Friday, December 01, 2006

This blog hasn't been too busy lately and neither has the rider. I haven't ridden much since October, just here and there for the fun of it. The 2nd half of this year was pretty crummy for cycling....bad weather, no time, no motivation. I finally decided to stop beating myself up for it and just take time off the bike. As the new year approaches I am beginning to get the itch to ride again and I'm starting to think about next season. Nothing really solid planned out but I think Solo 24 hour races will take a back seat to mix of 100 milers and "regular" races. I really want to focus on my speed this year and opposed to getting in only long rides. I want to crank out super fast laps (and maybe turn a lap or two faster than Dave) so that is what I am going to focus on. I still love the long rides, but those will only come on the weekends...now I can focus on shorter (ie. 90 mins) rides during the week to work on speed. That's the plan anyways. I've been known to change my mind on occasion.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

24 Hour World Solo's

It has been a few weeks since the World Solo Championships. It has taken me that long to digest what happened. He is a recap:

Thursday: Leave around 8am and drive for 12 hours with the kids (age 5 & 7). Luckily we have a DVD player in there and they are extremely well behaved. We stop somewhere in Kentucky for the night. The drive through Tennessee and Kentucky was quite enjoyable.

Friday: Arrive in Conyers, Georgia around 1pm. Check-in to the La Quinta motel. I call my brother (who is racing as well....he's from Arizona) and tell him where we are and he says it is pronounced "La Keeeenta"....I say whatever...I am Canadian and can say it how I please! We go over to the race site and get our pits set up. Talk to Hendershot for bit and see the Trek guys as well as the other major players. It is going to be exciting. Go to the riders meeting and hear the same story we always do. Some chuckles around the "no collusion" rule....there goes my plan to shadow Eatough for the whole race! :-) We head over to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner which was a mistake (mistake #1). Felt sick the rest of the night and have countless trips to the washroom.

Saturday Morning: Wake up in the morning with a migraine headache. Only brought 1 migraine pill with me and fuss over using it or not. Decided not to (2nd mistake). We head over to Walmart to pick up last minute items and I take a few more trips to their washroom. This isn't good. Get back to our pits and got interviewed by the people doing the 24-Solo documentary about Chris Eatough. I sure hope it makes the movie (I was filmed a few times on course as well).

Saturday Noon: The washroom breaks have subsided thankfully but the headache is still there. How much Ibuprofen can I take at a time? Call up has taken place and I am in the top third of the group to start the Le Mans run. I go pretty hard as I don't want to be last. Things go well until about 3/4 of the way through and I start having trouble. Shouldn't have gone out so hard (mistake #3). I'm not last though (far from it). I hop on the Asylum 29er and head out. Everybody is hammering but I am hanging on. The first half of the course is good singletrack but very bumpy. We head out to the 2nd half of the course....the rocky area. Literally riding on sheets of rock that have little mini pot holes everywhere. It is tough going and keeping momentum is a challenge. Riding along and come to a steep downhill. I see a skull and cross bones....must be a tough drop off but it isn't too bad. After that head straight back up a very steep, incredibly bumpy stretch. I make it about 3/4 of the way up and walk the rest of it. The rest of the lap is pretty uneventful but my time is dismal.

Saturday night - I've been lapped multiple times by the leaders as I mount my light on the bike for the first night lap. My brother and I decide to ride together and it turns out to be a good thing. Half way through the lap (where we pass by close to the pits) his light burns out and my light is almost out. Our 3 hour batteries were lasting 40 mins. We each grab another battery and finish the lap. We put in fresh batteries for our next night lap and sure enough halfway through the lap the lights are out. We head back to the pits....no more batteries left for me. I guess I need a new lighting system (mistake #4). My brother grabs a back up system he brought and finishes the lap. Riding the remainder of the night would be futile so we head back to the hotel for the night.

Sunday Morning: Up at 6am and head back down to the pits. I saddle up...it is a little dark but within about 15 mins it is light enough for no lights (I didn't have one anyways). The race has now come down to my brother and I. He is technically a half lap ahead of me. I got started in the morning first to finish my half lap and then did another lap. He is in the pits. We are tied. I wonder if he will do 1 or 2 more laps. I head out right away and finish my lap just after 11am but hold on to my baton just in case I need to do another lap....I had the energy but wanted to see the winners come across. I go back to our pit and my brother is out on a lap. I go back to the finish line to wait for the winners and he comes through around 11:20am. I don't think he will go for another lap so I watch Chris Eatough come through for 2nd place (poor guy was in tears....I felt so bad for him) and then Craig Gordon come through for 1st (and nearly collapses). It was also cool to see Sue Haywood win. I watched the interviews and then saw my sister in law come by. I ask where my brother is and she said he is on another lap. I look at my watch and think it is 11:45am and I could probably squeeze one more lap in but would need to catch up to my brothers sizeable lead. I am majorlly pissed now and ride back to the pits. Only to find my brother sitting there with his street clothes on. He and his wife thought it was a pretty funny joke and they certainly got me! We had been playing jokes on each other all race (hiding eachothers bikes etc) so he got the last laugh. But I still beat him!

In the end the race didn't go according to plan but I didn't go in with huge expectations. I knew my conditioning was suspect (....I guess that is what happens when you don't ride enough) but I had a great time and thought it was cool riding with some of the stars of this sport.

We packed up on Monday morning and headed to Florida for a well deserved vacation. It was quite eventful as well with the strangest thing happening is me saving the life of a grandma and 2 year old girl from drowning in the hotel pool.

The drive home was awful. We had about 22 hours to cover and drove for about 12 hours the first day with the plan being to stop in Charlotte for the night at 8:30pm. Unfortunately there wasn't a hotel to be found for a 100 miles and we ended up driving until 1am before we found a stinky, smoke filled room with a busted toilet to stay in. The most disappointing thing was having to drive through the Virginia's at night....it is such a nice drive in the daytime. We managed to get home the next day around 4pm and quickly got back to our regular routine.

I have done a few fun rides and plan to get back into the swing of things in a few weeks. Many thanks go out to Wicked Fast Nutrition, Kenda Tires, FSA, Rudy Project and Formula Brakes for supporting me this season. It was a tumultous one but I had a good time none the less.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

So I was supposed to do the Pauls Dirty 100KM a few weeks ago. I had the best of intentions and even woke up at 4:45am to get ready. Unfortunately I woke up to rain and the forcast of thunderstorms. So I nixed the race and went back to bed!

Leaving tomorrow to head down to the 24 hr world solo championships in Conyers Geogia. Getting pretty excited, especially because it looks like they are filming a full on movie about the race and Chris Eatough trying to win his 7th title. Who knows, maybe I might make it into the movie. It's nice to dream anyways.

Race reports to follow a couple of weeks later cuz we're going to Florida afterwards for a holiday.

Steve

Monday, September 11, 2006

Epic Ride

I went for a an epic 5 hour ride this past weekend. I haven't had so much fun in a long time. I decided to do some exploration on trails I had never done before. To get there I had to ride for about an hour and then go to the trailhead. There were several cars parked but I never saw anyone. The trail started out as ATV double track which was pretty rutted up and full of puddles. Once past this section I came upon the technical track in the Niagara Escarpment. Now I am not one for extremely technical riding but I was committed now so kept going. Things started getting ridiculously rocky but to my amazement I was able to ride about 95% of it. It was liberating! I must have rode this type of trail for about an hour before I came to the section to descend the escarpment. It looked very daunting and I got off my bike to start walking down. Then I started noticing some lines down the steep, boulder strewn, with rocky dropoffs descent. I went back to the top and hopped on the bike and started going down. Much to my amazement I cleaned the whole thing. I was very happy and I owe most of the credit to riding the Asylum 29er. Throughout the whole trail I would just roll over the rocks without a hint of going over the bars or crashing. I am convinced I would have had problems on my old bike and walked much more. It was a real confidence booster. Once I exited that trail I went over to Kelso Conservation Area to check out the Ontario Cup Provincial Championships course but unfortunately it wasn't marked. I did my usual loop and was pretty tired plus I still had to ride home which took over an hour. Got home after the 5 hour ride and my legs were on fire!!! I couldn't even stand so I assume that is the feeling of cramping (never happened to me before). It was painful, but I figured it meant I put in a solid ride. I was supposed to race at the Durham Durango, but I sure am glad I decided to do this epic instead!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

24 Hours of Albion Hills

Raced as a tag team at this past weekends 24 Hours of Albion Hills. It was a fairly large race with about 1400 riders in all catagories. Our goal was to do 20 laps which seemed quite achievable at the start of the race. My partner started out first and turned in a pretty fast 1 hour lap. I went out and suffered a little bit on my first lap. I always do as my body gets used to the riding (read: no warmup) but turned in a respectable 1:03. My partner did one more lap and then I went out for a double lap so he could watch his son in the kids race. The 2nd lap of the double was a bit crummy but I was looking forward to my 2 hour break to eat and rest for awhile. When my partner got back from his double he didn't look too good. He said he wasn't feeling good and was going to stop. I went out and did my next lap (1st night lap) and when I returned he wasn't at our transition area. I rode back to our pit to find him in his street clothes. He was done. I lost motivation after that and took a long break. I was on my own for the rest of the race so decided to wait until morning to go out again. I put in a few more laps and felt pretty good, finishing with a fairly strong last lap. Needless to say we didn't do well but I still had fun and felt good for most of the race. The course was very tough with a lot of climbing involved. The other big problem was it was very sandy due to no rain for a long time. It created really bad ruts on the tight switchback downhills which became difficult to manage at night as it was hard to see them well.

Next race is Pauls 100km in September. I hope to break 8 hours (would be record for me) so I better start working on my climbing again because there is a lot of it on this course.

Steve

Saturday, August 12, 2006

24 hours of Albion Hills coming up

The next 24 hour is coming at Albion Hills on Aug 19/20. Doing this race as a tag team just to mix things up a little bit. Pre-rode the course today doing 2 laps to see what things were like. Pretty good, much different than the June course. Tons of climbing. Should be fun.

Haven't done much riding the past week due to a family camping trip but did a fair bit the weeks prior. My climbing on the road has gotten much better but for some reason it doesn't translate that well onto the trails. Not sure why....probably the style of climbing on the road which is long steady and smooth or short steeps with recovery at the end. MTBing just doesn't afford a lot of recovery like road riding. I guess I should start working on my climbing using the MTB on the trails. Maybe that will help.

Race recap coming after next weekend.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

24 Hours of Summer Solstice wrap up

Another 24 hour race is in the books and while the course was primed and fast, my body unfortunately was not. We got up to Albion Hills around 9am to finish getting set up the remainder of our pit. We were fairly low key and I was fairly relaxed. The whole family but myself had a cold and I had been desperately fighting it so I would be healthy for the race. I had a sore throat for a couple of days but that was it and I felt okay on Saturday. The race start was uneventful except for the fools who think they have the right to pass you when it is a steady line of people in the singletrack. That is the way the 1st lap goes so people need to just settle down a little. I finished the first lap in the middle of the pack but I definitely didn't have the top end speed I would have liked. As the race progressed one thing I noticed was how improved my singletrack riding was. I was consistently catching and passing people in that area, only to be re-passed on the double track and climbs. I attribute much of this to the 29er and the increased confidence it has given me this year. I am taking corners much faster than I ever used to. Here are a few pics of the event:


Getting ready for the start of the race with my excellent support crew.

Coming into the pits

Heading out for another lap.


By the evening I had a full blown cold and no motivation to head out riding. I decided to get a good night sleep and ride again in the morning which I did. I ended up in 23rd place which isn't great (out of 31). I need to get better and then work on improving my speed on the double track sections where I was losing a lot of time.

I've been thinking about doing a 24 hour race in Vermont in July. More for a family getaway (the kids love going to these races!) than anything. I'll probably wait until the week before to make a decision on that.

Steve

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Back from Palm Beach.....bloody hot, but a good time. The highlight had to be the deep sea fishing we did last Monday. We caught some Bonita's and used some of them for bait to catch Marlin or Sharks but didn't have any luck. That's me on the right.



Didn't get any riding in while I was away....finally got a couple of good rides in over the weekend. The upcoming 24 hour should be really interesting. I am going to ride my own race with the goal of no sleeping or major stops. If I can do that then everything else should fall in place. Going to pre-ride the course this weekend and take it easy next week. Full race report after that.

Steve

Thursday, June 01, 2006

I feel fully recovered the 8 hour race now but won't be doing a lot of riding as I am heading to West Palm Beach on the weekend for a mini vacation. Going to do some deep sea fishing and hopefully will catch one of these:


Just a little more than 3 weeks to go until the 24 hours of Summer Solstice comes. I have mixed feelings about the race. I rode well (for me) at the 8 hour but I'm just not sure how the race will go. I had a lot of confidence at this point last but I don't feel very fast or like I have the stamina. I hope I suprise myself.

Here is a cool photo to show just how big the Summer Solstice race is.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Race Report for Epic 8 Hour

This past weekend saw the Epic 8 Hour at Mansfield Outdoor Centre go off with 750 riders and double that in spectators. The normally sandy conditions were hardened up with a good rain on Friday, making course conditions absolute pefection. Damp hard pack trails made for railing at high speeds, especially on the 29er.
For this race I would be riding unsupported as my normal crew (family) was tied up with birthday parties that day. Once I got to the venue I moved my cooler to the solo area with enough E-Load and Hammer Gel to get me through the whole race. I took enough with me on the bike so I would only need to stop once to fill the Hydrapak in the 8 hours --- this worked out perfectly. I viewed this race as more for training than anything else in preparation for the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice (largest 24 Hour in North America with 2400 riders). I had done many 5+ hour rides leading up to this but needing some endurance “racing” in my legs as well. Plus most of the local cross country pro riders were riding solo so I knew a very high placing would be difficult. 8 hours is manageable for them at their high speed, but I suspect they would have issues going a full 24 hours.

The race began with a long up hill climb with strung the field out, but that didn’t last too long. About ¼ of the way into the lap the first of two technical downhills came up. The first was rather daunting with a low speed 90 degree turn with a 3 foot drop and then steep sandy downhill to the double track. Most walked however I managed to get down the 3 foot drop and kept my speed under control with my Formula K24’s. Right after this section came a quick up hill followed by a root-strewn, off camber down hill which was the 2nd technical area. After someone went over the bars in front of me I hopped off the bike and ran down. Fortunately I was able to ride this section with no issues the remainder of the race. The rest of the lap was fairly uneventful, finishing it somewhere in the middle of the pack.

After the end of my 4th lap I came in for a quick 10 minute break to reload with enough E-Load and Hammer Gel to get me to the end of the race. Things were going a little slower at this point and although my technical riding remained solid I went through a slow 2 hour spell which affected my lap times. Near the end I started building my speed again and felt incredible for the last 2 hours. In fact my last lap I hammered most of the way and had the most fun of the entire race. I felt incredibly fresh and definitely had plenty left in the gas tank which bodes well for the upcoming 24 hour. The Asylum 29er was more fun than I could have imagined and really excelled in the prime course conditions and rooty sections.

In the end I was middle of the pack but approximately 3rd among registered racers for the 24 hour so hopefully I can hold on or improve that position in 4 weeks.

Many thanks goes out to Recover-Ease, Formula Brakes USA, Rudy Project, Kenda, and Cyclepath Oakville for your support. You make it a lot easier to do these crazy races!

Monday, May 22, 2006

Had a pretty nice ride today. About 4 hours of combined road and singletrack riding at Kelso. On the way up saw a bunch of turkey vultures snacking on some roadkill. Figured it was a possum or bunny as that is what it usually is but sadly it was a tiny, baby deer. That made me sad. Trails were in pretty good shape, damp in most places but very good traction.

Also rode on Saturday on the road bike. The wind is crazy. Got home and found out it was about 50km/h. No wonder I was only going about 22km/h on the way out. But it sure was fun doing 45km/h all the way back. Ended up making for a good ride.

This coming Saturday is the Epic 8 hour at Mansfield. I doing solo with the goal of getting some solid training in to prepare for the 24 hour coming in 5 weeks. I'll be doing the 8 hour unsupported but it should be okay as really I'll just be using my hydrapak and gels for the whole race. Should be fun.

Steve

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Riding isn't going so well these days. Family, work, mothers day, baseball practice, baseball games, bad weather all result in very little riding.

I signed up for the 8 hour at the end of the month. Not sure how I will fair as those tend to be more sprinty than a 24 hour. But I figured it would be good training and help get my nutrition dialed in. I'm contemplating using a hydration pack for this race. Usually I hate them and get back aches, but I won a new Hydrapak which is nice and small. I've been using it for awhile including a few 5 hour rides with no discomfort.

Next update will probably be after the race.

Steve

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Picked up a clearance spin bike yesterday. Should be good for the rainy weather and winter when I don't want to ride outside. It is made by Giant and is heavy as lead. Used it for about an hour today....working on getting it set up properly.

I have my hardtail up for sale now...want to sell it and pick up a 29er single speed. It is only $750 and has a boatload of new parts on it like fork (Skareb Elite), shifters (SRAM X7), brakes (Avid SD7), wheels (XT/517), post (Thomson), rear derailleur (SRAM X7). A steal for anyone. Could be a good parts bike too.

Steve
Picked up a clearance spin bike yesterday. Should be good for the rainy weather and winter when I don't want to ride outside. It is made by Giant and is heavy as lead. Used it for about an hour today....working on getting it set up properly.

I have my hardtail up for sale now...want to sell it and pick up a 29er single speed. It is only $750 and has a boatload of new parts on it like fork (Skareb Elite), shifters (SRAM X7), brakes (Avid SD7), wheels (XT/517), post (Thomson), rear derailleur (SRAM X7). A steal for anyone. Could be a good parts bike too.

Steve

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Wrapped up training camp yesterday with what I planned to be the longest ride of the year so far. Planned on riding from Oakville into the city and hit up the Don trails. I like doing this ride because it is a destination that is far away and takes a long time to ride. I did this ride a couple of weeks ago in about 5:45 so figured on about 6 hours of riding by throwing in a few more trails. Ended up doing it in 5:15 so didn't quite get the hours in I was hoping for but on a positive note I guess I am riding a little faster. So I got in about 1000km or 33 hours of riding over the past 2 weeks....it could have been more if I didn't get sick and have to take 4 days off the bike. It should provide a good foundation for the intensity build coming up. I plan to still do plenty of long rides but will start including more intensity very soon. Gotta get more speed and especially improve the climbing.

Steve

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Been getting a lot of quality riding in lately. Did a really nice MTB ride on Sunday for almost 5 hours with lots of trail time. Rode the trails up at Kelso and got a seasons pass. It was the first official day for Kelso, but I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of trail maintenance done. Fallen trees everywhere that needed to be removed. Next time back tomorrow if they haven't been cleaned up I will mention it to the Conservation.

Did an awesome road ride today. Rode my 101km route to do another test of my fitness. Didn't push too hard but didn't take it easy either. Rode it in my 5th fastest time ever which I am happy about (fastest this year by about 15 mins from 3 weeks ago). Plus I still felt strong at the end which is the first time that has happened this year. I think I am well ahead of last years fitness even though I still have some weight to lose. Speed is definitely there, my bigger problem is climbing but only more riding (and weight loss) will improve that.

Looks like I am going to be riding Formula Disc brakes (www.formulabrakeusa.com) this year. They some amazing new offerings that are lightweight and powerful from reviews I have seen. I think I am going to get the Oro Puro which are their lightest offering. Why anyone wouldn't ride disc brakes is beyond my comprehension.

Training camp ends this week but has been good overall and I am looking to keep up and increase the training over the next month or so.

Steve

Friday, April 14, 2006

So it figures I would get sick right at the start of my training camp. I could feel it coming on last weekend and by Monday it was full blown. Such a shame because the weather has been so good. I decided the best thing was to just stay off the bike and get better. It paid off and by Thursday I felt a lot better and went out for a 3 hour ride up to some local trails. They turned out to be too muddy so just started back and did a few intervals.

It is raining today so just going to take it easy. Thinking about buying a spin bike for days like today and for use in the winter. Plus my wife says she'll use it as well.

Steve

Saturday, April 08, 2006

My version of Training Camp officially began on Thursday. I kicked things off with a 6 hour ride which was awesome but damn my body was sore on Friday. Since it was pouring rain on Friday and I was so sore I decided to just take it easy and recover.

I did the Donut ride today. The Donut Ride is a historic road ride in Toronto which used to begin at a local donut shop (but it is out of business now). It is a huge ride getting anywhere from 50-125 riders in the group. It is large enough that the group takes up one lane of traffic while we head out of the city....even the police leave us alone. This group is super competitive, yet gets so many different levels of riders out. This can make it sketchy at times but overall a fun time. Many local pro riders come out for this ride, even the infamous Michael Barry (Discover Channel) when he is in town. Back to the ride. It was below freezing when we started and my feet froze almost immediately. The ride started out very casual (more so than usual) and I thought it would be a mellow ride. Once we got out of the city it didn't take long for things to speed up and soon we were doing 45km/h into the wind and my legs were screaming. I held on for awhile but eventually gave up when a small break in the peleton occured. With the wind so strong once the group splits it is very difficult to get back. I ended up waiting for my friend who was in a group further back. At the halfway point we stopped at Mama's Bakery (the usual stop) and I had the best cup of Hot Chocolate ever. Unfortunately when we left to ride again I was so wet that I got very cold. We decided to take it easy the rest of the way....luckily with a tailwind all the way home.

I'm still debating on a ride tomorrow...probably depends how I feel as I don't think I was fully recovered from Thursdays 6 hour marathon when I went out and pushed to the limit today. Might just take it easy or perhap a short 60 min ride. The weather is supposed to be really good the next 2 weeks so I plan to get lots of riding in, particularly on the trails to hone my technical skills.

Steve

Sunday, April 02, 2006

1st "Race" of the season

So I decided to make a last minute decision and do a local race called the Hilton Falls Time Trial. The course is a mixed of high speed fire road and low speed very technical rock garden sections. I've been battling a stomach bug the past few days but with the weather being so nice I decided to participate anyways.

The first real race of the season is always a bit nerve racking but I was surprisingly calm. I didn't have any real expectations of the race so that must have contributed to my casual attitude. I did a short warm up and then waited for about 20 mins for my number to be called. They were starting riders off in 30 second increments. They called me to the line and I was off. The course immediately begins with a short climb that gets very steep at the end. To my surprise I got to the top of the climb and could see my 30 second rider (#171 - remember this number) just up ahead. The course flattened out and I was now chasing. In a few minutes I caught and passed him. From there on it was all about catching people. The Asylum was going well and I could feel the momentum of the 29" wheels really carrying me through the corners and flying over roots and rocks. After awhile I hit the first of many rock gardens. Some of them rideable, some not (by me anyways). In many cases it was faster to run than ride as there were many moments the terrain was practically unrideable. Still a lot of fun anyways. I had passed about 7 or 8 people now and hit the last few double track sections. I was absolutely flying and passed some other riders alarmingly fast. The legs were starting to burn at this point but I knew I was near the end and wanted to finish strong. I came through the finish line and was happy to be done and thought I had placed fairly well.

We waited around for awhile to get the results and when they were posted I was stunned (in a bad way). Results showed I finished in 13th place....strange thing was my time was many mins slower than what I timed. Also #171 (who started 30 seconds ahead of me which I then passed 3 mins into the race) finished 5 mins ahead of me and in 8th place! Something was definitely up. It turns out there were a few recording errors and some riders who finished, then turned around for a warm down, thereby coming through the finish line again and getting 2 times recorded. It all ended up with me finishing in 6th place. I still think they got the results wrong and I should have been about 5 mins faster than the have but there isn't much I can do about it now. I'm still quite pleased with this result given my training is only starting to get into high gear.

Training camp begins later this week for about 2.5 weeks, then it is the first Ontario Cup of the year. Hopefully I can do even better at that race.

Steve

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Got my mini time trial in on my favourite route with the intention of comparing my fitness to last year. As mentioned I am about 7lbs heavier right now so my climbing is still suffering quite a bit. Hopefully in a month or so the climbing will improve. The weather was nice but had a head wind 3/4 of the ride which was a bit demoralizing. I had set a target in mind but wasn't able to reach it with the wind (and fitness I am sure). The good news is I did the route 27 minutes faster than this time last year (a little bit more than 100km). I must have been pretty slow last year because I sure don't feel very fast right now.

The trails are pretty much dry now so I hope to put the Asylum through it's first real trail test this weekend. Depends on how much rain we get.

Steve

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The weather has been awesome lately so finished work a little early yesterday and did a HUGE ride. I ended up riding for about 5.5 hours and got in about 145km. Didn't quite think I would go that far but it just happened that way. I was pretty tired afterwards but happy I was able to make it. The next plan is to ride my 100km route on the road bike for a test of fitness. I will then compare to where I was last year to get a good indication where I stand. I know I am about 7lbs heavier now than last year but think my fitness might be a bit better. We'll find out soon enough.

Steve

Monday, March 27, 2006

Mission Accomplished

Got out for close to 4 hours yesterday....so 3 days in a row of hard training. It wasn't until about the last half hour that I really started to fade. I felt really good and seemed to be putting the power down. I was able to keep up with some roadies (I was on the 29er MTB) so that was kind of nice. Legs were pretty sore last night and this morning but this afternoon they feel fine. Should be up for some more training this week. I've really got to lose some of this winter weight....it is starting to worry me.

Looks like the Icebreaker race yesterday was just that with a whole lot of mud included. Glad I didn't go....to messy for my liking.

Steve

Saturday, March 25, 2006

I've been getting a fair bit of riding in lately including some back to back days. Typically I'm logging 2-4 hours each ride now which is good. The Recover-Ease stuff is working quite well. Got a solid 2.5hr fast paced ride in yesterday and then went for another 3 hours today and felt surprisingly good. Planning for 4 hours tomorrow which will be interesting to see how things go as the 3rd ride in succession. I have been using the Asylum primarily trying to get used to it. I am thoroughly enjoying it but really want to do some trails soon. I'll probably pull the road bike out soon, maybe when the temperatures get a little warmer.

I am planning a 2 week training camp in April, not sure of the weeks yet...work will determine that. Some restructing is happen and want to make sure I am around to understand what is going on. My hope for the training camp is to do 3 days "on" (100km+/day) and one day "off" (or recovery ride). That should get me about 50 hours on the bike which should really help bring up my base fitness. I think it is already okay, but want to get into the 4hr+ range and still have some energy at the end which isn't always happening right now. Plus I should loose the rest of my winter weight which will be good.

I am thinking of doing the first O-Cup at the end of April, but first we'll see how the training camp goes....it will probably be a last minute decision that will also be determined by the weather. I can't stand riding in wet weather and will avoid racing if I have depending on the conditions.

The first goal of the year is the 24 Hour of Summer Solstice in June. If I can get my fitness to where it was last year at that time or even better then I should have a good race. Second goal is the World Solo Championships in October (in Georgia). I haven't done this race in a long time but have always wanted to ride in Georgia and since I can drive down the expenses can be kept low. My last major goal is to hold onto my form for the Old Pueblo race in February. I really want to do well in that race but so far training just hasn't gone as well as planned. I am going to invest in some quality winter clothing and also get a set of rollers....I am really going to commit to keeping up 3-4 hour rides 4 times per week during the winter. That should help tremendously. That's the plan anyways.

Steve

Sunday, March 12, 2006

New frame arrived this past week. It is an Asylum and it is a 29er full suspension. I am pretty darned excited. Got it built up and went for a short ride and it felt pretty good.

I got some quality training in this weekend for a change. Saturday was a ride with Mark on the MTBs. Trails were too muddy so we stuck to the paved paths. The loop we usually do takes about 3.5-4 hours and I was looking forward to getting the time in. Unfortunately Mark didn't have the legs and about halfway through we had to take some short cuts and head back. Mark's fitness is always a strange thing. There are always a few rides where he suffers like a dog and usually gets dropped. Then one day he miraculously can hold on and be one of the stronger riders. I sure wish I could turn my fitness on that fast.

Sunday (today) was another MTB ride (alone) on the paved paths. I felt pretty good and was out for about 3.5 hours. I started to fade near the end, but overall it was a good ride. I am taking the Recover-Ease now and I think it definitely helped me ride strong for the ride as I was well recovered from yesterday.

I'm hoping to get a few good rides in this week, work permitting as I won't be able to get out next weekend and the few days after it because the boss is going to Cancun with her sister so I'm on my own with the kids. I've tried to convince them to take a taxi to my parents next weekend for dinner so I can ride in but they won't go for it! Just kidding.

The first race in Ontario is the last weekend of March and it is called the Icebreaker. Depending on the temperature it will be a mudfest which I am not interested in. If the temp is around freezing I might consider it as the ground should be relatively frozen for the race. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until April.

Steve

Monday, March 06, 2006

Went to the Toronto Bike Show this past weekend. Not as good as years past in my opinion. I wasn't looking for a new bike, but did want some parts if possible but there wasn't much. I did pick up a pair of Specialized Pro MTB shoes (list $379) for $189, and a new rotor for my brakes but that was all.

Got a nice road ride in this weekend and will be focused on getting out on the road more now that the weather is getting nicer. In fact this weekend is supposed to be very warm...almost shorts warm. I can't wait.

So I'll be on a new bike this year....I am making a major change which I am really excited about. Anyone want to buy the Turner Burner frame? It is up for sale.

Steve

Saturday, February 25, 2006

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo

Got back from the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo earlier this week.....it was a tough race for many reasons.

I arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday night to find out my bike was not on my flight....even though the rest of my stuff made it. I wasn't surprised, but definitely frustrated. The agent told me it probably would be on the next flight arriving in 2 hours and that I could wait for it or they would send it to me the next day. The shame is I was offered a free roundtrip airfare if I had given up my seat and taken the later flight. Luckily my bike did arrive on the next flight.

Most of Thursday was spent preparing to head up to the race. I put my bike together, purchased all of my food etc and then my brother and I went and hit up some of the local trails. I am definitely not in the same shape I was last year, but I still felt pretty good out on the trails and was able to maitain a decent pace throughout the 1 hour ride.

We left for the race (in Tucson) on Friday morning and when we arrived we set up camp in our usual spot which is fairly close to the start/finish, but not right on the course. That evening we attended a dinner in honour of Tinker Juarez, a legend in mountain biking and 24 hour racing. The event was held in a beer tent....Mexican food was on tap along with beer. I didn't indulge in much of either. It was quite loud in there, kind of like a bar, and I found myself almost screaming in order to talk to others. Once the dinner was finished we went back to our campsite to have a good night sleep in 0 degree weather. Unfortunately I didn't have a very good sleep.
My voice had become quite hoarse and sore from the event but I figured it would clear itself up by the next morning. But during the night my nose started to run and my throat got even more sore. Damn, I had a cold. I barely slept the whole night....maybe 2 hours tops.

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and prepared to race. I was still sniffly and had a sore throat which made me worried. What was even worse is the the fact that Tucson hasn't had any rain since October so the coarse was very dusty. Not great for someone who has a cold and suffers from Asthma.

The race began with the usual LeMans start which was okay and we were off. The first lap diverts from some of the normal singletrack and takes people along a fireroad for awhile. Early on we hit the worst part of the course. The Bitches. Literally, they are called the 7 Bitches. Steep up followed by very fast downs.....7 in a row. By the last one you are hating it. I must have seen 10 people in a row changing flats after that 7th one. There are tons of rocks just ready to give you a pinch flat. The rest of the lap was fairly uneventful. I finished that lap exactly in the middle of the pack but I was already in trouble. My breathing was bad and I could barely swallow. That's what happens when you inhale dust for 83 mins. Still, I went straight out for my 2nd lap but as soon as I hit the bitches I was done. No power, could barely breathe and just suffered the whole time. The 2nd lap took me 30 mins longer than the first. After that lap I went back to the campsite and figured my race was done. I was freezing cold so started a fire and just tried to feel better.

I slept a little better on Saturday so when I woke up on Sunday morning I decided to ride a lap. It was a pretty good lap at 1:27. Almost as fast as my first lap (1:23). After that lap I went to the campsite and decided to stock up with enough water and gels to get me through 2 more laps. I wasn't committed to doing 2 more laps, but wanted the option. As I went out I was still feeling pretty good. I still wasn't feeling well but my breathing wasn't bothering me as much. I decided that if I could do this lap in under 1:30 I would go for one more. I pushed myself a little to see how it would go. It was not too bad at all. I finished that lap in 1:29. So I met my goal and was ready to go for another lap which would be my last. It was 11:15am at this point so I figured I would shoot for a reasonable 1:45 and finish by 1pm. I downed a few packs of CarbBooms and was off.

BOOOOOM. Thats how I felt when I hit the bitches. My breathing was bothering me a bit, but mostly I think my fitness is what let me down this time. I paid the price for those 2 fast laps. I blew up and dragged my sorry ass around the course and finished about 10 minutes after 1pm. On the positive side I never used my granny ring and I never walked any of the hills on any of my laps. My 2 morning laps were 6th/7th fastest solo laps that morning (granted I didn't ride all night, but hey I was sick too). So still some positive things to consider.

Some other interesting observations is there were almost as many solo single speed riders as there were geared riders. And about half those SS riders were on 29ers. Those 29ers really intrigued me. I'd really like to try one out to see if there is as big a difference as people say.

It was unfortuate to get sick just in time for the race, especially considering I hadn't been sick once all winter. Still, I also need to work on my fitness a little more but that will come with some solid long miles in the saddle during March & April. My winter weight should also come off during those months. May will bring the intensity and then a taper in June (I've decided to cancel the Burn 24 Hour) with my focus on the Mount St. Anne World Cup Marathon and then the following weekend at the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Old Pueblo almost here

Well, a week from now I will be in Arizona getting ready for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. The weather is looking favourable....almost to dry, but compared to last years rain I'll take it. It looks like we'll stay over on the Friday night as we are attending a BBQ in honour of Tinker Juarez. Should be fun hearing some of his stories.

I think we might go down on Thursday to get our campsite as it fills up very fast. Pre-ride that day as well and then head back to Scottsdale for the night and pick up all the stuff we need.

I got all of my Recover-Ease samples so the next time I see any of you I will give you some. Hopefully the team kit and casual wear will arrive soon. I doubt before the race but hopefully by March.

So I am starting to intrigued by the whole 29er scene. Since I am pretty tall it might just suit me. Time will tell. I need all the help I can get.....Especially given my competition at the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice as a solo rider. Also, I am now signed up to do the 24 Hours of Hot August nights as a 2 man team...we going up against a bunch of old guys so it shouldn't be much of a problem lapping them multiple times through out the race.

Steve

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Got in a nice ride today with the warm weather. Planned on doing about 100km on my own, but about 45 mins into the ride a couple of roadie friends caught up to me and I ended up riding with them. They are pretty good riders, much better shape than me, and it showed on the big climg of the day. I was working a little too hard on a 4km section right before the climb so when we hit it I was out of gas. Now this is a climb I use a lot in the summer as it is about as long and sustained as I can find in my area. Lasts about 7-10 mins depending on how fast you ride. Under 7 mins is my record, about 7.5 mins is the avg but today was about 10 mins. I was just beat. Once to the top luckily my two friends waited for me and we started to head back. It was nice because we had a tail wind and were doing about 35-40km/h most of the way. On the last stretch the strongest rider practiced his sprint lead out.....I was able to hold on....avg'd about 55km/h on that stretch. So today was a good indicator of my fitness. Not too bad at holding speed, but lots of work needed on the climbing. Probably losing 20lbs would be the best answer. Ended up only doing 75km but got an excellent workout riding with people who are faster than me. Sometimes that really is the only answer....when riding by yourself it is good for endurance, but rarely does one push themselves as hard as they really could go.

Got a bet going with my wife on who will be the "biggest loser"....like the TV show. We each have our goals and whoever comes closest by April 23 gets to go on a spending spree. My goal is 167lbs. Could be a little difficult....got down to 173lbs a couple of years ago, but this could be tough, especially so early in the season. I have a 2 week training camp scheduled for early April so that will help. The big factor will be how much riding I get done it March and how my diet works. I wonder what I would buy?

Monday, January 23, 2006

Had some great rides over the past few days. Friday I snuck out for a road ride.....had the intention on doing a long (i.e. 4 hour) ride but after nearly being blown into the ditch a few times decided against quite that much distance. I did get out for 2.5 hours though. Riding into the headwind sure was a good workout.

Got in another ride with Mark on Sunday morning. I was planning to ride the "back up" bike which is my hardtail with a mish-mash of parts because my other bike is having middle chain ring issues. Specifically it is skipping a ton. Probably has to do with the fact it is worn out, missing teeth and I just put on a new chain. I'll get another ring (maybe a whole set) before heading down to Arizona. So Saturday night I get the hardtail ready and take it up the street for a test ride. It just felt so hard. I ended up taking the FS on Sunday and just didn't use the middle ring since we were mostly on the pavement for the entire 3 hour ride. Mark used his hardtail and really motored up the hills and could sprint pretty well. I just might need to try that hardtail once more. Ideally, I'd like to get a new frame that fits properly and give it a solid go.

Bike show is coming in just over a month. Maybe I'll get a frame there. I don't need much else, just looking for parts deals etc.

The weather is still above seasonal right now so hopefully I can get out for more rides. I haven't done as much this year as last so I need to pick up the pace a little. Hopefully it works out.

Steve

Monday, January 09, 2006

Happy Belated New Year

Happy New Year to all. Hope everyone had a great holiday. Certain individuals have complained to me about my lack of blogging so here it goes:

Training has been going okay. I haven't been out on the road a lot due to the nasty weather. I particularly want to get out on the weekends but everytime the weekend rolls around it is pouring raining or snowing. Finally this past Saturday I went out and rode with my friend Mark, mostly on snow (and ice) covered paths but we did manage one short section of singletrack. Figures that it section I nearly slide into a gully trying to navigate a short, narrow bridge. Anyways we went out for 3 hours and surprisingly I didn't not feel all that tired. I thought it would have been worse. I think my biggest issue is going to be the fact that I put on some Christmas weight. I always say I won't let it happen but never have much luck with that.

On the team front I am riding with Team Recover-Ease for 2006. Recover-Ease (www.recover-ease.com) is a new recovery supplement on the market and they are trying to promote it in part by sponsoring a team of atheletes. I didn't go for much else in the way of sponsorship....I am happy with what I have now so I didn't feel there was a need.

As far as races go this year, once again my season will begin with with the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in Tucson, Arizona. This race is always a toss up in terms of fitness so I never expect much out of it and just go to have fun.

Next race might be 24 Hours of Adrenalin in Idyllwild, California at the end of April. I am going to be in the area for business during that time so I might take my bike with me and do the race. Perhaps as a tag team with my brother. This is the location that I rode the 24 Hour World Solo Championships in 2001. It won't be as hot this time, but could be very cold a night.

In May I am going to do the Burn 24 Hour (www.burn24hour.com) in North Carolina which I did a few years ago. It was a fun, low key event so I am looking forward to doing it again.

In June is the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice (www.chicoracing.com) which is the largest 24 hour race in North America. This was the scene of my infamous crash last year which basically ruined my season. If I can be in as good shape this year as I was last year at this time then the race should go well. I'll be plenty rested with 4 weeks between the Burn and this one.

July is totally up in the air. I'll be on vacation and might just use the month to recharge my batteries for the 2nd half of the season. There is a race in Wisconsin at the end of July which is the NORBA National Championship....it is intriguing plus many of the racers will be going for the national title which I would not be eligible for so I would be in a different catagory. It might end up in a good result.

August is the 24 Hours of Albion Hills. I haven't decided if I am going to do this as a team or solo yet. I haven't done a team 24 hour in so long it might be fun. But then I would envy the solo's.

September brings the 24 Hours in Pisgah (North Carolina)....I've been eyeing this race for awhile, but I think I will wait and see how I feel. September also brings the Dirty 100 and an 8 hour the following weekend which are both close to home.

Lastly, in November is La Rute (www.adventurerace.com) in Costa Rica. I have wanted to do this 3 day stage race across Costa Rica for a long time. I almost went in 2001 but then qualified for the World's and did that instead. It would be an expensive adventure but something I would remember forever.

Sprinkle in a few "regular" mountain bike races and maybe even a road race and you have my season. An aggressive one for sure, but hopefully everything will work out and it will be a successful one to!

Steve