Polar +1

Polar gets +1 in my book today. The battery on my s720i died a few weeks ago. I was a little ticked because it can only be replaced (legitimately at least) by sending it into polar. I went ahead and did this and got the watch back 5 days later ... i thought that was a fantastic turn around. i was worried it was going to be a month before i saw it again. When they checked the battery and transmitter, they also replaced the entire face of the watch because the original crystal face was cracked. $70 was a little more than i had expected to spend (the battery was only $15) but I now have a brand new watch. triple sweet.

My Collar Bone

This is the xray from my fall a few weeks ago that I had mentioned. I've had surgery on it now and there is a plate that lines up the broken bones and are held tight with screws. I'm hoping to have the plate and screws out in mid December. Overall I have excellent movement. I have zero pain, but the muscles are pretty sore from the impact of the fall.

Marco Pantani

I've had a pretty wicked head cold the last few days and burned a couple of sick days as a result. While home, i ran to B&N and was suprised that they had so many cycling books available ... other than the typical ones written by either LA or CTS. Anyway, there were two books about Marco Pantani on the shelf. I picked the shorter of the two becasue it was a paperback and was published by Velo Press.

So I read about 3/4 of it yesterday and it was really good. I highly recommend. It was a unique view of European cycling and overall a pretty sad story about the guy.

Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion

I also picked up High Tech Cycling by Ed Burke and am looking forward to reading it. I especially am interested in the portion of the book that covers bike fit. I'd like to re-fit (?) my bike before I Start working out on the trainer for the winter.

Brad Huff Tour of Missouri Crash Remix 1.0

Dang Gina ... that looks like it hurt.

Holtman

'08 Trek XO1 Review

My new bike review ... better late then never.


So as soon as I'd heard that Trek we issuing new cx bikes this season, I knew that I wanted the XO1. It looked like it was going to fit my needs nicely.

The first problem with this bike was availability. My first race was 9/29 so I started asking around about this bike in early Sept. My buddy is a trek employee and told me that there was little chance of getting once in time. Every shop I went to told me that they were unavailable for order, even another buddy at another shop couldn't get get me a bro-deal even to order one. Whats up with this, don't you think Trek would have new products available for their season? I think it's a negative for people looking at this bike ... who is going to wait until half the season is order to buy a bike?

One a whim one night I stopped in at Wheel & Sprocket to warm up on a cold night. I asked the guy if they had any in stock and he looked at his computer and said the warehouse had 1. So I ordered that baby up real quick and had it the following day. I guess it pays to shop at Trek's larges retailer.

So now the bike. Its real sharp. It has a flat paint job, silvery with a touch of copper in it. Carbon fork and seat post. Its not light, at least not compared to my Madone, but it is light enough. It is extraordinarily comfortable to ride ... I chalk that up to tires that are much larger and lower psi than I am used to. On the dirt and single track it's chittery (?) I think a lot of that is due to the aluminum frame and obviously the rough riding surface. Since I'm injured and won't be riding for awhile, I think I may take it back in and have then add a second layer of bar tape to it. The biggest problem I had was bar vibration at higher speeds.

I don't know which seat it has off the top of my head, but its real comfortable. The carbon seat post is nice, but I worry that its going to snap when remounting at times. The bike comes standard with bontrager race wheels and bontrager tires.

I had the brakes cabled euro style ... right brake is rear wheel, left brake is front. It makes sense from a dismount point. Since I don't remember much of my crash, I won't consider that I panicked and hit the front brake accidentally sending me over the bars. I honestly don't think this was an issue.

I have two complaints. First, I hit the back wheel on a barrier one of my first times out and it knocked the rear wheel out of true by about half an inch. I did hit the barrier ... but not that hard, and was disappointed to see it lose its shape so easily. Second, the front brake squeals like a banshee. I have toed in the brakes, sanded the brakes, cleaned the rim surface and it still wails. Not too happy about that, hopefully over time it will wear in a do well.

One last concern has to due with the geometry of the bike. The toe of my shoes and the front will conflict with each other during sharp turns. I don't think its a major problem, but on real tight turns at slow speeds I do get a little concerned about hitting. I am riding a bike a size smaller than usual ... a 52 instead of a 54 ... so this may be part of the problem.

Overall, VERY happy with the bike. It seems rugged and has held up relatively well. After I crashed out with broken boned the bike was unscathed. I look forward to using it as a commuter bike some this winter and giving cx another whirl next fall.

Broken Bones

I broke my collar bone badly and had to have surgery on it. Fun.

I was racing at the Lapham Peak CX race on 9/29. It was a gorgeous day, and a unique ride. The race was two parts; a hill climb in the morning followed by a cx TT in the afternoon. I did well on the hill climb, think I cleared second in my category. In the afternoon the TT was going fantastic, I was really moving when I suddenly went over my bars to the left and hit the ground. Hard. Read hard. I got up right away and though about getting back on, but I was clutching my left clavicle and new I was out for the count. Riders kept going by and most asked if I was ok, I said no and they all kept riding to let someone know. I really appreciated it. Got back to the starting lot and went to the ER. Had an xray taken and it looked something like this .... dang, can't upload it. Will do later.

This all happened on a Sat, on Monday morning I had surgery. They installed a plate and 8 screw to put the bone back together. I'm like a brand new man now.

I gotta be honest, I'm a little disappointed. First it was my first cx race and its not the best showing. Second, it really puts me out of commission for awhile. Third, I had bought a new bike specifically for cx, and now it is just sitting in my apt. On the bright side, its fall and I really want to focus on the road season next spring, so its not that big of a deal.

Urban Playground

Got to compete in a fun little race this weekend. Urban Playground is a pretty cool festival that went on around Downer Ave that supported the parks and trail systems. Sat morning, after the all you can eat pancake breakfast (bad idea), the Velo Trocadero club put on a pretty fun 1-on-1 sprint race, about 200m long.

After losing my first heat because I was in way to high a gear, I won the next 4 and came in 3rd overall. Pretty sweet. My prize package included a bottle, t-shirt, about 10 sport drink packs and a large can of Endurox. For the $10 entry fee, I think I made off pretty well and had a damn good time.

The low point was watching a friend take a somersault midway through his sprint. At first, I thought his fork exploded on him, but it turns out the spokes died. It looked like someone spun his wheel and took a box cutter to all the spokes on the ride side. The spokes were all broken in the middle, not at the bug or the rim, wild. He got up right away and walked it off. The wheel is destroyed obviously.

Later in the day, watched the BMX riders. Very impressive, especially the front flip to end the show. I was sad that I missed the track stand and skid competition. Good day.

Be the Lion

So I followed a link the other day, http://outside.away.com/magazine/1295/index.html, and figured out if you manipulate the "1295" you can basically re-read any old Outside Magazine since 1994. (0301, for example, will get you March 2001's issue)

Anyway, I'm reading an article about Jack LaLanne here and LOVED this analogy;

"Now, you listen to some of these so-called sports-medicine experts today--shit! It's just shtick. It's just something else to sell. Warming up," he scoffed, adjusting a red ascot fitted neatly into his jumpsuit, "warming up is the biggest bunch of horseshit I've ever heard in my life. Fifteen minutes to warm up! Does a lion warm up when he's hungry? 'Uh-oh, here comes an antelope. Better warm up.' No! He just goes out and eats the sucker. You gotta get the blood circulating, but shit, does the lion cool down? No, he eats the sucker and goes to sleep. And that," he concluded, folding his arms into a variation of the pose, "is the truth."

Now, i'm someone who does do a pretty good job of warming up and cooling down, but I thought this was very interesting. I think from now on I'm just going to be the Lion.

See it and do it.

Labor Day Weekend

So while trash talking at work on Friday, I came up with the slogan, "3 days, 300 miles." Way ambitious, but I was looking forward to a long mileage weekend.

Friday night I got in about 20 miles. Rode with Theodore and Chris just up Lake Dr and back. I then proceeded to go out on Friday night and got housed. Makers Mark on the rocks all night long. Friday mileage: 20.00

Saturday was a recovery day, I was actually pissed. Recovering from a hangover isn't nearly as satisfying as recovering from a series of good workouts. Saturday mileage: 0.00

Sunday was gorgeous. Got up and went to church, came home and got ready. In my jersey pockets I carried; wallet, keys, ipod, 2 gels, pretzels. I had a bottle of cytomax and a bottle of water as well.

My Polar S720i decided to can out from a dead battery. It's 3 years old so it was about time. $59 to send it in to get repaired? I think not. That's lame. I think a Suunto T6 may be in my future.

I knew my ride was going to end at Pewaukee lake, so I started out N on Lake drive to start before I headed out west. The ride north and south was uneventful, but i was hot. I made it west, but after 30 miles I was out of fluids and needed to refill asap. Next stop; Grandma's. I knew Grandpas fascination with orange Gatorade would pay off. Stopped and chatted for a bit, refilled both bottles and headed on my merry way out to the lake. Took about a half hour to get there, and there was a stiff headwind the entire way.

Got to the lake, put my suit on and chilled with a Deanna and her family for a bit. As we were ready to leave, I decided i'd ride home. Stopped at the BP got some MORE orange Gatorade and continued on.

Side note on Gatorade; it is way to sweet for me. After about two bottles I was completely uninterested in it.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. It was deceivingly hot, and my sweet farmers tan only became more pronounced as I manged to get way too much sun. I averaged about 18.7 mph during the roughly 3:30 ... but was aided by a few nice stops.
Sunday Mileage: 68.50

Monday I spent at home in Rockford after I drove home to hang out with mama and papa. We had a nice hike in the park, but the bike stayed secure in the car of my trunk. I had intentions to ride when I got back to Milwaukee, but couldn't find anyone to ride with. Monday Mileage: 0.00

So my weekend mileage was less than stellar, but I got a good ride in, got to recover from that ride and do lots of other things I needed to get done. My schedule for this week is going to look something like this;

T - team ride
W - recovery ride
T - class
F - tempo or intervals
Sat - NOT going Lake Geneva HIM, but may see if I can change to the sprint tri.
Sun - IM WI to watch Willy and Bennet.

CycloCross

I'm really spoiled living where I do. Cyclists in the Milwaukee area are lucky to have an organization like the WCA who sets up racing series. This summer I rode in about a third of the Wisconsin Cup races and I had a great time and well surpassed any expectation I had.

The WCA also organizes about 10 cyclocross races in the fall, the schedule is here. I've been doing some reading and I'm real interested in giving this a try. I want to keep my fitness up this fall without having to whip out the trainer too soon. Plus, a brief cyclocross season will let me focus on something other than work and school ... (i just got my econometrics syllabus and want to cry!)
My problem is that I don't have a cyclocross bike. Does that sound like a problem, or a problem with a really simple solution! I think the Trek XO 1 will be my final choice. I'd be thrilled if I can find an '07 model seeing as the new '08 models just came out and are more expensive.

Floyd

Interesting (an long!) article about Floyd in the NY Times

It's hard to know where to stand on him. He seems like a really nice guy. Normal and down to earth unlike most other professional athletes ... especially those who have won the TDF. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that he wouldn't use drugs. So it's hard for me to make a decision on him.

I think the trial so far is just a farce against him, why hasn't a verdict been issued? It's been months since the trial ended. Certainly the decision has been made somewhere. Why is it being sat on? The trial made a fool out of the testing center in France. Landis, however, was also made to look the fool with the Greg Lemond fiasco. To me Lemond is a whiner (how exactly did he get confessions from both Lance and Landis?), but unfortunately he has a record of being absolutely correct in hindsight about today's professional riders and doping.

Anyway, interesting read. Either way its only fair that he gets an up or down decision. A decision that comes out that says he got off on a technicality isn't fair to anyone.

GUILT

so ... i've got heavy guilt building. tomorrow is the pleasant prairie olympic triathlon. at the moment (15 hrs before the start of the race) here is the weather outlook ... the race is going to occur sometime between "tonight" and "sunday"...

Late Afternoon: Occasional rain and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 66. East wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Tonight: Occasional showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Low around 60. East wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday: Occasional showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 9am, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 9am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 70. East wind between 9 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind between 9 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

not encouraging.

So it goes something like this. Packet pickup is tonight, and you are required to leave your bike secured all night. If its crap tomorrow i'm not going to go to the race, so if I go tonight, leave my goods, and its crap in the morning I still have to go back. however, if i don't go tonight, and decide at 4am that the weather is going to hold, then i'm SOL because they only allow check in this night before.

add to the crap weather, i just haven't been feeling it lately. i think i'm in good shape, i could do the tri easily, i just don't "feel" it lately. i think i need the omnth of august off. i've come to the conclusion that next year it will be a tri specific or cycling specific season. its too hard to do both ... they don't compliment each other well.

against my better wished, and at the loss of $100, i'm calling it quits right now.

big bummer

8/5/07 Workout

Plan was to get up this morning and take about a 100 mile ride out to Holy Hill with some friends. Woke up to rain, went back to bed and slept like a rock. It was like Santa Claus came in the night!

So I sat around all morning, cleaned, surfed online, and watched tv... mostly sat. Eventually I got ready to workout ... nice of me to pick the hottest part of the day.

Swam first, about 2500 yds, descending sets starting at 500 yds. Actually had a fantastic workout. The pool I often swim at is just too warm for me. I like the water cooler, keeps you a bit more on edge. The warm water makes me just a bit lethargic, maybe i'll write a letter ... but I digress. Good swim, shoulders are a tad sore just sitting here at the moment.

Then came the run. It was long, by my standards, 6.5 miles and it was muggy. Down south muggy. It's cooled down the past few days in the Brew City, but the humidity is unbearable. I was soaked for my entire 1 hour run ... even resorted to drinking out of the public fountains lined along the lake front. By the time I got back to my car I was spent, about ready to can out.

Came home, put my favorite Cyclo-Core stretching dvd in and stretched for a bit. I think this may have been the highlight of the day, it felt real good to stretch those hamstrings out a little.

Today's workout is part of my plan to increase volume over the next 6 weeks in prep for my half Ironman. I was encouraged today. The swim will be fine. I can bike in my sleep. And the fact that the 6.5 miles today, while hot, were very bearable was a good sign.

State TT Results

State TT's this morning. Beautiful course, no wind, cool, just how I like it. Rode down with two buddies, suited up, got a good half hour warmup in, lined up at the start and hit it. Actually, may have hit it a little too much, but it didn't matter. POP! I flatted out on turn 1. Not so nice. Was lucky enough to get back to the start where I was told that I could reenter the race, but my original start time was firm.

Lessons learned.
1. Specialized tubes suck. I like that they come in a little plastic baggy pre-talked, but they still suck. I can't even get my pump over them.
2. Canon digital SLR cameras are hot. I ended up blowing my time waiting by taking pics of my buddies. Hold down that camera button and all you hear is "snap, snap, snap, snap" .... i think I blew through about 200 pics .... very nice.

Buddies want to ride a hundo tomorrow am, maybe that will make up for a crappy ride today.

State TT this weekend

This weekend is the State Champ TT in Kansasville, WI. This is the second to last 2007 Wisconsin Cup event. I am currently 20th in the Cat4/5 standings ... not bad for only doing 1/3 of the races and not planning on participating at all. I got talked into doing the first race in April and had fun so I've participated in them when I can. Next summer I'd like to take them a little more serious and try and to the entire series. It may be a good chance to upgrade to a 3. Anyway, I did well in my previous TT and look forward to picking up some more points.

State Championship Time Trial

New Toys

I picked up some new toys online last night, neither have shipped, but I'll comment on them anyway. I made the order through trisports.com.

So first, after the Racine tri I decided that it'd be a good idea to invest a little in a wetsuit. Seeing as the swim in Racine was very cold, but I was not, I didn't think that I needed a full wetsuit for warmth. I'm also a very strong swimmer so the buoyancy that a full suit would provide doesn't matter to much to me. Therefore, I was looking for a suit to provide a little warmth when needed and a little buoyancy only around the core. That barely makes sense, but there it is. I searched and found this Quintana Roo Quick John. It was about the only short westuit I could find and it was on sale as an end of season item, so that sweetened the deal as well.



My second purchase was a "transition" bag. They can call it what they want, but I'm calling it my bike bag. I live about 35 minutes from work, and bring my bike to ride a few times a week. I end up packing all my stuff in a little gym bag and it's always unorganized. Combine that with weekly bike races and triathlons, and I end up with 2-3 bags and my bike in and out of my house when I leave. I'm thinking that this nice big Zipp bag can let me put it all together in one spot and one bag. I hate having to take multiple trips to my car in the am just to workout.

ps, I don't know who this guy is, but he isn't going to look nearly as cool as I will with this bag.


And just for full disclosure, I need to thank mom for these toys. Apparently she didn't like the though of me swimming in the cold ... the bag was just a perk for being a momma's boy.

Racine Photos

Pictures from the Racine Sprint Triathlon.

Picture of the start. That's me, just left of center in the white top. Notice the sun is dead straight ahead, couldn't see the buoys for your life. The wind was pretty strong from the left, so I positioned myself on the left side so I wouldn't have to correct myself too much.


Leaving the water into T1. I was so happy to be out of that lake. Not as blue as I remember being!


All I can say about this is Speed Demon. I owe it all to Teddy. That aero-helmet makes you look like a fool and is uncomfortable as they get, but it was fast.



And finally the run. If I look like I'm not having fun, it's because I wasn't. The first pic looks good ... until you get to the second and see my short little legs. Niccceeee. Plus, where is that heel striking coming from?

Anyway, the photos from the race look good. Looking forward to my next event. 8/18, the Oly distance at Pleasant Prairie. I'd like to fit something else in between now and then, but 2 vacation weekends in a row are putting a cramp on things. We'll see.

Thanks Mikey

... for ruining yet another Tour de France.

Personally, I love it every time a pro cyclist gets caught doping. I think that it shows that cycling is NOT the most doped up sport, it's just the only sport that actually CARES. Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire doped up for years, MLB does nothing. The physique of an NFL player is not normal, nothing. There is even talk that human growth hormone is running around the PGA, nothing. In fact, these sports are even tolerant of non-performance enhancing drug use. Get caught smoking up? Its a one game suspension or some other slap on the wrist.

The doping stories lately may be more newsworthy than the actually cycling, but I look forward to more and more cyclists getting caught. Sooner than later they are going to get the picture.

For more info on the Michael Rasmussen f-up, see this excellent post.

just figured out how to

just figured out how to post via my treo .... triple sweet.

Spirit of Racine

On Saturday, 7/21, I did the Spirit of Racine Sprint Triathlon. It was a .75k swim, 20k bike, and a 5k run. I ended up winning my age group. Talk about good day.

I arrived at the race site way early on Saturday morning after waking up at 4am and driving down. It was real chilly out, and I was nearly the first, but that meant rock star parking for me. Racked my bike, set everything up and then walked around for two hours. Note to self: Racine is only half an hour away. Whole waiting for the race to begin, all I could do was notice that EVERY single person had a wet suit on. Many with full wet suits and neoprene hats. Me? I just had on my little tri suit. Apparently everyone else was aware that Lake Michigan was a steam 62 degrees. It was a real confidence booster.

The swim was rough. There were 3ft swells the entire swim. It was a three legged swim, each leg about 250 meters. East, then south, then West back to the beach. The first leg going east was straight into the swells, plus the wind was pushing you south, so not only did you have to fight the waves and the cold, but you also had to swim at a diagonal just to go straight. I'm a very strong swimmer, but i really struggled. I think that a wet suit for buoyancy would have been a great help. The second two legs were much better, but I was already very fatigued. Made it to the beach, waded in the last 25 yds b/c it was so shallow and then ran the 1/8 mile of beach to T1.

T1 was fine.

The bike rocked. I had borrowed some aerobars (still haven't installed mine) and an aero helmet. I was really rocking, averaged 23mph on the course. There was some head wind on the first leg. The swim really challenged my shoulders and it was difficult to stay in the aero bars the entire ride.

T2 was also fine.

The run was just a 5k, but it went on forever. It had just started to get hot and there were some challenging hills. I really should learn how to run.

Anyway, crossed the finish and some guy tell me I'm the age group winner. I had now idea I was ahead in my heat. During the swim we all had green caps on, but once you hit the bike and run you had no idea who was who. Made my day.

The conclusion from this race is that I need to get back to swimming consistently. I realize that the only good time for this is before work in the morning, so I just need to start getting into the habit. Second, I need to keep running. I think some intervals would also be helpful. I don't have any trouble endurance-wise running, Its getting the speed. If I swim and run consistenly from now until 9/8 I will finish that 70.3 like a champ.

Pewaukee Triathlon photos

Here are some photos taken at the Pewaukee Triathlon. I am aware that I've become the great white hype ... I think a little sun would do me good!

Laird's Laws

Outside magazine has a neat article by Laird Hamilton ... his seventeen commandments. Here are a few I found especially insightful

3. It's really about keeping in shape for life. Think about your body like a car. Once you park a car, it might not start again. But if you just keep driving it, it'll keep going. It likes to be driven.
10. I have friends who eat healthier than anybody, but it takes them all day. And if they don't have their sprouted bread, they go into a seizure. I can eat a Big Mac. I'm not going to love it, but it won't put me into toxic shock. It's like if a car is too high-performance, then it's sensitive to any kind of fuel. I like being more like a truck. If a little diesel gets in there, maybe a little water, it'll cough and burp a bit, but it's gonna get through it and keep running.

I like the metaphors comparing your body to a truck. It makes sense. Read the rest of the article here.

Upcoming races

A list of my upcoming events;

7/21 - Racine Triathlon, sprint distance
7/22 - Waukesha Super Week race, crit race
7/29 - Whitefish Bay Super Week race, crit race
8/04 - State TT Champ, tentative
8/19 - Pleasant Prairie Triathlon, int'l distance
8/25 - Chiropractic Crit, crit race
9/08 - Lake Geneva Tri, half-iron man distance

Looks like a busy late summer. A big bang before grad school starts up.

Pewaukee Triathlon

Yesterday I completed my first triathlon, here's my brief race report on it.

Pewaukee Sprint Triathlon, in Pewaukee Wisconsin.

Got up at 4 to make it to the race site early. Setup my bike, got timing chip, and all that jazz and was ready on the beach. Wave 25 of 31 because I registered late.

.2mi swim was fine, however there was not a lot of time between waves, so by the time wave 25 came around, there was still 6 waves of SLOW people ahead of me. I'd swim 20 yards, and then spend all my time bobbing and weaving through the slower swimmers. Second, the swim was an out and back. The second half headed straight east into the sun. It was impossible to see anything! I had trouble sighting because of the sun and had to rely on the buoys which caused me to bob and weave a little too much. I think my swimming will improve if I follow this training plan more closely.

T1 was fine. However I didn't realize how tired I was from the swim until I started jogging to my bike. My rack had only 2 people at it after the swim, but I couldn't find my bike! I realized those two people belonged to the previous heat, and my bike was another rack over. That added to my confidence some when I realized that I had caught nearly everyone in the heat ahead of me as well.

The bike was very strong. It was a rolling course, and one long stretch was straight into a stiff wind. My new aerobars are in (XXX lites), but they don't do much good unless I install them eh? I drank a bottle of cytomax on the bike. Halfway through I realized I had brought 2 bottles ... so I ended up carrying a bottle extra the whole bike. I considered dumping it, but I had just cleaned my bike and didn't want to get sugar water all over it.

T2 was also good, however my lesson learned was not to unclip when entering T2, but to take your feet out of your shoes and leave them clipped in. I was trying to run with my shoes on and that wasn't such a hot idea.

The run was rough. I am not a runner, nor have I trained for running much. The first mile did take a little adjustment as expected. Mile two was a little rough, some steep hills. Mile three was flat and to the finish. I wish the last mile would have been marked a little better, the finish all of a sudden just appeared.

Overall, I thought that it was a very successful day. of the roughly 1600 entrants I placed 80th, 13th in my age group, I am 24. I was especially encouraged to see that fropping 3 minutes off my time would have placed me in the top 50. Those three minutes are easily attainable with a less crowded swim and a better trained run.

Powder River Pass

I was on vacation in Ten Sleep, WY last week and was very lucky to have my bike with me. My Uncle's ranch sits at the bottom of the Cloudpeak Scenic Byway, its actually WY HWY 16 that cuts through the Big Horn Mountains. It connects Buffalo, WY with Ten Sleep, WY. Anyway, it was a very challenging ride. Once I hit the base of the climb it was 10 mph for about 3 hours straight. It wasn't necessarily the steepest climb, but it was very long and consistent.

http://www.routeslip.com/routes/48660

Good times. You can see the rest of my vacation photos at holtan.smugmug.com

Tuesday, 6/26/07 workout.

Rode with the Trocadero team on their typical Tuesday night ride. It was VERY hot and humid, we took a route that was about 8 miles shorter than usual. Best decision of the night. Ride went well, was fast as usual, finished tired from the heat, but felt good overall.

Looking forward to the Elm Grove Crit this week. Course, I'm told, is very flat and protected from the wind. Should be fast and fun.

Forerunner 305 -

Forerunner 305 - I hate using this phrase, because it is never EVER true. But I NEED one of these, (like I need a hole in my head)

Trek118

I rode in the Trek100 this weekend. I had a lot of fun, and poor map reading on our part lead to it becoming the Trek118. A few items of note;

- Lance Armstrong was there, he opening talk was less than inspiring, and also less than a minute long. I expected more from him at an event that raises funds for cancer research and is put on by a major sponsor of his.

- It rained (poured!) on and off for the entire 6 hours. Note to self, Noxema works as a fantastic chamois cream ... except in the rain.

- The route was gorgeous, even in the rain. I would have like to toured Holy Hill a little more, but we'll see what next year's ride brings.

In two weeks, I will be riding the Horrible Hilly Hundreds (200k), this weekend's ride was good training. I'm sure the courses will be very similar ... adding only 10k ft of climbing to the HHH.

New Ride

I've purchased a new bike! (I'll put up a post about it when I get it, currently in transit.)

In the meantime my old steed is up on eBay, you can check it out here. Sad to see it go.

On a side, I had a flat last night while riding my lake drive route, here, and I've had a revelation -- No more CO2 cartridges, unfortunately they are just a one shot deal. Anyone have any opinion on the crank brothers power pumps?