264k

Photo by Ronsta

This past Wednesday I took part in a Wisconsin tradition for the first time, I rode the Bone Ride. It's an annual ride from Milwaukee to Madison and back. It works out to be 158 miles. Ron has done the ride before so he showed me the ropes and made sure I made it back in one piece. I was thankful to have a friend and teammate watching out for me. He, of course, did the whole thing on a single speed. Well, almost the whole thing, he hopped on the ride 17 miles in. I tacked on a few more miles by riding home from the starting point and ended up with 164 miles in 8 hours and 20 minutes. (Sorry, Ryan, no data this time because my computer somehow lost it.)

It was a beautiful day with a strong crosswind. Everyone was fighting for a draft which made a lot of the ride kind of sketchy. I am happy I did it though. It wrapped up my real long base rides for the year. In the past 14 weeks I had twelve 5 hour+ rides, a 4 hour ride, and a 3 1/2 hour ride. They have mostly been easy miles. I've never gotten a base in like that before so I am curious to see how this season goes. I start racing in 2 weeks!

103k

I haven't posted much yet this year so here is a little update. As a lark--and to establish a good base for the year--I planned twelve weeks of getting a five hour ride in once a week. Today was week eleven. I did 64 miles (103k) of trail in the Southern Kettles and I felt really good. Granted, I am not flying on these long rides but I can now see the results in my endurance. I should be in good shape for the Bone Ride next week which will be between 175 and 150ish miles, depending on where I start.

After that, racing begins and I"ll start getting a little more serious about riding fast. I wasn't planning on doing any solo six hour mtb races this year, but after today's ride maybe I'll try to keep this endurance up.

In other news, I am now one of those nerds with a powertap. The deal at Ben's (there selling like hotcakes) was too good to pass up. I'll start using that more seriously in June as well and if I am feeling extra dorkish I'll post some numbers here.

First time out!

I got out to the Southern Kettles for the first time on my new day off, Thursday. The only better place to get some thinking done than a 5 hour ride at the Kettles is a dry ice factory. (kudos to anyone that can name that reference!)

Gun Show Number One

Photo by Ronsta

The first Gun Show was last night and you could tell it was a mild Winter because it was fast. I pretty much felt like what I thought would for most of the ride. I was able to contribute to the pace line but not really go for any of the sprints.

I did have to back off for a bit after a I did a hard uphill pull. It was there I learned that half a pound of guacamole for dinner was a bad idea. I couldn't stop eating though. However, now that I now what it tastes like when it threatens to reappear on the bike, I think I will be able to control myself in the future.

Another Warm Ride

How does this happen?

I would like to hear this story.

2:29.10, this seems like a good enough spot to turnaround

Five hours of fun

Got out on Saturday for a five hour ride in the sun and wind with some friends. It was so windy that at times it was like getting punched in the gut while going up hills. One time I nearly went over the bars because a strong gust caught my bike. These are the days that make you mentally and physically stronger.

Waking up and rubbing my eyes

This blog has been in a bit of hibernation after CX nationals but it looks as though that will change soon. "Why is that?" you may ask. Well, I started my hours at Ben's Cycles again and that can only mean one thing--the bike season is fast approaching.

I've done heard talk of the Gun Show already. People are getting amped up to ride it again. It begins in less than a month and I have a feeling that because of the mild Winter it is going to start out faster than ever. I better start getting some time on the bike if I want to stay with the group.

I've got races picked out and lined up for the year (except CX, since the schedule isn't out yet) and I will be doing a mix of races. I probably won't fit any WORS in this year but I will be doing a gravel race, a team 24 hour mtb race, some WEMs races (both solo and team), and all the CX I can fit into life. In the schedule this year is also my possible return to road racing and a trip across WI.

Until those races hit I'll be hitting Ray's up every week trying to fine tune my awesome. The trick is get awesome, but not too awesome. When you get too awesome you usually end up not being able to get anywhere near awesome for a while.