May 12
May 6
Trail run and mountain bike race
Early morning drive and coffee in hand. Heading to Iola for a trail run and mountain bike race. A fun day ahead. Hopefully the rain holds off
Apr 25
Breakfast, Bike, Study, Run, Lunch, Study, Workout again, Dinner, Study
The weather forcast made it sound like a miserable day today. I talked to Mother Nature today, because we are tight, and mentioned it would be nice to hold off on the rain for a bit. She came through for me.
Biked with a friend this morning. We climbed Scray's Hill twice and then Hwy X once. A good hill workout. I came home and studied for awhile. I figured I needed to see how the running legs felt. Ran for 6+ miles and feeling good. Next up more studying and then take Anika to Gymnastics and I may workout in the gym for a bit.
After Anika goes to bed. Back to my studies yet again. All in all turning out to be a very good day.
Apr 24
Whitewater Road Race and Great Dane Crit #2 and Earthday and Swimming
I woke up very early on a Saturday morning to head down to Whitewater for a road race. Nate, Quentin, Mark and I are part of the Green Bay crew for the Big ring Flyer's. I started my day with a big bowl of granola and a nice big Starbuck's Coffee. The drive down was easy going.
I had a few thoughts going through my head. The last time I competed in this race was 2003. I remember being shelled out the back at around mile 5. My last true road race was Mauston in 2009. I was wondering how my body will react with the up and down speeds and do I have enough power in the legs to be in the main pack? When we arrived there were several Big Ring Flyer's meandering about the parking lot. We all chatted and joked around and prepared for the race in our own ways. Nate got us together before the start and setup a game plan.
There was just over hundred people racing. This size of a race group can be a bit initmidating at first. The initial speeds were pretty good and the flow for the first race of the season had its fair share of twitchy riding. Things started to get going around 5 miles into the race. It was odd. I felt very comfortable with this group. I never felt like I was going to get popped off the main group. I even chased down an early attack. Part way into the race Tom got away and the team gummed up the front just as planned. He stayed away and took 2nd overall on the day. Very impressive. Hind sight, I wish I could have moved further forward to help in the front. The field was very large and strung out across the road so it was tough move up. Overall it was a great day for racing and the team. The team had several age group placings. I missed 3rd in my age group by one place, but it was snagged by a teammate Mike, which is fine by me.
Side Note: Frame went down in a crash. He is doing good as far as I know. He is bike was a little banged up.
Sunday. My first WCA crit race in many many many years. In fact I can not remember the last time I competed in a crit. A crit is an animal that is hard to tame. I was signed up to race Cat5 and then Masters 4/5. My corner handling is my one major downfall and it was evident in the first race. I led the field coming in on lap 2. After that I was popped off the back. The problem was the high speed corner. I was uneast going into that corner with speed. The Masters race went much smoother. My cornering still needed work but I was able to hang with the lead group for the entire race. I did attack on the second from last lap. Not the best move but I was getting antsy and no one was really animating the race. I figured why not give it a try. I had a gap for a bit and then it was closed down and pace picked up. It was a great learning experince. I need to work on corners and that will in turn help me in mountain biking and cyclocross. Always something to learn. Nate has been good enough to help me with the finer points of cornering. Even Tom noticed that was an area for improvement. At least there is hope for me.
Nate had two very good races on Sunday. Almost took a third place in the Masters Field.
Sunday was Earthday. After the Crit races I drove to Wittenburg to pick up Anika. She was sad she did not have a chance to do anything for Earthday. I decided to fix that issue. We went to the park and played and picked up garbage. After the park we planted some starter plants for our garden. Anika is pretty excited and happy. It is good to see her wanting to do something positive for nature and herself.
Anika had swim class at the YMCA on Moday afternoon. She is a really good swimmer. I am so proud of her. She is having so much fun. I swim a few lanes over doing my own workout but I take time to watch Anika's class. Even her instructor commented on her form. That little girl of mine has some serious power for being eight years old. Very cool.
Apr 21
5:00 AM do you know where your Roadie is???
It is 5:00 am in the morning. I already polished off a bowl of homemade granola. Next hunt down some good coffee. Why I am up this early? Simple really, I enjoy road racing, so today is travel day to Whitewater to race and then to Madison for the Great Dane Race #2. This is my first road race in 2-3 years. Should be interesting.
Time to meet up with some more Big Ring Flyers and hit the road.
Apr 18
Multitasking the Roadie Way
I need to get my intervals in today and clean my bike of dirt and worm carcasses from the weekend. Well, today mother nature provided rain. I will complete my intervals and the bike will be rinsed so I can wipe it clean. Riding in the rain is good.
Apr 18
Technology and Fleche Wallonne
I am using my phone to post on my blog. I am also watching the Fleche bike race on my laptop. This is good.
Apr 16
Big Ring Flyer's Team Camp
A very good weekend.
My first team camp in many years. Most team camps go for big miles but it was nice to practice pace lines and corners and many other aspects of racing. The last two years I have been mostly racing in Triathalons and Duathlons. The up and down speeds of road racing is taking my legs a bit of time to adjust too. I think I managed pretty good though during the race and riding the next day. Over a hundred miles in two days.
The other interesting part are the team members. This is a new team for me and a very large one too. Everyone seems to gel pretty good. It will be cool to see how all this works out in the upcoming race season. I can hardly wait.
Another positive thing about this weekend. I finished some of my homework too.
You know when you hit the big time when the Hotel Welcomes You...
Apr 16
Anika's Birthday and Dinner
Anika said, "It was the best birthday ever. Thanks Daddy"
I am pretty sure that says it all. A fanatastic time with friends, food, and fun.
Mar 24
Ripon Spring Classic March 24th 2012
The Ripon College Bike Team put on a 100+ mile Spring Classic of the surrounding hills and roads and gravel roads. It was a very ambitious endeavor. The race had many pros and a couple of cons. Having support was crucial. There were many flats today. I was the first of many. With the Fondulac Cyclery to lend a tire and a hand in the repair otherwise I would had a short day biking. The con is the distance and seperation of the groups of different riders. Decisions were made to carry on. This is a gray area but something to consider. Would I do it again? Probably.
Big Ring Flyers in my observation had the second or maybe the largest set of riders. As a team working together we have the best. When I flatted it was Nate and Quentin lending a hand in pacing me back up to the main group. Luckily there was another flat in the group allowing us to catch up. Another key moment was the decision to wait for one of our missing riders (Mark). After the main group left then Mark rolled in two minutes later. Mark Nate Julie Quentin and myself paced each other through the remainder of the ride. We did pick a few other riders here and there but for the most part it was just us moving along. It was actually my favorite part of the ride. As teammates and riding together over the winter we know how we ride and that made the second half of the ride very pleasurable and predictable.
Today was a grey and at time wet and cool ride. It was armwarmers and long figured gloves today. On the legs some people us knee warmers. I used Soigneur Athletic Skincare and their embrocation called Motivation. Kept my legs nice and warm throughout the ride. When we stopped I could feel it working. Great stuff.
Another new product for me is the team kit. Pactimo is new bike uniform company for me. After 100+ miles in one day I will have additional thoughts on it later. So far its an awesome kit.
So far this year my miles total
1091 outdoor riding.
156miles skiing
129 miles running
Time for rest. Tomorrow more of the same!!!!
