Double Ouch

Coming off the long straight, slightly downhill, and wind at your back road where you easily crank along at 30 to 40 miles an hour before you turn onto the finishing stretches where you get a little bit of cross winds and have a couple of short hills before the finish area. The last time through, after 70 miles or hard riding, my left meathook revolted. Massive inner thigh muscle cramp. All I could do was spin it out and hope for it to stop. Afraid to stand up to stretch in case it worsens. After a few minutes of spinning spasms stop and I could push on a little. Then the right leg starts cramping too and the left starts again Double cramps. That's a first. Other snipets from the 1st race in the VeloBob Cal Cup Challenge, i.e.: the Patterson Pass Road Race...

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We were heading up the first big hill that comes early in the race. The pace had already been hard for 10 or 15 minutes. A Safeway and Spine are up the road. I'm riding about midpack, close to Rozek. Brown's near the front and Hancock is in between. We hit a steep section and I see Safeway's Martin make an acceleration. Like an earthquake's shock waves it ripples through the peloton and I know it's just moments before I'm going to need to stand and respond. Matt says "there goes Martin". And just like that 1/2 the pack is off. We collect the two off the front by the time we crest the hill 5 or 10 minutes later.

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We bomb down the other side and hit the 2nd big climb of the loop. Again the pace is hard as we're still about 20 strong. Someone says "don't these guys know we're doing more than one lap" and someone else responds "a lot of these guys aren't doing more than one lap". Toward the summit of the 2nd climb a small gap forms with an 8 man break that includes EMC's Parks, our Mike Brown, Spine's Hutchinson, and a Safeway. Once this gap forms Spine, Specialized/Sierra Nevada, and Safeway stop pulling in the chase. The unrepresented riders go to front and keep the pace very high through the long section mentioned at top. The pace is very high, but the break is not coming back. Too much horsepower in it and the teams with numbers are all represented. I'm enjoying the free ride but have a feeling Martin or Pasco will try to bridge solo when we hit the climb again. We hit the steep hills and I'm immediately off the back with 4 others spread between me and quickly the disappearing peloton. That was the end of the game for me, I work the remaining 40+ miles to pass a couple more riders and finish somewhere around 18th I guess.

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The Safeway won... don't know his name but it wasn't Lothar, OV, Martin, Pasco or Tofoya. Parks came in 2nd. Brown was 7th. It was about 10 minutes back to Martin and somewhere behind that was Hancock.

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My legs are still paying the price. Tough race. Thanks Roy for manning the feedzone. I was very popular at the beginning lap 3 when I was offering my fellow racers Ludicris sodas in the feedzone. We were all hurting and needed the energy.

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There was a Navigators guy in our race. Big strong dude. Don't know who it was. He wasn't in the winning break but from the looks of him I think he'll have a better time in the flat stages.

Horner sighting

Saw Chris Horner riding around the 'hood today. Think he was trying to be incognito because he was wearing his Webcor giddyup. But he could not fool me, the protour officianado that I am. I would know that the beautiful bald pate and rosey cheeks anywhere. So I gave him a shout out as I drive by "Go Chris". He was nice enough to respond with a wave that I caught in my rear view mirror. Right on Chris, treating the fans with respect. I always see him on the same spot when he's in town. On Auburn-Folsom between Granite Bay and Folsom. He must just do endless loops around the lake or something.

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That little creaking sound. I love my Specialized Tarmac, but it has been creaking all year. I've begged and pleaded in the shop and they always tell me something like... "I dunno, creaks are really hard to find. Probably in your pedals". But I've changed my pedals and it still creaks. I thought I had finally nailed it to the carbon fiber Specialized seat post. You know the one with the zertz insert. I shelled out today for an Easton. I was all fired up to get it on the rig and take it for a spin to hear that beautiful sound of... silence. Still creaking. @#% Well, maybe it's the saddle after all. Switch out the Selle San Marco for the Specialized Toupe. Still creaking. Double @#%.

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Lieberman is showing what a truly self absorbed power monger he is by running independent. Your party has spoken Joe. Do the right and honorable thing and step out. If you do so, you may have a political revival in the future. If not, you'll be a pariah. If you're going to run independant, you may as well join the republican party. I'd have a little more respect for you if you did, but not much. What a donkey.

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Three things I see that give me the urge to coach people with the following advice; "You're not in Star Trek", "This ain't the wild west", and "It was bad fashion in the 80's and it's bad fashion now". These people need to be saved from themselves. They'll look back one day and say what was I thinking? Am I right, or am I right?

End of Times

I had no idea it was the end of times until I saw this clip of the Daly Show. I thought all the fighting was naturally explained. Iraq=Presidentshitforbrains, and Lebanon is because people in the Middle East don't love their kids enough to keep a lid on their aggressions. Carl, as the expert on Christianity at least for the next 12 months, can you confirm Armageddon is really upon us?

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My heart says Landis is clean, but my mind says he's doped. I can not logically explain how you can bonk one day and have a phenomenal effort the next like in Stage 17. That's not how my body works at least. I want to believe in him since it was such a great ride, but I can't. It's so disappointing as fan to follow the pro tour only to have every great effort tainted by doping. I'm therefore resigning my fan position effective immediately. No more visiting Cyclingnews and Velonews multiple times a day. From now on, I'm just following the local exploits of my fellow racers.

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I wish every non cyclist I know would stop calling me to ask if I think Landis is doped.

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Check this Led Zep rif out... gotta watch until the music comes on. That's when it gets good.

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Wednesday: Mediocre week on the bike. 7x5min intervals on 3 min rest. Was supposed to do 8, with 6 of them on the hill but I only did 4 then aborted the 5th, then I got a flat, then I stopped for a Pepsi (because they didn't have Coke). I recovered a little motivation and did 3 more on the way home but it was on the flats. Ofcourse I focused on all the negative like a proper cyclist should; Am I sick? (maybe), have I lost it?, did I ever have it?, am I tired?, blah, blah, blah. Oh and my powertap was not working... was showing 120watts on the climbs.... where did the power go, and my cassette was skipping big time.

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Thursday: Followed up the Wednesday debacle with sprints workout with Dunlap and Rutherford. JD told me what was wrong with my powertap, so that was nice. But then he proceeded to beat me up on every single sprint. I had the excuse that he was coming out of my draft, but then he beat me (crushed me really) heads up mano y mano. Then Roy joined us for leadouts and JD continued to crush me regardles of whether I was 2nd or 3rd wheel. Ok, I still have a whole bunch of excuses but I'm keeping those to myself. 9x15-25sec sprints @ 977-1169 watts, 34-37.5 mph. Love the sprint workout none the less. Very easy mentally and physically compared to long intervals but makes you hurt all the same.