TNWC #1 and #2 are now in the books for the year. What a change since last week. In episode #1 not only did I make it north of Ankeny, but actually made it to the Slater turn before popping off the back. We had a large group that was well mannered if not down right civilized. Even after I fell off I was able to hop in with the B group and rotate through a paceline for a bit and then got dropped again when we turned south, but at least there was tailwind at that point. Temps were in the 60's and overall great. A northerly wind kept the pace pretty mellow as we headed out which I'm sure helped to keep me on as long as I did. Previously, the north edge of Ankeny was my best for sticking with the group. I think a good part of it is that I need more than just the roll through town to really get warmed up.
Last night was a whole different ball game. I was glad for not only the long sleeve jersey, but the long sleeve winter base I had on as well. 50 and WINDY was the name of the game. We had cross tail wind all the way out which meant I knew we'd be going fast out and suffering back. I got popped early on and then caught back up at a stop light before getting dropped again another mile down the road. Such is life. At least I wasn't the first one off so that's an improvement over last year.
I ended up pretty much alone as we headed out of Ankeny and then an A9Y rider hit one of the shortcuts turning west 2 miles before the normal turn. Bratz also tagged in with us and we shared the work into the west wind. We were working hard to maintain low teens even rotating through the paceline as the wind howled at 25+ mph. Once we turned back south to hit Polk City, the wind seemed a lot less wicked. I knew we weren't done yet though as we still had to cross the mile long bridge. We caught a number of other riders who had taken another of the shortcuts in Polk City and formed more of a paceline as we hit the bridge. Just keeping in the draft was a chore as we were buffeted from the front and side. We all made it just fine and turned back south.
Just a mile or so into the south we got passed by the lead group that had run the full loop (we cut off 4 miles). After too much hesitation, Bratz and I gave chase and were actually making up ground as we rotated with each other. Being new to drafting though, Bratz gave it a bit too much gas on his pull and popped off the back when I took the lead. Alone again, I just held my speed to what I could muster and the front group headed off into the distance. Just before the tanks at Camp Dodge another rider passed me and indicated I should hop on, so I obliged and we blew on into the Merle Hay turn. We held up waiting for another group of riders at this point and were joking a bit on how much the wind sucked. We finally rolled back to the start with 2 hours on the clock.
My pace dropped 1.5 MPH from last weeks average. and I'd gone 4 miles less. My muscles ached when I got done, but nothing major. While I know I'm in better shape right now that at any point ever before, I'm starting to have this annoying habit of trying to keep some gas in the tank at the end of the ride. I remember numerous rides from last year getting back to my truck and having to fight the urge to hurl if I breathed too deeply. I'm actually staying with the group easier this year with less effort, but I still think maybe I should be pushing harder to stay with the group and hammering through the entire ride rather than keeping something back. TNWC is supposed to simulate a race effort so I should be giving it my all, I just haven't made it click yet.
Showing posts with label group ride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label group ride. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Cranking one out in anger
Man, yesterday just hit me like a load. By the end of the day I wanted nothing more than to wear my ass out on the bike. I headed back to my roots and hit up the Monday night Bike World ride. This was one of my staples when I started riding last year. It's always a fun ride and the pace is usually pretty mellow. With that in mind I grabbed the cross bike so I could ensure some good work while still keeping a nice pace with the group. As it turns out, I brought a knife to a gun fight.
We took off at 6 with 3 guys on road bikes and me. Tom and Courtney were the usual suspects that I typically can keep pace with pretty readily on the road bike and we had a new guy from Drake named Chris (I think) that turned out to be a strong rider as well. We blasted down the trail out to the mile long bridge and then took turns pulling a paceline. We rerouted and headed north and west to Granger before turning down to catch the Raccoon River Trail in Waukee and bringing that back towards Des Moines. I was feeling good for most of the ride, but definitely working hard to keep up with the group and sitting in a little more than the others.
As we made the turn towards Waukee, there was a single biker about a 1/2 mile up the road from us. We turned up the screws a bit and slowly started reeling him in. After close to 5 miles we finally caught and passed him outside of Waukee. He seemed surprised by a group of guys in a straggly paceline included a cross bike considering he was riding his aero bars and had on a Copper Creek Tri jersey. Coming into Waukee I finally cracked and fell off the back at the town sprint. Mercifully, they let up and I strung onto the back once more.
We slowed the pace down considerably and I weeble wobbled my way to Rock Bottom where it was time for a beer. Not a moment too soon if I say so myself. After refreshing on the beer, Chris and I headed back towards the shop since I had parked there and he'd ridden over from Drake. Tom and Courtney stayed to enjoy their spoils of burgers and sides and another beer or two. We rolled back in the dark and I was enjoying the evening air even though I was completely gassed. My legs were protesting the hills, but I still kept turning them over at a decent pace. Almost 50 miles for a weeknight ride on a cross bike definitely had me worn out and my mind was blank. Just how I wanted it.
We took off at 6 with 3 guys on road bikes and me. Tom and Courtney were the usual suspects that I typically can keep pace with pretty readily on the road bike and we had a new guy from Drake named Chris (I think) that turned out to be a strong rider as well. We blasted down the trail out to the mile long bridge and then took turns pulling a paceline. We rerouted and headed north and west to Granger before turning down to catch the Raccoon River Trail in Waukee and bringing that back towards Des Moines. I was feeling good for most of the ride, but definitely working hard to keep up with the group and sitting in a little more than the others.
As we made the turn towards Waukee, there was a single biker about a 1/2 mile up the road from us. We turned up the screws a bit and slowly started reeling him in. After close to 5 miles we finally caught and passed him outside of Waukee. He seemed surprised by a group of guys in a straggly paceline included a cross bike considering he was riding his aero bars and had on a Copper Creek Tri jersey. Coming into Waukee I finally cracked and fell off the back at the town sprint. Mercifully, they let up and I strung onto the back once more.
We slowed the pace down considerably and I weeble wobbled my way to Rock Bottom where it was time for a beer. Not a moment too soon if I say so myself. After refreshing on the beer, Chris and I headed back towards the shop since I had parked there and he'd ridden over from Drake. Tom and Courtney stayed to enjoy their spoils of burgers and sides and another beer or two. We rolled back in the dark and I was enjoying the evening air even though I was completely gassed. My legs were protesting the hills, but I still kept turning them over at a decent pace. Almost 50 miles for a weeknight ride on a cross bike definitely had me worn out and my mind was blank. Just how I wanted it.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tempered weekend
Unless your job typically calls for a weekend workday, working on weekends sucks. It doesn't matter how you justify it, whether it be overtime, flex time, or whatever, it still sucks. As such, I wasn't looking forward to Saturday in the least. I managed to drag my butt in for most of the day until the carpet cleaning crew kicked me out with the smell of their chemicals. I did find a good way to temper the workday by riding in to work. After I finished up, I was slated to go home and kick back for a bit. Hmm, I'm all ready on my bike, why not just head out on a ride since I didn't need to pick up Corley until 6 or so.
I decided to head through downtown and see if I could make it through since I didn't know what bridges and routes were still open. I made it through pretty easily sliding down University and then heading south on 2nd to Grand. I never quite realized how long the climb is out of downtown on Grand. I set my sites on heading over to Rassy's to see who might be kicking it at the shop. I was hoping for a beer break with Squirrel, but as luck would have it, he was currently on the east side that I'd just come from! He would show up later on to the shop with Teri and we still enjoyed a brew after they closed up for the evening.
I must have had some type of tailwind on the way home as I put the mountain bike through it's paces all the way home from the shop. I felt pretty good with the exception of my ass getting rubbed raw from a crappy set of shorts. Time to hang them up and grab a new set of baggies. I bought these almost 8 years ago and while they have very little use, they're a size too big so I don't get the right coverage and damn does that suck!
The call went out for a 6 am ride on Sunday with some local big hitters. I hemmed and hawed, but finally made up my mind that I'd show up and see how long I could hang on before they totally destroyed my. It was my father's day present to myself!? We headed through town and south winding our way to Cumming before turning down on G14 towards Winterset. I'd all ready been redlined a few times by now, but was still hanging on running halfway through zone 4 for me. The pace eased a little and I kept on the tail until the first big climb. I fell off the back like I threw out a parachute as they sprinted the hill. Luckily they dropped the pace down until I could be drug back up to the group (thanks I think?). I stayed with them figuring I'd be dropped again on the next big climb. Anyone who's ridden that road will know it. It's the right hand turn that goes up and up and up, until you think it will never end. It's not extremely steep, but man does it drag on.
I forced my way to the top way behind the group and turned back knowing I couldn't hang on any longer and didn't want to slow the group down any further. I collected some nice tailwind and set sail for home. There were a huge number of cyclists headed south which was awesome to see. I bonked on the way home due to some poor nutritional planning. Apparently 2 bottles of Heed and a granola bar for breakfast aren't enough to fuel a 54 mile hard ride. I didn't even have the advantage of a gel or two as I hadn't planned far enough ahead to have any available to bring with me. Ahh well, all is good as I made it back in one piece and headed for home.
The rest of the day was spent mostly being lazy and enjoying some time with the wife and daughter. I chose to go out for some barbecue for dinner and had a nice meal topped off with a few brews. I even headed in to work for another hour or so to finish checking through a set of drawings. Sheesh, I see a pattern emerging for the time being. I'm hoping to take advantage of the weather this week and ride the new bike in at least a few times. New bike you ask? Stay tuned and all will be revealed kiddies. Later.
I decided to head through downtown and see if I could make it through since I didn't know what bridges and routes were still open. I made it through pretty easily sliding down University and then heading south on 2nd to Grand. I never quite realized how long the climb is out of downtown on Grand. I set my sites on heading over to Rassy's to see who might be kicking it at the shop. I was hoping for a beer break with Squirrel, but as luck would have it, he was currently on the east side that I'd just come from! He would show up later on to the shop with Teri and we still enjoyed a brew after they closed up for the evening.
I must have had some type of tailwind on the way home as I put the mountain bike through it's paces all the way home from the shop. I felt pretty good with the exception of my ass getting rubbed raw from a crappy set of shorts. Time to hang them up and grab a new set of baggies. I bought these almost 8 years ago and while they have very little use, they're a size too big so I don't get the right coverage and damn does that suck!
The call went out for a 6 am ride on Sunday with some local big hitters. I hemmed and hawed, but finally made up my mind that I'd show up and see how long I could hang on before they totally destroyed my. It was my father's day present to myself!? We headed through town and south winding our way to Cumming before turning down on G14 towards Winterset. I'd all ready been redlined a few times by now, but was still hanging on running halfway through zone 4 for me. The pace eased a little and I kept on the tail until the first big climb. I fell off the back like I threw out a parachute as they sprinted the hill. Luckily they dropped the pace down until I could be drug back up to the group (thanks I think?). I stayed with them figuring I'd be dropped again on the next big climb. Anyone who's ridden that road will know it. It's the right hand turn that goes up and up and up, until you think it will never end. It's not extremely steep, but man does it drag on.
I forced my way to the top way behind the group and turned back knowing I couldn't hang on any longer and didn't want to slow the group down any further. I collected some nice tailwind and set sail for home. There were a huge number of cyclists headed south which was awesome to see. I bonked on the way home due to some poor nutritional planning. Apparently 2 bottles of Heed and a granola bar for breakfast aren't enough to fuel a 54 mile hard ride. I didn't even have the advantage of a gel or two as I hadn't planned far enough ahead to have any available to bring with me. Ahh well, all is good as I made it back in one piece and headed for home.
The rest of the day was spent mostly being lazy and enjoying some time with the wife and daughter. I chose to go out for some barbecue for dinner and had a nice meal topped off with a few brews. I even headed in to work for another hour or so to finish checking through a set of drawings. Sheesh, I see a pattern emerging for the time being. I'm hoping to take advantage of the weather this week and ride the new bike in at least a few times. New bike you ask? Stay tuned and all will be revealed kiddies. Later.
Friday, May 23, 2008
No race like a girl for me (or anyone else)
I can't say I was completely surprised by the race being cancelled last night since the call had to be made roughly by 3 to get everything and everyone halted in time and at 3 it was drizzling pretty decently. Add in the fact that this weekend is arguably one of the biggest race weekends in the midwest and it was almost a no brainer that people weren't going to want to race in the rain for what's pretty much training purposes with the big weekend on the line. Definitely disappointing, but completely understandable.
Having an open Thursday night did give me the opportunity to catch another ride I'd been meaning to this spring. The Thursday night DMCC ride is run by a friend of mine. It was Tuesday nights last year and one of the staples of my weekly rides. I had yet to make it this year, but with the threat of rain mostly passed, I jumped on the opportunity. Of course, one of the reasons I haven't been doing many of the DMCC rides is the pace most run at. I've been working on my strength and speed this year so unless I need to plug along at recovery pace, I'm usually off the front and mostly on my own. I rode a few miles with the group until another rider took the lead and I jumped on with him. Soon enough we were cruising in the low 20's and just kept the pace all the way to Martensdale while doing a bit of chatting. I managed to keep the pace high as we came the last few miles into town and put a decent gap on him. Score one for the work I've been putting in. We rested for about 10 minutes or so before the rest of the group came in and then headed back a few minutes later. I pushed again as my legs felt pretty ugly starting back up, but soon enough I was working well and trying to keep in my drops more than usual. I blasted my way up to Bambino's in Orilla and made the stop for dinner and beer. Another rider joined me and we passed an hour sucking down a couple of brews as I enjoyed my Italian Grinder. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a stop on the Great Western Trail.
The pace was a tad bit slower as we headed back to the trail head. It was getting dark and now fueled by beer and sausage, plus fighting a calf cramp, it was time to ease up. I still managed the out and back in under 2 hours which is pretty close to my best time and no drafting. My best time included a 4 person pace line and really was only a few 10ths of a MPH faster which I probably would have beat if it weren't for the refreshment stop.
For some reason I had a calf cramp last night which is something new for me. I don't think it was hydration or food related. I'm wondering if it was due to spending more time in an "aero" position by either riding in the drops or doing a deep arm bend while holding the hoods. I probably spent 45 minutes or so in those two positions which is probably 30 minutes longer than I ever have before. Any of you wonderful readers have an opinion? Speaking of readers, damn, my readership was way up this week. I'm sure a good portion of it is due to Squirrel and The Almanzo both posting links to my blog, but it's great to see the numbers up after averaging only a reader or two daily on average.
Having an open Thursday night did give me the opportunity to catch another ride I'd been meaning to this spring. The Thursday night DMCC ride is run by a friend of mine. It was Tuesday nights last year and one of the staples of my weekly rides. I had yet to make it this year, but with the threat of rain mostly passed, I jumped on the opportunity. Of course, one of the reasons I haven't been doing many of the DMCC rides is the pace most run at. I've been working on my strength and speed this year so unless I need to plug along at recovery pace, I'm usually off the front and mostly on my own. I rode a few miles with the group until another rider took the lead and I jumped on with him. Soon enough we were cruising in the low 20's and just kept the pace all the way to Martensdale while doing a bit of chatting. I managed to keep the pace high as we came the last few miles into town and put a decent gap on him. Score one for the work I've been putting in. We rested for about 10 minutes or so before the rest of the group came in and then headed back a few minutes later. I pushed again as my legs felt pretty ugly starting back up, but soon enough I was working well and trying to keep in my drops more than usual. I blasted my way up to Bambino's in Orilla and made the stop for dinner and beer. Another rider joined me and we passed an hour sucking down a couple of brews as I enjoyed my Italian Grinder. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a stop on the Great Western Trail.
The pace was a tad bit slower as we headed back to the trail head. It was getting dark and now fueled by beer and sausage, plus fighting a calf cramp, it was time to ease up. I still managed the out and back in under 2 hours which is pretty close to my best time and no drafting. My best time included a 4 person pace line and really was only a few 10ths of a MPH faster which I probably would have beat if it weren't for the refreshment stop.
For some reason I had a calf cramp last night which is something new for me. I don't think it was hydration or food related. I'm wondering if it was due to spending more time in an "aero" position by either riding in the drops or doing a deep arm bend while holding the hoods. I probably spent 45 minutes or so in those two positions which is probably 30 minutes longer than I ever have before. Any of you wonderful readers have an opinion? Speaking of readers, damn, my readership was way up this week. I'm sure a good portion of it is due to Squirrel and The Almanzo both posting links to my blog, but it's great to see the numbers up after averaging only a reader or two daily on average.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Weekend rewind
It was a good weekend.... I was able to get some time on the bike both Friday for Jane's birthday ride and ensuing activities and Saturday for a short ride with Lou doing an urban mountain bike assualt for an hour before meeting up with the DMCC group who were doing their first group ride of the year.
Friday was a pretty cool relaxed fun ride to celebrate Jane turning 30. We checked out the course for their upcoming duathlon series at Waterworks Park and rolled slowly around there to see what the spring flooding had done to the roads. There will definitely be some sketchy spots on the bike leg, but hopefully everyone makes it through rubber side down and shiny side up. We had a great dinner at A-Dong restaurant which I'd never been to before, but will definitely be back. Miranda and Corley met us at dinner to hang out and say hi along with showing off the "I'm a little punk" shirt that was modelled here last week. A short and brisk ride down to the Bike Kollective put us in a party mode with beer, wine, and snacks flowing. Met some new people and hung around taking everything in. Seems I'm a loner even in a crowd. I'm not sure why that is as I enjoy good conversation and typically do a reasonably passable job of holding my end up, but getting the topic going seems to be hard for me. So, more often than not, I'm like the kids back in the day that were expected to be seen and not heard. Hopefully my social ineptitude doesn't keep me from being invited out.
I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a ride on Saturday when my phone announced I had a new message. Almost magically, my plan came together with an invite to take on the urban obstacles on mountain bikes at 7:30. I figured out I could hit that ride and still sneak over to get more mileage with the DMCC group while getting a workout on the MTB. For the 2 of you that read this blog, you'll remember I got my ass kicked by a simple concrete curb a couple weeks ago so I was still a bit hesitant on hitting things up. Lou and I were on mountain bikes while the other two showed up on cross bikes sighting that keeping up with Lou is next to impossible when riding equal gear. Luckily we were running a pretty relaxed pace and just played around for the hour I hung out with them.
The DMCC ride was a pretty small group due to the colder weather... Hmm, seems 32 degrees qualifies as too cold to ride for a number of folks. Ahh well, more road and trail for me to enjoy! I knew a few people on the ride and chatted them up along with some of the newcomers as we made our way down to Martensdale at a pretty relaxed pace. I'm definitely glad I was on the mountain bike as I could work a little at the pace we were running and Warren county managed to FUBAR the trail by starting spring clearing last week without brooming the brush back off the trail. Somehow everyone managed to avoid flats, but I was having fun busting through the brush and hopping sticks. A brief fuel stop in Martensdale and we were back on the road. I stayed with the group until we regrouped at Cumming and then I just kept my pace steady from there and everyone melted back.
Sunday left us having some family time. We took Corley to hang out at the Science Center for a while. She always has a blast playing down there. We renewed our family membership for the year as well. A lot of playing hard led to a good nap and I have to say I partook of the nap time as well dozing off while the Nascar race was on. Last night led to some much needed cleaning and maintenance on the road bike. I tore it down to the frame and crankset (I didn't have the right crank removal tool). Everything got a cleaning and wax, I put some snazzy new silver bar tape on, new brake pads, and even adjusted the cabling since I had also installed a new 11-23 cassette and chain. All in all, a good weekend.
Friday was a pretty cool relaxed fun ride to celebrate Jane turning 30. We checked out the course for their upcoming duathlon series at Waterworks Park and rolled slowly around there to see what the spring flooding had done to the roads. There will definitely be some sketchy spots on the bike leg, but hopefully everyone makes it through rubber side down and shiny side up. We had a great dinner at A-Dong restaurant which I'd never been to before, but will definitely be back. Miranda and Corley met us at dinner to hang out and say hi along with showing off the "I'm a little punk" shirt that was modelled here last week. A short and brisk ride down to the Bike Kollective put us in a party mode with beer, wine, and snacks flowing. Met some new people and hung around taking everything in. Seems I'm a loner even in a crowd. I'm not sure why that is as I enjoy good conversation and typically do a reasonably passable job of holding my end up, but getting the topic going seems to be hard for me. So, more often than not, I'm like the kids back in the day that were expected to be seen and not heard. Hopefully my social ineptitude doesn't keep me from being invited out.
I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a ride on Saturday when my phone announced I had a new message. Almost magically, my plan came together with an invite to take on the urban obstacles on mountain bikes at 7:30. I figured out I could hit that ride and still sneak over to get more mileage with the DMCC group while getting a workout on the MTB. For the 2 of you that read this blog, you'll remember I got my ass kicked by a simple concrete curb a couple weeks ago so I was still a bit hesitant on hitting things up. Lou and I were on mountain bikes while the other two showed up on cross bikes sighting that keeping up with Lou is next to impossible when riding equal gear. Luckily we were running a pretty relaxed pace and just played around for the hour I hung out with them.
The DMCC ride was a pretty small group due to the colder weather... Hmm, seems 32 degrees qualifies as too cold to ride for a number of folks. Ahh well, more road and trail for me to enjoy! I knew a few people on the ride and chatted them up along with some of the newcomers as we made our way down to Martensdale at a pretty relaxed pace. I'm definitely glad I was on the mountain bike as I could work a little at the pace we were running and Warren county managed to FUBAR the trail by starting spring clearing last week without brooming the brush back off the trail. Somehow everyone managed to avoid flats, but I was having fun busting through the brush and hopping sticks. A brief fuel stop in Martensdale and we were back on the road. I stayed with the group until we regrouped at Cumming and then I just kept my pace steady from there and everyone melted back.
Sunday left us having some family time. We took Corley to hang out at the Science Center for a while. She always has a blast playing down there. We renewed our family membership for the year as well. A lot of playing hard led to a good nap and I have to say I partook of the nap time as well dozing off while the Nascar race was on. Last night led to some much needed cleaning and maintenance on the road bike. I tore it down to the frame and crankset (I didn't have the right crank removal tool). Everything got a cleaning and wax, I put some snazzy new silver bar tape on, new brake pads, and even adjusted the cabling since I had also installed a new 11-23 cassette and chain. All in all, a good weekend.
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