Wow, I can't believe that its been since April that I've updated the blog. So much has gone on in cycling and life since. The majors in life are the girls growing up. the oldest is on her way into her junior year of college. Seems like I just went through orientation with her. the middle one graduated from high school last week and is getting a full summer in before heading off to college herself in August. The youngest is making the jump into junior high this year. Wow again. As much as I enjoyed the girls when they were little, I enjoy them now as young adults. It's so intriguing to sit in a coffee shop and listen to them talk about their future plans and the directions they want to take for themselves. They are certainly heads up on the majority of their peers.

Cycling too has been good this year. I think I'll put that to another post soon as their is so much to cover, such as the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. An epic day on the mountain I'll not soon forget.

More soon in between rides, races and getting the girls ready for the next steps in their growth. love it all!

Both Ends of the Spectrum

After a tough week of lousy weather mixed with a couple of long work days making for diminished training time I raced back to back races this weekend. The RATL race put on by the Summit Freewheelers is a spring classic in Monroe Falls set on a 1.2 mile closed course around a beautiful park lake. The course always makes for exciting and fast racing. Saturday was race one of the four race series. Rather than sign up for the CAT IV's as usual I decided to test myself with the masters 45+ gang. Combined with 2's and 3's I figured I'd have my work cut out and my goal in the first race was to just stay in touch with the field. I did a nice long trainer warm up watching the 4 race and getting my head straight. With a cold coming on that was a bit tough. I lined up with team mates Rick Paduka and Bill Flecher. The pace started spirited as some tired to thin the pack early but just about everyone hung on, including me. After the first couple of quick attacks I got my legs and became pretty comfortable with the race. I found my self mid-pack or front third at worst for the whole race. The last lap worked great as no one tried to attack the one little hill on the back side that was the finish. I used it to work my way to the front and sat as one of the front four riders the rest of the finishing lap keeping pace as everyone worked to position themselves for the finish sprint. I kept my spot right up to the base of the hill and had a rider miss a shift. That forced me a bit off line to go around and then go for the finish. It was hard to tell exactly where I finished as it was a big bunch at the line, but I considered the race a victory for myself in keeping contact and position in a race with riders two cats over me. I've been working on getting more out of my riding this season, and also my mindset. I think the path I'm on is showing some results and I'm looking forward to next weekends race to do it all over again. I'll have to say I was so happy with the race that when I sow my coach Pete Gladden on the road just after the race I rode up and gave him a big hug. The data for the race was pretty good:

Duration: 1:00:19 (2:03:02)
Work: 730 kJ
TSS: 81.3 (intensity factor 0.899)
Norm Power: 247
VI: 1.22
Pw:HR: 4.57%
Pa:HR: -0.81%
Distance: 23.663 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 816 202 watts
Heart Rate: 103 167 153 bpm
Cadence: 25 122 97 rpm
Speed: 9.9 34.4 23.6 mph
Pace 1:45 6:04 2:33 min/mi


Sunday, was a bit of a twist though. I thought it would be a good stamina builder to double up and do the Cuyahoga Valley Circuit race. It is another 4 race series held in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It's also another spring classic for the area that is well attended. After a warm up lap I was wondering if it was such a great idea. My cold had gotten a little worse and I felt pretty stiff. Once we got going though I felt better, and by lap three of five I felt really good. the only downside to the race is that as a "training series" cats are combined and in the B field there are seasoned as well as riders out for their first race. It always makes for some nervous moments. I knew I wanted to stay at the front with the more experienced riders. It was a good idea until the group bunched on a small rise and i found myself immediately in the middle and then the inevitable happened. As a rider stood for the incline a rider behind him touched his wheel and started a chain reaction. I think about 5 went down, a couple pretty hard. I was faced with running over a guy or doing a sideways slide and going off course. By the time I got sorted out and turned around the group had made it over the rise and of course someone attacked on the other side. I still had eye contact with the pack and put pedal to the road and started grinding out an ITT effort. by being solo and the pack now starting the rubber band positioning for the finish I was pretty well out of it. But, I was not going to just let it go. I stayed on it and finish just a minute or so behind the group. Not last, but not n the bunch where I had been riding comfortably earlier. That's racing, and not every one is going to go the way you want it to. At least I didn't go down, and thank some experience for that. Interestingly, as I looked at the data after words and split out the solo effort, it was higher in watts and almost as fast as the first part of the race in the bunch.

Overall I'm happy with the weekend and look forward to a better tarining week and getting through this cold. Next weekends racing should be much better.

Also have to give a shout out to my awsome team. We won 3 of 5 races this weekend, and had high placings to go with the wins. this is a great bunch to ride and race with. Check us out at www.starkvelo.com.

No geese today

Kind of a long day. Seemed to be chasing a lot of geese and catching none. Day ended well though with a great team ride. It is supposed to be a rest week, but I've been feeling pretty good and wanted to get out with the guys and see how I could hang. Did pretty well. Hung in most of the 45 mile ride with fast pacing and some chases. Mostly I was happy with a couple of bridges where I held a good 25+ for some time. I only lost out on the quick pickups. Something I've needed to work on for some time. At least I know it and will work on it after the Mt. Mitchell ride.

I'll start posting some power tap data every once in awhile along with ride routes and any other interesting items. Back to long rides with hill efforts for the weekend. maybe not another 200 like last weekend with Easter brunch at the in laws, but who knows. I'll shoot for at least 150.

for now,

Peace.

A day at the Doc.

I'd been having lower back problems for a while, like nearly three years. It really hadn't bothered me except for hard efforts in the middle of a long rides or extreme climbs. I really twisted it into some serious pain mid December and I finally had it looked at. Turns out the L5 disc is poking out a bit to the left. Probably did it erecting equipment on my own a couple of years ago setting up the company. No comp. Grrr. So after getting the right attention I started cortisone injections in February. I really didn't feel much of an improvement until last Sunday when I did a 100+ mile solo ride from Canton through the Cuyahoga Valley. There are some decent hills there and I intentionally put the after 70 miles to test out the legs with some distance. I fully expected the back to flair up, but it didn't and didn't really the whole ride as long as I stood up on a regular interval. So, I guess it's working and I went in for the second one today. I think they put more in this time because I felt the swelling and tingling down the left leg. The doctor doing the procedure is a pretty open and progressive guy. Explains everything and listens to everything. He's quite interested in my cycling and has prescribed some exercises to strengthen the muscles around the affected area. I really don't like doctors in general Reasons for another entry some day. But, this doc is very down to earth, and very professional. Good medicine.

I wasn't the only family member getting stuck with needles today. My 20 year old daughter was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 18. At the time of diagnosis she was a budding musician who at 18 had already played Severance Hall and the Sydney Opera House. She had received scholarships to college and was in line for honors positions in music school. It was becoming too painful to play and she had to stop. Not just from a Dads perspective, but from one that sees the need for youth to rise up to upholding the arts, it was a great loss.

So I can't feel any discomfort or thoughts of my self when I see here taking remicade treatments every six weeks along with injections directly into some of her joints. She has since changed her major to pre-med. She now wants to study and research genetics so that someday others may not have their lives so drastically affected by disease. I love this kid.

I even got a ride in tonight. Just about thirty miles with some pretty good numbers for a rest week. Weather should be good again tomorrow. Being a rest week I probably wont do the team pain session, but will step up the watts a bit if I can break away from work in time.

Peace.

It's been a long time since I started the blog, and had to redo it. Looking forward to lots of posts in the future.

Had a weekend full of riding with a 70 miler on Saturday fighting the wind most of the time. Sunday was my first real big mile ride with a solo century. I don't think I've ever done one completely on my own. Really wasn't a big deal. I rode from home up to the Cuyahoga Valley to get rollers in first and then some good climbing in after 70 to 80 miles. I got a little head work going ramping into the biggest climb of the day, a mile long 12% grinder, heading out of the valley. Didn't need to think about it so much as the climb came pretty easy with just some tightness as I rolled over the top. Best part of the ride was feeling good rolling in. Didn't have to drag myself in the house or call the paramedics. I even wired a couple of new lights and fixed the dryer before hitting the shower and grilling burgers! So the endurance is coming, need to keep it up and get more climbing in. All this is in preparation for the Assault on Mt. Mitchell coming in May. Even with feeling great after more than 13 hours in the saddle, I need more climbing. I may forgo this weekends race to head to the hills and grind out some repeats Saturday and then another long one Sunday. Plan has the week as mostly off. Hard for me to do, but necessary to keep from burning out. More later,

Peace.