Good morning Everyone! How was your weekend? Did you get a chance to go play in the snow? There was definitely an unusual weather pattern here in San Diego this Saturday, which made for some beautiful mountain scenery yesterday. Speaking of yesterday...
I was signed up to race the Peninsula Clif Climb up in Rancho Palos Verdes, the same race I did last month. I really enjoyed the event, but given the fact that I hadn't been training all that much, or that hard lately, I decided to pull the plug and skip it. Here's my theory on races, especially races that are only 2-hours away, and 20-minutes in length.
If your heart's not in it, not necessarily to win it as the old saying goes, but at least to be competitive at some level, then don't sign up. I decided Saturday night that my heart just wasn't in it. Instead, I decided that what I really wanted to do was just get out on the road for at least a good 4-hours, and just ride. That's exactly what I did.
4-hours, 68-miles, 2000-calories, and 4000-ft of climbing. I still managed to get in the saddle six days last week, although five of them were on the trainer! Ugh! This week...I'm actually going to pull the TT bike out of the garage and attempt to get comfortable on it in preparation for the Santiago Canyon TT March 12th.
Hope all is well with everyone! Until next time...
Hi Everyone! How was your weekend? I had a good one myself. Let me begin by saying as far as training went this last week, I didn't log a whole lot of time in the saddle. I did manage to get in the saddle six out of seven days, it was just the amount of time each day wasn't as much as usual. Let's see...8.5hrs total.
A lot of the reason for the low hours was due to the new biz. It's really been consuming a lot of my time and energy, and that's a good thing! The only hard part is actually staying motivated to train to be prepared for the upcoming races. Still, the business must come first, it's what's hopefully going to help pay the bills after all.
I'll keep you posted on its progress, and the training/racing program as the weeks go by. Until next time...
Hi Everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've just been as busy as a one-armed paper hanger! I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this here, but I've been in the process over the last 6-8 months, of starting a new business. Totally from the ground up, which means I've been learning by fire, and it's steadily been keeping me busier and busier. I told myself when I began this project, that I was going to do everything possible to keep my day job at the restaurant, go back to school at night, keep my training and racing going, and tackle a new start-up. I believed then, and still do, that it's possible to do all that. I did however say though, that if the new start-up really begin taking off, that I'd be willing to hang up the racing shoes for awhile to make a go of it.
I must be honest and say, that most of my adult life has been fairly easy and laid back. That's not to say there hasn't been challenges, but I've intentionally designed my life to be fairly stress free, and have avoided major responsibilities for the most part. I've never considered it laziness by any means, I was just a single guy with simple needs. Well, over the last ten years that's all changed!
I met a wonderful woman with whom I fell in love with and married. We became small business owners eight years ago. We became home owners six years ago. And now, I'm attempting to start another business. We don't have kids, not because we haven't wanted any, it just hasn't been in the cards for us yet. So needless to say, my life, and my responsibilities have changed drastically!
You can say I'm sort of doing things backwards, but I don't believe there's a concrete way of doing things in life. We're all different, and arrive at destinations in our lives via different routes, and a lot of times, we don't have control of those destinations. But since I've decided to make these changes in my life, and I'm no longer a young kid, it's time for me to step up and contribute as much as possible to the life I enjoy. I don't believe that means one has to give up everything they enjoy, and condemn themselves to a life of work, work, work, but some reorganization of my priorities are required.
These last two weeks are making me realize what that may mean. I've found it somewhat difficult to get out on the bike and put the hours in I'm accustomed to. It's been more short, intense, trainer workouts in the garage, and that's been mainly due to the new business. It's been consuming more and more of my time, and I know that a new business can do that in the beginning (I remember the early cafe days!). And it's extremely important to keep your focus on a business in its infancy. These are the times that really can make or break it.
So, needless to say, I'm not sure what that means for my training & racing, but I promise I'll do my best to keep it going! I truly hope you're all doing well out there, and I can't wait to post another race report soon. Next up on the racing calendar, I'll be heading back up to Palos Verdes to compete in the Peninsula Clif Climb TT on the 27th, then it's the Santiago Canyon TT on the 12th of March, then the Vless Huis Ronde RR on the 8th of April, and Devil's Punchbowl on the 23rd of April, followed by San Luis Rey on the 30th. That's the schedule for now, beyond that, I'm not sure. Until next time...
Well, the results for Boulevard are in. That didn't take long! My name isn't on the list, but it appears as though the whole field is listed. According to my wife, she thought I came in around 39th. So, more then likely, I'm one of the "Rider Unknowns". This probably happened because I came in with a pack, and within the pack I was off to the far right side. Even though we had numbers on both the right and left hand side of our backs, things probably got a little confusing at the finish because our group was caught from behind by the lead pack of Masters 45+ racers who went flying by us battling it out for the win. Doesn't really matter in the end, since I was too far back for any points anyhow. Here's the list...
2001 Boulevard Masters 35+ Results
Hello everyone! Well, the weekend has come and gone, and with it, the season's first big road race...Boulevard. There was also a crit today, but you know how I feel about those by now! Yes, I was extremely anxious for this race to arrive, especially since I decided at the last second to switch my registration from the Cat 4 race, to the Masters 35+. More on that...
First, let me begin by saying although I'm not a big believer in the theory of global warming, the weather this Saturday out at Boulevard had a lot of racers talking. I'm sure like most, I was preparing for the worst. Heck, I even put shoe covers over my shoes Friday night while packing for the race! As I drove out to Boulevard at ten in the morning, yes I said ten (one of the big benefits in deciding to race with the big boys...a later start time!), the temperature kept rising until it hit 68 as I pulled in the parking lot at Live Oaks. 68 and sunny, with very little wind! I decided no matter how anyones race went this day, the weather couldn't be blamed!
Our race was scheduled to go off at 12:50pm, which ended up being about five minutes delayed to allow the Cat 3 field that went off just before us to get far enough down the road that we shouldn't catch them. The race started smoothly, minus one guy who crashed off the side of the road in the first 100 feet! Talk about feeling a bit embarrassed! From there the pace was nice and smooth. I instantly noticed how much smoother everything was as opposed to a Cat 4 field. Everyone seemed to know how to hold their lines, drafting was in full effect, etc.
Things begin to pick up on the back half of the course, the descent, but I remained calm, and was able to be in good position, although a little too far back as we hit the first climb of the day, La Posta. From there, the pace quickened, but again, I kept it in check, and lingered near the middle of the pack up the climb. As the peloton turned on to Highway 80, it became a different story!
The pace going up the climb on Highway 80 was intense. I tried to stay on the wheels, but a group of approximately 25 riders drilled it up the road, and I found myself in a group of about 15 chasing. As we made our way up the climb, I noticed our groups pace was beginning to slow. I made the decision to strike out on my own while I could still see the lead group. Needless to say, that didn't work. I was able to drop the group I was with, but there was no way I was going to catch a large group of 25 riders working together on my own. I did come within about a minute and ten seconds of them at the top of the climb according to my wife who was there for support, and as my feeder.
To make a long race short, from there it went...get caught on the back half of the course by the group I dropped on the climb, and finish the race with them. I did learn a few things racing with more experienced riders, some things that I suspected as far as "elite" teams are concerned, and I fully intended to use this blog entry as a way to vent my frustration with them, but I've decided it takes a bigger person to bite the tongue, and move on. Stats for the race...3:15, 65-miles, 6000ft, 20.2avg speed, 2000 calories. Not sure yet where I finished, but I'll post the results as soon as I know.
Today, a nice 4-hour ride down to Mira Mesa to watch some friends compete in at red Trolley. I still can say with complete honesty, that I do not miss racing crits! Yikes!!!
Anyhow, as I mentioned in the title, I'm feelin' really sleepy tonight after a tough weekend on the bike, but all is good. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend yourselves, and had a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful So Cal weather! Until next time...
Hello everyone, and good morning! Sitting here at the computer, listening to the news in the background, eating my steel cut oats, and drinking my coffee. The usual morning routine. What's on my mind this morning? Boulevard! I thought it would be a good idea to post another entry before the race comes this Saturday and I'm unable to later:) Why's that?
I decided to transfer my registration from the Cat 4 race to the Masters 35+. Good idea? Not sure, but I do have my reasons. First and foremast safety. The Cat 4 field always fills up, a full 100-rider field, and as anyone who's ever raced before knows, the Cat 4 category is kind of the "catch all" category, that is, it's open to most every kind of racer out there. Juniors, seniors, fairly inexperienced racers, etc. Couple that with the fact that Boulevard is the first big road race of the season, combined with bad weather, and things can get sketchy real quick!
Second, a later start time. The Cat 4 race begins at 9:30am, and again, anyone who's raced Boulevard knows it's almost always very cold, windy, and often times wet. The Master 35+ race begins at 12:50pm!
Third, I've always said, if you want to get faster, ride with faster riders. I know I have little chance of placing high in the 35+ race, but I'm hoping to learn something by watching older, experienced riders, some who were possibly ex-pros, applying some strategy out on the course that you rarely see in a Cat 4 race.
And lastly, the Cat 4 race is two laps around the Boulevard course, that's about 48-miles, a good, hard workout, but anyone who knows me knows that I prefer riding long distances. The Master 35+ race is three laps, which totals 67-miles. That's going to be a great, harder workout!
My strategy for the race. Honestly, sit in, stay out of the wind, let the stronger riders pull me around the course, and just try and survive, and hopefully cross the line within the pack, and not finish dead last!
Sunday's plan as of now, is to ride down to Mira Mesa and watch my friends compete in the Red Trolley Crit. It's always a nice ride down the Coast Highway, a perfect way to spin out the legs after Boulevard's brutal beat down!
Hope all is well, until next time...(I hope!)...
Hi All! Well, it's official. My first race of 2011 is in the books. The Peninsula Clif Climb, up in Rolling Hills, CA, just outside of Ranchos Palos Verdes. What did I think of the event? Awesome! The details...a 6-mile uphill Time Trial, with 1200ft of elevation gain. Great course, fairly light traffic, and some incredible views. The results?
I finished in 3rd place out of nine competitors in the Cat 4 category, with a time of 23:04. 1st place ran a time of 22:14. Of course I was hoping for a win, but hey, a podium finish for the first race of the year isn't bad! I did notice that the guy who finished in 1st, is also going to be racing out at Boulevard this Saturday. I'd keep an eye on him for sure if I knew what he looked like!
Anyhow, as I mentioned, Boulevard is this coming Saturday, and I'm beginning to get extremely anxious as the day gets closer. The first mass start of the season is always nerve racking for me, everyone seems nervous, and there always seems to be more then the usual bar bumping, and less then polite language happening within the peloton as the pack makes its way down the road. My strategy...just try and be in the top twenty riders as the pack approaches the right-hand turn on to La Posta Road. As always, the pack will soon thin out as the road points up, and I'm usually too far back, and find myself weeding through the stragglers, while the leaders are motoring up the climb. Of course this strategy is easier said then done. It takes a huge amount of nerve to hold your place near the front through the back half of the course and all that descent!
On tap this week as far as training goes...short, light-to-medium intensity rides, and nice opener Friday, then off to the race Saturday. Sunday, I plan on sticking to my tradition of riding down to Mira Mesa to watch some of the action at the Red Trolley Crit, assuming the weather holds out. Hope all is well. Until next time...
