Sunday best

My Madone is clean now ... mostly.

The carbon wheels are clean, too. And installed. Yeah, I need all the help I can get. It's the first official Wednesday Worlds of the year at the Trek Store.

The white kit I'll be wearing can also be used as a flag of surrender.

I might need it.

Today's special

I mentioned before about having a nice little MTB trail literally 5 minutes from my door, right? True story.

And I'm off today. And it's going to be, like, 600 degrees or some damn thing. And (the last 'and) I have a morning's worth of work to do.

After that, I'm rolling into the trees. Well, not "into" the trees. Maybe more like "among" the trees.

But yeah, it could be "into" the trees. Let's not kid ourselves, here.

Strange currency

It's been a long time since I felt like a bike racer. I mean, I'm not a bike racer so much as a guy who happens to race bikes now and again, but there are some days where you just feel like one. You pull through, you attack, you pull through again ... over and over. Some days, it feels like you're the only racer there, and everybody else is just trying to hold your wheel.

I haven't felt like that in a long time. Months. Almost a year.

On Sunday, I was able to enjoy a few fleeting seconds of that feeling — it was awesome.

(Cue the wind.)

We headed northwest first, into fairly substantial NNW wind. The plan was aim for NW, head back east, then head back south. Hopefully 2/3 of the ride with a tailwind. The ride north was tough — rotating paceline, waiting for those who got caught off, rotating more.

When we finally turned east, most of us took on board some food and then got to it. I ended up in a split off the front with Randy, Mark and Ryan. After drilling it at 30+ mph for a few miles, we settled into a nice rhythm as the crosswind buffeted us.

As we were getting closer to Blair, I could tell the effort — and the time spent in the drops — was pushing me to the edge. Once I saw the Blair water tower, though, I knew I'd be OK.

The picture above is from the pit stop in Blair. After that, we rolled again. This time we were pacelining in the upper 20s, and then into the 30s again. We shed a few guys before it was just us four again.

Mark ramped it up on the way into Fort Calhoun, and I just came off his wheel. I still have work to do.

After that, I was OK until the final hill of Omaha Trace Road. I knew it was coming, but I didn't have the go to hold onto that hard, driving charge up and over the top. Like I said, I have work to do.

But I had moments. And, for the most part, I felt good — strong — all day. I'm racing for sure at the Twin Bing Classic in two weeks. I've been riding lots since pausing things a few weeks ago, and it's time to get going.

I've been waiting until I rode like a racer before I started acting like one. First up: Shaving the legs. Second: rebooting the training plan.

Time to ride.

Sunrise in the bike shop

It's Super Sale time. That means the shop has to be perfect every morning. Product stocked, procedures drilled down and locked down.

And that means early mornings. I was there at 8:15 yesterday, 9 today. Why? Well, stuff's gotta get done.

So here I am, drinking coffee and hanging out with the Madones. See you on the road this weekend.

White before Memorial Day

In the last two or three days, this is the most exciting thing I've done. Yeah ... just a plain-old ride on Tuesday.

I headed into the wind to Blair, attempting to tackle rolling hills and gusty wind all at once. And yeah, I totally wore my white-and-blue Pearl Izumi kit. It was awesome.

I'm learning more about how my back feels after reasonably intense rides. I felt good on Sunday, OK on Monday and flat-out tired on Tuesday. I was getting pretty achy as Blair came into view, so I was pretty thankful for that tailwind on the way home.

And yeah ... that's really the most exciting thing that's happened. Right now it's all Super Sale preparations at the store. In fact, I'm heading in early to make sure we're actually ready to go.

Cue the Scotch tape: I have signs to hang.

This wasn't in the manual

In my previous life — that would be the newspaper-editing one — I had to be able to balance a bunch of stuff all at once. Monitor incoming games and scores, build the page, get the stories compiled, edited and on the page. And I was usually listening to music or reading a book at the same time.

In short, I can multitask fairly well.

Right now, that's a really good thing. Because if I couldn't multitask, I'd be freaking the hell out right now. Because of a timing thing, my old job at the shop isn't filled yet. So I'm doing that. But I'm also doing my new job.

And while the old job was pretty easy — I can do that in my sleep — the new job isn't. Or, rather, it's a bit more time-consuming. To quote Crash Davis in the famed "Bull Durham" mound visit: "We're dealing with a lot of shit here."

I get a lot of emails. I get a lot of phone calls. I get a lot of questions. I have meetings now. I actually have so much to do I use my Blackberry for things other than Twitter and checking my email. Like, business stuff. Work stuff.

What the hell happened to me?

If nothing else, I now know what Mark was doing when he was holed up in the office last summer. He was catching up on all of the stuff that gets pushed aside with the shop is a zoo. Of course, he didn't mention any of that.

His first instructions to me: Punch in and make some coffee. Those are two of the most important things you'll do all day.

And no mention of the whole "punch in and before you know it, it's 4 p.m. and you're tired and hungry and you have to pee really bad but people keep coming in the door so you have to just deal with it and then when you get home you have to dig through the two dozen emails you received but couldn't even read during the day."

Yeah. Thanks, Mark.

Another test passed

To be fair, maybe it was only a quiz. But anytime I get together with guys who have been riding, I feel like I'm being tested. Can I hang? Can I push the tempo? Can I still be one of the first couple of guys up and over the hills?

Or, perhaps most importantly, is any of the pain involved in that different than regular cycling pain?

With the exception of one or two moments on Sunday, no. Most of the pain was good old, regular cycling pain.

My back pain comes from long bouts of high power. As in, pulling a group over a series of rollers or taking a long pull at the front. A higher cadence certainly helps, as does standing now and then on hills of any type. Yes, it uses a little more energy, but it helps me keep the cadence high.

So, Sunday. Mark, two Mikes, Rafal and Jeremy. And contrary to what Munson wrote, I didn't choose the hilliest route out of town. It could have been much, much worse.

Hills were climbed, pulls were taken, attacks were made. I'm particularly proud of one attack that opened a big gap very, very quickly. Of course, it was three-quarters of the way through the ride. And if anybody was tired, that attack only made it worse.

But still, I felt good. (And we sat up after that.)

Today I'll go ride more. And hopefully feel good again.

Good intention

This picture was supposed to be posted yesterday. It's at the base of what turns out to be a really, really nasty climb south of Elkhorn, near the Elkhorn River. When I stopped to take this picture, I also stopped for a quick stretch and quick bite (GU Jet Blackberry is outstanding, by the way).

I was planning the rest of the route in my head, and also deciding that it would be nice to have more pictures from rides.

And then, when I clipped in and got rolling, I saw the rest of this monster. Holy crap. It's 20-something percent — at least — at the top. It's completely ridiculous.

When I got my heart rate back under 400, I got rolling again toward the south, and the rest of my ride. I thought again about taking pictures during the ride.

But then I remembered about how the last time I was jacking around with my phone on a ride, I crashed and broke a finger. That kinda sucked. Also, within a minute or two back on the open road, I was having too much fun to stop.

So you get this: I had a really nice, really fun ride. It was sunny and warm and fast.

You'll have to just trust me on this one.

Pile it on

The bike is ready, the clothing is on the way ... what's next?

Well, I have to eat and drink something. Going with GU energy gels again, along with GU Brew (formerly GU2O). Easy to drink, not freaky expensive. Works for me. Pretty much everything is lined up now.

Although at some point I'm going to have to start going fast. Hmmm.

Detonation

Ah, it's the day I'd been waiting for. It happens at least once or twice a year. It's the day that starts with promise and ends in dark, dark thoughts.

Let's start at the beginning, yeah?

Two hours was the plan yesterday. Just a steady two hours. It was windy, so I knew I'd be doing a little bit of digging into the wind. Not a problem. It's Nebraska. I've been doing this for some time now. I know how to handle that, even if it sucks.

About 20 minutes in, it became pretty clear that I was tired from Sunday's effort. And Sunday's effort wasn't that hard, so much as it was steady and long. And then after that, my back hurt.

So there I was, at the 50-minute mark with a shot to turn around and grab the tailwind express the entire way home and be back with a total ride time of 90 minutes or so. Or, I could keep going as planned, catch a pretty big bite of tailwind, then a little headwind, then a lot more tailwind.

(Meanwhile, I'm tired and my back hurts.)

Yeah, I kept going. Dumbass.

The tailwind bit was nice and relaxing. But then I had to make a decision about which road to take back into the north wind. They both featured a big-ass hill. One was more exposed and harder before the hill, the other was more protected early but exposed after the hill.

I chose the second one. And about halfway up the hill, I started thinking about ways to turn around. You know, to harness the tailwind but still get home. Except home still required three miles north. And then I started thinking about ways I could just stop riding but still be home on time.

See? Dumbass.

I was tired, sore, bonky as all get the hell out when I finally turned east and got a small whiff of tailwind. I drained every bit of semi-processed sugar product I had on me, threw it into the big ring and attempted to get home as quickly as possible.

It was, at best, an exercise in mental strength. God, that was horrible.

But here I am, today, trying to get my work done by noon so I can go ride again.

Dumbass.

Steady-steady

Long ago, like maybe in the fall, I figured my first race of the season would be — like last year — the Twin Bing Classic. Just southeast of Sioux City, it's hilly, usually windy and not exactly easy.

And, recent back issues notwithstanding, I think that schedule will stand. I've been solid for about a week or so. Three hours yesterday, another two today, three more tomorrow. If I can get through that OK, I'm going to be in pretty good shape for the rest of the spring.

So that's that. I'm going to finish my chores and get out for a ride.

Oh, and you photog-types. GamJams Midwest needs you. Monday Multimedia. It's where your photos should be linked. If you go to a race and take pictures, send a gallery link to me. We'll make it famous. Something like that.

New things. Why not?

With a few exceptions, I'm not one to shy away from trying new things. Though it was strange switching sunglasses after about 10 years, I held my breath, hit the order button and got on with life.

My only non-negotiable right now is probably my pedals. Where I've constantly thought about upgrading or changing other things, the pedals have always made me happy.

One other area that's going to be tough to break into: bar tape. I've written of my love for Fizik bar tape in the past. It feels awesome, it looks awesome and it lasts. It's the only white tape that actually stays white.

Hard to beat, huh? But again, since I'm not averse to trying new things, I'll see what's out there.

The first challenger: PRO (Shimano's house component group) Digital Carbon. No, it's not carbon. No, it doesn't have Wi-Fi capability.

It's textured a bit, unlike Fizik — which is perforated. That doesn't offer a ton of texture, though it's semi-grippy all the same. Meanwhile, the PRO stuff feels a bit grippier. Also it's slightly softer than Fizik, which is pretty hard after it breaks in.

And that's going to be the biggest test. Fizik undoubtedly feels great, but the key to its brilliance is longevity. It's tough stuff, and one package gets you through a year and into the next with no problem. The PRO stuff is a little softer — and a little stretchier — and my first impression is that it won't wear as well because of it.

One thing is certain, though: this stuff feels great on the bar. And yeah, it looks pretty cool, too.

Hey, speaking of which ... yeah. This arrived yesterday. Pearl Izumi Elite LTD kit. Mesh sidepanels and underarms, super-comfy material on the shorts. Better yet: no grippers on the shorts.

As we all know, Lycra is made of rubber. The higher the Lycra count in a fabric, the stretchier — and grippier — it is. So instead of sewing a big elastic band and gel gripper onto the leg, just weave a higher Lycra content in. Hello, common sense.

Anyway, it's going to be a while until this one rolls out. Based on the weather and roads, that could be June. Sweet.

You again?

The trainer is set up in the basement.

About two weeks ago, when the weather started getting nice (or nice enough, at least), I declared trainer season over. I'd had enough. Considering the long, horrible winter, I'm pretty proud of myself for making it this long before losing it.

And so, rides were exclusively outside for almost two weeks. Life was good. Bikes were dirty, but life was good.

And then, today, snow. It's nasty, heavy, wet, slushy stuff that almost put me off the road this morning on the way to daycare. Yuck.

But the bike must be ridden. And it's inside, ready to go.

This is the part where I try to think of reasons to stay off the bike, but end up riding anyway.

Ugh.

Forgotten anniversary

"Hey, we have to be coming up on a year, don't we?" Chris asked last night. She was looking at the calendar. Early March, when everything fell apart last year.

"Actually," I said, "it was last week. March 3."

"Huh. We should celebrate."

"Celebrate getting canned? Umm ... ."

"Well, you're happier now, aren't you?" she reasoned.

Yes, actually. I am happier. I planned on writing something about the anniversary last week, but I was too busy enjoying my day.

Seriously. I've thought about March 3, 2009 every day since then, and a year after it happened, I forgot about it entirely.

I work in a bike shop for a great company. I'm still writing. Despite a slight dip in earnings, we're better off financially than we were a year ago. We even got Chris a new(er) car.

What's not to like?

Hmmm ... maybe we really should celebrate ...

Old friends ... again

The oldest of my cycling friends is my first road bike (as an adult, at least) -- a 2003 Bianchi Brava. Steel frame, Sora components, the whole array of inexpensiveness.

When my back was normal, I had no problems on that bike. It was actually pretty comfy. With fenders and lights, it was a worthy commuter.

Now, with the time switch looming and the pavement actually visible, I got the Bianchi ready to roll again. And now, with a bad back, it's lost most of its good qualities -- specifically the comfy bit.

Yesterday's ride -- 75 minutes out and back -- was torture when I needed to dig into the wind. The setup is just a bit too long. By the end of the ride, which was an easy, steady one, my back hurt. And this is after two-plus hours of drilling it on Sunday, during which time I felt fine.

So yeah, I have work to do on that one. I'm going to mess around with threaded headset conversions sometime in the next week or so. Once that's adjusted, riding to work becomes a lot more feasible.

Because while I'm sure it would be efficient, a Madone probably isn't the best commuter.

Old friends

Since last week's meltdown, re-evaluation of goals and subsequent call to action, I've been riding a lot. Just steady stuff -- getting out when I have time and keeping things steady.

Along the way, I also tweaked the fit of the Madone a bit ... again. I added another 5mm of spacers, and shortened the stem. I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking when I set it up originally. Regardless, that was pretty dumb.

Anyway, the stem. It's the stem from my Felt. 110mm, 5-degree rise. It feels great. And after a week on the new (old) setup, I jumped back into a group on Sunday.

Bike Masters, 1 p.m. Big Puma, Mike Miles (who has a blog now - here) and the rest of the lot. For me, the goal was simple: don't feel crappy, hopefully go kinda fast a few times. I felt pretty solid on the way out, but when we turned around and took advantage of the tailwind, we were cooking.

And you know what? I felt good. Really, really good. Power was right on, speed was right on, and -- most importantly -- pain was minimal.

Yes. Finally.

The big key is going to be repeatability. If I can get out this week and do similar work in that position, I'll know this is the right setup. If not ... well, there's still more work to do. But hooray for small victories.

(And thank you to Big Puma for not crushing what's left of my ego. Much appreciated.)

GamJams Midwest: Launched. We're on Facebook and Twitter (gamjams_midwest), too. Check it out, come back tomorrow for new content, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Monday is the day

I've been talking about this for a while, but it's finally time to press the start button on GamJams Midwest. Monday is the launch day (officially), but you can go there right now by clicking here.

The plan was to launch March 1, but real life -- and real jobs -- sometimes get in the way. Even so, we have some great stuff lined up for the opening week. And it's only going to get better from there.

If you're a promoter, email me (bryan@gamjamsmidwest dot net) and ask how you can get GJ gear as prizes/premes. If you're a racer, email me and ask how you can get on board with the newsroll (on the right sidebar). I took the liberty of adding a few of you already, mostly so it wasn't just a newsroll filled with Algomaha news. (It would be the perfect newsroll, really, but a bit egocentric.)

So that's that. I'm going to get loaded up on coffee now and get back to work. The huge spring order that arrived at the shop yesterday still isn't completely checked in. Hopefully I can actually get it on the sales floor before tomorrow.

And somewhere in there, I'll ride.

Free-form training

Since I pulled the plug on intervals, sprints and all sorts of other fun things and started thinking about just riding, I've been looking forward to bike time.

Of course, it could be that it's actually nice enough to get outside without an entire closet's worth of clothes, too. But mainly my thought is this: when you have time to ride for a couple of hours, go ride. That's it.

I got out for two hours on Tuesday, but didn't have time yesterday. No problem. I'll go out this morning for a bit. Tomorrow is looking tough, so maybe it'll be a run or something. Sunday ... yeah. Sunday is going to be awesome. 50 degrees is the rumor. We'll see how that pans out.

As conditions improve on the road -- and hopefully on my back -- I'll get back into the flow.

I'm feeling better already.

On the road

Nice day yesterday -- 35, sunny, little wind. Arm warmers, knee warmers and a bit of embrocation is all it took. I got about two hours in and felt pretty solid. I'm going to make a little tweak to the bike today that should help out a lot.


And that's pretty much it. Looking at 40 degrees tomorrow, and even warmer for the weekend. That'll do, pig. That'll do.

The new deal

Much like last year, when I was fast as hell right around now, I had my season built around a late-April peak, followed by another in mid-July. And anything after that -- in terms of fastness -- would be a bonus.

Had. I had it built that way. But you know what? I'm pulling the plug on that business. It's become pretty apparent that, while fitness is in a good place, strength is an issue. And endurance. And probably some other stuff, too.

So I don't really see the point in doing stuff that won't help. The reset button has been pushed. We'll be returning to base mileage for the foreseeable future. I'll still jump in on a dumb group-ride attack, but I feel like I need miles more than anything else.

And, yes, some professional help, too.

Dark miles (cue the broken record)

There's a good chance you can already tell where this is going. "My back hurts. Waaaah waaah."

And yes, it does hurt. But it hurts pretty much all the time, so that's not exactly news. What is news, though, is that the pain I felt on the bike in the state road race -- in September -- is still there.

Yes, despite working hard all winter and regaining the fitness I lost while I laying flat on my back, I'm in the same spot.

Off the back, teeth gritted, wondering why I'm out there at all.

I've heard this a few times already, too: It's only February. Were this a fitness issue, I'd agree. Yeah, it's only February. Lots of time to get it together.

Except this isn't a fitness issue. I'm fit. I'm doing the same workouts I was last winter. I feel good. With the exception of power numbers, I'm nailing every workout.

And power is the big rub. It goes like this: I'm OK for an hour on the bike (sometimes almost two hours) and then it creeps in. As effort ramps up (hills, hard on the flats, whatever), my back aches. And then it aches more. And then the lights go out.

And then I'm off the back, alone. It would be different if I hadn't ever been fast enough to begin with. But this is worse considering where I was last year. Before I got the yips, I was right in the mix.

Now ... I have no idea. I'm not sure if I'm going to race at all in April. Considering the terrain we rode yesterday is pretty similar to the Twin Bing Classic, that race seems like a bad idea. And if the Tour de Husker the next weekend is crit-heavy again, I'm out of that, too.

I'm going to try a couple of things to see if I can work this out. Whether it works or not, just don't tell me "It's only February." I don't care what month it is, because all I feel is September.

And that means nothing has changed.