comme ci comme ça week

This week has been so/so. The weather turned very spring in the past few days. So there have been days of wet, days of cold and days of wet&cold. Okay, by cold I mean mid 40's in the morning, but I have gotten used to (spoiled by?) warmer temps, so motivation is hard to find on those days. Tuesday was one of the wet&cold days and I planned to do 2x15min hard intervals on the TT bike. Well I decided to ride them inside on the trainer; that didn't work out so good. If motivation is hard to find to get outside on chilly days, it's nowhere to be found to ride inside for me now. I slogged through the intervals at a much lower power than 1) I should have and 2) would have if I'd been outside. Basically it was a waste of time.
Wednesday eve I did the Wednesday Worlds training race. I usually can't make this ride because it traditionally leaves @ 5:30 and I work until 6. But the start has been shifted to 6 for the bike shops sakes so I'll be able to make more now. It was as always, a hard ride, but good workout (if you stay in the front group for a Bloomington WW ride, you basically completed a shortened Cat2 road race). I had some uncharacteristic leg cramps, but i rode through them (w/ help from the Shann-a-hammer). I feel like I did a little damage to my right calf in the process though. I'm nursing it, and feeling better, but it is kind of tender in a spot.

(Levi Leipheimer's head is too big for his body. And is he a horsey jockey or a bike racer?)

My allergic effects haven't completely subsided. Which brings me to a quick review of Muc-off lens cleaner. On the Wednesday night ride, let's just say I had snot flying all over the place and in particular in a place that made me glad I was wearing sunglasses. I was able to just wipe the lens w/ my bare finger and was able to see clearly. Nice.
Anyway, this post is getting boring. I started it several days ago and have been writing a little here-and-there every so often over the past few days. So it probably doesn't flow well. Sorry.
More TT scheduled for this weekend (Sunday). Weather looks rainy, but supposed to clear up after morning, so it's likely we'll get it in tomorrow. I'll let y'all know how things go.

Recovery week + all day rain = 0 day.

So with this being the end of a recovery week and it being an all day rain affair, I basically did nothing all day. It's pretty rare that I take a 0, but I just couldn't get motivated to ride in the rain. Basically my mind set changed about a million times and I just couldn't get it together. I went from 'going to race a TT,' to 'going to ride @ 3pm if it wasn't raining' (which it was still), to 'f*%k it all'. I guess when I go from race mode, to ride mode, to waiting mode it's easy to just do nothing instead.
I did work on some of our (Lindsay and I's [mostly Lindsay's]) bikes do a bunch of dishes, some vacuuming, etc, but nothing too terribly productive by my standards.
I skipped racing and found this picture of what I missed:
yes, racers/bikes ducking for cover under semi trailer in pouring rain; not unhappy I missed all that action.
Okay, okay, this is the one pic I decided to pull because the 4 or so other pages of people actually racing bikes just make me feel bad. I prefer to look at this one and say "man, I'm glad I'm not one of those idiots."
Good news is: other than some mild nasal runnage, my allergy attack is pretty well gone. So I can get back to training this week. I really think the neti pot is a huge help in situations like these, and in general. I started using it in the shower so I don't have to worry about aim or splash or anything. It's the way to do it. Enough about my mucus.
On the agenda for this coming weekend is a hilly 20k TT. Then the following weekend is a 40k. Then another 40k the weekend following that one. Lots of TT's coming up. And some more RR's too. Yes, I'm keeping busy.
The OVCX 2010 schedule was released today as well. That got me thinking that I'm going to need a break in July or August to recoup a little prior to getting fired up for CX this year. I also keep telling myself every week for the past several that 'I need to get out and ride my mountain bike,' but then don't do it. My first few MTB races may be embarrassing. Oh well, I'm not ultra competitive @ MTB anyway, I really do it for fun/workout.

Reocovery, allergies and recovery from allergies

(Not 100% sure what this pic is, [lifted form google images] but it lays out allergy symptoms AND has my name on it)

This was a planned recovery week for me. Which turned out to coincide perfectly w/ an attack of the allergens. I've been eating echinacea like candy (not really, ~6pills/day; I could eat way more candy than that) and using the Neti pot like the guys at the head shop around the corner use the pot-pot.
The weather was mostly great for a recovery week; just to go out and enjoy a few rides w/ no real efforts.
(I snapped this out on a very picturesque stretch of road Tuesday I think. Nice views like this 360* around on this road)

Anywho, I'm feeling pretty good and the allergies, while definitely still lingering, are not too bad. It's Little 500 weekend and since I don't really care much about that event, and the race I ~was~ doing Saturday is canceled, I'll work Sat and hopefully race a TT Sunday, weather pending.
I busted out my rain bike and did my "openers" routine today in the rain. This is becoming a favorite workout of mine. I was very nearly taken out by a (hillybilly in a) truck pulling a boat, but my power stayed up some how. 446 is a dangerous road w/ all the idiots in their trucks w/ their boats and this was the closest I can remember coming to being swiped. It was cloudy and rainy, so I have to believe this dude didn't notice me OR my bright-ass blinky light because he didn't budge. I also have to believe he didn't notice my finger after passing me because he didn't come back for the ass-whoop of his life (130lb dude in lycra vs [at least] 2 ~250+lb hill-jacks, likely w/ weapons, how could I loose?).
So, hopefully the weather allows a TT this weekend. Then next week is back to workouts and hopefully allergies are gone.

Result

32/56. For all of my effort this weekend that's what I ended up with.
But Scott Bond said I get the "Jens Voigt 'toughest bastard'" award and that's better than a W.
Shows how fast the field was moving too; I went from 1st to 32nd in about 3 seconds. Dang.

The best way to win...

Everyone knows the best way to win a bike race is off of a solo break w/ no one else in the picture.
Flip side.
The worst way to loose is off of a solo break and being swept up by a charging field 10yards from the line.
And so went my Sunday.
I had a pretty hard week training (more later on that), but I went over to Vandervort's Corner road race in Ohio knowing that it's a mostly flat and wind swept course. That's not really the most suited course for me but whatever, a race is a race. Some of us call this race Voldemort's Corner just to be funny and because it sounds similar; there lies some irony I will explain later.
Basically, huge long boring story short (kind of), flayers and attacks were going off form the gun and I was trying to stay toward the front, chase down moves here-and-there, but not get too panicked too early (it's a 60mile race). I was not feeling particularly good or strong (from my hard-ish week, more later) but I was toward the front holding my own and contributing when necessary.

(Here's me in the driver's seat w/ probably 3-4 or so laps to go)

With two to go it was all back together and a guy took off solo. W/ just two to go I take anything as a threat, so I bridged. No one chased, so the dude and I worked together for maybe 2-3minutes, then I rode him off my wheel when the rod tilted up. I looked back and had a nice cushy gap, so i decided to drill it and go alone. For some reason our lead car pulled over and I got in front of it. Add that to the dude that I had dropped being reintegrated and I had just pulled on my "cloak of Harry Potter," which is 1) ironic given we were at Voldemort's Corner and 2) one of my favorite Paul Sherwen sayings. Anywho, I was out of sight/out of mind.
So I rode 2 laps (more like 1 3/4) solo. That's 40minutes as hard as I could go. I really didn't think it would stick at first, but as the gap grew and/or stayed steady, I was pretty sure I was going to pull it off. It wasn't my day though, as I was wept up by the charging peloton about 10-20 yards from the line. It's funny, in my heart rate file, about 1min form the end of the file, you can see where my HR goes from 181 to 192, which is when I knew it was all or nothing. It was actually all AND nothing though, as I went "all in" and still lost.
Oh well, it was a great ride, but a bad result. It happens. I did all I could.

(solo)


(Sitting in)

(this is the finish. I'm on the far right. I had just been caught and the finish was probably 2-3 seconds after this)

So the week leading up to this was supposed to be a recovery week, but I was feeling too good for recovery. I did some hard intervals Tuesday, some threshold Thursday and a 20min power test Friday. I had a goal number for 2010 that I wanted to hit for a 20min test and I exceeded it Friday. I was sure it was attainable, but i didn't really expect to do it in April. I'm pretty happy/excited w/ that (and yes I could set a new goal for later in the year, but...).
With all that, this week will be a recovery week. The road race I was planning to do Saturday got canceled, but there's a TT Sunday on the agenda. So what was going to be a double-header weekend is looking more like a TT Sunday only.

Hueston Woods RR, etc.

This weekend I got back to racing. I went over for stop #2 ( I think) of the Ohio Valley Spring Series at Hueston Woods State park outside of Oxford, OH.
It was very nice day and I started off feeling pretty good. The first two laps things stayed pretty much together, so I tried to move up any opportunity I got to stay close to front.
We were doing 7 ~9mile laps and after2 one guy took off solo. No body really chased immediately.
After a while a group of guys took off in pursuit. I have no idea why, but I decided to go with this group so I bridged to them. Problem was I brought most of the main field with me. As soon as I noticed that it was all together, I immediately countered my own move (which is probably the hardest move in cycling, the bridge/counter) and it stuck. It was 6 of us chasing the lone dude out front. We caught him and had a group of 7. We rode very short pulls and kept our speed high and gained a big gap over the field.

(This is me at the finish. I look like I've ridden myself retarded and I pretty much had)

I was hands down the strongest "climber" in the break and I was dropping the group on the climbs, but had to sit and wait knowing that they could roll faster as a group than I could alone. Finally w 2.5laps (~20miles) to go, I rolled off the front (OTF) on a climb and made a sizable gap.
One guy bridged to me and we decided to go it as a duo. It stuck and we rode those 2.5 laps alone.

(this is me and the dude that bridged to me probably w 1 to go. We were climbing hard at this point to maintain/extend our lead. You can tell by our faces we were going at this point)

My break-mate attacked me on the flat after a downhill and I didn't panic, thinking I could close him down on the uphill finish that followed. I misjudged the gap he had opened (ie: I should have panicked a little) and I closed it down to ~2bike lengths, but lost it at the line. We had almost 4 minutes on the rest of the race though.
Good day; happy w/ the result and that's in the money, on the box and all that.

(riding the break prior to it splitting up)

The week leading to this past weekend (or last week as some my call it) I had some good workouts including a 35minute full gas TT sesh. I skipped riding Friday all together though because I was supposed to do a 1hr ez recovery ride, but it was 35* in the a.m. and I have been totally spoiled by it being 70 most days. So I just couldn't force myself into tights/gloves, etc for a 1hr ez ride.
The 10day is looking damn fine right now though, so this week should be golden. W/ plenty more racing on the calendar, I say keep this nice weather around!

HW pic dump cont.

These two pics we were trying to get a lap count but no one seemed to know what we had left and we believed the lap card was worng.

Here's me OTF the break on the finishing climb, probably ~lap 4/7 or so.

Finishing climb w/ break away group.

Early on, probably lap 1 or 2. All together still.

(All pic's taken by Jeffrey Jakucyk.) Big thanks.

Epic Sunday

While my Sunday wasn't as epic as it was for these guys it was pretty epic watching them race. And we had a long hard ride ourselves too, the weather was great so our doesn't really qualify as epic, but it was hard nonetheless.
Two of set out for the Nashville 90. It was a great day, but the wind was blowing hard and it was all over the place, so we had headwinds where we didn't think we would based on the previous headwind directions, which made for a hard ride. As long as you don't bonk-out, (which no one did) you can't complain about a hard ride, but I was drained afterwords. I drank some recovery drink, then passed out for almost 2hrs. I didn't eat during that whole time, and not eating for 2hrs after a long ride like that (and being drained) is not recommended. (I actually was so tired feeling that I "couldn't" vigorously shake my recovery drink, I wished I had a paint shaker thing)
Anywho, we rode a good strong 90 and had a really good speed for it just being two of us and having to deal w/ the wind.
In other news: I've been on my TT bike twice now and it feels good and is riding fast. Looking forward to racing this thing. Maybe even make a few dollar$ at some of the local TT's.
Things are going well. Plan is to resume racing this weekend. Plus I mowed the yard for the first time this year. Kind of sucks to open that can, but it has to be done.
That's about all I have. Will report more laters.