Just another commute...

Rode in this morning, have to say it was balmy. Super humid and somewhere around 50 degrees. Now I am not complaining at all, but I was over dressed.

After I get the kids to school I park my truck down at the Aquatic Center to ride in the bike trail straight to the office (22 miles). I change into my winter bibs, grab my gloves, etc.....hop out, lock the truck and go to get my bike out of the back. Got everything I need, but I think I will put my arm warmers away in my pack...

Hmmmmmm????

I remember thinking to myself as I watched Cam grab his backpack for school, wow Cam remembers his pack every day now, that's very grown up of him...I am a proud dad. Then I grabbed my water bottle and phone and head out to drop them off at school.

Nope, nowhere in there do I even remotely recall grabbing my pack, the one I thoughtfully packed the night before: clean clothes, shoes, wallet, pump, tube, multi-tool, patch kit, LUNCH, rain cape.

No, today I will be riding with two Gu's - luckily left in my pocket and a granola bar I had in my truck. No pump, no tube, etc.... Tempting karma, but fully accepting of the fact that if I flat, I am walking a long way... got to do what you got to do!

So I stick to the paved trail for "most" of the ride, taking the more fun sections of dirt. On one stretch of trail (its actually the old bike trail, asphalt removed, so we are talking a 12 foot wide dirt road here) I startle a woman walking her Rot. I was almost 50 meters behind her when she jumped so I don't feel too bad, but still apologize and say hello as I pass...

Me: "Sorry about that, good morning!!"

Lady: "HE WILL HURT YOU!!!!"

Now people, I can't make this stuff up.....As I run it through my head, I look back because I am certain I misheard her...No, that constipated look on her face says it all as she glares at me. Maybe it was my cyclocross bike, or my Visenka team kit I was wearing that was "threatening" to her....maybe she's a roadie, I dunno...

The funniest part of it, as I pass, the Rot is doing his business totally clueless that I am even riding by...

I love dogs.....

I am looking forward to my ride home, I plan on taking all trails up to my truck, a good FUN 26 miles. One issue I will have, my backpack also had my regular bib shorts, so I am riding home in winter bibs. Its supposed to be 60 today.... Maybe I can find a rubber sweatshirt to wear with it!

But alas, I cannot complain as it is all SELF-INFLICTED.... if you can't laugh at yourself....

...its only 11:15 and you're home already???

Well, today was, for lack of better words, totally frustrating! Driving out to Granite Bay for the TBF MTB race, I was reminded of Bill Murray in Caddyshack playing golf, "...oh yeah da' heavy stuff won't be coming down for a while yet...." It was raining and blowing. Personally, NOW, once I am on the bike and warming up I am good to go, its that whining period as you pick up your bib number, put the number on your bike, get ready, etc.... That's the hardest part.


So Marja, in full rain gear with the mutts, heads down to let the dogs go nuts toward the lake, Scott and I head out to preride the course and warm up....needless to say we are the only ones out there.


The start rolls around, the rain has actually stopped for the time being but its windy, and after shedding the rain cape, I am shivering, but no worries as once we are rolling I will be toasty.


I should have known from the start my day was going to be interesting, he gun goes off for our start, I am in the second row, so the wheel in front of me drifts WAY back into mine (still my fault) and the guy next to me comes down on me at the same time, my foot slips and I look like a goober....I get back on and slip again...no this isn't my first race, but wow I am looking sweet! I quickly spin it back up and get up into around 10th as we spin like mad down the start chute (big single speed class today)..we dodge and weave, hop up on the levy to head back to the single track/dirt and finally start racing..... We make it out to the first climb and there really is no where to pass, I make it past one guy and sit in as we snake up the climb. After the climb there is minimal places to pass, and of course where one could pass the "Davis Bike Club" guy speeds up and doesn't let two of us through. Finally I pass him on a wide open short climb, where he responds by passing me out of control on a descent, the slows into a climb....I pat him on the back and ask, yes I was positive!!! I swear, to keep up his speed if he is going to pass, then we hit a steep but relatively short climb right after that...."Davis Bike Club" guy is no where to be found...


I am on Kirk's wheel now (fast, so I am content) and cruising along through some fun twisty single track, as we pass a couple of experts (geared) that started ahead of us I slug through a deep mud bog and suddenly my rear wheel locks up...I figure its mud caked on my rotor so I go to feather my rear brake and the lever is solid, i.e. the pistons are fully out and locked on the rotor.


SO I hop off in that panic of "okay, fix it and keep racing"....knowing what it was I dump my GU2O on the calipers, but they are locked....rider after rider passes.....Scott stops, realizes he doesn't have a tool to help me so I bark at him to race on! Now I mellow, thinking no worries, we'll fix and just finish out the race....hmmmm...not gonna happen.


Then it hits me.....the dreaded 3 letters in the English language I hate the most when put together after my name....Not SOB, I can deal with that, its even worse. I remember each and every time I have had these letters after my name. Sea Otter 2003, Iron Angel 2002.... I avoided them at the CX race at Discovery Park when I was sick by coming in almost dead last (not sure how I was not dead last).....to me Last Place is better than this....

DNF

I started hiking toward the Start/Finish area, my rear wheel would not move an inch. Thinking about it, it is my fault....should have lubed the pistons a little more. Simple really. Even though it was a mechanical, and I could not do anything on the spot, I could have prevented it....damn hard to swallow.

Oh, for those who don't know, DNF is "Did Not Finish." EEEESSSSHHH, hurts to even type that.

The walk of shame.... but smiling, cause what the heck are ya gonna do???

Furlough Friday #2

"One guy in gay bike clothes is a tool! If you're in a group of 'em, you're the shit!!"
-"Dead Like Me"

Please don't construe the title of today's blog to mean anything other than what it says....I might be persecuted for saying this, but I like Furlough Fridays....who wants to forgo take home pay, I don't, but to have 2 more days...."Get busy living or get busy dieing".... I am not embarrassed to say I work to live, not the other way around.... Now that doesn't mean I don't take pride in my work, and I definitely better not hear you lump me in with the generic "state worker" label nonsense... but more time to ride, spend with my kids....come on now!!!

Rode out with Dave Wednesday on the trail, he was on his mtb so we road some of the trails on our way out to Folsom. My Orange Crush has 1.95 Armadillo's with a little tread and I have to say they held the mud great! I have to give the CX bike a plug here, I really think that bike teaches you some serious bike handling skills.

After we hopped back on the paved trail at Goethe, we were passed by a small pace line of roadies so we had to join in....they seemed annoyed, Dave and I were talking the whole time. Of course when the trail tilted up slightly they all slowed so Dave and I had to come around and pull on principle. You can never get tired of two mountain bikes (one with full knobbies and the other with front/rear fenders and only one chainring up front) pulling a pack of roadies....

Thursday saw me spin 20 miles to work and then head up the hill to Monsters to get my back pummelled by Veloce. Serious lower back/I.T. Band issues that will hopefully be resolved soon. The good news, the one place it doesn't bother me is in the saddle riding.

Now today, as I sit here on "Furlough Friday #2" I am waiting to head into UCD Sport Med for VO2 testing. Marja's research project is starting up so I thought I'd be her guinea pig and get up to date VO2 data along with my training zones (heart rates), skin folds, lactate levels, etc.... looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be up in Auburn right now riding the trails before the rain comes back, but its not everyday you get a chance to have this testing done w/o paying an arm and a leg for it. Until then I think I will take the mutts out to the river and let them have their fun!

Sunday looks like a little racing in the slop out at Granite Bay, see you out there!!

The Orange Crush returns!!!

Sorry Bronco fans, its not the defense from years WAY gone... My '96 Stumpjumper has made a return for the foul weather commutes! She has full fenders front and rear, a 1x8 drive train (yes, one derailleur, sorry) and some armadillo 1.9 semi slicks (adds a few pounds to say the least), and a Surly rigid front fork...oh, and only a rear brake right now, she's still a work in progress.

Now she and I have been through a lot, thousands of training miles, many XC races and even the Leadville 100. I had many chances to sell her the past few years, but for some reason I just couldn't do it. Thank goodness!

So her return, not quite as much fan fare as Lance's, was yesterday at 6a.m. I rolled out the door in a steady rain with winds that were steady around 15-20mph....could this be what Chris is talking about in Seattle? Viva California!!

Now I expected no one to be on the trail, yet I did see 4 people, the last actually smiled at me, the others looked just miserable! The one thing 24 hr races can do for you is lift your tolerance for pain and misery, and frankly a little rain and cold with some blowing wind wasn't gonna keep me from getting the miles I needed! Now the 40 mile spin I was seeking turned into a 34 mile grind into the wind, so the effort was a bit higher than I planned, but oh well!

By mile 30, my Gore windstopper gloves were like sponges, and I was soaked through - with rain like I was in it was foolish to think some part of me might stay dry....the key though, my hands were warm! My feet, well I couldn't feel them for the last 20+ miles so they weren't an issue.

I think Scott would have rather enjoyed it too! He's like that... I will add a pic of the orange crush tonight, and hopefully I will get a weight on my way out of town this afternoon. I am guessing, with light its around 32 pounds now. Hard to add that much weight cause she was racing at 21 pounds back in the day!

Needless to say it is a different ride than my CX bike, but at least this way I can spin for extended periods regardless of the weather... yes I am supporting the concept of a derailleur here.... Keep it quiet, but my road bike is off the trainer and getting set to hit the road later this week...yes, asphalt not a trainer....but keep that amongst friends...

Human again....

Well last I left the blog world, I was reeling from an overdose of Taco Bell paired with a really bad bonk, about to leave on a recovery ride. Hmmmm, lets just say my recovery ride of about 26 miles was the last thing I did since Wednesday night.

Throat was scratchy, head getting congested, it was cold time. As long as it stayed out of my lungs I was good, I could still ride. I was awake all night with some serious stuffed-up sinuses, called in sick on my freaking birthday!!!! and slept. I was floored from a seemingly typical cold. Thursday, couldn't move.....slept. never a temperature, never the aches. Man I am getting old, I know colds effect the elderly a bit more than youth, but this is a joke!

Friday I was riding with Scott and feeling a lot better in the a.m. I took the dogs out to the river at Sutter's Landing to spoil them and do some hardcore WALKING, yes walking, to at least get the sickness blahs out of my body before meeting Scott.

About 30 minutes of "jogging"/walking I am complete toast. Quads shot, back seizing....ouch. Man I am old or a lot sicker than I think. I call off the ride.

As I drive home depressed, I begin to realize how little fluid I actually consumed the past few days. When I am stuffed-up, I have a hard time drinking water, for some reason the fact that I have no taste makes water "taste" nasty....don't ask....

So I take a S-cap (electrolyte pill) and start actually drinking water and powerade. Saturday a.m. is Marja's Duathlon at Granite Bay. I park outside the park and ride in on my CX bike. Can't breath but normal post sickness...As time passes during the race my quads ache and even cramp some...getting old sucks!!!

I leave to get to Annika's gymnastics meet and start consuming powerade and water consistently along with another S-cap. After her meet, I drive back out to Granite Bay to ride the CX bike. 34 miles later I had one of the best rides. Rode the mtb course in a 42x17, couldn't feel the climbs (granted they aren't big there, but my CX rig has always been a challenge there in that gearing). After a lap I headed down river toward the Fish Hatchery where I would loop back on the South side of Lake Natoma and back into Granite Bay. My legs were on!!

Moral of the story...HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE!!!

So back to the Duathlon yesterday....Shelly and Marja were super anxious. I tried telling Marja that the second run hurts, really hurts (its a 2 mile run-12mile mtb - 2 mile run). She was concerned that she hadn't been riding at all, and running just a little. As I told Chris last week, she will be ok on the run, top three by the time she started the final run, win her age class. She did just that. That's w/o really training.... Can you sense the jealousy!

"Sleepless in Sacramento" Shelly pulled off a second in her age category despite little Max's efforts this week, poor guy has been one sick little trooper which usually, and did, translate to no sleep for Momma!! She still managed to kick butt!!

Across the way in Roseville, Annika Gymnastics team is really starting to look good, nailing their floor routine and their vault and tumbling is starting to look more and more fluid each week!! They are really getting into it!!

On a sad note, at about mile 18 yesterday on my ride I came around the corner and skid to a stop in front of the most beautiful Hawk...wings spread across the trail....wing span probably 4 feet. He hopped off the trail, just staring at me, not nervous at all. My fear, he was injured and likely coyote bait come night fall. Marja had a good point and that maybe he was drying out his feathers...I hope for the latter. I just stared at him for a minute or so before riding off. Too bad no camera because they would have been amazing pics, that close up! Circle of life I guess!

Off the Granite Bay to take in the XC race, then another ride of my own later tonight, EZ 40 mile on the bike trail....no need killing myself just after being sick!

Cheers!

"That'll be $4.27 for 52 miles please..."

Last night I had a great ride with Lou and Dave from work...now they were on their road bikes, but try and forgive them. They are, well lets just say they are "slow" upstairs. Don't hold it against them. We headed out to the trail from work and we had a great time, me in the DG along the paved trail, then for some reason right around Watt Dave decides to pick it up...turns out we had some cling-ons he wanted to get rid of, but what really happened is he messed up the whole "casual ride" out to Folsom.

I was ducking on and off bits of trail here and there, something Dave and Lou took as a challenge for them to keep up on the pavement...ok, yes I was putting in some big efforts to get time on them, but hey we're guys.

Right before Goethe Dave takes off up the bridge, I spin like a mad man in my "pride-pull" and pass by to crest first. What Dave doesn't realize as I just about toss my lunch that I had at 1:30 (foreshadowing...its now 4:30). After Goethe there is a section that I can ride on the dirt that I thought was a short cut, but Dave and Lou end up putting a good minute on me when the dirt merges back with the trail near mile marker 15.5...now I have to haul my butt to catch them, spinning my 42x17 like a fool. Eventually I catch up with two more people on my wheel....

They suck our wheel for another few miles until Lou feels he has to drop everyone again...So I jump up and spin like mad trying not to bounce out of my saddle to catch him with 3 road bikes in tow..., once we caught Lou, Dave took over then me, then Lou with the pace up to the fish hatchery where Dave had parked.

With Dave gone, things were much more "consistent." Yes, its your fault Dave, live with it. I left Lou at Iron Point and continued on the single track around Lake Natoma.

What a night, cooling off quickly, but gorgeous and not a soul on the trail. As I ride across the Bridge at Auburn/Folsom, I eat half of a Payday bar (foreshadowing, I only half 1/2 left).

Continue along the trails under candle power. I love riding at night. I took my glasses off, they are photo chromatic but stay a bit too dark at night, and w/in seconds I take a bat in the face. No, not a Louisville, but one, it would seem, with compromised sonar...at least I am sure it is busted after it smacked me in the eye! I can deal with the glasses now!

As I drop down Hazel and along the trails below the hatchery (they are spectacular at night on a CX bike by the way) I suck down the last remaining Payday realizing, "I will be bonking tonight"....I made it to about mile marker 14 when the vision starts to get spotty and I am weaving down the trail.

I make it to Slac State where I cross Guy West and ride onto campus. Two goobers at the door won't let me bring my bike in so I can buy a piece of pizza at the Student Union...they say its too crowded - other than these half-wits, there is one girl behind a register playing with her pierced tongue stud-thingy...I'll pass on the Slac State pizza.

Sidebar: odd that the student union is empty on a Monday night...oh, Slac State, nevermind.

I crawl through East Sac and take 55th over to Folsom blvd, TACO BELL!

Now if you haven't been in this situation before, you won't understand, but I began to salivate for the Taco Bell....I park my bike and stumble through the door and begin fumbling in my jersey pockets for my ziplock with cash....this takes a few minutes....I order...doesn't really matter what, but when you are this bonked and this hungry, what you SHOULD put in your stomach at this point, compared to what you ARE GOING TO put in your stomach are two completely different things.

"That'll be $4.27"

If you truly are unAmerican and have never been blessed by Taco Bell, its cheap, REALLY cheap.

"4 twen what?" I babble...

"$4.27"

For the next minute and a half I am in heaven. Gloves on, light on, lets ride!

With 6 miles to go, in reality, I am in trouble. My stomach slowly begins to come to life, you think I am kidding...soon, my bib shorts are tighter, I can't even take in a half-breath, forget about a deep-breath. I make it to the office. I walk out to my car. Pain. I drive to Marja's house and lie down on the floor with the dogs to die.

"I am starving, lets go shopping so I can eat!!!"

Walking through BelAir I am in absolute hell. Surrounded by food, yet nothing looks remotely good. OH BACKUP, at the liquor store across the street from my office I bought and instantly consumed 32oz of Arctic Shatter Powerade.....yeah, brilliant huh....

I have been riding/racing a bike for years. I have bonked many more times than I care to remember, but for some reason I am not smart enough to resist the urge to stuff my face when I am bonked....and I mean eat something like 3 soft tacos and a bean burrito (yes with onions of course) in a bout 45 seconds total.

The funny thing, I cannot wait to go ride right now after work!!!! Maybe a quesadilla today?

The benefit of sport...

Saturday I took off on a run with the kids on their bikes (Cam on a 24" 7speed and Annika on a 20" SS [bless her heart])...they just recently got to the point that they could ride the neighborhood hills and enjoy the fire road sections on a 45 to 60 minute run. Saturday Cam wanted to try a "really big" hill that we usually skip, so we went for it. As Annika slows on the bigger climbs I usually give her a little help with my hand on her back, and Cam on my left when he starts to struggle. Now this hill was a tough one, and Cam was cranking up it and didn't ask for help until we were almost topped out, once at the top he spun out...recovered and we just kept on trucking. Sunday, we do the same route and head up the same "really big" hill...

As the hill starts to kick Cam shifts down and starts after the hill, I look to Annika to give her help and there she is, out of the saddle cranking away, "don't need help Daddy!!" Now if you have seen good single speeders, there is a certain look they have while climbing out of the saddle, Annika has it down already!!

Eventually, Annika needs a bit of help, but Cam gasps, "don't EVEN help me Daddy!" He tops out about 10 meters in front of me, takes a deep breath and 'click' 'click' up shifts and tears off to catch Marja who had run a head....of course as Cam 'clicks' up, Annika stands up out of the saddle and is gone after him. Then there is me, struggling to catch up gasping for air....

Eventually I catch up and we make our way up and down through the neighborhoods and finally hit the dirt (a cut made for a new development that stalled back with the housing bust). Cam takes off and drops all three of us, crests the climb and descends across a meadow to the next neighborhood. Annika, on the climb, stands and cranks up it beautifully....talking to me the whole time, actually arguing with me over what I had called out to Cam who was way out in front of us....i.e. she wasn't breathing hard.

We wind our way back to Cam's school where there is a dirt climb, over a metal culvert, and on up to the top. Last time Cam spun his wheel and fell on the culvert and this time he spins toward it, cuts left through the little ditch and avoids the culvert all together and climbs to the top, makes a hard left and descends to the field behind my house with Annika close behind his wheel. Here they split, Cam takes a left, weaves down a dirt trail, around some bleachers at the baseball field and spins all the way across this gofer infested field. Annika, takes a right, rides along the school drops down a gravel descent to the empty lot and drops off a little dip onto the Tumble Time parking lot.... Marja and I walk our sorry butts across the middle of the field minimizing how far we had to walk.

Here is what I am getting at...sport builds character, it build confidence. Sure both the kids were out there riding their bikes and not giving up with me there....whats more important to me, is both of them are so much more confident in social situations, with friends, in school, etc. Cam has been slowly coming out of his shell, but since playing indoor soccer consistently the past few months he has become much more confident.

Annika, she has always been super shy and had a hard time "warming up" to new situations and people. Since she started on her Gymnastics team and especially since she has had her first meet, she is a different girl altogether. How anyone can argue against the pluses of sport is beyond me. Now I will be the first to admit age is a factor too, but the dramatic changes I have seen are totally amazing!

So now that I have bragged about the munchkins, I sit here taking a brake from work itching to get on the bike. Tonight I am heading east with Dave and Lou from work, looping around Lake Natoma and then heading back down to Marja's house...about 50 miles plus or minus on the CX. Tomorrow will be around 40 miles on the river trails, then Wednesday I have to go punish myself on my birthday. I am looking at a 36 mile loop at the red line....a little race pace romp! Then its Moroccan food!!! Thursday will be a run, Friday a 35 mile fun CX ride with Marja and Scott, Saturday is Mar's MTB Duathlon, Sunday the TBF MTB Race.

Saturday will go something like this:

1. Marja is near puking due to nerves
2. Marja will feel horrible warming up, have a hard time breathing
3. She will get on her MTB somewhere in the top 5 women (12 mile mtb after a 2 mile run)
4. She will come thru on her first lap in second
5. She will start her final 2 mile run in position #1

That's my prediction! I think it will be pretty close, I will keep you posted!!

Sunday is the first MTB race of the season, 21 miles, relatively flat (34x16). We shall see where my fitness is. I have been told all you have to do is get on this guy's wheel, Scott Clark's wheel that is, and its all good!! Its time to start ramping up for great racing season!