tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117921802009-11-03T22:01:02.333-05:00...the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of a young "master's level" bike racer. <br>warning: it may bore you to death if it doesn't convince you to get out and ride your bike.40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-62074631254189960002009-10-12T12:36:00.003-04:002009-10-12T12:41:09.849-04:00

Well, since I deleted two years worth of powertap data (see previous post), I may as well summarize what I've done/learned since I got the powertap. 1. Usually I don't have much stamina or brains for racing before 8am. This may be due to my living situation on the lower east side where it's impossible to get to bed early on a Saturday night. Otherwise I'm a fair all arounder when my head is in

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-87266942605998234382009-10-12T12:22:00.003-04:002009-10-12T12:24:37.384-04:00

A week ago I accidentally deleted myself as a user in Saris PowerAgent. I have the latest version (7.4.4) of the software; when I clicked delete I was prompted once "Are you sure you want to delete User?". I hit the enter button in haste and because the default option is "OK," I deleted myself as a user and also deleted two years worth of racing and training data. Finally today I got around to

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-25894271221301116652009-08-19T14:58:00.003-04:002009-08-23T12:07:17.865-04:00

My last post was about winning. This time it's about getting dropped. It's happened twice this year, both times at Floyd Bennet Field, both times in the 1/2/3 race, on the backstretch near the old finish line. It was on very windy days. The backstretch is completely flat but on windy days I should approach it like a steep hill. When a little gap opens up, it's just as tough as being on a steep

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-6514155115333731432009-08-17T11:55:00.015-04:002009-08-17T12:44:50.722-04:00

It doesn't happen often - but sometimes I win. Since this is an open personal diary (more so than anything else), I'm writing this post to remember what I did in the days prior to a win.Sunday: governor's island bike raceMonday: very easy 17 mile spinTuesday: offWednesday: podiumWearing glasses full time also helps me see things up the road, even when there's nothing there. This is me off the

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-42323273523350803072009-08-05T11:17:00.006-04:002009-08-05T12:39:47.528-04:00

Downloaded the powertap data and was surprised at what the numbers show. Even though there were a lot of accelerations in the race, the numbers show a near "personal best" for 30 minutes power output (cough cough).That would explain why later in the race I was unable to keep up with accelerations. Normally I have little trouble keeping up with riders accelerating but when the endurance number is

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-3122126380005750182009-08-04T23:16:00.011-04:002009-08-05T12:45:11.730-04:00

Upgraded to the 3's, here's my lame FBF race report:I was pretty psyched see a guy in Team Bissel kit at the start line with us... racing with a pro! The conditions indicated there'd be a break as it was very windy. The first few laps (in the 1/2/3 field) were much more aggressive than in the 3/4s, with hard efforts followed by periods of relative calm and me sucking wheels. I should have been

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-36248559743751205212009-07-30T18:57:00.007-04:002009-07-30T19:19:56.317-04:00

My last post was about over-training in order to (hopefully) bring about a peak. Unfortunately the event I was peaking for, (NY State Master's Track championship) was canceled this year. According to the officials, the reason was too low of turnout but I think it had to do with the bad weather that was predicted for the weekend. New York does not have an indoor velodrome, although one may be in

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-78498527564800454082009-07-17T09:21:00.001-04:002009-07-17T09:21:49.050-04:00

It's been a hard 3 days in a row of racing. I raced Floyd on Tuesday night and did not make the break. Wednesday I raced at the track and qualified for the "A" feature. And last night rode to and raced at Rockleigh with several team mates, it felt very hard, was in several moves but not in the two-man break. Got 4th in the field sprint.My body feels different, happy and tired bike racer.

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-6775905369484914022009-07-15T00:51:00.005-04:002009-07-15T00:57:26.951-04:00

Lacking sufficient time for a long ride this weekend I decided to do repeats up the Williamsburg bridge on Sunday night. I warmed up a bit then used 50x17 gearing to get to the first apex where the path splits, sprinting most of the way. I think it's about 600 meters. Monday I did not ride at all, would have been good to go for a light spin.Raced FBF tonight and felt a little jagged, like I was

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-232024639427491312009-06-24T13:26:00.007-04:002009-07-09T15:33:37.626-04:00

Highbridge park is an Urban park in New York City with a nice technical mountain bike course.I recently learned of this free race series. It runs on alternate Thursdays at Highbridge and sponsored by NYC Velo.More information available at the website nycmtb.com.On a different note...Up until just a few days ago we've been having rain non stop in New York City. The sun is finally starting to peek

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-25022711136056391962009-06-17T13:57:00.007-04:002009-06-18T14:20:41.243-04:00

Poor positioning. I was in the wind for most of the 340 meter long(!) sprint to the line at Floyd Bennett Field last night.It may have been wiser be more patient. When a sprint containing the leaders erupted on the left I knew I had to go with it, even though I was on the far right. Unfortunately I sprinted in a straight line instead of attempting to bridge over to the left. Probably safer this

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-74039328787644777292009-06-06T15:39:00.006-04:002009-06-09T21:20:02.107-04:00

In 2008/2009 I had to spend more time than I would have liked visiting my dentist. One reason being that I had two cavities on my front teeth, specifically on my canines.How is this related to cycling? Well, the dentist was surprised by the fact that someone my age had cavities there. We talked about possible etiology and after ruling out methamphetamine use, I'm mildly certain this condition has

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-83247259022907574672009-05-06T22:47:00.008-04:002009-05-07T11:40:38.309-04:00

The muscle memory came back and I remembered how to sprint starting with the second race of the night. My bud Al Barouh pipped me at the line for points in the first race of the evening, and I think the brain fired a signal to the engine room. The signal was the one that triggers the desire to race hard, oxygen debt is good, and give 100% when there's less than that left in the bank. Quite simply

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-53024002066626432292009-04-29T09:56:00.032-04:002009-04-29T13:27:17.380-04:00

A fun filled two days of racing. Made some tactical errors, lost some races, placed in others. It was a busy event, with nearly 100 registered racers across all fields. Raced the Makino, with 32h box-section clinchers.The kilometer is a 2.5 lap timetrial, and I would describe it as the most dreadful minute and half one can spend on a bike. The only thought going through my head at lap 1.5 is, "

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-68791263466487203982009-04-03T13:43:00.014-04:002009-04-04T11:04:42.837-04:00

I took this out for it's first real ride yesterday and it rides.But it got me thinking... about the fact that for some unknowable reason I am drawn to second-hand frames.It may be because they resonate with a different frequency than a new bike. Or it may be that a used bike has a bit of mystery. My own naivité contributes greatly to this theory -- I have no clue whose name is written (in Kanjii)

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-29449088550845175212009-03-08T15:23:00.011-04:002009-03-08T16:21:35.037-04:00

There are reasons why we bikers often feel like we're not getting the respect we deserve on the road. First, bikes are small and weak. We don't pose much of a threat to vehicles. Second, bikes can be unpredictable in relation to cars.I do a few things to get more r-e-s-p-e-c-t on the road. These are just my personal opinions.1. Use hand signals and take the lane. If I don't feel like there's

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-44642275731307908772009-02-24T15:57:00.005-05:002009-02-24T18:40:49.179-05:00

This looks like a simple and clever solution, the name of the product explains exactly what it does.

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-5426466595323445752009-02-23T12:23:00.014-05:002009-02-24T01:32:20.426-05:00

I apologize if my previous nutrition post sounded like a shill for Hammer products or strawberry Yoo-hoo. I'm not paid or endorsed by anyone to write.If you expected to read something bike related, this time check Matthew's blog at no one line. He's a good writer and I really enjoyed the Stephen Roche video on his site..

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-86632557906120225432009-02-14T00:15:00.055-05:002009-02-23T12:21:17.280-05:00

One of the things about being a cyclist is that at some point, you will find yourself in an unfamiliar situation, ill prepared, and success will come through perseverance and maybe improvisation.Last week I scheduled a longish morning ride with two friends, both bike messengers and strong amateur racers. I also decided to skip breakfast. Instead of eating I'd prepared a flask of Hammer Perpetuem

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-1940574219998083742009-01-09T13:40:00.002-05:002009-01-09T13:43:41.156-05:00

Ritchey Tom Slick "Fortress" tire with metal shardOriginally uploaded by 40x14But it's coming soon. One thing about winter riding is that the roads often contain hidden surprises. Starting in November I installed a set of Ritchey's tom slick "fortress" tires. I don't know if these are still made or not, but they're pretty tough. For example, I pulled this metal shard out of the tire and the

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-78500844130245588132008-12-01T15:36:00.017-05:002009-01-08T01:41:39.239-05:00

It was a lot of fun and a huge success!Kudos to the organizers, the sausage and waffle makers, the DJ, and everyone who participated. I hope it returns next year, in multiples.My bike got a little muddy.Can anyone hold back a smile? We had fun sloshing around in the mud. My team mates were faster than me with their Gin and Trombones (gins and tromboneses?).Get the full scoop at http://

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-12907014669593761142008-11-12T21:07:00.008-05:002009-01-08T01:41:51.769-05:00

Depending on whether we're talking about 75 or 100 watt bulbs my spindly legs could power more than two of them... for an hour. It seems like such a waste of energy... but I'm still pleased to be producing more power than in 2007.It looks like the sprint is the area most improved. I got the powermeter in August 2007, so the 2007 numbers are probably less than perfect, but I wouldn't say they're

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-77587210217624063482008-10-23T23:03:00.009-04:002008-10-23T23:26:04.861-04:00

Got back from Argentina recently and it's amazing what a good dose of red meat and hearty red wine can do for the spirit. It also didn't hurt that it was Spring instead of Autumn.I'll post more bike related musings in a minute - but for now here's a few photos from a walk around the neighborhood.

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-40834305949300929292008-09-04T18:05:00.023-04:002008-09-04T20:01:04.088-04:00

The Green Mountain Stage Race 2008.Friday, day 1. Prologue. 5.7 hilly miles.Never got the feeling of going fast. Average heart rate 174. Could have rested a little better before the start instead of doing 5 and 8 minute intervals on Tuesday. Finished 31st.Saturday, day 2. Circuit race. 65 miles.We're doing two laps on this 30 mile circuit. There is a KOM competition on the first lap as well as a

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11792180.post-46318159967507661942008-08-24T21:30:00.004-04:002008-09-15T16:14:16.386-04:00

When you have to wait 4 hours for a 15 lap scratch race at the velodrome...When you have to wake up at 5:00am to race counterclockwise loops in a park...When this is the motopace vehicle... life must be good!I would race faster to catch up to it, look at all of those delicious donuts.Remember to thank officials, referees, and marshals... without them a season of racing and results would be

40x14http://www.blogger.com/profile/00293707839342409278noreply@blogger.com0