Catch up time

It's finally time to catch up on here. I've been riding as much as I can lately with the weather being great. On Monday I rode home from work, dropped my work gear off, & went out even more. I ended up doing about 34 miles that day. My legs felt good, didn't push it that much, just rode at a comfortable pace. On Tuesday I rode with my friend Eddie. We did 30.5 miles at an easy pace. It was a great ride. We talked about all sorts of cycling & non-cycling things. It's rides like that I remember why I love riding my bike again. On Thursday I did the group ride with the Central Georgia Cyclists. There were only about 6 of us that showed up. I guess others thought it was going to rain so they decided to pass. Well it was a great ride. I rode from my house to the start of the group ride so my legs were nice & warm by then. I told eveyone that I was going to push it on the ride & if they wanted to ride easy, I was cool going solo. Well that's exactly what happened. I started out at a comfortable pace for me & before you know it, I'm on my own. I decided to push the pace more. The big hill into Haynesville hurt just like always, but I know I'm getting stronger, because I can recover quicker after getting to the top of it. As I made the turn onto Grovania rode, I put it in the big ring & just setteled into a nice cadence. My legs felt really good the rest of the ride. I ended up waiting for everyone back at the start of the ride before having to ride home. I managed to get in 49.5 miles and my average speed was 19.4 mph. I can't complain about that seeing as I was riding solo the entire time. Well that's a good indication that I'm getting stronger & in the next 2 weeks, I'm going to be training for my next race. My next race is April 1st. It's the Perry-Robaix ride just south of here. There is one long climb I'm going to have to get used to doing, so I guess I'll be riding the race route as much as I can for the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more.....

Albany Race Report

The race in Albany was fun. This was my first race in quite awhile. The time trial was fun, but it was cold that morning. The temp was only 42 degrees, but it wasn't raining. My start wasn't the greatest, my bike kept skipping the chain, but once I got to the first flat part of the course I was able to upshift & find a comfortable gear. The course was short, but had quite a few turns in it. My time was 4:08 & I was 42 out of 53 riders in my category. Later that afternoon was the criterium. I didn't know what to expect, but was going to give it my best shot. The official told everyone at the start that if you were passed by the motor marshall, you would be pulled, but would be able to race the road race the next day. If you dropped out on your own, then you couldn't race in the road race. The start was very fast & I was doing my best to hang on. I completed two laps but on the third one I began to fall back with 3 other riders. On the back side of the course we were passed by the motor marshall & our day was done. I cruised back to the start/finish & then had something to eat afer cleaning up a bit. On Sunday morning was the road race. My category was racing for about 32 miles. The wind was a bear from the get go. The start was kind of a pain. One team had a ride go off the front early & they rode across the road blocking for him. The group was having a hard time keeping a steady pace due to the group up front. It was constantly speeding up & then slowing down. Quite a few of the other riders were beginning to get upset. The official finally told the riders up front to quit it & then the pace really picked up. I stayed with the pack as long as I could, but the pace was too high for me. I had to let them go in order to finish the race. I struggled with the wind riding solo, but I was able to pass at least 2-3 other riders. I finished the road race in 75th place. Overall for the stage race weekend I finished 60th out of 103 riders. I'm happy with what happened. I had fun, didn't crash, & didn't finish last in each event. I can only improve from here. I'm looking forward to my next race, so I'll be training harder & smarter know what to expect from now on.

One last hard effort

Today was an absolutely beautiful day. I went for one last hard effort before the race in Albnay this weekend. I did the Tuesday route that that club does once we start the weekday rides. I really pushed it today to simulate a race pace. It was one hard effort, but it should be worth it. My legs felt good the entire ride & my average speed was over 20 mph for 40 miles. I'm hoping I will be competitive this weekend, but we'll just have to wait & see. I'll post my report after the weekend. Stay tuned......

Beautiful day for a ride

Today was a beautiful day to ride. I went with Will & we pushed it pretty good. It's nice riding with someone stronger than me to push me to get better. My legs felt great today & Will noticed it. I did some good long pulls & we switched off pulling. He told me I should be ready for the Cat 5 race in Albany this weekend. I haven't done a criterium in quite awhile so I don't know what to expect. I'm going to give it my best this coming weekend & let the chips fall where they may.

Felt good to ride

This hasn't been the best of weeks for me to ride. I've been feeling under the weather most of the week. Last night I was very tired & just relaxed in my bed after coming home from work. Today I was able to get back on the bike & ride. It felt great!!!!!! I did an easy ride & rode at a comfortable pace. Tomorrow the Ambercrombie & Fitch pro cycling team is inviting people to ride with them. They are doing a loop that lasts about 2 hours & they are doing that loop 3 times. I haven't decided if or when I'm going to go, but it sounds like it could be a blast. I think it would be a good training ride to get ready for next week in Albany. Stay tuned to see what I decide......

Back to training

Well today it's back to training. I rode with Will today & my legs felt heavy. I guess it's due to not riding at all yesterday & having to do an acceptance inspection at work. I'm sure climbing the ladders & all over the aircraft didn't help things either today. I'm probably going to take it easy tomorrow, but we'll just have to see. Will is a strong rider & I'll either get stronger riding with him or I'll get hurt in one way or another. LOL I'm looking forward to the race in a couple of weeks. We'll just have to see how things go & do the best that I can. Stay tuned.......

Tundra Time Trial Report

Today was the Tundra Time Trial in Hiram, Ga. Boy was it freaking COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard that at the start of the event it was only 25 dergees outside. I was totally amazed by the number of cyclists that showed up for the event though. I thought that the cold weather would keep people away, but I was sadly mistaken. The weather really didn't help me today. I usually don't mind riding in cold weather, but I could never seem to get my legs comfortable the entire ride. Maybe it was just because of the cold weather, but I really don't have an idea. I was hoping to do it in under 28 minutes, but fell just a bit short of that. I managed to complete the 9.4 miles in 28:08. I had forgot how hard a time trial really is, but I've got one event under my belt so far this year. My only real goal for this event was not to finish last in my category. I can safely say I wasn't the last one, but I was about 6 minutes behind the winner in my category. I have some work to do on my time trialing & will try to get better as the year goes on. Well, the season is off to a start & we'll see how things go from here.

Getting Ready for the Tundra TT

All this week I've been getting ready for the Tundra Time Trial on Saturday. I just wish the weather had co-operated a bit more so I could have ridden a bit more, but I'll just have to deal with it. I rode home from work on Monday then went riding with Rob. He was feeling a bit froggy so I let him stay up front for as long as he watned, then took over. I gave it one really hard effort before the weekend & my legs felt great doing it. I somehow left Rob quite a bit behind me when I went to the front. I gradually picked up the pace & didn't really look back until I was doing about 24 mph before I noticed that he wasn't behind me. I slowed down & let him catch up then we continued the ride at a pretty good pace. Tuesday & Wednesday really didn't lend to getting much riding done outdoors. I should have ridden the trainer easily, but really don't care for doing it. Today I went & did 17 miles at an easy pace. I'm heading to my parents house tomorrow & might do an easy trainer ride before the TT on Saturday. The forcast is supposed to be cold. I'll just have to deal with it & I'm going to give it my best shot during the TT. Stay tuned for the race report........

I've gone & done it!!!!!!!

I went & done it the other night!!!! I got my USCF racing license for this year. Yep, that's right, I'm going to race the bike this year! I hope I can be competitive & not get spit out the back at every race, but we'll just have to see how things go. I have my first competition on Feb. 17th. I'm going to do the Tundra Time Trial in Hiram. Hopefully 2 weeks later, I'm going to Albany for the first race of the Maxxis Georiga Cup series. Yesterday we went on a group ride & headed out towards Haynesville. Once we hit the big climb I shifted into a lower gear, but it keep slipping & upshifting on it's own. I couldn't find a good climbing rhythym the entire ride. We cut the ride a bit shorter than usual, but some of us took a side trip down Gilbert Rd. It's a nice little loop that has some climbing. Some of the guys got a bit froggy so I tagged along, then the next thing I know Shane tells me we broke them. We slowed up a bit & they caught on, then Shane took off on a flyer. I tried to catch him with a new guy Will on my tail, but all we could do was to keep the gap the same. Will told me when we got to the stop sign that he was just able to hang on to my wheel & was sorry he couldn't help out any. It was ok, we didn't go as far as we may have wanted, but we made up for the lack of milage with some intensity. All in all it was a good ride. I have the bike fixed now (hopefully), but won't really know till I go climb some hills. I'm planning on one more hard effort this week, then just doing some spinning until this weekend. Stay tuned for race reports........

Catch up time!!!!!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately, but other things have had to have my attention. Last week wasn't a great week to ride. The weather really wasn't great for riding. I did manage to ride the trainer earlier in the week & my legs felt pretty good. I did manage to get 50 miles on Sunday, but it was a workout. Earlier this week I bought some new toys for the bike. I bought some new components & had them installed. I tried them out yesterday, but when I shifted onto the big ring, I heard something rubbing. Rob was riding with me, but neither of us could find out what was causing the problem. I took the bike to the shop & they found out that the front derialleur cable was causing the problem. They fixed that quickly & I finished my ride home. I did try the big ring & the legs didn't feel that bad using it. I really haven't used it much this year due to my old shifter not working properly. I'll have to push the bigger gears here in the next week because I have a time trial to compete in on Feb. 17th in Hiram, Ga. Then two weeks after that is the first race of the Maxxis Georgia Cup series in Albany. I guess I'll have to start getting serious now about training. That's about all for now, stay tuned.........

Good Long Ride!!!!!!

Yesterday we did the Rolling to Roberta ride as a group. I hadn't done that route for some time, so I forgot what it was like. We started out from The Bike Store, then headed out to Bryon. Once we got out of Bryon we started to hit the hills on the route. They were good climbs & I was able to keep a steady pace up the early ones. Once we hit 42, it was nothing but rollers. We tried to keep the group together as best as we could, but once the rollers got a bit harder, people dropped off the back. Shane, one other rider, & I were up front doing a good pace up the hills. Some of the hills were a bit difficult. The hardest hill was up Fire Tower Hill. I had to drop a couple of gears to get up it & my pace slowed to single digits. The only other time I climbed up that hill I had to walk up the last part of it, so I'm happy that I was able to climb the whole hill & still had one lower gear if I needed it. The trip back was much easier. I really didn't push it that hard on the way back, but still had a good gap over everyone else. I coasted most of the way, saving my legs for a bit later. Once we hit 42 & Maynard's Mill Rd, Shane & I turned & headed to get some extra miles in. The rest of the group headed back to The Bike Store. Shane & I rode to Ft. Valley, then took 341 to Perry, along the way his left knee began to bother him & we ended up cutting the ride shorter than he wanted to. I was fine with that & we ended up doing 72.5 miles & bumped our average speed for the enitre ride up from when we were riding with the group. My legs & knees were a bit sore, still trying to find the right saddle position, so it's a work in progress. They are feeling a bit better, so I think I'm getting closer to the right position. I'll probably either ride the trainer later today due to the high wind or I'll just take the day off & plan on riding tomorrow. We'll just have to see how things go. Stay tuned.........

Easy day

Today I made sure I took it easy. I rode with Rob on an easy loop where we had a slight headwind on the way out & a tailwind on the way back. It was a nice ride, the weather was great & I kept the pace low & wasn't even tempted to push it. I have a nice ride scheduled for tomorrow so I hope I'm ready for it. Only time will tell.......

Kind of a lazy week so far

I have to admit that I've been kind of lazy this week. I'm sure it has something to do with the temps being a bit colder this week so far. I rode the trainer on Monday but only for 30 minutes seeing as I had other obligations. When I can't get out to ride I have a tendency to skip some of my Cyclo-Core workouts. I know it's a lame excuse, but that's the truth. Today was the first day this week it's been above 50 degrees, so I went riding with Rob. We did a short route due to the time frame, but the wind was a bear. It really made a workout on the return trip home. My legs actually felt pretty good today, but I really didn't push it that much. I'm hoping tomorrow will be nice too, but I'm planning on taking it easy & saving it for Saturday. We're planning metric century that day & I really want to be ready for it. I have to start riding the big ring here seeing as the first competition I want to do is only 3 weeks away, so I guess it's time to start hammering on some of the rides to get used to it. Stay tuned for more.........

Over did it one day, & paid for it the next.

I just have to remind myself that no matter how good my legs feel on Friday, that I should take it easy to be ready for Saturday's long ride. I really pushed it on Friday on the way home from work & riding with Rob & I certainly felt it on Saturday. We started from the Perry Welcome Center & headed out towards Haynesville as we have the past few weekends. My legs were feeling good at that time & we had a bit of a tailwind. It was a bit on the cold side, but we were outside & not riding on trainers. I really felt good going up the climb into Haynesville. I was able to keep a steady cadence & speed up the entire climb. We then took Pitts road to SR 26, there were more climbs up that road, but I still wasn't feeling too bad. Rob & I decided to get more miles in heading down SR 26 to US 41 while the rest of the group took Elko Rd back to Perry. I forgot that the rest of the way down SR 26 was rollers & that's when I started to feel it in my legs. We then turned down US 41 & had a headwind the entire way. With the headwind & the rollers on 41, my legs really started to get tired & sore. Rob & I managed to get back to Perry not too long after the rest of the group arrived. I was hoping to ride longer than I did, but I guess I learned that I'll have to force myself to take it easy on Friday so I can ride longer on Saturday. I'm planning on taking today off to watch football & let the legs recover. The weather forcast for this week isn't looking great for riding outdoors, so I guess it's trainer time for a bit. I'll manage it & look forward to getting outdoors again soon. Stay tuned for more........

Got outside today.

Today was a good day!!!!!!!!!! I managed to get out & ride today. The weather finally co-operated enough to let me out. I rode home from work then rode with Rob. We had to push it a bit, in order to get back before it got too dark, but it was worth it. My legs felt great the entire ride. I'm just hoping I didn't over do it for tomorrow. The weather looks good for tomorrow, but we'll just have to see. Stay tuned.......

Weekend was good, but this week is the pits so far!!!!!!!!

This past weekend was a good one. I managed to get in 59 miles on Saturday. I rode to the Perry Welcome Center to see who would show up & there were 3 other people there. Two of them were new to me so I introduced myself & let them know about the club a bit. It was mainly an easy ride until we hit the split for the Thursday ride. Two of the guys wanted to take the shorter route due to time obligations. The other rider decided to stick with me, so we went the longer route & picked up the pace a bit. We tried catching the two guys doing the short route, but were just a bit too slow. They must have not been back long when we arrived. The rider that rode with me then decided to ride home with me & found out he's not too far from where I live.
On Sunday I went riding with Rob from the Saturday ride & his wife Amanda. We rode at her pace, which was very easy for me. I forgot how much fun just riding is. Sometimes I get all caught up in average speed & things like that I forget why I love to ride so much. It takes days like this to remind me.
This week has been the pits for riding outdoors. We've had a cold front move in & the temps are in the 40's for the highs & the wind has been a bear. I have resisted using the trainer, hoping it would get better, but it doesn't look like it will until the weekend. I'm riding the trainer tonight then doing my Cyclo-Core workout. I'm sure I'll be a bit sore by Friday, but that's what it's going to take to improve. I hope the weekend is a bit warmer so I can ride outdoors, but we'll just have to see........

Good Month So Far

This month has gotten off to a great start. The weather has been fantastic even for this time of year in the South. I didn't get to ride as far as I wanted to on Saturday, but still managed to get in 38.5 miles & rode again on Sunday though I thought I would get soaked with it being overcast all ride long. I managed to stay dry & enjoyed a 31.1 mile ride with an average speed of 19 mph. I had to work a bit late yesterday, so couldn't ride outdoors & really didn't feel like riding the trainer. I did manage my Cyclo-Core workout in the evening. Today I was able to get in 21.4 miles. The wind was a bear, but I still had a respectable average speed considering most of the ride was with either a headwind or crosswind. I'm hoping the weather stays clear the rest of the week till the weekend to get some good rides in, but we'll just have to see what Mother Nature has in store for me. Until next time...........

Easy day today

Today was an easy spin ride to recover from the ride & workout yesterday. I just rode an easy route, mainly flat with one to two climbs, but nothing big. My legs felt stiff at the start of the ride, but felt better as I rode. I kept noticing the speed creeping up & had to conciously slow it down so as not to overdo it today. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so if I ride, it looks like it will be on the trainer before doing the Cyclo-Core workout. You should really check out the program, it's been great for me so far. Check it out http://www.cyclo-core.com .

Good Week So Far

This week has been off to a good start, with the exception of the flat tire yesterday. I managed to get in 21 miles today & the legs felt great the entire ride. I wish I could have ridden farther, but the clouds moved in & that kind of made it a bit on the dark side sooner than I would have liked. I'm hoping it will clear up this weekend because it looks like it's going to rain tomorrow & Friday. If the weather is nice on Saturday, I'm planning on riding at least 3 1/2 hours if not more. I started combining the body resistance workouts of Cyclo-Core this week & doing that 3 times a week. I plan on doing the weighted resistance workouts the other 3 days of the week I used to do the body resistance workouts. We'll just have to see how things go. Stay tuned.....

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was a great way to start the year. I went on the New Years ride with the club. We had quite a good turnout seeing as we weren't sure the ride was going to go on. It was raining early in the morning, but about 45 minutes before the scheduled start, the sun came out. I headed to the start & there was a good crowd to head on out for the ride. We did the route they usually do on Sunday mornings. It was a nice social ride with a few opportunities for some harder efforts. I ended up doing about 60 miles for the day. I went for a short ride today, but not by choice. I was heading out when I had a flat & had to turn around and head back home. I fixed the flat & cleaned the bike up seeing as it was a bit dirty from riding yesterday. All in all a good start to the new year.