OK, I get it now

As an unusually motivated rider, I sometimes fail to grasp how some people can go from super-fit to off the back in a couple of months. It makes no sense to me. The pain of getting back into shape is far, far worse than simply staying in shape to begin with.

This, of course, isn't a condemnation of anybody in particular. It's just a thought in my head. After this week's workouts -- all super-easy, since it's a recovery week -- I can see how the downward spiral begins. If there's nothing on paper in terms of a plan, getting on the trainer with no goal sucks. There are few things more boring than an easy one-hour spin on the trainer with no power or HR numbers in mind. And this week was full of them.

Despite the thought entering my mind every morning, I never turned off the alarm and stayed in bed. today, just to make it feel like I was accomplishing something, I stayed in a specific power window for the duration of the workout. Nothing stressful, but at least I was riding with a purpose.

So ... I now understand why the trainer gets so much hate. Personally, I don't mind it. The dues must be paid.

GamJams Review: saddle and seatpost

A few weeks ago, JP straddled my Felt for an offseason power test. He remarked several times on the bike's comfort, specifically the saddle and bars. I'm inclined to agree completely, but I can't really say it's intentional.

When I got that bike -- 2.5 years ago now -- all I did was change the seat height. Most everything else came that way. The stem is original, as is the seatpost (Guizzo carbon something or other). Same with the bars (FSA Wing Pro).

The only thing I did different was the saddle. Since WTB is a team sponsor, I rode the Rocket V in 2007 and liked it quite a bit. At least until the padding disintigrated and made it really uncomfortable.

I switched to the Silverado for 2008, and couldn't be happier. Well, I could be happier, but it's nothing a saddle can provide. The Silverado is light and comfortable -- great for road races and crits alike.

It's not exactly ideal for TTs, though. The nose is flat and thin, which is not good for the junk. Because you need your junk.

I've noticed just a slight sag in the current Silverado, so it may or may not make it through the season. I'm hoping it does, mainly because I'm cheap. But if it doesn't, I'll definitely get another one.

It'll go like this

With nothing of interest to report -- seriously, this morning I rode for 45 minutes, stretched and did some core work -- I thought about just mailing it in today. But then I realized that would leave JP with nothing to do all day, so I decided to do some typing.

I've been talking about races and the schedule, but I guess I haven't actually defined what all of that is. I have a few target races that will come at the end of training cycles (periodization, if you'd like to use fancy words), and I'll make those bold. Everything else is of secondary importance or for training. So if you're going to attack and drop me, do it in the secondary races so I don't feel too bad about my form.

March 21 -- Twin Bing Road Race, Sioux City, Iowa
April 4-5 -- Altoona RR/Big Creek RR, Des Moines(ish)
April 19 -- An unnamed crit at Pioneers Park in Lincoln
April 25-26 -- Iowa City RR/Old Capitol Crit, Iowa City
May 9 -- Finchford-Roubaix RR, Finchford, Iowa
May 22-25 -- Memorial Day Weekend. I'm sure I'll be somewhere.
June 6-7 -- Norfolk Classic RR/crit, Norfolk, Neb.
June 20 -- Green Days Criterium, Johnston, Iowa
July 11-12 -- Omaha Cycling Weekend
July 25 -- Cornhusker State Games TT
Aug. 7-9 -- Tour of Kansas City (maybe only two days)
Aug. 22-23 -- Sioux Falls, SD races (if this is the right weekend)
Aug. 29-30 -- Some other race that may or may not happen on this weekend. If it doesn't, I'll adjust accordingly.

Of course, if my hand isn't ready for the March race, I'll start in early April with the Des Moines races. And if it's not ready then ... well, I'll probably freak out. You'll know when it happens.

Hand me the ibuprofen, please

So ... rest week. Most of the workouts are easy hour-long spins on the trainer, with HR in zones 1 and 2.

Blah.

After warming up for a few minutes, I always feel like I'm accomplishing absolutely nothing for the rest of the hour. And while I certainly don't mind the trainer -- the work has to be done somehow -- I definitely don't like wasting time. So I went for a run this morning.

The last run I can remember was around Christmas. Based on how my legs feel right now (upset, bordering on angry), I'll remember this one for a while. Nothing is injured by any means, but it's obvious which muscles aren't used on the bike.

Tomorrow I'll do that hour of easy spin, plus some core work, and all will be well. And then I'll go back to race planning. Gonna be a fun schedule.

Moving right along ...

Man ... the first race is only a month away. That's kinda nuts. Hard to believe I'm well past base miles and will be lining up in just a few weeks. Wow.

Quiet weekend on the bike -- nothing special. I got my work in, hit the numbers and moved on. It would have been nice to get outside yesterday, but without something to cover my hand, it's not really possible.

And that's pretty much it in bike world. New team kit arrives this week, SRAM stuff could be soon behind. Maybe I'll be able to fly under the radar in the first few races ...

Creating the perfect monster

There are few things more exciting than watching your child learn about the world around him. From recognizing faces to learning words to actually communicating -- it's very cool.

Of course, what they need to know and what you teach them could be significantly different. For example, did Jack need to have bikes pointed out to him starting when he was less than a year old? Probably not. And did I need to show him bikes every time I got a new magazine or catalog? Again, probably not.

Jack is 1.5 years old today, and if you ever want to know where the bikes are, he knows. They're in VeloNews, which is kept on the table. There's one in the basement, two more in the garage and -- sometimes -- they're on the TV.

In fact, I can't actually read VeloNews in his presence because he wants to look at the bikes, too. Check that -- he DEMANDS to look at the bikes. He gets whiny if he can't see them, too.

In some ways, that's pretty cool. In others ... hey, is that Elmo? Why don't you go play with Elmo? Go get him!

Whew.

GamJams Review: Assos Chamois Cream

About halfway through my first RAGBRAI (a week-long ride across Iowa for those from parts beyond), things got a bit ... uncomfortable. As in, uncomfortable down yonder ...

Yeah. So we (my wife and I) hit the vendor tents and picked up some Chamois Butt'r, and all was right with the world. But at some point in the next few months, when our supply was out, our shop didn't have any in stock. The horrors!

Dave, the shop manager, suggested Assos. It was a few bucks more, but -- as he said -- it tingles. Hmmm ... tingly bits and comfort? Yes, please. (note: some people don't like tingly. they are wussies.)

Since then, there's been no other chamois cream purchase. When I do get saddle sores, they stay very small. Because of the miracle healing properties of Assos (I don't think they advertise that, though), I sometimes put a little bit on a sore after a shower. Seems to help.

With all of those delightful qualities, you'd think I would react in horror upon opening a jar of the 2009 version. No more off-white -- it's bluish-green now. And it noticably lacks the tingle. But, just like its predecessor, it keeps the undercarriage happy.

Plus, it's one of the two Assos products I can actually afford. The other is a cotton cycling cap.

Other things: I think I'm fast again. Aced the morning workout, and hit the power and HR numbers for each interval. Whammo!

Sorry folks, park's closed

The moose out front should have told you.

Back tomorrow.

The Gospel According To Munson

I should know better by now, really.

Midway through chain installation last week, as Mike was cursing those delightful Japanese folk at Shimano, he mentioned -- again -- the Wipperman Connex link. "Never had any problems ... so much easier ... etc, so on, so forth."

I'm wary of going away from the norm on some things -- especially chains. I'd rather not stand up to climb or sprint and then wake up on the pavement 20 minutes later. But when has Munson steered me -- or anybody -- wrong?

I got a Wipperman link last night. Had a good workout this morning. No drivetrain issues at all. Do not doubt Michael Munson.

The finger: Back to the hand specialist yesterday. All is well, so it might only be two more weeks with the big splint. In the meantime, I'm drinking lots of milk and doing most everything left-handed.

Voodoo. It has to be voodoo.

Last weekend, my Felt was twice disabled and twice repaired. Then I crashed my other bike and broke a finger (still working on those repairs).

On Saturday I jumped on the trainer for a healthy dose of interval work. I had wattage, time and HR numbers in mind. I nailed the workout, no thanks to the Felt ... the new chain has a link that's binding, and therefore causing it to jump on the cassette. So I switched to the Bianchi for the remainder. Still, good workout, though.

I had some time, so I took it to the shop to see if the chain could be loosened up a bit. Dan worked on it and it looked to be OK. Twenty minutes into Sunday's workout, it started jumping again. So I switched bikes again.

I should have just bagged it right there. I stayed on for another hour, but it was a waste of time. I accomplished nothing other than getting pissed off.

So I'm going to the shop again today. I'm just about sick of dealing with this crap.

Residual effects

I'm no expert, like Sean, but that crash last week was my second. And, like in the first one, little things are popping up almost a week after the fact.

I have a decent bruise on my left knee from hitting the top tube, as well as another on my right knee on the site of the road rash. I didn't really notice either one until this morning. Hopefully no more surprises are in store.

Time to watch the snow now. We're in armageddon death watch phase 5, I think.

Oh, and if you're wondering why posts have been so short lately, it's because I'm typing one-handed. It sucks every bit as much as it seems.

Less work = more tired?

I'm broken. I can't do as much around the house. Doing dishes has been replaced by standing around. Anything that involves more than a little bit of force is out. Basically, I'm doing nothing.

And I'm exhausted. I think it's probably due to using a lot more energy to complete even the easiest tasks. Lifting anything? Better think about how to get that done without pain. Getting Jack going was a challenge this morning, and Chris did half of it for me.

This could be a long, long six weeks.

The A-team

When bike parts blow up -- followed closely by a finger -- it helps to have good friends. My rear derailleur was in tatters, the chain was all jacked up ... no way I could fix that with one hand. Cue Mr. Munson, who did the dirty work while I stood around watching. I thank you, sir.

Work could not have been done without a save from Mr. Miles, who ponied up a rear derailleur on a loan -- until I get my SRAM stuff in a couple weeks. I feel like both should be listed as sponsors to the right.

And, finally, thanks to my Chris, who puts up with me on a daily basis -- broken finger or not.

Back to work now, slackers.

Adjustments

I've mentioned before that I'm fairly ambidextrous. I use either hand for a lot of things. But right now, I'm very left-handed. It's not that bad, because I'm naturally left-handed.

But it still kinda blows.

Other adjustments:
-- showering with a bag on my hand
-- spending an hour searching for a good hand position on the bars
-- not really being able to cook
-- trying to learn how to do things with only one hand -- like tying shoes

I'll live. There are worse problems to have. In the meantime, here's the deal with my finger/hand/wrist: only the one break. I go back in a week for another evaluation. No surgery likely at the moment, but that depends on how the next week goes. If the break stays aligned, no problem.

And what of racing and training? I had a good workout this morning.

Where to begin?

The plan for the weekend was as follows: hard 3-4 hours with Spence's group on Saturday; 4 steady hours on Sunday. And that's the end of the first week of Build 1.

What really happened starts below ... after the x-ray.

Yeah ... that's my hand. Right one, specifically. Pinkie. It kind of figures that my weekend ended with this, because pretty much everything up until then was leading to just one more thing happening.

I guess I'll go back to the beginning. Saturday morning -- left at 9:20ish to meet the group at 10. Good ride over, though I somehow threw my chain to the outside (over the big ring) on the way. Didn't think much of it, because the SRM crank gets a little squirrelly sometimes. After fixing it, I rolled on. And that was the first sign of the day.

About 20 minutes later, shifting got a bit erratic. I tried the rear derailleur barrel adjustment a few times. Nothing. It was especially bad in the big ring. And there's another sign.

It persisted as we got out of town. Midway up a hill, I threw the chain again -- to the inside. I flicked it back on with the shifter and kept going. And then, finally, the whole derailleur freed itself of the frame. Like in the picture below:

I stopped instantly, of course, called Chris and hoofed it to the top of the hill. Brady was in the group and called to check on me. And then they rolled on.

The culprit: snapped derailleur hanger. It was injured in the great crash of 2007.

New hanger -- Felt replacement model.

And now it's all back together. Whew.

But the regeneration didn't happen until later Saturday night. While I was waiting for Chris, who got pulled away from a walk with Jack (sorry), I called the shop to see if they had a replacement hanger in stock. And then I remembered there was a ride leaving there at noon. I wonder if there's a demo bike or something I could borrow.

Yes, in fact. There was. So I adjusted the seat, refilled the bottles and spent two hours pulling the group. Though I missed the super-fast ride, I still got some work in. Oh, and the new Dura-Ace is nice.

You'll remember I got the bike fixed, so Sunday saw a gathering at my house: Munson, Puma, Mike (the guy who crashed with Sean at Norfolk) and me. We were going to meet Kev on the way and go crank some steady miles.

We were a half-mile -- literally a half-mile -- from my house when shifting got erratic. And then the whole damn rear derailleur went into the spokes. This is where I mention, by the way, that it was shifting flawlessly the night before. The culprit, I'm guessing, was the connecting pin. It probably got pushed out yesterday, then finished itself off when operating under load today.

So I called Chris. Again. But Jack just went down for his nap, so Mike (the guy who crashed with Sean at Norfolk) ripped back to my house and brought back his car. This time, I got the Bianchi ready and we left ... again. Oh, and I completely ignored that sign, too.

The plan was to meet Kev a bit north of my place, so we had some phone calls going back and forth. I heard my phone ring about 20 minutes into it and reached back to get it. I wasn't going to answer it, but as I was putting it back, I swerved into the back wheel of Mike (the guy who crashed at Norfolk with Sean).

And behold, a broken finger. At first, based on the angle of the bone, I thought it was just dislocated. It didn't work to try to put it back in place, by the way. Oh, and I ripped my nice thermal bib tights. That sucks.

The main thing, though, is that I'm a moron. After Sunday, I won't deny it.

Between the crash -- into a very soft shoulder, fortunately -- and the x-ray, we kept riding. Probably another hour or so. Hey, it was a nice day. I finally called it quits when every bump really hurt.

So we parted ways, but not before Chris came out and gave me a talking to (in front of everybody). And then I cleaned up and headed to the urgent care clinic. The radiologist was a cyclist, so that was cool.

And I left with plans to see an orthopaedic specialist on Monday.

It took me an hour to write this, and I'm using the mouse with my left hand. Slow going here.

Monday night, Mike (Munson) is going to come over and get the Felt fixed for me. Because, you know, the second week of Build 1 is underway. And there's work to do.

Go out and ride

It's Friday. The mercury (or LCD display of your digital thermometer) is rising. Gonna be nice today. Gonna be nice tomorrow. Hell, compared to a typical Nebraska February, even Sunday -- high of 38 -- will be nice.

So here's the plan: 10 a.m. at Kohls (72nd/Pacific) on Saturday. Fasties will be on hand. Gonna be a tough ride, and probably not much waiting for those who get dropped. There's a ride leaving from Bike Masters at noon, as well. That promises to be much more hospitable.

Sunday: Don't know yet. Depends upon how Saturday goes. Check Munson's blog for more details.

And that's it. Enjoy the respite from winter. It'll be back soon enough, I'm sure.

Punched in the face

Throughout the winter, I've been lucky to not have more than a few bad days on the bike. Only one has been really bad -- body-wise -- while several have been weather-induced. Today bordered on bad. It was painful, like it's supposed to be, but for several moments it felt flat-out impossible. Ouch.

Basically, it was four minutes of nearly all-out effort, times five. That doesn't seem bad until you see the wattage dropping incrementally while the HR stays up. And that means more work is needed. I was kind of expecting that, though.

Little Einstein

In just a few weeks, Jack will be 1.5 years old. Man, that was a rapid 18 months. He's getting more curious every day and he talks a lot. On the current word list: bikes, toes, nose, Tonka, Lily, dogs, no dogs, down, up, help, mama, Elmo, ball, more, done, brrrr, and probably a few more. He also makes animal sounds (cow, monkey, dog, elephant, sheep, cat, bird).

But what he really, really likes -- other than playing with boxes -- is my iPod Touch. Specifically, he likes looking at photos ... of himself. To change pictures, you just swipe to either side to go forward or backward in the list. Jack is all about it. Looking at pictures can keep him occupied for upward of 5 minutes. And when you're almost 1.5, that's a long time. That's about two hours for normal people.

I'm hoping to teach him to play PS2 next, so I can play someone other than the computer.

Amazing discoveries

A few weeks ago, while whiling away the hours on the trainer during the early base period, I came across an interesting scene.

In the first few moments of "A Sunday In Hell," a documentary about the 1976 edition of Paris-Roubaix, a rider is shown preparing for a massage by grooming his legs with an electric razor.

Hmm ... surely the cut won't be as close, but it could cut down on time spent with a razor and shaving cream ... save water ... blades ... hmmm.

Since today was the appointed day to perform routine maintenance, I can absolutely, unequivocally say it ... works, actually. It works really well. No, it's not the same as a blade, but it does the trick. Took less than half the time, none of the water.

My work is done here.

Go go go!

I came out of hibernation on Saturday -- as did many other cyclists -- to take advantage of the warmth. While many were content to spin away for a few hours, I had work to do: TT test. 30 minutes total, with the last 20 being the key. Heart rate numbers were recorded, as was wattage, and the deed was done. The rest of the afternoon was just riding -- soaking in the sun.

I got out Sunday, too. And again with the Big Puma. Looks like the weather will be nice to us again next weekend. I'm just waiting for the two feet of snow. It happens every year.

Build 1 starts for me this week -- this morning, really -- so intensity gets added while hours stay steady. That means lots of painful things well before dawn. I'm encouraged by the work so far -- Saturday's test went well. In a month, I'll test again. From there, I'll have a really good idea of what kind of spring it's going to be.