Biking with BIGBLUE

almost out of focus...

2008-09-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Hmm...football season is in full swing...my bike frame is still not back from warranty yet...the fall series starts next week...hurricanes are all over the place...the 8 hour race that went terribly wrong...my upcoming visit to the Mayo Clinic's cardiology department...my bestest buddy getting married tomorrow....all of life's events keeping my ADD riddled mind in a virtual tailspin....aahhh!!

Ok, since I have plenty of time to talk about football (and about UK puttin a spankin on UofL last weekend)- I'll get into the sorta serious mess. 4 years ago it was discovered that my heart was abnormal. While getting several opinions, there was no clear diagnosis on what had caused my heart walls to get so thick nor was there ever a definite "green-light" given to participate in competitive athletics. Back then I took a year off from everything, got on medication and my heart managed to get better. As of now I am on light medication, I fight a few symptoms here and there and I have been pursuing mountain bike racing with a full head of steam. One doctor advised against it, one thought it was ok and one didn't know. Who do you think I listened to?

This year I hired a coach and followed a structured training regimen for the first time ever. My goal was to achieve the greatest success possible this fall in the Florida Series expert class. Everything seems to be building quite well so far. Well, so far so good...kinda...

I went into the 8 Hour Race this past Sunday feeling good, in a good place training-wise and also in a good position as far as rest, hydration and diet. I felt pretty good that Char and I would be able to win the co-ed team class. But when I finished my first lap Sunday, I didn't feel quite right. During my 2nd lap, cramps set in (already?) and then everything fell apart for me- I shut down. I crawled though that lap and the next two fighting no energy or power at all, severe leg and body cramps, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, disorientation, a strong desire to go sleep and also fought off several episodes of passing out. This scared me, bad. I have felt pretty bad a few times when I have raced/ridden in the heat, but it usually takes over 4 hours of non-stop riding to get close to any of these symptoms- more like 5 to 6 hours. But I have never experienced anything this bad. This was well beyond bonking.

What went wrong? Dunno. Chemical imbalance? Severe dehydration? Heart issues? Heart medication reaction? Diabetes? Char and myself have been all over the internet researching possible causes. Either way, I need to get myself figured out, and who better to do it than the Mayo Clinic. I have been itching to go here for years but have hesitated due to money/insurance reasons- but now they are covered. I am hoping to get an answer on my heart condition and an answer to racing mountain bikes at the expert level. Can I? Can my heart handle it? Do I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (my original diagnosis) or not? Or is my heart even the problem? Maybe an answer will be had Monday or maybe it will take a little longer. I also have arranged for my primary care to be handled at the Mayo Clinic so if my issues are not heart related, another avenue can be taken to determine my apparent imbalance- in the same building. But for now, racing is on the back burner until I know for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is safe for me to continue.

In the meantime, I will continue to spin so that I do not lose the fitness that I have worked so hard on building. I will stay busy with Avery and her homework, tennis, biking, running, etc. I will help Char in every way possible with her race season and the trip to Tahoe for the XTERRA National Championship. I still plan to be at all the races this fall and I even still have it in my head that I will race next week in Gainesville. I have been stressed but I have decided not to let it beat me down like it did last time. Hell, its fall and its football season! What's more exciting than that? Also, my boy sbc is gettin married tomorrow! Party time starting tonight! There is just too much good stuff going on around me to let one hiccup spoil the party!

Oh, with me barely moving on the bike Sunday while spinning around the cuckoo's nest- we managed to get 2nd!

preoccupied

2008-09-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hmm...a lot going on, a lot on my mind. I'll get back in here....eventually...

08262008 and stuff

2008-08-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

Let's see...the storm passed, it finally stopped raining and after about 12 inches or so of rain and 5 days on the trainer I finally got out on the road for a 3 hour ride with some nasty zone 4 intervals. The ride felt great at first, then I hit a brief down pour and once the intervals were over and it was hot, muggy, & windy- I was over it. This ride was the last hard effort before the 8 Hour race next Sunday. Anyhow, Sunday ended with Avery and I playing in the pool while Char sold houses. One works, one plays...it worked Saturday that way too...

Monday was another day of madness at work. We got started on the post Fay work/repairs Saturday and we are still reeling from the damage from the storm. I can't believe how much damage was done- mostly from power surges and outtages- not flooding. Either way, its cool fixing stuff...

My bike came in Monday but Trek forgot to send the rear shock for some reason...so I have to wait a little longer...like til Thursday or Friday. I was so excited to ride the dern thing but my first ride on it may be Saturday at San Felasco as I pre-ride the course for the 8 Hour race. I'm hoping to get it Thursday so I can get a good shake-down ride in at Hanna...we'll see...

Chance of Rain

2008-08-22T09:00:00.001-07:00

Actually make that about 10 inches of rain and counting. Some places not far from here have gotten 30 inches of rain. Ouch. Non-stop rain, 40-50+ mph winds and mostly everything closed makes for fun times. Not. At least the Olympics are on 3 different channels... Not only has it rained for 4 straight days, I've been riding the trainer for 4 straight days. I anticipate the thrill of riding outside again one day...

Football is right around the corner!! While Char and I are bustin out laps at the 8 Hours of San Felasco, Kentucky will be playing in-state rival Louisville next Sunday. This game should set the tone for the season for both teams. Since both schools will have quite a different look this year, namely new QB's, I can't wait to see what they are all about. While I normally root for the Cards throughout the year, I always hope for UK to put a solid whoopin on 'em. I'm also eagerto see if UK's defense has gotten any better at all...

Anyhow, GO BIG BLUE!!

Annoying Stuff

2008-08-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

So Tropical Storm Fay has decided to hang out and share her wind and rain with us. Annoying. Uhhh, go away or something...

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt decided to show no class after smoking the men's 100 and 200 at the Olyimpics. Annoying. The look-at-me antics and not acknowledging the other athletes may be just a sign of immaturity but I am glad the IOC blasted him. Grow up dude. Show some respect. I will say though, he is one fast mofo. In fact, he is the fastest ever...

Oh, the new Procaliber frame is on its way! I gotta give some love to the Trek Store for handling my claim so fast and to Trek/Gary Fisher for coming through with the frame replacement/upgrade. I'm psyched that I'll be going into the fall series with a new ride. Hope it helps...

Daddy's Princess

2008-08-19T05:29:00.001-07:00

Somebody's first day of 3rd grade was yesterday...

Why can't there be a pause button on this whole growing up thing???

Storm's Coming...

2008-08-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Man, this doesn't looks fun...

This may screw my riding up for a few days... Bummer....

Oh, do I know somebody in Chicago? I looked at my analytics recently...

Riding in Charlotte

2008-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Before I left for Charlotte, I had checked this site out to find the best places to ride in the area. After riding on the not-so-great roads near the hotel on my road bike the first day there, I headed 5 miles down the road to Anne Springs Close Greenway to hit some trails after class on the 2nd day. It had been raining all day so I knew it would be muddy, like red clay muddy. It took me a long time to find the place and even when I found it, it took me a while to find the trail. Once I found the trail, however, it was on! The trails were a little muddy in places but had good climbs, downhills, technical sections, rock gardens, suspended bridges, and tunnels. I had a map and lost my bearings a few times but I will probably go back and hit this trail again. I ended my ride when I started to run out of sun. Oh, since I had an easy ride planned, I took the camera...

On Thursday, the weather was awesome (and not as hot as FL!) and I was eager to get out of class and head to the US National Whitewater Center. I had read all about the trails so I knew this place was going to rock! When I got there, the place was packed! Not necessarily with mtber's, but with rafters, rock climbers, people walking dogs and people there for the bands, festivities, beer & food. This place was awesome, had a killer atmosphere and the trails were incredible! Since I had a serious ride, I didn't take the camera into the trails. These trails had it all, especially climbing. I rode and rode and eventually had to stop when it got dark. I can't wait to get back to this place and ride again. I would like to plan a trip so Char can ride this place too, especially before Tahoe. I will no doubt hit this place again in a few weeks when I head back to Charlotte.

Here's a summary of my ride at USNWC...

Back from Charlotte

2008-08-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Man, I found some awesome places to ride while I was in Charlotte for product training at Parker SSD. I'm eager to head back next month. I'll post some pictures and trail reviews later but I gotta say that I've been totally mesmerized for the past hour with all of the gadgets that you can add to your blog. I added a few for the heck of it and I'm sure I'll play with that stuff more later...

Oh, here's something cool I found the other day...Big Blue's Attack at the Jacksonville Cycling Classic

Another thing- my frame is cracked on my mtn bike. I've had several issues with my Gary Fisher Race Day Procaliber since I got it- all related to the rear suspension. I'm hoping to get the new HiFi Procaliber as a warranty replacement. Stay tuned...

Race Pictures II

2008-08-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Scott delivering the plan before Sunday's crit....

My solo breakaway...

Post race team chit-chat...

Hottie in a VeloBrew kit...

1 lap to go for Char...

Race Pictures I

2008-08-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm having wireless issues at the hotel but not at the SSD training facility here in Charlotte. So I'm a few days behind, but here's some shots from Avery's triathlon...

Anticipating the start...

Transition from swim to bike...

SMOKING the bike...

Finishing strong on the run...

Post race celebration with friends...

Man, I'm so proud of my little pumpkin pie!

Racing Weekend!

2008-08-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

We had a mad busy weekend with road racing and triathlons! I'll give a short recap now but I'll add pictures tomorrow once I get settled into Charlotte. I'm headed to Charlotte, NC tomorrow for 4 days of work related education. And yes, I am taking both bikes and the trainer so I can stay on schedule. Looks like there are some cool trails close to where my stragetically selected hotel is located...

Anyhow, Saturday was the Jacksonville Cycling Classic road race out in Nocatee, which is a cool new "town" being built out in Ponte Vedra. Char had the early race (7:30 am) and was rather tough because they grouped the masters 55+ and all of the women cat 1234 together. Char kicked a$$ and got 4th in cat 4. My race was the last of the day, at 3:00 in total sunshine and 92 degrees. The 40 mile road race was rather boring. We had 6 Velobrew teammates in the race and once one of our guys went in a late 2 man breakaway, we deployed team tactics by keeping the peloton under control and chasing down all chase attempts and bringing them back to the pack. Our guy stayed off the front and finished 2nd, while we geared up for a field sprint. Sean, Rad and I were in good positions but as we ramped it up, a guy went down between the 3 of us. He bumped Rad as he went down and his bike went totally under mine, damaging my front wheel and puncturing my tire- at 35 mph! I somehow didn't crash but I limped across the line with a front flat. Sean sat up too considering the wreck was right in front of him while Rad managed to escape unscathed and finished 4th. Man, wrecks in the sprint are scary as he!!...

Sunday morning was the kid's triathlon at the Ponte Vedra YMCA. I was so surprised at how many kids turned out, it was awesome! The race was set up in 3 waves; ages 5-7, 8-10 and 11-12. It was very well coordinated and there were plenty of volunteers from the Y to keep the chaos under control. Avery was anxious to get going after getting her transitons all setup. I was excited AND crazy nervous. She motored through all 3 legs of the race (especially the bike portion!) and finished the 50 yard swim, 4 mile bike and 1/2 mile run in 24 minutes. I was so proud of her and at the same time it was incredibly emotional seeing your little girl compete- doing so well and taking it so serious. I think she may have some good genes for this kind of thing... Anyhow, after the race she was all about eating some doughnuts and "getting it over with." Solid work kiddo!!

From here we hustled back over to Nocatee for the crits. For those of you who don't know, a crit is a road bike race on a very short course (like a circuit) where you go for X amount of minutes or X amount of laps. My crit started with about 35 guys and started out rather slow. There were a few short lived attacks in the first few laps but after an attack was pulled back in that had 2 of my teammates in it with a little over 2 laps to go, I launched a solo attack that caught the group by surprise, which subsequently started a 20 minute zone 5 interval for me! I quickly gained a 30 second advantage and I knew if I got out far enough it would give my teammates enough time to respond to any chases. I stayed off the front for about half of the 3 mile lap until a guy bridged up to me, then we stayed off the front for close to another half lap until a chase group caught us and motored by. I saw Rad in this group and knew that if I didn't dig deep and jump on, my race would be over and I'd finish in the pack. I managed to push hard and jump on. I think there were about 10 or 12 riders in this group and we built a very big gap over the peloton. I saw that we had some teammates sitting on the front of the main group so I knew our advantage was safe as long as we kept the tempo up. As we closed in to the finish line and the speed ramped up, a guy in front of Rad and I blew up but instead of holding his line, he drifted over into our paths. We had to weave around him and ended up crossing the line 7th and 8th at 38 mph. We were rather disappointed to not podium after such a strong finish but that is the bad part about road racing. Things have to really work out perfect at the end in order to win.

After getting cleaned up, I chilled at the Velobrew tent with Avery and watched the Pro 1,2 race as Char warmed up. The women all raced together again (cat 1234) but the field was very small, like less than 10 girls. The group immediately broke up as the 1,2 girls pulled away. In the end Char got 3rd and was excited about the results but a little disappointed about the competition, the number of girls racing, the way road racing works and how the field was set up. Either way, we had a busy weekend and were pleased with our results but after being in the heat all day we were eager to get home, get cleaned up and eat some real food. After hitting one of our favorite restaurants, Tijuana Flats, we settled in for the evening and watched the Olympics. Man, the summer games are so damn cool.... Go USA!!

Another thing that was cool about this weekend was I learned that when a Velobrew guy finishes on the podium during a road race, he splits his winnings with his teammates. That was especially cool Saturday because we had 2 guys in the top 5 and between the 6 of us in the race, it was one of the best displays of team tactics a lot of people have seen in amateur racing. Most people do not know that cycling is a team sport a lot of the time. Anyhow, Velobrew is an awesome race club that was well represented this weekend in every race category and also provides such an awesome atmosphere for camaraderie. Ride on Brewers!!

Y Kids Tri

2008-08-08T04:51:00.000-07:00

Avery is so excited to do her first triathlon this weekend at the Ponte Vedra YMCA. She's been to quite a few triathlons over the last few years and she's been itching to do one herself. Her time has finally come! Sunday's kid's tri includes a 50 yard swim, a 4 mile bike and a 1/2 mile run. She got an early start in life on the bike- she was off training wheels at age 3 and won her first bike race at a ge 4. After riding wither her at "practice" last night, I know that she will do well. Hell, I may be more excited than she is!

Last night, our resident tri expert Char went over transitions with Avery. After a few practice runs, she did a mock triathlon...

Ok Avery, it's time to rock on wit yo bad self!!

Birthday Shout!

2008-08-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Char! I should have put this up yesterday but for some reason I'm always a day late and a dollar short... Either way, Love Ya Babe!

So the whole Brett Favre drama ended with him being traded to the Jets. Hmm. He retired. Then unretired. The Pack didn't want him. He showed up. They sent him to the Jets. Wonder what kind of backlash the Packers management will get from their fans. I also wonder what noodle-arm Chad Pennington thinks now that he is officially 2nd string in NY...

Football practice has started and we're already hearing about how great the SEC is. It's common in the south for the SEC to be called the best conference in college football, well, because it is. Georgia, Florida and LSU are ranked in the top 6 in the preseason polls with Georgia being #1. Right now I am rather annoyed with UK's outlook this year. I'm always excited about football season and I'm always equally excited about UK football. But there is some dumb stuff going on in Big Blue Country. The team looked like it will be better on defense because they returned a lot of guys who got plenty of PT last year. They lost all of their skilled guys on offense to the NFL (that sounded weird) but they still had some solid speed returning. Then one of their starting DB's becomes ineligible, then a starting offensive lineman and THEN the guy who was supposed to take over for Andre Woodson at QB, versatile Curtis Pulley gets kciked off the team for being an idiot. I mean, he redshirted last year to be the starter this year! I don't want to go into his stupidity but I think that Mike Hartline, who is now #1, will turn out to be a good QB. I hope they can get it together and keep the string alive for bowl appearances... 2 in a row and counting baby!!! Oh- and no losses to Vandy...

Are we drifting towards this?

I gotta comment on this heat. Last night I went out for a recovery spin on the road bike and it felt like somebody was blowing a hair dryer in my face. It was almost 8 o'clock and still 90 degrees. Right now it's 94 and feels like 103. This is just another reason why the fall is the best time of the year...

Road Ridin

2008-08-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Man, last night's Open Road ride was a blast! It was great to get back out there with the fellas and do some solid work with the roadies. We have not done as many group rides together this year so we needed to get the feel for the group and each other before Saturday's road race. I felt exceptionally strong considering I had been sore as he!! the last few days from Sunday's race. I spent almost the entire 40 mile ride at threshold and when I hit 36 mph in the final sprint, my HR peaked at 193. Ahhh- it felt great! We all did some major work taking pulls, covering gaps and chasing a few breakaways. Anyhow, good ride last night Rad, Sean and Tony! We should have an awesome race Saturday!

Trail 2 Trail race

2008-08-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Brutal. That is the first word that comes to mind when I think about the Trail to Trail race this past weekend at Loyce Harpe Park in Lakeland, FL. The trails at LHP are probably some of the most technical trails that I have ridden. They are full of ridges that branch out into a lake and are very rooty, have very steep hills and descents, have very tight turns and is also right next to the water in a lot of places where it would be very easy to fall in the water or fall off the trail. There was also a lot of nasty, smelly mud in the areas between the ridges. When I pre-rode the course on Saturday and my HR stayed in zone 3/4+, I knew the race was going to be very hard and I knew I was going to suffer. Not only are the trails very difficult, but the heat and humidity were off the charts! Oh, during my pre-ride I had to stop twice because of the local wild life. Once because something big jumped in the water next to me, scared the $h!t out of me and caused me to run into a tree and the second time a small alligator was in the trail. I gave him the right of way...

For those of you who do not know, the Trail to Trail race starts out on the mtn bike trails, then transitions to the road for a road race and then transitions back to the trails to finish the race. The first part was an 8 mile loop in the woods, which was a crucial part of the race in order to get a good position (or get in a strong group) for the road. It is kinda odd jumping off of the mtn bike and then saddling up the road bike for the 30 mile course, which was really tough due to the direct sun that we never got a break from. From here, once you get back into the park, you hop back on the mtn bike (awkward!) for that same, tough-as-hell mtn bike course.

The race start was a rolling mass start...

I got an ok start to the race but had to pass quite a few dudes to try to catch the leaders, which never happened. I got out of the woods a lot faster than I anticipated, hopped onto my road bike and took a bottle of ice water from Char and drank a little and dumped the rest on my head. It was mad hot, like already 90 degrees! Once out on the road, I didn't see anybody in front or behind me so I decided to just stay at a steady pace and hope that a group would catch me. After a few miles, a group of 5 guys (4 of them in the same kit)- led by a guy on a TT bike and an aero helmet, rolled past and I jumped on. Once we got rolling and started a rotation, we picked up 2 more guys and then lost one. There was a water station at some point on the road that was handing out bottles and it is here when I really started hurting. My HR had been steady in the 170's/180's up to this point and when I dropped a bottle, waited for a guy to run across the street to hand me another, the group had opened a gap. I drank some of the water, dumped the rest on my head and back, then worked too hard trying to catch back on. Once I got back on, the group started having issues, like one guy yelling about crap, one guy accelerating every time he took a pull and some guys not taking pulls. I was hurting so I sat out of a rotation or 2 but oh well. This led to the group breaking in half after Endurancefactor teammate Mark Gerard and I said, "Screw this." We let those guys go (the 4 guys in the same kit) while the 4 of us motored on. Then the cramps hit and hit hard. My quads were locking up solid but I managed to hold onto the group back to the transition.

Back in the transition I was overheated, cramping and a little disoriented. I stopped a second to get my bearings, dumped cold water on myself and then reluctantly jumped on my mtn bike for the last 8 miles of hell back in the woods. I decided when I got on my bike just to do whatever I had to do in order to finish. I was hurting bad so I started giving myself mini goals, like counting down the technical sections of the trail. My quads were still cramping but soon my right hamstring cramped, then my left calf but I had to keep spinning or else I'd be in serious trouble. I was staying as hydrated as possible and I took a total of about 6 bottles and 6 gels but it was no match for the heat, effort and the time given to both.

I completed the 46 combined miles in 3 hours even, good for 13th place overall (I think) in the open men's solo field. I was aiming for top 10 but the competition seems to get tougher and tougher each year so given the conditons and where I am in training, I think I did ok. I was also happy that I had no bike problems considering how much I had been flatting lately on my road bike and the shifting problems I had on the mtn bike during the pre-ride. It was also cool hanging and chatting with all of the other fly racers, including all the studs sporting black & yellow!

Since Char was not racing, we decided to test Mayfield's travel legs. Man, she was great! She was good in the car, chilled at the tent during our ride Saturday and during the race Sunday and was good at the hotel. It looks like we won't have much trouble taking her to more races in the future. Here she is snoozing at my side on the way down while I flash my gang signs...

Normally after races we have a nice sit-down meal at a restaurant but we did not account for having Mays with us, so we settled on something that I had not eaten in a long, long time. Char found it necessary to document my post-race nutrition for Drew- but hell, I earned it...

Ok, now some bike dork stuff...I had seen guys put their Polar charts on their blogs in the past and I thought it was kinda cool. Hell, I thought it was cool just figuring out how to do it. The red line is my HR while the blue is speed. The rest of the data is self explanatory...

From here I need to recover as much as possible for the Jacksonville Cycling Classic this weekend. Saturday is the road race while Sunday is the criterium and as of right now, I am extremely sore. I am super excited about racing with my buds (and Velobrew teammates) Sean, Tony and Rad in the same class. We look forward to kicking some a$$!!

BIG Trades

2008-08-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

So the MLB trade deadline came and went yesterday and there were some blockbuster trades that took place. I gotta admit that I was surprised that the Sox actually dealt Manny, sending him to the Dodgers. After all the years of grumbling by ManRam, he finally got his wish and got traded. Or did he really want to be traded? He had it so damn good in Beantown. The BoSox rebounded quite well by landing Jason Bay from the Pirates. They will lose huge offensive production but will get better defensively and on the base paths with Bay, as well as a better dude in the clubhouse. I really like Manny and his big numbers at the plate (he looks kinda cool too), but his antics got kind of annoying. NOBODY is bigger than the team. He will still be one of my favorite players, even sporting Dodger blue.

The Cubbies landed pitching ace Righ Harden from the A's after division rival Milwaukee got super-stud pitcher C.C. Sabathia from Cleveland. Chicago is looking good (still) and will hopefully hold it together and claim the division. Again, hopefully...

Other notable trades was perennial All-Star Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez going to the payroll machine Yankees. Maybe they will have enough fire-power to beat out the Rays and Sox for the division- but hopefully not. Ken Griffey Jr. ended his disappointing tenure in Cincinnati and went to the White Sox. Mark Texeira left the disappointing Braves and went to the Angels from LA from Anaheim in California...or whatever they're called this year... The Angels are a kick-ass squad. Anyhow, the trades should spice up the divisional races and add some excitement come the postseason...

Supplements

2008-07-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

This a tricky topic for athletes. Unless you are an athlete sponsored by a supplement company, it can be difficult to stick with a specific product or find one that works best or even works at all. I often wonder if most of the products just help you with psychological warfare. I mean, does drink mix A help you on the bike more than drink mix B? Or does recovery drink X work better than recovery drink Y? I know that when I was a bodybuilder, I tried all kinds of supplements. Eventually I'd settle on a protein mix or fat burner and spend tons of money on them. After years of experimenting (with LEGAL products), I hit my stride and made some awesome gains although I was never sure which products did the trick. All I knew was which one mixed the easiest or tasted the best or cost the least. But now I am a lot wiser with my money and a lot more skeptical of supplement company's claims. When I started cycling, I used to buy the fancy-town drink mixes all of the time but eventually I questioned if it was worth it. I now mostly use Gatorade and eat protein bars for recovery or normal food. I still use HEED here and there, or Emergen-C and I also take Endurolytes when I think I may need them. But will I be that much better if I use Powerbar or Hammer mixes all the time? I know that I will always eat the assortment of Clif bars...I am an addict!

The reason I am thinking about this, or the reasons, is that I now have a hook-up on supplements through Smoothie King so I plan to get back to specific 'during' and 'after' mixes. Also, while Drew was staying with us this past week, I noticed that he was using Dedicated Athlete products, so we engaged in conversation over this topic. I am super curious about their EP-NO product as well as their energy and recovery drinks and their "athlete" multivitamin. Does the EP-NO truly boost red blood cell levels? Will I notice an improvement in performance? I think it is worth trying. The testimonials on the website are encouraging as are the scientific studies, which I have read in regards to what supplements have what effect on your body and when is the best time to take them and so on. This info is always all over the place in the fitness world. I also posted a thread on the mtbflorida forum asking about DA's products, like who uses them and do they work. I am curious to see the responses.

So if and when I start taking different products or find ones that work, I'll be sure to post something. Until then, I'll keep logging the miles...

Monday Morning Quarterback

2008-07-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

So the Tour is over and Carlos Sastre held on in the TT for the win. Cadel got 2nd and Vandevelde got 5th. With the way Sastre and Evans finished, I won the little bet amongst the boys. Some brew should be headed my way...maybe...one day... Anyhow, I was totally impressed with Vandevelde and expect him to podium next year. Garmin-Chipotle needs to add another strong climber to help him in the mountains though. It always kinda sucks when things like March Madness, the NFL Playoffs and the Tour end....

Saturday I saddled up for another solo century on the road bike. I felt pretty good for the first 3-1/2 hours but started feeling kinda rough around hour 4 and then hit killer cramps as I got close to 5 hours. I'm pretty sure I went into this ride not fully hydrated and not fully recovered. Another lesson learned. I managed to ride through the cramps and finished a bit slower than last week, at 5 hours and 30 minutes. I'm still not sure why I enjoy these rides and why look forward to them when they come up...

Sunday was the First Coast XTERRA at Hanna Park. The race was a half mile swim in the ocean, a 13 mile mountain bike ride on the trails and then a 5K trail run. We had lots of friends doing the race this year so it was pretty exciting for me as a spectator. Char did very well, holding 2nd though the swim and bike but a wrong turn in the woods during the run lost her a spot, so she finished 3rd overall and first in age group. She busted her a$$ and made me very proud none the less. She also secured her spot in Nationals at Lake Tahoe so the worry over us booking the flight and hotel is now over. The guys race was super competitive for the top 3 overall. After chasing down the top swimmer on the bike in the woods, local XTERRA phenom sbc knocked out some ultra fast bike laps and held off pro mtber (my coach) Drew. Sean had a good lead over 2nd and 3rd going into the run but unfortunately the out-of-town-swim-stud ran like a gazelle, as did Drew. Drew took the overall win in his first XTERRA and sbc took 3rd. Damn awesome race fellas!

Next weekend I have the Trail 2 Trail race in Lakeland FL held by Red Trail Racing. This race is really cool because it is a hybrid mtn bike race/road race. The race starts in the trail on the mtn bike, transitions into a road race on the road bike and then goes back into the trails. I am super excited and super motivated to do this race and to do well. I did it a few years back as a sport rider with no road race experience and managed a top 10. I plan to top that this year....

Old Folks

2008-07-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Its funny how I tend to really get moving on the trainer when I'm watching the Tour and the final sprint comes...

So...who dis?

I was catching up on the sports news this morning and I saw that the Detroit Shock of the WNBA signed 50 year old hall of famer Nancy Lieberman to a short contract. And she even got some clock last night. Man, this lady played ball for the US Olympic team in '76 (I was 1) and was the youngest player to ever medal at age 18. Not only did she play in a women's pro league (WBL), she also played pro men's ball (USBL) and also played for the Washington Generals. You know the Generals, right? The team that always took a whoopin' from the Globetrotters back in the day. Anyhow, I seriously hope I'm still cool at 50...

Alps

2008-07-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

The Tour hits the Alps again today for the 3rd and final day in the brutal mountains. The Alps are sure to shake up the field and bring the true contenders to the top of the standings. Team CSC has dominated these climbs by usually having 3 -4 riders in the yellow jersey peloton and has carried Frank Schleck to the overall lead. All of the favorites have pretty much been sticking together in the mountains but during yesterday's stage there were a few guys who fell back a little. Christian Vandevelde lost some time yesterday due to a minor crash and now sits in 6th place, 03' 15" back. Today's stage is brutal- there are 3 HC (uncategorized) climbs, with the finish at the top of the infamous L'Alpe-d'Huez. I can see the climbing studs from CSC (Sastre, the Schleck brothers, Voigt maybe...) shaking up the favorites with some attacks today. If Cadel Evans can minimize the damage today he will stay in good shape for the overall title because there is still a time trial in stage 20. Cadel can seriously get his TT on! Alejandro Valverde needs a 2006 Floyd Landis type breakaway today to get back into contention. The same can be said for Vendevelde and Russian Denis Menchov.

The scene from yesterday's stage 16. The stage began down in the valley...DAMN!

One exciting thing about yesterday's stage was the incredible ride by the youngest rider in the Tour, 21 year old South African John Lee Augustyn from defunct Team Barloworld, who was first to the highest point ever in the Tour (Col de la Bonnette-Restefond elev- 9192 ft) and then proceeded to ride off the side of the mountian on the descent and lost his bike. The dude could've won the stage!

The profile of today's stage 17...

Slight chance of hot...

2008-07-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Finally got on the mtn bike today for a 2 hour spin at Hanna Park. I need to start getting more time on the dirt. I also need to get my front fork and rear shock rebuilt- they are a total mess. Bike maintenance can be annoying sometimes. Anyhow, I felt really good when I got started in the trails even though I thought I'd be hurtin from my solo century yesterday. BUT, after I really picked it up on my 2nd lap and rolled with my heart rate in zone 5 for half the lap, my 3rd lap turned into pure suffering. I was overheating bad. I finished that lap, stopped in the parking lot to grab a bottle, drank an extra water bottle and then poured some cold water over my head and back. Ahhh- felt better immedialtely. From there I did 2 easy laps with Char and called it a day. Man, it was like a damn rain forest- damn hot and mad humid! At least the road bike offers a constant breeze...

Burnin rubber...

2008-07-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just got done with my ride today and as I was taking my helmet and whatnot off in the garage I smelled burning rubber. It took me a second to realize what it was- it was my road bike tires. Not that I was going fast or anything but I decided to turn my 4-1/2 hour ride today into a century. Once again it was very hot out and there was no cloud cover. It took me 5 hours and 22 minutes to cover 100 miles, while the average temperature from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm was 92 degrees and I burned over 4500 calories. I felt good because I was well rested, hydrated and I took in a good amount of fluids and food. I lost 5 pounds on that ride but trust me- I will find all of it later tonight...

Ok, so back to that sprint triathlon... Last weekend was the last sprint triathlon of the BFAST series in PV. Char did the whole series while I was a spectator but this last one I did the team relay with her brother Damien. Dmy's family stayed the weekend with us as did Char's older brother Al and his family. Packed house, good time... Anyhow, I was hoping to have a smoking fast time on the bike even though I have not done any high intensity training in quite some time; I've only been doing low intensity high volume. Once the race started, I had to hang out in the transition area for around 40 minutes while the swim portion got underway. This killed my warmup. As soon as Damien got back from the swim I ran out and hopped on the bike and started to hammer. I already knew that I would start out in a slight headwind so I figured I'd go about as hard as I could the first half and when I turned around to head back with the tailwind, I'd pick it up. Negative. I went a little over 24 mph up and a little over 24 mph back. Bummer. I was disappointed in my time until I saw that my time was on par with the rest of the top triathletes/cyclists at the race. Another thing that sucked was that when I finished the bike, I had to jump off of it with my heart rate at about 180 and I was not able to do a cool down spin. The bikes cannot be moved from the transition area until the race is over. Oh well. From there Damien had a very good run and we finished the race in 2nd place. Damn, that was exciting! It was a cool event because we had so many friends and family at the race- all a racin' & a cheerin'! Big props to Char for her 2nd place finish in AG and to my man SBC for nailing his first sprint win in AG!

And again...

2008-07-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Stage 13- in the books.

One sick Brit!

2008-07-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Team Columbia's 23 year old British sprinter Mark Cavendish took stage 12 today of the Tour for his 3rd stage win. Call this dude 'butter' cause he's on a roll!