My other talent

In addition to being an incredibly gifted cyclist I am also a bit of a poet. I love to vist open mic nights here in Ohio and share my feelings with others , most of whom are less fortunate and less gifted than I. If you are feeling down after a poor cycling performance, I suggest you try writing a poem, it will help you feel better. I usually write poetry about cycling or bikes because they are huge part of my life and without them I would have nothing but my good looks.

And remember, not all poems need to follow the standard forms (Sonnet, Villanelle, etc.) that are out there, just write from the heart and write what you feel and let your audience decide what it means.

What's in my ears now

I’m listening to a wonderful album that was released after Johnny Cash died, called My Mother's Hymn Book. He quite literally took his mother’s old hymnbook and sat with his guitar and sang his favorites. I would highly recommend this intimate set of songs, including In the Garden, which my sister played at my grandmother’s funeral. I love the Man in Black.

coaching services- NOT

Many have asked me about coaching them and I really thought about it, but decided that I don't have time to share with others now. Besides, why would I want to help others get faster?

That's just dumb.

Cross Race Recap 12/09

The race report for my last Ohio cross is summed up by saying "Cold and Fast". A big group lined up in the 123, A race. The conditions were cold with temps hovering around freezing, and the conditions sloppy and as expected. The course was a 2ish mile loop with wide sweeping corners, fast descents, very long road sections, and 1 run up. The gun went off and we launched into the oblivion. I sat back about 4th for the first 30 seconds then decided to make my way to the front, we hit the first set of barriers doing 25mph, I jumped off to run and by the time I made it past the 3rd barrier I was 1st. It became very clear to me that I owned the dismounts! I raced off on and set the pace with the others following my lead through a long sustained climb, a very long road section, and then the run up that I rocked on. At the end of the first lap I was smokin' it, but tried to save some energy up, by the 3rd lap I thought we were almost done only to discover that the lap cards read 2 to go, that was not a good feeling but oh well. When I approached lap 4 of 5 I knew my best bet was to try to make big gaps whenever I could by sprinting and attacking any chance I could get. Every lap I pounded as hard as I could, even though it felt like someone had put a belt around my chest and cinched it up tight, my legs felt like that same person had poured lead into my femoral arteries- I love this sport. By the end I had finished and had ridden to my limits for the day, so I feel good about that.

The race was fast without big climbs, not my cup of tea. It was so fast that I did each lap in about 12 min. 5 laps averaging pretty high miles per hour I've been on road rides that seemed slower.

Next time I think I will try to race the B race first just to help even the playing field for the others in attendance.

What-a Race!

I am still recovering today and will post a full recap of Sunday's CX race soon.

Here's a teaser on how it went-I might have to leave OHIO to get some real competition!

Race weekend

I am going to test my fitness this weekend at the local CycloCross race. I wish they had an Elite or Pro field, oh well, the A race will have to do.

I doubt I could win the Elite race but the challenge and pace setting from others is great for my training.

I am looking forward to Spring and racing the road races in and around Columbus and all over Ohio as well as the moutain bike OMBC series and the Michigan series. This should be my best year yet.

Here we go... At the request of The Spoken One, let's take a look at a typical winter training ride from my perspective.

The attire- If the weather is cold and windy like it was on Saturday (in the 30's) here is what I wear:
-Three pairs of lightweight tights, with my team shorts over top
-1 "long johns" long sleeved shirt
-2 short sleeve jerseys
-1 fleece vest
-1 pair of wool socks
-winter specific cycling shoes- I love the LAKE boots
-heavyweight shoe covers
-one knit hat
-ski goggles
-thin glove liners
-heavy lobster gloves

The route. Select a route that you are familiar with and make sure you have a couple of hills to challenge you. Personally I like to do shorter
routes multiple times as opposed to a longer ride. This gives me a bail out option if I get too cold.

The effort. I believe in the 5 zones of training
-Active recovery. slightly more activity than no activity. This zone will bath your body in oxygen and carb rich blood while helping to remove metabolic waste from the muscles
-Easy distance- like it says easy rides. Use this for base miles
-Endurance- Like easy distance but longer. Helps build aerobic conditioning
-Intervals- Hard efforts on the flats, hills or even into the wind keeping your HEART RATE around 90%. Do these as often and as frequently as possible. You can never get enough of these efforts
-Sprinting- Like intervals but let it all out and don't worry about heart rate. If you die or suffer from a heart attack, you know you are doing it right!

My winter ride on Saturday was 30 miles, long very hilly, and I would consider it a ZONE 3 ride. Long distance at an easy pace. For 30 miles it took me just 4 hours 4 min and 16 seconds. There was a pretty stiff wind which slowed me down some, but overall it was a good solid ride. Rides like this keep you in shape through the winter and help make sure you come out strong in the spring. Since I am training for 3-4 hour races, 30 mile rides at this pace are just what I need.

New to Bloggin'

I have been reading the blogs of my fellow Ohio bicycle racers for some time and thought it's time I join in the fun.

I will tell you right up front, my training schedule is very demanding which may
prevent me from posting on a daily basis like many other less serious riders do, but I promise to provide a fresh look at the world of bicycle racing in Ohio and the
surrounding states.

For all of you out there that know me, enjoy this blog and the rare opportunity that it provides you to get insight on how to train and race like a PRO!