two-man break with him at Bensenville) -- but now Henderson's just suffering to get through some of the ProTour races. Granted, some people just have the genetics to go real fast, but you still have to wonder about how titled the playing field might be when a guy like him is suffering as badly as he says.
[Sidenote: it was cool of Henderson to drop Pate and Candelario's names in an interview about riding clean.]
Stay tuned for team reactions. This could get interesting, especially on the heels of the recent news that Discovery has left the Association International Group of Cycling Professionals (AIGCP).
The DL Update
Good news on Vicki Heck. The report from Mom (Mary Lee) is that Vicki was able to walk tonight and is going to heal up just fine despite three(!) fractures on her spine. Ms. Heck is definitely one tough cookie.
But unfortunately yet another ABD’er was added to the injury list this past week when Jackie Kurth crashed at a Junior Development camp in South Carolina. Jackie crashed pretty hard and broke her jaw, some teeth and needed quite a few stitches. But, she’s focused on recovering and getting back on her bike ASAP. Please send some good vibes her way.
But unfortunately yet another ABD’er was added to the injury list this past week when Jackie Kurth crashed at a Junior Development camp in South Carolina. Jackie crashed pretty hard and broke her jaw, some teeth and needed quite a few stitches. But, she’s focused on recovering and getting back on her bike ASAP. Please send some good vibes her way.
6.17.2007
Dad's Day '07
Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. Like many kids whose parents went their different ways, I'm fortunate enough to have two Pa’s - Greg and Ray. Anyone who’s met them knows I couldn’t have asked for two better guys to bring me up.
Today there’s a Crit about 2 miles from my apartment, and it’s killing me that I can’t get out there and give it a whirl. I actually rode a whole three hours yesterday so I have these delusions that I’m somehow in shape. Of course, I only averaged about 140 watts… but I saw 300 a couple times. That means I can sit in a 1-2 field, right? That would be no, especially considering that it takes an average of 225 watts for 2 hours just to sit in a Superweek field (with at least 100 or so spikes over 800 watts), I best stay out of the way.
However, I have set up the LeMond so that I can go out and “tool” around just about anywhere I want, even in the mountains. I swapped out my Ultegra crankset with my Mom’s Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Compact and put a 12-27 on the back, leaving me with a 34x27 granny gear. I rode the combo yesterday and it’s super rad. Climbs that I used to avoid on easy days I was able to spin up at like 95 rpm’s and around 200 watts. If I can figure out a way to have my very own compact crankset I’d probably leave it on for racing out West. I never really spend much time in a 53x11 anyway, but a 50x11 is still 3.5” bigger than a 53x12 and I’d gain a ton of lower gears -- even if I keep an 11-23 cassette on. A 34x23 is actually only an inch bigger than a 39x27. (39.9” vs. 39”) For any other geeks that want to know measurements, head to GeRZ Bicycle Gear tables (where I gathered all my info from).
And last but certainly not least: some sad news about ABD’er Vicki Heck (who works registration at all our events). Vicki fell from the attic in her garage last night and is in pretty rough shape with a few factures. Fortunately, everything they’ve found are areas that will heal o.k. She’s currently at Central DuPage Hospital and I’ll post an update as soon as I know more.
Today there’s a Crit about 2 miles from my apartment, and it’s killing me that I can’t get out there and give it a whirl. I actually rode a whole three hours yesterday so I have these delusions that I’m somehow in shape. Of course, I only averaged about 140 watts… but I saw 300 a couple times. That means I can sit in a 1-2 field, right? That would be no, especially considering that it takes an average of 225 watts for 2 hours just to sit in a Superweek field (with at least 100 or so spikes over 800 watts), I best stay out of the way.
However, I have set up the LeMond so that I can go out and “tool” around just about anywhere I want, even in the mountains. I swapped out my Ultegra crankset with my Mom’s Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Compact and put a 12-27 on the back, leaving me with a 34x27 granny gear. I rode the combo yesterday and it’s super rad. Climbs that I used to avoid on easy days I was able to spin up at like 95 rpm’s and around 200 watts. If I can figure out a way to have my very own compact crankset I’d probably leave it on for racing out West. I never really spend much time in a 53x11 anyway, but a 50x11 is still 3.5” bigger than a 53x12 and I’d gain a ton of lower gears -- even if I keep an 11-23 cassette on. A 34x23 is actually only an inch bigger than a 39x27. (39.9” vs. 39”) For any other geeks that want to know measurements, head to GeRZ Bicycle Gear tables (where I gathered all my info from).
And last but certainly not least: some sad news about ABD’er Vicki Heck (who works registration at all our events). Vicki fell from the attic in her garage last night and is in pretty rough shape with a few factures. Fortunately, everything they’ve found are areas that will heal o.k. She’s currently at Central DuPage Hospital and I’ll post an update as soon as I know more.
6.15.2007
Made it two hours in the saddle yesterday and everyday the average watts go up while the average heartrate goes down. Rode over to the Rose Bowl and did a few laps around the park. It’s something like a 2 or 3 mile loop and around 4 p.m. everyone gets off work and comes out to race each other — not like an organized event with a finish line (although there are training races), but moreso every night it turns into a huge pissing contest between all things two-wheeled. It’s pretty funny to see who tries to hang on your wheel, or better yet, huffs and puffs past you only to shoot you the “Lance look”. I love it.
Day of stretching and core work today, then the big 3 hours tomorrow. Best of luck to the crews tackling Carroll County and the Grafton Twilight Crit.
Day of stretching and core work today, then the big 3 hours tomorrow. Best of luck to the crews tackling Carroll County and the Grafton Twilight Crit.
6.13.2007
Numbers, Schmumbers
I rode a whopping hour and 45 minutes today and even did about five minutes tempo to see how things felt. The good news is that there really wasn’t any pain, the bad news is that I’ve got a bit of work to do on the conditioning front. Not that I expected any less (or more?), I just forgot about the “pain” in No pain, no gain. My average heartrate was 135 for a ride that only averaged 150 watts. That’s pretty dismal, but I’m not too worried about the form coming around – I officially have one month from today to prep for Superweek.
Here’s another interesting number: so the report from my pre-surgery bloodwork said I have a hermatocrit of 47. That was pretty surprising to me considering I’d been off the bike for at least 3 or 4 weeks before the test. However, I’ve always had a pretty high level. Whenever I had blood work done while I was going to school in Colorado, my hermatocrit consistently came in between 48 and 49.5 – which I believe happens to most athletes at altitude. But 47, at sea level? I’m afraid the high percentage of red blood cells in my body is a result of my lack of taking deep breaths – really, I should switch to decaf… ok not really. More than likely it probably has something to do with the fact I have peanut sized lungs but insist on being an endurance athlete. My actual VO2? Now that’s a number I’ll never share… because I don’t know it and I don’t want to. As Coach Farrell says, “bike racing is all about suffering.” Yes indeed.
I leave you with a funny story, of course made better if you can picture my 125 lb. teammate Alex and his current hairstyle ... Due to prompting from Ben DeMong (he of Cat. 4 money-winning fame), Alex, a.k.a. Sugar Glyder, is pondering children: “…the world would undoubtedly be a better place with a bunch of little sugar glydars glyding around with their little mowhawks and [pulled-up] high socks…"
I cherish the thought.
Here’s another interesting number: so the report from my pre-surgery bloodwork said I have a hermatocrit of 47. That was pretty surprising to me considering I’d been off the bike for at least 3 or 4 weeks before the test. However, I’ve always had a pretty high level. Whenever I had blood work done while I was going to school in Colorado, my hermatocrit consistently came in between 48 and 49.5 – which I believe happens to most athletes at altitude. But 47, at sea level? I’m afraid the high percentage of red blood cells in my body is a result of my lack of taking deep breaths – really, I should switch to decaf… ok not really. More than likely it probably has something to do with the fact I have peanut sized lungs but insist on being an endurance athlete. My actual VO2? Now that’s a number I’ll never share… because I don’t know it and I don’t want to. As Coach Farrell says, “bike racing is all about suffering.” Yes indeed.
I leave you with a funny story, of course made better if you can picture my 125 lb. teammate Alex and his current hairstyle ... Due to prompting from Ben DeMong (he of Cat. 4 money-winning fame), Alex, a.k.a. Sugar Glyder, is pondering children: “…the world would undoubtedly be a better place with a bunch of little sugar glydars glyding around with their little mowhawks and [pulled-up] high socks…"
I cherish the thought.
6.12.2007
Back in LA
Home again - After only spending four of the last 84 days at our apartment in Glendale, I'm back for a whole month.
The weather's pretty much the same as it is in Chicago right now, maybe even a little cooler - perfect for getting back on the bike and into shape in time for “stoopid-week”. I actually made it a whole 90 minutes on the bike today relatively pain free (as long as I kept it between 150 and 200 watts). The plan is to do a 3-hour ride this weekend and shoot for about 10 hours total this week on the bike, with an additional 1 to 2 hours of stretching and strengthening every day. I’ll shoot for 14 next week with 2, 3-hour rides and 1, 4-hour ride. It’s a pretty aggressive recovery schedule, but as long as I focus on eating and sleeping right I should be fine.
In more interesting news, check out chicagobikeracing.com. Maybe I’m the last to find out about it (thanks to Susan P. for the tip), but Luke Seemann has put together an informative and entertaining blog/site about all things related to the Midwest cycling scene (I believe he aims for a four driving radius of the city).
tangent: I find it ironic and humorous that with all the advances in web programming and hardware, the most popular sites are still all about information and maybe some storytelling – namely blogs and youtube videos. None of us want to bother with fancy, and mostly annoying, sites that take forever to load and have too much going on… just give us the good stuff. /tangent
Last but not least, if you’re under the age of 19 or over the age of 39 and looking for a fun race close to to home on Father’s Day, be sure to check out the ABD MaJORS event this Sunday at an all new course in Elgin - Terry and Jenny always round up a great ABD crew and put on a fun event!
The weather's pretty much the same as it is in Chicago right now, maybe even a little cooler - perfect for getting back on the bike and into shape in time for “stoopid-week”. I actually made it a whole 90 minutes on the bike today relatively pain free (as long as I kept it between 150 and 200 watts). The plan is to do a 3-hour ride this weekend and shoot for about 10 hours total this week on the bike, with an additional 1 to 2 hours of stretching and strengthening every day. I’ll shoot for 14 next week with 2, 3-hour rides and 1, 4-hour ride. It’s a pretty aggressive recovery schedule, but as long as I focus on eating and sleeping right I should be fine.
In more interesting news, check out chicagobikeracing.com. Maybe I’m the last to find out about it (thanks to Susan P. for the tip), but Luke Seemann has put together an informative and entertaining blog/site about all things related to the Midwest cycling scene (I believe he aims for a four driving radius of the city).
tangent: I find it ironic and humorous that with all the advances in web programming and hardware, the most popular sites are still all about information and maybe some storytelling – namely blogs and youtube videos. None of us want to bother with fancy, and mostly annoying, sites that take forever to load and have too much going on… just give us the good stuff. /tangent
Last but not least, if you’re under the age of 19 or over the age of 39 and looking for a fun race close to to home on Father’s Day, be sure to check out the ABD MaJORS event this Sunday at an all new course in Elgin - Terry and Jenny always round up a great ABD crew and put on a fun event!
6.10.2007
Hybrid Love
Yep, rode the big 60 minutes the other day with fellow ABD'ers Jenny Cerwin and Jessi Prinner. However, the wound wasn't quite ready for riding the road bike - I only made it two blocks before I flipped the U-ey and went back to PPC-Batavia to borrow a 7.3FX Hybrid from PPC Batavia.
So, there I was, all kitted up with my snazzy Serfas tortoise shell shades... rocking my sneakers and a $450 hybrid. It was awesome. I must say I felt a little tight in the "mesh-area", but it was great to get some fresh air. It would have been even better to join the ABD Pancake Breakfast Ride... but I knew that was a little out of my range.
So instead I gave my LeMond Triomphe some much needed mechanical lovin' and modified it for "recovery" riding, i.e. put on a super-plush saddle, raised the bars as I high as I could, and installed a Race X Lite Compact crankset with a 12-27 cassette for the ultimate in "tooling" speed options when tackling climbs I otherwise wouldn't be able to ride for a couple weeks. Oh yeah, it's one sweet machine... and I'm gonna go ride it right now.
So, there I was, all kitted up with my snazzy Serfas tortoise shell shades... rocking my sneakers and a $450 hybrid. It was awesome. I must say I felt a little tight in the "mesh-area", but it was great to get some fresh air. It would have been even better to join the ABD Pancake Breakfast Ride... but I knew that was a little out of my range.
So instead I gave my LeMond Triomphe some much needed mechanical lovin' and modified it for "recovery" riding, i.e. put on a super-plush saddle, raised the bars as I high as I could, and installed a Race X Lite Compact crankset with a 12-27 cassette for the ultimate in "tooling" speed options when tackling climbs I otherwise wouldn't be able to ride for a couple weeks. Oh yeah, it's one sweet machine... and I'm gonna go ride it right now.
6.07.2007
Back in Business
Went to the doctor this morning and he said I can start riding my bike again at a low intensity for as long as I can tolerate (basically sub-200 watts for about three weeks). Look for me on the Fox River Trail tomorrow in the granny gear ... although I still haven’t decided if I’ll be on the road bike or commandeering a hybrid from PPC-Batavia.
In related news, I’m heading home to Rosa by next Monday for an entire month. This will be the longest block of time mid-summer we’ve ever spent together, but since I can’t race for five weeks the team is letting me off the managerial hook for Nature Valley and Proctor. Thus it’s lots of training and catching up on ABD biz from mine and the senorita’s super-secret location. I’ll be flying back to ORD just in time to jump into the Superweek fire.
Last but not least, I just want to offer huge props again to everyone who put in the big efforts this weekend to make the Winfield Crits go so well. On top of that, some ABD’ers put in really great rides too:
- How about Tim Keeley taking 2nd in the Cat. 4’s? Nice ride, Tim. I was so busy buttoning down the hatches in the storm that I didn’t even realize you kicked butt until I was posting results Monday morning.
- It was awesome seeing both Susan and Jeff solo to victories on Saturday night in the Women and Men’s Open - not to mention Jessi and Josh taking their respective field sprints.
- Although he’s no longer offically one of us, props to Angelo DiGiovine for giving a certain rider a run for his money in the sprint on Sunday.
- and Ben DeMong finally got paid Saturday night — nabbing the last money spot for a check he claims that he will never cash. Good form, Ben.
In related news, I’m heading home to Rosa by next Monday for an entire month. This will be the longest block of time mid-summer we’ve ever spent together, but since I can’t race for five weeks the team is letting me off the managerial hook for Nature Valley and Proctor. Thus it’s lots of training and catching up on ABD biz from mine and the senorita’s super-secret location. I’ll be flying back to ORD just in time to jump into the Superweek fire.
Last but not least, I just want to offer huge props again to everyone who put in the big efforts this weekend to make the Winfield Crits go so well. On top of that, some ABD’ers put in really great rides too:
- How about Tim Keeley taking 2nd in the Cat. 4’s? Nice ride, Tim. I was so busy buttoning down the hatches in the storm that I didn’t even realize you kicked butt until I was posting results Monday morning.
- It was awesome seeing both Susan and Jeff solo to victories on Saturday night in the Women and Men’s Open - not to mention Jessi and Josh taking their respective field sprints.
- Although he’s no longer offically one of us, props to Angelo DiGiovine for giving a certain rider a run for his money in the sprint on Sunday.
- and Ben DeMong finally got paid Saturday night — nabbing the last money spot for a check he claims that he will never cash. Good form, Ben.
6.04.2007
6.01.2007
New Trek
Stop me if you've heard this one. So, Lance Armstrong, a LeMond Triomphe and a frame from a builder that sounds like "special iced" walk into a bar....
5.30.2007
Don Miguelito
Ouch. The local anesthetic wore off at about 3 AM this morning and it was a night of 45 minute wake-up calls from the pain in my busted gut. Then I tried to get up and move around this morning and that was a real bad idea. Thus, I've determined that if I don't move there's no pain, so bed rest it is for now.
However, with the Winfield Criteriums this weekend there's work to be done so I sort of feel a bit "godfatherish". Here I am, laying in my doctor prescribed bike shorts and a de-go-tee with the laptop and a couple of phones next to me... and then the occasional visitor stops by and sits bedside while I dish out some instructions on "what's gotta be done".
Leave the race flyers, take the canoles.
However, with the Winfield Criteriums this weekend there's work to be done so I sort of feel a bit "godfatherish". Here I am, laying in my doctor prescribed bike shorts and a de-go-tee with the laptop and a couple of phones next to me... and then the occasional visitor stops by and sits bedside while I dish out some instructions on "what's gotta be done".
Leave the race flyers, take the canoles.
5.29.2007
No, no.... Surgery is Great
Ok, not really, but I do have to say that from check-in @ 6:30 a.m. until I left at 10:15 it was a pretty chill experience at the Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center. Once I changed into my gown, received my IV and went through my pre-surgery consultations (where the doctor reminded me again no racing for 4 to 5 weeks), I got to chill out and listen my iPod for a few minutes while I waited for them to get everything ready.
Early morning pre-surgery tunes (as chosen by the Shuffle):
- "Over the Ocean", Low
- "Tongue", REM
- "Helicopter", M.Ward
- "Karma Police", Radiohead
- "Taller Beauty", Julie Doiron
- "Blonde on Blonde", Nada Surf
... and then the anesthesiologist and another doc come in, give me an injection via the IV, roll me down the hall and I can't help but thinking, "It looks just like it does on TV"... and that's the last thing I remember until I wake up about 90 minutes later to a nurse offering more morphine.
Typically, I'm proud of the fact I can count the number of pills I take each year on two hands, just the very rare ibuprofen for me. But in this case, I'm glad they pumped me full of everything for... and I really don't even care what it was.
Early morning pre-surgery tunes (as chosen by the Shuffle):
- "Over the Ocean", Low
- "Tongue", REM
- "Helicopter", M.Ward
- "Karma Police", Radiohead
- "Taller Beauty", Julie Doiron
- "Blonde on Blonde", Nada Surf
... and then the anesthesiologist and another doc come in, give me an injection via the IV, roll me down the hall and I can't help but thinking, "It looks just like it does on TV"... and that's the last thing I remember until I wake up about 90 minutes later to a nurse offering more morphine.
Typically, I'm proud of the fact I can count the number of pills I take each year on two hands, just the very rare ibuprofen for me. But in this case, I'm glad they pumped me full of everything for... and I really don't even care what it was.
5.17.2007
More Pics
Alright, we weary travelers are paying out the nose for a timed connection
here at Heathrow, so it's just quick notes and more pictures! Can't wait to
see you all!
Here's just one of the many sections of Europe's tallest waterfall:
Here is a shot from the top of the falls looking down. That first gray section
in the pines is just the halfway point, then it drops just
as far again to the reservoir and town below.
A shot from the super-steep cable car ride...
and the view of the Austrian Alps from the top, looking out
from the cave:
The "hardy" cave hikers (as the guidebooks suggested we had to be). From Left:
Danielle, Erin, Rosa, me, Natalia, Matt, Mike and Martina.
A three foot long "bike" pretzel in Salzburg... after the cave hike I would
have eaten this had the place been open!
Monster beers (and delicious!) at the Hofbrauhaus our last night in Munich:
The view from the "London Eye", the world's largest observation wheel...no,
you don't always get to see this beautiful woman every time you ride the Eye!
and last but not least, a shot in front of Big Ben during our night out in
London.
We'll do a wrap up in a day or two. Thanks for reading!
5.16.2007
"Eating All You Can"
-the sign at the Chinese All-You-Can-Eat Buffet we stopped at after
the ice caves. We like the translation.
the ice caves. We like the translation.
Auf Wiedersehen Germany & Austria!
We're currently hanging out in Munich Terminal 1 awaiting our flight
for a 27 hour layover in London - pretty sweet, in the genuine sense!
Yesterday (Tues) we actually awoke to the sound of music in
Salzburg ... the ringing of church bells at 7am, but it was NOT one
of our favorite things. There was a slight drizzle all morning, but
it didn't stop us from walking around, doing some shopping, and
eating the best spinach/tomato ciabatta bread stick in the world from
one of the street markets. And once we found out that Riedel crystal
was an Austrian/German company, we had to stop at the Salzburg Riedel
store/cafe for a couple glasses of white white and a chicken salad.
You want to know what's really good in Europe? McDonald's coffee.
Yup, that's right the McClassic Cappuccino for just 1 McEuro at the
McCafe was excellent! It's far from the cup of thin, and extremely
hot, coffee that you would get at a McDonald's in the States. On our
drive back to Munich I (Rosa) really wanted a great cup of coffee,
but alas, all the McDonald's were on the South side of the Autobahn
and there was no way to get over. Now I'll have to find out how the
McDonald's coffee is in London.
Our last night in Munich was a lot of fun with some traditional
German food and a couple of gi-normous beers. We went to the
Hofbrauhaus, the largest beer hall in Munich, where we each ordered
the only size beers available: 1 liter. Check out the picture - Mike
is drinking a pilsner, Rosa is drinking a radler (a pilsner mixed
with lemonade ... so good!). We had a plate of spatzle, a variety of
schintzels (of course, Rosa passed on the sausage) and shared our
last gigantic pretzel. After the walk back to the hotel we decided to
check out one more place and have another drink - although I'm not
sure how I did it. It was probably the walk across the city that made
room for anything in our full bellies. Our last stop in Munich was at
the Cafe Am Beethovenplatz, a hip cafe/restaurant/bar with a great
mix of clientele: students, couples of all ages, groups of
girlfriends sharing desserts, folks reading books and a woman playing
a grand piano for all of us. It's definitely a place we'd go back to.
..... 7 hours later we are finally posting this after a rainy
afternoon in London. Our internet connection is very slow, so the
pics will be posted tomorrow. We wish we were back in Munich - London
is not worth the pounds!
5.15.2007
Tired & Quips
Rather than relax and recover the day after the wedding like we probably should have, Rosa and I decided to start tackling some of Europe and the World's "Biggest" attractions - and not biggest by the most crowded, but biggest in actual terms of size. We're Americans so we always have to go big, right? Needless to say, two straight days of hiking around the Alps left us extremely tired, so we're a day late on the updates.
The highlights of the last 48 hours?
A hike down into the town of Mittersill from the castle for a relaxing morning on the square... then the tallest Waterfall in Europe and a 90 minute, 1200 foot hike to the top of it... and wrapping up the evening with a walk from the castle up to the bride and groom's "hideaway" to share some pictures and a glass of wine. It was about a 10 mile day with 2,000 feet of elevation change.
Yesterday (Monday) we hit the world's largest ice caves... which I thought would have been buried down in the mountain... but instead was another drive/hike up another 1,600 feet to the entrance, a freaky 50 degree cable car ride up the side of a cliff, and then an hour plus tour and 1400 steps up through the cave system. No photos were allowed, but you should really check it out here and then click on Gallery in the left hand side.
After the ice caves we were all super-hungry and hit a Chinese restaurant with a lunch buffet... oh yes, Chinese in Austria.
And finally, last night we ended up in Salzburg, a beautiful small city. We were a little knackered to do any hardcore sightseeing, but fortunately it's only a short walk anywhere in the city, including northern Europe's largest Renaissance fountain (which we sat down in front of without even realizing),and we took the tram to the Festung Hohensalzburg, the largest intact castle in Central Europe. It sits on a huge cliff and overlooks the city and the surrounding countrside. We'll definitely upload some more photos soon.
A few funny things heard the past couple days:
"Holy waterfall, Batman!" - Rosa's first view of the falls.
"I'm not a quitter" - Rosa as we reached to the halfway point of the falls... and see how much further we have to go.
"Excellent... in the genuine sense." - what Matt's sisters say so that everyone knows they're NOT being sarcastic (because most of time they are).
more to come...
The highlights of the last 48 hours?
A hike down into the town of Mittersill from the castle for a relaxing morning on the square... then the tallest Waterfall in Europe and a 90 minute, 1200 foot hike to the top of it... and wrapping up the evening with a walk from the castle up to the bride and groom's "hideaway" to share some pictures and a glass of wine. It was about a 10 mile day with 2,000 feet of elevation change.
Yesterday (Monday) we hit the world's largest ice caves... which I thought would have been buried down in the mountain... but instead was another drive/hike up another 1,600 feet to the entrance, a freaky 50 degree cable car ride up the side of a cliff, and then an hour plus tour and 1400 steps up through the cave system. No photos were allowed, but you should really check it out here and then click on Gallery in the left hand side.
After the ice caves we were all super-hungry and hit a Chinese restaurant with a lunch buffet... oh yes, Chinese in Austria.
And finally, last night we ended up in Salzburg, a beautiful small city. We were a little knackered to do any hardcore sightseeing, but fortunately it's only a short walk anywhere in the city, including northern Europe's largest Renaissance fountain (which we sat down in front of without even realizing),and we took the tram to the Festung Hohensalzburg, the largest intact castle in Central Europe. It sits on a huge cliff and overlooks the city and the surrounding countrside. We'll definitely upload some more photos soon.
A few funny things heard the past couple days:
"Holy waterfall, Batman!" - Rosa's first view of the falls.
"I'm not a quitter" - Rosa as we reached to the halfway point of the falls... and see how much further we have to go.
"Excellent... in the genuine sense." - what Matt's sisters say so that everyone knows they're NOT being sarcastic (because most of time they are).
more to come...
5.13.2007
Note: having your wedding in two languages in a country that neither the bride
or groom is from means things are at least two or three times crazier - however,
being a destination vacation means it's all fun! The past couple days
we did some running around the valley for last minute preparations,
and every single view takes your breath away. I (Mike) have been saying that
I wasn't as interested in traveling abroad when there were so many things in
America I hadn't seen yet, but I'm definitely taking that back. The scenery
and way of life are so completely different here than anything you'd find in
the States, and I recommend that everyone try and make a trip to Bavaria and
the Austrian Alps. The people here are super-nice and as long as you learn
a few simple German phrases you can get by just fine, and did I mention the
scenery? It's picture time!
or groom is from means things are at least two or three times crazier - however,
being a destination vacation means it's all fun! The past couple days
we did some running around the valley for last minute preparations,
and every single view takes your breath away. I (Mike) have been saying that
I wasn't as interested in traveling abroad when there were so many things in
America I hadn't seen yet, but I'm definitely taking that back. The scenery
and way of life are so completely different here than anything you'd find in
the States, and I recommend that everyone try and make a trip to Bavaria and
the Austrian Alps. The people here are super-nice and as long as you learn
a few simple German phrases you can get by just fine, and did I mention the
scenery? It's picture time!
Here is a photo from inside the castle walls looking out at the chapel and
down towards the valley.
This is another shot over the top of the chapel with a little bit better view
of the mountains and some fresh snow.
The town of Mittersill, Austria.
The view to the West from our room on the top floor of the Castle.
Stealing a kiss in the Castle's English Garden.
Never, ever get caught sniffing another man's flower.
The night before the wedding... do they look nervous?
One heck of a view, and the bride and groom look pretty good too.
Rain threatened the outdoor ceremony all day (it actually hailed right before
the ceremony), but Matt shows he's got Natalia covered.
...and finally, a chance to relax!
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