Happy 60th Anniversary

Happy 60th anniversary to my parents! The family gathered in Ohio on Saturday to celebrate. My older brother and family came from D.C. and West Virginia and my younger brother lives in the area. Note the hair (or lack of). At this point I've still got the most.

For an anniversary present we got a copy of my parents' Christmas card list and sent a note out to all their friends and family members asking for photos, cards, and letters to be sent to my brother who with his family arranged them into an album. We had a great response and learned quite a few new things about our parents.

My son Jason tried to get back but couldn't arrange the proper flights. He flew in to Detroit while we were down in Ohio and will be here for a week when we go back to Ohio for the Mohican 100. We'll stop by my parents on the way home.

Outside their place they have a few plant hangers mounted to the wall and a mourning dove decided to make a nest in one. She let me get pretty close to take a picture of her and her two babies.

I didn't ride on Saturday but spent the time with the family instead. Sunday morning I was ble to get out and ride from my parents east of Cleveland to my sister in-law's place on the west side of Cleveland. I rode down to the tow path that runs through the Cuyahoga National Park and took it almost from Akron up to Cleveland. http://www.nps.gov/cuva/
This path follows the old Ohio & Erie canal past many old locks, restored buildings and abundant wildlife. http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/cuva/ppMaps/ACF489.pdf Throughout the area there are numerous historic attractions and optional road routes that take you up and out of the valley. The path is very well maintained with restrooms, water and small stores in some of the restored buildings. The path is over 30 miles in length and there are other bike paths that join up with it. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. There are two roads that also run most of the way along the valley that are popular routes for the road cyclists.

A sample of the path and a highway overhead. This gives an idea of the depth of the valley, great roads criss cross the area going up and down the valley hills. Steep and twisty.

A great blue heron nesting site

One of the locks

Another view of the lock


One of the restored buildings that is a visitor center/store

Self portrait while riding. A typical expression while I'm concentrating on something. Michael Jordon got the tongue thing from me

1/2 inch is all it takes

I received my setback seatpost yesterday for the Rush and moved the seat back about a 1/2 inch. Now it feels like my other bikes when it comes to seated power. Getting my knees just a little bit more behind the bottom bracket increased the amount of push to the pedals.

I also put on the Ergon grips with the integrated bar ends. A lot of endurance racers seem to be using these now, they provide a resting spot for the heel of the hands and should help fatigue on the longer rides. The bar ends are not as long as I'm used to but will give an additional hand position. The flat part of the grip puts my hand in a similar position to what I was used to on the bar end so it's not too much of a change.


When I built the bike I used a 31.8 riser bar but the bar is a little wider than I normally use for a geared bike. Normally I could cut it but the bar diameter gets too big too soon, I have just enough room now as it is when using a twist shift. I'll leave it alone for a while before I decide to find a narrower bar.

I put on the Lizard Skin chainstay protector before my ride yesterday and it helped quiet the chain slap. I have read of some people using clear heat shrink tubing to do the same thing. I don't know if that would muffle the nosie as well but is would allow the reflective stickers to show through.

One of the victims of the Addison race was my Polar HR monitor. The buttons were stuck and the monitor couldn't be shut off. I sent it back for repair and it arrived back yesterday. I've been using my wife's monitor which she has never used anyway, but it only gives an average HR and doesn't show a running time, only the HR while working out. I am used to mine that has all the other data functions and can be programmed for interval training. Those who know me know how I like my data. Since I didn't have my bike computer on the Rush until yesterday I had been wearing the HR monitor on one wrist and a watch on the other to keep track of the time.

The shortest distance between two points

I rode the Rush at Pontiac Lake this afternoon, a trail that is fairly rough in spots with rocks, roots, and fast downhills with braking bumps at the bottoms. There is a preferred line in most sections, clearly defined by its smoother surface as it winds around some of the obstacles. I found that I was starting to ignore the established lines and instead would be pointing the bike straight over the rougher sections. The only thing I didn't like was all the chain slap noise but I installed a Lizard Skin on the chain stay tonight so it should be quieter now.

I tried out the Wingnut and it hardly felt like I had anything on my back. I liked the side pockets that I could reach while riding. I had an email from the company today after I questioned the bite valve. It turns out that it has an on/off function and you pull the valve out to turn it on. When I tried it yesterday it was barely on which explained the trouble I had getting water to flow. I pulled it all the way out today and it works much better. It seems rather large when it's in your mouth but it works. I think that Camelbak still has the best valves.

Rush update

I've spent a little more time on the Rush now and today I was able to ride it on the trails at Stony for a few hours. I think the seating position I started with is almost right on, I may move the seat slightly farther back but that's about it. The seat tube moves about 3/4 of an inch to the rear with 25% sag so that is why my static measurement showed the post so much closer to the bottom bracket. It wasn't until I was almost done riding today that I realized I had no back pain, usually my back starts to bother me a little with moderate efforts after two hours. I guess that is another sign that the fit is close. I think I would lower the bar for a short race though.

On the trails it felt very fast in the tight stuff due to the shorter wheelbase than the bike I was used to riding, that's what I wanted. It may be a little slower up the hills due to the added weight but not much. I think it's deceptive how fast you are going since the ride is pretty smooth. I had to change my climbing position slightly, I need to stay over the saddle more to prevent the back wheel from spinning as opposed to the old bike where I could lean farther forward.

Tomorrow I'll ride Pontiac Lake where it is a little rougher and see how the suspension really works. I'm also going to try a new Wingnut hydration pack that a lot of people are starting to use. It sits lower on the back to avoid fatigue. I tried it around the house, the only thing I don't like so far is that it seems to require a lot of suction to get the water to come out.

Busy weekend

I travelled down to east of Cleveland on Friday to see my mom perform in the musical, 70 Girls 70 at the local little theater. This weekend was the last of the performances so I wanted to make sure and see it. She didn't know I was coming so my dad got the tickets and I met him at their place just before the show. When the musical was over the cast stays on stage to greet the audience and boy was she surprised when I walked up. While not having a major role, at age 80 she has to start somewhere. In fact most of the cast was over 60.

The next day I did a road ride out to the country where my wife and I grew up, the Burton/Middlefield area. Along the way I passed an interesting orthodox monastery.

This is a major Amish area so auto drivers are used to watching out for slow moving vehicles. I rode past many farms and Amish out in the fields or in their buggies. They always waved and said hello.


In Burton I spent some time at the Century Village, a site where many old houses and building have been moved to and turned into museums.


In the center of the town square is the log cabin where they make maple syrup, Geauga County is a big producer of syrup. There is always a debate over who makes better syrup, Vermont or Ohio.

Just on the other side of the square is the Geauga County fairgrounds, I used to go there every labor day and for a while was in the 4-H when I raised sheep. Saturday they had a Goldwing show going on as well as an antique tractor show. I love riding back in this area, it is easy to just keep riding out in the country.

Close to my parents on the way back I came across a person standing on the side of the road by a marsh looking across the other side at a big nest through a spotting scope. I stopped to see what it was and it was a bald eagle nest. He let me look through the scope and I was able to see a parent and the two young eagles. I had never seen one in the wild before. He had a digital camera that he could hook up and also a website where he publishes the photos. www.insanityzoo.com

Today Robin and Shari came over and we did part of my hill route before they had to leave. I went back out for a few hours on the Rush to get better aquainted with it. It felt a lot better today, the other day the seatpost kept slipping which was one of the reasons my legs were tired.

I received my new Scalpel frame, a size smaller than I have now to better negotiate the singletrack. While not a custom paint job it sure compliments the Cannondale Midwest Racing uniforms. Now I have to take the parts off the old frame and put them on this one.

First dirt for the Rush

The rain held off long enough after work that I was able to get the Rush out on the back roads for its maiden voyage. I didn't really get a chance to test the handling but checked out the suspension a few times on some of the drier potholes. Did I say holes? What holes? It was if they weren't there. The front wasn't as smooth as the rear but I need to adjust the air pressure.

I think the cockpit is just about right but can still be tweaked, I want to play around with a few stems and a setback seatpost to see what they will do. I can see it will be quicker in the singletrack but it felt slower than my Scalpel on the road. It's only about 1.5 pounds heavier so I thought maybe it was the more aggressive tread I had on the back combined with the new seating position.

I started to hear chirping noises from the front wheel while riding and checked it out when I got done. It seems the spare wheel I threw on with the semislick tread does not have the rotor spaced exactly the same as the new Crossmax. The front brake was dragging fairly hard which helps explain the sluggishness, the wheel wouldn't turn far when given a spin. The new wheel is dead on the center of the caliper and has no drag at all, the different wheel and new brake pads combined to cause the drag.

I think I'll be sticking to the roads for now given the weather forecast. Hopefully I can test it offroad soon.

Addison aftermath

I've looked over all three bikes I used at the Addison race and have to replace a number of items, although not as much as I had feared. I may discover more though as time goes on.

The list for now:

Scalpel headset bearings
Right side XO shifter ( the one on there is first generation and still works but heading south)
Derailleur hanger - I had a spare but ordered a few more
XO Derailleur B screw - it broke off when the hanger bent
Scalpel shock mounting bolt - unfortunately this is the Scalpel's weak point, it's broken before
XTR derailleur pulleys - the HT was running 1x8

I changed cables on the Scalpel but everything else on the bikes seems OK and within specs, just a little more worn.

Rush pics

I brought the Rush outside between raindrops to take a few pictures. As is it weighs about 27.5 pounds, close to what I estimated. I have a heavier seat, bar ends, and tubeless tires on it which if I went lighter I could probably save about 2 pounds. Not too bad for a 4.3" travel bike.


In daylight:

Using a flash to show the refllective bits:

Addison race report

Rain the past few days and more rain off and on during the race made it muddy and a race of attrition. It seemed the longer the race went on the worse it got, and when the sun came out for a while the mud turned to peanut butter that clogged everything up. Even the SS's were having some troubles today.

Not my bike but an example of mud buildup after one lap. Photo from Tom Lining http://luv2mtb.smugmug.com/gallery/1457010

Count me as one of those with troubles. The first two laps went great but the drivetrain started having problems as it gunked up so I switched bikes and our team member Joel was kept busy cleaning everyone's bikes. Thanks Joel. I kept switching bikes until on my 5th lap the mud got so thick it bent my derailleur hanger. I decided to finish the lap walking so my 40 minute lap turned into 1.5 hours.

Back at the pits I took out my SS but the gearing was too high and I struggled on the hills and even the flats where the mud was. After a few laps I pulled in to change the gearing. Going back out I noticed that I was starting to feel weak, I hadn't been following my nutrition plan with everything else going on. I decided to pack it in after 7.5 hours. At the time I was tied for 2nd with 2 others but I didn't care. Everyone was working for 2nd or below with the amazing and nationally ranked Mark Hendershot also running in our class. I will probably end up finishin 5th or 6th. I'll just look at it as a long hill ride, since it seemed like every pedal stroke was a struggle.

Getting the SS ready to go. Photo from Paint Creek Racing http://www.paintcreekracing.com/addison.htm

I have to commend all those that were able to keep racing, especially Danielle who was still going strong when I left and Jay Jones who was winning the single speed class. My team mate Pete ended up winning his class in the 6 hour.

The trail the next day, one side for the feet, the other for the bike.

On a positive note I finished building the Rush on Thursday night but have only ridden it up and down the street for about 5 minutes. Given the weather forecast it looks like I won't be riding it for a while. I still need to get the seating position dialed in. Sure glad I didn't take it to Addison. I'll post some pictures of it someday. For now here are some pictures of the parts and of the frame. The frame has reflective trim that shows up when the lights hit it.

RUSHing to get it done

The Rush frame arrived last night, courtesy of my team member Joel who picked it up at Dexter Bike and dropped it by my house about 9:00. After taking some pictures (to be posted later) I worked on it for about an hour and a half and got most of it done but need to mount the brakes, shifters, and cables. I installed Joel's new Lefty fork that I am borrowing while waiting for my Lefty with the Fox Terralogic internals to arrive. It is backordered due to it's popularity.

Of course it started raining last night after being sunny for a week and it is forecasted to continue raining for the next several days, including through the 12 hour race this Saturday where I had hoped to debut the Rush. I plan on having several other bikes ready for the race that include a 1x8 and even a SS if the mud is really bad. The Rush may be sitting on the sidelines for this one. Hopefully it will stop raining long enough for me to even get it outside to check the fit.

Speaking of fit I had ordered a size smaller that the Scalpel I'm currently riding, Cannondale seems to use long top tubes and short seat tubes, just the opposite of how I fit. My hardtail is a size smaller and is a lot quicker in the tight stuff so I thought I would try it in a full suspension as well. If it doesn't work out I guess I'll go back up a size and sell this frame. Stay tuned for a ride report and pictures.

Biking weekend

We had a beautiful weekend both weather wise and from a biking viewpoint. Saturday was a bike demo days at Island Lake where we helped out our sponsor, Cannondale. We helped set up their display area and talked to potential customers and prepared bike for them to test ride. There was a lot of interest in the bikes, particularly the new Rush. Other bike manufacturers had their bikes at the demo as well.

Today was the second race in the MMBA CPS series at Ft. Custer, alway one of the favorite trails to race on. I set up the Hammer nutrition tent and was able to sell some product as well as offer advice. The race seemed to be well attended and the course was very fast. I managed to score my second win in the series, partly due to good fortune as well as training. On the first lap I was on the leader's wheel when his back tire blew completely off the rim. Later another rider caught up to me when we got jammed up due to slower traffic in the tight stuff. I followed him for part of the second lap but passed him on one of the bigger hills and tried to put a few riders between us. Later he crashed on a big log pile but I didn't know it and kept trying to pass as many as possible. I think I ended up winning by about a minute.

Perfect day for a ride

Today was a scheduled recovery ride and it couldn't have happened on a nicer day. The warm temperatures and blue skies were made to order for a relaxing ride on the back roads and rail trail. I noticed the other day that the trillium are out again on a trail near me, the hillsides are covered with thousands of them. I'll have to take my camera with me to Addison Oaks too and get some pictures of all the flowers at the entrance to the trail.

Bling

Most of my parts for the Rush have been here and the frame looks like it will be arriving next week. Unfortunately the fork is backordered but I may be able to borrow a team member's fork for a while. I did get our new uniforms yesterday and our new shoes from Diadora, now owned by our sponsor Cannondale. http://www.cannondale.com/footwear/06/index.html

At least I'll look cool as people pass me.

Update on Sunday afternoon

I went for a four hour ride with a pair of these shoes this morning and had zero problems, no hot spots or anything like that. They felt comfortable the whole ride. I did have one shoe strapped a little too tight but that was easily taken care of.

I'm not sure if it was the shoes or not but while riding on a rail trail this morning a squirrel darted across the trail directly into the path of my front wheel. At the last second the squirrel jumped onto my leg and then back off, returning to where it started. Maybe the shoes blinded him and he got confused? It sure shocked the heck out of me.

It's 2:30 in the morning

Well it's that early in Germany as I start this update. But I'm home now so it's only 8:30 in the evening. That means I've been up for hmm, my brain's not working, wait, 20 hours except for a one hour nap on the plane. And what did I do late this afternoon when I got home? Went for an hour and a half ride on a SS.

The workshop I had helped prepare went well and I may have to go back a few more times this year as we work on developing a new position within ITM, a full time business consultant. My current assignment will probably change to work in this capacity on a permanent basis. For now I will continue to do what I have been doing as well as helping to develop the training portion of the new roles.

I got spoiled flying on the corporate shuttle, a big plane but only 12 rows and 48 seats total. The seats almost totally reclined, when sitting up right I could stick my legs straight out and not touch the seat in front of me. Full service for the entire flight of 8.5 hours including the bar. Plus we have our own terminal at each end so it was quick in and out.

Since we left Mnday afternoon that meant we arrived early Tuesday morning German time (12:30 am Detroit) and a few hours sleep was necessary before we started the day. Fortunately I had a few hours sleep on the plane as well. In the afternoon we visited one of the large Mercedes factories where they employ 40,000. Later we stopped at the new Mercedes museum across from the soccer stadium that will be hosting world cup games this summer.

After we headed to the Springfest, a temporary carnival that included beer tents. The rides looked like they were permanent but they are all put up just for this event. We spent several hours in the beer tent where they had a live band and ended up sampling some of the favorite beverages. The entire place would be singing and dancing to the music and we obliged on several of the songs as well, standing on the benches with everyone else.

The next two days were pretty busy with actual work but when it was finally over Thursday night those of us from the US went to the downtown area but were only able to shop for about 15 minutes before the shops were required to close at 8:00. All of the stores are along a pedestrian only avenue and up until closing time it was crowded. Very nice and different from what we have here.
I'm not sure what this shop sold but I can guess their clientele.
After shopping we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate a successful conference. We were also able to continue celebrating at another bar and tried one more after that but they were getting ready to close.

I hope to be able to get back and spend more time so that I can get a better sample of the German culture other than the limited view I had. Maybe time it in September for the UCI Road World Championships.

I did use the Compex unit on the flight home, I had a seat near the back so I didn't have to walk too far down the aisle after changing into my shorts. I also had warned my seating companion what I was doing and kept a blanket over my legs. Going through the baggage check-in in Pontiac they took a hard look at the unit and asked me a lot of questions about it but in Germany they didn't say a word. Instead they asked me to open my suitcase to see my can of shaving cream.

Now it's time to catch up on sleep and try to get ready for the race next weekend at Fort Custer.

A weekend of firsts

This weekend was the first time for a lot of things. The first Redwing and Pistons playoff games, the first grass cutting of the year, and my first win of the season.

I won my age class at the Yankee Springs Time Trial, a race I've never won before. I also had my best time ever and I think I could have been faster but I didn't pre-register which means I got held up by a lot of people that I had to pass. Next year if I'm racing it again I'll try to get my registration in early.

Most of the team was there today too and and they have gotten a lot faster over the winter. Time gaps between various members of the team have gotten a lot LOT closer. It should make for some great inter-team competition.

Tomorrow I fly to Germany on business so I may not be able to update my blog until I get back. It also means no riding but I'm taking the Compex so at least I'll get in some muscle work. We are on the company plane, I wonder what my flying companions will say when I put on my shorts and hook myself up while we are flying?

Nothing special

Seems like a lot of other racers are posting the same things on their blogs this week. The weather has been great and we are all in our preparation phase for the races. The first really big one here in Michigan is this Sunday, the Yankee Springs Time Trial. It usually has the largest attendance until Iceman in November. Everyone is anxious to get out racing again. Hopefully the weather remains nice.

Looks like my frames won't be here in time to build one up for the race but maybe I can have it for the Fort Custer race in a few weeks. I leave for a week in Germany next Monday so I couldn't do much with them anyway.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I got out early this morning for a four hour ride. I did about 3/4 of my hill route, a 75 mile route that contains most of the big hills close to my house as layed out using Gmap. Big is a relative term but here in SE Michigan it's hard to find much elevation change. I could pick some of the biggest hills and keep doing them over and over but I wanted to see what combining all of them within 10 miles of my house would be like.

Riding the course in its entirety would net about 4600 feet of climbing. Today was only 3400 feet because I ran out of time and had to get home to get the ham on the grill. I worked up an appetite but it will be another three hours before I can eat. I guess I can snack on the Easter candy while I wait.

Lost a few teeth at Yankee today

Some of the team went out to Yankee Springs today to get in a few laps before the time trial there next Sunday. What a beautiful day, warm temperatures and sunny, things are really starting to green up.

I was doing intervals but began to notice that my bike was ghost shifting which it had never done before, at least not with Sram XO on it. I kept fiddling with the cable adjustment but it didn't seem to make a difference plus I couldn't tell which way it was jumping. I stopped a couple of time to look at the rear end thinking something was loose. Finally I noticed that about half of one of the middle cogs was broken off. I have heard of breaking chains but I've never seen this before. Thankfully I could still ride but I had to skip that (half) cog. I've got a brand new cassette I'll throw on there before the race.

Last night my wife and I went to the Professional Bull Riding competition at the Palace just down the road from us. We have watched it on TV and a few months ago at work when we found it was coming to town a couple of us decided to get tickets. It was a good time but those guys are crazy. Not a lot made the full 8 seconds and quite a few seemed to be hurting when they got up.

Extra protein for the ride

Today I spent a couple of hours riding the rail trails near my house. The weather was the warmest so far this year but a little windy. Things are starting to come alive in the woods, fields and marshes the trails pass through. You can also tell it's spring because the bugs are back. Every so often I would pass through a swarm of them and get some in my mouth. You couldn't see them until you rode into them and felt them hitting you. I saw a couple of snakes on the trail which is not unusual, and I ended up running across the tail of one because I didn't see it until too late. It appeared to be OK though. The joys of riding in the country.

Warm up

After complaining of the cold weather we finally got the first truly warm day yesterday and the first day I have ridden in just shorts and a short sleeved jersey. It felt good but the body has some adjusting to do. Long range the weather should stay warm for a while even if it rains. The Yankee Springs TT coming up on the 23rd is still too far away to forecast but I think I've raced it in everything from snow to 90 degrees. The course can usually handle whatever Mother Nature throws at it.

Speaking of Yankee it looks like a bunch of us will be back out there this Saturday, and probably a lot of other people too since it will be the last weekend to pre-ride. With any luck our new frames will arrive in time for us to get them built for the race.

Paris Ancaster race

A little mud never hurt anyone.

The first race of the year is over, the Paris Ancaster 60K. Chris Werth and I drove up yesterday afternoon to pick up our registration material and check out the last hill at the finish. It is a 300 foot climb on a gravel road in just over a mile. Just the thing you want after riding 37 miles.

The morning of the race we met up with Mike Simonson, last year's winner, Jason Lummis and Joe Brzuchanski, all are from Michigan and they gave us a ride to the start. The also led us on a warm-up ride down the first couple of miles of trail to try and show us where the first bottle neck climb was. We kept riding looking for it as the race time grew closer. Finally we made it back to the start shortly before the gun. Unfortunately there are 400 people in the first wave of all classes so it helped if you could line up early. Imagine 400 riders trying to fit into a 15 foot wide rail trail after the first mile of road.

When the race finally started it was about a minute before those of us in the back were able to move. A lot of the race is rail trail, double track and public roads, both dirt and paved. There were some sections through the woods and fields that were very muddy or just slow. For the rest of the course getting into pacelines was the only way to survive.

I rode my cyclocross bike and it seemed the best choice except for a few of the muddy downhills, or mud slides as they called them. I was able to move up fairly well despite the starting position and felt strong on the hills. The narrow tires on the 'cross bike cut through most of the mud and allowed me to gain traction.

Toward the end of the race a large group of us came out of the nastiest mudslide and turned down the two track road only to find out in a few minutes that we were going the wrong way. Of course we now had to go back up hill to get on course. Looking at where we turned there were no markings at this intersection. The rest of the course had been pretty well marked or manned with someone to tell you which way to go. Overall we lost about 4-5 minutes and it may have cost me a chance for the podium. That's racing though, as it was I finished 4th out of 82. Chris had a good race finishing 7th in SS and the Michigan crew had a great day overall with Mike successfully defending his title.

This race is now the largest single day race in Canada with over 1600 riders. It was well organized, inexpensive, and a good early season tester. They even had the results posted online the same evening of the race. I think I'll be back next year. http://www.parisancaster.com/

Last minute race preparation and Chris getting his magic pills ready.

Anticipation

I've been waitng on a bunch of parts for my Rush build. I came home today to find a notice on the door that Fedex had been here but needed my signature before they could deliver. No problem, I drive over to the Fedex station and find out that they only handle express packages, mine had been sent ground. And the ground station has no counter so I have to wait until Monday. Oh well, the frame and fork were just ordered on Monday so I couldn't have done much with them anyway but stare at them.

In the package is my SRAM XO kit including shifters, derailleurs, chain, and cassette. Also some tires, Thomson post and a few other odds and ends. My Mavic Crossmax arrived on Monday and I had already gotten my Magura Marta brakes and Shimano XT crank and BB late last year in anticipation of a new bike. I am using the older style XT with the Octalink BB; they are cheap, I've never had a problem with them, and I've got them on two other bikes. It is nice at an endurance race to have another bike with the same parts for cannibalizing if necessary.

Still to come are some Fizik saddles, Syncros carbon bar and an XTR front derailleur. Hopefully it will all be here when the frame and fork arrive.

It's not my fault

I almost put away the snowstakes marking the driveway last weekend but left them up "just in case". Usually if I put them away we will get a good snowfall, sort of like washing your car guarantees that it will rain. It's been spitting snow off and on today and now the bigger flakes are coming down and some of it is starting to stick.

I stayed on the trainer today, didn't want to fight the cold and wind. Hopefully the weather will improve so that I can do some riding outside before the race this weekend. But if not, at least the snowstakes are still in.

This morning Chris, Todd and I set out for a long ride without too much intensity. I wasn't sure my legs could take it anyway. Our ride was mostly pavement and rail trail on the mtb's but we were able to maintain a pretty good pace without blowing up. The sun didn't stay out for long and the wind picked up making it feel colder than was forecasted. I was surprised that after the previous two days riding my legs were feeling good. They really only protested when standing and climbing. I ended up with over 5 hours by the time I got home.

This week will have a few short intervals as I prepare for the Ontario race on Sunday. Local racer Mike Simonson is going back to defend his title. Speaking of Mike I just found out he works for DaimlerChrysler and is in the same complex I am. He emailed me at work about the race and said he was running a cross bike with a 34t rear just for the last hill close to the finish. He also said to watch out for a some ditches you have to dismount for as well as some downhill mud slides that could be interesting as most people are trying not crash on the way down. Sounds like a fun race.

Updates

I didn't realize it had been awhile since my last post but there hadn't been much new to report. Just keeping in the training groove with more VO2 intervals sprinkled in. I think this weekend is one that will test my endurance. yesterday was a series of VO2 intervals, today was three hours with 40 minute intermediate intervals and tomorrow is a 4-6 hour ride at a moderate pace.

Today Robin, Shari and I made it over to Yankee Springs to do a few laps, it was my first time on some real trails this year. I had a hard time sleeping last night in anticipation of today. Even with all the rain we had last night the trails were in perfect shape. I rode better than I thought I would in the tight stuff but I was starting to feel it a bit in the legs on the second lap. Shari posted some lap times faster than her race lap last year and she was riding at less than race pace today. Robin and I both have the same size Scalpels but he borrowed one size smaller for the ride today and he and I have both come to the conclusion that the smaller size seems better for us. Lighter and more maneuverable, it looks like we will be ordering new frames and selling the old ones.

They have done nice job with some reroutes on a few of the hills. Now if they would remove the logs that are pointing out waiting to impale a wayward rider on some of the downhills it would be appreciated.

Tomorrow I'm riding with Chris and Todd for 4-6 hours. The route will not have many hills on it and be mostly rail trail and pavement. The idea is just to put in the time.