Nick Versus Gravity

Scorch The Earth, or This Is The Sound Of A Paradigm Shifting Without A Clutch

2011-10-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm about to say a lot of things that all make a lot of sense, and I bet are all really obvious.

You guys, I've been doing it wrong. All wrong.

8 weeks of being really excited about cross and yet showing up and getting mercilessly beaten force doubt and introspection.

I have come up with some things.

Listen, I finished last year with dreams of glory in flatter road races and etc. Last year I was perfectly happy with being a non-traditional bike racer - "oh look at that giant dude," "who put that bear on a bicycle," etc. I had this idea in my mind - cycling is all about power/weight ratio - change the bottom half of the equation and you change the ratio.

So I went about this year with the philosophy, I guess, that if I could look more like a bike racer (be skinnier), then I would be a better bike racer. Here is the thing: trying to make that shift in a year is asking more of my body than it can handle (save for, taking a year and spending it trying to lose weight - riding bonked all the time and not eating and etc. Worked for a while during 2000km July. But you see how much top-end fitness I had coming out of that - none). I am on the path of leaning out and becoming more muscular - but in 2 years of riding my bike increasingly more, I haven't really lost any weight - just turned a bunch of fat into muscle. I am stronger and fitter now. Well, arguably.

But the point is, this is all the wrong approach! Listen. I'm never gonna be as skinny as the rest of you bros. It's just not going to happen. I have a lean body mass of like 215-220 lbs right now. I am bigger than you. The odds of me being "a real bike racer"-type in the next few years are... low. This year I have deluded myself away from playing up my own strengths, in the name of trying in vain to eliminate my weaknesses. I should, in fact, build on my strengths. That 220 lbs of muscle? TURN IT INTO AN UNMITIGATED POWERHOUSE. Focus on developing increasingly staggeringly amounts of force to put into the pedals.

This philosophy limits me, certainly - I will forsake anything with hills in it. But that was happening anyway - you see, I have to take the bar exam next summer. So my summer racing will be severely curtailed. As in, don't expect to see much of me from May through July. I have been slowly realizing (and discussing with compatriots) over the last two months that I would prefer to focus my energy on criterium racing (and cross) anyhow. If I ever make it to the damn velodrome, hold on to your hats.

So here we are. Am I going to try to be a real bike racer? Eventually I could move in that direction. Training well, for the correct thing, will gradually burn the fat off my body. But is that a priority for me? No. Should it be? No! That is what I have been lacking.

Thus begins what I am going to refer to as the "Scorched Earth" project. Primarily because I would much prefer the ability to burn the face off of anything or anyone, in a straight up sprint. All in all, there is nothing revolutionary here. Just the realization that maybe I ought to focus on getting better at what I am already good at, rather than at what I am no good at. Stop trying to be fabulous Fabian or THOR SMASH and maybe try to be more like Chris Hoy. That guy is DIESEL.

Also, I have been going to rugby practice. I'm not sorry, it's pretty fun.

DCCX was this past weekend. The course was mostly fun, but featured a number of sections in which you had to pedal your bike up steep pitches. 2 laps of this were too much for my legs, and I cracked. On the upside, I did not crash. On the downside, I got lapped. I really like racing cross! I just have been exceedingly bad at it this year. It's too bad.

MNSR intelligence suggests that Kinder CX this weekend is pretty flat. Maybe I will actually race rather than be discouraged and not race, as I am inclined. Thanks to a suggestion, I have a hilarious idea for a halloween costume to race in.

Hyattsville CX: Something Worth Writing About

2011-10-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

I raced at Winchester, and enjoyed myself (and particularly enjoyed the weather), but didn't come away with anything notable.

Then I got a cold the following Tuesday (ahem), and was concerned for the state of my being going into this past weekend's races.

Turned out my concern was justified - I went to Psycho Cross on Saturday and finished last (except for one DNF) in the small field - I think it had a lot to do with having my sinuses still all clogged and stuff. I like to think I'm not that systematically terrible. I did outsprint a junior at the end of the race.

Sunday I drove out to Hyattsville, took a lap to see the course, and felt pretty terrible. I didn't want to race. However, the course seemed fun, so I decided to cowboy up and give it the ol' college try. Even though it was a million degrees. Even though my head hurt. Whine whine whine whine.

WELL. Was that a good decision, or what? I started on the 4th row or so (number 47 in staging but there were some open spots, so a few of us got to move up). I had taken the time to warm up all good and well, spending about half an hour spinning on top of a couple preview laps. When the whistle blew, I was able to needle up to a top 20 spot for a little while, first time this year. From there it is a matter of "hold on as long as you can until everybody goes past." Hence my plan of "hold on a little bit longer every week until I can last the whole race."

Either way, the point is, the first two laps of the race, I felt GOOD. Like, holding position, picking off dudes, win a prime (one of those luck-of-the-draw next guy through the barriers jobs), feel like I actually belong good. It wasn't to last. My cold, and the energy it takes to do an extended run such as this course featured* gradually caught up with me. I began to fade back to the mid-to-late 30s, from the late 20s. (You guys see what I did there? Haha, masters riders.)

*The giant runup and subsequent steep descent may have been "rideable," but it certainly was not worth it for me to try. Then there was that mud bog at the bottom that was eating front wheels and feet. I didn't even figure out how to not catch my foot in the mud/hit a tree or spectator with my bike until the last lap. Either way, I really enjoyed how the backside turned into a big party. All cx races should have such a feature. See also: the "back nine" at Ed Sander, the team tent section at DCCX sort of, the "alpe d'woes" at Tacchino this year.

At this point, the wheels fell off the wagon and I gave in to my tendency to crash my face.What happened was, I came through this 180 degree corner where you go up this little rise, it kills your speed, and you can throw your bike back down, and there was a course stake laying across the exit of the corner. And it was positioned so as to not be visible when you come in. So I ran it over while my bike was not perpendicular to the ground (because it was a damn corner), which caused my front wheel to immediately peace the F O and me to go sprawling down the hill.

The 60 seconds of rest I got while trying to figure out which way was up and where exactly my chain was in relation to my crankset allowed me to get up and RAGE for the fast section immediately following. So that felt good at least. But while I was down, like 20 dudes went past me! I caught up to one in the next two laps. I finished 54th. I'm not sorry. I raced surprisingly well (on a day when I just wanted to finish not last), had a real good time of it, and got to get awesomely dirty.
Photo by my titanium-spined friend. I'm going to open hand slap the next person to ask me why we got white kits for cross.

Rich and I rode the special olympics parade lap, which I thought was a really nice thing to have.

This weekend, MABRAcross is off, the MAC is headed to DE, but I am headed to sunny Cleveland, for alumni weekend at my alma mater and an Ohio cross race.

THEY DON'T EVEN USE BIKEREG

I AM GOING TO HAVE TO THROW SOME ELBOWS TO STAGE

I'm looking forward to it, though. I am going to go for a run around campus and get nostalgic for all the time I spent running my senior year, when I was beginning this process of transformation from "giant" to "less giant." In a complete contradiction to that goal, I am going to go to a wonderful place called Melt. I will watch a football game and say hello to the old coaches. Then, I will try to dominate some Brohio cross bros.

And if any of you out there are going to be in need of an inexperienced attorney beginning in mid-to-late 2012, please let me know.

Tacchino CX: Making Tradeoffs

2011-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: this post is mostly not really race report.

So, it is reasonably well-established that losing weight by reducing calorie intake will result in some loss of power as your body adjusts. Certainly surmountable, but takes some time.

Listen, I lost 7 lbs in the last 2 weeks. Generally, it is for the better, but it probably contributed to feeling like I couldn't generate any power today.

It's really a tradeoff. I haven't been under 250 in like 10 months! And I am again! The ball is rolling downhill, ain't no stopping it now.

Also, racing at 2 is tough, I need to eat more in the AM. Probably shouldn't start races already really hungry.

I think it would be really funny to learn to bunny hop the barriers. However, I tend to make up ground on the barriers. Quick feet.

I was thinking today. You guys know about Ferrari's "1kg = 1% over a 10k climb" or whatever the numbers are theory, right? Repeated little grades work the same. Even if it is a "power course," elevation changes (up! up! up!) sap me of energy. Rich and I were briefly talking about physics in the car. I studied physics for a while. I bet I could illustrate the difference.

Let's take an example. Today's runup was called "Hup Hup Hill." Really sucked to run up that thing. Lot of energy used. Let's make up some numbers as a stand in. Say you have a hill 30m long, at a 10% grade. 30m, punchy, right?

How much more energy does it take for me to get up that hill? It is a change of 3 meters. Potential energy is equal to mgh. Assume I am 113kg, and "racer X" is 68kg. (Reasonably accurate. Right now I am 113kg; 68kg is approximately 150lbs. Start at a height of 1 meter. g is a constant.

PE = mgh.

PEx1 = 68*1*g. PEx2 = 68*4*g
PEx1 = 68g. PEx2 = 272g.

PEme1 = 113*1*g. PEme2 = 113*4*g.
PEme1 = 113g. PEme2 = 452g.

Youll notice that racer X requires 204g (remember, g is a constant) of additional energy to climb that height. I require 339g of additional energy to fight gravity (see what I did there?). By weighing 66% more than a 150lb racer, I need to expend (proportionally) 66% more energy to climb the hill. So all the times over the course of the race that we go up those little punchy hills, in the mud, or even those long sloggy climbs, I have to expend more energy. Over and over, and over.

These are numbers to concepts we all already recognized. But think about it - I'm only human. I can only store so much glycogen for ready access.

At the end of the day, it's more motivation to slim down. So I'm working on it (Again. But making progress encourages more progress.). Say hi if you see me out riding in the mornings.

Anyway, Tacchino was fun despite the lack of energy. This year, I did not dislocate my shoulder at Tacchino, which is a victory. Promoteur Jim did a really bang-up job with the race. My teammates are all pretty great, I thought the mud was fun (I feel like I am pretty seriously improving bike handling), there were a lot of people around.

I slipped and fell a couple times while taking warm up laps, and got my shoulder all muddy. I tried those lines, they didn't work, so I went back and figured it out. Then, everybody thought I already had raced. NOPE. JUST CRASHED 3 TURNS INTO MY WARM UP LAP. IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE. HOPE IT WAS HILARIOUS.

Not enough carbohydrate fuel is consistent with what the race felt like - good good good bonk recover bonk recover truck steadily along as my body switches fuel sources after 30 minutes.

YOU GUYS JUST WAIT, SOON I WILL WEIGH AS MUCH AS I DID LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY FAST ON MY CX BIKE AT THE END OF OCTOBER

PROBABLY ALSO AT THE END OF OCTOBER

ALSO, DON'T WORK ON YOUR BIKE THE MORNING OF THE RACE, BECAUSE YOU WILL INEVITABLY BREAK SOMETHING (like, your expander plug in your fork).

Mashup Thursday

2011-09-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

1.
Video:

Audio:

2.
Video:

Audio:

3.
Video:

Audio: (start this clip a few seconds earlier)

Finally have the wheel/tire setup I wanted. See you at Tacchino CX.

Pattern Recognition: Charm City CX

2011-09-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

I want to tell you guys about some not-really-scientific analysis I have done over the last 5 minutes or so.

2010 CX Season:
Charm City day 1 (C race) - 555.99 points
Charm City day 2 (C race) - 553.45 points
Charm City day 2 (B race - 2/3/4) - 552.17 points
THEN
Ed Sander C race - 431.12 points

2011 CX Season:
Nittany Lion B race - 2/3/4 - 514.57 points
Charm City day 1 B race - 2/3/4 - 524.09 points
Charm City day 2 B race - 2/3/4 - 501.38 points
THEN
Tacchino this upcoming Sunday.

I think it took me longer to type all that out than to come up with the theory that the 4th race of the season is where I learn how to race some CX.

Sunday was more fun than Saturday, as racing goes. Saturday was very slippery. Sunday I managed to at least feel like I was sticking my bike through corners. Saturday we had some solid team support though.

I'm still out of shape. I'm not that worried about it. It's gonna be a long season. I should finally have my tire/wheel situation sorted out this upcoming weekend.

LOOK AT THIS HILARIOUS PICTURE. I MIGHT EAT YOUR FACE.I've said it before - I can carry the bike by any point, no form required. I carried it up the stairs by the headtube one day.

Nittany CX: I Am My Own Worst Enemy

2011-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ah, 'cross. I remember why I love/hate you.

Well, the "hate" mostly just comes from the fact that if you're doing it right, there is just pain.

Nittany CX was really fun, even though my finish was unremarkable. It's all about metrics!

Cross-results predicted I would finish 79th, based on my points. I actually finished 67th. OUTCOME = SUCCESS.

Last time I did the B race at a UCI race (so, a 2/3/4) I finished a lap down in 93rd, which didn't happen this time. OUTCOME = SUCCESS.

I only crashed my bike once. OUTCOME = SUCCESS.

All in all, I rode well and had fun. I staged wayyyyyy at the back (which is my own fault for signing up late), which led to me being in a severely disadvantageous position when some bro put his bike down in the very first corner, right in front of me. I found myself immediately off the back after avoiding hitting him, stirring echoes of dropping my chain in the first k of the B race at Charm City last year and ending up last as a result. However, this time I caught back up and started making up ground. I had made up about 20 places (and was feeling really good about how I was riding), when I hit a root in a slippery mud section. The root knocked my front wheel out from under me, and I was down quicker than I could let go of the handlebars. Fast as I got up, a bunch of dudes went by me. Trying to recover from that put me way in the red.

I started picking off dudes in front of me, with reasonable success. Next lap I took the same line (I thought it was the best one, I guess), hit the same root, and ALMOST WENT DOWN AGAIN IN THE SAME WAY. After that I learned my lesson.

After 2 weeks of rain, it was super muddy! 5 big mud sections, 2 of which were unrideable. Well, one of those was probably rideable but not worth the trouble.

Look at these pictures! So muddy!Pictures by Mrs. Wynnyk.

Oh, also, I'm now representing the moneynstuff-Wheels4Life bicycle racing concern. Sweet white kits for 'cross season, bro.

ARE YOU GUYS PSYCHED FOR NEXT WEEK? I AM. I'm still pretty fat, but I have been riding my bike a lot, so I feel strong.

TOMORROW IS CROSS

2011-09-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

YOU GUYS TOMORROW IS CROSS AND I AM REALLY EXCITED

I AM PRETTY SURE I HAVE THE RAGE

For a while this year, I lost sight of why I do this, with all the riding of bikes in circles. Sure, I really like riding bikes, and the freedom, and the wind in my face, and the meditation, and all that, but I forgot for a while that I REALLY WANT TO WIN.

Many dudes are faster than I am, and that is just a fact, but it means that if I want to win (and I do), I have to work harder than them, so that I can be faster than them.

Let me tell you something, internet: blogging doesn't make you any faster. But it can be entertaining, so I will continue looking for opportunities. There haven't been many lately. You guys really want to hear about my boring rides and the time I spend looking for jobs for next year?

I had a lot of fun at the Tour de Millersburg even though they gave me a ticket for riding my bike the wrong way on a one way street (I thought it was closed). A rider got out, opened, and drank a red bull halfway through the road race, which was hilarious. I attacked a lot, and they let me sit off the front by myself, which is always a good time. Racing in the rain was bizarrely fun.

I got a new bike, it is a singlespeed commuter and it is not finished yet because I still need a chainring. It is a pretty red color.

It is September, which means there is football on TV again. I like football.

I want to work harder than everyone else for the next three months, leading up to collegiate cx nats. The challenge is that I also have real-life responsibilities.

CAN I DO IT? STAY TUNED

This:

is what is on the headtube of my cross bike, by the way, in case you are wondering. It is not directed at anyone in particular. I have been riding around with a picture of a gold AK-47 on my road bike for a month and it reminds me to fire all of the bullets!

INTERNET I AM BACK

2011-08-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

INTERNET!

Hello! I have not seen you in more than a month! How have you been? Everything good? Family OK?

Glad to hear it.

I have had an exciting 5 weeks. I have been on an odyssey of self-discovery. Well, actually several odysseys. 2011: a bike odyssey. A crab odyssey. A brief-writing odyssey. An odyssey of applying for jobs.

I stuck to my word of "I am going to take some time to just ride and enjoy it." I said, I am going to ride 1000 miles this July. And you know what I did? I rode 1300 miles this July. I lost a solid 12 lbs doing it, too. I feel pretty great. A little tired. I had a lot of fun. I have also been running a bit and hitting the weights. Literally hitting them. Pow.

WHO IS READY FOR CROSS SEASON

I am not. Yet. But I am working on it. Pretty hard actually. Not that hard yesterday; yesterday I worked pretty hard at going to a barbeque after work.

OH, but I did finally get my TT bike set up so that I can hang out in the aerobars for more than 8 minutes at a time. Which is great because the TT at the Tour de Millersburg is upcoming.

Some of you may be asking, am I racing this weekend? It is Page County, or something like that. HELL NO. I don't want to race anybody uphill (yet; I have restored my drive to get there). I will be at MBRG next weekend.

FORTHCOMING IN THIS SPACE:
-Riding a bike with a gold AK-47 decal for extra power
-The RZA gets a new crankset
-Substantial announcements
-Racing CX in up to 7 different states this season
-Trying out a compact crank for the winter
-The essentials of a face-melting training playlist
-Maybe actually participating in a 1/2/3 race
-Gluing your own tires, round 2
-"Little giants"
-Webisodes?

-Eat this for breakfast:

Hey Yo Internet

2011-06-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Internet,

You may have noticed that I have been a bit sucky at racing my bike for the last few weeks. At last weekend's #localstagerace, I was especially fried.

I think I am going to take some time and work on it. Worry less about being fast, and more about getting fast, if that makes any sense? Mostly, I just want to ride my bike, a lot, where and when I want to (insert song - Sinatra singing "My Way").

I will be out at Reston this weekend (with rather low expectations), but, my written rambling on this forum may be limited for a few weeks.

If you see me out riding, say hey.

Advocating For Things Besides Belgian Lunchboxes

2011-06-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

So, you guys have probably noticed that I haven't been writing here as much lately.

It's a matter of circumstance - life gets in the way, as the saying goes. I have been busy settling into a new place and a new (sort of) job. All the while, I have been trying to train, and taking a trip home, and taking a real sweet staycation (vacation to the beach was impractical).

I am headed to the Tour of Washington County this weekend, which I have been looking forward to for a while. You can follow my live updating on the twitters, @nickvsgravity. Look for #localstagerace.

I am, as I told a buddy today, assembling a defense for the Reston GP - getting all my files together, subpoenaing the right witnesses, building a case theory, you know, that sort of thing.

I also have the wheels in the back of my head turning for some things later in the fall - CX season, taking full advantage of the winter in a way that I don't feel like I managed to last year, that sort of thing.

The point of this post, however, is actually not to fill you in on the minutiae of my life. There are things bigger than me to talk about today.

Namely, you should all read this account of a cyclist's partial victory over an aggressive driver, right now.

I'm serious, do it now.

Then show up for the sentencing on 8/19.

I really, really love rules. Including traffic laws, including the DC Code, including all of the things that lend to our society order. It colors my work (which I still won't discuss here), ultimately forming the basis for why I am trying to be a lawyer. The crime that this guy was convicted of reflects a disregard for law, for society, for community, for the important role of a police officer, and for the simple well-being of others. It takes a special kind of self-involvement to believe that your behavior should be excepted, I don't care who you are (the "chase down the hit-and-run vehicle no matter how nice it is" theorem).

Showing up to this blockhead's sentencing probably won't make that guy in the black Escalade on River Rd. any more aware of his obligation under Maryland law to give you 3 feet of space. It probably won't make that cabbie any less likely to turn in front of you because he genuinely does not give a damn. And it probably won't make that assbag on the cell phone turn his head and see you.

But you know what? Sometimes it is worth making a big deal out of something that otherwise wouldn't be. Because someone might notice.

And then remember - you need more than the tag number. You need a description of the car and of the driver, and the direction they were headed.

Bikejam, And Smugness

2011-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was, as all the internet knows, Bikejam/Kelly Cup up in B'more. I did basically exactly the same as I did last year, only this time in the 3/4 race. Which is to say, I posted a profoundly mediocre result, but am starting to see some form come back around, which is a good sign for the future.

Bikejam is a fairly technical course, what with the fences that look like cheese graters at speed, and the bottlenecking chicanes. Positioning is critical in a race like that, and I let myself get into bad positions for a lot of the race, and it certainly didn't help me. I did plant myself on the start line and get through the first turn first in order to avoid the mess. One of the 8 DC Velo guys attacked, and when another went up front to sit up, I figured, OK, may as well try this out, and next thing I knew, I was off the front for the first couple laps with a Coppi guy. Then we got caught and I set about trying to sit in, but it was tough. A stereotypical complaint, I know, but guys were just ALL OVER THE PLACE with their bikes. In the chicane right after the S/F, one guy put his front wheel into another guy's skewer. Some bro knocked his bars into mine trying to move up in the gutter. Bikes were getting busted up on the unkempt road surface.

With about 5 laps to go, I pulled myself together and chased up to a small group that was a few seconds up the road, but then the group disintegrated, and I had basically burned all my matches too early. On the last lap, I weaved my way up through half the pack, but of course weaving up through the back half of the pack still only puts you halfway through the pack.

At the end of the day, I had a good time, and that's what it's all about anyway.

Smugness:
This week I moved.
This is how I did it:

That is my single-speed lashed to the top of the bike trailer in order to save me a trip.

It took a lot of trips.
I have too much stuff.
Happily settling into my new place now.

I don't race again until the Tour of Washington County, to which I am looking forward. The GC there includes two time trials (one of which is a prologue). About 3 1/2 weeks remain to prepare; I am taking a trip home this week and will be away from my bike, so I will have to train like this for the week.

I am famous on the internet again over at anoncx. That guy is a total boss. The picture he posted makes me all angsty for cross season, which I suppose will come soon enough.

In the event you've been living under a rock and haven't heard this song yet, do it now:

Bikes, Ow

2011-05-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

No gas in the tank at Leonardtown today.

Which is a bummer.

I feel a lot like I did a year ago at this time, which is to say, shredded. I had that month where I was basically just a quivering mess of dropped.

A bit of time off, some dedicated training, and being on a real person's full-time job schedule helped me out a lot.

I am currently looking forward to all of those things.

It's an update I know you really wanted, internet.

A Year's Difference

2011-05-14T14:20:00.001-07:00

Last year at Poolesville, I cracked in the heat, finished 24th and blamed an extended training week. I spent the evening eating pad thai and watching Versus on my couch until I fell asleep.

This year I didn't race. I road-guarded, rode around for a while, and cheered/heckled my teammates.

You can take away the 3 field, but you can't take away my gravel.

I probably had a better day than all the guys who raced and didn't win.

Clouding effect b/c my phone was a little sweaty.

See you at Leonardtown.

Perspective

2011-05-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, I am happy just racing so long as I feel like I did it to the best of my ability.

Frequently this year I have not felt like I have lived up to that goal.

Saturday at Ft. Ritchie, I almost stuck a flyer (~400m short). I felt good about my effort.

Off the front, deep in the cave, hoping against hope, under a lap to go. Picture by John Clark.

Sunday at Jeff Cup, I rode poorly and raced worse. Went off the front without particular reason, got caught, realized how tired I was, shattered, dropped, bonked.

And then something like today's Giro stage happens and puts things in perspective. Wouter Weylandt will be honored for the rest of the Giro and mourned forever.

David Millar, after pulling on (or being handed, for there was no podium ceremony) the maglia rosa, said it was "a tragedy that we as sportsmen never expect, yet we live with it daily." Maybe we don't live with it daily, but we have all had that moment where our wheel slipped, where a car cut a little close, where we came a little too near to the edge.

Let us remember that it is not just professionals who suffer such tragic accidents. Ordinary people do too. Fathers, sisters, sons, brothers, mothers, daughters, we are all taking a risk by getting on a bicycle. We all accept that. We all prefer it that way.

Ride it like you mean it. For Wouter. For Carla, for Andrei, for Fabio, for the riders you don't know, for the riders you'll never meet.

For yourself.

In Summary

2011-04-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

This week, I managed to break both a DA7900 front derailleur cage (snapped right in half) and a Mavic Open Pro rim (dented to oblivion).

The end of semester minicamp I was so excited about didn't quite happen thanks to weather/mechanical difficulties.

Obviously a red-letter week for the ol' bike.

On the other hand, I am done with 2L year, and spent Saturday night on a party bus, being driven around the city in a complete warp of reality.

I am looking for a new roommate.

Stop by and say hello at the pro shop.

Let Me Tell You About My Weekend Of Racing

2011-04-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was ACCC Championships at VT.

Let's talk about it. I continue to be a little short on photos.

Friday's drive down was great - we managed to get out of town ahead of the traffic. I rode with the entertaining crew of Matt, Sam, and Nate. We got to Blacksburg about 6, I switched cassettes on my bike (for an 11-28 in anticipation of going up mad hills), and we headed out to find the pizza place we ate at last year. Find it we did, and pizza, we ate. The other GW car arrived while we were finishing up and started their own round of pizza. We made sweet raincoats out of garbage bags in preparation for the next day's predicted weather.

In the morning, we had to head to the race site before the sun had risen, in a drizzle which only foreshadowed the weather. A few minutes into the drive, my bike came partially loose on top of Matt's car, and swung around and hit the side of the car (it was mounted facing backwards). It stayed on , but that was pretty unnerving. What a great start to the day.

We hid out in the car while the GW Cs prepared and raced. I think we all napped. Our race was supposed to start at 10:30; the weather was still miserable at 10, but we were told we would start on time. At 10:40 (as we were all gathered under an awning) they told us our race would be shortened. Then, that it would be shortened further. Then, we finally started at about 11:10.

Right as the weather worsened.

I didn't feel great, so I decided to hang out at the back of the race. We made it 20 minutes (possibly less) before lightning and hail led the officials to first neutralize the field, then cancel the race and send us all back to our cars.

The hell of it is that 20 minutes later, it was clear, though the course was "impassable" in some places.

With the weather cleared up, I decided that a trip up to Roanoke for the twilight criterium was in order. I talked Sam into doing the women's race (it did not take much convincing). She ended up 8th, the last rider pulled as the lead group of very fast women rampaged all over the field.

I lined up for the 3/4 with some impressive names - Stephen Mull (I think fresh off a 4 minute solo victory at Battenkill), Jake King, some VA BAR winner from last year. Our race started at 7:45, essentially just as the sun was starting to set. The course was 6 corners, with the long start/finish stretch gradually becoming an uphill grade, and one short block of hill on the back side. Right through downtown Roanoke, which was pretty neat.

From the gun, I got a good clip-in and went about the race tactic of the day: sitting in. With no teammates (though, a few collegiate buddies), I wanted to avoid doing work. At this task, I was successful. For about the first 15 minutes, I sat about 10th wheel. At that point, attacks started going and I began to gradually slip back through the field. A few moments stand out in my mind - sitting on Jake King's wheel and recognizing that his brother is a total badass (I bet he will be too one day, genetics are funny like that) - getting totally sketched out in corners by dudes in orange kits and zebra-striped kits (manners!) - flashes of hearing my teammates tell me to move up.

About 25 minutes in, there were 2 guys way up the road (Mull, who should be a 2, and some other bro), 5 guys chasing, and then the field 15-20 seconds (per the announcer) behind. I chugged some Gatorade from my bottle and got up to 4th wheel in the pack, hung out for a lap, and then attacked to get up to the group of 5.

It took 2 1/2 laps, but I did it, cross-eyed and drooling by the time I got there. The group was an Justin from ASU, Marcos from UVA, Matt from UMD, and two guys from western VA USAC clubs. We did a good job working together and opening up more time on the field, but we were not going to catch the two away. I briefly considered attacking this group somehow, but decided I was pretty OK with pulling a result somewhere in that group and tried to just ride consistently.

On the last lap, I ended up at the front just after the S/F, and go figure, no one wanted to pull through. I said "you know what, let's do this," and tried to see if I could ride the guys off my wheel. As it worked out, I dropped 3 of them, and the other two pulled around me (in fact, Justin pulled an insane move through the last corner; I thought he was going to go into the curb). I ended up 3rd out of the group and 5th overall.

It was a fun race - racing by the streetlamps is super cool, basking in the yellow glow where available and spending time in the dark spots just trying to find wheels. It forces you to learn the locations of potholes and grates, which is a good thing to have to do; avoiding them becomes second nature.

Wish I had my Carbones - they're in for MP3 replacement after taking a fair amount of damage. Would've been a nice bonus on that course.

My teammates told me they had a lot of fun cheering me on. Having them yelling at me in a few different places was pretty clutch. The W&M guys were also egging me on, as well as a few other people here and there.

I won $25 for my trouble, and we adjourned to find something to eat and some celebratory beers. The only appropriate beer choice is Long Hammer, naturally. I took advantage of the Days Inn bathtub for an ice soak, and noticed how much my hands hurt from death-gripping the bars.

Good end to Saturday.

Sunday featured the ACCC championship crit, on the VT "Corporate Research Center" campus. I had what you might describe as an "off day."

I was running late to the start line, and forgot to eat the turbocharger gel - the 2x caffeine Clif Shot I have grown accustomed to for crits. So, the race started, and I noticed I was particularly tired - the twilight crit hangover along with the lack of caffeine and sugar. I remembered I had the gel and tried to eat it about 5 laps in, but it bounced out of my hand.

I hung out at the back all race, tried to move up a few times. It was 45 minutes of pure suffering. I cracked and got dropped with 4 laps to go, which was awful. I finished the race, dammit, but I puked on my last lap. Getting dropped at that point is... embarrassing. I'm not trying to make excuses - I think it is clear that I screwed up nutrition again - I think if I eat the gel I at least don't crack. At least I finished. Whatever, Saturday's crit was more than enough fun to make up for it.

The VT crit course is funny in a way - it is not hilly enough to favor climber-types (I won it last year in the Cs), but it is not open enough or technical enough for your power-types to string it out. the course is a rectangle, downhill on one long side and a much shorter, sharper uphill on the other. The fast backside and sudden slowing on the frontside means that even if the pack is starting to string out, the guys at the front (if they are not totally smashing it) will slow down enough that everyone (who is not being dropped) can catch up. There is also a pipe and pothole in one of the corners that makes taking it in a group a little hair-raising. Take this with a grain of salt, some mustachioed sweet bro lapped the field solo in the A race; in the B race we had individuals hanging out off the front for periods of time. It's just what I thought.

Off days aside, I like the way my fitness is progressing. I am looking forward to racing again in a few weeks - Ft. Ritchie and Leonardtown beckon.

Roanoake Twilight was a great, great race. Highly recommend.

Looking back on the collegiate season, I am not really satisfied. I had more off days than good days, though I put up a few good results and had a couple races where the result doesn't really do justice to how I rode.

At the end of the day, I still need to lose weight, and I still feel the effects of crashing twice in how I ride in packs. However, I am on balance happy with where I am going into the summer racing season.

I have 2 exams over the next 3 days and then I am officially 2/3 of a lawyer. And then I get to have a celebratory mini-training camp.

Thanks for reading, internet. Make sure you get out and ride.

I torqued my bar tape loose on one of the drops. Threw too many hammers.

Speed, Glorious Speed, And Medical Facilities

2011-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

You know what, I had an extraordinarily fun weekend of racing, even without posting any particularly sweet results.

I was at WVU for another ACCC weekend.

The weekend started off with the second edition of the Mountaineer Downtown Criterium, or whatever they are calling it. It's a super fun, 4-corner course. Very fast. Slight, slight rise on each long straight.

After getting pretty roundly clowned in the A field at Wake, I moved back down to Bs for the end of the season.

So, since I have not really been working on it (for lack of opportunity - look at the last several weekends - reverse-consecutively: easy/writing a paper; dropped both days; dropped at Black Hills after discovering that 2 1/2 hours is too long a warmup; crashed out/dropped in the rain), I am currently a bit lacking in top-end fitness. I will admit that I don't seem to have the 6th gear at the end of the race.

After a seemingly long absence from it, it felt good to be actually mixing it up and racing aggressively on Saturday.

I got all excitable and started off the B race by taking a flyer - 3 laps and then Navy got their team together and chased me down. All I remember really is attacking constantly, and then finishing with a lead group of 8 split off the front of the rest of the field. I was 8th, last of the group across the line.

After some time spent trying to stay off my feet (and eating a burger), I skinsuited up again (this time in NCVC colors) for the 3/4 race, in which I decided I would try to work for Dan. I spent the whole race either attacking or sitting on a chase effort with Dan in the front. I even almost took the beer prime! I went off the front with 5 to go, and heard the prime bell the next time I came around. I realized what it meant and that they would not let me stay away for that, so I took the logical responsive step of dropping the hammer. I still almost took it. They chased me down and I was 3rd across the line. Maybe I should've attacked again right then.

Anyways, I tried to give Dan a long leadout, then sat up when I realized he wasn't on my wheel, only to see him crashing in the last corner as he was accelerating from 6th wheel. After crossing the line 10th, I came around again and he was laying on the ground still with EMTs looking over him; the 2 others involved had ridden away. The man admittedly looked pretty bad, but he kept pleading to be let up to leave. They chose caution over his opinion and put him in the ambulance.

After we figured out how to move 2 stickshift cars using one stickshift-compatible driver, I spent the next 3 hours at the hospital with Dan and his lady friend. Dan whined, but ultimately was cleared - and came away with some serious gore pictures he took of himself and his 9-chainring-teeth-to-the-butt wound (and a lot of road rash). The hospital was staffed by tremendously entertaining and proactive nurses, and was remarkably nice in terms of facilities - it looked pretty new.

After he was all ready to go, I rejoined the GW squad for dinner and a return to the home of our very generous host WVU rider. I had certainly earned the beer I drank with my burger; tough to argue that. I was informed that I impressed someone's dad with my riding, which is always welcome.

Saturday was what we all want bike racing to be - fast bike action, a warm welcome from the community of Clarksburg, excited spectators, tons of free vitaminwater, and generally a bike-party atmosphere. The only thing one could possibly ask for would be bigger fields, but the only way to do that is for everyone to talk about how great it was. It was pretty great. I certainly enjoyed myself.

Sunday's RR was, as you can predict with me in a hilly race, a bloodbath of sorts, but I had fun anyways. I can grind up climbs, but anything with a grade involving numbers higher than 10 puts me pretty far in the locker, to the point that I am just hosed.

First time up the gravel climb, I got dropped with a bunch of dudes. We formed a chase group and dragged up to the field. In a surprisingly entertaining effort, myself, Nate the ND rider, a VT rider, 2 Navy riders, and an App St. lady A rider (it is possible there was another VT rider) started pacelining. We eventually caught up to a Duke rider and a Hopkins rider (who promptly attacked our group, I think). I happened to be on the front when the field first appeared at a strikeable distance, so I took a long dig and when I looked up, I was on the bumper of the wheel van (or possibly just a van caught behind the field) and the other chasers were gapped, but they made it up. I was told later that the other dudes were a bit confused until they also saw the field, and then they got it.

Either way, we got dropped again. I caught up to Nate eventually, and we pushed it for a while but then realized there was no one to catch, so we sat up and just rode. Some other dropped guys caught up to us and we rode the rest of the way until the officials told us we were done.

We rode back up to the top of the hill were our people were and Nate and I received PBR feeds. Brilliant.

I had more fun racing bikes this past weekend than I have had since probably the first week of this season. Even getting dropped was fun this week.

Racing for a teammate takes away all the stress! All I have to do is either sit in or attack. Don't have to worry about who is at the front or whether a move is threatening, or whether I should be in it. Don't have to balance between trying to succeed by racing aggressively or trying to be a yellow-bellied wheelsucker (*cough*). Just racing.

I enjoy racing bikes. I enjoy getting to know the other riders in the B field and dislike when they are sometimes too cool for school. I would like MABRA to be more like this, though I know it is a difficult goal. WVU put on a great weekend and I am already looking forward to next year's version. I am also looking forward to a lot of intervals this week, to go along with getting ready for exams.

The Wake Weekend: A Case Study In Droppage

2011-03-31T10:04:00.001-07:00

No pictures, just words -

There are a lot of things that go through your mind when you are dropped.

First there is a great black nothingness as you fight with everything you have got to hang on, to avoid the axe.

Then as the effort you are able to sustain lessons, gradually you get more oxygen to your brain and can form coherent thoughts again. Coherent thoughts like "man, they are really pulling away" and "I don't think I can bridge that" and "but maybe if I try to go into the locker again." At this point you give it another effort, but you were already redlining, so trying harder just sends you further into the wrong side of the pain cave (the dropped side).

So then you accept your fate and start considering the implications. "This hill is pretty steep without a pack to climb it with." "There are a lot of spectators gathered over there, and they will see that I am dropped." "Oh no, that is a camera, and I have already been on YGD 3 times." "My idiot teammates are trying to give me a feed even though I am clearly dropped." "I refuse to end my race of my own accord." "Maybe I should do something entertaining for the spectators next time I come around." "Oh, hello, other dropped person."

And most importantly, you wonder, "how did this happen today?" There is no uniform answer. You might crack, you might bonk, you might get blown out of the water, either way, you are dropped and there is now nothing you can do about it.

I cracked at Poolesville last year, 2 miles from the finish line, in good position in the pack. We went up the long, steady grade of the last section of the loop and I just could not hold the wheel in front of me anymore.

I bonked at the NC State RR this year, failing to keep tabs on nutrition and hydration, pulling myself out of the depths with an entire bottle of HEED and all the food I had with me, and coming within 400m of making it back up to the pack before succumbing to the wind and riding in alone.

Wake last weekend, well, that was a different story. I eagerly upgraded to A, excited to try racing at the top level and hoping that it would mean no one (cough) would Jersey-slash (cough) into my front wheel.

You guys remember the scene from the West Wing, end of season 3 I belive - they go to see the opera about the War of the Roses and Bartlet runs into Governor Ritchie outside of the men's room? Bartlet tells him about the secret service agent being shot, and Ritchie (played by... James Brolin) says, "Crime. Boy, I don't know." in this syrupy Southern drawl. Somebody should have sat me down and said to me, "Racing As? Boy, I don't know."

As it turns out, relentless optimism aside, I was just not prepared to race with those guys. They are fast. I am fast... for a man of my stature. I managed to straight-up out-physical a lot of people last year, but it will take some serious improvements in power-to-weight ratio for me to continue getting more competitive.

So, as you can probably tell where this little tale is going, I got straight-up ridden away from this last weekend. In both the RR and the crit, I encountered virtually the same scenario I did when racing 3/4s at the very beginning of last summer - I was OK for the first x percentage of the race, and then I could not match the accelerations of the pack. So they left me behind.

You know what, I tried, and I am glad I did. I am encouraged, furthermore, by the fact that the 3/4 races I could not hang onto at the beginning of the summer, I was attacking by the end (see e.g. Wilkes-Barre 3/4, after racing the 4/5).

In the meantime, 2 of the 4 collegiate races remaining in the season go uphill, including a 7 mile mountaintop finish at VT (ARE YOU READY FOR MY PAIN FACE). I went and saw a dietitian and learned a lot of things. I ride a lot most of the time. I really need the semester to end so I can have a consistent schedule again, so I eat at the same time every day and dont have wildly varying stress levels.

You can draw a comparison, if you like, between rider styles and fighter jets (I read a lot of Wikipedia) (also, when I was a kid I wanted to be a fighter pilot). A major metric in jet design is thrust-to-weight ratio, which has an effect on maneuverability, acceleration, climbing speed, etc. Technology has reached a point with the current/developing 5th generation of fighter jets where this ratio isn't quite as important anymore thanks to technologies like thrust vectoring and internally-carried stores (think: if you carry the missiles inside the plane, they do not create drag). However, previously, it was fairly important. The F-16 is a very nimble aircraft, thanks in part to the fact that most of it is engine and wing - not a lot of excess weight. The F-15 is a much bigger aircraft, and even though it has 2 of the same engine, has a lower ratio. Then there was the old F-4 Phantom, which had a pretty rough thrust-to-weight but was enormous and could put out absurd amounts of power, so the engines made up for the bulk.

I'm not really sure where I was going with this. I just had a really entertaining mental image of jets attacking over the top of the Muur. I think my point is that I need to drop some of these external fuel tanks.

Speaking of the Muur, go Spartacus. Can we talk, by the way, about team Lay-oh-pard Trek? Cancellara riding for them is sort of like CC Sabathia going to the Yankees. I like Sabathia (he pitched for the Indians, remember?), but... the Yankees? Anybody have any thoughts here?

GamJams:

I have worn over the last year:
-Voler team half-finger gloves
-Specialized BG full-finger gloves
-Cannondale "GRIND" full-finger gloves
-Cannondale I.E. Carbon winter gloves
-Specialized Deflect 3-season gloves
-November Bikes gloves

I prefer the Voler gloves (they do not have an excess of padding and fit my hands well, though they wear out quickly in the summer when my hands sweat as much as most people's entire bodies). However, I have been wearing full-finger gloves for the last several weeks, since ripping open my finger at Duke. The "GRIND" gloves are a little warmer than the Specialized, but a little less comfortable. However, they have little grippy bits on the fingertips, which I like because of the way I rest my fingers on the shift levers. The Specialized BG gloves I originally purchased for CX, for which they were great - they are just basic gloves with mesh extending down the fingers. The winter gloves are pretty great - warm enough while retaining most of your control and tactile sensation. The Deflect gloves I like because they are wind/water resistant, but I haven't been wearing them lately b/c they have gotten a little worn out, and they are not very comfortable when soaked with water. The November gloves I mostly wear to commute; they are a little small.

Carpe Your Saturday

2011-03-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Rode to Boyds with Rich for Black Hills.

Got into 3/4 race off waitlist.

Tailgunned. Dropped like a bad literature class after a number of times up what I presume to be "black hill." Black Hills was well-run and a good addition to the MABRA calendar.

Ride-back buddies bailed. Rode back. Took the long way.

Nearly 6 hours saddle time. Thrashed, but not bonked. Great success.

Next weekend is more important to me - I have moved up to the As at Wake Forest. Today was a beautiful day. Lots of good miles in the legs. Knowing that you've solved the bonking problem sends you up hills 5 hours in like you have nitromethane in your blood.

See you out there.

In Which The Duke Weekend Is A Writeoff

2011-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

I am thinking about changing this blog from blogspot to tumblr

because I keep falling down.

HA HA HA HA (slap your knee)

(That one belongs to Chris. His joke.).

Saturday, I got crashed out. Best I can describe it, a UNC rider lost control for a reason unclear to me (that I think involved somebody Jersey-slashing across the pack) and basically form-tackled me down? It was a beautiful hit, he got his shoulders across and everything. We both went down, we both got up (me a little slower), we both tried to chase, we both got about 4 miles and then decided watching the finish would be more fun. An ASU guy hit me and went down, but got up and motored off while I was still regaining my composure. He dropped out before we did when he realized is wheel was all out of whack, I believe.

Forgot to take a picture of my bloody shift lever - my finger got chewed up and bled all over it. It was pretty badass, so at least that was a benefit.

Bummers dot com.

Yesterday was just a mess - skies opened up just before my race started, I couldn't wrap my mind around getting through a corner, after putting it on the deck two straight races. Not a great place to be for a 9 corner crit. Fun fact: I am reasonably certain that the guys who did well yesterday are all high-level CX racers.

The kind of day where you can see your reflection in the road surface

So much of what we do as bike racers is determined by others - including the risks. I can control my own bike, but there is nothing I can do to control what the other racers do, especially if they are acting on reflex. Can't control the cars. Can't control the weather. Can't control squirrels running in front of you, bees flying into you, really a huge number of outside factors. So, we take it in stride and control what we can - our training, our lines, our legs.

I love racing bikes, but I am happy to have a couple weeks off.

Might do the Black Hills race next week. On the waitlist for the 3/4.

Gamjams Review: Race Tires

2011-03-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

I only trust German rubber:

GP 4000S, which I chose initially because I was told that they do not cut as easily as the Michelin Pro Race 3.

For a while, I raced on the Schwalbe Ultremo R.1s that came with my bike when it was new, but they wore out and I replaced them with a set of the GP4000s.

I like the 4000S, it's grippy, fast, and predictable/consistent. I rode a set all last summer on my training wheels - they took a pretty long time to wear out.

They're great tires, it would take some serious discounts to get me to switch.

By Some Standards, I Didn't Go Hard Enough - Navy Weekend

2011-02-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

OK, first, turn your speakers all the way up, then start playing this song while you read:

I listened to it quite a bit over the summer, but with the weather warming up it has made a return into the rotation.

Some people might suggest that because I didn't puke while racing, wasn't going hard enough. That, however, was last year's story.

Quite a week. I was enjoying my trainer-based, action movie-fueled intervals through the first part of the week when all of a sudden out of nowhere WHAM parliament funkadelic sets up and starts playing in my sinuses at about 5PM Wednesday.

In my nose/sinuses.

Left trial ad early Wednesday night, went home, slept, got up, went to work Thursday, lasted an hour in the office before I gave up and got back on the metro. Apparently 10AM is actually naps o'clock. After taking it easy for a while, I was able to get on the trainer and spin for a bit, so I wasn't too concerned, but I recognized that racing with the funk being brought in my nose would not be much fun.

So, I was aware going in that racing with the ol' air intakes clogged wouldn't be all that much fun. Whatever, it's close by, I get to sleep in my own bed, I even had my soigneur/crew chief along for Saturday.

Saturday, in the crit, I was doing just fine considering the funk, hanging out at the back and slowly moving up, when about halfway through the race, all of a sudden (this is a twist to the story) I became aware that I was upside down on the pavement and my helmeted head was grinding along the road.

Artist's rendition:

Seems a VT rider hooked his bars into mine and we both tumbled off. He went into the grass I think? We were both alright though, I got up and dusted myself off and put my sunglasses back on, and cut through the cemetery back to the officials to take my free lap (can we talk about that? I had to cut through the cemetery after crashing? It was weird), as did the VT rider. Caught back on, worked up to the front, attacked with 4 laps to go (and again with 3 to go I think), realized that I didn't have the reserves to open/hold a gap with my nose all clogged, tried to focus on positioning and not letting anyone advance through the hairpin turn. Ended up 7th. Other information as to whether I somersaulted still clipped in is welcome.

I'm pretty OK with it for a couple reasons:
Last year in this race I got 9th in the Cs, without crashing. 7th in the Bs despite crashing (and a cold) is a step up.
As was pointed out to me after the race (by my pit boss), I raced the way I wanted to - I was not on the front, but instead was positioning myself wisely. So, I have hopefully shaken the mental rust off and can get back to the business of racing like I mean it in situations where position counts (NCSU crit was just a hammerfest).
I also managed to recover really well from crashing. And, I was fortunate in that I ended up pretty unscathed - my helmet took most of the damage, and has been retired with gratitude and replaced (also it's time for some handlebars that aren't carbon fiber).

So, 7th place, totally reasonable.I really like this picture because it demonstrates that at some point, I'm going to need a bike with a longer top tube

Time trial today: no puking. Only hammers. Still all stuffy/gross feeling. Pretty sore in the neck/shoulders. Longer race than last week, tried not to come out and get tunnel vision within 5 minutes, success in that regard. I am not sure whether it is because I'm still a little sick, but my HR pegged lower than I thought it would. Either way, rode the wave to 4th place in a tight race at the top of the field - 1st-5th went 41:19 (badass), 41:30 (also pretty badass), 41:56, 41:57, 41:57 and a few hundredths more. That one second is going to taunt me, as I'm sure the few hundredths behind me will taunt him. Some strong rides from my teammates as well - apparently they were yelling at me at the start/finish but I didn't really notice.

There were points during the TT today that there was snot running out of my nose, and I had my mouth hanging open and drool running out of it, and Accelerade crust on my face, and sweat pouring off me onto my bike, and my shoulder still oozing where it hit yesterday, that I was consciously aware that I was a mess but was unwilling to do anything about it. Get back on the ghost bars and don't even worry about it.

Did better than last week.

Now I am at home for a couple days, trying to relax and figure out what to do about the GW race debacle. Training plan from now through Wednesday: do nothing. Good week for a rest week. Bike overhaul when I return. See you guys later.

Get It Through Your Head - W&M Race Weekend

2011-02-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Racing solo against bigger teams, there are a few rules you need to keep in mind, especially as you move up in category and those bigger teams get better at taking advantage of their numbers:

Rule #1: Don't sit on the front.
Rule #2: Don't sit on the front.
Rule #3: Don't sit on the front.
...
You get the idea.

I broke these rules pretty often this weekend. Despite making frequently questionable racing choices, I managed an 8th place in the crit, and finished with the pack in the RR. I can't lie, I wanted to do better in the RR, but at least I didn't get dropped this week. I was at the front at the end, I just did it wrong. In the crit, Dane from Navy took an epic solo flyer - much respect. Rode to 4th in the TT - came out hard enough that I caught my 30-sec guy within 1.5 miles, but also hard enough that I was getting tunnel vision doing it. Maybe I came out too hot? This song:

was in my head until my mind went blank.

Anyways, the fitness is there, but I need to make better choices. I have been thinking it over for the last day and I think I have an idea of what to do.

The B field is pretty fun. I've been making friends. These guys are cool.

Training has been going well; after making some "it's the season now let's get real" changes to my diet, especially with regard to beer consumption, I have knocked off 5 lbs of excess winter weight (in two weeks).

I feel like I am ramping up well for the summer season? Pretty excited for things like this.

I found this sweet picture from me during the TT:
(crusher).

I just spent a wonderful day in, of all places, Baltimore. They have an old Coast Guard cutter you can tour!

Gamjams Review: Secret Weapon

2011-02-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

To do my part for the Gamjams:

My secret weapon this year is this wheelset -

and let me tell you it is fast. Carbone SL, for those keeping score, the "more affordable" version with the steel spokes that can be trued.

So far they have seen a flat(-ish) road race and a tight, fast crit. I am impressed. They didn't keep me from getting dropped last Saturday, but I think they helped me out in doing a large amount of work at the front of the race Sunday.

I like them a lot. They feel like they jump out when you hit 25, they seem to be predictable in crosswinds if more affected than my old wheels, and they are protected by MP3 for when I inevitably destroy them.

I wanted to try a deeper rim, and have the MP3 program, and so far I am happy with my choice. I get to race them again this weekend, and I am excited about it.

What is your fancy new bike toy?

On The Value Of Teammates, Taking Yourself Out Of The Race, And Remembering What Is Fun About This

2011-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is a long and text-heavy post. You'll probably read it anyways.

In the car on the way back from this past weekend's races, one of my teammates made a comment to the effect of "isn't it ironic that you went from racing with this huge team to racing by yourself?"

What she was (correctly) referring to was the paradigm shift that comes with transitioning from racing for NCVC (or, the "evil empire," as I have been referring to it lately), where I had many, many teammates, to racing again for GW, where I have no teammates in my category.

It's true - it's hugely different. This weekend, the first of the ACCC season for 2011, I was quickly reminded of the differences. Last year at this time, racing with just one teammate was all I knew - I hadn't yet been able to see the real effect of a team.

In short, on Saturday I let my desire to crash the bigger teams' party get the better of me, and made some poor decisions that got me dropped, while on Sunday I fought as hard as I could to be there with the other teams, and earned a spot on the second step of the podium for it.

Saturday's 48 mi RR started off at quarter to 11, when it was still maybe only 40-42 degrees or so. I was really excited. First race of the season, feeling strong, etc. I, however, ran into some trouble on the 5th lap (of 6): I cramped up and got dropped. But why???? Fire up the telestrator, let's Madden this thing. I was trying to hang out near the front but out of the wind. On the 3rd lap, some dudes managed to get a break going a little ways up the road (a break which I could have gotten into had I dug just a little deeper, but you know what, I didn't). I wanted to either bridge up or help bring it back, but I went about it the wrong way - I tried to launch on a downhill tailwind-ed section, which was a mistake. So I tried to help bring it back, and I did so by getting to the front and chasing. It seemed to me that none of the big teams (which were not represented in the break) were interested in bringing it back, so I did some work, and occasionally yelled back (and persuaded a Navy rider to yell back) for help, which never came. Here is the thing: the 4th lap, where I chased virtually the whole time, is when I should have been eating and drinking, and instead I was chasing. What did this lead to? Well, naturally, a wicked cramp at the beginning of the 5th lap, by which time it was above 50. Haven't seen 50 degrees here in DC since, oh, November? Not quite used to it. So I dropped off, drained my other bottle, and tried to chase back on. Almost made it. Kept coming across people who had also been dropped, but all of them were too kicked to really work to chase. Came within about 400m, but the winds were just too strong. The same winds that kept me from getting up to the break to begin with.

It's one thing to get beat, to just get straight-up outplayed. It's another to be unprepared. But the feeling that you beat yourself, well, that one is the worst. At the end of the day, I really only have myself to blame - I did it wrong. I got my hydration wrong, I got my nutrition wrong, and I made poor tactical choices. 2400 cal burned > 807 consumed during the race, and I burned them at the wrong time. That's bike racing, though, everybody has bad days. I just want another shot at it, is all. Remedial measures are to be taken for next week's road race. They will be excluded as evidence under FRE 407 (ha ha ha I made a lawyer joke).

Saturday night, I ate a bunch of food, drank a lot of water, and reflected on the role of teams and the role of wind.

Sunday was a different story. You can't run out of water after an hour and a half in a race that is only 45 minutes long. Woke up early with a taste for blood, so to speak.

In all seriousness, Sunday's crit was among the most difficult I have experienced in my career thus far. There was no period of calm, only hammering and moments of recovery. The course was super short - .35 miles - which meant that you were turning virtually every few seconds. The corners were narrow, meaning there was essentially one correct line through each of them, and woe betide you if you were out of position going in. In the earlier men's fields, officials were pulling riders quickly if they were about to be lapped, because the course was so short. I figured that getting to the front quick would be a good idea, because getting through those turns would be tricky in a pack.

That was the right move - I got to turn 3, which was the fastest, maybe in 4th wheel, and I heard a crash behind me. Later on, a Navy rider who I consider a friendly rival attacked into that turn, and ended up coming out too hot, catching the curb, and found himself rolling down the sidewalk. I saw him up and walking when I came by on the next lap, so hopefully he is alright.

The race was fast. The 24mph average I clocked is a bit misleading, as the constant turning that is inherent to a .35 mile course means you are almost constantly trying to accelerate - we did about 52 laps, I believe. Here is the thing: it was really fun. I spent the entire race at the front, either chasing the initial break, covering attacks, or trying to get the front 5 guys to rotate. I worked hard. Knifing through those turns, all strung out, trying to inflict as much suffering as possible on the rest of the field, was a great time.

The rider who won executed an astute tactical move on the last lap. I was sitting second wheel behind an NCSU rider, and an ASU rider launched off the wheel of his teammate, who I believe (I could be wrong here, but it doesn't really matter that much who was exactly where behind me - once you get to 3rd wheel the aero benefits are higher) was sitting on my wheel. He jumped, and I chased after him, but he managed to get about a second on me going into the last 2 turns. Consequently, he was able to start sprinting a split second before me, and I did not have enough time to make up the gap. Well-played, sir. I was, however, happy with my own sprinting form - I opened up several bike lengths' worth of gap sprinting off the front of the field. Now that I have the chance to try it out more often, I am going to start tweaking my sprinting position a little bit, experimenting with some things that I may be more like Ale-jets, at least in terms of form. I want to get lower.

I really like this picture.

Well, 2nd place is a good result. I feel like I was capable of winning, but my hat is off to the winner for his ability to take all of the primes, and then the overall race.

Teammates. Teammates would be valuable. My challenge now is to figure out how to best play against the big teams, on my own. Time to start reading up on guerrilla warfare. It's worth noting - of the top 7 in the crit yesterday, I was the only one riding with less than 3 teammates.

I really enjoyed getting to hang with the other teams, as well. UMD and WVU made for entertaining neighbors while sitting around, and the Navy guys are a class act.

I heard through the peloton grapevine that I was being marked on Saturday - someone let a comment slip espousing relief that I had cracked, meaning they were free to sit in. I'm flattered, and will be wary of any yellow and black sitting on my wheel from here on out.

My hat is also off to Monika, who soloed away from her whole field on Saturday. I have said it before and will say it again, she is a destroyer.

The team put up some good results as well.

All in all, I made some questionable racing decisions, but did well on Sunday and remembered why I find this so much fun.

I enjoy this sport tremendously, internet. Next weekend, with a vengeance. I have a victory to defend.

Today's Lesson:

2011-02-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

"Low heat" on the oatmeal can does not equal "lo" on the stove.

I probably should have known better.

Training this past weekend somewhat hampered by weather and hangover. Still got a few hours in each day - time spent out suffering in the rain on Saturday, to make me appreciate the days that it is hot and miserable, and a fun little scrimmage on Sunday to get some intensity in the legs, which felt good.

With Intensity.

5 days until the first race. Get ready.

So, I have spent a lot of time riding in the last month. My team is (somehow) a bit short on cat 3s this year, which leads to the few of us sometimes being a bit stuck in the middle. So I have been doing a lot of riding with whoever I can drag out or find to ride with, and it has actually been pretty nice in that I have gotten to hang out more with some teammates who are cool people.

Tyler Farrar won yesterday in Mallorca, which is great. I think I am rooting for the Garmins this year. Them and Spartacus and Tornado Tommeke.

Non-cycling: Where To Get Your Coffee

2011-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

You guys can tell when someone is going above and beyond the call of duty, right?

Even at something as trivial in the grand scheme of giving you your coffee?

The guys at my preferred coffee shop near campus did such a job of it today that I thought I would write on it and tell you, the internet, about the wonders of the Cupa Cupa and encourage you to go there.

Cupa Cupa is integrated into the Reiter's books at 19th and G NW. It's only a block from the law school. I like it because its main customer base is IMF and World Bank staffers, who come in, drink espresso, speak other languages, and don't hang out too long, which makes for interesting people-watching as well as a good environment to study, because there is generally table space available. Also, they serve some Ethiopian food.

Anyhow, these guys went out of their way to make sure I was happy after my order for coffee and a veggie platter got lost in the after-lunch cigarette break espresso shuffle. Also, like every other time I go in there, the guy hooks me up with free coffee.

So my point is, if you are in Foggy Bottom and need coffee, go to the Cupa Cupa, because those dudes are total Gs.

Ooooh, It's Almost February

2011-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

In 2 1/2 hours, it will be February 1, 2011.

This means that there are fewer and fewer days until February 12, 2011.

February 12, 2011 brings the first day of the NC State weekend.

Hoo yeah.

Assorted:
1. I just made my own almond butter, and it is awesome. I need a bigger food processor.
2. I haven't checked yet to see how much I weigh, to compare to how much I weighed at the beginning of last season. However, my pants are one size smaller.
3. My fancy new wheels are fancy new fast. Sneak preview:
4. Talk is spreading through MABRA like wildfire of testing for dopers. I will take the opportunity to announce my own deterrence program: if you dope, I will literally break you in half. Or maybe fold you into the shape of a pretzel like in a cartoon. Or drop an anvil on you like Wile E. Coyote.
5. It is time tomorrow for the 2nd annual trainer viewing of Rocky! WHO IS PUMPED?????????

What I Am Doing This Morning Vs. What I Should Be Doing This Morning

2011-01-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Internet:

Hello! It is like I never left, no?

I am here to break my blog-fast (blog breakfast? blogkfast?) to tell you about what I have been up to today. In my training cycle, today is a rest day. On Tuesdays I only have one class, which is at 3:50 PM.
What I SHOULD BE doing: Studying.
What I ACTUALLY AM doing: Making pro-style energy bars and listening to Lifter Puller. Let me tell you about how optimistically enthusiastic I am for these bars.

I started with Joe's recipe as a base and
-used dried cherries as the fruit
-used cheerios as the cereal
-used whole grain buckweat flour instead of whole wheat
-used almond butter rather than nutella
-used roasted almonds as the nut
-added 1/2 cup of banana chips
after combining and baking all of the things, I ended up with:Let me tell you, it is delicious. Like a big, oats-and-grainy cookie. Came out a little bit crumbly, but I am hoping that some time in the fridge will set that straight. If not, I will just add a little bit more almond butter/nutella/binder next time?

Making these on a rest day was a mistake because I am not working out and thus do not get to eat any, besides the little corners I ate to examine how they turned out. I am really looking forward to getting to eat these guys - there are bars of all sizes for me to take with me on my rides this weekend.

Furthermore, there is an allegory in this little tale: I am really excited for the bars, just as I am really excited for the collegiate road season to open up in just more than 2 1/2 weeks.

After taking a much needed physical and mental break, I have spent the new year training hard, and am very much looking forward to again pinning on a number and doing battle with other "students" (I will save for April my opining about throwing down with those who wear the "mid-level corporate armor").

Here is the bottom line: I have suffered through the cold, and suffered on the trainer, and now the stealth bike is leaning up against my wall, giving me the sad puppy eyes (figure of speech) and anxiously awaiting putting on its (new) race wheels and flying down the road again. In the middle of last month, I went for a long solo ride, and headed out down River Rd. On the dirt section past the Poolesville course, I came to a point where I was about to leave the woods and emerge onto farmland. It was beautiful - blue sky, green-ish field, dirt road, pine trees, etc. I came out of the woods and found that the open plain was just getting rocked by wind - I must have emerged into a 30 mph headwind. My point is: I again find myself daydreaming of how to use that wind to split fields.

I am ambitious, it is no secret. Inherent to that, I am excited. You should all be excited too. You should be excited for the pain in your legs, for the rushing air, and for the nervous twitching of a pack of antsy racers. For the smell of sweat and the taste of powdered energy drinks, for the moments of glory and of disappointment, and for the simple satisfaction inherent in cleaning a bike after a long ride or hard race.

Everyone has done their team-switching. For those who needed them, new bikes (I didn't get one, but the new NCVC team bike are pretty hott) and wheels and toys have been acquired (except for the folks who ordered Novembers, but those will show up soon enough). Most people have another couple months to put in long miles and build the anticipation by beginning to mix it up on group rides. I count myself as fortunate to have the opportunity to make it count next month.
This freight train represents the intensity which I plan on bringing to the racecourse this year.

Other than that, Internet, things are actually very good around here. School is fine, work is good, and I get to spend my time with great people.

Sometimes they come up with awesome ideas like GOING TO MONSTER TRUCKS AT THE VERIZON CENTER THIS SATURDAY. I am looking forward to drawing inspiration from the monster trucks.

Keep it real, Internet.
In the words of a wiser man than I, don't get captured.

Shut It Down. Shut It Down. Call It A Season.

2010-11-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

OK, that's it. 46 races is enough.

Plus 2 triathlons and a 5k run. (Those don't count.)

MABRAcross championships at Taneytown today.

Some of you may have noticed that I have been riding with very little power. Too many accessories plugged in to the USB port. At least I got over that to some extent. Rest week helped.

I got beat, not because I bonked/cracked, but because I'm just not very good at cross*. That's all I ask for.

Here's the thing. On the road, I have a good idea of how to feel my way through turns. Tires grip. On a slippery cross course, I don't have that. Supposedly it's a skill. I ain't got it. I can say definitively that cyclocross has made me a better rider in many regards.

I'm going to take a bit of a hiatus from blogging (which I've been doing so much of lately anyhow). Imagine that I am a bear, wandering back into his cave for the winter.

I'll be back out in February for the beginning of collegiate road season. My off-season training I will leave to your imagination, internet. See you then.

Footsteps, MABRA, footsteps.

*Yet.

45 Down...

2010-11-21T14:34:00.001-08:00

...1 to go.

The worst feeling is when you cannot make your legs work fast enough to feel like you're on the rivet. So much worse than the "oh god this pace makes me want to die" feeling.

Which is too bad, because I really liked today's course.

HoCo2xCX - pretty fun. Sort of.

Or, at least, well run.

Headed home on Tuesday for the holiday. Back Saturday. Doing my best to not even think about my bicycle until then.

Ouch, My... - Vint Hill CX

2010-11-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

So what happens when you let a bunch of 'cross geeks design a course is that you end up with the hardest 'cross course ever.

Or, at least, that I have seen in my pretty limited CX career.

Here's an approximate representation:
Except, the venue was a big farm field and was pockmarked with holes and bumps and rocks and tree stumps.

Rich complained that he was constantly being thrown off his bike. "Like Contador on cobbles," he said. He also suggested that I was at an advantage by being more stuck (by gravity) to the seatpost. I disagree. I am just as susceptible to the saddle repeatedly punching me in the grundle. (Ouch.) If cyclocross is supposed to be stupidly hard, then, congrats Haymarket course designers, you succeded greatly. I personally sort of prefer courses to be fast. Like Ill Mitch:

I go faster than Ranger Ford.

Also, it was like 65 degrees. It's weather that it by definition "awesome" but also "incorrect." I turned on the Iowa-Northwestern game (go Cats!) when I got home, and it looked like November in Chicago - gray and cold. That's what it should be like for cx season.

Either way, I have 2 more weeks of racing. Been racing since February. Time for a break. With MABRAcross championships, I'll have rolled to a starting line 46 times this year.

Not bad for a rookie.

Either way, going for some professional advice regarding my shoulder tomorrow morning. It's actually feeling a lot better, but still a bit wonky.

Tired.

See you guys around. Next week's races should be fun.

Do This Race

2010-11-09T13:58:00.001-08:00

Show up for the 540cycling cx race at Vint Hill.

Fields are small.

Too small.

Which will only change if people show up. C'mon, it's not far away.

Gravity, 1 - Tacchino CX

2010-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

I found this great picture of me from today's race:

If you saw me riding one-handed, it's because my shoulder popped out and back in. (Ed. note: I just want to be clear here - not a "weird shoulder event," I hit it on the damn ground and it was my own fault.)

It's a testament to my friends that I've been offered 3 different people's doctors for a pretty minor injury. My friends are pretty sweet.

Too bad. Other than that one turn, it was a fun course.

I'll get after it again next week. Congrats to those who did well today.

Secrets Of Succxess - All Hallow's Cross C + B

2010-10-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

NICK'S GUIDE TO CX SUCCESS:

Do all of these things every week and you will win, I guarantee*:

1. Ride on Friday under the loneliest circumstances possible. You should wait until after dark to go ride laps at deserted Hains Point, underdressed for the cold, listening to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

2. Be sure that your bike has a picture of somebody badass on the headtube. Preferably on paper, stuck on with packing tape.

3. Use only embrocation products designed in the signature style of the current national champion, that smell like delicious cola.

4. Eat more breakfast than you think you need to. Preferably while raiding your roommate's leftovers on shaky permissive grounds.

5. Run your bike into things. Things like the leader when he crashes in front of you, hay bales, and barriers. This might fool the other racers into thinking you are out. Or it might cause adrenaline to rip through your veins as you pick yourself up off of the ground.

6. Ride on brand new wheels. Every week.

7. Allow your brand new tires to seep air so that they are almost 20 psi underinflated when you finish the race.

8. Never allow yourself to think that a sand pit is unrideable. It is acceptable to admit that it may be faster to run the sand pit, in which case you must sprint. Bonus points to be awarded for jumping off to the wrong side in lieu of falling on your face.

9. Finally, always remember that if you can still talk, respond to spectators via gesture (obviously only positive gestures), think in sentences, or remember what gear you're in, you're not going hard enough.

If you do all of these things, you'll win the C race at All Hallow's Cross every week. I say that authoritatively based on a sample size of 1 time. Then you'll go out and do the B race and feel not quite like death, but still pretty terrible.

Thanks to Pax Velo for putting on a good race on a really fun course. Also, for painting all the tree roots. And for arranging for the Hot Dog King to be there.

*By attempting any aspect of the secrets to success, the reader hereby indemnifies me for any liability for injury, damage, or failure associated with their use. Guarantee not valid, well, really, anywhere.

Welcome Back, With A Vengeance - DCCX, C And B

2010-10-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I raced CX. Full month. Ed Sander, 9/26. Furthermore, you will notice that while I have been riding a lot, it's been long, slow miles. No 40-minute all-out, taste-blood-and-stomach-acid efforts. So I was actually a little concerned heading into this race.

But, despite my fears, I didn't lose that much. I rode up to the course this morning pretty excitedly, all jazzed about my new skinsuit and the Pro Shop Death Race (I'll come back to this).

Took a lap. The course was at first glance, and at all other glances, very technical. Almost as if it had been designed by a team of mountain bikers...? Power, turn, power, turn, power, barrier, power, turn. There was one particular chicane, right near the pit section, that I overcooked the first time through and went into a stake. A DCMTB guy proceeded to put cones there (you're welcome), but I went back and did it about 10 more times before moving on. Actually, I really liked the course, except that after the first race it got super dry and dusty. That aside, it was great. Minimal gravel.

So the 4 race started off and I took off and proceeded to just try to eat people, in the style of pac-man. I didn't start real far up - 47th - but I managed to work my way up to 8th (according to my teammates yelling things at me along the side of the course). BUT not having raced in a month it was taking a toll on me. There were a few points at which I could taste stomach acid - not a good feeling. I also lost focus for a second and manage to trip and fall while dismounting - which cost me 3 places. I finished 11th and thought I was going to either pass out or puke.

The Pro Shop Death Race, so named because there were 5 BPS employees in the C race, was a whole other matter. Out of 5 registrants, we had one DNS and one DNF (if anybody has any spare seatstays for a CAAD9 CX frame, I believe he needs one). The DNS was the trash-talkingest member of the group. I guess we will never know how he would have done.

After finishing the C race, I sat down and thought "I need to eat/drink, because I am racing again, but I do not think I can keep anything down right now." So I took my time, but ended up going to the line for the B race feeling approximately like death. All I wanted to do was give it full gas the first half-lap in order to help Rich out. So imagine my surprise when, after struggling through several laps, I saw him behind me on the course. Rich has bad luck with bee stings and bike races. After trading leads with DVR Matt (and yelling "NEVER SAY DIE" at him upon bringing him back) I ended up finishing a very solid 67th. Starting with Warrenton, I am switching to just the Bs and think I should start placing better. Better than the 93rd at Charm City in the Bs. I did better in the first race this time.

CX is getting more and more fun as I get better with the bike handling. Also, I brought my tires down to 45 PSI today... HUGE DIFFERENCE. Feels so much better through the corners. Maybe next week I'll try 42? I still get concerned about pinchflatting. Toobuhlars hopefully soon.

I will be starting on the first row in the C race at All Hallow's next week. Hopefully I will be able to take advantage of this.

Be there.

In No Particular Order Of Precedence:

2010-10-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

1. The Thermals were fantastic, and finished their set on Friday with a rendition of "My Name is Jonas." Now, they played a great, great show, but hearing that song at the end was like tying a ribbon around it. I got into that album (the Blue Album) a couple years after it came out, but it was formative for me. Very exciting.

2. I have achieved my primary goal for the season: I earned the little sticker on my road license that says "3." This feels good. Also, it makes me want to do nothing but ride.

3. DCCX next weekend and I won't have raced CX in a month. But, nonetheless, I am looking forward to it (and to wearing my new thermal skinsuit).

4. Can we talk a little bit about who is going to win the Big Ten? Because Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa are all real good. Out of this group, I would kind of like to see Wisconsin win, I think?

5. See you on the road and at the race next Sunday.

Returning To The Fold

2010-10-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Astute observers of my personal riding trends among you may have noticed that I have been curiously absent from my usual rides for the last week and a half.

A recovery week has been nice. I haven't touched my bike save for to touch up the paint chips.

I feel gross, but my legs feel fantastic - it's a nice change, after not being able to walk without pain until Friday (thanks, half-ironman).

STEP 1: Base miles and the rest of CX season.
STEP 2: The winter.
STEP 3: Profit.

By the way, though you'll read this all over GamJams, the guys over at November Bicycles will be taking orders from October 11 - November 19. Their stuff looks to be high-quality, and I like the idea of giving everyone a pro deal. If I were in the market right now, those RFSW wheels look pretty solid. Check it out. Even apart from the anti-establishment philosophy, those wheels look hot.

See you out there.

Important Notice!

2010-10-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

***TRANSCRIPT***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Washington, DC, October 3, 2010

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining me here today. It makes me very happy to see members of the news media traveling so far to be here with me. Means a lot.

Well, you all know why you're here. You're here for the very same reasons that ESPN has been going nuts all week. You're here for the following announcement: I'm retiring from the sport of triathlon. The Miami Heat have offered me an opp... wait.

No, that's not right.

Hang on.

The sport's been good to me. Today's race, the Half-Full Triathlon. was fun. Finishing second in the clydesdale division, with a time that would've put me second in my age group, on a well-supported course, was a great honor. The many volunteers giving me water and electrolytes and banana handups were dearly appreciated. A 5:20 half-ironman split, on such a hilly course, is nothing to shake a stick at.
You know what, though? When you're out there, 4 hours in, no end in sight, one foot in front of the other, you start to transcend yourself. That's some real mind-over-body, be-more-than-you-are stuff there. It gets REAL. You start to realize, you need to, in life, chase your true passions. Even though going out for a jog, or a spin, or some splashy-splashy, might be fun, you have to do what really gets you going. So I'm leaving it behind, ladies and gentlemen, to pursue what I believe to be my true calling. Extreme ironing.
That last 3 miles, facing up to a pain like I've never felt before, all I could think about was how much better it would be if I were hanging upside down over a canyon, trying to be the first one to get that last sleeve neatly pressed, perfectly creased. I couldn't let go of the idea of getting the collar perfect, even as my legs burned with each step.

So thank you, mid-Atlantic triathlon community, for allowing me to dabble. You've been a stepping stone on a path to greater things for me.So if you'll excuse me, I need to take a week off to mentally prepare myself for the off-season. It's going to be a long winter getting ready to toss the ol' iron around. I have to make sure I'm prepared to be as adept as I can be.

***END***

I Don't Understand Your Cicero Joke

2010-10-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the publicity.

It's CX season - as I have discovered, heckling is half the fun.

WHO'S READY FOR SOME MORE MULTISPORT MADNESS, BY THE WAY?

I am, kind of, mostly.

Climbing The Learning Curve - Ed Sander CX, C And B

2010-09-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

CX continues to be an exciting diversion from a long road season.

So before the C race, as everybody was getting ready in the parking lot, Jon from Coppi asked me for any advice I might offer, my one week of experience being a great fountain of wisdom and all. I could really only come up with one thing: "don't fall down."

It's true! In order to succeed in cyclocross (and in most bicycle racing), you need to leave your bicycles, tray tables, and seatbacks in an upright and locked position. I was painfully (not really very painfully) reminded of this on Sunday when I knocked myself out of the top 10 of the race by washing out in a wet, grassy u-turn, exactly as I had the week before. I hung on for a 14th place finish, in a 101-deep field - pretty satisfying, actually. But the tragedy is well-illustrated by this series of photos taken by Bert:

So at the bottom there is the "DAMMIT" face that comes with the feeling of "I botched that one." Note also the bent left shifter in the 4th-6th photos.

But it was a good time. I liked the course a lot. Especially, for some reason, the run-up, which it seemed like I flew up compared to the other dudes. Weird. Props to Luke for a 6th place finish. I did the B race as well, and got roundly trounced. Felt like I had nothing left in the tank. Almost bonked, maybe? Mostly just dropped myself. Big race for NCVC though - 1st, 3rd, 10th, 13th.

The course was a lot less fun 2 hours later - the small amount of rain had long since dried up and it became a dust cloud. All sand all the time. Not a lot of traction. I like the mud better.

The back end of my bike was sliding around a lot. Not sure whether that was due to the file tread Michelin Jet mounted to the wheel, or the amount of pressure in that Michelin Jet. This problem will hopefully be solved next week by my new wheels and tubular tires.

Apparently the key to recovery is: Drink a bunch of beers while watching the elite races. Then go home, eat pad thai, take a nap, eat everything else you can find, then get 9 hours of sleep. I say this because I actually feel reasonably intact today. No major muscle soreness, no tightness in the knees, and I'm only a little tired. Much better than last Monday.

I have decided that after Taccino CX, I'm going to go for just the B races. Or, at least, I'm going to do just the B races at HoCo2xCx, because these races are all $20 and they do not seem to give discounts for doubling up. Also, doubling up HURTS. I don't think it's much of a stretch of the imagination to think that I would do better in B races if I were properly warmed up and hadn't already raced. Those little climbs start to take a lot out of me after 7-8 laps.

Next week is the half-ironman, presuming I can find a way to get there. Fairly excited. Right? I think? It should be fun? I need to go for a swim.

BY THE WAY: Tim Rugg, I yelled "YEA RUGG!" at you near the second drop-in (the one not associated with the runup) during the elite race and I swear you yelled your own name back at me. True? False?

In Which Nick Is Introduced To Cyclocross - Charm City C, C, And B

2010-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

So. The question on the tip of everybody's tongue: what do I think of 'cross?

Well. It was not a "where have you been all my life" sort of situation. But, I had a good time. Enjoyable.

Let's get into it:

SATURDAY
Rode up with Luke. Got there about 7:30 for a 9AM start. Rode a few laps of the course with Brooks on his singlespeed. Staged according to registration: 349. 49th. Start! Took off, sprinted past people. First lap: quick. Battled my way up to what I thought was the lead group, or possibly a chase group pretty far up. Flew over barriers with my tallness. Excitement! Hammering! Then, in a very tight 180 degree turn, got caught up with some dudes and didn't have anywhere to go. Toppled over. No! Lost some places. Hammered hard to chase back on. Washed out in a wet corner. No! Lost more places. Got up. Tried to ride smoothly. Picked off people who had blown up. Tried not to lose places. Felt good. Opened up gaps along every stretch of any meaningful length. Finished 48th, outsprinting some bro who thought he could come around me along the road. Nope. Stuck around to heckle and drink beer for the B race. Forgot to eat. Felt like my legs had been run over by a bus. A good start, I suppose - 48/126.

SUNDAY
Rode up with Rich. Got there at about 7:30 again for another 9AM start. Rode a few laps of the slightly different course. Course seemed faster. Much drier and dustier. Staged further back - 357. One row back. Sprinted out of the gate. Caught behind some slower starters at the beginning. Didn't get as far up as I would've liked. Tried to ride consistently and smoothly. Got up to about 30th, gained time in flat stretches, lost it in twisty sections. Also in the sand pit. Rich passed me by riding the sand pit as I ran it on the last lap. Dammit. Either way, no crashes. People I didn't recognize yelling my name as I rode by. Very flattering. Was so far into the locker of pain that I didn't know it was the last lap and hence did not sprint. Could've beaten the guy in front of me had I known, but, whatever. 39th. A step up. Thought there was a sweet hop in my wheel when I finished... turned out I just shredded the sidewall of my rear Grifo. Need tubulars. Soon.

Against my better judgment (or maybe in a stroke of genius?), decided to try to get into the B race. Racing with 2s. Knew it would hurt. Started off reasonably well. Middle of the pack - 566. Guys streaming past me as I tried to conserve some energy and not blow up at the start with my already-raced-upon legs. Very early in the first lap, immediately after the first off-camber section, there was a double 180-sort of situation. I don't know what happened in front of me, but all of a sudden there was a huge clusterf*** and guys everywhere jumping off their bikes and running. In the midst of this mess, my chain dropped. Because we were going a good 0 MPH, had to jump off to fix it. Dead last. Chased hard. Began picking guys off. Battled my way up to finish 93/117. Rode the course much faster. Rode the sand pit. Pushed hard. Never say die. Never been in so much pain on a bike (except maybe the time I completely exploded my legs at HP and thought I wasn't going to make it home and couldn't ride for a week). Finished a lap down, much to my chagrin. Forgot to run through the sand pit screaming with my bike over my head.

OVERALL
CX is insane! And super painful! But fun. If I can track down some pictures, I will post them. Did I win? Absolutely not. Did I learn about 'cross? Significantly. Did I become a better bike racer this weekend? Yes, definitely. And that's what counts, right? Don't you love my undying optimism? Looking forward to Ed Sander next week. More opportunities to race hard and put on "the face."

Mad props to my teammates, many of whom did very well this weekend.

Also, from last week, true story, I AM TERRIFYING.

I'm Not Here To Finish, I'm Here To Hammer - The Nation's Triathlon 2010

2010-09-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

It was a good day for racing, for me. The Potomac River sharks placed themselves behind me to give me a boost on the swim. The rainstorm that blew in gave me favorable winds the entire bike course, in all 4 directions. The ground quaked with each of my steps as I ran, the rebounding effect propelling me forward.

Actually, I just went out and swam, rode, and ran hard. You know what? Seems a year of racing a bike makes you get faster. 2:27:22. Shattered my 2:30 goal. Puts last year's time of 2:46:44 to shame.

True stories:
-During the national anthem, a plane taking off out of Reagan flew past. They got us a jet flyover! Very clutch.
-I was 14th in my age group of 99. I had the fastest bike split (1:00:59) in my age group. By a lot. In fact, by the posted tally, I had the 46th-fastest bike split of anyone. When you take out the timing errors listed in the not-yet-official results, I was top 40 on the bike.
-I did the swim in 29:40. That's ridiculous! Apparently I really am a killer whale.
-I ran 7:58 miles. 6.2 of them. Not too shabby for getting right off the bike and into running shoes. For me.
-25 meters past the "1400m" buoy is NOT A GOOD PLACE TO STOP AND REST. In fact, I almost ran over a lot of women who seemed to be stopped to rest in the last 500m of the swim.
-When I yell "on your left!" it DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD VEER LEFT. Really. Seriously. I almost hit a lot of the cones. It might have been better had I been in an earlier wave and the road had been less crowded.
-I'm not sorry for: Yelling "Cervelo!" at every Cervelo I passed. Nearly running people over in the water. Yelling angrily at riders to get out of the way. They tell you to stay to the right for a reason.
-I am sorry for: I'm pretty sure I accidentally felt up some hapless 35-39 year old woman from the wave right in front of me. I awkwardly cut off some woman at an aid station on the run, then dropped the cup and didn't even get any powerade.

Satisfying. The "clydesdale" competition at this half-ironman I'm doing next month? Mine.

Bonus true story: I feel like I should not have skipped Church Creek.
If you factor in the 2-3 minutes added by decelerating to avoid hitting people, the 20 seconds I lost when I lost my shoe dismounting (funny story: my foot was out of my shoe and on top of it, but when I stepped off the bike, it turned enough to disengage the worn cleat. A volunteer ran out and gave me back my shoe.), whatever I lost due to rain, whatever I lost to riding the janketiest aero setup (my old road bike with clip-on aerobars. Not even good ones), and oh yea, the swimming a mile beforehand? I think I would have done well at Church Creek in the Cat 4s. Ahhh... next year.

Thanks to whoever gave me the NCVC shoutout towards the end of the run. The singlet is clutch, no?

Also, it was wonderful to have fan support. My friends are all pretty much "like a boss."

On Competition

2010-09-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I feel very ready for this triathlon.

Yesterday I picked up a wetsuit at the race expo. It's perfect for me in that it says "Orca" across the chest... because I am a killer whale.

And a killer whale it makes me - I went down for "swim practice" to try out the wetsuit and man, it's like strapping an outboard to your feet. Seriously. I feel very ready. It takes me about 400m to warm up and then I can just diesel along.

Actually, it is an encounter I had while swimming that has motivated me to write. So they only had a small section of the course open today. About 35 meters from the ramp, I almost ran over some woman in a florescent pink "Team-in-Training" swim cap. I pulled up, stuck my head out of the water, and said, "whoa, don't stop here!" In response, she said "I'm not stopped!" And she was indeed not stopped. She was swimming, very slowly. Tomorrow, she and I will take on the same course, the same distance. It's likely I'll finish well before her even as I begin the race 40 minutes later. At the end of the day, we're going to get the same recognition - "triathlete."

I'm not going to win, but I'm out to do well. If last year's results are an indication, meeting my goal on the bike would give me the fastest bike split in my age group. I'm not, however, just out to finish, as so many are. Even last year I wasn't just out to finish - I knew I could do it. I wanted to see how long it would take. This article sums up the debate well. "Having traversed the same route as the fleeter-footed runners - perhaps in twice the amount of time - they get to call themselves marathoners. And it's driving hard core runners crazy."

I have a friend with a strong opinion on the subject. He is very against "racing to finish." I'm not sure what exactly he suggests for people who are doing so, but I feel like it's probably something along the lines of "get off my course." But there are two sides to the argument - on the one hand, yes, if you're not racing to win, what are you doing? Why are you even there? On the other hand, though, triathlons (as well as running events) are individual events - if you're pushing yourself, are you not competing? Even if you're doggie-paddling for a mile? Even if you're walking the run?

This is one reason that triathlon is so much easier to get into than cycling - people are very welcoming of new triathletes, no matter how slow. Cyclists, on the other hand, if they're competitive, just drop the slow people. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like it that way. But, who am I to say that your effort, which you've trained for for months, is any less worthy of praise? Especially as this triathlon has become an afterthought for me?

What's far more entertaining than passing people who are slow but trying hard is passing people who think that money will buy them speed. You know, the people with expensive Trek TT bikes (because Lance rides a Trek, right?) and expensive Zoot tri suits and expensive blueseventy wetsuits (ok, I'm just throwing out expensive brand names here, you get the idea) who are mystified when they drop their horrifically crossed chain and fall over making u-turns and haven't bothered to practice taking off their wetsuit. More money than sense. Fred. I don't even care about ability; if you have more money than ability, fine. Just don't use your expensive equipment so haphazardly that I feel it should be confiscated from you.

There's my rant. I'm a snob.

At the end of the day, we're all completing the same race. I just think that we should be seeded by speed rather than by age group - especially in something like triathlon where there is actually a significant impact (and danger, in light of the lack of bicycle handling ability many triathletes exhibit) of crowding on the course.

If you happen to read this before racing tomorrow (or before racing Turkey Day), good luck.

If you happen to read this and you volunteered to help with the race, thank you.

I'm ready. I would be up and pacing and twitching, if I weren't so tired.

New Metric?

2010-09-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

YAAAAAAGH after getting my scale back to working order, I've found that after making a huge amount of progress between Reston and Lost River, I've given almost half of it back. OK, I haven't been careful with what I've been eating - until 2 days ago.

But here's the deal. We know my goal is to get to the point where I'm riding one CAAD9, rather than riding 3 (functionally). So the spare bike count is currently at 2.00. I'm back on track with a functional scale.
----------------------------------------
The next 1L carrying a Torts book to give me the screw-face is gonna get decked. I know how it feels to be a 1L in your third week of classes, bro. I'm just trying to do my reading here. Go be overdramatic somewhere else.
----------------------------------------
The Nation's Triathlon: Sunday Sunday Sunday.

Am I ready? About as ready as I'm gonna get. Let's do this. Come watch.
----------------------------------------
UPDATE: With no Rockville, I guess road season is over. I'm really glad I went up to Wilkes-Barre. It's been an awesome year... see you all next April, or February if you're a collegiate racer.

A Lot Of Time In The Car - Wilkes-Barre, Cat 4/5 and Cat 3/4

2010-09-05T17:56:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the willingness of DVR's Matt R. to drive, I got to go up to the Wilkes-Barre Crit - the PA state championship. It was fun but a long day, though I picked up some results, so I can't complain.

First: the race itself.
It was very low-key. You could tell they want to make it a bigger deal than it is - payouts were sweet - but the city of Wilkes-Barre just isn't in enough of a population center to really make it what they want. I actually really liked the course - a really long start/finish stretch, 2 45 degree corners, a short stretch, a 90, a long, long back stretch, and 2 90 degree corners to come back around (if you can visualize that). There was a very, very strong tailwind on the back side of the course.

The 4/5 race was so choppy! It was my first exposure to 5s in a non-collegiate field. But guys would do things like take corners that were optimally 2 wide 4 wide, and dive bomb, and slow down to 16. I tried to hang out and just be unassuming, and attack from time to time and then pretend I was tired. At the end of the day it came down to a pack sprint. I had predicted before the race that being 3rd wheel turning onto the very, very long S/F stretch would be the win. I was 2nd wheel. I came around the guy in front of me (who might have been the smallest guy in the race) and the guy right behind me came around me. 2nd wheel, 2nd place. You know what, I'll take it. Pretty psyched about that.

Then, several hours later, the 3/4 race went off. It was actually more fun than the 4/5 race. Much faster and a lot smoother. The pack was super, super aggressive. Nothing got away. I tried to stay in the pack and not do work. Then with a few laps to go, a group of 7 guys got a gap and started lengthening it. One guy dropped. I decided to go for it, just like at Dawg Days. It was a risk, but a risk I was comfortable taking - this one looked like it would stick, and there were only 3 1/2 to go. I used the dropped rider as a screen for my departure, turned on the jets, and took off in pursuit, catching the break half a lap later. We started to open up a bigger gap, but then 3 of the 6 of us cracked. 3 guys fell off. the other 3 of us gave it all we had, but we were caught by the field with half a lap to go. At that point, even my yougotdropped socks couldn't save me. 25th. It may be a 25th place pack finish, but it was one that I think showed that I'm ready to hang with Cat 3. Though I'm certainly no climber, my development as a 4 has, I think, come 'round.

One criticism of the course: they could have done better keeping people from wandering onto the course. A few hairy moments with "runway incursions."

Again, the true hero of the day was DVR Matt for his willingness to use his zipcar account and drive 8 hours, and general agreeability and gentlemanliness.

Joe Mallis put up some pictures. My favorite here, me driving the break and making "the face" here, and in front of the pack and grinning like an idiot here. Also, outsprinting a kid for 2nd place sitting down and with my hands on the hoods here.

I feel fast. My scale is broken, but I feel like I'm leaning out still.

I went for a 2 hour recovery ride today (no one wanted to come with! Weak.) and saw 9 deer. That's a lot of deer.

By the way, I really like my Bell Sweep helmet, but it sits crooked on my head. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this? I tried to adjust the straps to no avail.

Happy labor day everybody. Go ride. I'm gonna go ride (except I'll be working in the shop for a while).

Known Knowns And Unknowns

2010-09-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

There are the things we know we know, the things we know we don't know, and the things we don't know we don't know. Theoretically, there are also the things we don't know we know.

Here's what I know I know:

-Classes started again and they are reasonably good. National Security and Crim Pro seem to be based on a foundation of Constitutional issues. Once those are worked through, the subject matter should quickly pick up to more pragmatically interesting issues. It's nice to be able to start to get into a routine again.

-In a grasp to hang onto the road season (I've only been racing since what... February? That's not... that... long...), I'm headed up to Wilkes-Barre this Saturday to allow the competitors at the PA State Crit Championship to taste my pain. I may or may not be out for blood and redemption following what I perceived as my own mistake at MABRA Crit Championships. (Protip: when I say "may or may not be" it usually means "I am.") It's far away, but I can double up races. To follow the template of success from Reston, this means I need to stock up on Nature Valley bars and chocolate chip cookies to eat between races.

-It's about to be a hectic racing season all over again. Wilkes-Barre this weekend. Nation's Triathlon (shut up, it's gonna be fun) next weekend. Charm City CX the following weekend. Ed Sander CX the weekend after that. Half-Full Tri the weekend after that (and a visit from my folks). You get the idea.

Here's what I know I don't know:

-I don't know how fast I will be able to go in the course of either triathlon. Last year, I did the swim in the Nation's in 38 minutes, the bike in 1:07, and the run at an 8:56 pace. Since that race, I have: managed to figure out breathing to both sides, ridden my bicycle several thousand miles, and lost 20 lbs. I say my goal for the swim is 30 minutes, but honestly I'd be happy with anything less than 38. My workouts lately have been 2000 yds/45 minutes, with breaks. During a race, 1650 yds with no breaks should take less than 38 minutes. Right? Planning on picking up a tri wetsuit for cheap at the race expo, as well. The bike I did last year with an average speed of something like 22.5 mph. In aerobars. This year, I have additionally an aero helmet and a significantly faster set of legs. I averaged 23+ in the ToWC TT, with no aerobars and having to go uphill part of the way. As far as running goes... ~9 min/mile seems to be my pace on easy runs. Speed it up to race pace, then slow it down to post-bike pace, should still be faster. I suppose this is all a way of saying "I am poised to break last year's time by a considerable amount, even though I have been running only a fraction of how much I did last summer leading into it (like, 1/3 as much or less over the last 3 months). One thing I can tell you: upon seeing me in my NCVC tri singlet, which allows for no fabric to flap in the breeze, I doubt anyone will expect me to move as fast as I do.

-I don't know how cross season will go. Don't get me wrong; I'm really psyched for it - it's just a whole new set of skills to add on to the several whole new sets of skills I've learned this year. Hopefully I will be able to continue crushing.

-I don't know how to stop compulsively eating. I think I can use it to my advantage, though. During my initial period of significant weight loss, I was living in a greek house on campus senior year of college. I always had access to frozen vegetables - so late at night, I could go, oh, I'm hungry; all I can eat is these peas, or this broccoli. Now, it's like, oh I'm hungry, hey there almond butter, or leftover chips from the party. I think I need to just fill my freezer with frozen vegetables and stick to those. I already drink very large quantities of water. You really can't go wrong eating vegetables. Many vegetables. Trip to Safeway exclusively for vegetables. My scale is broken, by the way.

I don't know what I don't know. I also suspect that there are some things that I don't know that I know.

So there's your update on my life. I hope it is enlightening. Bikes! Bikes bikes bikes bikes bikes! I really just want to ride all day. Too bad that's kind of impractical.

Greenbelt - A Short Soliloquy To Opportunities Missed

2010-08-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Greenbelt is pretty fun, as it turns out. I wish I had gone more than one time - gone earlier in the summer.

Riding through Hyattsville on busy streets kind of blows though.

The course demands that you get all the way to the left up the last hill. That would have been useful information.

Unattached riders can still be generalized to be terrifying.

That was the third instance that I can think of off the top of my head that I tried to find a wheel when I should have just left everything on the pavement, and it cost me placing. Where does the aggression go? I have no one to blame but myself for those instances.

I love racing bikes more and more every time I do it. Except for Lost River, after which I wondered aloud where I would go to turn my bike in to the relevant authorities to be melted down to make guns.

Teammates, And Gravity, With The Assist - Dawg Days, Cat 4

2010-08-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Team efforts! Team efforts helped me pull off a victory at Dawg Days. I mean, it helps when you have a huge squad to constantly attack and soften up the field. But even if you have a huge squad, they've still got to be on top of things, just as the Stars & Bars crowd were yesterday. All race - Andrew's off the front! Now Andre! Now Dennis! Now James! Now Matt! It seemed like we were making the other big team - DVR - as well as the many smaller squads respond to us. We were controlling the race.

Having a team controlling the race leads to good things happening. Late in the game, Matt attacked (in counter to James being caught) and sparked a 4-man breakaway. Immediately, several of us got to the front and slowed down. It concerns me that people were yelling "NCVC is blocking!" as if they were surprised; or at least their surprise concerns me. Yes! That is exactly what we are doing! Would you expect any less?

As the counter ticked away, I thought "I should get up there and help him," and then "that break is staying away - I need to get up there." So I took off up the road and after a lap of Hammertime, caught up about halfway through the second-to-last lap. This changed the dynamic of the breakaway - all of a sudden it's Evo, DC Velo, DVR, NCVC, NCVC. We crossed the line on the bell lap; the announcer was yelling something or another. DC Velo took a pull, I took a pull, Evo took a pull, and then the fireworks began. As we neared the top of the hill, DC Velo attacked, so I followed. DVR followed me, and Matt followed him. Over the top, DC Velo blew up (I think) and I flew past him, opening up a gap on DVR. Once we were headed downhill, and I had about a bike length, that was it - gravity comes through in the clutch! DVR couldn't make up the gap and I took the win. Matt came around DVR (incidentally, also Matt) at the line by milimeters (on the bike throw!) for 2nd.

Our teammates, meanwhile, were leading each other out through the field sprint. One of them took a prime.

Epic. Awesome. Beautiful. As well-coordinated as a completely uncoordinated Cat 4 team effort can get.

This was actually a really fun race. The course itself is, for lack of a better word, boring, but that focuses the action on the race dynamic. With no natural features to make selections, they have to happen by pure force.

The skies opened up during the 1/2/3 race immediately beforehand (it ended up being shortened due to lightning), while we were warming up. The torrential downpour actually felt kind of good; there was some time there that I wanted it to keep raining. But having a dry(ing) course was nice.

The action was also surprisingly sketchy - with wide roads except for the traffic circles, and no real corners, guys pretty much went after it NASCAR-style and got all up in each others' grills. While I didn't do much "rubbing" myself (save for tapping James' rear wheel when he weaved suddenly - that was harrowing), reports suggested that there was a lot of contact. There were also a few crashes - including one on about the second lap. It was close in front of me - I'm betting the guy grabbed his brake upon hitting a puddle and slid out. All I know is that I got sprayed with the contents of his bottle, had to dodge a flying Zipp wheel (it was still attached to a bike, though), and had to hit the gas to bring things back together.

Nice to keep the race in the family (so to speak), as well. Proud to have raced with those guys yesterday - they all did spectactularly. Andrew, Andre, David, and Chris - I still owe you beers. Chris, I'll hook you up with some Naked juice or something.
---------------------------------------------
I've noticed a funny thing this summer - twice I have taken a month between racing crits, then done two in two consecutive weekends. Both times, I got 22nd/23rd in the first of the two, and then won the second. It's as if after a month, I need the first crit either for the interval workout, or to remember how to race a crit. More crits! Race more crits! In 2012, I am hoping to do Superweek (and possibly Tour of America's Dairyland). Many crits!

We'll see what category I am by then. In the meantime, I still don't have enough points to upgrade to 3 per the guidelines (they are just that in the rulebook, guidelines). I hope the Rockville crit happens; I'll probably do that. I'll also likely still try to renew my license as a 3 as per my original goal; even if they don't give it to me, I still have the whole collegiate season to knock out the points (oh, that's right, I still have 2 more years of school), where I will begin 2011 as a B instead of a C.

Classes start again next week and I'm looking forward to it, in large part for the opportunity to get on a routine again. Having an inconsistent schedule ruins me.

I've been working hard on the bike, though, and following Pete's program, and I feel it is paying off.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Rockville excepted, that's the end of the road season for me, I believe. Been an exciting 6 months. See you at Cxharm Cxity. And around the roads of the DC metro area, which I guarantee I will be out on - more metaphorical blood in the water and all.
-------------------------------------------------------------
ALMOST FORGOT: You know what else helped me out? Yougotdropped socks. They gave me the added psychological benefit that those behind me were being reminded that they were being dropped. Also, they're really nice DeFeet socks. I like the Euro cut more than my usual fredstyle ankle cut socks.

You should get a pair. Or a t-shirt or something.

Even Scales?

2010-08-20T17:33:00.001-07:00

Background music for this week:

Feel free to ignore the video. But this is going to be a short post, so a short song included. I love the end of it.

I just got home from Trader Joe's. Picking up some groceries on my way home from a day at the shop. While I was inside, some jerk got a bunch of mud on the saddle and right handlebar of my bike, and knocked the chain off. Yes, I parked next to you, maybe even "all up in your grill," but it's not like I had any other options. You didn't need to go so far as to knock my chain off its ONE cog and ONE ring. That was just uncalled for. You're a heinous ass.

Yesterday, I was riding out MacArthur with a classmate and occasional cyclist and we rode by a pickup truck stopped on the other side of the road. As we passed, I could see that the driver was out of the truck and moving a turtle off the road, where it had stopped in the line of fire. That's thoughtful. You're a cool dude.

Road season: almost over. Whoa. 'Cross season: almost up.

Figuring out this whole "riding off-road" thing, slowly but surely.

11 More Steps? Glencoe GP, Cat 4

2010-08-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

Hello, my name is Nick and I have a problem. I’m addicted to doing work at the front of packs. I can’t help myself. Even when I try not to do work, I still end up doing so. Even when I try to sit third wheel, I still end up doing work. Then I get mobbed by guys who have been sitting behind me and I end up 22nd (though out of 104).

I really wanted to go home and throw down all over this race. When it used to be in Downers Grove, I would go watch (that’s like 10 minutes from my house). Instead, I showed up, rode hard, and did my peloton-controlling thing again. I made little errors that added up – as I was telling myself “mind over corner” and getting my own cornering form down, I was letting little gaps open in front of me. The sort of six-foot gaps which you have to repeatedly close (and it hurts to do so).

You know what, though, it was a good experience. Kind of cool to get out of the MABRA region. New kits, new competitors. My family and a few of my friends came up to watch. It was only a little odd to be driving to a race by myself in my own car. I got to represent NCVC to a whole other region (I think I put down a pretty good impression).

I started off at the front – staged well in front of the huge field and jumped out quickly to sit third wheel behind 2 guys from Half-Acre (one of the 2 bigger teams in the field). They just kept switching off between the two of them until they realized they were being made to do all the work. I was sort of happy for them that they realized it – otherwise, they would have ended up like Matt and I at the ToWC – 2 dudes get up and set a screaming pace that then we get dropped by. I, however, was determined to stay up front so as not to end up behind someone who was getting gapped. The masters’ race beforehand totally blew up. At the end of the day, I accomplished that. Apparently I got 2nd in the “sprints” competition within the race – I wish they would have mentioned that over the PA during the race; I might have actually tried to win it had I known. Except for the sprint laps, though, it was pretty much the same 3 or 4 guys at or near the front – XXX Racing, Rhythm Racing, one of the Half-Acre dudes, and me. I tried to not be actually in the wind. The rest of the pack just straight-up strung out behind us. Nothing even almost got away.

I should have attacked on the start/finish stretch with 2 to go. The pack had collapsed and slowed enough that I was able to move up from 12th wheel (where I had fallen) to 3rd (where I wanted to be). I should’ve just gone. Regret!

I was afraid of falling out of the front and getting buzz-sawed off the back. I should’ve been afraid of burning too many matches just staying up. On the other hand, though, see here for why I don't like to be anywhere near the back. (Side note: good to see at least one sort-of familiar face out there. Represent!) His description is apt, though - many corners. Brutal. I did not even notice a corner with skid marks and an ambulance, but I certainly believe it. You'll notice his description of a "front group of 25" - again, 104 starters (I think 75 scoring).

Oh, and to the kid I made fun of for sprinting for 20th: I’m not sorry. It’s stupid and dangerous to sprint through a pack like that. You’re not getting anything more for finishing 20th than I am for finishing 22nd. It’s a cat 4 race. We’re still several seconds behind the winner. (By the way, demographically this race was way different than I’m used to – a much younger crowd. Younger and lacking in manners.)

I apologize if this account of the race is somewhat fractured or disjointed. There are thoughts, and there is a text box to type in, and right now about all I can do is combine the two.

What did I do differently at Reston? The course was similar. 8 corners and one uphill. The hill at Reston was longer, and there was a whole downhill backside that let me recover. I was not nearly as worried about staying at the front – in fact I stayed in the pack for the first have of that longer, hotter race. Of course, there WAS a pack, versus just a strung-out line.

Eh. My dad took some video. If I can figure out how, I’ll post a bit – it’s interesting to see the people getting dropped on the first lap (25.3 average speed!).

You know what helped prevent me from getting dropped? My yougotdropped socks. Seriously, those are some good-ass socks. As soon as I can quantify the benefits of the socks, I will explain. In the meantime, buy your own – good socks from a quality bunch of dudes (say what you will, I like the anonymous MABRA bandit).

Go see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Do it. Right now. It’s the kind of movie that makes me sit up and go “I want my life to be like that.” Or mostly, I guess I just found Ramona Flowers as appealing as Michael

Cera’s titular character did. And I want to be able to fight dudes like that.

Got to spend some time in Chicago as well. Such a different feel to it than DC has. Don’t tell Chicago, but I think I like DC better. Much more manageable. Much less sprawl. Much shorter buildings.

Don’t even get me started on New York, even if my sister does live there.

Forfeiture And You: A Primer

2010-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

When I don't race for a couple weeks, I think it can be tough finding things to write about that you (the internet) will want to read.

I think I've got something, though, besides just the formalities (still trying to lose weight; I hate recovery weeks and find it difficult to eat well during them, I've been learning to ride my 'cross bike off-road, etc.).

Last Wednesday, I got pulled over at Hains Point for blowing a stop sign. I mean, it was blatant. I had no idea that the cruiser had pulled onto the road behind me; there were some other cyclists standing at the corner but no cars, so I just took it at speed because I was trying to catch up to somebody.

The officer was very reasonable. "Did you see that stop sign?" "Yes, sir" "I bet you see it every time you ride down here." "Yes." "Why didn't you stop for it this time?" "I don't have a good reason." "The only reason I'm not going to write you a ticket is that I'm on my way home. But my boss says it's open season on you guys. We're tired of cyclists getting hit and getting complaints." "Yes, sir." If there were cars, he probably would've ticketed me. But there were not. So instead he gave me a talking-to and then waved when I saw him leaving in his personal car.

This got me thinking about another topic which I have learned a lot about lately. You know, if you use your bike to facilitate a crime, it can be criminally forfeited. I started thinking, what if there wasn't a minimum provision on how serious a crime has to be to initiate criminal forfeiture? They could take bikes if you're convicted of running a stop sign.

Well, turns out there are minimums. But I'm going to explain.

So, criminal forfeiture. If you have some property that was used in commission of or to facilitate a crime, or is the proceed of a crime, as part of criminal sentencing, the government can seek to have it forfeited (if your crime was punishable by more than a year in prison). Governed by 21 USC 853. Used primarily as a tool in the war on drugs; frequently abused by small town police departments (though not the federal statutes). If that goes through (as decided by a judge or jury), as part of your sentence your property will be forfeited and turned over to the US Marshals Service and they will deal with it. They sell it at auction usually (unless it is cash).

Hains Point is a national park; federal law prevails. Let's say hypothetically, you hit a pedestrian and leave the scene of the accident. Assault. You plead guilty and get some kind of minor slap-on-the-wrist type sentence. Assault is punishable by more than one year in prison, at the top end. Your bike was used in the commission of the offense (come on, you ran somebody down, you jerk!). The government can seek to have your bike forfeited. Now all of a sudden your fancy-pants bicycle is being sold and funding law enforcement.

Interesting concept, no? You commit a crime, we take your stuff. It's not a difficult jump to make from "ordinary misdemeanant" to "criminal forfeiture target." The key is "punishable by" a year - not "actually punished by" a year.

Anyways. I've just signed up for Charm City CX. Pretty excited. Thinking about selling my original road bike that I don't ride anymore and getting some aluminum tubulars. I think it sounds like a good plan.

Headed home to Chicago again on Tuesday - pretty excited for some actual summer vacation action and for this race on Saturday.

I will keep you (the internet) posted.

Pick It Back Up

2010-08-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

1. Admittedly, I have plateau'ed again, at about 241-242 (after dropping it down under 240). Drop 10, lose eating discipline - work out a lot and you end up hungry; the key is to just remember that food takes time to digest and you don't actually need to eat that peanut butter sandwich after dinner. Breaking habits I know are good. Need to get it back together. (I say this with regard to one tough week, following about 5 good ones.)

2. However, the Unholy Rouleur appears to be making it happen. Keep it up.

3. As much as I like riding before dawn, I have difficulty going to bed early enough for it and consequently am exhausted. Fortunately, my summer internship ends soon and I have some time off before getting onto the fall class schedule - which is considerably more forgiving.

4. Been running more and even swimming a bit. Good news: I seem to have found my running form again (at least, as far as muscle memory goes), and I remember how to swim surprisingly well. What? Am I actually getting excited for a race that isn't just on bicycles, and which I have really no shot of winning? I was about halfway down my age group last year in the Nation's Tri (thanks to a strong bike split), and that was last year - I'm in way, way better shape now. I should place even higher (note that the age group winner beat me by about half an hour - about an 18% difference - but I seem to be on track to meet a goal I set of knocking 15 minutes off my time). This half-ironman has a Clydesdale category, which I am intent on winning. Time to put the old bike back together and turn it into a sweet, and ridiculous, TT machine - as I said, clip-on aerobars, big gulp/aerodrink, saddle as far forward as possible, hopefully I can borrow some aero wheels from a teammate. Thinking about getting it some decals showing my support for "Team Fredstylez.com."

5. Before then, at least 2 more crits to race. I've been trying to work on my sprint, and I think it's making a difference. Hang on to your hats.

6. My 'cross bike is fantastic - spent 2 hours just on the canal path yesterday morning. I'm really excited to race some 'cross, or I suppose, more accurately, to learn to race some 'cross.

7. New aspiration: ride with "glass cranks."

8. Something I wrote is going to court (there is a hearing) next week - and I'm geekily excited.

Excuse Me While I Swoon

2010-07-29T18:08:00.001-07:00

The family expands.
(That's not the bike now sitting in my living room, but is the exact same).

Dear MABRA-crossers, of the novice variety:
Hang on to your waffles; 'cause I'm bringing the pain.
Beginning with Charm City CX.
Best,
Me

Bit Parts - Lost River, Cat 3/4

2010-07-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe one day, there will be some hilly road race where I'll come out, and I won't win, but I'll do really well and everybody will be like, "wow, since when can he climb?" and it will be like a bicycle-racing butterfly (albeit a very large one) coming out of its cocoon.

Yesterday was not that day.

Rich and I came up with a crafty plan for the race: he would lead me up the climbs, and I would lead him through the flats - a scheme which usually leads to us moving pretty fast. Unfortunately, it was derailed by an "unfortunate incident" while we were warming up. Rich caught his front wheel in the dropoff at the edge of some road and hit the deck. I hit the brakes to make sure he was alright and slightly skidded to a stop - he was, for the most part, but for being a little scraped up - and subsequently discovered a horrible bulge in my rear tire where the casing had ripped open.

Either way, I quickly found myself going to the line with Rich's spare wheel and my race plan gone. Now, it's Lost River. I know I'm not a contender. You know I'm not a contender. I turned to Bert and said "what can I do to help?" He responded along the lines of "get to the front and keep things moving until we get to the climbs."

So when the race started, I was near the front, and tried to speed it up. We're going 20. I could go 23. Look back. They don't seem to want to go any faster. GamJams both sitting at the front. Separation occurring. Look back again. Ahhh, you know what, screw it, let's do this. Maybe I'll get enough to make it up the climbs. And there I go, knowing that I would be eventually dropped anyways, and I may as well have some fun.

I found out later that I got up to 90 seconds of a gap going. I was first over the first climb - KOM points (for the first, and likely last, time ever)! No doubt all of the spectators were quite surprised. I got caught just before the second climb - R1V hammered down the hill to catch up to me, so I sat up eventually. I got caught by the group, had time to unintentionally be a jerk ("ha, I made you guys chase me!" - yea, sorry guys) and almost immediately got dropped on the second (steeper) climb.

I bridged back up, only to get dropped again, and the time trial was on. I passed a bunch of dudes from different teams along the way, and got pulled with 1 lap to go, not long after I came to realize that my body was not absorbing the water I was drinking and instead it was just sitting uncomfortably in my stomach.

Well, I did my job. Played my role, if you will. Had my time in the sun (lot of time in the sun; I seem to have been burned through my jersey).

Rich and I spent the rest of the afternoon road guarding, where we got to interact with some fine tractor-riding, hay-carrying, swerving-at-cyclists West Virginians and one particularly awesome dog ("Get out of the street, dog! Get!"). Milkshakes on the way home were well-deserved even if Rich was met with some skepticism due to his bandaging ("What, were y'all in a bicycle wreck?" "Yes.").

Lost River. Bert got 8th in the 3/4. Some Master's guy from Kelly Benefits crushed his entire field by several minutes.

I never want to eat again. Maybe I can survive off the bugs I inhale while riding - by riding more.

Not a race for me. I'll get 'em next time: 3 weeks from now in Glencoe, IL.

(Maniacal Laugh)

2010-07-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have SMASHed through the 240 barrier. 239.6. Official weight. Not dehydrated weight.

This is a big step. An intermediate step, without doubt, but a big one.

Do you hear that, hills?

That's the sound of my footsteps. Or, pedalstrokes, as it were.

Making It Happen

2010-07-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am shrinking away: 242.6 - legitimate this time rather than being the result of post-workout dehydration (I hit 242.8 before when I was trying to figure out how much water I had lost).

3 weeks, 10 lbs., keeping track in GarminConnect.

I have decided to reward myself with a few pieces of chocolate from the bowl. I believe that I have earned it. Next time I get to do so will be when I hit 232.

What a great way to start your week, right? Figure out that you've lost weight?

Anyways, I like this rate. I will do my best to keep it up, because it feels sustainable, and at this rate I will easily accomplish being 205-210 for next season.

A strong push this week and I could be under 240 for Lost River, which would be fantastic. Please excuse me as I return to not eating - remember, hunger today (through Friday) means Saturday is easier.

Incidentally, it is also just about time for me to switch over to temporarily being a tri-geek. Remember, I signed up for these races before I joined a cycling team. Got to do it. Going to try to set up my old bike to be a good TT fit, clip-on aerobars and all. Well, aerodrink system and all - the big gulp mounted to the handlebars. I anticipate training volume to increase substantially as I add in more running and swimming.

Good things are happening. Be a part of it.

My Body Is A Furnace

2010-07-16T06:26:00.001-07:00

My ride this morning was fantastic. I headed up Beach Dr. for 30 minutes and turned around - my standard Friday ride - but this time, instead of going easy, since I'm not racing tomorrow, I hit it hard.

1 hour. More than 1100 calories burned, per my Garmin.

And at Hagerstown - 1 hour, 1300 calories.

At Reston - 1 hour, 1200 calories (wait, what? How was that possibly less?).

There are people in this country who cannot afford to eat in a day the amount that I can burn off in an hour. I could be a power source - just pay me in food and let me ride a bike all day.
----------------------------------------------
The other day, I saw upon stepping on the scale the lowest number I have seen upon stepping on a scale that I can remember: 242.8. The farthest back I can remember was freshman year of high school, weighing in at 244 during track season. That was almost 8 1/2 years ago. I was 6-8" shorter and quite unathletic.

It's been a journey. (And I'm just getting started.)
----------------------------------------------
Not racing at Coppi this weekend. Not even on the waitlist, and I have a college friend in town for the weekend, so I'm just going to head out for some hill repeats tomorrow for a bit (OK, "for a bit" will probably add up to like 3 hours) and call it a day. Good luck, everybody. I hope one of my teammates wins in epic fashion.
----------------------------------------------
Riding on the borrowed powermeter. I'll write up more as I accumulate more data, but as of right now it looks like I'm able to hit a max power of something around 1500 W without sprinting to the point that my eyes cross. From what I can tell, my power/weight ratio is about in line with a similarly experienced novice cyclist - so now I just need to keep the power up as I reduce the weight.

Enjoy your weekends even if you're not racing. Keep it real.

Commitment - Hagerstown, Cat 4

2010-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

I went up to Hagerstown today for the MABRA crit championships.

I finished 7th and came away with $25, a case of sugarfree Rockstar, and a lesson on racing.

The course was open and fast, with one hairpin turn that could be taken with decent speed if there was no one in front of you. I spent most of the race at or near the front - not necessarily doing the work (OK, doing more work than I should have) but controlling (in my opinion) the race. It's something I seem to have a knack for - controlling the pack from the front. I did it at Washington County, I did it in a number of collegiate races, I did it here.

What I learned, however, was that you have to commit to your move. Whatever you're going to do at the end of the race, you must, MUST commit wholeheartedly to it. I found myself in the last 2 laps trying to get a gap off the front, but unable to get any separation (because I was unwilling to commit to going off the front) and burning my sprint energy (because I was unwilling to commit to trying to win out of the bunch). The Evo guy who attacked with 1/2 the last lap to go (my original idea) committed and got the victory for it. Good for him. Next time, commit. Either give it all you've got and go off the front (tough here because the course was so open, the pack was moving fast) or give everything you've got to positioning and getting someone to unwittingly lead you out.

Anyways, 7th is a pretty good result, and another upgrade point, but I could have played my cards better at the end of the race. Problem is, I see how now and it's gonna stay with me (as it always does) until I get a chance to try again.

Good races today from a lot of guys: the DVR guys, the Bike Lane guy who was hanging out at the front, the Coppi dudes, the BBC guy who, like myself, likes to instigate. My own teammates, who did a great job attacking and countering.

Ah, I had fun. The case of Rockstar, by the way, was my prize for winning the prime that happened on literally the second lap. The $25 went to pizza for Dan (who drove) and I on the way home.

I felt fast - I feel fast, generally, right now. There were no points during the race where I was concerned I would blow up, which I think is a major step forward in fitness since the beginning of the summer.

Like I said, nice job today, guys. Congrats to the winners of the various races.

Upcoming: Nick tries out a borrowed powermeter.

It's Mad Crazy Hot - Ride Anyways

2010-07-05T15:55:00.001-07:00

You reach a point in a group ride, when it's hot outside, where you can tell that nobody really wants to ride anymore. Everybody stops talking really, and heads get put down a little bit more.

We definitely hit that point today. Even buying gallons of water at a Shell station along Darnestown and being the group of people sitting in front of the gas station pouring water over ourselves couldn't prevent it.

It was a good ride, though. I got back and got in a solid post-ride nap. There is a lot of spaghetti happening in my life right now.

The 7-day report on my Garmin Connect right now says 327.94 miles. I'm down to 244.4 lbs. I feel like I've accomplished something. Fast fast. Looking forward to the 5 days of recovery workouts that are upcoming. Scheming to register day-of for the Giro di Coppi because I hesitated too long.

Aftermath

2010-06-29T17:59:00.001-07:00

First off, thanks to
Blog of Bryan Vaughan
Flamenco Chuckwagon
Celerity Cycling
Born to Kilo
and any I missed
for the shoutouts, praise, and congratulations.
And Brian S. for posting this.

I love this picture (courtesy of Dave K.):

Primarily because of the faces in the crowd. I suggest you click on it to see the actual size and check them out. People vary from psyched (most of them) to mind-blown (guy with fist in the air) to non-plussed (little girl sitting on top of someone's shoulders).

A couple more thoughts from Sunday, because clearly you all want to read them:
-During the 3/4 race, I clearly heard someone yell to a teammate "Stay on big Nick's wheel!" That was kind of odd, but makes a lot of sense. Step into my wind tunnel.
-So I guess my cover is blown now - that month of getting dropped, plus this gut, will probably not disguise me anymore. EXCEPT when I go home in August and race back there: unless they read the MABRA version of GamJams, they will not know who I am. So when I try to pull some shenanigans with 7 laps to go, they will just think, "eh, fat guy. He'll blow up." Heh heh heh.

Going forward:

Who here is aware of the economics behind positive and negative incentives? Show of hands. OK, nobody. Quick refresher: Positive incentives are supposedly 3 times more effective than negative ones. As in, offering people $10 to do something will work as well as saying that they lose $30 if they don't do it. Or you'll get 3x the responses as if you say they lose $10 if they don't do it.

Or, who's seen Office Space? The fear of losing your job will only make someone work hard enough not to get fired.

The point I'm getting at here is that winning Sunday is way, way more motivating to me than a month of getting dropped was. Sure, I want to lose weight to not be dropped. But now I've tasted the potential (tasted blood). How fast could I be if I lost the weight I want to? The pure physiology of it suggests that if I do, I will be about 24% faster uphill without factoring in the gains from putting in the work to get there. See Lance Armstrong's War. Think about that! I'm thinking about it. And it is making me want to be up at 5 AM tomorrow to be riding. Then again Thursday. 6 Friday. 5 Saturday (because I'm working at the shop). 8 Sunday probably.

WHO IS PUMPED??????? I AM PUMPED! I'm seeing the effort I've been putting in for the last few months (and the newfound direction I have thanks to working with someone wiser than I) pay off.

So the efforts (which had been picking up) are becoming more focused. You hear Lance talk about getting on the scale every day and how no one wants to do it (from the VS TdF preview show), and I'm doing it. Keeping track. (248.2 today.) I believe I have more accurately determined my basal metabolic rate and the amount of food I need to be eating to get where I want to be - 2200 calories + whatever I burn off (today that meant 3100). Trying to transition to the "eat every 2 hours whether or not you're hungry, so that you're never hungry, so that you eat less" system (which then helps avoid the problem I ran into at 2 PM today - "I have eaten less in the past 24 hours than is necessary to sustain me being awake for that long").

Perhaps I'm not adequately communicating how excited I am. I acknowledge the distinct possibility that my brain is still full of endorphins. But I will not stop until I appear this size while standing up:Also until "man, you go uphill good for a guy your size" has "a guy my size" even with the rest of the field.

LET'S DO THIS.

Seriously, though - if anybody ever wants to ride with me, just get in touch. I'm all about it. Riding solo is great, but riding with people is more great.

Let's Be Honest, You Already Know - Reston GP, Cat 4 + Cat 3/4

2010-06-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Come on, if you're reading this, you already know. You were probably there, as a matter of fact. It was hot, "crazy balls hot," but you were out there anyways because we were all out there anyways, because it is a weekend in June and that's bike-racing season.

Yes, I won the 4 race at Reston. Thank you to everyone who took the time to congratulate me. I appreciate it deeply. I apologize if I don't remember - there are a few minutes immediately after getting off my bike that are a little fuzzy.

It was not the sort of morning where I woke up, looked in the mirror, and said, "I'm going to win a race today." That happened before the W&M RR and the VT Crit. I actually did not really make a big deal out of the race. I cleaned my bike and went to bed early last night, but I knew I had to ride out there and would be spending a sizeable amount of time racing, so I just kinda went with it.

I left and headed to Dean and Deluca to meet Drew, with whom I was riding out to Reston. He was running a couple minutes late (it happens) but we got on our way and one thing became painfully, frustratingly obvious: it was hot. Real hot. Undaunted, we rolled to Reston, arriving at the registration table at, I think, 10:30, for a 10:45 3/4 start. It's a good thing he knew where registration was. We had just barely enough time to breathlessly pin on numbers and suck down some sugar before heading up to the course.

I managed to get up onto the front, actually on the line, next to the Bike Doctor rider who I know from around, but whose name I can never remember (I'm sorry, man. Maybe I never caught it in the first place?). Expectations, for me, were not high. My previous 3/4 experiences have all been poor. See Leonardtown, Wilmington. For some reason, sitting on the line, I couldn't remember that and thought this would be my first 3/4 race? I guess it was just that hot. Either way, I just wanted to hang on.

Hang on I did - for a while. I got a bad clip-in and ended up at the back from the beginning. I was happy to just tailgun, but as predicted, guys just fell off the back one by one. I kept moving up every time somebody got significantly gapped, but it took all of my skill and every muscle fiber in my body to do so. Eventually, I got gapped to the point where I could have caught back on, but it would have forced me to dig deep, and knowing that I was racing again and would actually be able to make a difference in that one, I elected to pull myself out before I got too loopy. 16 to go. Drew ended up off the back not long after. Our one other teammate had already dropped.

I was sitting in the shade on the sidewalk, pinning my 2nd number onto my clean jersey, when who should appear but Yon, who offered to escort me up into his office building nearby, featuring couches and air conditioning. I needed a moment before moving, but I happily accepted and found myself in a nicely-appointed internet company cafeteria, swiping their granola bars (hey, he said it was cool) and drinking the cold water. My parents called me (oh, sidebar: today was my birthday) to say hello and sing me happy birthday over the phone. I drank a ton of water, ate some Nature Valley bars, and found myself agitatedly pacing back and forth, sweaty socked feet on expensive private sector carpet, headphones on and turned up loud. When I headed back out to loosen up my legs, the heat felt even worse. But, I had filled a bottle with ice water to drink wile riding around, so it was alright. Sort of. I found my teammates and rolled up to the line, as everybody in the 95-man field wanted a good spot. Some guys took warmup laps; I did not - I already knew the course. I sprayed some water down the back of my neck and got ready. People lined the start/finish stretch and looked excited.

The whistle blew and we all set off. I was reasonably far up the pack on the first lap. The first half of the race can be summarized as such: The pack did its "swirl" thing where guys move up aroudn the outsides. I tried to move up and then drift back to the middle, but as the race went on, I would move up a little more and drift back a little less. Taking corners at speed with the pack was nerve-wracking. Eventually guys started to fall off and the pack began to string out.

From there:
~18 to go (maybe 19?):
I got up near the front. 5 guys were off the front, but not far. Maybe 10 seconds. I decided to go for it - why not, right? Just because I already raced (and rode out here) doesn't mean I should race conservatively, does it? I dug in and crossed the gap and started trying to help.
~16 (17?) to go:
The break started to fall apart. We couldn't keep a steady rotation going and we were slowly being reeled in.
15 to go:
We were caught by the field, and I fell in behind Matt to take some rest.
14 to go - 12 to go:
There were about 3 or 4 of us at the front, kind of rotating. Recognizing that the field was strung out and shrinking, and that no one was away, I tried to slow it down. Hands on the tops, sitting up, softpedaling a bit. Saying, "hey Matt, bring it down a bit. No one away."
11 to go:
Drew was aside one of the corners. He shouted at me, "Make something happen!" I realized he was right. I had been racing considerably less aggressively during the MABRA season than I was during the collegiate season. I decided to try to start something. Coming up the start/finish straight, I turn to the guy next to me and say "hey, turn 2, let's do this." Of course, in turn 2 some guy (I don't even remember what team, but he was on a black Cervelo) came around, so I took the opportunity to rest a bit and planned a move. Then coming up the start/finish straight with the lap counter turning over to 10, I went.
10 to go:
Attacked up the uphill part. Quickly opened up a gap. Got into the downhill section and could then take the corners much faster without the pack around me.
9 to go:
"Hey, at least it looks like I'll get that 2nd prime, which should be soon, right?" Over the PA: "NCVC trying to fly the flag off the front!"
8 to go:
Took the prime, for a certificate for a massage. Psyched.
7 to go:
Could hear Joe Jefferson talking about how I am considerably larger than the other cyclists.
6-4 to go:
Blank - was in the zone. Remember looking back and seeing the gap expand, then contract, then expand again. Saw Matt, sadly crashed out.
3 to go:
People screaming numbers at me. 18 seconds! 20 seconds! 15 seconds! Everybody yelling. "KEEP IT UP! JUST LIKE WASHINGTON COUNTY! YOU'VE GOT THIS, YOU'RE OUT OF SIGHT!" The crowd starts getting into it as I cross the start/finish.
2 to go:
It's my race. All I have to do is maintain focus. This was probably my slowest lap as the heat and the effort began to get the better of me.
1 to go:
This is it. Everything you've worked for. Every mile, every minute of time spent staring out at gray pavement is for this.
0 to go:
One of my teammates was kind enough to tell Joe Jefferson it was my birthday. He's yelling happy birthday over the PA, but I can only barely hear it because the crowd seems to be going nuts. Everyone screaming. Hands off the bars. Real victory salute. Everything hurts. No idea how I did it.

Some disorganized thoughts:
-I was not trying to attack solo. I wanted to bring somebody with me. But, it seemed that I picked the perfect time to do it - everyone was just "nnnnngh it's hot and we've been racing for 40 minutes." No one wanted to chase, and when they eventually tried, they couldn't stay organized enough, I guess.
-Going off the front solo with 9 to go does not feel good. It is a miserable looming of "this is going to be painful and awful." But you do it anyways.
-I really liked the course. Fast turns and space to recover.
-Many thanks are due to my teammates, for the help they offered. It was tough out there.
-Many thanks are also due to the many people (as I said above) who congratulated me. I met a lot of new people today, it was exciting.

What a day. I can now feel my legs turning to stone. Thanks again, everybody.

Sports!

2010-06-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know a lot about soccer. I played when I was a kid. I think I may have even scored a goal once.

But I have watched some soccer this week. USA! USA! USA! (Sad.)

You know what I noticed in the last two games (vs. Algeria and Ghana)?

Our guys were pretty constantly getting rocked. I understand soccer is a physical game. But why is it that the US' players weren't the ones who were slide-tackling people? Or stepping on their feet? Or drawing contact-related yellow cards? Or punching Clint Dempsey in the face?

Every time I looked up, there was an Algerian player fouling Jozy Altidore, or a Ghanaian player just straight-up taking out one of our guys. Just seemed like we were getting, you know, jocked with.

-------------
Reston Town Center GP tomorrow. Doubling up. Get pissed. Feel fast of late.

Had new LCD Soundsystem ("Dance Yrself Clean") stuck in my head for like 4 days straight.

Listening to HEALTH and cleaning my bike.

Monday In The Office

2010-06-21T18:21:00.001-07:00

Today, I have beaten the candy.

That is all.

Just When You Think Everything Is Lost, Well, You've Still Lost, But Not Everything - ToWC Cat 4

2010-06-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

You know, the Tour of Washington County was great. It was painful, sure, it was hot like an oven, yea, but it was a great race. Series of races. Whatever. I'm tired. This is a long post. It covers a lot. Enjoy.

DAY 1: JUST BE HAPPY YOUR TIRES AREN'T MELTING
Rich and I left DC at about 10 AM, which was a nice change from the last several races, for which we had to leave at a time which was only 1 digit and not a good one. We got to Smithsburg for the RR, stepped out of the car, and noticed 2 things: there was a big electronic sign warning of a bicycle race in progress (strong work) and it was literally like 4000 degrees. Not even kidding. Who am I to abuse hyperbole?

NCVC had a huge squad for the race. Something like 17 starters of the 54 total. I didn't bother counting. We all survived the neutral rollout and settled in. And settle in we did - there was very little attacking over the first 3 (of 6) laps.

So there's this little climb in the RR course - this little wall you have to get up 6 times through the course of the race. First time up - fine. Second time up - fell to the back of the group. Third, fourth, and sixth times up - setting the pace. Fifth time up - just hanging on.

We put 2 guys into a break that happened late on the 3rd lap. The rest of the squad set about keeping the pack in line - so that's what I did. You're gonna make me do work? I'm gonna go to the front, sit up, and go 17. Deal with it. A rotation of NCVC guys just sat at the front and locked things down. It was great. Back to what I'm familiar with - blocking. It was like Navy in the collegiate races.

Anyways, both our guys got dropped from the break, but only one of those was caught by the field. The other hung on for 4th. Some guys who tried to get across the gap failed to do so and were absorbed.

Everytime I looked back, the field kept getting smaller. Then, all of a sudden, we were headed back up the neutral rollout to the finish line. I was happily towards the front, and saw a woman waving a flag, and the road turned up ("the finish line is at the top of the hill!") and I powered my way up, only to find out/realize that there are 2 hills. The finish line is at the top of the next one. Not this one. There's the 200m sign. There's the hill. I can sprint up one hill; two hills is too much. I blew up (nooooo! I was at the front!) and fell to the back of the pack. 16th place.

Hey, you know what? Pack finish in a race with hills? 16 guys DNF'ed. I will accept this result. Score one for me - take that, gravity.

We hung around waiting for results, then rolled to dinner as a group - 11 guys at Ruby Tuesday's. We tried to get the waitress to agree to come watch the next day's races and repeatedly devastated the salad bar. Go team.

Then, after we adjourned to our race hotel - the Holiday Inn Express which was packed with racers - I determined that my clip-on aerobars were not compatible with my oversize handlebars. Tragedy! Not a big deal, though. I went to sleep satisfied with my result (more or less - if I had known there were two hills, I wouldn't have sprinted up the first one) and excited for today.

DAY 2: SO MUCH SWEAT, SO FEW JERSEYS
We started early in preparation for the TT and crit today. Up at 6:15 and down to eat breakfast - the kind of greasy hotel breakfast that fuels the best races (Hampton Inn breakfasts - clutch). When we got to the TT course, we discovered it was a madhouse - riders all warming up down one stretch of road, and everywhere. People. Bikes. Cars. Emergency vehicles.

I started my run at 9:01, with Rich behind me at 9:01:30. I was excited, but still nervous. Still get nerves at the start line. No aerobars. Aero helmet, but prepared to Merckx the 10 mile time trial. It was very hot already. I had been sweating uncomfortably in between warming up and going off.

I managed to come out hot - good start, right gear and all. The course was profiled like a bowl - down, up, turn around, back down, back up - and I used it to my advantage, catching my :30 mark in less than 4 1/2 minutes - right before the road turned up.

Of course, that slowed me down. The false flat headed up to the turnaround was brutal. To be frank, it was the same sort of grind that broke me at Poolesville - not steep, but long and with no end in sight. I hit the turnaround going a solid 14 miles an hour. I turned around, however, and that turned into coasting 35 down the hill, enjoying the recovery and wanting to get out of the forearms-on-the-tops position because I was sitting pretty much directly on my "secure compartmented information facility" (SCIF).

I didn't catch anyone else. In fact, when I finally allowed myself to look back with about half a mile to go, there was a Skanska guy almost upon me. I beat him to the line (up a hill that had a visible crest), but he was my minute man. I'm not going to feel as bad about getting caught by a guy riding an aero-equipped Cervelo. It's not a minute difference, but it is a difference.

I thought I put in a good ride, but as I found out, it was only good enough for 18th (38 starters today). That, however, moved me up to 12th in GC.

After ducking back to the hotel to refill bottles and rinse off slightly, we proceeded to the crit course, where we were all able to ride around for about 20 minutes before being called to the line.

Our guy from the break (AKA the Church Creek Swamp Monster) was 5th in GC, so we set out to work for him. I got a great clip-in off the line and took to the front, where myself and one of NCVC's other big guys (not as big) set a pretty merciless pace for the first several laps. We had something like 6 of the first 8 spots set for the first several laps - it was ridiculous. Then two guys went up the road, we collectively decided to let them go. Our GC contender decided to bridge up, successfully made it, and we set about blocking the front of the pack. This we did well - us and an Evo guy (they had someone up as well). This was the case until about lap 8, when a DVR guy attacked, and I turned and said "I got it" and chased him. I spent entirely too long chasing him. He wasn't going to make it. But I burned all my matches keeping him tethered.

Then, just as I fell off the pace and tried to sit in and recover, guys' tires started blowing up. 2 bonus accelerations later, I was gapped. That's how it starts, a little gap opens up. Then you get caught by a couple guys, and then one of them gets gapped, so you have another gap to close. Then you dig deep, really deep, and almost make it back up, only to see the GC contender you worked so hard for sitting off to the side, race done, following a rolled tubular and messed-up derailleur. Then it's survival. You catch on with who you can, keeping the pack in sight the best you can. You last 21 laps until you get pulled, at which point you join your teammates off on the sidewalk.

I dunno. I almost managed to make it back up. Even after starting to fall off again. Almost. I didn't just get dropped though - I bonked. I haven't felt quite so terrible upon finishing (ending) a race since the first VCU crit, where I thought I was going to pass out when I finished. I sat down on the sidewalk; eventually I got up and got water. My effort was good for 23rd place. I thought there were 38 starters, so I suppose not finishing last (and not crashing) is a good thing.

(UPDATED) I ended up 22nd overall in GC. What exactly did they have posted right after the crit? It was incorrect. False hope. Either way, 54 guys started the race. Chalk up a victory for the big man. Also, mad ups to AVC for putting on a great weekend.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There were a lot of people who said hello to me this weekend who I did not know before. Apparently, people read this. I'm glad you're interested in what I have to say - keep saying hello at races, it's enjoyable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So summer work has got me thinking about what I'm going to be doing when I graduate. It is, to be fair, 2 years from now, but it's one of those things you need to start working on early if you have designs on anything awesome. Jobs don't just fall into your lap.

One of the things I am considering is a judicial clerkship. Now, clerkships are hard to get. This has got me wondering - are there jobs for which I would consider going back to Cleveland? I'm more about the job than the location - I think. Maybe. I really like it here. I even seem to be getting used to the heat, kind of maybe.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came up with a solution about the junk food - don't try to manage it, just cut it out entirely. I've done it before (fall 2008), and it was very successful. Since then, I haven't completely committed - and look where that's gotten me: to a plateau. That's it! Back to the old system: no junk. No beer. Nothing besides fruits and vegetables after dinner. You hear that, gut? I'm coming for you from two angles - with the cutting out of the junk food, and with the getting up before dawn to ride (yea, that's right. I've been doing it.). I acknowledge that this is not the "EAT THE DAMN CHOCOLATES" strategy, but it has worked for me in the past, and is worth trying again.

Keep it real, guys. Thanks for reading along.

How Do You Deal? - with updates.

2010-06-17T19:09:00.001-07:00

So, at work, there are several fair-game and constantly refilled bowls of candy scattered about the office.

It's a problem.

I find myself going, "oh man, I got up at [5, 5:15, and 4:30 in the last 3 days], I need some sugar to keep me awake. It's cool." I've started keeping a tally - me versus the candy. In 3 days of counting, the candy is winning 2-1.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to deal with this? I've been thinking, but so far my discipline is lacking.

Options:
-Keep something non-candy in my office as an alternative. Currently there are almonds.
-The post-it note on my computer that says "DON'T EAT THE CANDY (do it for the chicks)."
-Disincentives: make myself count each piece of candy so that I am appalled at how much I eat and stop it. Alternatively, make myself do 5 situps for every piece (probably not at work, so much).
-Incentives: if I don't eat any candy, I get to do [x]. But what is x?
-Hire one of my coworkers to punch me every time I try to get candy.
-Hire one of my coworkers to ridicule me every time I try to get candy.
-Imagine what [rational me/Spartacus/Noel at the shop/Bert/somebody who would disapprove] would say every time I try to get candy.
-Try to space out my meals better so I'm eating at like 7:30, 10, 12, 3, and 7 instead of 7:30, 12, and 7 and snacking.

Suggestions? Anybody?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Washington County this weekend. This has been a "target race" for me for a while now. I'm not going to talk up how psyched I am or how sweet it's going to be. I am very much looking forward to the race; here's hoping I've got legs.

Also, it's an excuse to break out the aero helmet and (gasp!) clip-on aerobars. I never did manage to turn the ol' Warrior into a TT bike.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I went down to the Point tonight for sprint Thursday. It was silly. For the most part, anybody who was anybody took the day off to rest up, so it was mostly (in the general sense - plenty of decent people in the actual group, if many fewer than normal) freds and amateurs. I got a few good hot laps in and rode a few easy. Good times.
----------------------------------------------------------------
There's another bike in my near future. The family will grow. I continue to aspire to be a Belgian hardman. Details to come later.

Good luck this weekend, everyone.

BY THE WAY:
This may or may not be what I'm trying to accomplish with my hair. Thank you, Lars Boom:
DOUBLE BONUS BY THE WAY:
Michael Cera continues to be pretty much everything I ever wanted to be.

Non-Cycling: DC Gets Flooded With Interns, Metro Gets 30% More Annoying

2010-06-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Metro Etiquette for DC Summer Interns: A Primer

There are some things you don't do on the Metro, because they peg you immediately as either an intern, from out of town, or a douchebag. Let's review.

DON'T talk on the Metro before 9 AM.
This is basic morning commute policy. We're all on our way to work. We all know everyone else is (unless they're tourists). It's certainly true that there are a lot of things going on in your life; I can speak for all of us when I say we don't care about them. We don't really care how sweet your job is, how sweet your college is, how sweet your family connections are, or how awesome it was how you powered 15 beers in one sitting over the weekend. You know what, I'm actually usually in a good mood on my way to work (so far) and I still don't care. Shut up. I can hear you over my headphones and I don't like it.

DON'T eat your breakfast on the train.
It's a rule. It's a rule for a reason. Everybody else is following it. You know why? Because we like the Metro to remain clean. When the train jerks forward, somebody bumps into you, and you spill your coffee, I promise you no pity from any of the people you shower.

DON'T crowd the train doors so people can't get off the train.
You're not Barack Obama; you're not any more important than any of the people getting off the train. In fact, some people would say that because you're an intern, you're actually less important. Because I'm an intern myself, I will stop short of that. We're all equally important. But if you're in the way, I can't get off the train, which will mean in turn that you cannot get on. Funny how that works.

DON'T run down the escalator at rush hour with a bicycle.
Come on, seriously? You have a bike. Ride it home. Plus, I saw you hit like 5 people with it.

DO stand on the right and walk on the left. Also, don't leave your bags sitting on the left in the way.

DO politely get out of the way if you don't have a Smartrip.

DO move with the crowd.

DO kindly let people by when they need to detrain.

DO leave your lanyard/ID in your pocket until you actually get to work.

And now we'll all exist together a little more peacefully.

I won't pretend that I have always been innocent of all these things. People need to be told. I'm just doing my duty, having been there.

Odds and Ends

2010-06-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

1. After getting mad sick, posted a new low weight - 245.2. It's not quite legit, admittedly, but that was despite drinking 4 pounds of water.

2. This is a little untimely, but who is the idiot who approved the permits to tear up 18th street in 3 different places at once? Street's still ripped up.

3. Still feel like I've been turned inside out - went down to the Point to sprint a bit and cramped up quickly. 40 minutes and I felt like I did at the end of Murad - my whole body was just like, "no."

4. I really love my summer job. I will not discuss it on the blogternets, but rest assured, I feel like a real person again and am doing what I love. Additionally, I am rather grateful for the opportunity to do what I ultimately want to now, as a 1L.

5. Hawks win!

6. F mosquitoes. Right in their ears.

24 Hours Of Up And Down

2010-06-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Some times are approximate.

8 AM Sunday: Race starts in 45 minutes. Game time. It's on.
9 AM: Racing. Hold lines! Pedal faster!
10 AM: Race has ended. Displeased with result.
11 AM: Still displeased with result. Need to get to the shop.
12 PM: Sellin' bikes!
1 PM: Sellin' bikes!
2 PM: Need to eat, very badly.
3 PM: Sellin' bikes!
4 PM: Perspective - you know what, due respect to their efforts, the other guys my size are the ones getting dropped from the 5 race. Maybe I didn't do so badly after all.
5 PM: Close shop. Prep wheel to be rebuilt. Go home to prepare for the National.
6 PM: Nearly fall asleep on couch, repeatedly.
7 PM: Beers.
8 PM: The Antlers! So good.
9 PM: Waiting for the National to begin. Excited. With friends.
10 PM: The National: so fantastic. A show in which my favorite band played a wide range of their material, played it well, kept energy up, and reminded me why I love them.
11 PM: See above.
12 AM: Stop for falafel on my way home because I have a card for a free one and forgot to eat dinner.
1 AM: Sleep.
2 AM - 8 AM: Sleep.
8 AM: Wake up feeling as if I am being repeatedly punched in the stomach. Get in shower, hope I can power through first day of Summer Work despite malady.
9 AM: It becomes painfully obvious I cannot. Call in sick, become violently ill.

Food poisoning... the weakest of the sauce. Pun intended.
Nice job by all the teams that locked down the front of the pack for the last 4 laps of RSR. I couldn't get in; that was pretty by-the-book on the part of all of you.
Slept most of the day. Need to go lay on my couch and find a way to begin to rehydrate my body.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Freds

2010-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Yea, there's no meaning behind the title of this post. I'm just easily amused.

Phone-a-fred: Verb. To "phone a fred" is to happen upon a rider of fredly proportion (mountain bike shorts sagging to reveal boxers, unshaven legs, clip-on aerobars) and then use him to take a short break of drafting before pulling off when you realize he is going way too slow. Then he hangs on to your wheel and doesn't pull through for miles, until you go up old angler's and drop him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yo, it's hot. But that did not dissuade me from doing this.

Some of you may say "but Nick, this kind of riding is not what you need to be doing right now. You're not maximizing your efficiency." To that I would respond that, again, Mercx said "Ride. Lots." He seemed to know what he was doing. So, see you Sunday, sucka pants. Ride Sally Ride, son.

I was actually pretty surprised by how much it took out of me to break the barrier and ride the hundo. You could tell how deep I was digging (hypothetically, if you were around) by the cogency of what I was saying to myself:

Mile 84.9, pulled over along MacArthur under the Beltway, trying hard not to puke: You're almost there. 15 miles to go. Less than 10 until you can stop for water at the shop. You can do this.

Miles 86-88: Keep going. Don't stop. You're good. Don't puke.

Miles 88-90: Don stop. Almos there. Nnnnnagh. Aahhhhh. Almos there.

Mile 90.1, sprinting for the DC line: AAAAAAAAAAAGHH. Drop hammer. Almost home. Ahhh, traffic.

Mile 92: Don't puke now. So close. Almost there. Keep it down.

Miles 93-101: Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Many, many miles. Took about 45 minutes to stop feeling like I was going to puke. Not the legs that couldn't handle it. The rest of the system.

Thanks to Boyd's Country Market and the Poolesville Chevron for keeping me from dehydration bonking along the way, but as the day got hotter, I guess I just couldn't avoid it as I neared the city.

But would I do it every day if I could? Windswept, lonely farm roads with beautiful views?

Yea, probably.

We've Been Invaded By Moto-Freds!

2010-05-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

You know, we're not that different, you and I. Sure, my bike is made of aluminum and carbon and weighs 17 pounds, while yours is made of several different types of metal and weighs somewhere around 600. Sure, I'm reasonably certain that you took a look at my spandex as I sat on the curb eating a croissant, turned to your companions, and questioned my manhood. Sure, some of your ilk may have tried to run me off the road.

Think about it, though. We both reject cultural norms in favor of our own niche culture. We both wear helmets and funny pants. We're both on two wheels. Cars respect neither of us. We travel in packs.

There are plenty of similarities to draw.

People get scared of bikers. It's true, organizations that law enforcement refer to as "outlaw motorcycle gangs" can be legitimately a bit unnerving. However, they make up a really small proportion of actual biker dudes. (They sometimes refer to themselves as "one percenters" to reference the fact that they are the "one percent of bikers who represent a threat to society.")

No, the guys who come to conventions like Rolling Thunder are the weekenders, the hobbyists. The farther they rode, the more serious they are. Sure, they go out of their way to look tough, but we go out of our way to look pro, don't we? The patched leather jackets are pretty much the same thing as the gold-trimmed 50th anniversary Sidis.

I don't have a real point here. I'm as annoyed as anyone with the masses of loud motorcycles everywhere. They're everywhere, they interrupt conversations, and they smell like exhaust. As angry as I get, though, I can't help but remember that we're all the same. At the core, anyways.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Monday, I managed to climb 2300 feet in 26 miles over an hour and 45 minutes, all in Rock Creek Park. That becomes, then, the Monday workout.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, I've pretty much trashed my "indestructible" Mavic Open Pro rear rim. The braking surface is concave and the wheel won't stay in true. Apparently I'm just too intense. Thanks to the generosity of a friend who had an extra laying around, I'm just going to build another one up with the hub, which is still perfectly fine (and is a high-quality Ultegra hub). We'll see how long that one lasts. It's an interim solution until I either lose more weight or buy a 36-hole hub.

I've heard of people getting 10 and 15,000 miles out of Open Pros. I have gotten just shy of 2K out of this one (the front is still fine). I guess I'm just too hardcore.

Glimmers Of Promise

2010-05-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

BikeJam Baltimore - I didn't win, but I didn't suck as badly as I have been sucking at racing. 20th.

It's a neat little course they've got going on up there in Patterson Park. It has 2 fairly technical chicanes, but is mostly pretty easy. It was a pretty big field, also. Furthermore, there were a pretty good number of spectators and there was an interesting mix of people all around the park for the race (even with the 4 race being at the end of the day). A lot of people around who looked rather surprised that there was a bike race happening. A lot of people around who looked rather nonplussed that there was a bike race happening. Dogs. You know, the full gambit.

It was nice to have found some form again, but I rode a tactically rather poor race. There were decisions I made that I, looking back, wonder about. After another good clip in, I decided to spend some time off the front on the first lap, honestly in part because I wanted a chance to see the course (no warm-up lap, again) free of a pack of dudes. It's also kind of nice to have that time to settle into a rhythm ("OK heart, you can slow down now") before you get swarmed. I don't think it really hurt me, but still, why did I think that was a good idea? The other regrettable moment was when I chased down a DVR solo attack which clearly wasn't going to go anywhere. That was just a waste. I sat up after not all that long when I recognized that nothing would happen, but that was just a waste of my effort. Then on the last lap, I failed to find or make a gap to move up around the back side of the course and couldn't make up enough position to make a difference at the end. I gained several spots riding up the straight (not quite in an all-out sprint), but it was the back stretch leading into the 2nd chicane that did me in there.

However, after my last few races, I'm happy to finish and not be too awful. Thanks again to the KBS rider for the little motivational speech during the cooldown lap. Props to KBS for putting on a good race, and to Liquid Earth in Baltimore for having delicious sandwiches (even if they are all hippies).

In August of 2008, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "No. Not acceptable anymore. The standard has changed." Well, the standard has changed again. It's taken me this long to have that moment again, but last night, after getting dropped at Wilmington, it has happened. The standard has changed.

Tomorrow I begin the process again. My next race will be Ride Sally Ride, but I'm focused on the Tour of Washington County. I have a month. Let's see what I can do with a month. I have to begin adjusting to riding early in the morning, with the goal of riding every morning before work (when that finally starts). So tomorrow, I will be out the door at 7, spinning the cranks.

Where will you be?

By the way, GO BLACKHAWKS!

In Which Nick Goes On An 0-3 Run

2010-05-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Man, I just don't have it lately. Dropped again.

We already knew I don't like technical crits. The Wilmington GP was super-technical.

It was a really cool race, though. Wilmington knows, evidently, how to put on a race. I rode up with Dan, got occasionally rained on during the drive, and got there in time to see the finish of the pro/1 race. There was a lot going on though - music playing, some guy singing Sinatra, shops relocated to sidewalks, beer tents, people milling around everywhere.

We got a warmup in and then had to sit by the side of the course for much of the 2/3 race as we staged with the absurdly large field. We didn't get a lap of warmup around the course, even, which was less significant to me than it was to Dan (I will explain).

The race kicked off and I got my best clip-in ever and ended up in about 5th wheel for the first several corners. But, it was not to be. Gradually, over the next several laps, I was spit out the back. The course, when subject to the constant accelerations of a cat 3 field determined to spit out the garbage, was too much for me (this makes me the garbage to be spit out). I mean, the course was merciless. 8 corners, an out-of-the-saddle climb on the back side, and a grinding uphill start/finish straight. Not a sprinter's course - rather, a classic sufferfest.

Anyways, I ended up spit out the back after several laps and stuck working with some other guys who just couldn't make the cut. Then some of them fell off. Then I fell off. Then the guy who made it out of our group fell off. I took a lap of the next block over to pull myself back together and came back to watch the rest of the race. Got to chat with Kevin Long, ACCC director and USAC official (and all-around stand-up guy), got to watch the finish. Looking around, however, there were a LOT of riders from the 3/4 race that had been similarly pulled. Carnage.

To be fair, I rode much better than I did last week. Of course, though, I have no one to blame but myself. I just don't have the fitness to sustain that many accelerations with a group of cat 3s. I say this not as an excuse, but as a reason, a problem to be corrected. Monday, I begin in earnest the campaign to "ride until I'm f---ing skinny." Tomorrow, however, I will race again at BikeJam. It is a 4-only race. My legs feel good. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I will say that the single worst moment of the race was when I was still not that far behind the field, coming up the straightaway, and I could hear Joe Jefferson say over the PA that the pack was slowing down... and I just couldn't bridge up. I was so far into the red already that I just couldn't do it. They were so close, and yet so far away, and the guys with me wouldn't share the work.

To add insult to, well, insult, I managed to give myself 4 distinct cat 5 tattoos on my calf. My crank, apparently, is dirty.

So I said we didn't get to ride the course before we started, right? Well, that meant that on lap 2, Dan was still unaware of the metal fencepost sticking out into the course on the last corner. He put his shoulder into it. Then, he went on to finish the race, I think in the top 15. He got off his bike and was a mess ("Dog. I think my shoulder is broken."). After ascertaining that it wasn't completely screwed, we drove home and he was planning on heading to GWU Hospital, which is fortunately across Washington Circle from his place. What a Belgian Hard Man - finishing out the race with a possibly broken (there's probably a decent chance he chipped the bone or something) shoulder. Impressive.

Does anyone else feel like they're letting their bike down when they can't make it go fast? My bike wants to go fast - that's all the stealth bike wants out of life. I couldn't make it do that today. I'm not worthy. Additionally, I wasted my best clip-in ever.

Whooo! Bike racing!

The Future

2010-05-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

"Ride. Lots."
- The Cannibal.

So that's what I'll do.

This weekend:
Wilmington GP Saturday: I have no delusions of grandeur. It's a 3/4 race with 92 registered riders - and I recognize some of those names as hotshot 3s. Race goal: don't get dropped.
KBS/BikeJam Sunday: 4 race - this is more what I'm gunning for this weekend.

Then Monday I begin the "learn to get in mad crazy miles on a real person's schedule" program in anticipation of beginning summer work.

I'm sorry I don't have more lately.

Mostly just trying to enjoy riding my bike and get faster.

By the way, Floyd? I mean, what a mess. Additionally, after seeing all the shenanigans that went on at Leonardtown, I will say that I'm rather happy I ended up dropped instead of on the ground with tacks in my tires.

Holy Schnikes, Batman

2010-05-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I got smoked today.

There were cameras. 2:1 I end up on yougotdropped.

I deserve it.

Cluster...thing... To The Finish Line - Poolesville, Cat 4 And Otherwise

2010-05-15T14:28:00.001-07:00

Some days you have the legs, some days you don't.

I didn't have them today. Finished 24th in the cat 4 race at Poolesville, if you're just reading to find out how I did. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with it (and I'll explain why below), but I finished, and finished upright, which is more than many riders can say, so I'll take it. Congrats to Rich for crossing the line 10th, to Bert for winning the field sprint in the 3/4 race for 4th, and to the NCVC 3/4 women for all finishing strongly.

It was an interesting day. Before I get into it, let's talk about the defining feature of the Poolesville course, as it figures in a few times. "The Turn" looks like this (you all know already):This picture, however, doesn't do it justice. Build it step-by-step:
1. T-intersection. You come in and make a 90 degree right turn.
2. Gentle bend to the right leading in for about 400m.
3. Downhill slope leading in for about 500m, peaking in steepness of descent about 100m from the turn itself.
4. Somewhat rough pavement in the last 50m.
5. YOU TURN ON TO GRAVEL. LOOSE GRAVEL.

-----------------------------------------------
Alright, that's out of the way. I'll go through my day of racing and road guarding now.

Rich and I had to leave early for the 8:35 start. I was still pretty spaced out when we left, because it took me a very long time to get to sleep last night. I was excited, and have had some other (not really important) things going on lately.

We got to the race and started setting up. I flatted a tube topping up my rear tire! Took a minute to change it out. The valve straight-up ripped out of the tube.

The 4 race started almost on time. Quite frankly, the first lap (of 4) was uneventful. Everybody slowed down to enter the gravel section. There was a crash on the back side of the course that I think resulted from just a wheel touch. I was near, but not at, the front. But as lap 2 started, I began to feel my legs slow down. What is that feeling? It's not a bonk... I'm well-hydrated and -fueled. No, it's the 130 miles I rode already this week and the 2 pedicab shifts. Ouch. OK, switch it to survival mode. My own fault. For the next lap and a half I focused, hard, on just trying to save energy. Didn't chase any breaks, didn't attack at all, just sat in the pack. That is, until a funny thing happened. We were climbing up the slow grind of the slope in the last mile of the loop and the motor-refs pulled us over and neutralized us. Why, we asked? You're about to be overtaken by the Masters field. Oh, are we? Is that them back there? No, that's a group of dropped riders from our field. Them? No, more dropped guys. Wait, there's Matt, getting out of the follow car. It's the women that were about to be overtaken by the Masters, not these guys. Ah, ok. Get going again. I suppose you could complain, but why? Nobody got an unfair advantage - everybody stopped. Come on, even the dropped guys caught back on and attacked the field (yea, you were 2 minutes back, but why not? Classy.).

Actually, I'm not going to complain. The break (it was a TV timeout! They had to stage the camera choppers) gave me some more time in my legs. I took the opportunity to chug some fluids and I felt much better. We climbed up and started the last lap, and my legs felt, all of a sudden, like I wanted them to. I found my wits and started playing my game - moved up the side of the pack (on the shoulder side - some riders, who shall remain name and team-less here, took, ah, other opportunities). I got up to about 10th wheel - right where I want to be with 10 miles to go, and I felt great. Then we hit the dirt, and having seen guys get bolder and bolder taking "The Turn," I tried to bring just a little more heat into the corner (so as to not get dive-bombed). Now, that was of course, a bad idea. I'm a lot of rider. I have learned to corner reasonably well on the road, but on shaky gravel, it's a whole different game. So I ended up outside the line I wanted and outside of the clear track of dirt, and lost more places than I wanted to. I want to think this is what doomed me, but it's hard to pin it down to just that. Anyways, I weaved my way back up through the pack again - I was exactly where I wanted to be, about 15th and feeling good.

Then we rounded the second-to-last corner, entering the last climb. It's not a steep climb. It's a slow grind, and it feels like it goes on forever. And I cracked. I saw a gap form and I couldn't hold the wheel in front of me. I knew I was done. I tried to bridge up to a few guys in front of me and basically just pulled a V-Day guy up so he could jump up.

Generally the race was kind of a mess - the roads were super narrow, so it was very difficult to pass anyone. The group stayed together and stayed annoyingly wide across the narrow road.

Call it as you will - I think fatigue. 130 miles in the saddle and 12 hours of pedicabbing; I was redlining up that climb and looked down and saw my heart rate at 162. Low.

Some days you have the legs, some days you don't. I didn't have them today, and I have to live with the fact that it was my own fault - I should've planned better this week.
--------------------------------------------------
So then I got to spend the afternoon road guarding in "The Turn," which was fairly exciting. Sit and wait for the fields - M1/2/3, M3/4, W3/4 - to come through, see who slides out in the gravel.

Well. Not as many slid out in the gravel as I was told would. It was, I was also told, a particularly tame year for the dirt. In fact, I only saw one crash in the dirt in the 4 race, though I presume there were more - there were only 41 finishers, out of the fully-registered field of 75.

One of the women (presumably a 4, as she wore a non-team kit) slid out and had some trouble getting her chain back onto the crank. She seemed like she really had no idea what was wrong - I think she chewed up her new Ultegra crank a fair bit. Shame.

The highlight (if you could call it that), was when a Haymarket rider (who turned out to be Bryan Vaughn) went down in the dirt. He, as I was telling people earlier, channeled his inner Hincapie and busted the steerer tube of his Trek fork. At least he didn't endo over the bars - he just slid out. Unfortunately, he slid out onto his knees (not really sure how he hit both knees without going over the bars - he didn't hit his head) and ripped them open badly enough to require medical attention, so I got to call 911 for actually the first time ever. They came by and patched him up, but his wounds required stitches, so hopefully he's gotten that taken care of at this point. Interested to see how his helmet video turns out. Heal up soon, man.

Another good joke by the great Trek bicycle-making company. Messing up a nice new Di2 setup.
----------------------------------------------------
I got a chance to talk a little bit to an older, more experienced racer today (who is a Cat 1 and shall remain nameless in the name of propriety), who apparently went through a similar physical transformation to what I'm trying to accomplish. He started off as a 5 weighing about 295, as he said, competed as a 4 at 245, said he lost 40 pounds as a 3, and is now a Cat 1, 4 years later. There is much promise yet... one day I will become a rippling slab of bicycle-powering muscle, and then you guys better all look out. Just need to keep at it, and ride 10,000 miles a year, because apparently that works. It's only 200 miles a week if you ride 50 weeks out of the year. I should hit 200 this week. Need to slowly ratchet up the mileage though.
-----------------------------------------------------
So rather than just sit on the result of today's race for 2 weeks, I get a chance to atone tomorrow at Leonardtown. I'm excited about it. The 3/4 race isn't until 2:15, so I get to sleep until a reasonable hour (and go to bed at a reasonable hour as well, since I'm now exhausted). In the meantime, I'm laying on my couch contemplating dinner, round 2, as a container of pad thai was not enough for me in the middle of a race weekend. Feet up, compression socks on. I need to set up my bike (I rode my Open Pros today - the cassette on my race wheels is different and so requires some adjustment) and bag, and maybe start on the reading for my summer class, which begins on Monday night.

And eat again.
------------------------------------------------------
By the way, Versus suggested earlier that the changes to the Tour of CA threaten Leipheimer's domination thereof (3 straight!). Didn't that happen, exactly, to Lance back in the day? The French were angry that he kept winning Le Tour, so they changed the race? He won again anyways. If Levi wants to win, he'll find a way.
-----------------------------------------------------
Congratulations to my friends and teammates who are graduating from GW in the morning.

Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow - keep your tires on the road and out of the air.

Sometimes You Just Need To Enjoy It

2010-05-12T14:35:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make: I haven't really been following the Giro. Does that make me a bad cyclist? Is it blasphemous? Is it fair to say I have been "dropped" by Universal Sports' coverage (which is typically pretty good)? It's a 3-week affair. I think I can catch back on.
-------------------------------------------------
I wanted to take the opportunity to ride the Poolesville course, so I decided to do it today - scattered t-storms today, showers tomorrow, supposedly.

I have to say, it was great - the solo ride is meditative. Nearly 4 1/2 hours of lush green Maryland (mostly - have to ride through the city and all). You really do have to just look up and enjoy it sometimes - a luxury typically not afforded on a group ride as guys try to hammer each other and you're forced to pay close attention to the group. Riding solo, aside from slowing you down, gives you the chance to look up and just enjoy it sometimes. Moments I enjoyed today:
-A bug actually splattered across my left arm as I tore down Darnestown Rd., rather than just bouncing off.
-Sitting and eating a Snickers bar outside the Chevron in Poolesville, and just looking around and seeing the town - Bob's Bikes and some small attorney's office.
-River Rd. was almost empty today. Looking back over my shoulder and seeing only green around the idyllic-looking yellow-striped 2 lane road - key.
-Riding the dirt section of River feels like riding through a tunnel made out of a forest.
-Again on River, nearly to Falls, there was a paper sign taped to the post of a road sign - "Happy Birthday Michelle!"
-The point here is that it was a good ride. Green fields everywhere, blue skies above, didn't get clipped by any cars, beat the rain.

I'm psyched for Saturday - the course is challenging, but not unduly so. It rolls. The dirt is not even very bad. The entry corner looks a little sketchballs, but it happens.

You know, I'm even more psyched for Sunday - I'm racing the Leonardtown crit, which means a couple things. I finally get to race with Bert, who really got me into this sport. It's a flat downtown crit, which seems to be my favorite sort of thing. It's also a 3/4 race, so I get to check out some more intense competition (not that I have any problems with the intensity of the 4 competition; but it'll be fun).

GTFO, so to speak.
-------------------------------------------------
I've also begun some gainful employment (part time) at BPS, which is awesome. I've always wanted to work in a bike shop, so I'm really happy they've accepted me as the newest "rider in the peloton." BPS is without a doubt the best shop in the city (or really anywhere). Stop in, say hello, pick up some of the things you know you need for your bike. It's fun working there - talk about bikes all day, what more could I ask for?

Actually, I rode with the BPS guys on Sunday (almost immediately after getting off the plane). They show up to play.
-------------------------------------------------
The return of the sketchy neck beard! I've got some time before I have to look like a professional again (I don't start summer work until June 7). May as well try again to grow a beard. It's not really working... yet. My hopes are high.

Summertime, and the living is easy. At least until Monday, when I start my twice-a-week summer class (through June 30; thank you Outside Placement).

"Hipster NASCAR?" Nah, just fun.

2010-05-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

As I walked into Turin Bicycles in Evanston, IL, to return my borrowed Trek T1 track bike, Tuesday:
"Hey, are you the guy that was killing it on the track last night?"
Um, well, I was up at the track last night. I don't know that I was 'killing it' exactly.
"No, man, the guy that borrowed the other bike last night came in today to bring it back and was all like, 'yea, this big guy showed up, this tall guy, and he was just crushing it. Came in 2nd in the races yesterday.'"
Well, yea, I was doing OK I suppose. And I guess by most definitions, I'm going to be 'the big guy' in many situations, including almost all involving bicycles.

So it was a fun trip out to the velodrome Monday night. I headed up to pick up my bike, got the biggest one available - a 58cm bike with a bizarrely short seatpost - and headed for the velodrome in Northbrook (this means nothing to the MABRA community; sorry). I promptly got lost, thanks to construction on my planned route, but made it in time to warm up for the 7PM track developmental clinic (and fished $5 in change out of my car to pay the fee).

Basically, the idea is, teach people about track racing on Monday nights in order to prepare them for track racing on Thursday nights. The guy leading the show was a cat 2 track racer whose name I don't remember. I looked around and saw unfamiliar kits - "Half Acre," "Johnny Sprockets," "Kozy Cycles." All local club/shop teams, of course. Then there were people in unmarked/not actual kits. So the group split into two - those with track racing experience, and those without. I went with the "without" group by default.

We kicked off with a 10-lap tempo ride, half-lap pulls (one lap is ~384m). Then we moved onto a 10-lap race, within the groups. I was sitting at the front (what, no one wants to pull?) but wanted to just do something, so I jumped after 5 laps. 1 mile solo? I can do that. Except, hey, it turns out redlining on a track bike that's too small for you HURTS. So I was caught after 4 1/2 (the first 2 felt great, the next one not so much, the next one a little better, and the last half pretty awful) by another roadie trying out the track for the first time - except he was a 3 on a Colnago.

More exercises followed - 100m sprints, 100m seated sprints. We then did a 30-lap race with everybody rotating (all 30 people) half-lap pulls, "make it real in the last few." Well. That was kind of sketchy. There was a lot of "slowing!" happening, except on a track bike, you can't kick hard to close gaps and then just softpedal/freewheel when you get there - you're locking it down so you don't ride up anyone's wheel. Either way, I sparked the winning move and ended up in 4th. I expect to have 500m of seated power, but that only applies when the bike fits correctly, it seems.

It was an interesting bunch - roadies, dedicated track people, brand new track people, and members of the "fixie culture" who are trying to transfer their "sessioning" skills to the track. It was really fun, though - very different physically from road racing, yet similar tactically. Didn't get to try any of the cool events - miss 'n out, keirin, or the one I really want to try: individual pursuit (I feel like I could be good at that one).

Actually, one of the Half Acre guys saw the BPS logo on my GW kit and said, hey, Bicycle Pro Shop, I was just there the other day. Turns out he was out in DC on business and brought his bike. I guess he ran into a group of some kind in Reston or Arlington somewhere climbing hills and they were unwilling to share any work with him - so I hope that wasn't an NCVC crew, though it didn't sound like it; our kits are distinctive.

I didn't go back for Tuesday night because the ill-fitting bike left my legs feeling so terrible I couldn't deal with it. If it were more convenient and I could get a bike that fit well, I could totally see track racing on a regular basis, though.

Otherwise, I've just been enjoying some time off my bike - hanging out with friends and family, remembering what I like about running (as I now recall, I came to love running, before I came to love cycling even more), etc. I've managed 2 consecutive 7 mile runs - and I'm maintaining about an 8:45 pace even though Sunday was the first time I've run since February. My legs hurt. Though not in the same way as from a bike.

Tremendously excited for Poolesville. Formulating all sorts of evil plans. Please chase my attacks.

Shameless pitch: I picked up a pair of 2XU compression tights, and they are fantastic so far. My legs would hurt more if not for them. Also, spent my REI dividend on a camelbak podium insulated bottle and a new pair of swim goggles that hopefully will not fall off my face in the middle of this year's Nation's Tri (oh yeah, that's still happening - just wait 'til September).

Here's hoping all is still well back in our nation's fine capital. I miss it, but I'm enjoying getting to unwind a bit.

Listening to Florence + the Machine covering things. Girl can sing.
See here and here.

Sweating All Over Everything - Murad RR

2010-05-02T06:24:00.001-07:00

Man, it was HOT yesterday for the Murad RR out in Poolesville. The cat 4 race was only 48 miles and started at 10:10, but it was still crazy hot. Salt-crusted-on-my-jersey-and-face-at-the-finish hot.

It was fun. We had a pretty huge NCVC crew. I had the highest finish of the team at 11th - I think we were all a little disappointed with how things shook out in the end. We did a lot to control the race and most of us rode pretty aggressively, but we weren't coordinated enough amidst the chaos at the end of the race to keep it together, it seemed.

The race started off fairly slowly. The "neutral" rollout is kinda weak - 15 feet and then a corner, so everybody just takes off and if you're not at the front it's a little rough. But the pack stayed together and after a couple corners I was able to move up. Early in lap 2, a couple guys opened up a gap, so I bridged up, but they didn't feel like really making an effort. This in turn led to me attacking solo - "we're almost caught!" "Then we need to dig deep!" - and I'm all of a sudden off the front alone. Not worth it. I sat up and rejoined the pack. On lap 3, I followed a DVR attack and ended up in the most successful break of the day - 3 of us, and we stayed away for almost an entire lap. That was a good effort - a teammate was blocking at the front of the pack, too. We were just uncoordinated enough rotating that it didn't work out. I started to feel the invidious twinge of the seizing hips and decided to sit up and live to fight another time. I got caught up by the pack (but stayed near the front); eventually the other two did as well.

The next lap and a half was fairly boring. A couple more attacks, NCVC guys all trying to fight to the front, AABC planting all of their dudes at the front of the pack and softpedaling, etc. On lap 6, there was an increasing amount of sketchiness. Two guys locked bars in front of me early in the lap. There was a big crash as we turned onto Hughes Rd. as a bunch of guys in the middle of the pack all took each other out. Later on, a guy flatted right in front of me - as in, I was on his wheel when it blew out. He very ably kept his bike up and pulled off to the side - I was a bit deaf for a few moments thereafter. Then, during the field sprint, apparently some guys got tangled up and almost went down - I didn't see this though.

I started to cramp up at the end of lap 5. An influx of Clif Bloks and fluids seemed to hold it off, but as we passed the 1K marker, my left leg just locked up, toe pointing down. We were coming down the stretch, and I at one point had some teammates on my wheel, but they got mixed up in the flood of guys - as the race had stayed together, the front of the pack was kind of a mess at the end. At about 450 to go, I came around another teammate who had gotten up to the front, yelled "get on my wheel!"and took off. Unfortunately, I guess I rode him off my wheel - I found myself off the front, not quite able to shake the guys behind me and sorely lacking finishing power. So ultimately I got caught by a bunch of guys - though I did unwittingly lead out the winner - the DVR guy who I was breakmates with earlier. Well-deserved; he raced smartly.

Better-coordinated, I think we could have all finished a bit higher. I think if I had played things differently at the end of the race, I could have finished better - I figured my teammate would have fresher legs, as he hadn't been in a break, but oh well. We tried! Such is the game.

Shout-outs:
James, for trying to get it going amongst the softpedalers.
Jason, for riding aggressively enough to spark more than one break.
Andrew, for covering the front of the pack basically the whole race.
Ryan, for being a "blocking machine."
Rich, for successfully dealing with a "helmet-to-spoke" contact incident.
Chris, for trying to make it happen at the end.
Landall, for backing up nearly every NCVC move.

I'm very happy that we all finished unscathed. Tough to really ask for more. It was a good first MABRA experience and a respectable first showing as a cat 4 - I'll get it next time.

I'm back in action in two weeks at Poolesville. In the mean time, with my 1L year finished up, I'm headed home to Chicago for a week. The last time I walked into the terminal at National Airport through the security checkpoint, it took me 10 hours to leave. This time it worked out a little better - no complaints.

I'm going to be trying out the velodrome within the next couple days - I'll report back on that when it happens.

Procrastination

2010-04-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

1. I'm not going to meet my weight goal, which was set for this weekend. That said... let's just accept the fact that exams throw wrenches into plans and I have made no progress. Back on track after tomorrow... for the moment I hang my head. Sometimes you just need jelly beans to manage to study.

2. One more exam before I'm a 2L. This evokes all manner of emotions, from excitement to terror to panic (not that much panic). I just need to survive tomorrow's Civil Procedure exam, which in turn means I need to get through a day of studying Civ Pro. It's kind of an odd subject to study for - it's really about the rules. The case law just clarifies or points out rules. Maybe I'll make a chart.

3. This Saturday is the Murad RR, which will be my first race with the NCVC crew. I'm really looking forward to it and how rested my legs will be after the particularly limited amount of riding this week has allowed. 10:10 AM Saturday, it is on.

4. Things I get to do next week while at home.

5. I tried to get on the trainer last night, only to discover that my old bike's bottom bracket is shot, or at least filled with dirt. Come May, I'm going to make a project out of overhauling that bike. Pretty psyched about that.

6. On the docket upcoming (after I get back from my vacation home all next week): feature story about pedicabbing; my adventures in how much mileage I can rack up in May; racing at Poolesville, Leonardtown, Wilmington, BikeJam. Keep your ear to the ground (because the story is in the soil? Bonus if you get it.).

Mild Progress

2010-04-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

250.6. Back on the right track. Exam period kills me because all I want to do while sitting and studying is snack. DISCIPLINE!

Back in the weight room later today. You must become strong like bull.

I got so used to Hains Point being cold and empty all the time - not so much anymore. After exam #1 yesterday, I changed my mind about riding easy and went out and did intervals instead. Saw some familiar faces along with people on silly TT bikes (which I'm actually jealous of).

Bonus: It appears that despite ominous warnings of a "foreclosure sale," I am not going to get thrown of my apartment. My landlord seems to have sorted things out.

Double bonus: Did I just see Michael Phelps in an Under Armor commercial?

Protect this house.

All Up In Your Hills

2010-04-19T12:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the ACCC Conference Championship Criterium at VT.

Abstract:
I won the C crit, and decided not to race the B crit because my legs were still pretty shredded from the previous day's races.

I've been told (more than once now, because my teammates apparently love their own jokes) that my sprint face looks like I want to "eat babies." I think if you look closely, I look a little like Slimer from the Ghostbusters (also look at the header image above). You be the judge.
It wasn't an easy course - it started off into a false flat, had a tight turn (featuring potholes) into a downhill into a downhill 90 corner (which felt like it was banked) into a flat (featuring potholes) into an easy turn into a wicked little ramp up to the finish. Up and down, over and over.

The race progressed as a crit which stays together (it was windy) ought to - we all stayed close together, strung out pretty much single-file a lot of the time. I contested primes when I was in position to (2nd in the last 2 of them). A couple times, a gap opened between a lead group of about 5 guys or so and the rest of the pack, but the guys at the very front didn't want to try to open it up further, or so it seemed.

2 notable moments: after the 3rd prime, I was in the wind, and with no one away, I decided to try out the "put me in the wind? HA!" strategy - I sat up and slowed down to about 17. It worked out - it got somebody else to jump up and take the wind. On the next lap, in the wind again after taking the inside line of the very gradual bend around the top half of the course, I decided to jump after the downhill turn - not to get away, necessarily, but to make everyone else work. That seemed to also work - they chased.

I was really trying to lead Rich out to the finish line. With 3 to go, I hear "how, you doin' there, diesel?" and look back and there he is - exactly what we wanted. I tried to position myself so he'd be in my draft, and then with half a lap to go, I told him to hang on tight. He held my wheel through the back stretch (I was on a Navy wheel) and was following me up the hill (sprinting for the finish) when I heard him scream like a banshee. I figured that either way, he wasn't going to hold it, so I kept going and took the line myself. Later I found out that he unclipped his left pedal with 50m to go.

So there it is - 2nd overall in C in the ACCC (first in Div. 2, but they didn't do them separately as they did last year supposedly). Won the "conference championship" crit.

Collegiate racing this year was a fantastic experience and a great introduction to getting on a bike and finding out who can ride the fastest. Made some friends, won some races, had a good time.

I think if I had made it to Wake for that race weekend and gotten results there, I may have upgraded to B if they had let me (was a cat 5 until today, anyways, and B is 3/4).

I have gotten so many comments and congratulations along the lines of "how did you do that? You're so much bigger than everyone else!" It's a weird dichotomy - yes, it's cool that I can ride faster than guys who have much less weight to carry, but being notable just for being "the big guy" gets old.

So I'm working on it. No more full race weekends (1-day affairs) for a little while, and with exams the next 2 weeks no more class for a while, so I can focus back on losing all this extra weight.

I must survive 2nd semester exams. I will be spending a lot of time studying the next 2 weeks. But after that, I get to celebrate by racing at Murad on May 1.

Dear MABRA racers (Cat 4),

It's on.

Sincerely,
Me

Beast Mode

2010-04-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'll start this off by saying that we already know about the now-famous MABRA racer who has proven his ability to hit the switch, turn on "beast mode," and solo bridge absurd gaps. But I got a taste of it today, and while I may not be quite at his level, I'm satisfied with what I pulled off today.

I got 7th in the VT road race - satisfactory where the race has a "KOM" point. Every member of the GW team describe the course as anywhere from "difficult" to "terrible." 15.7 miles, x2 laps for the Cs.

Here's the rundown:

We rolled out neutrally. All 3 Hopkins guys got to the front and decided they wanted to sit there; perfectly fine with myself and the 2 Navy guys in front of me. I sat 6th wheel quite happily, occasionally almost eating pieces of gravel that got kicked up. We hit "the climb" and I powered up. I actually was sitting 3rd as we passed over the KOM line (not active on that lap). But the road kept going up - what I would normally describe as rollers, but there was no downhill section. Up, then flat, then up, then flat, etc. Stair-stepping. I fell off the pace and watched the break take off and watched a number of guys go past - Rich included. I fought on, knowing that if I could get Rich's wheel I would be OK. Eventually we got to the top of the stairs and the road actually went downhill a bit - I used it to jump up and grab on to Rich's group - him and 2 other guys. We could see the main pack, so we tried to work together, but it wasn't working... so I bailed. Turned on, Transformers-style, and took off."Bridge power. Full speed ahead."
Dan: "I think your leg is the size of my torso there."

I made it up to the pack before the start/finish. I was just going to happily ride with the pack, but the ASU guys wanted to speed it up. "GW, you want to have a little fun?" "...I like fun..." and we're off. I actually did a lot to try to keep the pack together. Rich told me once that all it takes is a firm tone. We tried to get a paceline going, but not everybody was game. Also, people kept launching half-hearted attacks. Eventually we got over all the climbs and started rolling faster - there were 3 of us trading pulls. I pulled up next to someone and said "if you want to go, I'll go with." Getting some acknowledgment, I jumped. Pretty quickly, I had opened up about a 5 second gap, and pulled 2 guys with me, but the 3 of us couldn't work together well enough to stay away, so I sat up.

From about a mile and a half out, I was sitting on the front - not working hard, but not sheltered, either. I knew I didn't have it in me at that point to ride guys off my wheel, so I stayed there. At the 1K to go sign, the pack started picking up speed, so I let a couple guys by me so I could catch a draft. From about 500m, the guy that beat me jumped, and I was boxed-in and couldn't chase quite right away - he probably had 5 meters on me, and beat me by 3 inches at the line.

I can specifically point to where I screwed up on the sprint there. A couple factors - there was a wicked tailwind - negating the draft off me and making my inclination to get into a draft incorrect. The guy that jumped timed it perfectly - he jumped early, but I couldn't respond immediately - I had to hesitate. I spent time trying to get some draft off him - sat back down and tried to hammer - I should've just kept going.

It was a nice job by him. I got played. Learn lessons and move on. I'll still take a close second out of the field sprint in a course with a huge amount of climbing.

I'm actually really pleased with 2 things today - solo bridging, and facilitating cooperation in the pack.

Rich, Andrew, and I then did the TTT(ttttttttt). 2nd, to only ASU (!$#@*&^ climbers). It was, for lack of a better word, pro.

Crit tomorrow - game on.

Slow Day

2010-04-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

251 again. Ride hard enough to bonk, eat hard enough to recover. I seem to be leaning out... I don't recall my arms ever being this skinny, and even my legs are somewhat leaner than they used to be.
-------------------------------------------------
I pedicabbed today. It was pretty dead out there - all the tourists came as part of large bus groups, which either A) have no need for a pedicab, B) are made up of middle-schoolers, or C) don't speak English.

Drove some nice folks around, though.

So there's this unwritten code among the pedicabbers - rides go to the first cab in line. You don't snake rides from people, because then everybody would be doing it (yes, this is technically a form of anti-competitive behavior) and we would all be undercutting each other. So you're patient and you wait your turn for the people coming out of the museums.

But there's one company (which will remain nameless here) whose drivers it just blows to wait behind. They all seem to fit this archetype of "skinny, smoking, and apathetic" which makes them take forever to get rides. They sit there and look like they don't care, and then charge way more than they should, so they take forever.

DO: Be friendly and engaging.
DON'T: Wait until people are about a foot and a half from you to ask, creepily, "want a ride?"

Just sayin', some rides got left on the table today - and it was a slow day, and that's just unacceptable.
------------------------------------------------
This weekend, as the readership (I have readership? I still don't believe it, but Google Analytics tells me otherwise) of this blog likely already knows, is the ACCC Road Championships at VT.

I am JAZZED. Hopefully I will not cramp up and be dropped in the RR on Saturday (I am actively trying to avoid that outcome). Sunday's crit appears to be a similar course to last weekend. Also, I believe GW will be fielding a team in the C TTT. It's on. Like Donkey Kong. It's on like Legends of the Hidden Temple.
It's on like I'm about to roll up and ride my bicycle rather quickly in circles around a .65 mile course in Blacksburg, VA.

Ought to be a good weekend for GW... Here's hoping I can write of some exploits of my teammates as well.

On that note, Dan won the B crit last week (as we know). Can we talk about that for a second? The man knows how to race a crit... sit out of the wind, don't worry about primes, make the move when you've got to make the move (listen at least halfway through and you'll get it). And on the NCVC front, Bert is out to win some pants this Saturday, as well, in the GamJams Cat 3 Cup (sponsored by a pants company).

Well, everyone have fun preparing for the weekend's races. I'm excited already (that's a flawed metric - I usually am anyways).

igotdropped

2010-04-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Yep, straight up dropped in the WVU RR. Like a boring english class.

It was a tough course - lots and lots of gradual climbing, at least compared to what we've got around here. There was a section of gravel climb.

I was happy to play helpful teammate to Rich and try to slow the pack down (he made the break, I held off/didn't), and I think I could have done real well out of the pack had I stuck with them, but instead I cramped up and got dropped. Finished. Not last. *UPDATED: actually finished 15th.

The pack did not work together well. I think if we had managed to get a functional rotation going, I would have lasted a lot longer. Despite my efforts, the message ("we should be working together, not attacking this") did not get across. Theoretically, I also could have settled farther back in that group, or found another way to do less work (involving the timing of getting absorbed by that group originally or bridging up to guys that had been dropped from the break). Ah well.

Such is bike racing.

Almost positive it was due to inadequate hydration, but I'm not going to go into that. I don't think I would have been dropped had I felt alright.

I think there's a lesson here, but I'm not sure yet what it is. Something about hydration.

I suppose it's a reasonably satisfying weekend overall - winning the C crit and doing reasonably well in the B crit. I already knew I'm not a climber.

If anybody has a picture of me getting dropped, I would like it.

What a weekend. Nobody crashed, nobody flatted. You win some, you lose some. Then you find yourself sitting in the grass beside a gas station in the middle of Maryland eating pizza and oddly at peace with the universe.

From what I hear, NCVC had some decent results at our own race this weekend, which is good. Also, WVU put on a pretty excellent weekend - a credit to them.

Double Down

2010-04-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

WVU Crit today. Welcome to scenic Clarksburg.

Really, this picture is a summary (it's also on the team blog, pardon the repetition):

It's true, I won the C race. Maybe I don't hate criteriums after all.

Actually, the course was really easy. 4 turns - a rectangle. Start-flat-left-flat with patched potholes-left-slight rise-slight downslope-somewhat downhill left-flat-left into slightly bigger rise-slight downslope-flat-finish. Turn 1 had a somewhat awkwardly placed grate; turn 3 was deceptive (everybody slowed down, but they really didn't need to); turn 4 presented the risk of going into a grate/curb if you came in too hot.

We started the race and I tried to just play it cool and stay near the front. After a few laps, turn 3 just made sense to me - everybody else kept braking, which was really not necessary. Getting the hang of this "cornering" thing maybe. Tried to plant myself in 3rd wheel and sit there; ended up 2nd wheel. The bell rang for the first prime and I followed a Navy guy; I beat him to the line and looked up and I had a huge gap. Not wanting to try a solo flyer, I sat up until I could grab a wheel. He came by, so I grabbed his wheel and a couple other guys showed up - another Navy and UMD - so I followed. As it turned out, this was the move. We started opening up a gap. It was not without trouble - UMD and Navy #2 touched and Navy went down.

Here's the thing, though - we kept working together. We all sort of started yelling "let's make this happen." Then Navy #2 took his free lap and got back in the race, inserted into the break (what a hard-man move). All of a sudden, we were working together - rotating somewhat awkwardly, capitalizing on what I'm sure was a naval blockade at the head of the pack. We didn't contest the 2 other primes - just rolled through, the 4 of us. Meanwhile, Rich tried to bridge (though unsuccessfully).

We were actually not killing ourselves in the break. Just riding - quickly, but just riding. Then it started getting interesting. With 2 laps to go, UMD jumped. I'm not sure why he did, but the three of us just said "OK" and let him pull. He gave out about at the line. Navy #2 (the guy who wrecked and then got back up) pulled for a little bit. About halfway through the last lap, with me directly behind Navy #1, who had been not been in the wind long, I attacked, and immediately opened a gap of several seconds. I nearly overcooked turn 3, but at that point I knew the race was mine. I came through turn 4, stood up to sprint up the little rise, glanced back and saw how far ahead of Navy #1 I was. After checking again, I actually sat up and enjoyed the scenery of the finish line a bit, even throwing a fist in the air. You can see in the picture above the strung-out 4-man break - me, Navy 1, Navy 2, UMD. Rich and Andrew, my teammates, finished in the pack. They are due credit, Rich especially, for blocking and countering.

After finishing, I said to Rich, "hey, let's jump in the B race." This we did. It was a good experience. Here's what I thought:
-The B race was way, way smoother, which was nice.
-After already racing once, any accelerations killed me. Just burned miserably. All 4 primes in that race saw the pack string out and me get dropped off the back and have to bridge back up (which I did).
-Accelerations aside, I could hang. I actually spent some time at the front, trying to help Dan (who ended up winning). I think if I had not already raced once, I would have been able to be a factor in that race. Rich and I were told not to contest the field sprint, but I still finished (I think, we were unscored) about 11th - not bad for a 2-a-day.

I would like to note here that with 1 1/2 race weekends remaining in the season, I am still a cat 5, and 2 of the 3 remaining races feature what people keep referring to as "mountains."

But I'm still psyched. Let's see how tomorrow goes - I would like to see Rich atop the C podium.

John Paul Stevens, My Favorite Justice

2010-04-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Justice J.P. Stevens, the "Lion of Flanders" of the Supreme Court, announced his retirement, set for the summer, today.

He turns 90 in 11 days. For many years, he's been forging compromises on close decisions, writing based on what he thinks rather than political posturing, and calling 'em like he sees 'em. You wanna talk about American heroes? Stevens has been a rock of American jurisprudence. I'm sad to see him go, but we've all had a chance to see the impact of a truly historical figure. I hope for nothing but the best for him in whatever he does next - even if that means sitting on the beach or playing tennis, as he is known to do.
------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of Flanders, I'm finally watching the Ronde off the ol' DVR in order to get psyched for this weekend. I already know who won (and saw the very end), but I wanted to see "the move." Cancellara just said to himself, "You know what? I'm out" and beasted everyone. Liggett, in the Versus coverage, said that if it stuck it would be a "heroic" move.

You know what, it was a feat of brute strength that I aspire to be able to mimic. It's a true sign of a hard man that he was able to just ride competitors off his wheel, both the entire pack and just Boonen, a hard man himself. Dropping Boonen up the Muur? "Oh, are we climbing? Is this a hill? Oh, sorry, I hadn't noticed. I just wanted to get a TT workout in on the way to the finish line."

Though I like the Jens Voigt-style yelling "Shut up legs!" I think I have a new motivational strategy: "WWFCD?" Because the answer is, at all times, "pedal faster."

Teach me, Fabian. Teach me to be more like you.

3 More Days? - Updates.

2010-04-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Fractured thoughts:

1. I find that I have a ravenous hunger. Hunger for miles, hunger to sweat, hunger to succeed (most of the time...), literal hunger for actual food. It's not good when I take recovery days and all I want to do is eat. Dammit.

2. I was fine all weekend, but all of a sudden I feel like 3000 cherry trees are punching me in the face.

3. If you're already in a bad mood, don't walk into Georgetown. It will not help. Georgetown is not conducive to optimism if you're not walking around with $20s sticking out of your pocket. Some things might happen. You might, say, get stuck walking behind a crying baby in a stroller. I know this is an airplane cliche. Normally I walk too fast to get stuck behind anybody (except for the inexcusable people who take up the whole sidewalk). But today I was walking slowly thanks to an achy ankle, and got stuck behind a tourist family featuring a loudly crying child, walking fast in order to return the child to a hotel room. I could hear it over my headphones!

Or, you'll encounter one of these. Or a close relation who wanders aimlessly down the sidewalk, rendered oblivious to my "get out of my way" default facial expression by a pair of sunglasses that I'm pretty sure were made originally as part of the Apollo missions.

I couldn't even deal with the relentless, come-what-may optimism of the Springsteen song that came on my iPod (relentless optimism? Springsteen? Ahh, only "Hungry Heart") and had to change it.

4. Shout out to Bicycle Pro Shop in Georgetown - the reason I was headed that way. They've been looking after me and my shiny new bike. Well, OK, it's not really shiny. It's more of a matte finish. BPS, though, continues to be excellent.

5. So law school has this funny way of crushing your spirit. This provides an advantage, however, in that it stokes a primal rage within you. Then you get a taste for blood by racing, and then you go 3 weeks without racing, and it starts to get towards the stressful end of the semester, and you end up just sitting there seething on Tuesday night, ready to unleash your disdain for irritating classmates to propel yourself up a hill or around for a prime.

6. I rode out to Poolesville with Rich and Dan on Sunday. After 2 consecutive days on the pedicab; it was a bad idea. I thought I'd be OK, but I was done before I even got on the bike. It was one of those days where every little rise burns, where you can feel how little power you're able to put out every time the wind hits you. Rich had worked Saturday too but not Friday, so he felt it as well, though not as bad. It was, for me, a clinic in getting dropped and finding the will to bridge back up. Beautiful ride, though, beautiful day. Just a bit brutal.

7. LFTR PLLR! Nice, nice.

In summary:
I will be at WVU this weekend. I am really looking forward to it. While I'm doing my best to start studying for exams (I'm starting much earlier than last semester - I in fact already have a bunch of work done, ha), being able to turn my attention to something besides exams keeps me sane.

----------------------------------------------
Wednesday addition:

251 this morning.

55 mile Wednesday.

Not 251 tonight.

Got out of class at 4:45, rode home goin' mach 2 with my hair on fire so I could get ready and make it out to the 6 PM Arlington hill ride. Worth it. It's a great ride. They've got some hills. Anytime anyone says "sprint hill" and I'm feeling halfway decent... look out.

Then, rode back for the now-traditional GW "Wednesday night lights" ride. Also a good choice. Big group today. Followed up with sandwiches.

Riding well today, even feeling about 90%. The weekend beckons...

Pedicabbing Is...

2010-04-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

-Dropping people riding around Hains Point. On the pedicab. With 3 people in the back.
-Occasionally getting paid in ice cream bars.
-Hearing a pan flute version of "My Way" outside L'Enfant Plaza.
-Going to the White House 10 times in a day.
-Pretending you know your way around places you've never been to.
-Getting complimented on your legs a lot.
-Posing for a lot of pictures with strangers.
-Tan lines.
-Fighting traffic.
-Meeting interesting people.
-Meeting drunk people.
-Meeting interesting drunk people.
-14 hours of spinning pedals in 2 days.

Ouch.

2010-03-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in: 253.0. OK, I knew it would be bad - instead of riding hard the last 5 days I've been eating everything I could find, with the hope of getting my legs back. I think they have rebounded from their crumbled state, but it leaves me having eaten way too much for several days. This may also be skewed by me eating a bunch of stuff late at night.

Hey, it's my own fault, though. No one else to blame. I make my own choices. However, there was a reason I made the choices. Now, for a refocused effort (how many times have I said that before?).

Anyways, I have decided that I need an intermediate goal - "225 by August 1" is good, but it's too long term. You really need something that you can apply to day-to-day decisions. New intermediate goal: when I step on the scale the morning of Murad (May 1) it will read less than 240.0. Totally doable - today's weight was skewed up; have 4 weeks; really just need to stop with the "I'm hungry, let me slather this piece of bread with peanut butter" snacking.
------------------------------------------------
I've decided that law school and competitive cycling are pretty much the same thing. Think about it.

They're both endurance activities.
In cycling, it's how you do over a race of whatever distance. You spend hours training on the road for a race that's several hours long.
In law school, you have to carefully pace yourself in studying in order to succeed on a series of 3-hour exams.

In neither do you get do-overs.
If you lose the race, you lose the race. If you don't do well on the exam, you don't do well on the exam. This is pretty obvious and the inverse is also true in both cases, but still. More true here than in regular school where you have multiple assignments or something like, say, a job, where you're constantly evaluated and can fix what you do wrong.

They're both about suffering.
"Man, I did so many miles this weekend in the cold and rain." "Man, I spent so long studying. I've been getting like 4 hours of sleep a night." "No man, you don't even know, I was hurting so bad dragging up that hill." "No man, you don't even know, I had to spend so much time on Westlaw looking for cases for my appellate brief."

In both, you get out of them what you put in.
Speaking generally, the only thing that makes you faster on a bike is getting on and pedaling. Speaking generally, the only thing that makes you learn the law is studying it. No excuses either way.

They're both expensive as f*!@.
Yes, I spent a lot of money on my new bike. However, I spent a roughly equal amount on books this year.

They're both about losing.
In racing, you find out you need to get better by losing. Then you get better by suffering. In law school, you find out you need to get better by realizing how much you don't know. Then you get better by suffering.

They're both (really) about teamwork.
Either you're pacelining or you're in a study group, or at least discussing with your people.

Both entail joining groups with silly and/or complex names.
Jelly Belly p/b Kenda? Patton Boggs? Squadra Coppi (come on, it's silly)? Skadden Arps? Team Sky? Jones Day?

There are a variety of lesser similarities:
They're both incredibly complex.
They both make you eat more.
They're both "emotional roller coasters."
In both you will find "gunners" and "haters" as well as "pack fodder" and "Freds." (Sometimes the Freds will cross over and make themselves apparent in both disciplines.)
Both are about what amounts to, really, a series of small absurdities.
Both completely absorb you and take over your worldview.

Some of you will say, "but Nick, those are all common attributes that could be applied to many things besides cycling or law school." Those of you who would say such a thing are probably "haters" and should be wary of me giving your face a high-five as I ride by. Go over-generalize somewhere else.
-------------------------------------------
You'll notice I will not be attempting to wrangle Boone-Roubaix this weekend. I fully encourage and support riders from D1 schools winning the C races. Specifically, if you ride for VT, UVA, VCU, or UNC, in the Cs (or if you are one of the VCU dudes who catted up to Bs), please succeed wildly this weekend.

I will be back with a vengeance for WVU next weekend. In the meantime, I need to earn some $$$ and spend some (lots of) quality time outlining.
-------------------------------------------
Go, right now, find a way to listen to "Bloodbuzz Ohio" by The National, "Hurricane J" by The Hold Steady, and "O.N.E." by Yeasayer.

Now!

Picking Sides?

2010-03-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

The pro season is ramping up in earnest, so it's that time again: time to pick out which team I'm going to root for this year. Let's review the choices, shall we? By sponsor, bike sponsor, and notable riders.

Team Radioshack

SPONSOR: RadioShack. Cheap/versatile/hard-to-find electronics.
BIKE SPONSOR: Trek.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Lance, of course. Levi. Horner. Kloden. Tiego Machado, who won the white jersey today in Corsica.
PROS: Easy to root for. Essentially an all-star team. Existing large Twitter presence. The anti-Contador.
CONS: The inspiration of millions of Freds. Can be considered the Yankees of the UCI peloton - near-unlimited resources (OK, that's just an assumption).

Garmin-Transitions

SPONSOR: Garmin. GPS and (relevantly) sweet bike computers. Transitions. Silly color-changing glasses.
BIKE SPONSOR: Felt.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Millar. Vande Velde (Chicago!). Zabriskie. Farrar.
PROS: The grassroots US team. Badass time-trialists. Unpretentious. Can throw bikes to the ground with appropriate fury. Sweet argyle.
CONS: Sweet argyle, brah.

Columbia-HTC

SPONSOR: Columbia. Non-cycling sportswear. HTC. Cell phones.
BIKE SPONSOR: Scott.
NOTABLE RIDERS: The Manx Man-Missile. Greipel. Renshaw.
PROS: Claim to be the winningest team in the world. Features the man who seems to be best at what I want to be good at.
CONS: I can't come up with a con. But then, I can't come up with a definitive pro, either.

Astana

SPONSOR: Astana. A conglomeration of Kazakh companies named after a city.
BIKE SPONSOR: Specialized.
NOTABLE RIDERS: El Pistolero himself. Vino.
PROS: Still an impressive story of rebuilding following the big scandal that destroyed it.
CONS: Supposedly have trouble paying their riders. Hideous kits. You might get fingerbanged.

Quick Step

SPONSOR: Quick Step. Laminate flooring.
BIKE SPONSOR: Specialized.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Boonen. Devolder.
PROS: Tom Boonen and his 'hawk.
CONS: It's a bunch of Belgians. I'm sorry, but it's just not compelling for me otherwise.

Saxo Bank:

SPONSOR: Saxo Bank, a Danish bank.
BIKE SPONSOR: Specialized.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Voigt. Cancellara the man-machine. The Schlecks.
PROS: They've got that whole "Danish Ranger" thing going on, which I really like. Asymmetrical kits are pro.
CONS: None that come to mind.

OK, tired of finding pictures. Who else is there?

Liquigas-Doimo
SPONSOR: Liquigas. Liquified gas products (go figure). Doimo. Furniture.
BIKE SPONSOR: Cannondale.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Pellizoti. Basso.
PROS: Cannondale pride. Aesthetically pleasing lime green kits.
CONS: I'm not Italian.

Caisse d'Epargne
SPONSOR: It's a French bank.
BIKE SPONSOR: Pinarello.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Moreau. Valverde.
PROS: Obscurity factor. I already own a cap.
CONS: French bank? Spanish dudes? So what?

BMC Cycling Team
SPONSOR: BMC. Swiss bicycle company.
BIKE SPONSOR: BMC. Come on.
NOTABLE RIDERS: Evans. Hincapie.
PROS: Hincapie. I want to see him win more things.
CONS: Evans is kind of whiny.

There are really just so many choices. I can't pick just one. I need a hierarchy.

1. Tom Boonen - Hawk it out.
2. Saxo Bank/Garmin - Danish Rangers and time trialists named Dave.
3. Liquigas/CDE - Cannondale and esoterity.
4. RadioShack - Fine.

Here's to everyone who raced today at Jeff Cup - I hear it was cold, wet, and miserable. Especially to Bert - I enjoy seeing him succeed.

I'm just now getting strength back in my hip flexors after Thursday's carnage. After a couple easy rides, I'm thinking I'm going to take a couple days legitimately off the bike - maybe swim tomorrow. Then I need to start preparing for some quality hill work.

DO YOU HEAR ME, MOUNTAINS? I'M COMING FOR YOU. To the best that I can given my status as, you know, being approximately the size of a bear.

Deadlegs

2010-03-25T17:10:00.001-07:00

Deadlegs deadlegs deadlegs deadlegs deadlegs.

HP Thursday night sprint ride.

Bonked. Hard. Hit the wall. Got blown up. Had my ass handed to me.

In the most insidious way, too. It starts off minor enough.
1. Man, something feels off today.
2. I can ride faster than this! Bridge up.
3. Bridge up again enough times to blow up, more than once.
4. Why can't I move my hips?
5. Ooh, getting fuzzy. Have to ride home through the city? Aw, man.
6. [Expletives deleted].
7. Ow, my head. Ow, my hips. Ow, my pride.

Not like the last time I bonked, whereupon I found myself riding back down MacArthur, shivering and shaking until I found a store and could purchase Snickers bars. No, this was more like the time last April when I was out running - could feel it coming, then my hips just seized and I had to sit on a stoop in Little Italy (back in the Cleve) for about 20 minutes before I could get up and stagger the 3/4 mile home. That's what it feels like now - I'm all hunched over to keep pressure off the hip flexors.

No excuses. Just suffering.

I accept responsibility, but what preceded this? How did I get here?

Not eating enough? I should have eaten enough, though nothing meaningful within 4 hours of riding. Maybe.

Training load? 7-day mileage: 130 + 90 minute trainer spin. Go up to 10 days and it jumps to nearly 200. A lot for a rookie, I suppose, but shouldn't be an undue number. Includes 2 crits though, and after Saturday's I sat down and really was concerned I was going to pass out. Maybe.

Shellacked by Hains Point? Well, I suppose that did happen. It was windy as I've ever seen it at HP. If I'm getting blown sideways, that's a wind that's not messing around. I'm about the size of a billboard, so yea. Maybe.

No single factor.

Worst part is that I feel like I'm letting my bike down. It begs to be ridden fast.

See you next time. I'm taking a day off, probably. Catch up on Property outlining.

Wednesday Accountability

2010-03-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in: 246.6. Back on the right track, though with the effects of the "oh, I raced, I can eat trail mix with reckless abandon" fallacy in tow.

Challenge: how much can I knock off before I race again? I'm throwing down the gauntlet at 5. It's gonna be tough - 2 1/2 weeks. Totally doable though, and to do so would be the sort of kick-start I need.

By the way, during March, anytime you decide that the chance of rain is not high enough to warrant even grabbing some armwarmers (assuming that there is rain predicted), you are wrong.

Warm Sun, Warm Legs, Warm Bench

2010-03-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Roommate, as I drain the spinach: "Why are you saving the water from the spinach?" So I explained, and got in response "well, isn't that kind of a Pyrrhic victory?"

Not really. I mean, honestly, what's the worst it could taste like? Spinach?

Preface:

Rich and I were watching NCAA Championship wrestling on TV last night (I don't remember what basketball game was on, but it was a blowout) and they interviewed a guy from Cornell about the freshman they had who had come in and won the national championship. The guy said (in summary) about the kid that "he came in and expected to beat everybody, and took it personally when he lost." That, ah, struck a chord with me. But bike racing is about losing. It's about getting rocked and getting back up again, pulling yourself up by the velcro straps of your shoes and turning your cranks even when it burns, long past when you thought you could. Taking it personally? That's one individualized interpretation of the competitive drive, and while I think that there are healthier ways to approach it, you do what you've got to do.

Well, I got 12th today - and as it turns out, 11th yesterday. Quite frankly, I burned all my matches sprinting for primes, it seems. You don't win races by winning primes, but I just couldn't resist. I'd be lying if I said I was satisfied with that. Only my 2nd and 3rd crits ever, but still. Actually, I'm reasonably certain I can take a pretty valuable lesson away from this. Follow along with me.

I gunned for all 3 primes (2nd only behind the guy who attacked solo earlier on the lap, 3rd screaming at Rich to keep pushing, 3rd) and then countered a move (really, I was trying to go with it, but the instigator couldn't stick it). Then there were 3 laps to go. I felt a sudden drop in the power I could produce - I got gapped coming out of the 2nd chicane and couldn't hold it. On the last lap I made up some ground and ended up outgunning about 5 guys just to finish in the points. I will note that I scored enough points off primes that it was like I finished 6th or so - so it's not all bad.

When we finished, I had two thoughts: Primes don't win you races; I spent far too much time controlling the race, sitting 4th wheel or so and basically imposing my will on the pack. I said this to Rich, who responded that I was doing an excellent job of acting as the pack-controlling rider for a 4- or 5-man team - but we only have the two. He suggested that I would be the best road guard in the Bs for [a conference team that has a LOT of riders and frequently wins]. Yea, so I need to rethink that. It's a role I seem to play well, but it doesn't win races. Of course, if I could get a break to stick... I found myself at one point today rolling with 3 other guys at/off the front, but though I yelled ("Let's make this work! We can stick this!") the guy at front either couldn't hear me or couldn't respond. Oh well.

So, power drop. If I had one more lap to work with, I think I could have made a lot of ground back up. But sprinting for the last prime and then countering put me over the threshold without time to recover. Let's look at all the explanations I can think of.

1. I lack fitness.
I kind of doubt this. Exhibit A: TT results. I can go all-out for 30-odd minutes. Or less all-out for several hours.

2. The other riders are that much stronger.
Not to sound like a self-important douche, but I don't think this is true either. I think I've got some game, comparatively.

3. I lack criterium skills.
OK, this is definitely true. I can point to three specific reasons that I'm slower through and out of corners than the smaller dudes - inertia (accelerating out, repeatedly, takes a toll), higher center of gravity (can't lean quite as far - even a couple degrees will make a difference), and I'm still getting comfortable with the angle at which i can pedal. That whole tactical aspect I'm still figuring out, too. I would consider myself at this point a roleur more than anything else. I must continue racing and learning.

4. The third prime sprint builds up more lactic acid than my body can clear in 3 laps.
This is plausible. Efforts near your lactate threshold build lactic acid, which your body can dispose of, but that takes time. You'll clear it eventually, but in the short term, it builds - so near the end of a race, after a couple sprints, it takes some time to clear. Jumping from a prime sprint straight into countering will affect power. This would also explain why I recovered and felt like with another lap or two, I would have made up a lot of ground - the acid cleared.

5. I spend too much time in the wind and more rested guys are beating me.
This is also plausible. Yesterday, I covered MANY attacks. Today I made more of an effort to expend less effort - covered less. But still sat at/near the front, controlling the pace. It was my race, dammit, at least until the end. But that's tiring. I don't need to be the cranky old man of the field.

So in practicality, we have 3, 4, and 5 above contributing to the effort, or lack thereof.

What can I take away from this?
-Use energy more efficiently. Already learned this lesson about hills. Time to learn it about attacks.
-Practice cornering. Anyone know any good spots around here for that sort of thing?
-Stop managing the race. Manage myself.

By the way, what we do is obviously a competitive thing. I'm a competitive guy. Tempers can flare. It's worth remembering that at the end of the day, it's just a bike race.

Big up to VCU and UVA (I think) for putting on a good race weekend (though I didn't like the course on Saturday, but that's not their fault). Also to both of those teams for being quite personable. Also to the guys that read this - the "hey man, I think I read your blog" introductions I don't think will get old for a long time.

What a day, though - after racing this morning in Richmond, I got to drive back, shower, and suit up for my LRW appellate argument. Moot court!

I won't recall it in quite so much depth. Highlights (if I get away from you here, sorry):
-Metro was the most crowded I've ever seen it. Summer will be nuts if it's like this on a Sunday in March. Why do I live by the zoo?
-It was pretty cool to get to roll into the federal courthouse with a purpose. Not that I haven't spent plenty of time in courthouses before. But it was fun.
-I enjoy this sort of arguing. I got a lot of good feedback about my pacing, structure, and argument, while making one key error - don't tell the judge in response to a question "I'll get to that." Just answer the question.
-I managed to really destroy the rebuttal. My opponent said that Fourth Amendment requirements were "niceties and formalities," and I did not let that one sit. I'm not going to lie, I felt real good about that rebuttal.
-Warm bench. Not a hot bench (rocking you with questions) or a cold bench (sit there and just let you talk).

Alright, I'm about to pass out on my couch. Stuck in my head: new Ted Leo.

I won't be at Jeff Cup, so I have some time to take advantage of the weather and build crazy strength. Hills. Sprints. Go.

Dynamic Mismaneuvering

2010-03-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

It almost worked! Rich and I attacked from the outset (take that, lap 1) and built up an enormous gap on the field in today's VCU crit round 1.

And we would've succeeded, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids.

By that I mean, of course, that unfortunately our 5 man break wasn't as cohesive as it could have been and thus didn't make it happen. But that's just how it goes sometimes. We were apparently clear for 11 minutes before getting caught.

Look at this gap.

Respect to the VT guy for bridging.

I then spent the next 20 minutes covering as if I were some sort of... cover artist?

It was a very technical course. Double chicane. Right, right 180, left 180, left 180, right 180, right, square section.

I dislike crit racing. Give me a road race instead. The VCU guys (I have not forgotten your name, Brandon) have apparently dubbed me "Horsepower," which goes well with the sort of Shaq-ish (he is "The Diesel") general outsized-ness I have going on in this sport. But much like a real, rather than metaphorical, diesel, there are others that are faster through and out of corners.

Corners and countering are tiring.

I'll post official results when I know them; I'm pretty sure I got 9th again but picked up a bunch of prime points. I also didn't go all out on the final sprint - not going to kill myself for 8th was the reasoning - and now I feel dirty.

Lesson learned: stay out of the wind. Also, if someone is screwing up your attack, attack again. Maybe.

Hope all the NCVC guys at Vint Hill did well.

Expressons

2010-03-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Express lessons. Expressons.

I was at HP for like half an hour today. Bert dragged me out ("I'm sick, suck it up") and I got 2 laps in with a steadily growing group before having to bail to meet friends for dinner.

2 laps and I still got 2 worthwhile lessons:

1. Don't assume people are as aware. I was on the side and started to lean to avoid a walker, only to effectively fist-bump Bert - not a good move with everybody's hands on the bars. I figured he had also seen the guy and would understand why I was leaning. False. Poor form. Sorry Bert.

2. Be careful about whose wheels you chase. Got to 4th wheel of the line coming around the back, eventually saw a guy bail, chased him. He blew up, I got hung out in the wind. Next time, let him blow up on his own. Effectively led out some NCVC guys though.

Never too few minutes to learn something.

UVA/VCU crit weekend in Richmond. As always, get pumped.

By the way, it feels now like April did in Cleveland last year - spring, or at least the beginning of it, is messing with my head. Man, I don't want to sit in class anymore. Upside: we had registration, so next year I get to take some more fascinating classes.

Put Your Colors On/Wednesday Update

2010-03-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've been in sports a long time. Football in high school. Track in high school. Football in college. Track in college (briefly). Running and triathlon on my own. Now, cycling.

Point is, I've worn a lot of different uniforms in my day. I can say, however, that my unmatched favorite is the 2010 NCVC kit that I just got today.

I get to proudly fly the DC flag (approximately the correct size of a flag) across my chest.

So I would have felt a little awkward taking a picture of my own legs/ass, even if it was just me, but the bibs have red seams (they're mostly black), with great black/red stripes at the cuff.

I'm really psyched about the kit. Now, that's sort of an inadequate metric, because I get pretty psyched about a lot of things pretty easily. I get psyched to race, I get psyched for my summer work, I get psyched for worthwhile things at school. I mean, come on, I get psyched for breakfast. But let's be honest. This is something to get psyched about. There will be many races this summer. Many opportunities to show the rest of the area cyclists the business end of that kit (by which of course I mean the back of my legs) as I ride away. (Except for teammates - you guys I will happily lead out/launch to the finish line.) And I am psyched just to be part of the team. It's been great to be riding with a team, both GW and NCVC.

So I've bought into the Rich system of keeping a bag of raw almonds around for their benefits to the elimination of lactic acid. I've been pounding raw almonds. They are delicious. I've been trying to eat healthily, but I've been so hungry as a result of racing/constantly riding, that it's tough. No junk food, but just large quantities of things.

Michael Pollan, who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense Of Food says "drink the spinach water." He's referring to the water that you get when you make frozen spinach - it's green and contains many of the nutrients inherent to the spinach that leach out as it freezes/reheats.

The spinach water. It's opaque green.

So I gave it a shot. You know what? The spinach water is delicious. It tastes like, for lack of a correct term, nutrition.

Hains Point yesterday:

Just sayin'.

It got beautiful again after the weekend's rain. Enjoy. I have been/will be. And in the meantime, get pumped.

..........................

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in: 248.0. WEAK. Given, it's a difference of barely more than a pound and is easily explained by the large quantity of food I ate last night, generally on the "later" side, even if it was spinach and almonds. It's hard to do this and be racing at the same time. What I do know is that my pants keep getting looser - I'm leaning out, as I spend so much time climbing hills and such. As it keeps getting lighter later, though, I should be good...

Raining on the Parade

2010-03-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

With no race last weekend (for the better, with the miserable weather), I finally got to head out on the pedicab again on Sunday. There was a parade! The St. Patrick's Day parade, running down Constitution Ave. As usual, it proved to be a long day punctuated by moments of absurdity.

It's not a long ride from my apartment to the shop. Maybe 12-13 minutes. But I still managed to get rained on (and soaked) riding down there. So that was a good start. But I rolled out of the shop with another one of the drivers, and we set out to find a way to work the parade.

Of course, most of the mall was closed down. We ended up following a Tourmobile down Jefferson St. (the street running in front of Air & Space) and found ourselves tangled up with parade staging. Now, of course, the pedicabs are green, our shirts are green, and we made friends with a guy dressed like the Flash who was hanging out in a porta-potty on a trailer decorated with slogans celebrating the "fightin' Currans." So tempting though it was to sort of sneak into the parade, we just kept going and looked for people to drive around.

Pedicabbing is fun when you're actually driving people. When you're not, it's kind of stop-and-start - it's almost like fishing. You go and you sit somewhere, you try to convince people that they want a ride. There's really no particular type of people that tend to want rides, though it's far and away mostly tourists. At this time of year, weekends on the Mall mostly see locals getting into the city/out of their offices for the day and school groups. So you get an odd mix of people, who tend to be pretty entertaining all-around. And they all want to know how you came to drive a pedicab and what you do the rest of the time.

You know, I was going to start writing about all the various types of people I drove yesterday, but it just wasn't as interesting as I wanted it to be. Bottom line - the best ride I did yesterday: I drove this sort-of alt-looking (read: hipsters, kind of) couple who were at Natural History with their baby from there all the way up to 16th and Q - a fairly long way. They were very entertaining, though - "So are you like, a professional cyclist?" Um, no. Not even almost. but I'm flattered. They also were very encouraging going up hills - "you can do it! We're almost at the top!" - which is way more encouraging than the usual "Oh, no, we can get out and walk, it's OK" that seems to come with dragging people uphill.

It's a good time.

So thanks to the rain, it's been back to the trainer lately. But Tirreno-Adriatico has been on TV, so that keeps it interesting, or at least better than it would be otherwise. Here's hoping it gets nice again soon.

Listen to this and your day gets better.

UPDATED:
Notes from the day:
-Stopped by summer work to drop off paperwork and they definitely thought I was a bike messenger... it was awkward and cool.
-I bought a new pair of Apple iPod headphones the other day to replace the two pairs I wore out... they used to be so good, but the new ones just suck. Has anybody else noticed this?

In Which Nick Meets The HP Lunch Ride

2010-03-11T12:03:00.000-08:00

I set out today intent on doing a mid-length workout, nothing particularly notable, before I sit down to work on the appellate brief I've been chipping away at all week. Dan said he'd be at Hains Point at 12:15. "Great," I thought, "we can get some time in at a good tempo, toss in some sprints. It'll be fun." Well. Ha.

I got to the HP parking lot at about 12:10, master of punctuality that I am. Within just a couple minutes, I saw a huge group go by. All manner of guys - a couple other NCVC jerseys, too. As the trailing end passed me, I decided to jump in and let Dan find me.

So this is the "lunch ride."

I clawed my way to the front of the group and managed to stake out at about 8th wheel. I was pretty jazzed seeing the guys I was hanging with - Battley H-D jerseys and the like. We weren't even pacelining - it was more disorganized - but we were pushing 32 around the backside of HP. It was clear, however, that I had jumped into a fire. Every corner I would get gapped and bridge up. I was hanging on, fighting tooth and nail to stay with the front group. But it was not to be. On my third lap with the group, I got gapped and just couldn't hold it. I quickly blew up, recognized my situation, and pulled off to let myself get...

dropped.

Aw.

I haven't had my ass kicked like that in a while. But it was exactly what I needed. I think my Thursday swim just became a Thursday "go get rocked for progressively longer periods of time." Getting beaten like that is what makes me want to get better... no matter where I am, who I'm riding with (or running with, or lifting with, or etc.) there's this deep drive to prove myself. Ride with people faster than you; that's how you get faster.

Anyways, I found Dan and we got some more good miles in. Beautiful day out, happy to be out on my bike before the rain moves in tomorrow.

I think I'll probably go ride anyways. That is, as long as I can get this brief done.

Mid-week Updates

2010-03-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

So the UMd. races got canned for the weekend - something about the permits.

Pretty weak. I was really excited to race - I want the ACCC C jersey.

Nothing I can do about it, though, but use the weekend as I can. I'm going to take the opportunity to catch up on work (the best I can), rest my legs (maybe), and spend some quality time on the pedicab earning money to pay for that shiny new bike I just bought (and coming up with good stories to put up here). Also, a team dinner in there, too, hopefully.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in: 246.8. A downward trend, but not as downward as I want it to be. No doubt related to the intense hunger (no metaphors here) that this weekend's racing stoked in me - I think I'm just now finally not still feeling ravenous. I tend to do better on Thursdays - last Thursday I was 245.4, but it's not Wed., so it doesn't count - I think because I have a late class on Wednesday, so I get home later and thus eat less.

Hey - if you were in the race on Sunday, I'm interested to hear what you thought about the race and the several wrecks. Post in the comments.