Got in a great ride on Good Friday with Dave. We started at about 9am and the temperature was about -5 celsius but about -12 with the wind (about 30km/h). Oh ya, it was a blizzard to when we left. It's a good thing he came out or there would be no way I would have ever gone on my own. We ended up riding right on 5 hours and I must say my feet were just about frozen by the time we got back. It was pretty fun though....longest ride of 2007 so far. Dave was dropping me on the longer climbs which really was no surprise. But I didn't feel completely exhausted at the end which is a good thing.

Got in about 3 hours yesterday....really good ride down in the trails/paths of Erindale Park which was fun. Got totally lost but wasn't worried about it....just having fun getting a solid ride in since not much happened during the week on my vacation due to weather and a couple of other things going on. Hopefully better conditions will be coming our way in the next couple of weeks....I might have some extra free time on my hands.

Still screwing around with the race schedule this year. I was hoping to do the Boler Mountain 12 hour in July again but I found out they moved it to the weekend before the 24 Hour in August so that probably won't work. I might just do the 8 hour at Hardwood that month. What I am looking forward to is the Tuesday night race series....should do wonders for my speed. Many years ago when I had one of my best seasons I put in lots of base in the spring but then really only raced during the season. Usually every weekend and the occasional race during the week. Basically I raced my way into shape. I hope to do a little better than that but hoping some extra racing will improve some of my weak areas....namely short term speed.

They are here!

Industy Nine wheels arrived today! They look great. Got the tires mounted up and put them on the bike. Also got some nice Salsa red skewers to go with the red hubs. Here are the pictures.

Got in a bit of riding over the weekend. Kids had birthday party and lessons etc. Started out late in the day Friday and went for a hard ride for about 3.5 hours. Maybe a little too hard as I bonked for the last 30 mins. Probably because I didn't eat anything and just drank water. When I got home I could barely stand....you may know what I am talking about....searing pain shooting through all the muscles in my legs. I slept well that night.

Decided not too ride Saturday as I was still a bit sore plus I had a few saddle sores that needed tending to. Planned to ride Sunday early. Got up, ate, dressed and rode for about 5 minutes before turning back when I realized that since I can barely see 10 feet in front of me from the fog and thus cars probably can't see me. Ended up going to the zoo and walking around for 3 hours so at least I got some exercise. Gotta shed this extra winter weight.

Getting anxious for the Industy Nine wheels to arrive. I did a bunch of upgrades to other parts such as a new BB (crank brothers), chainrings (race face), cabling (fully enclosed stuff), and of course the Kenda tires. I'm trying to wait for the wheels before I take the MTB out but it is getting difficult only riding the road bike (when my preference is the MTB). Planning a week off right after Easter...the wheels should be here by then and I plan to get in some epic rides that week. Plus I have my traditional 100KM Good Friday ride on the MTB if anyone is interested. I have been doing this for years but had trouble finding anyone willing to test their fitness this early on with such a long ride. Maybe Dave will get out with me one of these days.

Steve

Got in a bit of riding over the weekend. Kids had birthday party and lessons etc. Started out late in the day Friday and went for a hard ride for about 3.5 hours. Maybe a little too hard as I bonked for the last 30 mins. Probably because I didn't eat anything and just drank water. When I got home I could barely stand....you may know what I am talking about....searing pain shooting through all the muscles in my legs. I slept well that night.

Decided not too ride Saturday as I was still a bit sore plus I had a few saddle sores that needed tending to. Planned to ride Sunday early. Got up, ate, dressed and rode for about 5 minutes before turning back when I realized that since I can barely see 10 feet in front of me from the fog and thus cars probably can't see me. Ended up going to the zoo and walking around for 3 hours so at least I got some exercise. Gotta shed this extra winter weight.

Getting anxious for the Industy Nine wheels to arrive. I did a bunch of upgrades to other parts such as a new BB (crank brothers), chainrings (race face), cabling (fully enclosed stuff), and of course the Kenda tires. I'm trying to wait for the wheels before I take the MTB out but it is getting difficult only riding the road bike (when my preference is the MTB). Planning a week off right after Easter...the wheels should be here by then and I plan to get in some epic rides that week. Plus I have my traditional 100KM Good Friday ride on the MTB if anyone is interested. I have been doing this for years but had trouble finding anyone willing to test their fitness this early on with such a long ride. Maybe Dave will get out with me one of these days.

Steve

Princeton Tec

The new Princeton Tec Switchback 2 & 3 arrived on Friday. I am very impressed.....they are very small and light as you can see from their size in my hand. Burn time is approx. 6 hours on high and the light is very bright. The kit is fully complete with everything you might need: Helment mount, bar mount, AC Charger, Car charger, European plug, extension cord and of course the light and li-ion battery. I can't wait to use these lights. They are available at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (www.mec.ca) in Canada - $254 CDN for the Switchback 2 and $370 CDN for the Switchback 3. In the U.S. they can be found at numerous on-line shops...the one I use a lot is Speedgoat - $250 US for the SB 2 and $370 for the SB3. So they are a great deal in Canada.

Here are some pictures.

The weather finally looks like it is going to get pretty good this week so some longer rides should be in order. I'm really anxious to get longer rides in but finding it difficult for a variety of reasons. I probably won't start racing in earnest until May....maybe a few fun events like Paris-Ancaster before, but just for fun.

I thought I use this opportunity to mention some of the companies that are helping me out in one way or another this year.

Princeton Tec - www.switchback321.com
Princeton Tec has been a leader for years in outdoor lights and this is their first year venturing into the highend bike light market with their Switchback series. These lights are based on LED technology and already have very favourable reviews. They are a great value for the money with excellent battery life and 3 different offerings. Switchback 1 = 1 LED (great for commuting), Switchback 2 = 2 LEDs (great for the helmet as a spotlight), and Switchback 3 = 3 LEDs (great for the handlebar for a flood light). All get 5+ hours on high using a Li-Ion battery. Check the website for more details.

Castelli - www.castelli-us.com
Castelli are really stepping up their product line this year with innovative, technical new products. They sponsor the Saunier Duval Pro Cycling Team and have some great new products as a result such as the Superleggera Jersey and "Free Bib" shorts. Watch for some reviews on a variety of their items.

Industy Nine - www.industynine.net
I've been lusting for these wheels for while and they finally became a reality. Custom built in the colours and rims you want with an instant engaging hub make for the ideal wheelset. Cheaper than the high end Mavic offerings while still being lighter, stiffer, and more eye catching are just some of the reasons for their success.

Kenda - www.kendausa.com
I've been riding Kenda tires for a long time now. They just released the Small Block 8 in a 29er format so these will be going on the I9's as my hardpack, fast tire. I'll still be using the Karma as my sloppy conditions tire when appropriate even though it is great on the hardpack as well.

Formula Brakes - www.formulabrakeusa.com
I've been using the new Formula Oro K24 brakes for about 8 months now and they have been phenomenal. Excellent feel and power plus pretty light to boot. They also have the Oro Puro which is a slightly lighter version of the K24 with a carbon level and titanium bolts. One step below the K24 is the K18 which just lacks the FCS (Feeling Control System) which allows for adjustment of how far the level travels before the pads engage. A great feature I really like.

I'm also looking at getting the Garmin Edge 305 GPS cycling computer for my mountain bike. This way I can map my routes and actual compare rides to see if I'm progressing faster or slower than previous rides. It also has a heartrate monitor, speed, distance, elevation gain included with it. It looks like a lot of fun and a great training tool.

Stay tuned for reviews of all these great products in the future!

Steve

Finally got in some decent riding this weekend. Yesterday was a great day. Not too cold and the wind was very manageable. Felt great for the entire 2.5 hour ride. So decided I would go for another ride today. Temperatures were about the same so I decided to do my 3 hour loop. Everything started well and I had a slight tailwind and felt good. About halfway through I was getting a little tired and made my turnaround. Right into the wind. I knew it wasn't going to be fun but wasn't too worried. I got off the dirt roads I was on and would be on pavement the rest of the way home. Unfortunately the wind picked up....a lot. I was getting a little cold, but not too bad. But I was suffering big time. The wind was unrelentless and more than once a gust of wind blew me off the road and on to the gravel shoulder. Then my iPod died. So now I didn't even have music to take my mind off the misery. At some points I was barely making forward progress the wind was so strong. I thought about calling my wife, then started thinking I should flag down a pickup truck, throw my bike in the back and beg for a ride at least close to home. But I finished the ride under my own power. The planned 3 hour ride took almost 4 hours. And it turns out the wind was about 45km/h with 55km/h gusts. I sure am tired now. But 6.5 hrs of riding this weekend is good and hopefully get me on track for more good training.

My new Industry Nine (www.industrynine.net) wheels should be here in another week or two. I'm really looking forward to getting them. I'm going to put the Kenda (www.kendausa.com) Small Block 8's on which should make them fast. Planning to head to the Toronto Bicycle Show next week and hopefully pick up the rest of the stuff I need. If not I'll be ordering from one of the shops in the U.S. I need a bunch of stuff like bottom bracket, chainring set, chain, cables. Plus a few things I'd like to get like new waterproof booties, a new helmet etc. But might hold off on those things.

Last week was 24 hours in the old pueblo....I sure did miss going down there. I'm going next year for sure. Even though I'm never in good shape, it is always fun to just go down for some riding with my brother. Also thinking off going down to Arizona for about a week and a half next year to get some really good riding in on a daily basis (maybe a few weeks after Old Pueblo).