tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361391802024-03-19T05:40:22.866-04:00Sprinter della CasaAkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comBlogger1288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-8378774202132944842020-11-07T19:30:00.000-05:002020-11-07T19:30:05.278-05:00Equipment - The Black Tsunami (pictures)<p>A bit bright, it seems, but on the camera it seemed fine. I didn't bother trying to edit the pictures. I'm putting them here as much for reference as anything else.</p><p>Some updates to the bike - the ISM saddle, it has a wireless SRM now, a not-visible-in-the-picture PC7 (wireless SRM head).</p><p>There's a rear camera on it, Shimano CM-1000. I'm not 100% on it yet but it seems to reliably turn on and record, so there's that.</p><p>I've had the Exustar pedals for a while now, although I don't remember if I have pictures of them on the bike from before.</p><p>Only notable thing is the front derailleur mount broke, probably today. The derailleur wouldn't shift into the big ring so I just manually placed the chain there and left it for the ride (I rode outside!).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUIYVnokgKKCgyNEFWetL-LX5k8dr2pjNAg1Kco4QI2NR2Qp_fKDoy31XfiPWPyouNK2iudjwBbBMge64zKTJ3yuob_xbCo0R2l1Wz8lAZuRfG0LQvLn2UV9RCAYADWOj84pxaA/s2048/DSC_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUIYVnokgKKCgyNEFWetL-LX5k8dr2pjNAg1Kco4QI2NR2Qp_fKDoy31XfiPWPyouNK2iudjwBbBMge64zKTJ3yuob_xbCo0R2l1Wz8lAZuRfG0LQvLn2UV9RCAYADWOj84pxaA/s320/DSC_0442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the training clinchers on them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jet 9 rear, Bastogne front. 700x23c tires.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjr7X9bmonahKOS6dB2l0mT9rIcpeCeiqKNnKyU0XJKePHP2-IYVmfyLoOqEjNS4YbTLjsgP2mpWw3yyqY9LbzK5jqR1XMHhbbPn52aX-nqbCSGeTpPo6ZXDKCvXWpPKa_BD6_g/s2048/DSC_0443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjr7X9bmonahKOS6dB2l0mT9rIcpeCeiqKNnKyU0XJKePHP2-IYVmfyLoOqEjNS4YbTLjsgP2mpWw3yyqY9LbzK5jqR1XMHhbbPn52aX-nqbCSGeTpPo6ZXDKCvXWpPKa_BD6_g/s320/DSC_0443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the race wheels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Stinger 9 rear, Stinger 7 front. 23mm tires.</div><br /><p><br /></p>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-13197041683810421422020-04-06T22:38:00.000-04:002020-04-06T22:38:04.607-04:00Plan 2020 - Clincher Rear Wheel, aka "The DT Wheel"One of the many critical things I need for training is a clincher fixed gear rear wheel. For the uninitiated, it's not just a matter of "converting a wheel". A track rear wheel is narrower, has a different hub, and is a specialized piece of equipment. With all the wheels I have, one thing I don't have is a knock-about fixed gear training wheel.<br />
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I do have a nice hub, so using that as a starting point, I built myself a nice training wheel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtomrl1u3IyMYR9lFQ4T1W4ZY-cDaI2lgZ1JJGGuDRbLLOcOgs5cG2XNQB0Yem-FbLPX_h9KrSma6iO4aZVCBJw898L32KyMsml8So5tW8kr3CcHQC2PH75mCqJyBBBsQL8s9sQQ/s1600/WheelBuildingKit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtomrl1u3IyMYR9lFQ4T1W4ZY-cDaI2lgZ1JJGGuDRbLLOcOgs5cG2XNQB0Yem-FbLPX_h9KrSma6iO4aZVCBJw898L32KyMsml8So5tW8kr3CcHQC2PH75mCqJyBBBsQL8s9sQQ/s320/WheelBuildingKit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wheel building kit</div>
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Back in the day I built a lot of wheels, but wheels back then were simpler things. Nowadays the rims are taller, have a lot of nooks and crannies where you can lose a spoke nipple or something, and usually have lower spoke counts. Weight doesn't count as much as aero, and there's a whole new category of rims for disc brakes. With disc brakes the rim isn't the brake so the rim can be lighter and, most importantly (ha!), it can have decals on the side.</div>
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I decided to get a rim with decals on the side. I went with DT R460 rims just because they looked cool, they were clinchers, and they were relatively inexpensive.</div>
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Before my bike shop days ended I had gathered some wheel building supplies through a DT sponsored, in-shop course. Can you believe someone came to the shop and taught us how to build wheels?</div>
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Part of the kit included the pen-like gizmo in my kit above, a device designed to hold a spoke nipple so you could thread it onto a spoke deep inside an aero wheel.</div>
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I never used it until I build this wheel.</div>
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I also used spoke nipple washers (never used until this build). They're the cone shaped washers in the bag in the top right of the bin.</div>
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The crooked screwdriver is made to screw on nipples quickly. It's like a speed handle screwdriver.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGBfF-YJb1xsTSLdP_wFNWyRh_jBE3VLLMT2AS5tQ6KlLIhNqdhdnleBPkBV77x-MImkbVl3ihCKjpTpooTX5qWcmHpqHTW-chvTT7HbGLAQxVndQZZuHqtw-5VNoMXAreQLqAQ/s1600/OldSchoolWheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGBfF-YJb1xsTSLdP_wFNWyRh_jBE3VLLMT2AS5tQ6KlLIhNqdhdnleBPkBV77x-MImkbVl3ihCKjpTpooTX5qWcmHpqHTW-chvTT7HbGLAQxVndQZZuHqtw-5VNoMXAreQLqAQ/s320/OldSchoolWheel.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The old wheel, before I tore it apart. Note cog on hub.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MRfTGobI05TeCNaskyV6oBRF3qraSzZG05JYVoMZXQINvi8CyleLlQ-05jAbkI1Kfln18tCh5OJUpwasv5V8PZOqyG0BLjoXVJHtluVi0O7s1siEiWmr-GYRPtYKNSXqBnDMDQ/s1600/DTFixedWheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MRfTGobI05TeCNaskyV6oBRF3qraSzZG05JYVoMZXQINvi8CyleLlQ-05jAbkI1Kfln18tCh5OJUpwasv5V8PZOqyG0BLjoXVJHtluVi0O7s1siEiWmr-GYRPtYKNSXqBnDMDQ/s320/DTFixedWheel.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Built wheel, still to be tensioned.</div>
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Building the wheel took forever, probably about 2.5 -3 hours. Building it ended up being a calming experience, meditative experience. For the first time in a while I was lost in the process, focussed, and only realized how much time it was taking when I realized that I had to keep an eye out so I wouldn't be late picking up Junior (this was before the shelter at home thing). I left the wheel untensioned so there's a bit left to go, but otherwise it's all set.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKJAhRvBowuUU9STUI2zithfVbc5hjfr6VhUId1bzW-T6pC636qoKdCOpV71ROCUWXPOx3fwKjjxeU_L1_eYDY5jaG1Bv5NrlP5wa1Ecemc7kzwNriBLi9lAJyhCiIPd-mb9b3g/s1600/FIxedWheelCogSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKJAhRvBowuUU9STUI2zithfVbc5hjfr6VhUId1bzW-T6pC636qoKdCOpV71ROCUWXPOx3fwKjjxeU_L1_eYDY5jaG1Bv5NrlP5wa1Ecemc7kzwNriBLi9lAJyhCiIPd-mb9b3g/s320/FIxedWheelCogSide.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Cog. I didn't remove it, built the wheel with it on the hub.</div>
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It's a bit funny, we used to joke about using cogs so small you could change a spoke without removing the freewheel. Well, this was my race wheel from 2009, and I just left the cog on through the entire tear down and rebuild process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MLUXTKj-pDWDt0CflUKCfCGTcCkqNggQAv3C6UmOghoBdUWcB3nyG42Cu5Hcq2TQ_ZZhyphenhyphenNPDO8L8i1dkt0joSSq_2TcDb0y6oljqtdBAfOpWFFtvuxT1h298qbwXs7NsfFenaQ/s1600/FixedWheelHub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MLUXTKj-pDWDt0CflUKCfCGTcCkqNggQAv3C6UmOghoBdUWcB3nyG42Cu5Hcq2TQ_ZZhyphenhyphenNPDO8L8i1dkt0joSSq_2TcDb0y6oljqtdBAfOpWFFtvuxT1h298qbwXs7NsfFenaQ/s320/FixedWheelHub.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The other side of the hub.</div>
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It may not be pristine but for now it'll do.</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-61829382361920906112020-04-03T09:01:00.000-04:002020-04-03T09:01:01.033-04:00Plan 2020 - CycleOps 300 ProOne of the most critical things in the 500m time trial is the start. Actually, it's the <i>most</i> critical thing, and it makes sense. The goal with the 500m time trial is to cover the distance as fast as possible. You can do one of two things to do that. You can go faster or you can get to speed quicker.<br />
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The problem with going faster is that you're working against aerodynamic drag, which increases exponentially. It will take an incredible amount of power to increase speed meaningfully, and at what I presume is the goal speed, about 40 mph, you're covering about 60 feet per second. There isn't a lot of time to go faster.<br />
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With limitations to top speed, it makes sense that the rider should <i>accelerate</i> to top speed as fast as possible.<br />
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And that's what all the big racers have been doing for the last 20 years. The top speeds are about the same so they work to get up to speed faster. That means every iota of power has to go into the pedals, not into moving the bike around. So no real rocking of the bike<br />
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I first saw the unusual starting technique with Chris Hoy in 2002. I wondered about his technique since there was no rocking of the bike initially. It was more like he was on a spin bike and pushing down. Ends up that is exactly it - you basically lock your leg, push down as hard as you can (which means pulling up on the bars), and you end up putting down massive power and saving your quads for later. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihhXE00Udgs" target="_blank">Here he is in 2002</a> (and incidentally he does the 500m in 31 seconds, which would win Nationals for me by a wide margin). And here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtYV35jFmks" target="_blank">crazy fast sea level kilo</a> in 2019 (go to 21:00). That guy does a 30 second 500m. It seems to me that a 34 second 500m will put me in the ball park for Nationals.<br />
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Everyone has acknowledged that starts are critical. Therefore riders practice starts all the time, going to the track if possible. There's a unique resistance with standing starts that simply not cannot be replicated on a trainer - it's high resistance at the start due to the rider/bike inertia, but then it turns into a speed thing, turning the pedals fast with high power. You can't replicate that with the light flywheels on trainers, the 6 lbs or even 12 lbs ones. There are whole training days for starts, using different gears, doing start efforts (50-100m), etc.<br />
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For me getting to a track is not possible so I needed to find an alternative. Based on some intranet help from fellow trackies, the low buck way to replicate starts is to get a high inertia wheel. There's a bazillion dollar machine out there but a cheap and usable alternative is the CycleOps 300 Pro. New they were about $1500-2500. <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/09/interbike-2009-power-cycle-ops.html" target="_blank">I saw them at Interbike</a> in 2009, but I remember thinking, "why would I want one?". I liked the 400 for its ability to adjust power (so you could record a ride and then "replay" it at home, or set power test steps, etc).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjNb1NmgRomeLa0viSRexAuj5CSr-ty0LJsNYP8kN41ePqUthtdvd7Mxc5vHsK2jcTLAPWZQHAAJC8CFu3qzag4w5Zus9gQ6UDHNV2hGfgqhblBM8qlSBQ6eyKn7puOqBEabG/s1600/100_5873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjNb1NmgRomeLa0viSRexAuj5CSr-ty0LJsNYP8kN41ePqUthtdvd7Mxc5vHsK2jcTLAPWZQHAAJC8CFu3qzag4w5Zus9gQ6UDHNV2hGfgqhblBM8qlSBQ6eyKn7puOqBEabG/s320/100_5873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Picture from the post linked above.</div>
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The 400 (above) is a smart trainer, i.e. it can adjust resistance.</div>
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The 300 is not a smart trainer but uses the same frame and wheel.</div>
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The 300 was initially sold as a fixed gear bike but later it went freewheel, I think for mass market appeal. When I contacted Saris (the manufacturer) about conversion kits to fixed gear I was told that the 45 lbs wheel still has the fixed gear threads, they just put a one speed freewheel on. I'd just need to remove the freewheel and install a fixed cog and a lockring.<br />
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With that settled I decided to look for a 300. They're available locally for about $500, I saw them for less outside the area.<br />
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The biggest problem was fit - I vaguely recalled being unimpressed with the bar drop when I sat on one in Vegas. When I looked at the local one I measured what the drop would be from saddle to bars. On my bike it's 14.5 cm. On a 300? About zero. When I measured where the "top tube" intersected the "head tube" it was about where I'd want the stem. With a huge amount of vertical adjustment, I figured that if I modified the frame so that the top of the head tube was as low as possible then I'd be good.<br />
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I bought the 300.<br />
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And got to work.<br />
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First off, the thing is really heavy. Shipping weight is 140 lbs, actual weight about 135 lbs. I struggled to get it out of the Suburban, and it noticeably weighed down the rear of the vehicle. In the process of moving it around I managed to break the plastic mount for the computer. On the good side I figured the weight would help anchor the bike, and the flywheel would really make a difference in replicating high inertia standing starts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOb6dOejT6nVlX_GWr5qvL35pLfBIr2jONEPmVB8Q68WPnYxfzxT3DO_VX46WtYO6hnif5fctZ9R3vGXz7FImjRKfwyAbt-tqkMbyOHy_WXSxjB1kjYANKELmQYF4HHMH0EsKfgw/s1600/CycleOps300HeadTube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOb6dOejT6nVlX_GWr5qvL35pLfBIr2jONEPmVB8Q68WPnYxfzxT3DO_VX46WtYO6hnif5fctZ9R3vGXz7FImjRKfwyAbt-tqkMbyOHy_WXSxjB1kjYANKELmQYF4HHMH0EsKfgw/s320/CycleOps300HeadTube.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Stock head tube. Very tall.</div>
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Black insert in tube.</div>
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The black insert is a slippery plastic, sort of like cable housing liner. It's tough, resistant to rubbing forces, and flexible. It makes it possible to have a less than perfect head tube and still clamp the tube tightly. On a regular frame the seat post and stem have to be perfect to within 0.1 mm. With the sleeve, not so much - the tube is probably misshapen by a solid 2-3 mm from top to bottom, with significant distortion around the welds.</div>
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The clamp (with the big lever) looked to me like it can be removed. This was my big gamble. I figured they would make the frame modular, with a one piece cast piece for the clamp. No reason to do fancy brazing and lug work on this thing, so all the raised bits would probably be molded into the cast piece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGQnOPhTg7yD1A59Ur4P2p1790xRqXfrY_dtNibT6Os1iwSfa2cOHhMm_J3M__A6gbp0iVNeynpSAJ6tFQeVTDc7aBXtYuw93zm_CyI28IWfEoanP7kTJqgo-eAQOIHz62cnXGg/s1600/CycleOps300ModsSketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGQnOPhTg7yD1A59Ur4P2p1790xRqXfrY_dtNibT6Os1iwSfa2cOHhMm_J3M__A6gbp0iVNeynpSAJ6tFQeVTDc7aBXtYuw93zm_CyI28IWfEoanP7kTJqgo-eAQOIHz62cnXGg/s320/CycleOps300ModsSketch.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My request for help on Facebook.</div>
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The clamp assembly is circled in red.</div>
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The yellow vertical line is my lowering goal.</div>
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Note the spot weld bits on the clamp assemble. There are two on each side. When I removed the sleeve there were no weld marks at the top, only a lip to keep the clamp from sliding down too much. I gambled that the clamp assembly was slipped over the cap, a couple welding tacks put in place to hold it, and done. If they used more to hold it I'd be in trouble.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZkA8vRnNzutuMxJ_inJvTcmTv5vr-e4G_WAQc3az-kRZ6ZIqFu7LZUIL2UkrlVgkqK931N5Lcp4LT-pr3S_wp5o036MbJ_cTmgu5d-jSV7SQyLTOTYWSKDzRS4_FZ4pge9VeOQ/s1600/CycleOpsCuttingWheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZkA8vRnNzutuMxJ_inJvTcmTv5vr-e4G_WAQc3az-kRZ6ZIqFu7LZUIL2UkrlVgkqK931N5Lcp4LT-pr3S_wp5o036MbJ_cTmgu5d-jSV7SQyLTOTYWSKDzRS4_FZ4pge9VeOQ/s320/CycleOpsCuttingWheel.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Starting cutting at work.</div>
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I didn't have a cutting wheel so I brought the 300 to work and borrowed one. When I started cutting I was afraid of ruining my $500 investment. Plus I'd never cut so much metal at once. I was timid, unsure, and eventually stopped.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRuHwcYMLsFCjNhtipyx_t4RwwhMHM2bjQPsv_r73Y5sALxsfiB4Ld44p1PCbmkvEj9T4-yCklHRSfN1Gl7F5cr_TJAsGRNm2Ea5QeHIaZ15V-99MGRBphyphenhyphend_USNdnibbEKtE3Q/s1600/CycleOps300_1-HeadtubeCut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRuHwcYMLsFCjNhtipyx_t4RwwhMHM2bjQPsv_r73Y5sALxsfiB4Ld44p1PCbmkvEj9T4-yCklHRSfN1Gl7F5cr_TJAsGRNm2Ea5QeHIaZ15V-99MGRBphyphenhyphend_USNdnibbEKtE3Q/s320/CycleOps300_1-HeadtubeCut.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Did the cut at home.</div>
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I started cutting the welds holding on the clamp assembly.</div>
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At home I was a bit less timid. I didn't have to clean up before close, I could work at my own pace (no work interruptions), etc. I generally work well like this although sometimes I end up veering down the wrong path. It's how I did the suspension and quarter panels of the Civic, built the inside of the trailer, fixed the Sentra, got the now-red frame repainted, and it would be how I approached modding the 300.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfSTIKSczB1t9kvaWvby7QWCIigVxCAEVp25kLF-8ZsQEP3WdSzvbEIZEYTVBDdIE8f5vtrzxceyMy87mjbln-y7FiIkdFuDCmlHKmOFc06hB82UoQo2srUV_LUXlC8bKRcdasw/s1600/CycleOps300_2-ClampOff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfSTIKSczB1t9kvaWvby7QWCIigVxCAEVp25kLF-8ZsQEP3WdSzvbEIZEYTVBDdIE8f5vtrzxceyMy87mjbln-y7FiIkdFuDCmlHKmOFc06hB82UoQo2srUV_LUXlC8bKRcdasw/s320/CycleOps300_2-ClampOff.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Cut head tube in front, the remaining frame in the rear.</div>
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I needed to cut out the rectangle for the stem clamp.</div>
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I tried to mirror the rectangle opening for the clamp wedge. I also notched the tube for the alignment bumps in the clamp assembly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRRjt0IAim4ML3MlMxLJZ_8uZVyA9L4sW58WL8-z6ozmTByKxPwQIcUfib5RhkG7q3u0RQXdHE28oUDtOgOcF8We4YRuM5B6rhZhENR9iadPrhVdz1msSJ5dAK7vksKU-I_223Q/s1600/CycleOps300_3-HeadtubeNotched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRRjt0IAim4ML3MlMxLJZ_8uZVyA9L4sW58WL8-z6ozmTByKxPwQIcUfib5RhkG7q3u0RQXdHE28oUDtOgOcF8We4YRuM5B6rhZhENR9iadPrhVdz1msSJ5dAK7vksKU-I_223Q/s320/CycleOps300_3-HeadtubeNotched.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Notching the frame for the alignment notches.</div>
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One thing that I didn't anticipate was just how low I cut the head tube. I knew I cut it lower than the clamp height, and I planned on cutting down the clamp, but it was close. I underestimated how much the clamp overlapped the head tube - it went much further down than I thought it would.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuRjmTTDud2Ys8SjAoCTvqeAA5d1YZ_OQIOhqlLSzLyAvQJ5r17w-keEiYEW0jHqf-dudGiWrffyYyvRGVNw3sF5PXAIppl0i4hncxz-oz7puyYR6KretQ44jlxdNUawAY-CmnQ/s1600/CycleOps300_4-ClampTestFit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuRjmTTDud2Ys8SjAoCTvqeAA5d1YZ_OQIOhqlLSzLyAvQJ5r17w-keEiYEW0jHqf-dudGiWrffyYyvRGVNw3sF5PXAIppl0i4hncxz-oz7puyYR6KretQ44jlxdNUawAY-CmnQ/s320/CycleOps300_4-ClampTestFit.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Trial fitting the clamp assembly while holding the cut bit of the head tube.</div>
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Red thing is a flashlight to look inside the tubes.</div>
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At this point the clamp was about 5-8mm too tall - the lip that was supposed to sit on the top of the head tube (visible on the left side of the clamp) was 5-8mm away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBF_JXzfIrXzkWOcjRHY-wGMcKZFy96gIcZQFOZ36mRKvAZ1jsG8RIsTHXqNnx5TFi_C-hDD9DQXsMoTcRnAdwv03bZZ0mQkQlBRFppaYSUQvVDt3kBJQ7nI3212RoXzyoj3jTg/s1600/CycleOps300_5-ClampHeadtubeCutPiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBF_JXzfIrXzkWOcjRHY-wGMcKZFy96gIcZQFOZ36mRKvAZ1jsG8RIsTHXqNnx5TFi_C-hDD9DQXsMoTcRnAdwv03bZZ0mQkQlBRFppaYSUQvVDt3kBJQ7nI3212RoXzyoj3jTg/s320/CycleOps300_5-ClampHeadtubeCutPiece.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pieces in my hand.</div>
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You can see how tall the clamp assembly is at the back, opposite the yellow lever. It's over 10mm tall, and I needed it much shorter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RJZ8Z5u82l7mtSZqbnEPNJanRkia7cDtQhOYVXNX3hJHRhlD_L1_fdSdVUZvvkxPMLZQtFNwLpk9mbkA0KN6W_nlrRifFph0AAPPHKrLzWnpq_QSMbne7cgLOuDJk5y9UWaGTg/s1600/CycleOps_5a-PiecesOnVice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RJZ8Z5u82l7mtSZqbnEPNJanRkia7cDtQhOYVXNX3hJHRhlD_L1_fdSdVUZvvkxPMLZQtFNwLpk9mbkA0KN6W_nlrRifFph0AAPPHKrLzWnpq_QSMbne7cgLOuDJk5y9UWaGTg/s320/CycleOps_5a-PiecesOnVice.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The clamp assembly cut down.</div>
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I did smooth it out after.</div>
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I cut the back of the clamp assembly almost to the top - I'm just short of the cosmetic trim lip of the assembly.</div>
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You can also see the lip around the edge of the clamp assembly. There are notches cut out for the plastic sleeve. The springs spread the wedges in the clamp bit - there's another wedge that is not in the picture, and that one is the one that presses against the tube.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xeU2EuDzpPFX6FFTIzirYsdS8MOHkGaduqR8ymiVmcDjc0W1vPOZ85g38oU2v3Q9zTiAF5MVor-bpFJpnEMKjzgz4oOOMPeOzmYYG5EdbX0DHV77H18LulVscEK9nNuZnW2L0g/s1600/CycleOps300_6a-Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xeU2EuDzpPFX6FFTIzirYsdS8MOHkGaduqR8ymiVmcDjc0W1vPOZ85g38oU2v3Q9zTiAF5MVor-bpFJpnEMKjzgz4oOOMPeOzmYYG5EdbX0DHV77H18LulVscEK9nNuZnW2L0g/s320/CycleOps300_6a-Closeup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Close up of the finished product.</div>
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Note how low the head tube is now - the "stem" protrudes below the frame now.</div>
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I had to remove a stop that kept the "stem" from protruding down below.</div>
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I can't weld so I planned on using a metal epoxy to resecure the clamp assembly to the head tube. However, I actually did not do the last step in the process. I'll do it later but the metal epoxy I have was dried (I used it on the Honda quarter panels about 10 years ago!) and the clamp is holding fine right now without any adhesive.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWE_PDpIAkj6KFk7l2OFOK7ePSjQw_MUtachr7x4lnllYy-JbamkBt1_IgUHMdOhQpuqJyNbbI0axJBhhrEVk3I-Tj8kCF5zuhOhX8Ksli_kZRqF2P6Im4qEq7fr2kBDhzgE-5g/s1600/CycleOps300_6-FullViewFinishedNoComputer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWE_PDpIAkj6KFk7l2OFOK7ePSjQw_MUtachr7x4lnllYy-JbamkBt1_IgUHMdOhQpuqJyNbbI0axJBhhrEVk3I-Tj8kCF5zuhOhX8Ksli_kZRqF2P6Im4qEq7fr2kBDhzgE-5g/s320/CycleOps300_6-FullViewFinishedNoComputer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The finished frame bit. </div>
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The wheel still needs to be converted to a fixed gear.</div>
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The major mod is done now. I still have to remove the BMX freewheel off the wheel and install a fixed cog and lockring. I want to put different pedals on it also - the Keo Max pedals are too easy to slip out of, which is why I don't have them on my road bikes (I've unclipped multiple times during sprints). I may use my old SPD-Rs (the kind that don't unclip easily), or I'll use the one Look pedal that doesn't release accidentally, the original Look Keo Carbons that I still have in my pedals bin.</div>
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I gave it a test launch last night. I was in my PJs, no socks, and went to do some lifting before bed. I slipped on my shoes barefoot, adjusted the saddle, and did a Chris Hoy imitation. Junior has watched a bunch of starts with me and even he knows the drill.</div>
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Beep at 30 seconds.</div>
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Do what you need. Look around. Look down. Wiggle your hands on the bars. Think of the upcoming effort.</div>
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Beep at 10 seconds.</div>
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Focus. Hands still now. Prepare to send it.</div>
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Beep every second from 5 seconds.</div>
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At 2 seconds you lean a bit forward.</div>
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At 1 second you throw your butt way back, and start launching forward so that...</div>
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At "GO!" your pelvis is thrusting forward so it's over your front hub, your left (track tilts to left so you start with left so you don't take yourself out) leg straightens, and you push down as hard as you can while you pull with your arms as hard as you can. It's like doing a dead lift, max power, hold your breath, just get the bike going.</div>
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And I almost flipped over the bars as the rear of the 300 came up off the ground.</div>
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Heh.</div>
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So I have some more mods to work on, to keep the 300 planted - apparently 135 lbs isn't distributed properly for standing starts.</div>
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And then I can work on some full power starts.</div>
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Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-45993725396112664012020-03-04T22:28:00.000-05:002020-03-04T22:28:40.754-05:00Plan 2020 - Gathering Supplies<br />
So I've been working on lifting, I've been gathering the materials for the bike/s, and I've been consumed by researching stuff whenever possible.<br />
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<b>Dolan Bike</b></div>
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The Dolan is a bit on standby. I have the frame (and fork, seat post, headset), the Zipp disc wheel, an ISM saddle, and a few possible front wheels.</div>
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I have, but need to install, a Zipp disc track axle, and (spoiler alert!) also the SRM crankset.</div>
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I'm also working on what bars and stem to put on the bike - sprint bar for sure, for other events, but I'm wondering if I can effectively use aero bars to improve my power/speed ratio at the end of the 500m. Each bar will require a proper stem for fit.</div>
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<b>Dolan clincher rear wheel</b></div>
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I need to build my rear clincher wheel. I decided on a 24 hole DT rim with graphics on the side, because I'm all about the graphics. I have some Wheelsmith spokes from eons ago, and I'll be lacing those onto my old 32 hole Suntour Superbe track hub.</div>
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This is the wheel I'll use on the trainer and on rollers.</div>
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<b>Dolan brake</b></div>
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Brake?! On a track bike?!</div>
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Yes.</div>
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For outdoor tests, standing start practice, and just getting used to the fixed gear, I'll be switching out the fork with my ENVE fork from the red Tsunami. I replaced the ENVE fork with a 3T team fork, as I really liked the 3T team fork on the black Tsunami.</div>
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I'll have a brake on the fork and will use a 'cross top-of-bar lever to actuate the brake. This way I can put a brake on the bike and ride it outside. I figure it'll be good for getting better with technique and even with aero testing.<br />
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The 'cross type lever will make it possible to mount the lever on pretty much any bar, including some of the swoopy track sprint bars.</div>
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<b>Spin Bike, soon to be a CycleOps 300 Pro</b></div>
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Initially I was going to invest in a number of things for the spin bike. Stem adapter, stem, bars, a better BB adapter, a set of cranks, etc. I even contemplated getting yet another SRM for the spin bike.</div>
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Then someone suggested a fixed gear CycleOps 300 pro trainer. These came out long enough ago that I was working Interbike when they came out. And although I wasn't impressed with them at that time ("my spin bike does all that just without a powermeter") now I see the value in its massive, 45 lbs flywheel. It perfectly replicates the effort required for a standing start event. Apparently one successful Masters racer uses such a trainer to practice standing starts.</div>
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So I looked and lo and behold, a place very close by is selling 15 such trainers. 15! And at $550 asking, it costs way less than just a used SRM powermeter, forget about everything else.</div>
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<b>Training Needs</b></div>
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That should situate me for a decent amount of time. I can train the following:</div>
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1. Standing Starts - CycleOps 300 Pro, outdoors on Dolan w/brake</div>
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2. Speed power - CycleOps 300 Pro, Dolan on trainer, outdoors on Dolan w/brake</div>
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3. Top speed - CycleOps 300 Pro, Dolan on trainer, outdoors on Dolan w/brake</div>
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4. Pedal fluidity - Dolan on rollers</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-21487090592711065942020-02-20T21:57:00.000-05:002020-02-20T21:59:46.248-05:00Plan 2020 - Physical Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGFuD1xAgReiethZJ5Pcg64xhL3nQTsppBbzKiaaJGxXZkh-DmKMK0eyPa41Pc8Hm63TcjD9gDWlRc_og2-nUZ7GJ7ys5h9tnB8Kui5Uyy6PR6VEna9ogSeLrvYgRNBHM9_29AQ/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGFuD1xAgReiethZJ5Pcg64xhL3nQTsppBbzKiaaJGxXZkh-DmKMK0eyPa41Pc8Hm63TcjD9gDWlRc_og2-nUZ7GJ7ys5h9tnB8Kui5Uyy6PR6VEna9ogSeLrvYgRNBHM9_29AQ/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2014/07/racing-2014-new-britain-crit-m45-and.html" target="_blank">2014 New Britain</a>, standing</div>
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Power makes the world go 'round. And on the track, power makes the wheels go 'round.<br />
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<b>Peak Power</b><br />
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Like horsepower in a car, ultimate power doesn't necessarily make you the faster. You need to apply it efficiently, in an efficient position, and actually use the power available to you. The quick lessons I've gotten on power is that it certainly helps to have power but it doesn't necessarily make you fast.<br />
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Having said that, having power is not a bad thing.<br />
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Using the reliable SRMs, my absolute peak power has been in the 1700w range, with several repeated efforts in the 1500w range, and somewhat easily repeatable 1300-1400 watt efforts. By "easily" I mean I can go and do an effort and pretty much know I'll be able to hit 1300w, but it's not easy by any means - it's a 100% effort.<br />
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I can make such efforts with no weight lifting, no non-cycling training. With that thought in mind, I plan on using weight lifting and possibly plyometrics to improve my power.<br />
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<b>500m Specifics</b><br />
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When approaching the short, standing start time trials (500m, 1000m), a huge change in the last 10 years has been the emphasis on the start. Before that, sustained power was the thing. You got going and then sustained some insane power to the end.<br />
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Problem was that once up to speed, it took a lot of power to go just a teeny tiny bit faster.<br />
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The easiest place to make improvements was at the beginning, when you were accelerating.<br />
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Because of that, now the emphasis is on getting through the opening phase as quickly as possible, then hanging on for dear life until the finish.<br />
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Therefore my goal will be to really work on the start, both in terms of pure power but also in terms of technique.<br />
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Best power - 1700w<br />
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Goal power - 2000w<br />
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Keep in mind - avoid injuries<br />
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<b>Sustained Power</b><br />
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Based on the best times in the world, for M50-54, the 500m time trial should take about 35-38 seconds. Any longer than that and it's probably not worth showing up. Obviously those times are incredible times, very, very fast, and involve very powerful starts.<br />
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(And yet those times are relatively slow - on the way to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtYV35jFmks" target="_blank">a record 1000m time</a> - go to 20:30 into the linked clip, one rider put down a 30.1 second 500m, and he was only halfway through his effort! The Elite guys are crazy fast.)<br />
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Now, for me, I rarely make 35 second efforts, so that's going to be the first challenge. And second, my best power numbers for 20-30 seconds usually involve pedaling toward a sprint and then sprinting, so a mid-upper power leading into peak power and quickly tapering off.<br />
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The 500m is a different creature, with peak power coming early in the 35 second effort, then as power drops the effort demands leg speed. This is a very tough effort because contraction fatigue (based on number of contractions) is more crippling than effort fatigue (based on pure muscular power). Contraction fatigue is why I shift during a sprint, to keep contraction count down. I can do a double or even triple peak sprint if I shift two or three times. But on the track it's one gear - I'm going to have to learn how to deal with contraction fatigue, meaning I have to be able to pedal hard really fast as I'm blowing up.<br />
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I'm still not sure how to train for this but I have a feeling it's going to hurt.<br />
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Best 35s power - 735w<br />
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Goal 35s power - 850w<br />
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<b>Speed</b><br />
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One thing I really haven't tested is my top sustainable speed. It's one thing to accelerate to a speed, it's another to sit down and sustain it for 200-250 meters. Although I make short 30-32 mph efforts somewhat at will, sustaining 37-38 mph for any length of time will be hard. To sustain such a speed after accelerating from a standing start will be... challenging.<br />
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I'll be working on speed, both in terms of pedaling speed but also experimenting with gearing so I can optimize cadence and speed. In other words, if I'm really good at 125 rpm, I want to gear myself so that I'm at or maybe just over that when at top speed. I want to bisect top speed and cadence. Realistically I'll trade a bit of optimal rpm for quicker acceleration, so I may target a slightly higher sustained cadence. This way I use my "best" power/cadence for acceleration, then use a slightly less optimal cadence to hold on to the speed.<br />
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I'll practice by accelerating up to speed and holding it for a brief time - that will teach me the first half of the effort. The other thing I'll do is get a boost up to speed (<a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-working-on-sprinting.html" target="_blank">MOSS or Maximum Optimal Spring Speed</a>) and then work on sustaining the high speed for a certain period of time.<br />
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Goal: Not clear but first sustain 37 mph from a standing start. It may morph into "hit 40 mph from a standing start".Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-8229480832439788372020-02-18T21:29:00.000-05:002020-02-18T21:29:03.637-05:00Plan 2020 - Wheels<b>Track Wheels</b><br />
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Other than the rider's position (meaning the aero drag of the actual rider), the biggest aero improvements can be made on wheels.<br />
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<b>Track wheels are different from road wheels</b><br />
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First, they have to be secured using a nut and bolt type system. They cannot use a quick release skewer.<br />
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The rear dropouts are horizontal, meaning you can move the hub fore and aft. Most road dropouts are vertical so no horizontal movement - you need much less force to hold a wheel in place in a vertical drop out versus a horizontal one. Because of that, although there are front wheel skewer adapters, in the rear it's generally best to have a very strong nut-bolt system, else the wheel will move under pressure, usually shifting sideways so that the tire rubs the frame. Alternatively some dropout screws, designed to limit axle movement within the dropout, will keep the wheel from moving. With such bolts a rider might opt to use a lighter nut-bolt system.<br />
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Second, track wheels have two threaded sections on the rear wheel, one for a single cog, with a reverse thread on top of that for a reverse thread lockring. The cog screws on normally, and when you pedal your pedaling action tightens the cog. Believe it or not, it's possible to unscrew that cog, if you backpedal hard, or skip and skid the rear wheel while backpedaling. Therefore the reverse thread locking is critical - it prevents back pressure from unscrewing the cog. It actually tightens if you manage to start unscrewing the cog. Also, for safety reasons, it's illegal to use a hub that doesn't have a reverse threaded lockring.<br />
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Although old fashioned road freewheel hubs are threaded the same as a track cog, the lack of a reverse lockring bit means you can't use a simple road freewheel hub on the track. Rear track hubs are unique.<br />
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Rear track wheels are also very narrow, 120mm from outside the locknut to outside the locknut. Rear road wheels are much wider, 135+mm. So you can't use a road rear wheel for track without a lot of work. You'd need to narrow it up and add that reverse lockring thread.<br />
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Front wheels are easy. They are the same width at the axle as a road hub, 100mm, and with a track adapter skewer, you can use pretty much any road front wheel on the track. There aren't any extraordinary forces on the front wheel so no issues using a skewer adapter system that clamps with a force similar to a quick release skewer.<br />
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<b>Rolling resistance, comfort, and rigidity</b><br />
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Since trackies aren't worried about comfort, you can get away with quite narrow tires. Narrow tires are generally more aero, so I'll need to get a few 19mm and 21mm tires.<br />
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Also, since tracks are relatively smooth, and tire deflection is wasted energy, track riders tend to ride with a lot of air pressure in the tires. No need for big, cushy riding tires. They'd only absorb some sprint energy better utilized to driving the bike forward.<br />
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Likewise, because tracks tend to be sheltered a bit, control in crosswinds is less critical. U shaped rims aren't as critical, and in fact, for indoor tracks, many riders will use a disc front wheel, something completely unmanageable if riding out on the road.<br />
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Apparently, and I've yet to verify this, lateral stiffness is a thing, with significant G-forces acting on the rider on the banking. My early T-Town memories don't seem to reflect this but I was probably going too slow.<br />
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<b>Wheel Aerodynamics</b><br />
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I did some extensive research on track racing wheel aerodynamics. This basically meant watching countless track videos on YouTube while riding the trainer. It also involved perusing some of the time trial forums to see exactly what people are using, what they've found to work.<br />
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I also wanted to work within the experiences I had, meaning riding in some wind (2020 Nationals is at an outdoors track), front disc wheels (I had a 24" front once), and my budget. I love cross-tailwinds with my tall wheels because I can fly. I figure the same applies for the track, but I'll get about 80 meters of flying on the longest of straights before I'm turning again. I know front disc wheels are hard to control. And my budget it limited.<br />
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Remember that the front wheel is responsible for about 2/3 of the aero drag of the wheels. It also has a massive effect on handling, since it acts as a lever to turn the bars. The rear wheel is less important, but it affects handling very little. On the road my approach has been to use the tallest rear wheel available (90mm for the Stingers) with the tallest front wheel I can handle in moderate wind (75mm for the Stingers). In really windy conditions I'll use a shorter front wheel to improve control, dropping to a 45mm front wheel or even a non-aero 26?mm wheel.<br />
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With that in mind this is what I've gathered, with a "Wanted" list for each section.<br />
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<b>Disc Wheels</b><br />
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The fastest wheels are lenticular (lens shaped) disc wheels, meaning they're a bit wider at the hub than at the rim. Viewed from above they're sort of lens shaped, like a flatter contact lens. These sail best when in an indirect headwind and they sail really well in a cross-tailwind.<br />
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The problem with a front wheel is that it catches massive air, like massive. On a 24" disc wheel I got blown across about 10 feet of road, almost into oncoming traffic, and I was going only 25 mph. With a full size 700c disc wheel, I would image it's only really usable indoors, with zero wind. My online findings seem to confirm this. Therefore a front disc will be for a different year, when Nationals is indoors, or, if conditions are absolutely ideal, for 2020.<br />
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Basically I'll see if I can pick up a lenticular front disc for a steal. Otherwise I'll let it go.<br />
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For the rear wheel, again, lenticular discs are fastest, but the flat discs (Zipp) are very close. For me I think it'll be virtually indistinguishable. The biggest issue with Zipp rear discs is that the track axle is pretty much nonexistent, unavailable. It's like the unicorn of wheel parts. List price is almost $300 so it blows the budget out of the water.<br />
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This meant I was searching primarily for semi-affordable rear disc wheels, like Corima and Fast Forward. If I could pick up a Zipp track disc I'd do that, as long as it was substantially cheaper than a lenticular.<br />
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Wanted: Lenticular rear disc. If a cheap Zipp rear disc shows up, so be it. Less expensive lenticular disc front wheel (since it won't be used much, if at all, in 2020).<br />
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Budget: $1000 lenticular rear, $650 flat rear, $900 lenticular front. I'd want a second rear wheel, probably a bargain flat disc wheel, as a spare.<br />
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<b>Three and Five Spoke Wheels</b><br />
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With front discs being virtually unusable except indoors, I need to have a low spoke count front wheel. The fastest front wheel on the road has been the HED3, previously known as the Specialized TriSpoke. Fortunately for me this wheelset was my secret weapon back before aero wheels were a thing, and I have both a tubular front TriSpoke and a clincher front TriSpoke.<br />
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(I have a TriSpoke rear freehub and a 105 freehub fixed gear adapter but I learned that the TriSpoke uses a Dura-Ace freehub so the adapter doesn't work. I'm waiting to use that fixed gear adapter though as it's a unicorn item.)<br />
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I looked into 5 spoke front wheels but found that although they were stiffer, they weren't necessarily faster. If it was all about speed, the TriSpoke should work.<br />
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The only drawback with the TriSpoke is that it's flexible. How that affects me on the track I'm not sure, but for now the most cost effective approach will be to use the TriSpokes I have now.<br />
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Wanted: nothing, but if TriSpoke is too flexible maybe a 5 spoke front wheel.<br />
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Budget: nothing<br />
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<b>Spoked Front Wheels</b><br />
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The final wheel for my track racing quiver would be a spoked front wheel, like the wheels I use for the road. I have a couple of them so I figured if the TriSpoke wasn't rideable I could use my Stinger7 front wheel.<br />
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At the worst I might invest in a Stinger9, a 90mm front wheel. I don't know if it would get me that much extra speed - it probably wouldn't - so the 7 should be a good fallback wheel. It's be fine in a mass start track race since that's what I use in mass start crits.<br />
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Plus I can use a 7 in a crit. I'd really want a 7, with the TriSpoke or a front disc my preference on the track.<br />
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Front wheels can be secured using a bolt-nut combination that looks like a quick release skewer without the lever. I have one set already, may need to buy another couple fronts. This means I can buy a quick release hub front wheel without worrying about track legality.<br />
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Wanted: A second Stinger 7 or a Stinger 9.<br />
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Budget: $500<br />
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<b>Trainer wheel</b><br />
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Believe it or not I don't have a clincher track rear wheel, meaning one with the fixed gear and the narrow spacing of a track bike. I have two rear track wheels right now, one so bad its hub consists of steel sheets pressed together; I won't use that one. The other is nice, a 32H Suntour Superbe Pro hub wheel. It's laced with a narrow tubular rim right now.<br />
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I'd like to get a 24H clincher rim, a cool looking one with stickers on the side (no braking surface), and lace it onto the hub. It'd be 16 spokes on the drive side, cross 2, and 8 spokes radially laced on the non-drive side. I've done this before when building 24H rear wheels for the road and it works great. I just have to work out the spoke lengths for such a build.<br />
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This wheel would be my warm up wheel, trainer wheel, and ultra emergency spare rear wheel.<br />
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Although I'm not sure why I'd need a spoked clincher front wheel, I have a Eurus front wheel with a new rim, sitting in my inventory for literally 10-12 years. I'll lace over the new rim - it should work as a wheel for rollers, maybe for warm ups, or out-on-the-road experiments.<br />
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Wanted: 24H disc brake clincher rim<br />
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Budget: $100<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
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I have some wheel shopping to do.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-43886842118954856992020-02-16T08:24:00.000-05:002020-02-16T08:24:06.032-05:00Plan 2020 - Dolan DF4 Frame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first step in the whole process was to get a frame. Track frames are different from road frames, and I'd want the frame to be UCI compliant as well, something my beloved Tsunamis are not.</div>
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Here's the big thing with track frames: the bars are really narrow.</div>
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Wait. Bars? You were talking about frames. Why the bar comment?</div>
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It all comes down to that. Nowadays a regular track bar is 33-35 cm wide. In contrast, on the road it's normal to see 40-42 cm, although that's coming down a bit. I'm running 41 cm bars on my Tsunamis, and they look narrow under me.</div>
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The ultra narrow track bars cause a problem though. The reach to the bar is shorter, due to the reduced width. If you're reaching 3 cm to each side that's 3 cm of length. If your bars are 3 cm narrower on each side, you have 3 cm more arm "left over".</div>
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You need a longer frame.</div>
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Therein lies the problem for me. I'm already pushing it with my odd proportions, short legs, long torso. My frame is basically a 50 cm (high) frame, a size which normally comes with a 52-53 cm long top tube. However my frame has a 56.5 cm top tube, and, additionally, has a steeper seat tube angle. That pushes the top tube forward, effectively making it about a 57-57.5 cm top tube. And my head tube, at 12 cm total height, requires a 3 cm drop stem.</div>
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I can't commission another Tsunami because they're not UCI compliant.</div>
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So I Googled all the track frames I could find. I looked at their frame geometry charts. I needed to find a UCI compliant 50 cm seat tube frame with a 74.5-75 deg seat tube angle, a 57 cm top tube, and a 12 cm head tube. It had to be aero. It had to be a real track frame, not a fixie bike.</div>
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And I needed to get it done for less than $2000 shipped.</div>
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<b>Dolan DF4</b></div>
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The only frame I could find was the <a href="https://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-df4-carbon-track-frameset.html" target="_blank">Dolan DF4</a>. A world class frame, no less, raced professionally. Aero design. 50 cm seat tube. 57 cm top tube. 74.5 deg seat tube angle. 12 cm head tube.</div>
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It was exactly what I needed.</div>
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And with a pre-season discount, it fell way below my $2000 budget, shipped.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEXPb9hwZeaiUC_9Npo2Tp5cK6oQmfgCm76AOUTyuoqI5qxXSPcqq_1r6KkumTEMW3rMTb-MJKn8pVEnUcbD4IWBYcoYXE3JF7bFISmVLfbRRTvtFAya31Hq29kbGauQHZFHkPg/s1600/DolanDF4_Sideview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEXPb9hwZeaiUC_9Npo2Tp5cK6oQmfgCm76AOUTyuoqI5qxXSPcqq_1r6KkumTEMW3rMTb-MJKn8pVEnUcbD4IWBYcoYXE3JF7bFISmVLfbRRTvtFAya31Hq29kbGauQHZFHkPg/s320/DolanDF4_Sideview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dolan DF4 - size 57 (!!)</div>
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It's their second largest size frame.</div>
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First, the frame is UCI certified. That means I can do official events, like Worlds. At the very least I know that the frame is okay for Nationals, which is my focus.<br />
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The second most important feature of the frame is the geometry - it almost mirrors the Tsunamis. Very long top tube (0.5 cm longer), steep seat tube (1 deg shallower), and short head tube (same height as Tsunami). Although I'll have to move my saddle up within the seat post clamp, I'm at the UCI limit on the Tsunami for a sprint bike (zero setback to nose of saddle) so I should be fine on the Dolan.<br />
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The third most important feature, because without it I'd have eliminated it from consideration, is that it is aero. No vintage round tube stuff - this frame is meant to go fast.<br />
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After that it's all gravy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0D3CQfzLw6RlSGiyHN8Ploq3moB1D6i6-wlz9m15_rjCPXBtm99LFUSKXhzbX4m03YtN6xhrL5T36DBCV23HHTdAipcx8xbsBhjyUMWmlaNkwIoxhTXpx5amb4pNQU-9QjSbRA/s1600/DolanDF4_RearQuarterView.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0D3CQfzLw6RlSGiyHN8Ploq3moB1D6i6-wlz9m15_rjCPXBtm99LFUSKXhzbX4m03YtN6xhrL5T36DBCV23HHTdAipcx8xbsBhjyUMWmlaNkwIoxhTXpx5amb4pNQU-9QjSbRA/s320/DolanDF4_RearQuarterView.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Aero tubing, aero seat post</div>
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The aero isn't obvious until you turn the frame. The frame gets real thin real quick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4PWMMZf2XO3bthNvcSXZTOuQVvveu7vRAORycjuIjYc85I7EZdohgIWoaOb31iVEqqi0-pwLyTTAPWIVxWnvcew1sFZDwR9zagItnfBB9WDCbBoV17GqKhAO8HPInl1Y8p8BRw/s1600/DolanDF4_Seattube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4PWMMZf2XO3bthNvcSXZTOuQVvveu7vRAORycjuIjYc85I7EZdohgIWoaOb31iVEqqi0-pwLyTTAPWIVxWnvcew1sFZDwR9zagItnfBB9WDCbBoV17GqKhAO8HPInl1Y8p8BRw/s320/DolanDF4_Seattube.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Cut out for rear tire, but tire will not be as close as on the Tsunami</div>
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In my research I've found evidence that a cut out will save a fraction of time, and help a less than optimal rear wheel. In less scientific findings, I think it looks cool. Either way, this frame has a rear wheel cut out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4UZkB1sjN1303bxq2TpLA6jSaO5tBrbqqf3m0FppsykJKH8_YwZRP0ZNWhXK4de9EJoUoU3urw2sCdZEQNZHnhCBQDOOz_BAn8uSe4CgoWXVYQ4XZOW2X8Sxz2iJDqRNi4mi4w/s1600/DolanDF4_Dropout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4UZkB1sjN1303bxq2TpLA6jSaO5tBrbqqf3m0FppsykJKH8_YwZRP0ZNWhXK4de9EJoUoU3urw2sCdZEQNZHnhCBQDOOz_BAn8uSe4CgoWXVYQ4XZOW2X8Sxz2iJDqRNi4mi4w/s320/DolanDF4_Dropout.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Rear dropouts.</div>
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I need to order spares.</div>
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Carbon fiber isn't very strong - it's just a plastic reinforced by carbon fibers. So contact points under pressure tend to be constructed of metal inserts. The rear dropouts on a track frame see a lot of abuse, so those are metal. I forgot to order spares. I'll want to get some dropout screws while I'm at it.<br />
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<b>Potential Weak Points</b><br />
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I saw two potential weak points in the frame when researching online. The first was that the rear dropouts are pretty short. This helps handle a problem the longer dropouts had, where the weight of the rider bend the top part of the dropout up. This caused the opening to widen, making it difficult to secure the wheel. If you look at the geometry picture in the Dolan site, you can see the older DF3, with the super long dropouts.<br />
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The problem with a short dropout is that you can't move the wheel very much to take up chain slack. This means getting multiple chains for various gear combinations.<br />
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Since I prefer a very, very short chain stay, I'd probably want to keep the rear wheel as forward as possible anyway, so this "weakness" becomes a non-issue for me.<br />
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The second weak point is the seat post clamp. It's a wedge clamp with a very small bolt, with a very high torque rating. There are reports that it's virtually impossible to tighten enough to deal with jolts, like when you hit a seam on the track.<br />
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The workaround is pretty easy - you put a piece of pipe in the seat tube. Cut to the right length, the seat post will just sit on it. I have ideas for that "pipe" as well, so that critical cutting shouldn't be an issue.<br />
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So that's the frame. Next up, the wheels.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-1742404467054353242020-02-01T23:21:00.000-05:002020-02-14T23:08:02.765-05:00Plan 2020 - New Project for 2020<b>Plan 2020 - The Track</b><br />
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I was about to post some random stuff on a bike forum when I realized that this is the kind of stuff I'd post on my blog, so I'm putting it here instead.<br />
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My big thing for this year, 2020, is to give track racing a shot.</div>
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Again.</div>
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I gave it a shot in 2009 pretty seriously, making the hike up to the New Hampshire track as much as possible to get some racing in my legs. In the scheme of things, though, I gave it a pretty low key approach. I used a bike that I got back in the 80s, a bike so bad the rep was selling the frame and fork, with nice $40 headset, for $100. I got a rear wheel from one of the guys (I think it was free?), and then... well, I forgot about it. I used it twice in the early 90s, at T-Town, but that was it.</div>
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In 2009 I was so low key about track that I stopped at the bike shop <i>on the way to the first race</i> to get a crankset for it. The arms worked loose (incompatible bottom bracket axle and crank arms) but the set up worked for a couple trips.<br />
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Eventually I got some better cranks, figured out a better handlebar, and used my old TriSpoke front wheel. Then life intruded - I haven't been on a track since August 2009.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV6CL0NBcEAR4xhc_aJHld6DwhkVZokCToK613LOA9Mk_SbSHxUUJnC9HWvUXzeQPl7WDSj9yJ1Gw8qRhk0liiam5cy8NHBMarAvxrHvU7O0yGimIZ1pUCZWkjKDkA_XtNW4e7A/s1600/100_4948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV6CL0NBcEAR4xhc_aJHld6DwhkVZokCToK613LOA9Mk_SbSHxUUJnC9HWvUXzeQPl7WDSj9yJ1Gw8qRhk0liiam5cy8NHBMarAvxrHvU7O0yGimIZ1pUCZWkjKDkA_XtNW4e7A/s320/100_4948.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Riggio, version 1.0 I think, with left over cranks.</div>
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This time... this time I'm going to be a bit more serious.</div>
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It all started sometime in the middle of 2019 when I started looking into the 500m times for the M50-54 age group. See, in 2009, when I went to the track, I felt pretty unconfident in myself as far as bike racing went. I was struggling on the road, and when I went to the track I felt like I'd just stepped into a world full of riders like me, but better - good jumps, good sprints, but better.<br />
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Too good for me.</div>
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At least that was my attitude. Definitely a down type attitude, but learning quickly.<br />
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<b>"He's Not The Only One"</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I remember distinctly watching one race at the track. I was in a, "Wow, everyone is so fast here" kind of mood, watching a blazing fast A race, the racers slicing and dicing, huge attacks, huge counters... just so impressive.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd just commented to myself, out loud, that the rider "that didn't even win the A race" had such powerful legs. I must have said it in a half-intimidated, half-in-awe way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The rider next to me hear what I said. An A rider himself, he leaned over to me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"He's not the only one with big legs you know," he commented, pointedly looking down at my legs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Huh.<br />
<br />
I filed that comment away.<br />
<br />
Before the season was up I'd won at least one Keirin race. I'd won a scratch race. I'd really done terrible at a pursuit. I tried a Madison. I even got my front wheel to touch the roller on the back of the motorcycle. I started feeling like maybe I could do this.<br />
<br />
Then the season ended and, as I said before, life intruded. Track racing, for me, came to a full stop.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fast forward 10 years to mid-2019.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Zwift and The Long Sprint</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
By 2019 it's been 4 years since I've been on Zwift, and I've pretty much done all my hard training on Zwift, except for actual races. Zwift has pushed me to go really, really hard on the trainer, sprinting for 20-30 seconds, uncomfortably long sprints for me. I prefer a 10-15 second sprint, so to jump 4 seconds before a 22 second sprint... I mentally cursed Zwift co-founder Eric Min (the guy I could never beat at <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/07/story-suny-purchase-tuesday-night.html" target="_blank">SUNY Tuesday Night Sprints</a>) a few times after one of my first attempts doing a long sprint in the Zwift world (Watopia green, for those that Zwift).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z8X9ThJJdQs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z8X9ThJJdQs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This was in 2015 - I'd stopped training in mid-June, so by July I was suffering on the bike.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Slowly, though, I started figuring out the longer sprints. I learned to sprint a bit longer. I managed to hold out just another few seconds. I got comfortable expecting a 25 second effort, as unpleasant as it might have been just a year before. I started to expect more from myself in those long sprints.<br />
<br />
In early 2015 I won a race by following a move 30 seconds from the finish. Although I suffered like mad, although I didn't actually sprint, I won the race by a huge margin, the biggest since, well, since a one off race about 20 years prior.<br />
<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kbg4YluM6HE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kbg4YluM6HE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Zwift Win race</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's that got to do with Plan 2020?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me explain.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the last 10 years three local racers, all Masters women that did Bethel and raced in the area, have gone on to do some incredible things on the track, winning National titles, even multiple World titles. The latest was this year, when CK won three Golds (and more) at Worlds plus a whole slew of medals at Nationals. With everything getting uploaded to YouTube and the internet I could watch some of the events, see pictures, and check times. Since I was on Zwift all the time, I would put YouTube on a different screen and watch bike racing while I Zwifted.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Specifically, I watched <i>track</i> racing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I watched clips of a lot of women doing the 500m TT (Elite Women do the 500m, Elite Men do the 1000m aka "The Kilo".. importantly Masters Men over 50 do the 500m). I looked at their bar set up, if they did drop bars or aero bars. Drop bars meant you could have lower drops and a further forward saddle. Aero bars meant bars had to clear the tire and the saddle had to be 5 cm further back. With such a short event it seems that most riders use drop bars, although technically aero bars, if you can put down big power on them, should be faster.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I watched the Elite men also, but mainly to watch their starts (it's a very unique part of track racing, unlike a normal acceleration on a road bike) and to see what sort of insane 500m times they'd set. Due to the length of the Kilo they all use aero bars so no questions there on set up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, if I looked hard enough, the M50-54 stuff was up there also, like <i>their</i> 500m TTs. See, once men hit 50 years old, they do "only" a 500m TT, not the infamous Kilo. For me the Kilo seemed a bit much, sprint until you blow up and then sprint for another 30 seconds... No.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The 500m though, that seemed more realistic. It seems a really good time for the 500m is about 35 seconds, which, coincidentally, is just a bit longer than the effort needed to do a 21-22 second time in Zwift's Watopia sprint. A proper sprint in Zwift involves about a 7-8 second acceleration before the line, then a 20-22 second effort to get to the finish, although I generally explode just short of the banner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That all seemed great but with Nationals historically held in California or somewhere in the MidWest, it was unrealistic for me to contemplate doing Nationals.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I shelved thoughts of track Nationals.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2020 Masters National Track Championships</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then the kicker. In October 2019 USA Cycling announced that the 2020 Masters National Track Championships would be held in Pennsylvania, at T-Town, at the track I raced on in 1992. Compared to the far reaches of the West Coast, PA is literally a 4.5 hour drive away. It was doable.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I started thinking about it a lot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had to be realistic though. I headed over to <a href="https://analyticcycling.com/" target="_blank">Analytical Cycling</a>, a site that calculates bike racing things like speed or elapsed time based on your power output.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And wouldn't you know it, they have a <a href="https://analyticcycling.com/DiffEqMotion500_Page.html" target="_blank">500m TT page</a>.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I plugged in some regular race numbers that I've put down, and came up with about a 37 second time. I put in some higher numbers, like half way between race peak and training peak (the latter being 500w higher at times).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
36 seconds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I bumped the 35 second average power up 100w, about 80w higher than my PR.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
34.9 seconds.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Huh.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, I'm pretty skeptical of the Analytical Cycling page as it were, because another one of their pages doesn't accurately chart what I experience with wheel weight differences, at least not in the magnitude that I experience wheel weight differences. It's a long story, has some explanation back there, but that's for a different day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyway, theoretical is always theoretical until it's actual.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I posed the question to more knowledgeable and experienced track racers. Their verdict was that the Analytical Cycling page numbers were pretty good rough estimations of real world stuff. Obviously things change in real life, wind, sloppy riding, etc, but one rider even showed a chart of his actual time in a 500m vs AC's model, and the two were virtually identical.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Possible?</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I started thinking that this could be possible, and there were two contributing factors.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One contributing factor - I haven't lifted seriously, for bike racing, since I was in high school, and I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, back then I succeeded only in injuring myself and basically turning myself off of weight lifting for forever.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(I lifted a bit in 2008 or so, and got a bit stronger, but realize now I was doing it all wrong - wrong muscles, wrong emphasis - it was more vanity than purposeful lifting.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently an Australian cycling website put up some <a href="http://upupup.aboc.com.au/the-book" target="_blank">track training stuff</a>. I know the site because many years ago that same site asked permission to <a href="http://www.aboc.com.au/tips-and-hints/aki-sato-on-sprinting" target="_blank">publish a letter I wrote CyclingNews about sprinting</a>. I read they Up Up UP stuff over and over and I feel like I understand more of what I need to do to get fit for efforts like the 500m or the flying 200m. It's nothing like what I've done before.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Over the summer I started doing body weight squats (just body weight, meaning no additional weight). My legs were screaming after 15 or 20 of them, although in short order I was doing 40 or 50 at a time. World class sprinters are expected to be doing about twice their body weight in squats, and here I was with zero pounds struggling.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had a lot of room for improvement.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another contributing factor - for my power I am relatively small aerodynamically. I don't need to put down the same kind of power as a taller rider. One recurring theme that pops up when I post a picture of me in the field goes along the lines of, "That's not fair, you're too low!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Obstacles</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are the obstacles of course.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The first is most obvious - I have very little experience on the track, with literally zero experience doing a standing start, zero experience in the 500m, and two ever flying 200m events (with predictably terrible results). I have to do as many track days as possible to make up for this, and practice starts on a heavy flywheel stationary bike (which I have, actually) or on a track bike on the trainer.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next is the lack of absolute power. Depending on who you ask, I'm down 500-800w peak power, and I'm basing my competitiveness on a 35 second average power that I've never hit. This is with no weight lifting but still, it's a huge margin. I have to develop ultimate strength over the next few months, and get some explosiveness in there as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The third is lack of "speed power". My trademark sprint technique is to shift into a higher gear as I sprint. I like keeping my rpm within about 8-10 rpm during my entire sprint. Track sprinting is different - the numbers I see are things like "peak rpm 145" and "if you drop below 130 rpm you'll lose a lot of time in the last 50m". This will take some hard efforts, but I'm trusting in the UpUpUp observation that "speed power" can be developed in the final 6-8 weeks of training.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fourth is my lack of scientific training. As my former leadout man, teammate, best man, winter training camp host, etc, pointed out, "You're the most unscientific training person there is". And he meant that in a nice way! I don't "train", I just ride. What's interesting is that most of my training rides are exactly what are described in UpUpUp, super easy with some very short, sharp efforts. I'll have to increase the number of short, sharp efforts, but I can deal with those. It's the aerobic stuff that kills me, anything over a minute or two.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Need Clearance to Pursue Goal</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I spoke with the Missus about this because going to the track for giggles and committing to traveling to Nationals were two different things. I've literally never done a Nationals, ever, and I won't be going there just to say I participated. I'm going because I want to compete.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To do this I'd have to invest in a proper bike, start lifting seriously, and make time to race on the track.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Money is a big thing. I figured $2k max on a frame, $1.5k on wheels, $100 saddle, $300 bars, $1000? on my last remaining SRM (upgrade or at least servicing it), some more here and there. A stem. Narrow tires. Strap system for the pedals. Possibly size 40.5 shoes (my 41s seem a bit long).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We're talking $5k here, for an incomplete bike, without travel, without time factored in. I have never spent that much money in a year on my bike.<br />
<br />
EVER.<br />
<br />
Even my SRM equipped Campy Record Cannondale bike cost less than that, and that was a complete bike where I recovered $1200 selling off unnecessary parts. Before that? I don't think I spent more than $2500 at a time except maybe for the tandem.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is literally the largest investment in my racing that I've ever made.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To be fair, my track set up would be usable for many, many years. It will be a world class frame, aero enough to hold its own, with a good SRM crank, rear disc wheel, front TriSpoke (that I own), possible front disc wheel (if doing an indoors Nationals), all proven equipment. I could race track for a while on my planned set up. But it would be useless anywhere else - I wouldn't be able to use the frame, rear wheel, bars, etc, anywhere except on the track.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Plan 2020 is a Go</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After a short discussion, the Missus said yes. She was literally nodding yes before I got done with my presentation.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I mean, okay, she's always been supportive, but this was a big ask, financially and time-wise, so it's a big deal to me. It was obvious I'd thought about it at length (many months), I'd considered what I need to do, how much time I had to do it, and what I could accomplish realistically. Still, though, it is a big deal to even think about attempting this.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now I have to get going on it.</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-8462737984549027902019-04-01T00:21:00.002-04:002019-04-01T00:26:22.119-04:00Racing - Chris Hinds Criterium, March 30, 2019 - 4th and a great day with JuniorChris Hinds (and a blog post). I don't think I'll be posting a lot but I'd like to do race reports and some misc stuff this year. I want to do some race reports for the Frozen Four but have to gather cam footage and such.<br />
<br />
I also want to make a race clip out of this one but I have to get a working Mac first! We'll see when I can make that happen.<br />
<br />
Anyways...<br />
<br />
This is a race that I've skipped for forever for two reasons. First, while I was running the Bethel Spring Series, this race was on a day I spent prepping for the following day's Bethel race. On the rare occasions there was no Bethel race the following day I often skipped it out of sheer fatigue. Second, after Bethel ended, meaning the years 2016-2018, I skipped it because I was sorely out of shape at that time. It being a 2 hour drive, I didn't want to drag the Missus and Junior along if I was going to do just a few laps. The final reason is that it's during tax season, and the Missus can't come to the race. I try not to race much with her not there.<br />
<br />
This year is the first year I've had some fitness since 2015. I did a few days of intervals, have been riding to keep my sanity, and managed to stay at a high reasonable weight. I've stayed in the 170s, instead of 180s, which isn't terrible for me. As a reference point I dropped to 158 lbs in 2010 and slayed it in the races, and in 2015 I was 163 for a bit and won once and got third three times. If I can drop below 170 it'll be fantastic, and if I can get below 160 that'll really change my racing. The reality though is that the 170 mark is my realistic target.<br />
<br />
With tax season keeping the Missus busy, I relied on my teammate Joel to look after Junior while I raced. We got to the race a bit early to watch Joel race but only caught the last two laps. Then Junior rode his bike for at least an hour while I chased him around on foot. We tried without training wheels for a bit, but my back and his patience ran out. Reinstalling the training wheels, he zipped around pretty much the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
With Junior in Joel's care (complete with a packed lunch courtesy the Missus), I kitted up for the race. I was feeling decent for the race, just wondering if my fitness was up for it. I had my trusty bike with my trusty race wheels.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdDaxrtHfsdpJgfi1glcPqQJiCM358eYNSUaJHvTNGpPrBpYvPEfqwbyEodetnhOHTvmre0K8np_dGjgenkk8SEBAWx7zMVo6j_9vkKuF2VmyAzg-plIEex8vRZhklrPrR69shQ/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-Bikes.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="906" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdDaxrtHfsdpJgfi1glcPqQJiCM358eYNSUaJHvTNGpPrBpYvPEfqwbyEodetnhOHTvmre0K8np_dGjgenkk8SEBAWx7zMVo6j_9vkKuF2VmyAzg-plIEex8vRZhklrPrR69shQ/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-Bikes.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My bike, Junior's bike.</div>
<br />
Race wheels on my bike, training wheels on Junior's. Heh.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1X7hKGkTY3Xr4ZDHNWECMl1ixy2ZOMzCO5rKBPYyZb3W-Yq6fANLKf8jqxI6qZqDwNM-p1jTc4DXoJpSWgjc9Z3DaDBbCvEPP25jvDg1p2X6pxBG-6IsA9oV8L8HQA2N2n-_pQ/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-Number.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="859" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1X7hKGkTY3Xr4ZDHNWECMl1ixy2ZOMzCO5rKBPYyZb3W-Yq6fANLKf8jqxI6qZqDwNM-p1jTc4DXoJpSWgjc9Z3DaDBbCvEPP25jvDg1p2X6pxBG-6IsA9oV8L8HQA2N2n-_pQ/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-Number.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Number</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I had to re-pin the number. I initially pinned it to a wind vest, with the wind and all. But then as the sun cut through the clouds I realized I'd be hot in the vest. I raced with the number pinned to my jersey.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GVTFGHTVOnCggvc_VE6ZODCGOWeEkygvnYM7qZAXltaEtfzamIQB-86HCeq_BwrJQcKmdycKxJ2XkcTQe59dqE_c9pcLTZ65r5dURaJKmZzUcIiKoKkeOuHpir9mkcKzUBj9-A/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-1-Start.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="839" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GVTFGHTVOnCggvc_VE6ZODCGOWeEkygvnYM7qZAXltaEtfzamIQB-86HCeq_BwrJQcKmdycKxJ2XkcTQe59dqE_c9pcLTZ65r5dURaJKmZzUcIiKoKkeOuHpir9mkcKzUBj9-A/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-1-Start.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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M50+ start - a huge field</div>
<br />
The first race I ever finished was at Ninigret. I realized while on the drive down that in a few years it'll have been FORTY YEARS since I started racing. And, back in 1983, I finished the Junior race at Ninigret.<br />
<br />
It's not 40 years yet so don't get that stuck in your head. It's only been 37 years.<br />
<br />
A lot has changed here over the years. The course used to be all the black pavement, WW2 airfield stuff, with tires lining the course. They'd stack four or five tires at the apex of the turns - you'd sometimes rub against them during the race. If you got shoved it was bad, you had to navigate between tires else you'd flip over the bars.<br />
<br />
And you really, really, really didn't want to flip over the bars. The airfield asphalt was like sticky pavement, just grabbed you if you fell. There was no sliding at Ninigret, even in the rain, and the pavement really tore you apart if you fell.<br />
<br />
Now it's paved in regular pavement, with grassy borders. You slide if it's wet. The low bushes near the second last straight that used to obscure the riders' hubs are now 10 feet tall and impossible to see through.<br />
<br />
But some things haven't changed. It's windy here, always. It punishes those that can't corner or draft. And, for the sprint, it generally rewards those that start the sprint near the front.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg018pJ31chmAC2NCDSLii7jt4iXRQIcADYvBsTySSlawZtFHP3jYAhAoAuv1b7a3I6uOEixcluyd7byEq9Ru4IfX3Wq-5ZTQWAEFTRli9kaGrRG4Z8tmzGUs4Ev2O2g1vVTe5qJg/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-2-StrungOut.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg018pJ31chmAC2NCDSLii7jt4iXRQIcADYvBsTySSlawZtFHP3jYAhAoAuv1b7a3I6uOEixcluyd7byEq9Ru4IfX3Wq-5ZTQWAEFTRli9kaGrRG4Z8tmzGUs4Ev2O2g1vVTe5qJg/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-2-StrungOut.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Strung out bit.</div>
<br />
Within a few laps the race was strung out. The single file laps are the hard ones, and this race had maybe 5 laps like this. I think if there were another 5-8 laps like this the race would have blown apart. But before the strong riders could shatter the field they shattered themselves, and the race calmed down.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGHod3sL2iej4uS4Bxn5wr3WDWsmaOOkLLkWPJT86kj9ikRomI4xPeQygySPOFfxIwNr5n1OIq7olwQkHtjlSJ_F02RhWd57LolMr0tRIfPLyh7RacQMmbKHKq3T2A7Nj7SgKXQ/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-3-NearFront.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGHod3sL2iej4uS4Bxn5wr3WDWsmaOOkLLkWPJT86kj9ikRomI4xPeQygySPOFfxIwNr5n1OIq7olwQkHtjlSJ_F02RhWd57LolMr0tRIfPLyh7RacQMmbKHKq3T2A7Nj7SgKXQ/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-3-NearFront.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Accidentally near the front of the group.</div>
<br />
At some point I accidentally went way up front, seeking shelter. The main straight had wind hitting from the right so you have to be left of the wheel. I got stranded on the right and moved up to find shelter, finally giving up when I was at the front. I quickly eased, let riders pass me, and got myself buried in the field where I belong.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsP-8Aw_80QOaBmiZ9N3zEaUjxKLslF9V6HG2gmtiBqgyYzOjIwnyhOKPYOl_3ycBvvL_Fy2Vgz7snd5Txk3vrQKQo1X60D9rv0XFY_h2vyDTXT9rzARpPs5oHSuMODx0_XBNyw/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-4-5ToGo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="756" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsP-8Aw_80QOaBmiZ9N3zEaUjxKLslF9V6HG2gmtiBqgyYzOjIwnyhOKPYOl_3ycBvvL_Fy2Vgz7snd5Txk3vrQKQo1X60D9rv0XFY_h2vyDTXT9rzARpPs5oHSuMODx0_XBNyw/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-4-5ToGo.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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5 to go.</div>
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At five to go I was still there, and, if you'll notice, just to the left of the rider in front. Sheltered in the field, things seemed okay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-eCYDKt3CWbe-jDNv35DyvVu_KOWpwK5o6oNTOUiCPPLefmAyRrUfEi97dIkO0L2BIpKpYFxTTDzx3wle9_kRkKxFRDz_89EI23838JgbfjxoSHyMC4tayr85JR3_iWeMSFqeA/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-5-2ToGo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="752" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-eCYDKt3CWbe-jDNv35DyvVu_KOWpwK5o6oNTOUiCPPLefmAyRrUfEi97dIkO0L2BIpKpYFxTTDzx3wle9_kRkKxFRDz_89EI23838JgbfjxoSHyMC4tayr85JR3_iWeMSFqeA/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-5-2ToGo.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2 to go. Lots of riders ahead.</div>
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At two to go it was still together but guys had been moving up all over the place. I was near the back of the field and realized I really needed to move up. I didn't want to be clawing my way from the back on the last lap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP8qohyphenhyphen1KWVGxW8Jk1D7LlMWQo7xXTX16jiWy2YkdWy-_iGPzzPqY6hV7C2vtqp0wk6t7VlJ6neCAk7pUyUFXzBr47IhrAxAyG0BwWnn_d1lmyZsP0OWky9Nw-vmciuefE6K5gA/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-6-2ToGo-StrungOut.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="754" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihP8qohyphenhyphen1KWVGxW8Jk1D7LlMWQo7xXTX16jiWy2YkdWy-_iGPzzPqY6hV7C2vtqp0wk6t7VlJ6neCAk7pUyUFXzBr47IhrAxAyG0BwWnn_d1lmyZsP0OWky9Nw-vmciuefE6K5gA/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-6-2ToGo-StrungOut.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2 to go - I'm pretty far from the front.</div>
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Unfortunately the race strung out and I rode too politely. I waited for someone entering a corner, got on their wheel, and then.. they left a gap! I had to close it with a bit of effort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoN9H9OLxWjlCT3ICbRsXUOKtfsbWH5rPXeGU3ilKpbAxw8S_ylYpBqfIqT7IWUkVdf374doQyI7p_EShrJnm9Nq4UzyvpaTenbrFC3vrlkUIGDz7zkFTQ5f38ihbSHSTj97x9g/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-7-BellLap.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="753" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoN9H9OLxWjlCT3ICbRsXUOKtfsbWH5rPXeGU3ilKpbAxw8S_ylYpBqfIqT7IWUkVdf374doQyI7p_EShrJnm9Nq4UzyvpaTenbrFC3vrlkUIGDz7zkFTQ5f38ihbSHSTj97x9g/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-7-BellLap.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bell lap. Ugh.</div>
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At the bell I was much further back than I'd planned. The little dig on the backstretch used up my allotted reserves for that lap and now I had to do exactly what I didn't want to do - claw my way to the front from deep within the field.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxOacVqTeKpeui4lKjVhv4d3O6wcELShdbjwyVrd0AW4s7p6LCwWVh-qmLE5jZeG6grouYTGNFAE5jXjEd7LmIY5qrSNwpk91pNDHBLjXObUrJ2sy0Qw19iUhWYl5bEJM9NUIQw/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-8-DropAnchorSqueeze.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="751" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxOacVqTeKpeui4lKjVhv4d3O6wcELShdbjwyVrd0AW4s7p6LCwWVh-qmLE5jZeG6grouYTGNFAE5jXjEd7LmIY5qrSNwpk91pNDHBLjXObUrJ2sy0Qw19iUhWYl5bEJM9NUIQw/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-8-DropAnchorSqueeze.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rider to the right was dropping anchor, rider from the left swooping in.</div>
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The first few turns were kind to me, the back stretch okay, but as we entered the right turn off the back stretch, things got about as wiggly as it got during the last lap. The guy to my right slammed his brakes on, trying to avoid grass surfing (on a prior lap about 8 riders took to the grass). At the same time the rider to my left (orange/yellow) was diving in, much tighter than the rider in front of him (in blue/black).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDURxrhUpQ7CrdjI_END458e69FbZjNkdnkEHB9vp70gLGOAlIjJ9yZ7Y4M-0QsNtrplOKLlJiCu6Z4BRCztRLmAvRfeizwg00rhNjATZXdzrjaD2igysbgMFYFIQjaAnmcMAJw/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-9-Close.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="754" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDURxrhUpQ7CrdjI_END458e69FbZjNkdnkEHB9vp70gLGOAlIjJ9yZ7Y4M-0QsNtrplOKLlJiCu6Z4BRCztRLmAvRfeizwg00rhNjATZXdzrjaD2igysbgMFYFIQjaAnmcMAJw/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-9-Close.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Very close to the rider on the left, probably an inch or so to his wheel.</div>
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The rider in the orange/yellow ended up just barely touching my wheel - I was doing some hip swaying, bar pushing, etc, to avoid contacting him. It worked out, I got on his wheel, and it was good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtWAVMR8poK1Q97qfI_ug26JcgjuUCWx3BV_0WSh-Qv-ns5fXeLamClDPcjGNOVRhzNw_H3t-xgxZV7KPixChL_gSQ3efvri06_jvr_Dt0xrj-njih7PkSMS6ta6BS6q5XAc9oQ/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-10-2ndLastTurn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="751" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtWAVMR8poK1Q97qfI_ug26JcgjuUCWx3BV_0WSh-Qv-ns5fXeLamClDPcjGNOVRhzNw_H3t-xgxZV7KPixChL_gSQ3efvri06_jvr_Dt0xrj-njih7PkSMS6ta6BS6q5XAc9oQ/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-10-2ndLastTurn.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Second last turn, still too far back.</div>
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Going into the second last turn I was on his wheel, still uncertain about the guy to my right. I briefly tried to stay on orange/yellow's wheel but decided to let him have it, but then he didn't get on the wheel. We were both a bit stranded.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7O3nQHwKsN21mHK64FD48wtqtvR6XAyKApLcDQeRrUQoOiH0Qcgg1NKK4EAklAZ-AxhrxSRc3ld898VPf21ZbMAFYFrhuQz4lw091SHomRxd5laonf_uhyphenhyphengP_3XIquEA4mcF2fg/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-11-After2ndLastTurn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="753" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7O3nQHwKsN21mHK64FD48wtqtvR6XAyKApLcDQeRrUQoOiH0Qcgg1NKK4EAklAZ-AxhrxSRc3ld898VPf21ZbMAFYFrhuQz4lw091SHomRxd5laonf_uhyphenhyphengP_3XIquEA4mcF2fg/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-11-After2ndLastTurn.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Second last stretch, wind from right, need to go left.</div>
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As we exited that second last turn, the wind hit us from the right. I wanted to go left but I was afraid of committing myself too early. In hindsight I probably should have moved up a few spots, maybe 2 in front of the orange/yellow, but at that moment I wanted to wait a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV4IBt6M8Bh-uZr2a6jxJ_S-yaJTdRkR8ZmSD_VlHq04iNPRZfdBGbzeSiOSTz0iUUrCvu6lyNYKGVCv04EIyCWq5K5XMfSk3LJb3dagwfEPnZjBmKeOipUE_LCyJLUKQzT1F-Q/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-12-LastTurn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="754" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV4IBt6M8Bh-uZr2a6jxJ_S-yaJTdRkR8ZmSD_VlHq04iNPRZfdBGbzeSiOSTz0iUUrCvu6lyNYKGVCv04EIyCWq5K5XMfSk3LJb3dagwfEPnZjBmKeOipUE_LCyJLUKQzT1F-Q/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-12-LastTurn.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last turn, no real room to sprint, want to jump toward left.</div>
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My punishment for waiting was to get boxed in by riders moving up on the left. We went into the long, two stage last turn, and I had riders to both sides of me. I had a jump, I wanted to use it, but I needed some room before I let the nitro explode.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXL7fXXavlc8rnakabIGI7Dmjd3HrwsR_g-QDfqRne1Ggam1UyqnzhvOUqjCIepuQOtM73aVOXogKdTVwnE4Qy833eofguhF0Fk1fjKpoDTqDEc10jlN50OPciMJalPrrRhHW8A/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-13-BoxedIn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="751" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXL7fXXavlc8rnakabIGI7Dmjd3HrwsR_g-QDfqRne1Ggam1UyqnzhvOUqjCIepuQOtM73aVOXogKdTVwnE4Qy833eofguhF0Fk1fjKpoDTqDEc10jlN50OPciMJalPrrRhHW8A/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-13-BoxedIn.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Onto the final straight, no room still.</div>
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As the riders hit the straight I expected them to stay to the left, to deny riders behind shelter. Instead they moved right. I just needed an opening to go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8kSHK167kEe5qPFTSrLwynMWpr9WtEb0dEG3Ppu7Kqwx1MGC8oV1yBmAF0PXTub9jgolzKeomifR9KErI6mGuPyj7kmCQxKKdlV4lCUsRucfaZqGqxPaj6DD_SGVS30rBDXDMQ/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-14-Jump.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="752" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8kSHK167kEe5qPFTSrLwynMWpr9WtEb0dEG3Ppu7Kqwx1MGC8oV1yBmAF0PXTub9jgolzKeomifR9KErI6mGuPyj7kmCQxKKdlV4lCUsRucfaZqGqxPaj6DD_SGVS30rBDXDMQ/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-14-Jump.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Left side opened up, boom, jumped hard.</div>
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Then the rider to the left went a bit more left than everyone else. It opened a gap, I took it, and launched as I shifted up. It felt pretty good, but the numbers don't lie - I barely managed to break 1100 watts.<br />
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It wasn't a very good jump.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWi7MhpGYZgnMxO6D1Ftdt-qQsEjr4tj4m7jAVTh3YobFtN46KXJD3_hDS6xHkjgQOWzBEYcAFzBamaLqBuOZufDZGSAn_N7FjShxQ7VhhQ6blNdy4Dnev3h8we27tbU9tjgcPg/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-15-LegsFailed.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="752" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWi7MhpGYZgnMxO6D1Ftdt-qQsEjr4tj4m7jAVTh3YobFtN46KXJD3_hDS6xHkjgQOWzBEYcAFzBamaLqBuOZufDZGSAn_N7FjShxQ7VhhQ6blNdy4Dnev3h8we27tbU9tjgcPg/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-15-LegsFailed.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Legs failed at this point, wattage plummeted.</div>
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Kicker is that the race winner is right there and I closed half the gap to him in a few seconds.</div>
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Worse yet was within five seconds my legs were done. I'd averaged 991 watts for 5 seconds, and about 850 watts for 10 seconds. With a 13 second sprint, my average power was down to about 825w.<br />
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In contrast, couple weeks prior, I averaged 1030 watts for 5 seconds and sustained almost 1000 watts for 10 seconds. So compared to that other sprint earlier this year, I really faltered in this one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuI_D_A1jL9-EG5b5KlOsDN4vrjjQndAEBiQRRBMDIj9Rb0R1Oh1w_taRlH3kinmY1Tux9yMcNnm-k68UTBGiCT54laU6WZeZghO6r45LeIWUZfsYKT3nCAjVYndDlvNnJXp2mw/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-16-BikeThrow.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1005" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuI_D_A1jL9-EG5b5KlOsDN4vrjjQndAEBiQRRBMDIj9Rb0R1Oh1w_taRlH3kinmY1Tux9yMcNnm-k68UTBGiCT54laU6WZeZghO6r45LeIWUZfsYKT3nCAjVYndDlvNnJXp2mw/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-16-BikeThrow.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Managed to pip Dave at the line, and barely beat a guy to my left.</div>
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HR is high for me, 171, and it probably climbed after the sprint finished.</div>
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Earlier in the day Junior asked me if I wanted to beat one of the riders hanging out before the race. Taken aback, I thought about it. I realized that I don't go into a race wanting to "beat someone". I start a race wanting to do the best that I can do, no regrets.<br />
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So as my legs fell away in the sprint, I kept pushing, because I didn't want to tell Junior after the race that I gave up. I didn't want to think back at this race and wonder what would have happened had I kept pushing. So even though my wattage fell off a cliff, even though my legs felt like they were stuck in molasses, I kept pedaling. And, eventually, after an interminably long sprint, I managed to cross the line in fourth. I had no idea, and in fact I was hoping I was within the top 10 so - I thought everyone passed me at the line.<br />
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Some numbers for the day:<br />
Peak: 1122w<br />
5s: 991w<br />
13s: 827w (sprint length)<br />
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Avg: 178w (race - pretty high for me)<br />
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/2252732028" target="_blank">Strava link</a> (power data is not on Strava)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbh6ZgTnOtbHfAUSM37R-MT6ZDSUDOhVAU_ZYF36Z-GFcI9VR0Eqce6ijdg21bbojOlEwxlOjMgdcSWVQJuJ-9h5ZkUtTONBzgnsyRu5rkHtC6EKFCUWt06_KUO5gtGyEhaF1Hw/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-18-LapAfter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="750" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbh6ZgTnOtbHfAUSM37R-MT6ZDSUDOhVAU_ZYF36Z-GFcI9VR0Eqce6ijdg21bbojOlEwxlOjMgdcSWVQJuJ-9h5ZkUtTONBzgnsyRu5rkHtC6EKFCUWt06_KUO5gtGyEhaF1Hw/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-18-LapAfter.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Junior approaching the line on his bike</div>
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As the course opened for a few minutes Junior asked if he could do a lap. We started out well, the next field lined up, but I realized that we'd run out of time - we'd be finishing the lap as the racers hit the main straight. So we turned left onto the grass, waited for the racers to pass, then he hit the course for the final 50 meters to the line.</div>
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The official was understanding enough to let us ride to the line, even with a race underway. Little judgment calls like letting us cross the line makes a huge difference in the impression racing leaves on a kid, and I managed to capture the following because of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjjJBHnaLylmMUhW0E9IvHDd1GM6-7v_X6WQ08jfxg5yibtNTbhCNH7_GGvn-K7WpJu-2uNSjgC0I1NdV42midVdogOYd8ilE1dj54MdJMWKsZcHTbNtsJMtdA4NqM-12zyE5KA/s1600/20190330_ChrisHinds-17-2ndBikeThrow.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="751" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjjJBHnaLylmMUhW0E9IvHDd1GM6-7v_X6WQ08jfxg5yibtNTbhCNH7_GGvn-K7WpJu-2uNSjgC0I1NdV42midVdogOYd8ilE1dj54MdJMWKsZcHTbNtsJMtdA4NqM-12zyE5KA/s320/20190330_ChrisHinds-17-2ndBikeThrow.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bike throw with Junior!</div>
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My favorite bike throw of the day. I tried to time it perfectly so he'd pip me at the line, and so he did.<br />
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It'll be a few weeks before I can race again, maybe even May, but so far the season has been good. I'll have to pick and choose my races but that's normal. My goal will be to do well at New Britain, and try to partake in some of the Tues night races (instead of just hanging on).<br />
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We'll see how it goes.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-91277761907814144732017-06-12T00:15:00.005-04:002017-06-12T00:15:58.071-04:00Racing - 2017 Nutmeg State Games, June 4, 2017, M50+Where to begin... Last year I was looking after my dad. It was the first season in 34 seasons where I didn't race a weekend race. Frankly I had more important things to do, and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. My dad passed in October, and my life, temporarily so set in its priorities, suddenly changed.<br />
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Like last year, this year has been a non-cycling year for sure. I started a job that I love, working at a Firestone, but the standard 12 hour days have been tough on my non-work life. I miss Junior's bed time a few nights a week, sometimes missing something like 5 nights in a row. It's precious little time that the Missus and I talk, usually me telling stories about work, sometimes her telling me stuff about her work. Other than eating and a little bit of the stuff that parents talk about (I always wondered what my parents were mumbling as I drifted off to sleep), my work days have very little to them.<br />
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When I do have some time off I have a lot of things I'd rather do that don't involve riding my bike.<br />
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That's bike <i>riding</i>.<br />
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Then there's bike <i>racing</i>.<br />
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To clarify a point, I <i>love</i> racing.<br />
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Love it.<br />
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I generally ride my bike only because I want to race it. I can't race it at all if I don't ride a minimum amount of training, because no fitness means getting shelled a lap into a race.<br />
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That's no fun, no matter how much I like to race.<br />
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My training, therefore, is geared to getting me fit enough to race. Doing long rides, sprints, whatever, all that is me trying to get fit enough to finish a flatter/easier race. Yes, there's an element of pleasure/meditation/etc when I'm doing some of those rides, especially the ones out in SoCal, but in general not so much.<br />
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To emphasize the not-cycling-so-much thing, I even took one Tuesday off to go karting with a coworker, his friend, and a bike racer (who karts) and his friend. It was a ton of fun.<br />
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My bike racer friend also races karts for real, so for him this was like doing a group ride vs doing a race. Any time we both drove similar karts he did better - inevitably I'd make a mistake, slow too much, and have to let him by. Karts are about not making mistakes as much as it is to drive properly, and in my newbie status I kept making mistakes.<br />
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My coworker and his friend are car nuts but even newer than me to karting. I tried to teach them how to do certain things because karts do not respond like cars. Their goal was to qualify for pro-karts, which requires dropping below a minimum lap time at least twice (in separate heats). I told them they could do it and I went not only to drive but also to give them on-site tips to help them hit their target lap times. I even downgraded to the regular karts for a number of heats so they could follow me through some of the corners.<br />
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I gave them some major tips, akin, I hope, to some of the bike racing tips I've shared on this blog. I'm pleased to say that both friends qualified for pro-karts, driving just 5 or 6 heats.<br />
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And me?<br />
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I got, until a superb driver showed up for the last couple heats, best time of the day, 9th best for the week, and 22nd for the month. Since it was May 30th it meant that most of the month had gone by, which lends more weight to my lap times. I dropped one spot in all of the above after that one driver showed up. Nevertheless I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I learned the new layout, my experimentation with new lines, and, of course, my lap times.<br />
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That night I had some problems with my glasses falling forward, leaving me essentially blind for several laps (and most of the last heat). I might describe it as driving in the rain without using your wipers, or, maybe riding in the rain with water on your lenses. It was enough to cause me to miss turn ins, apexes, and even making mistakes that slammed myself into the wall a few times. Although I could still manage 34.x second times without seeing really well, for next time I'll have to figure out the glasses thing better. I was even thinking contacts would be better.<br />
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So... you can see how I have some distractions tugging at my limited free time.<br />
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As far as cycling goes, I started racing my bike in May, at my favorite CCAP Tuesday Night Race. Unfortunately I lasted just a few laps in the first couple races. At that point I had about 35 hours on my legs for the year. Apparently that wasn't enough to last very long in a race, even for me.<br />
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In the Friday night CCAP Kermis it was even worse. I was pretty unfit, okay, but to add to it I adjusted my too-tight front brake frantically after the first hairpin, not realizing that I was tightening the brake (my black bike brakes work opposite from my red bike brakes). I managed to push my way through the second hairpin with my brakes basically locking my front wheel, loosened the brake on the following straight, but I was done and off the back. I don't have a working powermeter (it's sitting in a box next to the computer right now) but I'm curious what I was pushing with the brakes dragging. I'm guessing it was in the 500-800w range, if not more - it was a 100% seated effort for me.<br />
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I managed to finish the third Tuesday Night race I entered, a rare night with zero wind. I felt like I'd turned a corner in my fitness, getting over the minimum required to hang onto a field in a flat race. My powermeters, both of them, are dead from lack of maintenance, so I don't have power numbers, but I'm guessing that I wasn't averaging more than about 160w in each race. For sure on Zwift I have problems maintaining 200w for any length of time, and 250w, my old VO2 max interval number, was incredibly hard.<br />
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Now that's not so bad because other things have been going well in my life.<br />
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Junior has been making strides. He surprised the heck out of me by reading words on his own the other week. He's been more independent, and, to be honest, a bit more dependent also. He misses me when I'm at work, I probably miss him more. Tonight he kept holding my hand while he was falling asleep, pulling my arm over him, and then snuggling up to me.<br />
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I treasure the time I have with him.<br />
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Work is great also. As we rolled into June I had some great days at work. We managed to help a couple people who were super grateful we were there for them. I was psyched we could do that, went home all happy, got on the bike, and <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1018344054" target="_blank">basically fell flat on my face</a>. In terms of doing a good job I think I'm doing it. I got a random fist bump from a customer in a supermarket so that was nice, and I even had a picture drawn of me by a good customer's kid (who I'd met just once at that point).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6K6gQDKFmaO-mnPKR-aifyxcJKfzER2ubF6DYxlk96cS5JozVuMya98if4t7tHs7Nt1VlJgocZPD0uBVM4fNm9qW0bOamLorT6egd8PoakPWB8RXOaJQoho4DLM4MWpoA6Q-nQ/s1600/2017_Zachary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6K6gQDKFmaO-mnPKR-aifyxcJKfzER2ubF6DYxlk96cS5JozVuMya98if4t7tHs7Nt1VlJgocZPD0uBVM4fNm9qW0bOamLorT6egd8PoakPWB8RXOaJQoho4DLM4MWpoA6Q-nQ/s320/2017_Zachary.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
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The red "F" thing is the Firestone sticker I gave him.</div>
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My hand is blocking his last name.</div>
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With things going well everywhere else, I hoped that the race at New Britain would go okay at least. This would be, get this, the first Sunday race for me since August 2015, so almost two years.<br />
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The first Sunday race in almost two years!<br />
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The M50+ race (I'll be 50 this year!) wouldn't be as manageable as a windless Tuesday Night Bs so I had low expectations. I figured I'd make it a few laps, get shelled, we'd go home, and as a family we'd hang out.<br />
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Sounds like a plan, right?<br />
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Well, as the saying goes, best laid plans...<br />
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We arrived at the race with a lot of time, enough time for me to roll around a bit, adjust my very finicky rear derailleur (something is bent and I haven't bothered fixing it), finally getting the bike so that I could shift up in a sprint without the chain skipping and throwing me over the bars.<br />
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Because shifting any time else really didn't matter, even with my non-legs.<br />
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A crash delay meant that I started getting a bit bonky before the start, as I was already stretching my eating schedule to make the race. As it was I'd woken up not feeling hungry and a lump in my throat, didn't each much for breakfast, and I was a bit worried I'd bonk. The Missus had some banana bread stuff that was great, I chowed down, and I went to the start feeling a bit better.<br />
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The start.</div>
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I'm about halfway back in the field I think.</div>
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We started out casually enough, to my relief. I think the big guns were all at Nationals, the NY ringers were at White Plains, and so it was a bit more of a CT representation instead of a few CT racers lost in a sea of area racers. Incredibly the race started even tamer than a pace lap on a Tuesday Night B race.<br />
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Talk about an ideal race for me.<br />
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I had some problems following wheels though. When a few riders noodled off the front, I couldn't go. I had to leave it to my good friend David to close the gap, which he did with some vigor. I felt bad for making him close the gap but he happened to be next to me when my legs folded.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJrkxjaxKUYw2hwf-d0v_RvfEOuWrOjQfrMPyaDQU_E9-eeuOioFnsNxjUkqD2KjoMCdgVPXfw8xY62zw_eb34GHpeSJ3SX99LpTwZlV_TDQG9IOvZ1plSI63ryoTS_r0CUtTBA/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-LettingAGapGo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJrkxjaxKUYw2hwf-d0v_RvfEOuWrOjQfrMPyaDQU_E9-eeuOioFnsNxjUkqD2KjoMCdgVPXfw8xY62zw_eb34GHpeSJ3SX99LpTwZlV_TDQG9IOvZ1plSI63ryoTS_r0CUtTBA/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-LettingAGapGo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Letting a big gap go. That's a big gap.</div>
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David is just about to pass me.</div>
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After that gap fiasco I tried to stay out of the way of the racers actually racing the race. I sat mainly in the back, uninvolved. There was just one exception - I'd move up when it got easy to get some "drift back" room. This way I'd have some cushion if someone launched an attack - it might be a solid 15 or 20 seconds as the field filtered by me, enough time for me to get going.</div>
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More than a few riders commented on my "attack" near the end of the race. I remembered the move because it was a perfect storm of doing nothing and everyone else just slowing. I wanted to illustrate how even the most conservative riding can result in an "attack".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiWoS3WDbL7tR4wYAH6P71-_J-keu-W1H0p54Ewc7B3E8SYW-2vm5iA6MroqCoXkZAHUgjN7pqP0qnOdBVQPR64m3bM_vZaiQDXvCtNPXR5bDn5zQ5jUZN2hBtZp_yCw940RebA/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-StrungOut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiWoS3WDbL7tR4wYAH6P71-_J-keu-W1H0p54Ewc7B3E8SYW-2vm5iA6MroqCoXkZAHUgjN7pqP0qnOdBVQPR64m3bM_vZaiQDXvCtNPXR5bDn5zQ5jUZN2hBtZp_yCw940RebA/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-StrungOut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Strung out. Note that I'm not on the wheel, due to being under extreme pressure.</div>
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Sitting behind "red bike with a Generic Jersey".</div>
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He was part of a 2 man break that won the M60 race so I'm guessing he was a bit tired.</div>
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Just before my "move" a few riders had just made some efforts. The field was strung out going into the wooded area. I was struggling to hold wheels and hoped that they'd sit up soon; if they'd kept it up for a lap I'd have been off the back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqTr_96CyCzE3yEMsp0gwKcWjK0VYQ6lkYubYqwmYxiRHLI7nn05af9ISPwmbburEEXocKUWw69z2EhFHsoIbAUH0g8rri7ii85WSoA_M24OPamj2jJcLezO-7eoGSdCCjWYtpA/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-EveryoneSittingUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqTr_96CyCzE3yEMsp0gwKcWjK0VYQ6lkYubYqwmYxiRHLI7nn05af9ISPwmbburEEXocKUWw69z2EhFHsoIbAUH0g8rri7ii85WSoA_M24OPamj2jJcLezO-7eoGSdCCjWYtpA/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-EveryoneSittingUp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bunching up, I moved to the left of Generic Jersey.</div>
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Luckily for me they did sit up at the front. Seeing as I was in so much trouble trying to stay on the wheel, I decided to pedal a few extra revolutions and try and move up, to buy myself some drift back room. I moved left because it was open; I'd overlapped a bit to the left of Generic Jersey.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3uyKR_t4EtEFU0XIsGZ2wneDEe6zwcsGydUAk6TqcGSmLApyeg7hieOaKeYmFPF8gJjjlUIBz1PWJJ3hjXEY6wSb6qa-m2P_BZ8GCN2YR4t2W7rcsTASbb5Qn7ON1i8fX5g4gQ/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-ThePathIsVisible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3uyKR_t4EtEFU0XIsGZ2wneDEe6zwcsGydUAk6TqcGSmLApyeg7hieOaKeYmFPF8gJjjlUIBz1PWJJ3hjXEY6wSb6qa-m2P_BZ8GCN2YR4t2W7rcsTASbb5Qn7ON1i8fX5g4gQ/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-ThePathIsVisible.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The path is now visible.</div>
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I'm coasting/soft pedaling but going much faster than everyone in the picture.</div>
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When I got there I realized there was a "Moses and the Red Sea" path to the front, that chasm visible in the picture above. I was coasting and soft pedaling and still going faster than the field so I let my bike meander into the gap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC0qBWzMUVjpaYDxPxCk5zguD7EP3Q4M4GVJC2MUX63frrzvfYIe9Kx_T6bQRxJlhxjlURrIF8h-KQXxWYg31YPYWKzVeuHrbbnZ_ff14Bz-2h7oVwPqRIAI6txZarjahkcrxJQ/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-AndWhoAttacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC0qBWzMUVjpaYDxPxCk5zguD7EP3Q4M4GVJC2MUX63frrzvfYIe9Kx_T6bQRxJlhxjlURrIF8h-KQXxWYg31YPYWKzVeuHrbbnZ_ff14Bz-2h7oVwPqRIAI6txZarjahkcrxJQ/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-AndWhoAttacks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And guess who attacks?</div>
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As I got through the gap I figured I'd just sit up, but then someone attacked. It was Generic Jersey. He'd gone right, I'd gone left, and we both passed the group. I did about 2 or 3 pedal strokes to follow him, declined pulling through, and we were back in the fold at the top of the hill. My non-attack and non-work meant that by the top of the hill I was fully recovered from the surge, just behind the front, and ready to go again.</div>
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So that was my non-attack.</div>
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<b>Bell Lap</b></div>
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My races always come down to the bell lap, because, you know, Sprinter Della Casa.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyNQLhIo4ebIZRjGsTG6YnJJOusknfbM1gRhTk9-qX56Z6wj7gfTMuUHmMe_OTVNzdxaz7WDwMkxB8TIPJ84rVVbV3nTL2Q17hR8QDH95Qo1hOmI3r66L_vMBr7Qg3fdsJPKu9A/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-BellLap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyNQLhIo4ebIZRjGsTG6YnJJOusknfbM1gRhTk9-qX56Z6wj7gfTMuUHmMe_OTVNzdxaz7WDwMkxB8TIPJ84rVVbV3nTL2Q17hR8QDH95Qo1hOmI3r66L_vMBr7Qg3fdsJPKu9A/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-BellLap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bell Lap.</div>
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Note that you can't see the rear wheel in front of me - that means I'm on the wheel.</div>
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As the laps counted down I started thinking that I could actually do this. No one was racing hard - the attacks were short, into the wind (not into the cross/tailwind), and therefore ineffective. The field was stacked with "sprinters" so they all jumped on moves as soon as possible, and the historically strong time trialers were either not here, not ultra fit, or fatigued from doing the race just before the M50+.</div>
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So as we hit the bell I started daring to hope for a good result.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtdKoibMZiFJNsuzCax-ksOmAWM3F4zqaivz1beVYt1G1428SOfKoHaSGmIK3rp7j3Xrgkx82pczCXC9ahYVzk2eFem71AI9T6TZvHDkjkXGD3aPYJ9WtaOToFB8TSX8urwd3mg/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-BackstretchOnBellLap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtdKoibMZiFJNsuzCax-ksOmAWM3F4zqaivz1beVYt1G1428SOfKoHaSGmIK3rp7j3Xrgkx82pczCXC9ahYVzk2eFem71AI9T6TZvHDkjkXGD3aPYJ9WtaOToFB8TSX8urwd3mg/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-BackstretchOnBellLap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Backstretch, bell lap.</div>
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Note again, rear wheel not visible.</div>
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I had three possible sprint scenarios. I visited all of them numerous times during the race, probably cycling through them a dozen times in the last couple laps. The wind was hitting us from the left on the sprint straight, making the right side a bit more desirable than the left.</div>
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<b>Plan A</b></div>
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The first plan was to move up after the top of the hill, hit the turn near the front, jump right on the main straight if possible (sheltered from the wind), and go pretty early if I was jumping first. Ideally I'd be first through the last turn, I'd jump hard on the right curb, there'd be zero shelter on my wheel, and if I could do a 15 second sprint I'd win the sprint.</div>
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Let's rate the potential of the move using these parameters:</div>
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1. Risk level, meaning how risky would it be from a tactical point of view. How easily could I get boxed in? Lower is better.</div>
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2. Minimum strength to do well, meaning how much gas would I need to make the move work well. The more I needed the higher minimum strength I'd need. Lower is better.</div>
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3. Possible top 3, meaning what would be my chances of getting a top 3 placing? The higher the chance of a top 3 the better.</div>
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So for Plan A this was my analysis:</div>
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Risk level: Low - no one in front to box me in</div>
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Minimum strength to do well: High</div>
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Possible top 3: Low</div>
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<br /></div>
This was a low risk tactic but relied heavily on me doing a good sprint - a good jump followed by a very solid, high output sprint. If I blew then I'd get swarmed and not place at all. In my condition this wasn't a great choice.<br />
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(Sam won his race basically doing this. As a very fit rider with a very good jump, this validated my tactical theory.)<br />
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<b>Plan B</b></div>
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An alternative was hoping that the sprinters would go left (because the leadout rider would naturally hug the right curb to deny everyone shelter), there'd be a gap to the right because they'd give the right side rider some room, and I could slip through the right side gap in the sprint.</div>
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Risk level: High (of getting boxed in)</div>
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Minimum strength to do well: Low</div>
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Possible top 3: Very high or very low.</div>
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That was a high risk move since virtually every sprint up the right side at New Britain gets shut down. On the other hand sprinting on the sheltered side would make winning the sprint much more likely. This was an all or nothing move. The odds worked against me and I'd only choose this option in very specific situations. I kept this option in mind if things unrolled in a specific way, but unless there was a massive move up the left side of the road, this option is almost always off the table.</div>
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<b>Plan C</b></div>
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The third and most likely alternative was to be sheltered going into the sprint then jump super hard on the windy left side. A strong jump can gain a lot of distance, especially in a slower, wind-swept sprint. Starting from further back I'd have to make up a lot of ground. However, having been sheltered more, I'd have spent less energy up to that point and therefore I'd have the most jump left in my legs.</div>
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Risk level: Low</div>
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Minimum strength do do well: Medium</div>
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Possible top 3: Low/Medium</div>
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This was the highest probability tactic, meaning I'd consistently get a higher placing. However it would be very, very difficult to win the sprint. It was the safe move but pretty much put me off the podium due to the extra work I'd have to do in the sprint. I might be able to salvage a top 3, meaning 3rd, but realistically not much better than that.</div>
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Being risk averse as I am, I chose the third option, the safe move.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Np3JnwmdbBT61dbfeA_mVsfBgTSFfmd3C3_yLfAIbNWZShyphenhyphenmcNGZbAs4yfnO5jVPlLRJJ3JgLRAg3Y6_wcXF1xyq0UlnfhjEpXPdcuEif5IHsX25IOXOLzhp_lPVx7dWjnUFNg/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-TopOfHillBellLap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Np3JnwmdbBT61dbfeA_mVsfBgTSFfmd3C3_yLfAIbNWZShyphenhyphenmcNGZbAs4yfnO5jVPlLRJJ3JgLRAg3Y6_wcXF1xyq0UlnfhjEpXPdcuEif5IHsX25IOXOLzhp_lPVx7dWjnUFNg/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-TopOfHillBellLap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Top of hill, bell lap.</div>
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Marty is just to the right of the back of the sign.</div>
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At the top of the hill I wasn't in major trouble. Through the winter I'd managed to keep my weight somewhat sane, in the 170 lbs range, which is just about where I was in the latter half of my stronger 2015 season. At 180-190 lbs I'd have been struggling, but at 170 I was okay over the hill. If I was 160 I'd be flying. For example, in 2010 I was under 160 and upgraded to 2.</div>
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It helped, of course, that no one really made a move. Marty, a former teammate from my collegiate days, went early, but with an immediate surge in pace in the field it didn't look good for him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBjFCvjzhgpzAzB98wrPX_JgO9uIF7U0OMd7rYl3EojyWDgum4YHJyZ_QGtIW6eHNkRrj8kk6gTvRsEMF3zWXZdsvUSb8XFgyle6gCCQO1-oofuZ0AqoMZmt5gkIudLqPcKa0jg/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-LastTurn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBjFCvjzhgpzAzB98wrPX_JgO9uIF7U0OMd7rYl3EojyWDgum4YHJyZ_QGtIW6eHNkRrj8kk6gTvRsEMF3zWXZdsvUSb8XFgyle6gCCQO1-oofuZ0AqoMZmt5gkIudLqPcKa0jg/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-LastTurn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last turn, bell lap.</div>
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Marty is leading through the turn.</div>
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I moved up on the slight downhill between the top of the hill and the last turn. I didn't realize it but Stephen, another former collegiate teammate of sorts (he was a 2, I was a 3, so we never actually raced the same events), had launched an attack on the left side. A danger man, others responded immediately. I was focused on following John M, a friendly rival that I battled for decades at Bethel. He's a rider a lot like me in that he sits and sprints. I thought he'd be a safe, solid wheel to sit on.</div>
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Problem was that the last little surge before the last turn caused some gaps to open up. John wasn't himself as he told me after, and he was also caught off guard by Stephen's move. The gap opened uncontrollably through the turn, as it's difficult to jump while going through it. As we exited the turn I looked around him and was surprised at the size of the gap in front of him. In reviewing the video it's clear that the riders in front had much higher entry speed into the turn and he simply got caught out by the surge just before the turn.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm679_70sFgXtS5B2ClE_iPKTjG6Edi0B2U6H4eHgCjdN67OiVkp3hMezQNyn0TIKdOcjXj2xQ3aqvoeQ_UTJL4_EZVOH6baZLne_W8VKN5jc-HsUsG9u3DNJ9wG7fvxNgwLbnw/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-JumpLastLap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm679_70sFgXtS5B2ClE_iPKTjG6Edi0B2U6H4eHgCjdN67OiVkp3hMezQNyn0TIKdOcjXj2xQ3aqvoeQ_UTJL4_EZVOH6baZLne_W8VKN5jc-HsUsG9u3DNJ9wG7fvxNgwLbnw/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-JumpLastLap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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With the gap already there I had to jump immediately.</div>
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Note I'm going to the sheltered right; low risk, high benefit move at this point.</div>
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This meant that I had to jump just to get across the gap, and then try to do another jump/sprint for the line. I had room to go on the sheltered right side of John so I did, jumping to his right. I quickly closed the gap to Dave the Horst rider and started debating, right or left.</div>
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At this point Marty was toward the right side blowing up, Stephen went way left, and everyone followed Stephen. If I'd been good I'd have blazed into that huge gap on the right and risked going up the sheltered right side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJouExtFS8wyhiwKiBfMhYGGO4G6_A4RxVbPEZPuFHI9KnezmmEllPIbgEW5u6AegX7Z_JyaFT6lv09A2aMwZuvu4sHaCX35fM4VnpK_kovgfKsEaSTg_6vCz-nZRELjO-dlLdJA/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-ClosingOnFrontGroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJouExtFS8wyhiwKiBfMhYGGO4G6_A4RxVbPEZPuFHI9KnezmmEllPIbgEW5u6AegX7Z_JyaFT6lv09A2aMwZuvu4sHaCX35fM4VnpK_kovgfKsEaSTg_6vCz-nZRELjO-dlLdJA/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-ClosingOnFrontGroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Getting to first group in the sprint, going a few mph faster than everyone else.</div>
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Left or right? I went left, and I realistically should have gone right.</div>
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Instead, to play the odds of placing well (safest odds) vs getting boxed in (and either winning or potentially not placing at all), I went into the wind, to the left.</div>
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It was the safe, sane choice.</div>
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I'm pretty sure it was the wrong choice.</div>
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I jumped hard to the left, trying to get around everyone so I could move more right before the line. We still had a solid 8 or 9 seconds of sprinting left and I thought I could get around everyone before the right bend. Although I went the long way I actually wanted to shorten my line as much as possible. I did a similar move in 2014 but I jumped much earlier that year. The reality was that, in 2017, with my lack of training, I lacked the punch to repeat that 2014 move.</div>
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This year I'd have to stay left all the way to the line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6M9_OV3k5tHW41O64rdfDy0wSNHu2A1hZL8frKcQRTviqIgmGADLIgTTmAxGaCD1OiKjtxxBFIhz4XDMcSv6gT1ROMyechIYbGWD051lFud27AqN0vZQYQdn0wZu437y2q04WQ/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-GoingLeftEvenThoughItsWindy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6M9_OV3k5tHW41O64rdfDy0wSNHu2A1hZL8frKcQRTviqIgmGADLIgTTmAxGaCD1OiKjtxxBFIhz4XDMcSv6gT1ROMyechIYbGWD051lFud27AqN0vZQYQdn0wZu437y2q04WQ/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-GoingLeftEvenThoughItsWindy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I go left to pass.</div>
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David in orange, Stephen in black, Marty in green/black.</div>
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Dave's hand is visible.</div>
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As I went left I could feel the wind hit me. On the camera it's much more obvious, the wind noise is significant. My legs felt okay but I knew that the fuse was lit and I was going to blow, I just didn't know when; I figured I'd get to the line but I'd lose some speed approaching it.<br />
<br />
Moving to the right became a pipe dream.<br />
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I kept going.<br />
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My legs still had some power. I had about 40 meters to go and I thought things were going really well. This morning I'd never have put myself in this position, where I might win the state title. Yet here I was, what looked like a pretty straightforward final 40 meters, a few pedal strokes and bang, done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZnavtw55dpBkGHNNwn5pA9ZWIEVvHydvLl3LzQEWkW6qyrbScQEAZ9y-bbniwFnOVm8L6ZBz3wUvcpDTCnvEatG8iQ4N08p0LXdjGm6xPJnqvrq_QF0M2Z-y1jNyA-xkHtO5bg/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-BlowUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZnavtw55dpBkGHNNwn5pA9ZWIEVvHydvLl3LzQEWkW6qyrbScQEAZ9y-bbniwFnOVm8L6ZBz3wUvcpDTCnvEatG8iQ4N08p0LXdjGm6xPJnqvrq_QF0M2Z-y1jNyA-xkHtO5bg/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-BlowUp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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40 meters to go, give or take.</div>
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Speed starting to drop but still good.</div>
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Finish line is just before the red tent.</div>
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"Bang, done," indeed.<br />
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As I readied myself for my last push to the line, my legs went. I simply had nothing. I sat down in disbelief, looking around to see what was going on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtyuj4JmCXjFJZRT16vov8bZI4eszKFRFbkm6Wpw9sTyxDMp2ADvy1bKqCToIbRjc4QfcLAzyFyPIcAUx4uSEn1rpWYpFQxfK5ySMi-h-bZR-HopkPV_wAi5gnorZBAEjfMB6Hw/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-LookOver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtyuj4JmCXjFJZRT16vov8bZI4eszKFRFbkm6Wpw9sTyxDMp2ADvy1bKqCToIbRjc4QfcLAzyFyPIcAUx4uSEn1rpWYpFQxfK5ySMi-h-bZR-HopkPV_wAi5gnorZBAEjfMB6Hw/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-LookOver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just before the line.</div>
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I could see my friend David sprinting hard. I'd drawn even with him but couldn't finish it off, and he pulled away from me. Way over to the right I could see the orange Horst jersey of Dave, a wicked fast sprinter, but it seemed that he wouldn't make it by me before the line. I didn't see the dark jersey of Stephen.<br />
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I was dispirited enough that I didn't even throw the bike at the line. With all my looking around I knew the places wouldn't change even without the foot or so I'd gain with a bike throw.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp-OkDDLeuQxBFqZU9Fjk6bO1tJDwc9XO-G8chssndbbaeBa0kLOpOtfzzaER9yV4U-2YQNse_hZQzSMBJmZu5ugkNqmwhHgX70E-iKK8UraKjMAphp0O1QN3SR7gRbnnCe0ZtQ/s1600/20170604_NutmegFinish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="960" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp-OkDDLeuQxBFqZU9Fjk6bO1tJDwc9XO-G8chssndbbaeBa0kLOpOtfzzaER9yV4U-2YQNse_hZQzSMBJmZu5ugkNqmwhHgX70E-iKK8UraKjMAphp0O1QN3SR7gRbnnCe0ZtQ/s320/20170604_NutmegFinish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At the line, photo courtesy David.</div>
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Note no bike throw. I was beyond that by this point.</div>
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I did some quick calculations. David would be the first CT finisher, putting me in second. Dave would be third.<br />
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When all the dust settled I learned that there was someone that soloed off the front. I think we just barely missed catching him in the sprint. He wasn't a CT rider so my calculations held. David would be the gold medalist. I'd be silver. And Dave would be bronze.<br />
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<b>After</b><br />
<br />
I convinced Stephen to hang around after the race as David went and did the M30/M40 race. Jeff, one of the folks putting a lot of time/energy into the local cycling scene, took this picture of me. If Junior is in my arms it means he's tired, but he cheered up quickly for the camera.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8k7DGMrAvfoLI_BM5zlu_v3tbQGQg-_shEuUhnDjkR2P3xW4Kvg8VezhREZWZ7FpiYgan5e6HP6gpgwoZO0j62IH7EUnrNf0ZdMDRu1m8cSje8yUPklEZxcnxQyF419bXvnBlw/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-WithJunior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8k7DGMrAvfoLI_BM5zlu_v3tbQGQg-_shEuUhnDjkR2P3xW4Kvg8VezhREZWZ7FpiYgan5e6HP6gpgwoZO0j62IH7EUnrNf0ZdMDRu1m8cSje8yUPklEZxcnxQyF419bXvnBlw/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-WithJunior.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jeff got this great picture of me holding Junior.</div>
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Sam is in the pink/blue, the same colors my first team used.</div>
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As a bonus Sam Rosenholtz is rolling by behind me, sporting the pink and blue. In 2010 he was a grinning, cheerful Cat 5 at the Bethel Spring Series. I've always been a fan of his, even as he killed us Cat 3s in 2010. Now he's a pro for CCB and had just returned from a racing trip to both Holland and Poland. He placed in 7th out there in Europe somewhere in some insane looking narrow road sprint.<br />
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The race behind me? He won it outright.<br />
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After David finished the race we all gathered and took a few podium pictures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvjKDitcR8XuoV-Xa2fDYIsH1pBo6x0WG4GWtca1RO_nfT4QMQWtYqtSwtBbNl3VCgdRUZ6hFks0iJkTjEi5OiN1u88FCPfj_nXo08elah9hhgyPyRClj1dxpFQ8rQWXqSKp9cg/s1600/20170604_Nutmeg-Podium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="960" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvjKDitcR8XuoV-Xa2fDYIsH1pBo6x0WG4GWtca1RO_nfT4QMQWtYqtSwtBbNl3VCgdRUZ6hFks0iJkTjEi5OiN1u88FCPfj_nXo08elah9hhgyPyRClj1dxpFQ8rQWXqSKp9cg/s320/20170604_Nutmeg-Podium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2017 M50+ CT Crit Championship Podium.</div>
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Picture courtesy David.</div>
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On the way home I fell fast asleep in the car. Then I fell asleep reading to Junior. I dragged myself to work, I was wearing my jacket and shivering in 75 or 80 degree temperatures, tried to gut it out, gave up and came back home. I basically slept for the next 36 hours. I didn't realize it but whatever it was was just hitting me as I did the race. I'm fortunate it didn't hit 6 hours earlier.<br />
<br />
<b>Epilogue</b><br />
<br />
A few days later the Missus was scrolling through some pictures on my Facebook feed.<br />
<br />
"You got the silver in 2015 also."<br />
"I did?"<br />
"Look, you're in the same position on the podium."<br />
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Junior was 3 years old.</div>
<br />
Huh.<br />
<br />
It all came back. No clip because I was told to remove my helmet cam at the start line. There were two guys off the front and for sure I thought I could catch them in the sprint. But my sprint lacked sizzle and the two break riders did an incredible sprint, not allowing me to close much at all in the sprint. I'm pretty sure I never got closer than about 50 feet to the break. I hoped that the two in front weren't from CT but no such luck, one guy Michael was up there and had taken the gold.<br />
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What's interesting is that Junior refers to this race as "the race with the podiums" because they're fun to climb around, and, well, he gets to be in the pictures sometimes. With him around I earned the privilege in 2014 (bronze), 2015, and 2017. With his incredible memory (in 2015 he remembered the podiums from 2014) I am now under the gun to podium in 2018.<br />
<br />
And along those lines, I think this is the course that gives me the best chance to earn my first summer victory - I've never won a race during the summer. Writing this post made me realize just how safe I play the end of races.<br />
<br />
Maybe in 2018 I'll go right.<br />
<br />
But first we'll see what life throws at me.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-85503984096040365302017-03-01T23:16:00.001-05:002018-01-20T21:12:16.818-05:00Promoting - Being "The Guy"A nice post that starts and ends with yours truly, one that is at least indirectly about promoting.<br />
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<a href="http://alaskanpackfodder.blogspot.com/2017/02/being-guy.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://alaskanpackfodder.blogspot.com/2017/02/being-guy.html" target="_blank">Alaskan Pack Fodder</a>.</div>
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Thanks for that.<br />
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And two pictures, for kicks.<br />
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FYI I've started a few posts but haven't completed any. My dream job (and I love it) typically sees me at work 8-8 so it's tough getting anything done before or after. I'll follow up with an actual post one of these days. Oh, and if you need any car services, let me know :)</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-38818287446967742962017-02-19T21:20:00.001-05:002017-02-19T21:20:37.003-05:00Racing - Big Guy Bikes, AkiThis <a href="http://bigguybikes.com/rivals/Aki.html" target="_blank">article</a>.<br />
<br />That is all.<br />
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<br />Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-42943735053051426992017-01-15T23:30:00.000-05:002017-01-15T23:30:04.287-05:00Life - The Wheels Keep TurningSo recently there have been a lot of changes. I just started a new job, I have a new (to me) car, I've been getting stuff done around the house, and we're going to be changing our home schedule a bit to accommodate my job. I've also decided to stop promoting races and, in a related thing, I'll be backing of on the bike racing as well.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Dad</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
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I guess the big thing is that I am no longer taking care of my dad. As much as it was the right thing to do, it affected the rest of my life by limiting what I could do, when I could do it. There are a lot of ways to describe the limitations, both negative and positive.<br />
<br />
Negative words I think of right away are "shackled" or "trapped". This is because I really couldn't do much because I needed to take my dad with me. As he declined it was possible to sneak out while he was sleeping, which made things a bit easier. Toward the very this reversed itself and I stayed close by to keep an eye on him.</div>
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However, when I think of how I was able to care for him, other words come to mind. "Privileged" and "fortunate" come to mind right away. I was very, very lucky to be able to care for my dad. Even with all the tough stuff that happened, the stress and the like, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything.<br />
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<b>Work</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the end, though, when my dad passed, it allowed me to think of myself once again. First there was sort of this numb, decompression period, maybe a week, maybe more, where I felt just pulled along by all the things that happens when your dad dies. Then there were a couple frantic weeks of doing estate stuff, with one of my siblings handling much of it.<br />
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Then, after the dust settled for me (my sibling still doing estate stuff so not totally settled), maybe a month later, my situation became pretty clear to me. I needed to find a job that paid enough, and, if possible, a job I'd enjoy.<br />
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The latter was a bit tough. I wanted to be customer facing, I wanted to work with something that interested me (bikes, cars, not sure what else), and I had to find a position that didn't require too much specialized knowledge while offering me both a reasonable starting salary as well as opportunites for growth. Bonus would be substantially subsidized health care benefits.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course I've been thinking of this stuff for almost ten years now so this wasn't an idle thought. I enjoyed my time at the hardware store but the reality is that the position simply didn't offer much growth. It couldn't, much like working in a bike shop has difficulty offering growth.<br />
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<div>
After about four weeks of lots of searching on Careerbuilder and the like, I realized I was coming back to a particular position over and over. It was basically a sales position (management trainee) at various Firestone Complete Auto Care centers, all of which are (I think) wholly owned by the parent company Bridgestone.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As I pointed out in my previous post, I ended up with the position. I started a few weeks ago and it's been a steep learning curve. I am relearning stuff that I learned in my previous work lives - the car dealer, the hardware store, IT, and the shop. In the process I'm feeling like, okay, I'm starting to get it.<br />
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The thing I want to do at some point in the future is build my own team. To me that'd be the ultimate, to build and maintain a cohesive, cooperative, positive group of people into a nicely honed machine. When things go smoothly it's like a big leadout going well, all sorts of diverse elements working together toward a common goal. Just at this job this kind of stuff happens all the time. I caught a glimpse of this the other day (meaning as something based on what I initiated and did, not what others did) and I have to admit that it's extremely enticing. I'm looking forward to the day where I can make such things happen all the time.</div>
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<b>What Else?</b></div>
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So what else is happening?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Our Cars</b><br />
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Well, for one thing, we've gotten our VW TDI "dieselgate" offers from Volkswagen. In case you don't know about it, VW cheated on emission tests with their diesel cars, to the point that some senior executives are being indicted for various crimes with senior executives told not to travel to the US. VW agreed to buy back almost half a million cars and pay some fines for a record $14 billion or so. That kind of dollar amount is a bit "otherworldly" to me because I can't think of that kind of money.<br />
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The Golf in the registration tent.</div>
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However, I can think about $10,000 or $20,000, and for us, as VW diesel owners, those are real numbers. VW not only is buying back the diesels but they're paying an additional $5-10,000 for each car as punishment. To give an idea of what our cars are worth in terms of trade in, I'd priced both cars in August 2015, just before Dieselgate hit in September 2015. I wanted to trade in one or both cars to get a more versatile tow vehicle. The dealer offered $9,000 for our Jetta Sportswagen ("JSW") and $12,000 for the Golf, a total of $21,000 for both cars.<br />
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$21,000 for both cars.</div>
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In contrast, because of Dieselgate, VW paid us $21,600 for the Golf.<br />
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Just the Golf.<br />
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Golf turned in. Tag on mirror says the car is not for sale.</div>
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They will pay us about $17,000 for the JSW.</div>
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So as far as we're concerned VW has done right by us.</div>
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I used less than half the Golf money to buy a replacement, the Sentra. We've ordered a Civic sedan for the Missus. So we'll have two completely different cars in the garage by March.</div>
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<b>House</b></div>
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There's a lot of stuff going on with the house. We live in a single family home located in a condo complex. Therefore we get to have our own house but we don't deal much with outside maintenance. In the next year the condo association will be clearing our area of dead and dying trees (pretty much every large tree near the house, I'm guessing 15 or so large trees and a slew of supporting smaller trees), they'll be re-roofing our house, fixing the wood siding, and painting. It's a lot of work for sure and we're looking forward to the renewed yard/outside in the fall of 2017.</div>
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With the roof work we're looking into any roof modification so that we can sort of piggyback the work already scheduled. We'll be adding a sky tube (it's sort of like a skylight that ends in a light fixture lens in the ceiling) to brighten up a dark section of hallway. We're also contemplating having a chimney installed for a pellet stove. With some of the recent single digit temperatures a helper heating source would be a welcome addition to the home heating environment.</div>
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There are a lot of projects for inside the house as well. I've had a number of them planned or thought out and finally got around to doing them. Inertia/momentum works in two ways. When things are static it's hard to get going. However when things are in motion it's hard to stop. And now, with things in motion, I've found myself doing little things here and there all the time.</div>
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<b>Family - The Missus and Junior</b></div>
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I put this down a bit lower because it's something we handle every day. It's not something like the car where we don't think about it for a bit, or it's a once in a while thing like a new roof on the house. For sure Junior occupies virtually all my free time outside of work. The Missus and I both schedule life around Junior, meaning we tend to work around his schedule. With work that's an added variable, making the intersection between the three schedules even more rare and special.<br />
<br />
Things are going great with the Missus and her work so that's not a huge stressor, at least to me. I think for her there are both good and bad days, with seemingly very few of the latter. As a former small business owner I can relate to some things common to owning a small business, although hers is successful and mine was less so.<br />
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Once tax season is over her schedule lightens up which means my job will be the limiting factor to our family time.<br />
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Junior is doing well too. I'm constantly amazed by the things he does. He remembers stuff so well he's been keeping me on my toes. He's great around people, inquisitive, talkative, energetic, and will even admit defeat if he's tired and go upstairs for nap or bedtime.<br />
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Junior enjoys unscrewing the quick release skewer from the wheel.</div>
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August 2016.</div>
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Note lower profile front wheel, the Stinger 4. It must have been windy that day.</div>
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We had to pull Junior out of Pre-K because of my job. He's returned to what is officially a daycare center. The reality is that it's a super effective educational place based on how well prepared he was for Pre-K. A lot of it is him, of course, he learned a lot of stuff sort of on his own, and it's not like we sit down and do vocabulary drills or whatnot. He seems to pick stuff up on his own, with the help of some YouTube clips, Einstein DVDs, Cat in the Hat, and some other educational entertainment. Lately he's gotten into Star Wars stuff so of course he's learning and memorizing all sorts of stuff that doesn't necessarily translate to "education".<br />
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Part of our play at Pre-K pick up.</div>
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Here we're taking shelter in the doorway to a different part of the school.</div>
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Running the Yellow Line.</div>
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I told him to stay on the line so he wouldn't veer toward the curb.</div>
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Saying hi to the daycare bus driver (a teacher also) and telling her all about his day.</div>
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My job will mean a few late nights a week so I'll miss his bedtimes regularly. I think, honestly, that this will be harder for me than him. I knew underneath that eventually it would happen at some point. It's just that it's happening now.<br />
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<div>
<b>Other Things</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
One thing I've wanted to do since late 2015 is to get back in some gasoline powered karts. Connecticut has two locations which run gas karts on tracks which suit gas engine characteristics. Gas karts have very little low end torque, requiring a bit of time to build power. Such karts reward smooth driving, good lines, and longer "full throttle" sections of track. <a href="http://www.ontrackkarting.com/" target="_blank">On Track Karting</a> (OTK) has two locations with well laid out courses for gas karts.</div>
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Back in 2015 I went to each track one time, Wallingford in November, Brookfield in December.</div>
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I was hooked.</div>
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I bought a helmet (it was a $100 Bell helmet) and an inexpensive action camera. Then life intruded and I could only dream about karting. I watched clips people made of their OTK outings, watching the better drivers over and over again. I memorized the layouts, I knew when to get on the gas, when to ease, leaving just a few areas of doubt ("do I brake here or just coast?" or "how does he initiate turn in here?"). I'd have to get to the track to figure that out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently I went back to Brookfield. I wanted to catch a full evening of driving ("all you can drive from 6 pm until 11 pm"). I got there a bit late but drove for about 4 hours straight, missing only a few heats during that time. Significantly for me I qualified for Pro Karts, based on dropping below a certain minimum lap time for multiple heats. This was my holy grail goal and I managed to hit my marks in the first four or so heats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QGHNMcUS26FE2Dxs21qch94CSUEUhDdmhjYrqf_IXtTTNT4XkUSqLwmqXVQD01sPUGyY83NFeb3HYu7sqrgZyvPR-V8tpxJtcvdVDoabaVBaCe6KLvB-WKwjJOQOLMx6pEaKcQ/s1600/1202162124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QGHNMcUS26FE2Dxs21qch94CSUEUhDdmhjYrqf_IXtTTNT4XkUSqLwmqXVQD01sPUGyY83NFeb3HYu7sqrgZyvPR-V8tpxJtcvdVDoabaVBaCe6KLvB-WKwjJOQOLMx6pEaKcQ/s320/1202162124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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43.062 seconds.</div>
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I needed to break 43.75 seconds I think.</div>
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<div>
On seeing my reports on karting a (bike) racing friend reached out to me and offered me a ride in his karts. I have yet to take him up on it (it was 1 deg F outside the next morning) but I hope that I'll be able to experience karts outside later in 2017. Indoors I don't think we go much faster than 30-35 mph in the 6.5 hp regular karts, but outside he says his slow kart (similar to an indoor 9 hp Pro Kart) will hit 50+ mph. His fast kart will apparently hit the 70+ mph range.<br />
<br />
After my solo outing to Brookfield I got in touch with my friend that first introduced me to OTK with a bunch of car nuts. We made plans for a repeat night out at the Wallingford track. It was sort of like a "group kart" experience, versus a group ride, with a 7 of us meeting up to kart. Five of us were Pro Kart qualified so for two heats we blitzed the course in the fast karts. It was my first time in them and it was eye opening. They were so much faster in certain sections that I had to relearn how to approach them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlCkFtvjhCywEWlwU1p6Z529Nzs-uzqIao6emzswFnqGsTG6P0dqhZCUqxZ_BP2QRFZzZug7S1bi9fDusyZtZZpxpY0VU1ih4_obgsHXTANBLPJzP4VQFQEjydLFli5XeB8BRRQ/s1600/1227162135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlCkFtvjhCywEWlwU1p6Z529Nzs-uzqIao6emzswFnqGsTG6P0dqhZCUqxZ_BP2QRFZzZug7S1bi9fDusyZtZZpxpY0VU1ih4_obgsHXTANBLPJzP4VQFQEjydLFli5XeB8BRRQ/s320/1227162135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2nd heat in the Pro Karts, top of the leaderboard.</div>
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"Frank", a regular, said that "mid-37s are respectable".</div>
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The best time in December at that time was in the 35.xxx range. That's fast!</div>
<br />
I look forward to doing Brookfield in the Pro Karts. I hope one day to do the actual racing. It won't happen soon I think but there are some pretty long races. In a 10 minute heat I got in 15 laps at Wallingford. I did 16 minutes in Brookfield, two 8 minute heats back to back, and that was a bit fatiguing. In contrast the long kart races are 100 laps long!</div>
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<div>
<b>Cycling</b></div>
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<div>
One conspicuous absence in all of this is anything bike related. The reason for this blog is cycling, of course, and my main interest for 35 years has been cycling. With an almost off year in 2016, with just several Tuesday Night races checked off, 2017 doesn't seem to offer much more. For me, as a promoter, racing has always had two sides: promoting and racing. There's a third bit, maintenance, and I'll kick off with that.<br />
<br />
<b>Maintenance</b><br />
<br />
For the last two years I put literally zero dollars into my bike. I rewrapped the same tape around my bars a few times. I think I glued one tire on, a tire I had "in stock". I still have maybe 10 or 12 new tubular tires, ready to be mounted. I even have a few rolls of tape but I was jealously hoarding them for when I <i>really</i> needed new tape.<br />
<br />
With the new job (as well as an economical car purchase) I've gotten to the point where I can think about spending some money on the bike. I need to overhaul my two SRMs, both of which are not working. I want to get a second stem so the black bike can be fitted like my red bike. I bought two new training clinchers for if I start training outside again. It's maybe six or seven hundred dollars but that's more than I felt comfortable spending in the last two years. Now, though, I feel like I can do it. Not just yet, but in the near future.<br />
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As a last bit I may try and get a second set of new-style 10 speed levers, Centaur I think, so the cockpits on both bikes match.<br />
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I did go and get one new cassette and a slew of used ones, from a good friend of mine. I hope that this gets me through the next year or three in terms of drivetrain maintenance.<br />
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<b>Promoting or Lack Thereof</b><br />
<br />
A big bike thing for me is promoting. With my new job I need to work Sundays from February through mid-April.<br />
<br />
This means no Spring Series.<br />
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That's 100%. No giving it a shot, no trying, for me I'm done.<br />
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I've been on the fence about ending my promotion work, promising myself not to promote "next year". I've thought about my exit strategy, if you will. There are two significant investments in Carpe Diem Racing that I have - the trailer (legally it's Carpe Diem Racing property) and the tow vehicle (legally just a personal vehicle), both of which I wouldn't own except that I promoted races. Selling the trailer first, then the Expedition tow vehicle second, would seal the "no more promoting" decision. Even though I promoted races before I had them, if I sold them then mentally I'd be done.<br />
<br />
I was telling someone about this stuff the other day and the one thing I'd want to get is a pick up, van, or minivan large enough to haul around a snowblower or a couch or something. With just two compact cars we can't carry much of anything if we didn't have the Expedition or the trailer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8EsI0xTkq0aSoKOr72KDgxdGls9rceAbIqTwdv9eyHZOmVq2Ot483XkjIZjO7MRkFxHmyKjgp3R_gKJ2xLrCFTuBO5L9dI61JYyUn28FEuqFldIUIvF8x1fpsgYeR-xHyW84mA/s1600/0910160642a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8EsI0xTkq0aSoKOr72KDgxdGls9rceAbIqTwdv9eyHZOmVq2Ot483XkjIZjO7MRkFxHmyKjgp3R_gKJ2xLrCFTuBO5L9dI61JYyUn28FEuqFldIUIvF8x1fpsgYeR-xHyW84mA/s320/0910160642a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Trailer at the 2016 Aetna Silk City Cross race.</div>
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To be clear I didn't promote the race, I only helped with registration.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Credit for the race goes to Jon, David, and the rest of the Expo crew.</div>
<br />
So... If you're a promoter looking for a trailer and tow vehicle, let me know. Heh.<br />
<br />
(For reference I spent $23k to buy them and I'd sell them for significantly less. Emphasis on the word "significantly". Trailer is a 8.5'x20' car hauler, 3500 lbs axles so 7000 lbs gross weight, about 3600 lbs load capacity as it's about 3400 lbs empty. Expedition is rated at 8900 lbs towing, give or take. I was thinking the trailer could act as a portable garage if it came down to it. Or a portable, heatable, miniature garage where I could work on my car. Waitaminute. Hm.)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Racing</b><br />
<br />
For the actual racing bit I don't foresee much improvement in my schedule from 2016. I hope I'll make some races, but with my work schedule in flux typically week by week, I have absolutely no idea if I can race a week in the future, even a Tuesday night (there are some nights I'm at work until 8 or 9 PM or even later). This makes planning on doing any races sort of pointless. Pre-reg is no longer a thought. Targeting a peak or "A Race" is simply impossible. I'm okay with that, although with no real goals in mind it's hard to motivate to get on the bike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspKDEQGkH5eNX9_x2ItuU184jkeG-jkiAmIqdZEUZUU_RYKVYc9w-KTKzya_D2RedGNMsmlT5q9UI7U9EjxiMxfuiOOCV807waPGJXSYK22P1wAmKZzioFGfBsmUnXMsrMf1LCA/s1600/0607161858a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspKDEQGkH5eNX9_x2ItuU184jkeG-jkiAmIqdZEUZUU_RYKVYc9w-KTKzya_D2RedGNMsmlT5q9UI7U9EjxiMxfuiOOCV807waPGJXSYK22P1wAmKZzioFGfBsmUnXMsrMf1LCA/s320/0607161858a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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June 2016.</div>
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Bike as I have it set up now.</div>
<br />
I did make a "racer gambit" at the beginning of my current job. When they asked me pants size I gave them my 160 lbs waist size. I was already pushing about 168 lbs, and now I'm over 170 lbs. I literally cannot gain much more weight else I won't fit my pants.<br />
<br />
Since they've given me eleven pairs of pants I'm sort of committed to that waist size. This means losing some weight and keeping it off. I managed to get down a few pounds in the last three weeks. If nothing else this will help with my racing.<br />
<br />
So that's what's going on so far. Hopefully I'll have more updates a bit quicker in the future.<br />
<br /></div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-90542067637582242892016-12-13T22:32:00.000-05:002016-12-13T22:32:14.262-05:00Life - A New Start<b>Innocuous Start</b><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A few weeks ago I met a friend who was getting some 35% good snows replaced on his car. He found that with a front wheel drive car the snow tires last about three seasons. With his new rear wheel drive car it seems that two seasons was the limit.<div>
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<div>
But with some meat left in the treads he offered the tires to me for my new-to-me car (I'll call it the Sentra because that's what it is). The tire size was a touch off (I think 1.8%) and I thought it'd be worth the drive to get the tires. Plus we could catch up a bit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq47n7pIfhJp5uXDG_q6NnJgcDYAZK2JHKSXiP7_m4m1Dqyb538kCJTgOcWPtSMa04jwfRdAfJJamLHbDRDfjS9gxDIwZ8mro5YjAXaMHcY6VUxAtRQYuPYi77Llo8NVgqHGfdw/s1600/s-l1600+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq47n7pIfhJp5uXDG_q6NnJgcDYAZK2JHKSXiP7_m4m1Dqyb538kCJTgOcWPtSMa04jwfRdAfJJamLHbDRDfjS9gxDIwZ8mro5YjAXaMHcY6VUxAtRQYuPYi77Llo8NVgqHGfdw/s320/s-l1600+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Picture of the Sentra from the listing where I saw it.</div>
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We hung out at the tire place, mainly discussing my Sentra and some of the things I have to take care of with the car right away.</div>
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You know, like passing emissions.</div>
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And getting snow tires for it.</div>
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Ended up that the set of tires had three decent tires and one poor one. This presented a problem as those tires were no longer sold so I couldn't get a replacement tire. Even if I could I didn't want to replace just one tire.</div>
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<div>
The problem with any tires but snows in particular is when you mix different wear/life tires. Even with all seasons different wear tires aren't ideal, but with snows it's worse. Studless snows have super effective snow/ice rubber compound for about the first half of the tread. The second half is not as grippy. With unevenly worn snows at some point I'd be dealing with one tire (the newest one) having a ton of grip because it still had some of the super grippy snow rubber left. The other three tires would be down to "regular" rubber and not grip as well. That's not great when you consider three sliding tires and one gripping one. The gripping tire would act like a pivot around which the car would spin, like if I was on some ice or some snow.</div>
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Spinning is bad.</div>
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So although my good friend meant well, I went and bought four new snow tires for the Sentra.</div>
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I ended up back at the tire place to have the snows mounted on the gray rims in the picture above. I'd have the place remove the summer tires from those rims and put them on some other set of rims, to be decided still.</div>
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And while I was at the tire place my life pretty much changed.</div>
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That sounds dramatic, right? Well it is, and it's supposed to be.</div>
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<b>Tech</b></div>
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<div>
The tech doing my tires, Greg, was extremely diligent with his work. He avoided scratching the pristine rims by manually leveraging the beads off the rim. He didn't use the tire machine, he used some big bar and literally pushed the bead off the rim. This was old school hard work.</div>
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It took some time but the end result is that the rims remained untouched during that trip.</div>
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He inflated the tires to the proper pressure and even torqued the lug nuts properly. He gave me a choice of gray or black valve covers, pointing out that the chrome metal ones that I drove in with would rust/freeze in place over the winter.</div>
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<br />He asked if he could take a picture of the engine.</div>
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It reminded me of the guys at my shop. Super diligent. Super proud of their work. Happy to help a customer. Going above and beyond.</div>
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<b>Teammates</b></div>
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While Greg was doing this other techs would walk by to get this or that or check out the car. I immediately realized that there was good camaraderie at this shop. The techs were happy, they got along, they joked with one another, it was really pleasant. I thought it must be a great place to work, in a friendly environment, no visible tension, no snapping at one another.</div>
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<br />Again, it reminded me of my shop. The techs meshed well and it made for a really good environment. You get happy techs proud of their work and you can't help but have solid work happening in the shop.</div>
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<b>Team Leader</b></div>
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When I was inside the waiting area I poked around and looked at tires and such. The whole time I could hear the manager Bryan, at the counter, talking to various customers. He had a soothing voice, very calm, very level. He would be great at poker because he never seemed upset or agitated. Yet when he had a free moment he'd talk with his counterpart (the other service consultant, if you will) and his face would brighten with a huge grin. He, too, seemed very happy.</div>
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I heard him work through a number of different scenarios. It was like listening in on a "how to be a tire place manager" video production. He gently deflected any aggressiveness, empathized with his customers, and kept the place calm and peaceful and nice.</div>
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l can't say that it reminded me of my shop because I was the boss of my shop and I thought this guy was a thousand times better than me. But I do think that his demeanor, his personality, absolutely helped create the atmosphere in the shop.</div>
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<b>The Shop, The Shop, The Shop</b></div>
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I kept thinking of the shop, meaning my old bike shop. I was inexperienced, a bit overwhelmed, and made some very basic business errors.</div>
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But what made it bearable was that it was a great place to work. The people there (that I picked) all got along. We were all proud of our work. Even now I know that most of the guys are still fiercely proud of the work they did at the shop. They still have some of the same equipment, they still work on their own bikes. They carry the shop within themselves, even now.</div>
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I realized that I wanted to work in such an environment again. A small business kind of place, with a smaller staff, interaction with everyone all the time, and a well picked, "elite team" of people.</div>
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<div>
In fact, I'd even like working in a tire place. Tires to my cars are sort of like wheels for my bike. As you probably have figured out I'm always thinking of the next set of wheels I want for my bike, or the ideal quiver of wheels. I'm still working on my ideal set of clincher wheels. Incredibly, because I never thought this would ever be the case, I'm happy with my quiver of tubular/race wheels.</div>
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Likewise I'm always thinking of what tires I want to put on whatever car next. With car tires it's a bit different because car tires vary so greatly. I'm a big fan of the +0 tire thing, where you go with a bit wider tire on the same rim. On the 350Z I went from a 245/45-18 rear tire to a 315/35-18 size. Same circumference, same rim diameter (so same sidewall height), but a massive 70mm wider contact patch.</div>
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With the Sentra the car is badly under-tired, meaning the tires are too narrow. It runs a 215/45-17 tire, which was probably fine for the stock set up, but now, with about the same horsepower as the Z, the 215s are a bit narrow. My thought is to go with a 235/40-17. Same circumference (almost negligible difference) but closer to the 245 width the stock Z had. Braking should improve significantly, traction under acceleration as well, and cornering of course.</div>
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<div>
So when the summer tires on it wear out, will be an excellent canvas for summer tire experimentation. I have no idea what I'll put on at this point. Summer tires, yes, high performance, yes, but what tire?<br /><br />Well, here's a hint. Today, tonight, I narrowed down my choices substantially.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Small Business Reality</b></div>
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The reality is that from an employee point of view, smaller businesses have a huge disadvantage compared to larger businesses. Smaller businesses usually don't offer good benefits, they don't have very good retirement plans if they have one at all, and they are usually pretty solidly capped in terms of promotion and growth.</div>
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Larger companies usually offer more comprehensive benefits, some kind of 401k plan, and, hopefully, room to grow. But they're large businesses. I didn't want to feel lost, like a cog in the machine.</div>
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<b>Small Business Feel in a Large Business</b></div>
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What if I could find a similar kind of atmosphere in a larger company?</div>
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Well, to be honest, I'd want to work for them.</div>
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I'd been poking around looking for a job since November, after the scramble that we went through after my dad passed. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but I wanted the job to be everything. I wanted to be customer facing. I like helping people and I don't mind the "customer service challenges" that one sees when dealing with the public. I didn't want to deal with IT stuff, meaning like IT support.</div>
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I wanted to have room to grow, with some solid career path ahead of me. My mom told me in college that I didn't have to decide what I wanted to do at that moment. I could get a job at 21, work at it for 20 years, retire, and I'd only be 41. I could switch careers, work in another career for 20 years, retire, and I'd only be 61. Back then it felt like I had plenty of time to figure out what I wanted to do.</div>
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That was then. This is now.</div>
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<br />The problem is that I've used up one career worth of time and I'm halfway through that second career's worth of time. I'm running out of "career time".</div>
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<div>
As an aside I also wanted to get solid benefits. With the Missus a small business partner, we can't lean on a large employer to subsidize our health care costs. We are paying an enormous amount of money for health insurance. It's enough that it's a matter of concern for us. If I could work for a larger company that offered decent benefits, it would be huge. It would be so huge that I'd consider doing non-customer-facing remote IT support buried in a cubicle for some enormous corporation because sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.</div>
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<br />Really, though, I didn't want it to come to that.</div>
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After I got the snows mounted on the Sentra I revisited one of the many positions I bookmarked.</div>
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"Retail Store Management Trainee"<br /></div>
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(If you Google it you'll see it repeated over and over for Bridgestone for Firestone Auto Care locations.)</div>
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I thought about it and then, after a bit of pushing myself over the cusp, I applied. It was the first job I applied for since my dad passed, which I didn't realize until I applied. It was also the only job application I submitted.</div>
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<br />The next morning I was asked to schedule a phone interview, which I did the following afternoon. The evening of the phone interview I was asked to come in for a face to face interview the following day. I met the area manager, who, of course, asked me why I wanted to work there.</div>
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<br />I told him the story about getting the tires installed on the Sentra, how I wanted to be part of a team like that, how eventually I wanted to build a team like that. I wasn't delusional - I knew it might be 5 or 10 years to do that, but that's okay, I was good with that timeline.</div>
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<br />The area manager asked me where I had the tires installed. Naturally he knew the place, it is a good shop. Then he surprised me. He knew Bryan personally because, get this, Bryan started at Bridgestone. So did Greg, which I knew because Greg told me with pride that he used to work for Bridgestone/Firestone. With that comment Greg actually got me to consider Bridgestone.</div>
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Bridgestone is a huge company so they have solid benefits. The area manager knew that was a selling point for anyone applying with him, and he had all the plan info right there for me to review.</div>
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I decided I liked the way everything was going and I accepted the position. I had to pass a background check, a physical, and a drug test. I got word just a few hours ago that I'd cleared the last of those hurdles.</div>
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So it's official.</div>
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And I'm psyched.</div>
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Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-42776963934682090332016-11-30T21:47:00.003-05:002016-11-30T21:47:53.706-05:00Life - What Got Me Started RacingThis was a thread response that I wrote sort of stream of conscious like just now. I just added pictures for the post.<br />
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***<br />
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I grew up in Holland. Ironically I don't remember ever seeing a drop bar bike there. Never saw a race, a cross race, nothing. Saw rally cross (race cars - there was a track in our town), watched some rally racing coverage on the very limited TV. In Holland a the time it was 2 channels, noon-11 PM or so, that was all that was broadcast, and weekends were pretty dead. We didn't watch a lot of TV.<br />
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Moved back to the US. Saw a guy on a road bike going around a corner. I later learned the guy was a strong Cat 2 (Scott Donovan). I couldn't believe how skinny the tires were on his bike. Started looking for books about cycling in the library. The only pro racing picture I saw was one of Eddy Merckx. He became legendary because of the 6 or 7 books, he was the only racer mentioned.<br />
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I decided I wasn't the big thighed racer the Bicycling guy kept describing. I forget the guy's name but he always wrote about touring and his search for the perfect drivetrain for a bike (half step + granny). I was dreaming about a 14-28 and 52/48/24.<br />
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I was 13.<br />
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Bought a road bike (Schwinn Traveler III, red) when I could finally ride one. Short legs, 19" frame was a bit big. Wrote the gear chart (52/40, 14-28) and taped it to my stem. Practiced double shifting. Got toe clips.<br />
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Second bike, Dawes Lightning, dark/light green fade. Changed gearing to what I thought was ideal, 48/34, 14-21 or 14-23 (for either "flat rides" or "hilly rides"). Eight usable gears out of ten. Got 700c wheels. Learned that a kid (Ken Bowler) in a bunch of my classes was an actual bike racer. Peppered him with questions 4 of 7 classes for a fall and winter.<br />
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I was 14.<br />
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He told me that in a race he'd have climbed Wolfpit (Wilton, CT) in a 53x15. That's basically the same as my max gear 48x14, and that blew my mind. I asked him repeatedly to make sure he wasn't telling me he'd descend down Wolfpit, not climb the thing. He kept insisting that he was referring to going uphill.<br />
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I tried it in the spring, going up the hill in a 48x19 or 21 first and working my way up. I got to a 48x15 but all the efforts made my legs fold in the 48x14 and I had to pull a u-turn halfway up the hill to avoid falling over. A kid Kurt in our school, who got a pro triathlon contract ($16k back in 1983?), got clocked and ticketed for going 50 mph down the thing. It's steep.<br />
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Shortly after my Wolfpit experience I went riding with Ken and his dad. I was absolutely shocked at how fast they went on the flats. Appalled, really. I thought the flats were the easy part when I rode, but the reality was that climbing was always hard and the flat stuff was ultra fast. Fortunately his dad got stung by a bee and required medical attention, else I'd have been dragging them down for 80 out of the 100 km ride we'd started. I think I still have the badge from that ride, the Bloomin Metric.<br />
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That winter I used all my current savings, my birthday present, my Christmas present, and some extra earned stuff, and ordered a Basso with Campy and Excel Rino on it. $550, $585 with tax. Campy NR derailleurs and shifters, Modolo brakes. And Excel Rino? Excel Rino had to be good, Lon Haldeman won the RAAM on it.<br />
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I was 15.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9C9xW3mXSc3TnBKD1pVeGCSdNvSiluAbrWXVrcL7KDzowB34d-rl85-Vp2qfo3hua9rvo9qkeZ0vKACwHwjBF_hNRAwQLu8Fw7vHyKV7JHwHDHZenVX8aUZqlXX1WqIQWbYt/s1600-h/IMG_0002.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440879540467135522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9C9xW3mXSc3TnBKD1pVeGCSdNvSiluAbrWXVrcL7KDzowB34d-rl85-Vp2qfo3hua9rvo9qkeZ0vKACwHwjBF_hNRAwQLu8Fw7vHyKV7JHwHDHZenVX8aUZqlXX1WqIQWbYt/s320/IMG_0002.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 226px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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Basso in action, 1984.</div>
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Excel Rino was horrible, it was cast aluminum with the density of styrofoam.<br />
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But the bike was built by a mechanic who got 2nd in the Jr State RR. He asked if I wanted to join his team. He built my bike with Junior gears, laced over GP4s, put Clement Futurox tubulars on, and I raced that bike for two or three years.<br />
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I rode to escape all those teenage angst things. Lots of long rides deep in the boonies, roads I'd never seen before. All my friends through high school were my cycling friends and teammates. There were a couple Juniors (including high school classmate AgilisMerlin) but most of my friends were in their 20s and 30s.<br />
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My favorite days to ride are the gloomy 45-55 degree overcast possibly raining days. I guess that's sort of Holland weather. For some reason it really calls to me. Just pounding the pedals, rolling, feeling the tires dance over the pavement. I also hate riding in that weather, it's tough, it can get unpleasant, and it's always a bit iffy if it's wet or sandy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp0LtKStCcObB54QOfb4AKP6yZpT2c75BrwYT17Zd_y2CNGvlOpgz8-nkWuDVcVE4391NTH2D5jLpT9hiCtjqCxbul0C7A1SMkfQtUlWJLPZSateNtHY5N3SKzDJQTF_V6sr6/s1600-h/IMG_0004.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439794780795490610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXp0LtKStCcObB54QOfb4AKP6yZpT2c75BrwYT17Zd_y2CNGvlOpgz8-nkWuDVcVE4391NTH2D5jLpT9hiCtjqCxbul0C7A1SMkfQtUlWJLPZSateNtHY5N3SKzDJQTF_V6sr6/s320/IMG_0004.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 254px;" /></a></div>
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Back in the day taking a picture cost money.</div>
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I wanted these pictures so bad I was willing to pay for them.</div>
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It's because I went for a ride in wet, gritty, gloomy weather, and I loved it.</div>
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Now it's a bit different. I train indoors most of the time. But my last ride was in 50 degree, rainy-at-first weather. We were on flat roads next to fields lined with trees, wind blowing hard, rain falling sort of sideways. My head was pounding from the cold, I could feel the wind piercing my long sleeve jersey just past the wind vest. It really was just like Holland. Horrible. I loved it.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-36426811609528106442016-11-21T12:36:00.000-05:002016-11-21T12:36:01.773-05:00Training - Blues Ranger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To continue an unlikely trend, I rode outside again, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/768000962/overview" target="_blank">on November 6</a>.</div>
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This time it was with two old time ex-teammates, riders that I hung out with mainly in the 90s. One bought the bike from my one and only "pursue and recover" incident, where I chased a thief for a bit and <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/04/story-short-hard-bike-ride.html" target="_blank">got back a bike he'd stolen from the shop</a>. I'll call him Ranger.</div>
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The other guy is a musician first. He's since moved about 4.5 hours away, and, yes, he made the drive just to do this ride. I'll call him Blues.</div>
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Ranger, to my delight and astonishment, showed up with <i>the</i> theft recovery bike. I quickly snapped a picture of it in all its glory. It's virtually unchanged since back in the day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUDnpsk8biVLTPL6kelwSUGU0mIBCVZWmcrCqX7dxq9sdaU-v5BMyR1_s5SohaWihJSmpYE_cc7NZYZ-0HYF2GrzIoZeg3cdEkmQFHaNm5yEXuLnWUCxgVc1_vZbW6vO1B5213w/s1600/1106161115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUDnpsk8biVLTPL6kelwSUGU0mIBCVZWmcrCqX7dxq9sdaU-v5BMyR1_s5SohaWihJSmpYE_cc7NZYZ-0HYF2GrzIoZeg3cdEkmQFHaNm5yEXuLnWUCxgVc1_vZbW6vO1B5213w/s320/1106161115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bike I recovered from a would-be-thief in a different life.</div>
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Other than a change in tires I think the bike is pretty much original.</div>
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While we got ready it was raining a bit, a cold, windy, damp, grim, grey, day.</div>
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A perfect day for a Belgian style ride.</div>
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What's interesting, and we all commented on it after the ride, is that none of us ever suggested just skipping the ride and catching up over coffee at the local breakfast place, a favorite in the area which Junior refers to as "The Waffle Place". Instead we set about dressing for what seemed to be a pretty grim ride on the bike, each of us putting on differing amount of gear.</div>
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With the temperature just about 50 degrees, a chilly wind, and the drizzle, I had on knickers, booties, a short sleeve jersey, a thick long sleeve jersey, a wind vest, and my winter gloves and hat. My helmet of course, and shoes.</div>
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<img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYWzz6u_6isDCFtdSeAZ3EAi1ANrqlUiP_7ePfQXYHH6bvD9cVep3sN_jm5TgN5PCGttokl23DU_ITUq41z-rkSOVTBlhTar_SdnwEwhbISyCFyOJWkD8_4LKTP57tDEvGvyVbg/s320/1106161115a.jpg" style="color: #0000ee;" width="320" /></div>
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My bike, this time with a saddle bag, rear light, a pump in my pocket, bottles.</div>
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Blues had on everything, tights to jacket, and looked to be the most prepared of the trio.</div>
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Ranger, true to his hard man style, opted for shorts and just two t-shirts. With his toe clips and straps, sneakers, and non-lycra gear, he was by far the least pretentious of the group.</div>
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<b>Start</b></div>
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Our motley crew headed out. It was so cold I started getting a massive headache because of the cold and a slightly tight helmet (I loosened it later when I realized it was too tight). I could feel the wind blowing through my jersey arms, my shoulders and upper arms feeling the piercing chill. My glasses got wet from the misty rain, the tires looked slick as ice, and I found myself wondering how long I could keep this up.</div>
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I figured both Blues and Ranger had driven quite a bit to ride with me. Blues had initially arranged to meet up by me so I could take a short break from looking after my dad. Since my dad passed that wasn't a concern anymore but still, they made the drive here. At any rate I figured they both had too much vested into the ride to quit after 15 or 20 minutes.</div>
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I had to keep going.<br />
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So I plodded along, trying to shift my helmet around to get my cold-induced headache to a minimum.</div>
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Then, as we moved along, the clouds started breaking up, the sun peeked through, and things got a bit better.</div>
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We tried not to go too fast so our pace heading out was, shall we say, "conservative".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz7r3gSgeijU9knN7XkuyqLTGGHFB_lgM4501iyiycAHyJxyGhvgqVOPyZ4ukOANWChkteyJK4QQb5w4ep_UmgktNIZjVpUWAB8E1SEcaIOb8xMJ0GpLB0QnC7zUcNiebZnRMZg/s1600/20161106_AlongThePath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz7r3gSgeijU9knN7XkuyqLTGGHFB_lgM4501iyiycAHyJxyGhvgqVOPyZ4ukOANWChkteyJK4QQb5w4ep_UmgktNIZjVpUWAB8E1SEcaIOb8xMJ0GpLB0QnC7zUcNiebZnRMZg/s320/20161106_AlongThePath.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Along the path</div>
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Let me go on a tangent here for a bit.</div>
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<b>Along the Canals</b></div>
<br />
In the book "<a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2008/10/review-dog-in-hat.html" target="_blank">The Dog In The Hat</a>" that spoke to my core in some absolute and indescribable way, Joe Parkin talks about how a lot of riders train by riding along canal bike paths. These paths are meant just for bikes, they don't have motorized traffic on them, and it allowed a group of riders to pound out the hours without getting too distracted by cars and such.<br />
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I realized that here, along this "Multi Use Path" (MUP), we were riding along our version of the "canal paths". In a different life, perhaps a future one, I thought it possible that I'd be rolling along these paths, maybe in the off hours, doing base work.<br />
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For now though, it was just for fun.<br />
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<b>Turn Around</b><br />
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We generally stayed together although Blues went ahead when someone passed us. Even on easy ride it's easy to get pulled into little informal competitions. However, after about an hour, with Blues ahead maybe 20 or 30 seconds ahead, Range admitted he was done. Blues was still in sight over these flat and straight trails. I told Ranger to turn around (it was an out-and-back ride) and that I'd catch Blues and we'd turn around and catch up.<br />
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I did a little effort to bridge the gap and quickly realized I was blowing up. I looked down and saw 26.7 mph.<br />
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Yeah. Not very impressive.<br />
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I eased because, um, there were some people walking a dog. That's it, people walking on the trail. Actually, there were people walking, I eased to pass them without scaring them (smiles and waves all around), and then, with 20 seconds of recovery, quickly bridged the remaining bit to Blues. I told him Ranger had turned around and that we'd catch up to him.<br />
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We looped around, passed the people walking (more smiles and waves), and then I started pushing a bit. Normally I think going sort of fast on these trails is really bad, but that's in the summer with lots of people and such. When there's no one around, in dreary conditions, 20-22 mph seems pretty reasonable.<br />
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<b>The Chase</b><br />
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I was leading much of the time as Blues was on an off day. At the beginning of one of the many long straights I realized that Ranger was totally out of sight. Like absolutely totally out of sight.<br />
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"I think Ranger dropped the hammer when he turned around."<br />
"No, he was hammered already."<br />
"Well, he's pretty far ahead."<br />
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We went on for another 15 minutes, not a glimpse of him. Finally, at the end of a really, really long straight, I spotted him just disappearing out of sight. After a minute or two along the straight, the end of said straight still off in the distance, Blues admitted that, wow, Ranger had a big gap on us.<br />
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I started making calculations. We'd been chasing "hard" for about 15-17 minutes and he was at least 4-5 minutes ahead of us. I couldn't go much faster and we might have closed a minute on him, based on previous straights. At this rate it'd be an hour before we caught him, meaning we'd only see him back at the cars.<br />
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I started pushing as hard as I dared, Blues clinging to my wheel.<br />
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Unbeknownst to us Ranger had pushed super hard until the end of that exact straight and then blew sky high. Just 7 or 8 minutes later we caught him. He had a big grin on his face. He'd tried to pull one on us but had shattered himself in the process.<br />
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We slowed down a bit then, with the three of us sort of working together, we upped the pace slightly.<br />
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The only incident of note happened when we were clearing yet another set of gates meant to keep cars and trucks off the path. Blues clipped the gate with his bars, got flung to the side, and basically karate chopped through two of the three poles of a wood fence. He was fine though, as the wood was totally rotted.<br />
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He got up and we got going again. Our little incident blocked the path for a minute or two, holding up a few riders. I saw them, called it, and we got into line. I was pleasantly surprised by our ragtag group's fluency. Everyone got in line, we were in tight formation, all that, no fuss, no muss. I pulled at a reasonable pace for a bit, I asked if the riders were still back there, and Ranger and Blues replied that they were gone.<br />
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We got back okay and then headed to the Waffle House (aka <a href="http://www.harvestcafebakery.com/" target="_blank">Harvest Cafe</a>) for lunch. We, meaning the family and myself, hadn't been there after 8 AM for a number of years, so I went in thinking they just served breakfast all day Sunday. When the manager (a funny character) walked by I asked him if they were serving lunch because the lunch menu was in our breakfast menus.<br />
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"Yeah, we serve lunch. Why?"<br />
"I thought you only served breakfast on Sundays."<br />
"Well that changed, I don't know, like TWO years ago," he grinned.<br />
"Oh. I guess we haven't been here for lunch in forever."<br />
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I realized later that we hadn't been there for lunch since long before Junior was born, so a solid 4-5 years ago.<br />
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<b>After</b><br />
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I got home and felt absolutely wiped out. I realized that riding outside, especially when it was chilly out, made the riding a lot more fatiguing. Probably burned more calories also.<br />
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My epiphany that the MUP was sort of like the local version of the "canal paths" also came as pleasant surprise. I could see myself going out there and doing some steady work, maybe even on my mountain bike. I need more than anything else to do some uninterrupted, high-steady work, and the MUPs are perfect for that, a semi-long effort separating the road crossings. If I rode them at night, or maybe early in the morning, I imagine there'd be little or no traffic.<br />
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And finally... When I drove by the broken fence the other day I noticed that the remaining log in the fence was moved to the middle spot, which makes sense. High enough to keep people from spilling out onto the road, low enough to keep kids and dogs from breezing through the posts.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-8836779681709517472016-11-20T12:18:00.002-05:002016-11-20T12:18:36.201-05:00Training - Riding Outside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So the other day (Nov 2... it's been a while) I went for a ride, the first normal training ride (where I started from and finished at the house) I've done in something like 22 months.</div>
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22 months.</div>
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The last regular outside training ride I did was <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2014/12/training-trifecta.html" target="_blank">back on December 27, 2014</a> (2014!), part of a three day ride fest when the weather ended up unseasonably warm. The winter really hit hard after that, with a ton of snow and stuff. I ended up not posting very much at all because things were absolutely crazy with holding the 2015 Series.<br />
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I wasn't planning on riding but it was November 2, it was 70 degrees outside, and the Missus came home early. At first she said she wanted to go for a run but then she thought about it, looked at me, and asked if I wanted to go ride.</div>
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I hadn't even thought of it.</div>
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What's weird is that in the last few years I've basically trained myself to not ride outside. I know there were a few days where I was walking with my dad and thinking and saying out loud (my dad wasn't interactive so all my talking was to myself), "It's a nice day out, what a perfect day for a walk." Or, before my dad was here, I'd think, "What a great day! It'll be perfect for the playground!" and I'd bring Junior to the playground. In fact, when I picked Junior up from pre-K earlier that afternoon, we ran around outside for a good 30-40 minutes, it was just so nice outside.</div>
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So when the Missus asked if I wanted to ride my brain sort of missed a shift. I couldn't answer for a second as I worked to assimilate this new thought, this new world.</div>
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Training outside?</div>
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After what seemed like an eternity I said yes. And I started scrambling to put together a riding kit. Shorts? Jersey? I wanted a long sleeve, just in case, but not winter weight. Only thing I had quick at hand was the 2010 Bethel Spring Series Leader's Jersey so I grabbed that. It's yellow and therefore visible, but it also is both an ego boost and a memory trophy so there's that. I grabbed a pair of matching shorts because, you know, matching.</div>
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Shoes, socks. I couldn't find my oversocks in 15 seconds so I decided to skip them.</div>
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I couldn't find my long finger summer weight gloves but they popped up somewhere, I don't remember where.</div>
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I grabbed my helmet, my main helmet cam on there. It hadn't been charged in forever, since August, so I knew it would be done quickly. I debated switching batteries but, really, none of my helmet cams had been charged recently so I knew I'd get 5 minutes of coverage before the dreaded double-beep and the shutdown.</div>
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I grabbed the tail light off the helmet I used when I rode to the local garage to pick up the Expedition.</div>
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Waterbottles? No.</div>
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Tube? Pump? No.</div>
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"I'm not carrying anything so if I flat I'll need to call you."</div>
"Okay."<br />
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And with that I was off.</div>
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I tightened up the brakes - they are set for the race wheels, about 5mm of clearance from the pad to the rim. It took a lot of turns on the brakes' barrel adjusters, more than the 5 turns I normally do for the clinchers. I think the pads have worn a bit since my last ride on clinchers which was sometime in mid-2015, over a year ago.</div>
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A note on our driveway - over the summer I went to measure the slope using a level and a ruler. I was sorely disappointed that it only dropped 7" over 32 level inches. It didn't seem that radical and the driveway feels radically steep. Then I did the math.</div>
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22%</div>
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Our driveway, at the steep bit, is 22%.</div>
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No wonder I've slipped and fallen there. No wonder the Missus had to crawl up the driveway once (it'd snowed, the driveway wasn't plowed yet).</div>
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Knowing I had to stop at the bottom of a 22% slope had prompted me to check my brakes before rolling down the thing. Brakes good I rolled down our driveway. </div>
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I turned onto the road and did what I always do when I first get on a bike outside. I got out of the saddle and waggled the bike a bit.</div>
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There's something magical about riding a bike out of the saddle, saddle wagging back and forth. It's what I've tried to capture with my <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2016/08/equipment-homemade-rocking-trainer.html" target="_blank">homemade rocking trainer mod</a>, and it's what I miss most about riding outside. Racing, yes, but doing a massive acceleration on the bike... that's basically what I live for when I ride.</div>
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I did my standard loop, the one I call the Quarry Road Loop. I'd love to be able to say that I smashed all sorts of PRs and stuff but the reality was that I just trundled along. I got out of the saddle when I could, blew up way too quickly when I made any kind of effort, and generally did what I normally do on training rides.</div>
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One change was that I completely misjudged one fast right turn. I briefly wondered if I was going to lay down the bike. Apparently my cornering gets rusty when I ride inside, not that it's great to begin with. No bike laying down so it was just a little hiccup in an otherwise good ride.</div>
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No one buzzed me really close. A couple cars were a bit close, but they were hovering over the white line anyway.</div>
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When <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2016/06/equipment-fitting.html" target="_blank">I got fitted back</a> in 2015 one of the thoughts that came up was that I'd be a good person to ask if driving has gotten much worse since, say, 2014, because the last time I rode outside in the area was 2104. So here's my n=1 survey result: I have to say that between Dec 2014 and Nov 2016 it seems that the drivers were about the same. No worse, no better.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZq74vhts7qhNlL2at-WwdPaC-B7AmT6iQ5mii_jvYwGk6Di1zJZ0bQrPZ0L3JSpizH0eYwCeOWLAkSE9XJ0m9_8Ni-1ScQOUVhcroAruzDCznxawi2WyDR9AfvLwbTL4Rg_RpQ/s1600/1104160913b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZq74vhts7qhNlL2at-WwdPaC-B7AmT6iQ5mii_jvYwGk6Di1zJZ0bQrPZ0L3JSpizH0eYwCeOWLAkSE9XJ0m9_8Ni-1ScQOUVhcroAruzDCznxawi2WyDR9AfvLwbTL4Rg_RpQ/s320/1104160913b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bike as I rode it.</div>
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ISM saddle is an absolute must for me now.</div>
<br />When I got back I was a bit out of breath, a bit warm, and I felt energized. I took a picture of the bike inside for posterity's sake. Thanked the Missus for the chance to get out there. I realized that maybe riding outside has some merits.<br />
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I also realized that I had a little reunion ride with a couple former teammates in a few days. This ride outside was a great little reintroduction to the outdoors, before I joined others on a ride.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-81535818556267466392016-10-28T12:55:00.003-04:002016-10-28T16:12:36.773-04:00Life - My Dad<a href="http://www.vincentfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/2743623/Sato-Ryozo/obituary.php" target="_blank">My dad passed</a> Wednesday, October 19.<br />
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He'd been struggling for a while, and, now, finally, he's at peace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA2XVwCfgjHBmGB7J4sFfZtyXemB3-CjK2xNqzXsClhUOjCKNV05JVLuIZvyhOTH4nKbsZafgIVLRyXFuuF5LO4JMCXkQBoC5gPl-VezwjcZp0dNBP7K7Ul8_kpBW7t5EKz17Zw/s1600/0421161706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA2XVwCfgjHBmGB7J4sFfZtyXemB3-CjK2xNqzXsClhUOjCKNV05JVLuIZvyhOTH4nKbsZafgIVLRyXFuuF5LO4JMCXkQBoC5gPl-VezwjcZp0dNBP7K7Ul8_kpBW7t5EKz17Zw/s320/0421161706.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Walking <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/552823507" target="_blank">back in April</a>.</div>
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I'm to the left, he's to the right.</div>
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Although he could walk on his own I didn't want him falling so I held his hand while walking.</div>
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We walked a little less than a mile in 21 minutes that day.</div>
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For those that don't know my dad has been at my house since the beginning of 2016. He's been unable to care for himself for a while so, after many years of one of my brothers looking after him, I accepted the "care baton". We had no idea how much time he had left. Initially I thought maybe a year, but that was just some random guess/feel thing. After a month or two, with my dad totally stable in his abilities, I thought that he could stay stable for years.<br />
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Of course that wasn't the case. Every month or so I'd notice a decline somewhere, and, cumulatively, it was more than he could bear.<br />
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<b>Hospice</b><br />
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I initiated hospice care the Saturday before which was October 15. I didn't really "start" it, it was really like "signing up" for it. Actual care really started on Tuesday when the first person showed up, and, I suppose, it really started Wednesday when his regular nurse arrived for her first, and, unexpectedly, her last visit.<br />
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For the uninitiated hospice care is basically "end of life" care. The expectation is that the family would initiate hospice care up to 6 months before death, with government coverage designed to handle at most 6 months of hospice.<br />
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The thing is that I didn't think he needed hospice just yet. Maybe a few weeks ago I got him up in the afternoon. Junior had just fallen asleep for his afternoon nap so it was a perfect time, I could pay attention to my dad and not worry about Junior getting tangled up in our feet or asking me about dinosaurs or whatever. I showered and dressed my dad then walked with him out of his room.<br />
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I meant to walk him to the kitchen table (the only eating table in the house) to feed him. Instead he veered off intentionally, heading directly to the steps leading upstairs. We'd gated the stairs off when he first moved here because he immediately started going up and down the stairs (with us spotting him). We were worried he'd fall down if he got up them on his own. Recently, though, we removed the gates since we always walked with him due to his somewhat unsteady walk.<br />
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That morning, at the first step of the ungated stairs, he paused and looked at me.<br />
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Then he looked up, lifted his foot, and started up the stairs with a purpose.<br />
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Although a bit wary I let him climb the stairs, one step at a time. If he wants to go up the stairs then he should go up the stairs. He wobbled a bit as expected but I never had to really support him, just spot him, and he made it up to the top of the stairs. Then he walked directly into Junior's room, walked around his bed (the bed has walls on three sides), and stood at the open side looking down at the napping Junior.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFQv2MPRJ90VkqCjs7fdBpGy9UpSe9PGscUSiVyNGLhtlTjoArCuPxgHSJ9Ymaz5_iXcZ2AldWFEhwvXHAAJZo-UAA1HVixRb_blAB-492obLaQyYs5ITDlFYSE094vFzNDGc-w/s1600/0622161606b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFQv2MPRJ90VkqCjs7fdBpGy9UpSe9PGscUSiVyNGLhtlTjoArCuPxgHSJ9Ymaz5_iXcZ2AldWFEhwvXHAAJZo-UAA1HVixRb_blAB-492obLaQyYs5ITDlFYSE094vFzNDGc-w/s320/0622161606b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Junior's bed. The doorway is in the background, Bella is hanging out.</div>
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You can see how walking around the bed would give a better view of the bed.</div>
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After watching Junior sleep for maybe a "moment of silence" amount of time he turned and walked out the room, to the stop of the stairs. I quickly got past him at the top of the stairs to spot him from the front. Although this time I had to catch him a few times he made it down pretty well. Then, after visiting the front door and the kitchen he finally walked to his chair at the table and waited for me to help him sit down.<br />
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This didn't seem very "end of life" to me.<br />
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He did weaken significantly in the next couple weeks but still, this was something I remember pretty vividly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LNlEKu0AX3yERLtOeSPJEpggx6tqT4cfWmmU3t0KayU4dY2rHL0lXVgniz1exjggeJEeFs_eByvGyLvAYxE0y09ljLExoEWH12znZ17YD5ieeQdcue_P4aVybuOmN7RTDKwbhw/s1600/0922161338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LNlEKu0AX3yERLtOeSPJEpggx6tqT4cfWmmU3t0KayU4dY2rHL0lXVgniz1exjggeJEeFs_eByvGyLvAYxE0y09ljLExoEWH12znZ17YD5ieeQdcue_P4aVybuOmN7RTDKwbhw/s320/0922161338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We got this in late September.</div>
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We borrowed a wheelchair from <a href="http://www.granby-ct.gov/Public_Documents/GranbyCT_Holcomb/Durable%20Medical%20Equipment%20Loaner%20Closet" target="_blank">a local medical closet</a> and took my dad to the Big E.</div>
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We figured he'd like more trips like that.</div>
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Nonetheless we started talking about hospice, eventually resulting in me asking for a meeting with the hospice care providers for a meeting. I figured I should at least figure out what I need to do when he was closer to "end of life". That prompted the Saturday visit by a nurse. She did a preliminary assessment, declared him relatively fit but at the same time definitely meeting the criteria for hospice care. These include the person being not ambulatory on his own, not intaking much, not talking, losing significant weight, and being incontinent. My dad was all of them; at that point he weighed about 109 lbs, down from the 130 lbs in January, and his normal 160 lbs or so.<br />
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That Saturday, October 15, we made appointments for various people to visit the next week. The nurse wanted to have a health care aide 5-7 days a week. I initially declined because, you know, I can do all that stuff myself, but then we compromised and decided maybe 2-3 days would be good. The first visit from the aide would be Tuesday. As standard protocol the nurse had a counselor schedule a visit, as much for the family as for him. That was scheduled for Wednesday. Then of course his assigned nurse would come in, do a more detailed assessment, and bring me up to speed on what I'd need to do to care for my dad. After some negotiation we decided that the nurse would be at the house Wednesday as well.<br />
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Keep in mind that at this time I didn't think he really needed hospice care. I did know that things were changing, but to me it seemed hospice might be a few weeks away.<br />
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Once initiated the hospice program gets a lot of things rolling. Before hospice I was sort of struggling to learn things as it became necessary to learn them. It wasn't like I had to learn all sorts of complicated things, but it was still stuff that I'd discover the hard way, either asking my brother for tips, Googling things myself, or realizing I needed to do this or that otherwise my dad would do that or this. Although perhaps just one small thing at a time, it was a constant "learning and adjusting" thing.<br />
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In contrast, after hospice kicked in, I felt like I suddenly became part of a well oiled machine, all the parts humming along. Everyone had a task, they were good at it, and they took the newbie (me) in like I was a new teammate in a cohesive team. I learned a lot of little tricks in the two days hospice care people visited the house. Even the admitting nurse taught me some tips that Saturday.<br />
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A significant thing is that they knew the drill. They knew what to expect, what was normal. For me every change was sort of like "omg what do I do now?!" For them it was just another normal, expected thing.<br />
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My dad made it four days from that Saturday, one visit per person. I guess if nothing else my dad was super efficient. No wasted resources there. For anyone that knew him it was completely appropriate.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Family</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5noiMlLwrbSe8dztXzFyQ8MO6Pf6_kYaLZCPQCjJLWdMrhJMlMAJkKY1ITCV0g-bAzY-QlCojqvcuJUqwCvCaNc-0U9RgCta9zadj5jp_eF82ZRM8L_0MvZ0cfhMPVjCl7GNXw/s1600/20161019_PopsAndMe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5noiMlLwrbSe8dztXzFyQ8MO6Pf6_kYaLZCPQCjJLWdMrhJMlMAJkKY1ITCV0g-bAzY-QlCojqvcuJUqwCvCaNc-0U9RgCta9zadj5jp_eF82ZRM8L_0MvZ0cfhMPVjCl7GNXw/s320/20161019_PopsAndMe.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
My dad and me, 2007.<br />
I know, he must be so proud, right?<br />
Photo by Matthew Wagner</div>
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My dad existed for his family, living his life as a duty to provide for his wife and his kids. By "provide" he felt the duty to support his wife until her death and support his kids until they were married. Apparently this was his definition of "leaving the nest". I was the last of the kids to get married, in 2007, and at that time he told us: "My wife is dead, my kids are married, I've fulfilled my duty, I am ready to die now."<br />
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That statement notwithstanding he cared for the earlier grandkids, the first of which arrived just a week and change after my mom passed. He helped out around the house as much as he could. But slowly, inexorably, he deteriorated.</div>
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In the end it's how he arranged his things that says a lot about how he and our mom raised us.</div>
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Before his facilities diminished too much my dad gave each of us four siblings equal and complete power of attorney over everything in his life. No checks or balances, just 100% outright power in each of the siblings. The lawyer writing all this up was pretty surprised at this, even questioning us to make sure that the law firm wasn't misunderstanding anything, or perhaps my dad wasn't aware of the implications.<br />
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He was.<br />
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This meant that any one of us could have, say, changed his will. Any one of us could have absconded with all of my dad's assets, legally, without telling anyone else. Even though none of us did that stuff, at the very least there might have been arguing about who should do what. Instead we all agreed on everything, together, without hesitation. To me this is a reflection of how our parents raised us, taught us.</div>
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A related thing is that we felt it necessary to look after our dad at one of our homes. This wasn't a specific wish of his, but it's something we felt necessary. We put some of our own lives aside in order to do this; one brother really took the brunt of it, and when he finally started cracking my other brother and myself both stepped up. Because of various logistical reasons we all decided that having my dad come to my house made the most sense. He moved in with us the last day of 2015, I think we finished getting him settled in a little before 11 PM on Dec 31st, New Year's Eve, 2015.<br />
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I can't begin to describe how much time, energy, and stress caring for an elderly person can put on a family. I've spoken to a lot of people who have gone through the same thing. It's not anything super intense, like say dealing with a fire or a flood, nor is it super complex, like neurosurgery, but it's just relentless. I can sort of relate to the never ending stream of, say, mail, and the whole "going postal" thing. The continuous demands of caring for a family member can be very draining psychologically, which affects you at every level.<br />
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It got to the point where, a couple months in, I was privately wondering if our marriage would survive, it was that bad. The stress ended up tempering my relationship with the Missus instead of breaking it, making it stronger, but like the initial stages of heat treating or welding, it didn't look very good for a while.</div>
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<b>The End</b></div>
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Although we went through this end of life thing with my mom I seemed to have forgotten a lot of details in the 13 years that have passed. The hospice nurse explained to me some things, like if he was breathing a bit quicker it meant he was distressed. We'd treat him for discomfort (pain and anxiety) per his wishes.<br />
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The hospice nurse made her first visit on Wednesday, October 19. I had a weird night going into it, meaning on Tuesday, October 18. Normally I don't drink alcohol but for some reason I decided I needed a drink sort of late on Tuesday night. Usually when I have a drink it's because someone offers at a special occasion, but for me to initiate wanting a drink is pretty abnormal. Out of the blue, before I really realized what I was saying, I announced to the Missus that I wanted a drink. She was surprised but, perhaps, in some way, it wasn't too outlandish, given the situation. After all the whole year had just been one thing after another.<br />
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I got some tequila out to make a margarita. We keep the alcohol in a cabinet up high so I was standing on a stool to retrieve the bottle. I bent down and started pouring myself a bit into a cup below me on the counter. I couldn't tell how I'd poured because I was looking at the cup from above, not from the side. Also I'm no bartender so I don't instinctively stop at an ounce or whatever. The Missus watched me pour.<br />
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"That's a lot of tequila!" the Missus exclaimed.<br />
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I quickly stopped pouring.<br />
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When I climbed down I realized that I'd probably poured myself two shots worth of tequila. I put in a lot of mix, took a sip, and started coughing. The Missus couldn't help but giggle a bit. Although I didn't look up through my watering eyes and state through my coughs that "wow, that's pretty smooth", I think that's the only thing that was missing from the picture.<br />
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The Missus got me a couple ice cubes, I waited for it to dilute just a bit, then I drank it. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I went to sleep.<br />
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About 4 or 5 hours later I snapped awake. My first thought was the only reason I'd wake up like this was because of my dad so I hurried downstairs to check on him. He was breathing very heavily, normal cadence but it sounded labored. I wasn't sure what to do so I watched for a while, he seemed to be stable and asleep, so I headed back upstairs.<br />
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For me the operative term was "stable". "Stable" implies no changes so it's a good thing.<br />
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I woke up again and after some breakfast waited for the nurse. She arrived, watched him for all of, I don't know, 15 seconds, and started getting busy. She did all sorts of stuff, arranging him on the bed, raising and lowering bed stuff, asking for blankets and pillows and putting them here and there, and giving medication to clear my dad's mouth and make him feel less distressed. I noted what she did and basically my dad seemed a lot more comfortable. He was laying on his side, curled up like Junior taking a nap.<br />
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At some point she said that we were in the "days or weeks" time frame, not the "hours or minutes". That's one of those things you want to ask but you're not sure when it's appropriate. You don't want to blurt out, "So how long, nurse?", but at the same time you really want to get some kind of a time frame. It was good she mentioned it on her own. I figure it must be protocol.<br />
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Somewhere about that time I decided to call my siblings, I think while the nurse took care of some tasks like cleaning up my dad and such. My two brothers could drive from work immediately. One had probably 4 hours to get here, the other maybe 7. Unfortunately my sister couldn't make it that day because she had to fly across the country and that isn't a "right now" kind of thing - it would be tomorrow night before she could arrive.<br />
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A few hours into her visit his breathing was a bit fast, about 30 breaths per minute. Normal is a bit slower, 15-20 or so. We gave my dad some medicine but it generally takes a bit of time for it to kick in, especially since he stopped swallowing anything in the last day or so. For practice the nurse had me give him the last dosage of everything he'd gotten so I felt okay taking care of him. The nurse double checked that I was okay with the medicine procedure, I told her yes, we reviewed my tasks, and she left.<br />
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I checked my dad often. I remember being sick as a kid, laying in bed with a fever, and my mom and dad coming in to check on me. They'd wipe my forehead with a towel dipped in a water and rubbing alcohol solution, the alcohol evaporating quicker to cool me down better. I don't know if that was a known thing back in the day or if it was something my chemical engineer dad would have done.<br />
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We knew it was serious if they then had us take an aspirin, an orange flavored chewable, I think they were St John's or St Joseph's or something like that. After they finished with whatever they'd wrap me up, tucking in the blanket under our sides. My mom was a bit softer, the blanket wasn't as far underneath me, and of course it would loosen after a bit. My dad would tuck the blanket in more; when he tucked in the blanket you knew it. It felt like you were a snug little burrito. It'd still be snug when you woke up an hour or two later.<br />
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I didn't snug up the blanket around my dad but I made sure he was all covered. His torso felt really warm although his extremities were a bit less so. I made sure his face was clear so he could breathe okay.<br />
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I was expecting his breathing to slow down once the meds kicked in. Problem was that his breathing actually sped up. I called the nurse and reported that his breathing wasn't slowing at all and in fact it was up to about 60 breaths a minute, one a second. If you try breathing that fast (I tried it while I was counting) you'll realize that it's very, very fast for someone that's super weak and laying in bed. The nurse told me to give him the various "use in case of emergency" doses of medications as he was clearly distressed.<br />
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She also told me that my dad was deteriorating even quicker than she anticipated and were were now in the "minute and hours" range. This was a big change from the more relaxed "days and weeks" statement just a few hours before.<br />
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I hoped my brothers could make it here quickly.<br />
<br />
I gave my dad the various medications (something to clear phlegm and two other things). I waited for a half hour, rolling his wheelchair up to the bed so I could sit in it while I watched him. His breathing didn't change much at all. At some point I went and moved one of the cars out of the driveway so one of my brothers could park next to the house - he'd be arriving shortly, like in 45 minutes; the other I expected in a few hours.<br />
<br />
When I came back in my dad was breathing extremely slowly, like a breath every 10 to 15 seconds. I called the nurse again. At her request I timed his breathing. Three breaths in 32 seconds, 5 or 6 breaths a minute. Obviously this was a significant change from panting at 60 breaths a minute. After a brief discussion she let me go after making me promise to call her as things changed. Now that I know a bit more I have a feeling that she knew what was happening and she wanted me to be present with my dad for his last minutes here, not be talking on the phone.<br />
<br />
I hit the Off button on the home phone. I sat there in the wheelchair, next to my dad on the hospital bed. I had my stopwatch (an app on my smartphone) in my right hand, the home phone in the left. I was counting breaths, which, at that point, was more like counting how many seconds between breaths.<br />
<br />
I reset the stopwatch and waited for him to take a breath.<br />
<br />
He took a breath so I hit the start button. The timer started racing along, counting off the seconds until the next breath. In a bike race, when I'm timing a break's gap, time crawls by so slowly. I figure the break has to have 20 seconds and it's really 12. Here it raced by; I was hoping for 10 seconds and it was already, whatever, 15 seconds.<br />
<br />
My dad looked as comfortable as he could be, curled up in bed, wrapped in a blanket. His hands were up across his chest and neck, his legs bent a bit and his knees up a bit. His eyes were mostly closed so he looked completely at ease, curled up like maybe Junior when Junior's asleep.<br />
<br />
I resisted the temptation to tuck in the blankets firmly around him.<br />
<br />
My dad took a breath, a big one.<br />
<br />
I glanced down. The stopwatch showed 32 seconds. 32 seconds. That was a long interval. I let the stopwatch run. My mind wasn't really processing things. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the time when he took his next breath. Otherwise there were no changes, no movements or anything.<br />
<br />
Stable is good, right?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At some point, out of the corner of my eye, I saw 32 flash by again. By the time I focused on the stopwatch it showed 1:35, a minute 35, numbers racing by even as the 32 registered in my head.<br />
<br />
It meant that over a minute had passed and my dad hadn't taken a breath.<br />
<br />
That got my attention.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I looked closer at him. He didn't look any different, still curled up like he was taking a nap. I got up and crouched over him. His fingertips were cool, but they were before. His toes were cool, but they were before. His head was cool up top, warmer toward his chin, like before. His chest was warm.<br />
<br />
Like before. That was stable, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I held his wrist.</div>
<div>
<br />
I thought to myself that I hadn't taken his pulse recently so I wasn't sure how it would feel. I couldn't feel anything but I was starting to get a bit agitated and I couldn't calm myself down to feel for a feeble pulse. I checked his neck for a pulse also, but, again, I wasn't able to do it. I didn't know what his heart rate was when the nurse checked in the morning so I had no point of reference. I did notice one thing.<br />
<br />
His chest wasn't moving at all.<br />
<br />
At some point, I don't know when but I think after about 2 minutes, I realized that he still hadn't taken a breath.<br />
<br />
I straightened up.<br />
<br />
I walked out of the room and down the hallway, the one my dad walked through over and over just a few months ago when he'd do laps around the first floor of the house. I remember it was a bit dim, I don't know if the light was on or not, or maybe I wasn't seeing quite right.<br />
<br />
The Missus was standing there.<br />
<br />
"I think my dad just died."<br />
<br />
<b>After</b><br />
<br />
We had a very simple gathering for him. We knew he wouldn't want anything for himself but I think it was for all of us to pay our respects to him. I think of it now and it felt like a celebration of his life, which was perfect.<br />
<br />
As a bonus we learned all sorts of stuff about him. It's unfortunate that the stories come out after the fact, but, still, now at least we can enjoy them. I learned a lot about his professional career, just how significant it was to those of us in the modern world. I am thinking about putting something together something on that for later, but I'm not sure what I feel comfortable posting. We'll see.<br />
<br />
I also got to see him as more of a peer, at least in the grand scheme of things. To me my dad was always "my dad". We called him Daddy, even now; my updates to my siblings were titled "Daddy update". To me he was one of the two adults of the family and I was always one of the kids. But to his peers he was a peer. He was the guy they met when he got hit by a car and declined getting x-rays because he was "fine", or the guy that taught them how to be the best engineer possible, or the guy that unexpectedly cracked jokes at work, or whatever.<br />
<br />
As my mom deteriorated back in 2003 she realized that the Nutmeg State Games were coming up. She asked me if I was going to go defend my fortuitous 2002 Nutmeg State Games gold medal. I told her no, I'd do that "after". I also told her I'd win the Bethel Spring Series for her. She knew what I meant by "after" and she was okay with it. I didn't tell anyone else about my promises because, really, how could I possibly tell someone I was going to accomplish those two things? Plus, at the time, I weighed something like 210 pounds, and, yeah, I could barely ride a bike. In fact I had to size up because I couldn't pedal the bike without kneeing myself in the gut.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, after some intense races (and losing a lot of weight), in 2005 I won the Series in a super tight finish. In 2006 I got the Gold at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiMfxE14yaQ" target="_blank">Nutmeg State Games</a>.<br />
<br />
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2005 Bethel Spring Series</div>
<br />
I didn't commit myself this time to doing anything, even privately. The end came so quickly I ended up wrapped up in the details of things instead of thinking of bigger broader. Whatever I do, though, I hope to do honor by my dad.</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-49469457981457339572016-10-18T19:13:00.000-04:002016-10-18T19:13:06.059-04:00Life - The ThoughtAs you might have guessed I've experienced, and am experiencing, among other things, a sort of young adult renaissance. Back in my late teens and early 20s, basically my high school and college years, I went through a period of musical exploration. Although I started listening to classic rock (the only station that our super primitive radio would pull in), I quickly turned to what because "alternative music" or "new wave".<br />
<br />
I still enjoy that music.<br />
<br />
Which I think is normal, I don't think we keep exploring music genres, do we? I can't stand certain music, never could, and other types of music I've always enjoyed.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid we upgraded our house stereo to something with multiple speakers in each speaker box. Per my mom it lived in the kitchen so we could hear music all the time, for our own intonation/etc, because we all played musical instruments. I'd commandeer it when I could and listen to WXCI, the West CONN station. It was the only alternative rock station in a huge area. There was one on Long Island for a bit (at 92.7), but WXCI was it for a bit. I'm sure they played stuff other than alternative rock but I don't remember it.<br />
<br />
Back then we couldn't just Google a song or listen to clips on YouTube or whatnot. You had to hear the song, ID the band and the song (hopefully the DJ would actually say the band and song after it played, instead of before), then get to a record store and search it for said band and song. David Bowie alluded to this <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/01/12/462744754/david-bowie-the-internet-visionary" target="_blank">in a 1999 interview</a> I only saw after he died. This whole process was pretty involved and required a pretty good amount of commitment. As he says, rock and roll had a "call to arms kind of feeling to it".<br />
<br />
For us "record store" meant <a href="http://johnnysrecords.com/about.htm" target="_blank">Johnny's in Darien, CT</a>, the only place that offered non-mainstream albums. They sold t-shirts, albums (and later CDs), pins, Vans sneakers, everything. You'd know you were there when you saw the checkered VW Bug parked across the street. Honestly, though, we rarely bought stuff, we mainly looked to see what we might be able to buy.<br />
<br />
In the meantime the only way to collect music was to record songs off the radio.<br />
<br />
In order to capture songs I'd set up something like a butterfly trap, or, if you will, a shotgun. I'd put in long tapes, 120 minute ones, and just record whatever played on the radio for the next two hours. Then I'd review it, see if there were any good songs, copy them off onto another tape, then record over the 120 minute tape with another 2 hours of whatever.<br />
<br />
I also spent a lot of time hitting "Record" just as one song ended, hoping to catch all of the next song. If I didn't want the song (I had it already, I didn't like it, etc) then I'd stop and carefully rewind the tape with my finger to get it "just right".<br />
<br />
A well done tape was a work of art.<br />
<br />
If the 120 minute tapes were a shotgun approach, the "Sit and Record" method was more like a sniper. I'd sit by the radio and record targeted songs, whether they were songs already announced ("and after the break the new Adam Ant song!") or I was doing the "hit record as the last song ended" thing).<br />
<br />
The "Sit and Record" method resulted in higher quality recordings. This was because I recorded over just a short portion of tape (the beginning of songs, if I didn't want to keep it I'd rewind and record over it) but otherwise the recordings were on virgin material. Therefore I used better tapes for my sniper sessions. Typically the best quality tapes were available only up to 90 minutes long instead of the 120 minute long junk tapes.<br />
<br />
Gathering songs from the motley assortment of tapes, I'd create mix tapes.<br />
<br />
As technology advanced I started taping off of albums, and, as CDs started making their appearance, off of CDs. Most of this was so I could play the music in the car because us poor bike racers generally had just cassette players for them. Although CD adapters were neat, portable CD players skipped regularly when you hit a bump and such. If you were lucky enough to carpool with someone you could assign that someone to hold the CD player up in the air, their arms acting as suspension. If they got tired and the CD player hit something and skipped you'd shoot them a dirty look. The arm would go back up and you'd keep going.<br />
<br />
Or you could place the CD player on a folded up jacket or something. Problem was if you took an exit fast or did some other higher-G maneuver. The CD player would end up on the floor on the passenger side or, worse, between the passenger seat and the door. Then you'd have to go to radio or see if you really did get all the tapes out of the glovebox.<br />
<br />
Jeepers. The things we used to do.<br />
<br />
Through the last few weeks one thing popped up in my personal radar - this one song I had on tape. It was on one of my scrap tapes, a 15 minute long tape originally meant for saving computer files off of our <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80" target="_blank">TRS-80 Model III</a>.<br />
<br />
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Our TRS-80.</div>
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Hard to take a picture of it in the basement so poor quality but it's there.</div>
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I should try and boot it up. I don't even know if I need a floppy disc to do that.</div>
<br />
You see, back then, there were really no hard drives for computers, and the ultra slow/simple TRS-80 was a solid $2000-3000. There were reel to reel tapes for computers and, if you were super advanced, there were these things called "floppy discs". The cheap version of a reel to reel was the cassette tape, whether for music or for data, and therefore those ubiquitous cassette tapes got recruited for computer use.<br />
<br />
Our TRS-80 Model III came with a cassette player "storage solution". We had two tapes for it, a 15 minute tape and an 8 minute tape.<br />
<br />
When we upgraded to floppy drives it freed up the cassette player and two near-useless tapes. 15 minutes? It would barely hold a few songs. The 8 minute tape I think got tossed.<br />
<br />
The 15 minute tape (it was green, the 8 minute was orange or something) became my scrap tape, where I'd hold songs temporarily to record onto another tape. The 120 minute tapes were also scrap tapes. Generally speaking the 120s were so thin and so long that they'd regularly jam in the tape deck. The idea was to use them to gather stuff then transfer the good songs to a more durable tape.<br />
<br />
The good tapes were 90 minutes long, durable enough for car play, reliable, not prone to tangling up inside a tape player. Typically they had upgraded material, either High Bias tape or Metal Bias tape. They were the carbon and titanium of the tape world. High Bias was good but Metal was the schnizzle, one step below CDs.<br />
<br />
Sort of.<br />
<br />
I recorded the best stuff on Metal, and we had two tape decks that were Metal compatible (and had Dolby noise reduction, which is what Dolby did before whatever they do now, like doing the sound for the new Star Wars movie).<br />
<br />
One song I had on my 15 minute scrap tape was one that had lyrics that included stuff like:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Shalala sing a simple song<br />
But in my mind everything is wrong<br />
I (wish?) the words just to feel at ease<br />
But tension builds to be released... </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I'm looking in my mirror now<br />
See the face I have to shave </blockquote>
There was something super compelling about the song. Yeah, it had some of the normal elements of new wave music, with synth drum stuff, a Euro accent (but not English… the accent really drew me in), bass stuff…<br />
<br />
The problem was I had no idea who performed the song or what it was called.<br />
<br />
I first recorded the song about 30 years ago, maybe a year or two beyond that. I listened to that 15 minute tape regularly throughout college, and I transferred the song onto some of my mix tapes. The cheap, 15 minute, originally-meant-for-computer, not High Bias, not Metal Bias tape became my master tape for this song. Poor quality recording dubbed onto other tapes. It's like a copy of a fax of a copy of a fax, if you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
Fast forward about 15-20 years.<br />
<br />
Now there was something called the internet. MP3s. You can buy music online without buying anything physical. Yada yada yada.<br />
<br />
Every now and then I'd Google some of the lyrics of the song. No success. When my SoCal host told me about Shazam (an app that identifies music - just hold your phone up to the music and let Shazam listen to it for a bit) I downloaded the app specifically to check this song.<br />
<br />
To get the tape to play I had to have a tape player and something to push sound to speakers (amp or receiver which contains an amp). I had a tape deck but my stereo/amp was dead. I put a cable into the tape deck headset jack ("out") and the other end into a laptop mic jack ("in") and recorded onto the laptop.<br />
<br />
Problem was I had no way of hearing what I was recording.<br />
<br />
I was limited to 60 seconds because after that I had to pay for whatever application.<br />
<br />
With no idea of output level, no idea of input level, the recording sounded horrible. When I played it for Shazam the app told me, predictably, that it couldn't identify the song. Of course not, it was a horrible recording.<br />
<br />
I liked the song so much I'd regularly listen to those 60 distorted seconds while on the trainer.<br />
<br />
Fast forward another few years.<br />
<br />
With Facebook a FB friend that rides happens to have been a WXCI DJ back in the day, and a few times he offered to ID the song (anything from the 80s). I never got around to putting anything up, and, recently, sitting at my laptop, I just videotaped the keyboard while I played that 60 second recording of the song and posted it for him.<br />
<br />
He ID'ed the song immediately.<br />
<br />
The Thought. "Every Single Day".<br />
<br />
He even linked to the YouTube clip below. I clicked, listened, and I was in shock. It was the song.<br />
<br />
It took 30-odd years but I finally knew who did the "See the face I have to shave" song.<br />
<br />
I realized why I like the accent - it's a Dutch band and I have some affinity to the Dutch accent after spending much of my childhood in Holland. I associate Dutch accents with women, not men, so that sort of put a twist on that, it's probably why I didn't recognize the accent.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I've mentioned before how music really tugs at me. What I didn't realize was that even music I didn't know I was missing would tug at me.<br />
<br />
I listened to a slew of The Thought songs in one sitting and I had this weird feeling that many of them sounded familiar. Slowly I realized that I'd heard and liked many of these songs but never captured them on my 120 minute shotgun tapes or my sniper "sit by the stereo and hit record+play when the song ends" sessions.<br />
<br />
The Thought, "Rise and Fall", has a drum intro that reminded me of Powell and Perralta's Bones Brigades 2 "Future Primitive" bridge song as I thought of it (go to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0xD4-VAsjE" target="_blank">34:45 of the video</a>). I remember thinking the two were similar, but I didn't know the "other" song. It was The Thought.<br />
<br />
"Secrets of the Heart". I had no idea they did this song, and, honestly, I forgot about this song until I heard it.<br />
<br />
"Eight Miles High". Did I hear their version or some other cover? I don't know.<br />
<br />
"Out of Oblivion". I don't know what to call them, the harmonics? Another one that resonated with me, and it still does.<br />
<br />
The songs remind me of XTC, which is maybe why I liked XTC.<br />
<br />
Finally, the tie in to cycling.<br />
<br />
"Tension builds to be released."<br />
<br />
Sounds like one thing, of course, but for me it perfectly describes a sprinter's race. The tension builds until it's just unbearable in the bell lap, then, finally, the sprinter launches his sprint.<br />
<br />
Glorious.<br />
<br />
Anyway, if you're in the area and you drop by, chances are that you'll hear The Thought playing.<br />
<br />
<b>Epilogue</b><br />
<br />
I had lunch with an old friend recently. A familiar song came on, something I hadn't heard for years and years. I couldn't place it, neither could she. So she pulled out her phone and said, "Let me Shazam it."<br />
<br />
I immediately thought of the only song I'd Shazam'ed. I wondered how this would go.<br />
<br />
It came back with XTC. "Mayor of Simplteton".<br />
<br />
And so it was.<br />
<br />
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<br />Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-91803897834095869662016-10-17T12:15:00.002-04:002016-10-17T12:15:34.543-04:00Life - Life's Rich PageantSo I'm getting old.<br />
<br />
Seriously.<br />
<br />
I never thought of myself as someone getting old. I talked with someone about this a while back. I don't remember who because, you know, I'm getting old. Anyway...<br />
<br />
In the old days, like 50 years ago, people went to high school, maybe they went to college, then they got married, had kids, worked for 30 or whatever years, and retired.<br />
<br />
When you put ages to those steps, you basically got married well before you were 30, and by 30 you'd defined your life path. At 40 you had kids in middle or high school, if not already out of the house. If you started in certain professions, like being a firefighter or a law enforcement officer, you might be retired and starting a second career.<br />
<br />
You were "middle aged".<br />
<br />
At 50 you could look back at your "defined at 30" path and see how you did. If you worked for an older kind of company you might retire early.<br />
<br />
When you were 60, if you were a firefighter or something, you could very well be <i>twice</i> retired. Not just once, twice. Two pensions, because that's how they did things back then. And really, at that point, no cares in the world.<br />
<br />
Now it's a bit different.<br />
<br />
Let's take 40.<br />
<br />
I wasn't even married at 40. Kids? That started about half a decade later.<br />
<br />
I was in a relationship (with the future Missus, so it wasn't like it was just any relationship) but I spent my summers focused on racing bikes, the springs on promoting races, and my routine, for the prior 25 years, was to start doing longer rides in the fall, "for next year", train in the winter, the spring series in the spring, then race the summer and fall. I'd work on my cars or do yard or housework in there somewhere.<br />
<br />
At 40 years old I was living, in my dad's days, a 20 year old's life. Or maybe a 17 year old's life.<br />
<br />
Heck, I was blogging. That says a lot right there.<br />
<br />
Okay, fine, I'd owned my own house, and I'd learned about grown-up home stuff slowly, agonizingly. I didn't realize that thermostats didn't go below 55 degrees because no sane person would lower their heat below that. I was trying to save money and I got upset when I realized that the coldest I could set the temperature to was 54 degrees. One of my roommates, someone I'd known since 8th grade, with incredible optimism and support, told me that it was nice to wear sweaters inside the house.<br />
<br />
A short time later she bought an electric blanket.<br />
<br />
I'd owned my own business. It didn't make it, and, based on stuff I've since learned about business and myself, that's not super surprising to me. I tried hard but my efforts were probably a bit misdirected. Ultimately I started to crumble under the stress and my productivity dropped dramatically as I relied more and more on my friends/coworkers - my coworkers were my friends. I know now a bit more and I shake my head when I think of some of the things I did, or the things I spent my time on.<br />
<br />
During that time I struggled through a succession of not-ideal cars, a couple handed down from my parents, others bought unwisely.<br />
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The Capri in Salt Lake City, UT.</div>
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Note the distinctive orange rims (ASC McLaren stuff), with matching body accents.</div>
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I read now that <a href="http://www.stangtv.com/features/car-features/miscellaneous-muscle-cars-a-profile-on-the-1979-86-mercury-capri/" target="_blank">the Capri RS was a desirable car back in the day.</a></div>
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I'm pretty sure my car got shredded into scrap metal.</div>
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<br /></div>
My brother and I were talking very recently about stuff and somehow we ended up talking about my Capri. <span style="text-align: center;">On paper it rocked. 17.5 psi boost (about 10 psi over stock), SVO block with low compression pistons for big boost, big exhaust, McLaren 15" rims (not the metric TRX things fitted to other Capris from that era), SVO 5 speed transmission, subframe braces, flared fenders, factory McLaren "kit", (non-functional) hood scoop, yada yada yada. </span>I bought it and drove it around the country, about 10,000 miles of driving in a month.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">The sad reality was that the car was barely able to move under its own power. It had a pull-through turbo, so the turbo pulled directly through the carburetor. How that didn't blow up I have no idea, but it was impossible to start when if you stopped for a few minutes and then tried to start it again. Then, on top of that, I was on almost bald tires in snow (Winter Park CO at one point), the thing got 10 mpg under boost (boost required to go over 55-60 mph), and it had a tiny 11 gallon tank. </span><span style="text-align: center;">Also during the trip I had to replace the clutch slave cylinder (San Luis Obispo to Santa Monica without a clutch), get the carb rebuilt (turbo heat - it glowed a dark orange after a hot run and you could see it if it was dark out and you popped the hood - and the carb probably wasn't great for rubber gaskets and such), and put about 20 things of "aluminum dust that keeps your cooling system from leaking" to get home. Plus I had an engine compartment fire the first day of the trip, which was my fault so I'll leave it at that. It wasn't that bad since I had three fire extinguishers in the car and didn't even use up one entire can.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I got home, the poor thing struggling like mad, and I managed to drive it another 100 or 200 miles before the engine finally gave up. Probably due to the aluminum dust stuff in the cooling system, no doubt aided by the time the radiator fell backward into the front of the engine shortly after getting home.<br />
<br />
Yeah. The radiator fell back into the engine, while I was going 35 or 40 mph.<br />
<br />
So we start talking about the car and my brother's face just lit up.<br />
<br />
"The Capri? That's a Mercury, right? Yeah, that was a perfect 20 year old's car!"<br />
<br />
There wasn't a really different way to put it, except at the time I was 25.<br />
<br />
I was already falling behind the curve.<br />
<br />
Anyway, during that trip I had a pretty big (for me) sound system in the car that I'd installed myself. I had some stupid amp, 300w or something, a big equalizer (12 band?), and I'd made a "custom" subwoofer box for the back of the Capri. It housed two 15" woofers as well as some midrange speakers and a pair of tweeters.<br />
<br />
Because, you know, on a cross country trip, it's important to have tunes even if, say, the engine wasn't running well, or the tires were about as slick as a race car's, or... well you get the idea.<br />
<br />
I had a tape deck in the car that overheated or something after a while so I could play tapes for an hour or two then I'd have to listen to the radio while whatever tape thing cooled off. Then I could play tapes again. In areas where my weak antenna didn't pick up stations, or I didn't feel like listening to the traffic report. To wit: "A pickup truck went off the road at such and such place. There were no serious injuries. A pickup truck went off the road at a different such and such place. There were no serious injuries." Seriously, that was the traffic report. The business news was hog and grain prices.<br />
<br />
I had a hacked CB radio that a coworker modded for me so I'd have a bit more broadcast power. I didn't use it but it was handy for getting a feel for the area. When a weigh station opened it was a big, big deal, the airwaves went crazy for a bit. Otherwise I used that and a radar detector to keep myself sane. Or not, because driving across Kansas at night with nothing but some fuzzy CB radio and a very quiet radar detector was probably like, oh, I don't know, flying a ground attack plane for 4 or 5 hours before even getting to enemy territory (I'm thinking the F-111s that flew around Europe from the UK to attack Libya, for example). Things were supposed to be calm but all hell could break loose any second also.<br />
<br />
Of course I brought along my suitcase of tapes. It's a little briefcase of tapes. Come to think of it, I still have it, and it's still full of tapes.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHU_HZRh9mPgB1q3ZIXI2MCKA0k5t0jNG6SDDH8X6lI2wVFeRWraaQ4AcCOT6sru4zxC3UrtrpkHw0S5hXr1sKzHAGcnVN4Pv3eIeJJhxY4PcFEaozqRbXPvX2fyHm-pdeS7W9w/s1600/20161017_TapeBoxClosed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHU_HZRh9mPgB1q3ZIXI2MCKA0k5t0jNG6SDDH8X6lI2wVFeRWraaQ4AcCOT6sru4zxC3UrtrpkHw0S5hXr1sKzHAGcnVN4Pv3eIeJJhxY4PcFEaozqRbXPvX2fyHm-pdeS7W9w/s320/20161017_TapeBoxClosed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My tape box. I even labeled it with my name.</div>
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And a bike sticker.</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQwQOrB552PX7UwAiP4pDJsqKeMEUuh-w-_k4tggWBd8cgAYnQ083cbcIzjsOvgfJvkpQfvNRWoyRCBJUyNkKDTTjuuKFR6ducLPLXU_Qr7S1FhZSbBzHmVuzmZ6vn-K4ajjm_g/s1600/20161017_TapeBoxOpen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQwQOrB552PX7UwAiP4pDJsqKeMEUuh-w-_k4tggWBd8cgAYnQ083cbcIzjsOvgfJvkpQfvNRWoyRCBJUyNkKDTTjuuKFR6ducLPLXU_Qr7S1FhZSbBzHmVuzmZ6vn-K4ajjm_g/s320/20161017_TapeBoxOpen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tapes still inside. Stickers are like the ones on my bike.</div>
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I have no working tape decks so that's sort of a pity.</div>
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It'd be nice to listen to them while on the trainer.</div>
<br />
I had a few mixes of songs, but I had a number of straight up albums.<br />
<br />
Most of them were REM.<br />
<br />
One of them was Life's Rich Pageant.<br />
<br />
It was absolutely the album that defined my life for a couple of years.<br />
<br />
Once I'd gotten the inspiration to put <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2010/02/equipment-bike-timeline-part-2-actual.html" target="_blank">"Actual Size" on my bike</a>, through a Laurie Anderson flick I'd seen on campus, I realized that a huge part of my life was listening to music. It pulled me through abject uncertainty, intense crushes, exploring life, and, of course, listening to music on the way to races. After that Actual Size on the downtube I started adding more decals, spelling out stuff significant to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mX1n3H-gBiKA9_jBKx1SQ3fJeiQ_hJlJMOetf7Jk6z1cOXNvgGgU934Rt83Mi8fy_9o1pL2D91JIRe7MqSfHeFvAhI2iAhq7vWz2S3eBqB9fJJeryFlyfS_BtZCnSDeG08FU/s1600-h/100_6220.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411778373143674722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mX1n3H-gBiKA9_jBKx1SQ3fJeiQ_hJlJMOetf7Jk6z1cOXNvgGgU934Rt83Mi8fy_9o1pL2D91JIRe7MqSfHeFvAhI2iAhq7vWz2S3eBqB9fJJeryFlyfS_BtZCnSDeG08FU/s320/100_6220.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></center>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Begin the Begin", from Life's Rich Pageant.<br />
This was, intentionally, one of the first phrases I put on the bike.<br />
Note the similar types of letter stickers as the ones on the tapes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
When I hear some of these songs it brings back memories of emotions. It's not memories per se, because I don't think of, say, a particular incident or moment. Instead it's more of a feeling, an emotional state. It's remembering how I felt in the spring when I was going to one of the early season races, or how I felt when I was driving in unbearably hot weather through some painfully monotonous highway on the way back from the crits in NJ in May.<br />
<br />
Or humming the song to myself, somewhat desperately, as I tried to pour my soul into the pedals on some training ride.<br />
<br />
In the end I traded the not-really-running Capri for some subwoofers, and, honestly, at that point in my life, I came out on the better side of the deal. The recipient? One of my coworker/friends from the shop, one of my groomsmen when I got married. I sort of wish I could have put all the good stuff from that car into another (Fox-model) body, like my old Fairmont, but the reality is that for me it would never happen.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRwiPk55BSl32l9E7s_kGNEedHy4DF_S7RrlOLrrDZlaSEO-fQpZGW2UumBUIUgi37umjlbr66tu8ngvrlfvH0lThA377gbpoF8krKM-lLAVhQSRPEZdR-xPJZKEfdFEnrk1izw/s1600/Fairmont_Rack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRwiPk55BSl32l9E7s_kGNEedHy4DF_S7RrlOLrrDZlaSEO-fQpZGW2UumBUIUgi37umjlbr66tu8ngvrlfvH0lThA377gbpoF8krKM-lLAVhQSRPEZdR-xPJZKEfdFEnrk1izw/s1600/Fairmont_Rack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Fairmont and the Capri shared the same "Fox body" chassis.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My dream was to put the Capri stuff into the Fairmont.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because combining two decrepit cars would make one good one, right?</div>
<br />
And, after helping yet another engine meet an early demise (I managed to turn a VR6 into a VR2), I finally had the money to buy a new car, one with a warranty. My mom told me I needed to get a car that I could rely on, one that started when I turned the key, stopped when I pushed the brake pedal, and turned when I turned the steering wheel, and if that stuff didn't happen someone would work on it "under warranty".<br />
<br />
I bought my first new car with that advice in mind.<br />
<br />
With that, here's Life's Rich Pageant, "Begin The Begin", which I desperately hummed while trying not to falter on my training rides at the time, and an album that I basically burnt out on during my 10,000 mile drive around the country. I had a hard time listening to most of the music for about 10 years but now I'm starting to revisit it.<br />
<br />
The rest of the album follows "Begin the Begin".<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Life's Rich Pageant, by REM</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-54177022765625974882016-10-16T23:06:00.002-04:002016-10-16T23:06:32.733-04:00Life - HonestyI worked at a McDonalds when I was in college, 2 weeks a year for two years, during Christmas break. I did it to make some pizza money, to buy bike parts, and because I didn't know what else to do for four weeks in a cold, dark January Connecticut.<br />
<br />
I interviewed with the McDonalds that I'd first visited when I was maybe 4 years old. I remember it was a rare treat for me to actually go there but I'd always look at it when we drove by. It was one of my many landmarks that I kept in my 4 year old head.<br />
<br />
We moved away from that area for a good 6 or 7 years, visiting it annually. And, for whatever reason, we'd always drive by that McDonalds. One thing that impressed me was just how many hamburgers that little place served. I didn't realize the number on the sign, so many millions served (now it's in the billions), was the total of <i>all</i> the McDonalds in the world, not just that one place. I didn't see that sign elsewhere so I figured they were counting just their own sales.<br />
<br />
So when I went looking for a job for a few weeks I decided to look at places where there wasn't a lot of skill, there was probably high turn over, and I could qualify for the job without having a college degree.<br />
<br />
The new Burger King wasn't hiring so I went and filled out an application form at that really busy McDonalds that sold 100 million burgers or whatever.<br />
<br />
I got an immediate interview with the manager, a guy named Alan. He was pretty laid back. He knew what needed to get done and he also understood that being a jerk about it wasn't going to help.<br />
<br />
He asked me what I thought I'd be doing.<br />
<br />
"I dunno, flipping burgers or making fries or something."<br />
"Why's that?"<br />
"Because I can only work for a few weeks and if it takes a week or two to train me to do something else then I wouldn't be productive."<br />
"Have you worked with money?"<br />
"Yeah, at the bike shop."<br />
"Well, if you want to work, I'm going to put you in the drive-thru."<br />
<br />
I took the job.<br />
<br />
I didn't think much of it, honestly. I'd applied for three jobs and gotten them all, most of them with a pretty informal interview like the one I just had sitting at a table at the McDonalds.<br />
<br />
I went for my first day of work and Alan gave me a uniform. Shirt, pants, and the hat thing. The shirt was fine - they all were because I was so skinny - but the pants were sort of a problem. They were way too long because I have really short legs, and they fit way too tight around the thighs because I'm a bike racer (hahahaha! Actually I'm sort of serious about that, the thighs were really tight).<br />
<br />
I preferred to wear my own jeans, which happened to be black. Alan, as laid back as he was, told me no.<br />
<br />
I asked why I had to wear the McDonald's pants. Not only were they uncomfortable but they had no pockets so it was impossible for me to carry my wallet and keys. He explained that in the drive thru (this before credit cards at McDs) there was a high risk of theft. He carefully explained that if a drive thru teller like myself shorted each customer a dime, at 50 or 60 cars an hour the teller could more than double their hourly wage. Since we got about $5.75/hour at the time for the late shift (substantially less for day shift), another $5-6 per hour was no laughing matter. Most customers would miss quarters but not dimes, so, as Alan explained it, the teller had to short dimes or nickels. Then if the customer stopped and complained the teller could apologize and just give them another dime or whatever.<br />
<br />
You know <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66XdulPrBM" target="_blank">the bit about drive thrus in Lethal Weapon</a>, right? (warning: link has language)<br />
<br />
He explained that pants with pockets would only encourage that kind of action because it would allow the teller to put that shorted change somewhere.<br />
<br />
The way he explained it was so precise, so detailed, that in a book the author would be obliged to obscure some of the details and explain that in another book some thieves actually implemented his writing and stole millions of dollars are artwork (which one author does, I can't remember which one). But this was verbal and he was basically telling me how to steal money from customers.<br />
<br />
Then, I think my second day there, he let me wear my regular pants instead of the McDs ones.<br />
<br />
Now I look back and it seems pretty clear that part of the game was that the drive thru was sort of a good spot for shorting change and if I was that kind of person, as long as I kept out of trouble, he'd leave me alone. I'd be hung out to dry if I got caught though.<br />
<br />
At the same time the less cynical would say that, okay, Alan checked on me, did an honesty check, then let me work comfortably in a spot where he couldn't trust any of his other employees.<br />
<br />
I'd like to think it was the latter.<br />
<br />
I think I passed the honesty test when, I think on the first day of work, I reported to him in a worried manner that we might be getting set up to be robbed. He jumped and asked why. I told him that the cameras were all pointing at the registers, not at the customers, so we wouldn't be able to identify any robbers.<br />
<br />
He looked at me for a long moment and then relaxed and grinned.<br />
<br />
He patiently explained to me that the cameras were pointed at the registers for a reason, not at the customers, and left it at that. I couldn't understand what he meant until I told the story to someone and that someone pointed out that generally speaking the biggest thief in a place like that are the employees.<br />
<br />
Then it sort of dawned on me about the regular pants versus the McDonalds pants and the significance of Alan letting me wear my regular pants.<br />
<br />
I never took anything, to be clear, although I suppose if I did I wouldn't be writing about it either. The crew did discretely over produce some stuff at the end of a shift so we had to "throw it out" (into bags which the employees took home), which, based on what I've heard from other McD's people, seems to be pretty normal. I had a lot of hamburgers that January.<br />
<br />
The following year I went back there. Alan was still there, and in fact I was apparently still an employee because he couldn't hire someone for just two weeks. Therefore he hired me and then put me on "leave of absence for school". He said that he had a 6 month and 1 year pin for me. He took me off the leave of absence list and let me work whatever days I wanted.<br />
<br />
I quickly realized it was a totally different crew. They seemed much more hardened, much more serious. I was admiring a car in the parking lot, a Camaro (I know, I know), IROC-Z. One of the guys asked me if I wanted to buy it. Well, of course, but it's $8000 or something, way out of my league.<br />
<br />
"I'll sell it to you for $500."<br />
"What?"<br />
"Then you just slip this guy at DMV $50 and he'll give you a new VIN number."<br />
<br />
I told Alan I couldn't work there anymore.<br />
<br />
<b>Junior Racing</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQZVhXQ-bYjtirNqbFzUP9aV-C0fkotslFXTNxLDfmQ3F9R-KJwRBX7LuECmJkVjZj5tRyvuVDEcEdgVsYr-LW-sCnfJce28dhaxtVo4DvCPyYKFS2TO2YN5Tdg9DjU4-LkL_rw/s1600/1985_NewBritainCritJR15-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQZVhXQ-bYjtirNqbFzUP9aV-C0fkotslFXTNxLDfmQ3F9R-KJwRBX7LuECmJkVjZj5tRyvuVDEcEdgVsYr-LW-sCnfJce28dhaxtVo4DvCPyYKFS2TO2YN5Tdg9DjU4-LkL_rw/s320/1985_NewBritainCritJR15-17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Junior 15-17 start line at New Britain (going reverse how we go now, due to a massive Junior crash in 1986 or so).</div>
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I'm looking down, blue/pink/white kit, about 5 from the right side of the picture.</div>
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I think Charlie Issendorf posted this picture elsewhere.</div>
<br />
I bring all this up because I saw a post on the internet about Junior gears. One Junior asked why he couldn't just race his bike the way it was and then adjust the gears or change the wheel to pass rollout. I think it was an innocent question because he didn't realize the significance of the gear limit rule.<br />
<br />
I saw an unrelated post about how Junior gear limits are a nice way of capping performance. It's easy to check, everyone gets checked, and there's no question if you fail roll out - you get DQ'ed. I know there are officials that have examples of Juniors (or rather their parents) who think that their kid should have won even though they were in a 53x11, but that's getting onto a tangent.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIQolkKDVbqM0vJIsi35MlyI5gYJZzpbFTfImQdEc8x1_o5n0oi0CALJ6CWGYL0eNjP1egstNgKR0CREiAKODf_qSFgqDP8zaTeWnGK_2vW604DzHgFaufr0Em4Zxs2AhYr02mQ/s1600/SCN_0230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIQolkKDVbqM0vJIsi35MlyI5gYJZzpbFTfImQdEc8x1_o5n0oi0CALJ6CWGYL0eNjP1egstNgKR0CREiAKODf_qSFgqDP8zaTeWnGK_2vW604DzHgFaufr0Em4Zxs2AhYr02mQ/s320/SCN_0230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Same era, different race, very left of the picture. </div>
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This is New Britain again, a spring series race since there are Seniors in here and not many leaves.</div>
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Different kit, same bike, probably earlier the same year.</div>
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Again, reverse direction compared to nowadays.</div>
<br />
What if the officials accidentally tell you that you can run a bigger gear?<br />
<br />
One year, at the Andy Raymond Firecracker 500 in Middletown, CT, the official/s checking rollout at registration used incorrect marks to check rollout. At the time the gear limit for Juniors 17-18 was equal to a 53x15 with an average 21-22mm tire (7.47 meters, like the plane, 747). However, at the registration roll out check, it was pretty clear that a much, much bigger gear would pass the official marks. Someone found that a 53x12 would "pass rollout" and the word spread like wildfire in the parking lots.<br />
<br />
My teammate fitted such a gear. Us older Juniors had Senior gear freewheels because in Senior races we weren't gear restricted like Juniors are nowadays. He went back to registration and duly passed rollout.<br />
<br />
I looked at my bike. 53x15. The sprint was off a downhill stretch, and anyone running a 53x12 would absolutely wallop someone using a 53x15.<br />
<br />
I didn't have a Senior wheel yet so I really didn't have any way of implementing the 53x12 gear thing. Then one of my Senior teammates offered me a wheel. Because, you know, every Junior was doing it.<br />
<br />
I hemmed and hawed but finally declined. I'd race my wheels, legally, and whatever came of it would be my race.<br />
<br />
For once in a Junior race I didn't get shelled right away, and in fact I made it to the sprint. As a Junior I wasn't very strong relative to the others (they were all Cat 1s and 2s) so to even make it to the finish was astonishing. I was not really in contention for anything - I vaguely remember being maybe 20th going into the last turn but that probably means I was more like 30th or 40th. I fantasized about a top 6 finish, points toward an upgrade (only top 6 got points toward upgrading regardless of field size, and it was a huge field).<br />
<br />
I do remember what happened after the final turn though.<br />
<br />
Gobs and gobs of riders sprinted past me, like I was standing still. My teammate was one of them.<br />
<br />
After about 15 or 20 riders passed me I sat up. I imagined most of them were running a 12 or a 13, and with the ultrafast downhill into the last turn I couldn't accelerate at all in my 15. I felt like I was sprinting in my 42T chainring.<br />
<br />
I went back to the car, a bit disappointed in myself. I was so far back I didn't even bother going to rollout because back then they didn't pick all the spots, they only hand picked the first six or ten.<br />
<br />
I wished in a way that I'd taken that bigger geared wheel.<br />
<br />
Then my teammate, one of those who passed me in the sprint, came over to the cars. He'd gotten 7th or something in the sprint. He didn't look very happy.<br />
<br />
"I got DQ'ed."<br />
"What?!"<br />
"They fixed the roll out marks and everyone is getting disqualified. Everyone was running 12s and 13s in the back."<br />
<br />
I couldn't help but laugh a bit.<br />
<br />
I'd disqualified myself simply by not going to rollout, but imagine if I'd gone? I might have placed top 6 after crossing the line 50th or 80th place. I have no idea how they worked out the placings because we left without bothering to find out.<br />
<br />
<b>McDonalds</b><br />
<br />
The year after the Camaro conversation I went back to Alan's McDonalds, during my winter break. He was still there, asked if I wanted to work. I told him no, not this year, I was working elsewhere. He didn't seem surprised. He said that he'd be moving to a different McDonald's soon, one that had even more customers per hour. A good move for him but in that location there was no way I'd be able to drop by and say hi.<br />
<br />
Then it got busy so he had to go, but before I got out the door he called out.<br />
<br />
"Hey! I forgot to tell you! I have a 2 year pin for you and I still have your 6 month and 1 year pins!"<br />
<br />
I grinned and waved.<br />
<br />
I never got those pins.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-86483759229220000362016-10-15T00:39:00.002-04:002016-10-15T00:39:59.323-04:00Training - Zwift Desktop MachineSo as most of you know I've been training indoors all year, and, really, since <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2014/12/training-trifecta.html" target="_blank">Christmas 2014</a>. I did five rides outside in 2015 and one in 2016 - about a mile ride to the local garage to pick up the tow vehicle which had blown its master cylinder (i.e. no brakes).<br />
<br />
Throughout this time I've been on Zwift, from somewhere in February or March of 2015. It's a great distraction, it motivates me, I've done <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2015/07/training-zwift-sprint-2167-seconds.html" target="_blank">more sprints on the trainer than ever</a>, and it's provoked the completion of some projects that I didn't think were worth completing before.<br />
<br />
One of them was building a new Windows machine.<br />
<br />
I used to be all Windows before, mainly because of work. I had a Linux set up also but since I could log into Linux machines from anywhere I didn't bother really maintaining a machine at home. Then with the ContourHD and the helmet cam clips, I went to Macs. We got two, one in 2010, another in 2011. I do all my helmet cam clip editing on it, the native/included iMovie a great tool for my needs.<br />
<br />
I did some minor IT work on our home infrastructure, building a Linux machine just because, then rebuilding some other machines. Then I let the Windows machines go, just stopped using them. Power supplies failed. Hard drives failed. I unplugged my back up drives and my back up to my back up drives, to preserve what I had.<br />
<br />
And I left it like that for a few years.<br />
<br />
Then along came <a href="http://zwift.com/" target="_blank">Zwift</a>.<br />
<br />It got me to work on <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2016/08/equipment-homemade-rocking-trainer.html" target="_blank">my rocking trainer</a>.<br />
<br />
It got me to fiddle with my powermeter.<br />
<br />
It got me to resurrect <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2012/01/equipment-4iii-sportsiiiis.html" target="_blank">my Sportsiiiis</a>.<br />
<br />
And now it got me to rebuild my main desktop twice.<br />
<br />
Let me explain.<br />
<br />
<b>Limitations of a Laptop</b><br />
<br />
I knew when I started Zwift that I'd be limited by the laptop we use as our main computer. I just didn't know how much. The main thing with a laptop, at least our basic one, is that it doesn't draw pictures on the screen very quickly. It draws a static/stationary one great, but ask it to draw it 30 times every second... no.<br />
<br />
I tolerated it because Zwift doesn't really punish you in a microsecond kind of way. Everything lags a bit so it takes a second for Zwift to register that you just did a massive jump. Also, with a limited drafting engine, you really can't just jump into a draft, you have to time trial into it. And it's not like a shooting game where a dozen milliseconds of lag/delay can mean the life or death of your character.<br />
<br />
But I saw some weird stuff out there. Riders scattering randomly on straights. The laptop would slow down to about 4-6 frames per second in really heavy traffic. Group riding wasn't really enjoyable, it was more a stutter thing, like watching the world lit up by a strobe light.<br />
<br />
Another limitation of a laptop - when I sat up quickly with earbuds on... yeah, I yanked the laptop off the storage totes and onto the floor. This happened a couple times. I wanted to stop exposing the laptop to that risk.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V49KU2vrBiJDAtaM6mxyFdC8V2_sHBVb0BStPzscNExx699KCDA31zP8N7YmoQCj99qdlueRQRP7WyWHLDxmYq0h6tfP98Lhh1gq-BpVJp1aQoa2Gi4owePZXP45_6i783BhuA/s1600/DSC_0328.JPG" style="color: #0000ee;" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The laptop on the totes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Mac is on the right. The left one died in the last storm.</div>
<br />
<b>Desktop</b><br />
<br />
I wanted to get my desktop back in action. Zwift doesn't work with Linux so I'd have to rebuild my machine. I'd need a better video card for it also. Good video cards draw pictures really, really fast, and in fact the CPUs in them are faster than the main CPU (but they work differently so they're not your main CPU).<br />
<br />
The problem is that I didn't have the parts to make a working desktop. Dead power supply, my throwaway hard drive for the operating system died (but the mirrored image I'd stored might be working), etc. Plus it was an older machine, one I built something like 8 or 9 years ago, an eternity for IT.<br />
<br />
I unboxed a bunch of parts I had bought to upgrade the machine a few years back and put together the system . Fortunately for me CPU speed really hasn't increased, limited by physics (printing of CPU wire stuff), so my 5 or 6 year old kit was still pretty good. 3.33 Ghz CPU, 3 core (or maybe 4?). 16GB of RAM. A fast underlying motherboard chipset.<br />
<br />
I did add a new video card to the batch, some 2 GB not-too-crazy thing. I have an aversion to paying too much for a video card just like I don't want to pay too much for carbon tubulars. I think I spent less than $100 for the card, my limit.<br />
<br />
I put it together, added a (new) working power supply, and tried one of the old drives. Booted right up. I distracted myself by going through some of my old files, it was like Throwback Thursday. Then I went to install Zwift.<br />
<br />
No luck.<br />
<br />
I had a 32 bit version of Windows, and Zwift requires 64 bit.<br />
<br />
I stopped at this point and pondered my options. That means I thought about it for a few weeks, if not more. I could get an iMac (Mac desktop) but that would run a lot of money. Or I could get a refurbished Windows 7 machine and install the killer video card in it. But all the machines I could find that cost not-much-more than Windows 7 itself weren't compatible with my middle-of-the-road video card.<br />
<br />
So I went and bought Windows 7.<br />
<br />
Then I decided to "do it later" because life got a bit complicated.<br />
<br />Fast forward about a year.<br />
<br />
<b>Zwift Update</b><br />
<br />
The last Zwift update, from last week or so, crashes on the 5+ year old operating system on my Mac. Although a fix has been promised I decided after a few Zwift-less rides that this would be the time to do the Windows 7 install.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I selected another throwaway drive, installed Win7, installed Zwift, logged in, everything worked.<br />
<br />
<b>Group Ride</b><br />
<br />
The Missus got me some time this afternoon to do a group ride so I logged on. Lo and behold there was a Sub2 ride starting in 30 minutes or so. Sub2 rides are rides that average under 2 w/kg, which, for me, is about 145w.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXluNUwZNUOxofaYXoBKExgujZxlxIyyjx2EoIksfFzAN4nS1L_N-FPyvPtgQCZXPBLD4mFZq7cZSYUfcFEW1SRLkerCEphE1aJurb1KFSXcbrVfZDXMe8BxXONg0kejy01MBkQ/s1600/2016-10-14_1340489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXluNUwZNUOxofaYXoBKExgujZxlxIyyjx2EoIksfFzAN4nS1L_N-FPyvPtgQCZXPBLD4mFZq7cZSYUfcFEW1SRLkerCEphE1aJurb1KFSXcbrVfZDXMe8BxXONg0kejy01MBkQ/s320/2016-10-14_1340489.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Start of the Sub2 ride</div>
<br />
Zwift handicaps me about 35w so that's actually about 180w for me. That's a really, really hard race for me - one of my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClymNj6e9dE" target="_blank">Limerocks in 2015 was under 160w</a>, and even the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqrPW4FWyQg" target="_blank">epic 2010 Francis J Clarke race was 187w</a>. So Sub2s are about all I can do. I started the ride and realized the graphics were just amazing. In fact they made me realize something.<br />
<br />
The scattering riders.<br />
<br />
They weren't scattering.<br />
<br />
Zwift, you see, has been developed by guys that think bike racing is cool. They want to replicate what you see and feel out on the road. When you go hard on your trainer, your avatar sprints out of the saddle. Not only that, the avatar rocks the bike smoothly, like they're supposed to.<br />
<br />
And when someone rolls up past you, or the drafting algorithm takes a few of you to one side of the road and a gap opens up, you don't just ease on back.<br />
<br />
You dive back, like it was the last lap of a crit and that was the leadout that would win you the race.<br />
<br />
The scattering riders were actually riders diving onto wheel, but in a strobe light kind of freeze frame thing.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKciRdzIOB3As6ANkTY-05ue2tBRbx-JhhQ53zFcum8U5F_0pKWcJupyOpjO5wehOMnSmLiRasTwFTypImzWFZaLhUsrZhCvxV0fmk1Zwb0ptNz94B8G3HeajWcYWxBfHcu_r-IA/s1600/2016-10-14_14001810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKciRdzIOB3As6ANkTY-05ue2tBRbx-JhhQ53zFcum8U5F_0pKWcJupyOpjO5wehOMnSmLiRasTwFTypImzWFZaLhUsrZhCvxV0fmk1Zwb0ptNz94B8G3HeajWcYWxBfHcu_r-IA/s320/2016-10-14_14001810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Strung out but people are trying to ease - basically everyone is well under 2.0 w/kg</div>
<br />
In the end I wasn't the fastest sprinter, not by at least a few seconds. In fact I wasn't the second fastest or even third fastest. But I got to the sprint at least, the first time I'd done that.<br />
<br />
And I got to experience a little more of what Zwift is about.<br />
<br />
<b>After The Ride</b><br />
<br />
The ride really wiped me out in less than an hour, just thrashed me. I was three pounds lighter than I was in the morning, to give you some idea.<br />
<br />
I got off the bike, showered, and ate dinner with Junior. He asked me to read some dinosaur books after, so we sat down on a couch, got a blanket, and I started reading.<br />
<br />
A bit into one of the books I started garbling words or just inserting random words. I do this when I'm tired, and I think because it happens semi-often Junior doesn't really bat an eye at this. He waits for me to make mistakes and corrects me. Or he'll wait if I close my eyes a bit. Not too long, though, because after 10 or 20 seconds he'll put his nose to mine. I'll open my eyes to see his face pressed up against mine.<br />
<br />
"Can you read?"<br />
<br />
This time I thought I was doing okay until at some point I startled myself awake. I looked over at Junior, still sitting tightly against me. He was looking at me expectantly.<br />
<br />
"Can you say the words?" he asked me, pointing to the right side of the page.<br />
<br />
I read him more stuff about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplodocus" target="_blank">diplodocus</a>.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-56889585163306321482016-10-05T11:31:00.002-04:002016-10-05T11:31:26.116-04:00Promoting - Hours, or What It TakesI recently answered a question about promoting, and one of the follow up questions was about the kind of hours I claimed to have put into putting on the Bethel Spring Series. I made a step-by-step list of hours, starting with the "before there's officially a race" to "now we have permission" to "just before the race" to "okay it's race time!"<br />
<br />
I expanded on some of the thoughts and also included some pictures.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that other than some help setting up and breaking down, marshals, and officials, I did virtually everything myself. Not really ideal but this way I could only blame myself.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmkYj-mrfNPRQJxusRRajo2pkLVuYgl01-ribF3XkrD61CU6KMF6ibK9IVW6efJfLGxE0rWJSwr5J0gzeGEIBXkkuAJOgXFh5WGF38DotX2_lwmWe5-ymFYRoM-FRI_bVQRJSRA/s1600/0119151903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmkYj-mrfNPRQJxusRRajo2pkLVuYgl01-ribF3XkrD61CU6KMF6ibK9IVW6efJfLGxE0rWJSwr5J0gzeGEIBXkkuAJOgXFh5WGF38DotX2_lwmWe5-ymFYRoM-FRI_bVQRJSRA/s1600/0119151903.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Carpe Diem Racing.</div>
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That's the name of the promoting company.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It started out as the club/team name back in 1990, with the name decided at my house between four proposed names in 1989. I suggested CDR, taking inspiration for the name from a trinket catalog which had a sweatshirt with the saying on it. It became a bit more well known when an Olympic team member was interviewed wearing a similar/same sweatshirt.</div>
<br />
<b>October:</b><br />
10-20 hours: My time would start in October when I started to piece together changes/improvements for the races the following year. Permission from the town (possibly attend meetings, talk on phone, etc). Lining up officials (my favorite officials lived close by, they were reliable, consistent, and helped create a good race environment so I'd book their time as early as possible). I'd rough out any registration spreadsheet changes, something that's evolved over about 10-12 years. It saves a ton of time/energy on race day but I keep breaking it when I try and improve it.<br />
<b>Running total: 10-20 hours</b><br />
<br />
<b>December:</b><br />
10-20 hours: December I was getting into the groove. Renew various legal entities (LLC, liability, workman's comp, debate doing it another year, etc). Start ordering stuff like numbers, set up infrastructure, etc.<br />
<b>Running total: 20-40 hours</b><br />
<br />
<b>January:</b><br />
20 hours: January would be mostly virtual work. BikeReg. Permits. Lining up volunteers, employees. For legal reasons I had to have employees because I was paying them and I was telling them what to do. With an accountant wife I had to play 100% by the rules, it's like a pro cyclist being married to a WADA person, no hint of anything possible. One year I had 9 or 10 employees, toward the end more like 6. I would spend time fixing stuff I broke on the spreadsheet. I have to finalize any changes with categories/classes, etc. There was always very vocal feedback on that stuff and I tried to accommodate the racing community (because I'm one of them).<br />
<b>Running total: 40-60 hours</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBALbJgrxoGps22EiYMPM5hDYxiUKTp_GuXBcHz2yFTHy8Am3anJXbqT-NOfEwW8IODyKnRVGRKZzn0YBnUEI0ilI_wdNjTLPVe4kgFIuXWsO6V3BzBgtwRUg5pthjVMgV70lBDA/s1600/DSC_0651.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715871407438327250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBALbJgrxoGps22EiYMPM5hDYxiUKTp_GuXBcHz2yFTHy8Am3anJXbqT-NOfEwW8IODyKnRVGRKZzn0YBnUEI0ilI_wdNjTLPVe4kgFIuXWsO6V3BzBgtwRUg5pthjVMgV70lBDA/s320/DSC_0651.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The van was parked here over the winter of 2011-2012.</div>
<br />
<b>February:</b><br />
50? hours: February I was in full race promotion swing. I almost never trained much in February, there were some years where I'd ride 2-3 times during the whole month. I'd go to the venue at least once or twice to check on things. Sometimes I'd sweep or break up ice or what not. For a number of years I'd clear snow off areas for start/finish and portapotties; one year I dragged my quite-ill mom along so she could get out of the house. I think she sat in the car (running, with the heat on) for about 3 hours while I cleared what I could.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMJtpCaJdLfFU9QMqnCAoz7n8AG6G9adm9j4yq7Drc2MXcQWsrVAk_-UoQBXrKjD4fXFBVBoRsUAdXGH2R1Ly9-YW-Hms0RVFzSIAFwt2LRAiZ0U-svkjpivzvsRvww4esMDWEA/s1600/2011-02-27_16-21-44_800.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578745368438973186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMJtpCaJdLfFU9QMqnCAoz7n8AG6G9adm9j4yq7Drc2MXcQWsrVAk_-UoQBXrKjD4fXFBVBoRsUAdXGH2R1Ly9-YW-Hms0RVFzSIAFwt2LRAiZ0U-svkjpivzvsRvww4esMDWEA/s320/2011-02-27_16-21-44_800.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 181px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A February trip to get rid of snow on the inside/sprint line.</div>
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I seeded the snow/ice with lots of salt, in preparation for clearing it another day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
For Bethel, for many years, it was a 3.5-4 hour round trip just to get to the course. With the trailer it was more like 4.5-5 hours round trip. I'd go pick up trophies at some point (35-45 minutes from Bethel). Every now and then I'd train new staff, where I'd drive to their house, set up the camera and laptop, train them in the basics, go over stuff, break down, and return home. I'd check/test the equipment. Organize bib numbers. Order stuff I forgot to order or that got used up or that disappeared. Make lots of lists.<br />
<br />
Pretty much every employer has allowed me to work on the race during the day. Even in a retail store I was probably working as much as 4-6 hours a day checking/answering emails. When I did IT I just dedicated one screen to race stuff, leaving two other screens for work. I'd crank through the race stuff, alt-tabbing between work and race as work allowed. For my running time I'm not counting that. I spent all my free time after work doing race stuff. I'd ride when I could because I had to, for my mental health.<br />
<b>Running total: 90-110 hours</b><br />
<br />
<b>March-April</b><br />
March/April are race weeks. Killer. Thing though was that it was less trying to figure out how to do things at a theoretical level and much more "do this now". For example in January I'd be honing registration processes, trying to think through how things would work. At the first race the registration line was real and whatever I had to do I had to do. Things become very clear when it's "right now!"<br />
<br />
My one escape was that I usually raced one race. Earlier in the life of the Series I'd do two races, because I didn't have to do results and such. Back then the officials handled all of that, and we didn't have to upload results because no one expected results to be online for a week or, before the internet wasn't just AOL, ever.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0CSSv2iOcbF2SY9IMWAh3xIBlnMo0wul3Djog3R6Ipy9NyIA6pWdgBoSqp8oKUHaZChf_OmHpbXWlVBtTmPSulZiFoYAA2s9_ZYHfRZzpBxa8EYzn3r2xabIucK1W7jeAEq43Q/s1600/20140323_CDR-15-Tsunami.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0CSSv2iOcbF2SY9IMWAh3xIBlnMo0wul3Djog3R6Ipy9NyIA6pWdgBoSqp8oKUHaZChf_OmHpbXWlVBtTmPSulZiFoYAA2s9_ZYHfRZzpBxa8EYzn3r2xabIucK1W7jeAEq43Q/s1600/20140323_CDR-15-Tsunami.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My bike at a 2014 Bethel. I'd race once that day, winning the field sprint behind a break.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The bleak weather probably meant a not-so-great day in terms of dollars/numbers.</div>
<br />
<b>60 hours, give or take, for the first week alone.</b> First week is the hardest. 2-4 hours after registration closes Thursday (each week) organizing the registration spreadsheet, figuring out numbers, etc. I print releases at Staples because it's cheaper by a lot. For me I use $35 of toner plus paper if I print myself, it's about $25 if I have Staples do it. Plus they use nice paper. Drawback is that the Staples thing adds 1 hour of driving time to pick up the print job. 5-8 hours on Friday getting stuff packed/etc, 18 hours Sat 6 AM final pack and head down to the course for Sweep Day, and finish up at maybe 1 AM answering emails etc. Then 5 AM - 5 PM for the race. Another 2.5 hours to get home, unpack the most valuable stuff (laptop, etc), then upload results, make registration fixes, etc. With travel before, emails continuously, fix whatever I broke on the spreadsheet, upload results to my website, to USAC, work until maybe 11 PM (if not much later), call it 18 hours.<br />
<b>Running total: 150-170 hours</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT8fw7aCsZkyH4BT9fI0YJI_SXpGEiI-niFFcNG8pIfqgRz_OpXFMY2TYGh3F8xQbtFvcvIvwbY5zd_VKn1DYZ985W95OtFuUokGd-818NRyS6gEafeIPCiC5gPHip_KZ_Pv4uQ/s1600/20140323_CDR-14-Trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT8fw7aCsZkyH4BT9fI0YJI_SXpGEiI-niFFcNG8pIfqgRz_OpXFMY2TYGh3F8xQbtFvcvIvwbY5zd_VKn1DYZ985W95OtFuUokGd-818NRyS6gEafeIPCiC5gPHip_KZ_Pv4uQ/s1600/20140323_CDR-14-Trailer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The trailer at one of the Bethels in 2014.</div>
<br />
<b>30-32 hours x 5-6 weeks</b>, i.e. each week after that. 2-4 hours after registration. 2 hours emails every day (that's a very kind number), say 10 hours a week. 2 hours to break stuff down in house and pack. Race day is always about 18 hours (5 AM - 11 PM).<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSjbCv7RlP79NXZNq9CcYWGrV_e73UTC6DrPvBmluWlCkfurRipbh3I93xstgqSkKWRDCM0tKQCHRymEfXRvDCMmzh1v0rJ0iAWknGRMfHFSg6tuOAvpAMX6A5ByFwC6nc9m42Q/s1600/0306141532a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSjbCv7RlP79NXZNq9CcYWGrV_e73UTC6DrPvBmluWlCkfurRipbh3I93xstgqSkKWRDCM0tKQCHRymEfXRvDCMmzh1v0rJ0iAWknGRMfHFSg6tuOAvpAMX6A5ByFwC6nc9m42Q/s1600/0306141532a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bare trailer when I picked it up.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapQm2mFqca_INAG7mhq-oVS8KA-yPe-X3Bbkw4AfcsXQJ6cyO_PMDgEbL8iTSTDbcIDNGgunGtYBxc-mcS_UYBWreMy8gh4Ep4cO4qheFz3B83fGVHw5UMFK3ebYk4J6HkbC9aQ/s1600/0413141958a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapQm2mFqca_INAG7mhq-oVS8KA-yPe-X3Bbkw4AfcsXQJ6cyO_PMDgEbL8iTSTDbcIDNGgunGtYBxc-mcS_UYBWreMy8gh4Ep4cO4qheFz3B83fGVHw5UMFK3ebYk4J6HkbC9aQ/s1600/0413141958a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Trailer before I finished the inside, end of 2014 Bethel Spring Series.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEPsvcLC63crV4zjkynzzAILeYtraIr9yRBVJ3JITSXmMQeI1x9WkU__KYNjS2yHh7XD9OtOTLHr4NCobtKdDgnA4lQ6nqjSWZyOG9X_zU59vjsUe1BfTby0KKL-vbgDbGcmBpA/s1600/DSC_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEPsvcLC63crV4zjkynzzAILeYtraIr9yRBVJ3JITSXmMQeI1x9WkU__KYNjS2yHh7XD9OtOTLHr4NCobtKdDgnA4lQ6nqjSWZyOG9X_zU59vjsUe1BfTby0KKL-vbgDbGcmBpA/s1600/DSC_0548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After finishing the inside, before the shelf/hook/etc.</div>
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Brighter, which was my goal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fIL3CD_-XfuihZlCg_wA0lPEx0oWtg4XCsxp-bD7SHidCsxUGZ6lo27_lBcc5nr41BhzV2Ke8lMd6H8VstTaTfGPXoQRINUIhQ2Rqi13wzZN8uv1k2lFMaB0Tf-s1AFgaRdyOg/s1600/20150912_TrailerSilkCity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fIL3CD_-XfuihZlCg_wA0lPEx0oWtg4XCsxp-bD7SHidCsxUGZ6lo27_lBcc5nr41BhzV2Ke8lMd6H8VstTaTfGPXoQRINUIhQ2Rqi13wzZN8uv1k2lFMaB0Tf-s1AFgaRdyOg/s320/20150912_TrailerSilkCity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Trailer during a quiet bit of registration at the club's cross race in 2015.</div>
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There are plexiglass shields for the windows for cold/wet weather, built in tables, storage stuff on walls, shelf up front, drawers, heaters, microwave, even a fridge.</div>
<br />
Not counting any emergency sweep days although I've spent 8-16-24 hours a week clearing courses some years (3-5 hours per trip, plus drive time, multiple trips some years). Also emergency meetings with angry tenants, meeting with town, etc. Not counting any of that.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70fJjZAjkB8_gUK3BVQFM_GDB1QrU0vPigYG4Eaz3gnCGcsO8voNssmwz3eZ53x8hPBavAg2hwxA-NS6M8yCHgSgb81a65wpe7WYkRpfz2mnbyBGUbUwDOUTSupQmr8xHH4mciQ/s1600/DSC_0727.JPG" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720344876541996450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70fJjZAjkB8_gUK3BVQFM_GDB1QrU0vPigYG4Eaz3gnCGcsO8voNssmwz3eZ53x8hPBavAg2hwxA-NS6M8yCHgSgb81a65wpe7WYkRpfz2mnbyBGUbUwDOUTSupQmr8xHH4mciQ/s320/DSC_0727.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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Birthing room, 2012. Round table under window has registration laptop for Bethel stuff.</div>
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Yes I worked on registration on and off during the whole process.</div>
<br />
When my son was born it was the 2nd week of Bethel in 2012. Went to the hospital Thursday evening. Was answering questions about registration and Cat 5 stuff on the way to the hospital. Set up laptop, wireless modem, and cranked through emails and calls while wife was induced. Nothing happened (we went through this the prior week as well, before the first week of racing). Went home Friday evening. Fri night her water broke. Went to hospital. I tried to answer some emails/questions but I was exhausted because we were up from 11 PM until my son was born at 9:33 AM. Wonder and joy and all that. Then back to the laptop. 3 PM wife kicked me out, told me I had to leave to get ready for the races because everyone was depending on me. I was really tired the next day.<br />
<b>Running total: 300 - 360 hours</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Conservatively speaking I'll say that I put in 300-350 hours annually for the Bethel Spring Series.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Addendum time</b><br />
<br />
The thing is that my number is pretty conservative. A busy year I'm guessing another 100 hours minimum, if I counted all the various stuff that I don't count because it doesn't happen every year, like making proposals and attending meetings to secure a venue. For example I secured 3 venues in 2015, used only two, made 3? 4? site visits, all for a venue we never used.<br />
<br />
When I was searching for new venues, between 2014 and 2015, I probably spent 20-30 hours on that alone, during the summer. 4-5 hours at a time, couple times a month. Some emails, calls, stuff like that, tracking down legal land owners, then asking about holding events there.<br />
<br />
I do payroll in there somewhere. Well technically the Missus does that, but I write the checks and pay the people that work for the race. I have to buy misc stuff, heaters for example, or get propane tanks filled for said heaters. Then replacements for heaters that broke or don't work. Adapters to use big propane tanks on little heaters. Fans. Fabricate some stuff like lap card stuff or tables or platforms. I've bought two wheeled leaf blowers. 5 or 6 generators. I've had to go get extension cords, cones of various sizes, bins, binder clips, pends, drawers, chairs, tables, tents (and fix tents), etc etc. I'm not counting the time to buy any of that stuff.<br />
<br />
Website stuff is nutty. I did it all by hand early on, before stuff like Wordpress existed. Now I use Wordpress with the help of one of the guys that does the races. I can get lost for 4-5 hours when I start doing site stuff. Getting the sites up and running took a bit of time and effort. Not counting any of that.<br />
<br />
The last week of the Series there are more things for me to do but generally within the same time frame. In other words I do more stuff, like doing podium pictures, but since those are between races it's just part of the day. I usually put off unpacking stuff for a month or three, usually until I have to clear out the trailer (or the van before that). Unpacking is usually quick, just a few hours once I drive everything home. I once left my van at the venue for 3 months, returning in late July to drive it home. Admittedly I made a day of it, rode 5 hours there, did the Wed night crit, then drove the van away.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9QE_hmcg3usW0Pwxtp9yKZIQj8TrM89w9TkUHxMzABe3nyrVLLX8sJIk9BsShew_4PqDtLCEivtrQdPgZVehihbIuHI5o5ZihXdrGH1I6dL9W-pF6hzfDUZRC0LoRtpPtkRyeA/s1600/DSC_0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9QE_hmcg3usW0Pwxtp9yKZIQj8TrM89w9TkUHxMzABe3nyrVLLX8sJIk9BsShew_4PqDtLCEivtrQdPgZVehihbIuHI5o5ZihXdrGH1I6dL9W-pF6hzfDUZRC0LoRtpPtkRyeA/s320/DSC_0848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unpacking the van in September (Labor Day) one year.</div>
<br />
I was totally burnt out on race promotion stuff by the time mid-April showed up.<br />
<br />
Each year it seems like I spend 3-5 full days working on stuff for the trailer. I'd disappear for an entire Saturday and/or Sunday, 8-10 hours each day, to fix things up.<br />
<br />
I also spent considerable time figuring out camera stuff. I'm on our 5th or 6th camera, each one requiring some learning, set up, testing, etc.<br />
<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711360680684856562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16MirAP4_GPBAOolKy_U5CuLfW8JHZWF9SqQxNvajZHnBvGEp-B3mgDJIokboupia0zyMuaGncN6k1t0W09mVn8ZS5Lh_12kBqX1X01PHTxObiuRQCOVHO3WZdu8ToUBMRTzTfQ/s320/20120219_test2a-1.jpg" style="color: #000023; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Still from a 1080p@30fps camera test. Car was going 35 mph.</div>
<br />
I spend time organizing stuff in our storage bay (we rent it to store stuff for the races) or my basement (we have to keep release forms for 10 years now, plus I have all sorts of delicate/weather sensitive promoting stuff down there) or the garage (most of the gas powered stuff like leaf blowers, generators, etc). Nowadays I have to keep track of the trailer which is not parked at home and the tow vehicle which is parked in the storage bay. I pull out the tow vehicle every now because the year I didn't drive it from April until sometime deep in the winter the battery was dead and it just wasn't happy. At first we put just 1000 miles annually on the tow vehicle. The van also - one year I think I put about 450 miles on it. For the entire year! I got rid of it because it started having random problems, probably due the fact that I almost never drove it and it was never indoors (doesn't fit in a garage).<br />
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<br /></div>
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So that's it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I tell racers to go thank the promoters whenever they race. Thank the marshals, registration people, everyone involved. I don't think I'm unique in the kind of effort I put into a race. Every promoter ends up living the race for a while, way beyond anything they expected when they first got into it. I was lucky in that I could ease my way into it. In the "old days" promoting was a bit less formal, a bit less structured. Now it's pretty tough to start up a race, and for someone actually closing blocks of roads in a city or doing a rolling closure for a road race... yeah, I can't imagine doing that.</div>
Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-92053632277065706642016-09-27T10:08:00.000-04:002016-09-27T10:08:43.260-04:00Equipment - Could Tires Increase My Available Effective Wattage By 25%?TL;DR Check your tires<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB20bELb6MZh_SQpejpXl8Nw1igKxRKv59Pagl772dFOIXAnVBp8cymfZF8OPqT11uvUI0F4ycblJ_GgDdccUqapZUm4e1oNApagUNQ24FyMZLzDBYIss5vxbnfnkO06pU3I_/s1600/100_7171.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532683602354508338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcB20bELb6MZh_SQpejpXl8Nw1igKxRKv59Pagl772dFOIXAnVBp8cymfZF8OPqT11uvUI0F4ycblJ_GgDdccUqapZUm4e1oNApagUNQ24FyMZLzDBYIss5vxbnfnkO06pU3I_/s320/100_7171.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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The Tsunami in its original color with the Bastognes, Jets, and Stinger 6s.</div>
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<br /></div>
<b>Backstory</b><br />
<br />
I've been very unhappy with my aero clinchers (<a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2010/05/equipment-bokken-or-hed-jet-6-9-wheels.html" target="_blank">Jet 6/9 front/rear</a>). I originally bought them because "aero > weight" and I literally bought (aka spent money) into that theory.<br />
<br />
The reality is that for whatever reason I don't like the wheels. In fact I avoid the Jets unless absolutely necessary. I used the Jet 6 on the trainer, which is kind of ironic when you realize that on a trainer the only thing the front wheel does is hold the bike level.<br />
<br />
I struggle every time I give the Jets a chance. I can't accelerate well with them and even in a higher speed situation I need time to accelerate them (where you'd think that since I'm already going fast it would primarily require more aero work to go faster).<br />
<br />
I hem and haw about selling them all the time, deciding one day that I'm going to sell them, then the next to not sell them. I didn't ride the front Jet 6 for about 2 years, preferring to leave it sitting in the basement after riding it maybe a dozen times. I rode the rear Jet 9 for part of a season just because I felt like I should ride it if I wasn't selling it.<br />
<br />
I didn't have a lot of metrics on the wheels but one thing stood out - they were heavier than my other wheels.<br />
<br />
<b>Wheel Weight</b><br />
<br />
I've always liked riding lighter wheels. They respond instantly when I jump - they make my jump better, accentuating the only strength I have on the bike. That's a good thing.<br />
<br />
I also learned that in group ride situations wheel weight affects me significantly. This is because I apparently make short, sharp punches to the pedals to close minor gaps, or even to adjust the gap ahead of me. These "pedal punches" are very short, like a quarter revolution if that.<br />
<br />
I learned this when the Missus and I went on a group ride on our tandem with every other bike a single rider bike. We'd previously done one other group ride and that was with all tandems and a triplet - those bikes accelerated and decelerated like our tandem and it was an easy ride so I was more concerned with not crashing than with sitting on a wheel. On the group ride with the single bikes I didn't want to get dropped. I found myself doing these little "pedal punch" efforts to close tiny gaps, where I involuntarily slammed the pedals for about a 2 o'clock amount of power (it seems it's from 1 o'clock to about 3 o'clock). When I say tiny gap I'm talking closing a few inches to the rider in front of us - I was just adjusting our speed a bit.<br />
<br />
The problem was that the increased mass of the tandem meant that my quarter revolution power surges didn't do very much. Not only was my little pedal punches too weak, I couldn't even ask the Missus to punch the pedals with me because I was learning that I did this as we rode!<br />
<br />
With the tandem I needed to turn the pedals hard for two or three full revolutions instead of doing that little quarter revolution punch. Of course it strained my reserves to the limit. As might be expected a very short time later we went off the back. We lasted maybe 5 miles of that ride.<br />
<br />
So apparently I have that thing that I do to adjust the gap to the next rider in front of me. And I really only have a sprint as far as "stuff I can do in a race". For those kinds of efforts I like lighter wheels.<br />
<br />
It only reinforced my belief that I prefer lighter wheels.<br />
<br />
<b>Why Jet Wheels?</b><br />
<br />
Back in the day I did a bunch of back-to-back sprints on different wheels, to see if there were substantial differences in wheels speeds. If you knew me back then you may have noticed that I went from racing 280 gram rim box section wheels to suddenly showing up with my TriSpokes, Spinergy Rev-X, or Zipp 340s.<br />
<br />
Aero made a <i>huge</i> difference for me. Lighter weight allowed me to get up to speed quicker but without aero I'd hit an aero wall and stop accelerating. With aero wheels I could blast through that aero wall and keep accelerating.<br />
<br />
Importantly during that test I had the same tubulars on all the tubular wheels, and the same clinchers on the few clincher wheelsets I tested. At least for the tubulars rolling resistance was probably close to identical between the wheels.<br />
<br />
In addition the different wheels varied in weight as well, and by switching between different weight wheels I started getting a feel for how heavier wheels felt versus lighter ones. Aero wheels inevitably weighed more but they just kept accelerating. The lightest wheels, all non-aero, hit top speed quickly but the top speed was substantially lower than those of the aero wheels. I fitted lighter wheels for the slower, jumpier Cat 3 type races, where I'd be jumping out of corners and the sprint started at sane speeds. I'd usually choose my most aero wheels for the faster, steadier Cat 1-2-3 races, where it was single file all the time and the sprint was just maintaining some insane speed over the last lap.<br />
<br />
Therefore the Jets seemed to make sense. Only thing was that when I first got the Jets I had this subjective feel like "Oh, they're heavier." No objective numbers, just a feeling.<br />
<br />
<b>My Jets</b><br />
<br />
When I finally weighed the wheels I attributed my disdain for the Jets to the <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2014/08/equipment-bike-weight-red-tsunami.html" target="_blank">3 lbs weight difference between those and my race wheels</a> (<a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2010/05/equipment-samurai-swords-aka-hed.html" target="_blank">Stinger 6 f/r</a> or Stinger 7/9 f/r, about 3.1 and 2.8 lbs lighter respectively) or even the 2 lbs weight difference to my other clinchers, the sister wheelset <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2010/05/equipment-tantos-or-hed-bastogne-wheels.html" target="_blank">HED Bastognes</a>. The fact that all but the 7/9s have the same hubs and spokes means that virtually all the weight difference is in the rim/tire/tube/etc. They call that rotating weight and I was taught a long time ago that rotating weight was worse than static weight.<br />
<br />
I also have non-aero clinchers as mentioned above, the HED Bastognes, which I prefer to the Jets. They wear the same tires, same brand tubes (different valve lengths), so the wheels are set up the same. However the Bastognes weigh 2 lbs less than the Jets.<br />
<br />
Note: I have 50g heavier rear skewers on the clinchers, same clincher tire models on all four clincher wheels, basically similar tubular tires, basically similar all-steel cassettes on all rear wheels, so the wheels are consistent across types, meaning all the clinchers are similar and all the tubulars are similar.<br />
<br />
In slower races (usually when it's raining), where I'd use clinchers, I'd use the Bastognes. The 2 lbs weight delta would make them seem more responsive than the Jets even with identical tires and tubes.<br />
<br />
<b>TPI (A segway but bear with me)</b><br />
<br />
I wanted to put this out there because it helps visualize what TPI really means to you. TPI is "threads per inch", how many rows of thread fits in an inch. A 66 TPI tire has 66 threads every inch of tire. A 320 TPI tire has 320 threads every inch of tire.<br />
<br />
What took a while to sink in is that this also applies to the <i>thickness</i> of the tire casing.<br />
<br />
A 66 TPI tire has threads which are 1/66" thick, right? Because if you make it into a fabric you'll fit 66 threads in an inch. That's not that thick.<br />
<br />
A 320 TPI tire has threads which are 1/320" thick. If 1/66" isn't that thick then 1/320" is really, really thin.<br />
<br />
Thinner casings mean more supple casings. Supple casings deform easier on bumps. This means they absorb less energy flexing. Therefore they have lower rolling resistance on anything rougher than glass.<br />
<br />
On the other hand if you have a really, really thing 1/320" thick tire casing, it's not really very resistant to getting cut or punctured by glass, nails, thorns, etc. You never hear of "yeah, this tank has armor 1/320 of an inch thick!" It's more like "With the Tiger 2 there was 7 inches of solid steel between the crew and incoming shells from the front".<br />
<br />
Most tires layer the casing over itself so a 320 TPI casing with two layers would be 1/160" thick, twice as thick as 1/320". At that point you'd have 640 TPI if you looked at the casing through a light (two layers of 320 TPI), but it's just 320 TPI casing layered twice.<br />
<br />
Still not that thick. That's why you don't want to wear your tires down to the casing, you really have very little left at that point between you and a flat.<br />
<br />
Anyway, TPI explanation done...<br />
<br />
<b>Clincher Tire Rolling Resistance</b><br />
<br />
The somewhat recent <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road-what-makes-cycling-tires-fast" target="_blank">Velonews tire rolling resistance test</a> sparked my interest. I realized that it might be that the tire rolling resistance is contributing to my dislike for the Jets.<br />
<br />
Velonews found that the lower TPI tires, meaning those with thicker/stiff casings, had higher rolling resistance. This would be expected, based on the fact that deforming a tire over a bump takes energy, and the less energy you use doing that the less the tire will slow. Higher TPI tires rolled better in the test. The Velonews article did point out that one manufacturer counted the TPI of the double casing so Velonews halved it to keep the number consistent. TPI in the chart is TPI for one layer of casing.<br />
<br />
Based on Velonews's findings a fast tire can save as much as 10-20 watts per tire at 40 kph / 25 mph, so 20-40 watts total. This means a rider can reduce total power required to maintain 40 kph / 25 mph from, say, 100 watts to just over 60 watts.<br />
<br />Rolling resistances at 40 kph:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li> Thicker/stiffer tires, 100w</li>
<li> Thinner/flexible tires, 65w</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
35 watts may not seem like a huge savings or huge wattage overall. However, consider that I've placed 3rd in a Cat 3 race averaging under 160w:<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2zfje-74LEc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zfje-74LEc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Average power for 58 minutes: 158w</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cat 3-4 result: 3rd place.</div>
<br />
If I was using my 60 TPI (threads per inch) training tires I'd be using (<a href="http://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-256-re-fuse" target="_blank">Maxxis ReFuse</a>, a solid, super reliable training tire), realistically, at least 120w simply overcoming rolling resistance. That would be a super optimistic number based on a "better" higher thread count (80 TPI) tire being rated as using 59w at 40kph. Factor in the ReFuse's tough as nails construction, a layer or two of puncture resistant material under the tread, and you end up with a really thick tire casing that doesn't flex at all. Still, though, I think 120w would be a very conservative estimate for the tires' energy consumption.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Rolling resistance with my 60 TPI ReFuse tires: ~120w</li>
<li>Rolling resistance with the nicest clinchers: 65w</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
If I went to one of the fastest tires in the Velonews test, which consumed 32-35w at the same speed, I'd save about 55w total in rolling resistance.<br />
<br />
55 watts!<br />
<br />
If I typically average 160-200w in a race, and I'm using 100-120w to overcome rolling resistance if I'm using my clinchers, then I'm really using say 60-80w to overcome air resistance. The rest of my power output, say 100-120w, is going towards overcoming rolling resistance. If I can reduce that by 60w, that's huge! I could almost double my power devoted to overcoming air resistance!<br />
<br />
<b>Clincher Tire Math</b><br />
<br />
If I did a race on my clinchers:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Current, super hard race for me, 200w avg.</li>
<li>60 TPI tires, about 120w/pair</li>
<li>Leaves <b>80w</b> for air resistance (and bearings and stuff)</li>
</ul>
<br />
What if I had some nicer clinchers?<br />
<ul>
<li>Current, super hard race for me, 200w avg.</li>
<li>Nicer clinchers, approx 65w/pair</li>
<li>Leaves <b>135w</b> for air resistance (and bearings and stuff)</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'd be seeing an effective increase in available power of 55w. That may not seem like much until I put it a different way.<br />
<br />
<i>55w is 25% of my FTP when I upgraded to Cat 2.</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxux7Af5VsDS1EJV-x_PvTQCNoW_GHqXzbg8vpu5-M2Z5SLmCujZ5ktbEwDOREhAUxGTZ1eskBpIOTPrc8nqynSxvH3G1ZvxxcSoOCYsGBXDt141K1PELfhWs9NWzIxgRottXIw/s1600/DSC_0657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxux7Af5VsDS1EJV-x_PvTQCNoW_GHqXzbg8vpu5-M2Z5SLmCujZ5ktbEwDOREhAUxGTZ1eskBpIOTPrc8nqynSxvH3G1ZvxxcSoOCYsGBXDt141K1PELfhWs9NWzIxgRottXIw/s1600/DSC_0657.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gratuitous picture of the Tsunami in its current color with the Stinger 7/9 set up.</div>
<br />
<b>Tubular Tires</b><br />
<br />
I normally race on tubulars. Unfortunately there isn't really any data I could find other than <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/12/bikes-and-tech/resistance-futile-tire-pressure-width-affect-rolling-resistance_355085" target="_blank">an earlier Velonews test with tires I don't use</a>.<br />
<br />
Tubulars seem to use a bit more energy, 45-50w each, but there are so many variables that I can't really apply that test to my tubulars. I use different tires, different pressure, and there's the whole "how did you glue them" bit.<br />
<br />
There were a couple constants though. First, a higher TPI led to lower rolling resistance. Second, the test found is that higher pressures in tubular tires really don't alter rolling resistance numbers. I think this is because a tubular tire doesn't rely on the rim for part of its shape, it's a shape unto itself. Therefore it really doesn't change shape much when you put more pressure in it.<br />
<br />
Let's use a decent number, based on the description of the tires and casings. I'm going to say 45w for my tubulars. I use 23mm tires built with nice 320 TPI casing. The test had a 24mm tire with high TPI.<br />
<br />
<b>Tubular Tire Math</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Current super hard race for me, 200w avg.</li>
<li>320 TPI tubular tires, approx 90w/pair</li>
<li>Leaves <b>110w</b> for air resistance (and bearings and stuff)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
At 200w average this is a 30w increase in power output for air resistance compared to the nice clincher number. With the clinchers I only have about 80w to devote to air resistance. With tubulars it's realistically 110w.<br />
<br />
It makes sense that if I was close to the edge with tubulars I'd be well into the red with clinchers. 200w really is about as hard as I can go in a race. I've hit that a number of times in races. With clinchers, to go the same speed, I'd have to up my power output by 30 watts, blowing me up.<br />
<br />
I'd be off the back with the clinchers.<br />
<br />
This also explains a bit on how I can race a bit more effectively against riders that drop me quickly on training rides. I need that extra 30w of power to overcome air resistance but I don't have it with the training tires.<br />
<br />
That's just based on rolling resistance! Keep in mind too that the clinchers are heavier, with the Jets being especially heavy. Doing those quarter pedal punches to close little gaps might be efficient with lighter tubulars, but with heavier clinchers I'd be putting down a bit more energy on each adjustment. Multiply that by numerous adjustments and the extra watts quickly add up. The Jets's excess weight may be pushing me over the edge.<br />
<br />
<b>Thoughts Going Forward</b><br />
<br />
So it may be that the tires are a big part of the reason why I don't like the Jets. Unfortunately I don't have the option of buying tires right now, and the only set of extra tires I have are not one of those magic ones on the list - they're stiffer versions of a 46+ watt tire so it's probably a 50-55 watt tire.<br />
<35w a="" are="" as="" bit="" change="" d="" experiment="" i="" large="" more="" obvious.="" p="" possible="" rather="" results="" so="" that="" the="" tires.="" with=""><br />
I don't know how puncture resistant the Specialized tires are but the Conti GP4000S II have a good reputation for being bombproof clinchers. It might be that my next sets of clinchers will be a pair of those Contis.</35w><br />
<35w a="" are="" as="" bit="" change="" d="" experiment="" i="" large="" more="" obvious.="" p="" possible="" rather="" results="" so="" that="" the="" tires.="" with=""><br /></35w>
<35w a="" are="" as="" bit="" change="" d="" experiment="" i="" large="" more="" obvious.="" p="" possible="" rather="" results="" so="" that="" the="" tires.="" with="">And then maybe I'll keep the Jets after all.</35w>Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-18285794121676992012016-09-26T13:28:00.001-04:002016-09-26T13:28:38.313-04:00Training - The Group RideOne of the things that bugs me about group rides is that inevitably some riders treat the ride as their own personal race. Or they do their own thing during the group ride.<br />
<br />
I know that in the old days I either rode with a pretty disciplined group (generally speaking it was with the club I belonged to) or, sometimes, less disciplined ones.<br />
<br />
I have to admit that when I was in charge of the school's cycling team I started losing some control over the group rides. It's not as much being weaker, because I was, but it was that some riders would just hammer themselves into oblivion regardless of the goal of the ride. If the ride was supposed to be hard, okay, fine, but if it was supposed to easy, or if we were in the warm up part of the ride, the expectation was that you'd ride the same pace as the leader.<br />
<br />
It's tough to slow down, I get it. Think about when you're driving on the highway, whatever speed feels about right, maybe 63 in a 55. Then you get behind someone that's going, say, 61. Or 59. Most people will pass when they can, not slow down to the slower driver's speed.<br />
<br />
Unlike driving though with bikes I'm the engine, and with group rides I'm already pretty challenged to maintain pace. My FTP is definitely on the low side, 200w on a year like this one, maybe 220w on a spectacular year, like in 2010 when I upgraded to Cat 2. In races I can work with those numbers because I "snipe", meaning I target specific races. I select those that are flat or, even better, have a short hill at some point. The short hill courses, like Bethel or New Britain, work best for me because I can always punch up a short hill and there's got to be some descending elsewhere and I recover on that bit.<br />
<br />
At any rate I avoid races with hills and, given reasonable form, I can hold my own.<br />
<br />
<b>Zwift Challenges</b><br />
<br />
On Zwift I'm even more challenged than normal. The main reason is that the drafting engine isn't quite there so the benefits of drafting don't stack up like they do in real life. In addition there's some kind of virtual brake so as soon as you stop pedaling it's like you're braking. In real life I coast a LOT during a race, or soft pedal at zero watts, literally 10 or 20 seconds at a time. I've even seen as much as 3 to 5 seconds of coasting <i>during a sprint</i> where I contested the finish. Coasting is how I survive a race and average 160 or 180 watts. In Zwift if you coast for 20 seconds you'll be off the back of any group out there, of any size. If you soft pedal for maybe 5 seconds you'll realistically be at the very back of a big group, off the back of a smaller group.<br />
<br />
To make things worse Zwift shorts me some power, about 35w with the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, at least compared to my SRM. I believe the SRM before I believe the calculated power from Zwift, else it means I upgraded to Cat 2 with an FTP of 185w, which I highly doubt, or that I averaged 27.5 mph during the 2011 Tour of Someville while doing just 140 watts, which, again, I highly doubt.<br />
<br />
Who knows, maybe my SRM is optimistic but I seriously doubt it. For whatever reason Zwift shorts me about 35w with the KK Road Machine.<br />
<br />
With Zwift my 160-180w race pace becomes more like 125-145w (because Zwift shorts me 35w). At my current weight that's 1.6-1.8 w/kg. Although I'm barely capable of holding 2.0 w/kg in real life, on Zwift I fall below that cusp. I can't hang with a B ride for sure, nor a C ride, and I struggle with D rides, the 2 w/kg rides.<br />
<br />
If I do a group ride on Zwift I look for the Sub2 rides, which over the 2015-2016 winter typically targeted 1.5 w/kg on the flats, 2 w/kg on the hills.<br />
<br />
I joined one the other day and we were out of the blocks at well over 2 w/kg, which, if you look at the numbers above, is like me averaging at least 190w in real life. One of the hardest races I ever did was the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqrPW4FWyQg" target="_blank">2010 Francis J Clarke</a> race and I averaged 187w there. 2011 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O7hgXTzodA" target="_blank">Cat 2 Tour of Somerville</a>, 175w. So 190w, which is only 2 w/kg on Zwift, annihilates me.<br />
<br />
I dropped off that ride pretty quickly.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fine, I'm Weak</b><br />
<br />
I understand I'm weak on the bike, and I'm okay with it. What gets me is that people are joining a Sub2 ride and then not riding Sub2. If someone joins a group ride then there's this implication that they're going to follow the ride's goals, the ride's stipulations.<br />
<br />
For example, if I go do some super hard group ride, I'll go there with the expectation that I'm going to get shelled and it's my responsibility to figure out how to get back to the cars. Generally I'll be okay until the road tilts up, I get shelled, and then I decide do I turn around or should I keep going.<br />
<br />
And that's fine.<br />
<br />
At the same time if I'm on a easy group ride then I don't expect anyone to do any hard riding, or if they do they'll be waiting, foot on the ground, at the top of the hill or at the next intersection or something like that.<br />
<br />
With Zwift it's even more... I don't know, it's more clear cut. You can see riders long after they're out of sight. Not only that, you can see their power, and, if you click on their name, you can actually see their heart rate and cadence.<br />
<br />
You get a good idea of what they're doing, if they're struggling or just sightseeing.<br />
<br />
<b>Why Join A Too-Slow Group?</b><br />
<br />
So why do these riders insist on joining an easier group and then blowing it apart by riding above its advertised level?<br />
<br />
I don't know. Is it ego? Insecurity? Ignorance? Lack of self control?<br />
<br />
<b>Celebrity Rides</b><br />
<br />
Every now and then I'm fortunate enough to have a celebrity ride with whatever group, sometimes even a race. Marc Wauters, a long time Rabobank pro, <a href="http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/10/story-egos-on-road.html" target="_blank">showed up for Gimbels one day</a>. Because he wasn't riding hard we got to talk to him, and it was great, to be able to talk to this guy that you realize when you get home that, oh wow, he was in the finale in Paris Roubaix! and he was leading out Tchmil for the finish of Ghent! And he did the Giro. The Worlds. And this and that and the other thing.<br />
<br />
At one race way, way back a recently crowned <a href="http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north-america/2014/12/02/zwift-hires-retired-pro-racer-mike-mccarthy#.V-R34CMrI0o" target="_blank">Mike McCarthy</a> showed up at a race in World Champion colors (US Pro Crit champ, world pro pursuit champ, technically not WC on the road but hey, he's a WC at something). The first lap was like a wedding reception paceline thing were there was a line of riders dropping back and saying congrats to Mike, who, to his credit, was politely thanking everyone for their congratulations. Then after everyone got that out of the way Mike just smashed the field to pieces.<br />
<br />
It was awesome.<br />
<br />
Now those are racer celebrities. There are other celebrities that you get to ride with. Maybe a state representative or a mayor or something. Maybe the President, or Vice President. They're not "cyclists" per se so you ride with them like you're riding with your mother/father (if s/he doesn't ride), or, say, your grandmother/father (if s/he doesn't ride).<br />
<br />
You take it easy. You watch them ride. You adjust your pace to theirs. You make them feel welcome to the group. If you wanted to get a workout you wait until after the ride to go hard, or, even better, you do a bunch of hard efforts before the ride.<br />
<br />
<b>Today's Ride</b><br />
<br />
Today (Sept 22) <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/721466974" target="_blank">I did a group ride</a>, advertised at 2-2.5 w/kg, an "easy" ride, but with one catch.<br />
<br />
A guest rider.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romain_Grosjean" target="_blank">Romain Grosjean</a>.<br />
<br />
He's an F1 driver. Admittedly he had a tough start to his F1 career but he's matured and he's one of only 22 full time F1 drivers in the world. Significantly he's one of the drivers that actually gets paid to drive - many are pay-to-drive drivers - and he's held in high enough regard that just his presence helped legitimize <a href="https://www.haasf1team.com/" target="_blank">Haas Racing's new F1 team</a>.<br />
<br />
As an F1 driver he has to be somewhat fit. He said (during the ride, one of the few questions he got to answer in an hour) he rides about 2500 km a year (1500 miles), runs 800 km (500 miles), and works out in the gym and plays tennis. But he's not a world champion cyclist or anything.<br />
<br />
So automatically my thought was, "Okay, this is a celebrity, the group should take it easy. If he wants to push a bit then he'll rev up everyone else's competitive spirits and it'll be game on.<br />
<br />
Remember the ride with your mother/father or grandmother/grandfather? You watch <i>them</i>, let <i>them</i> set the pace, then adjust to whatever <i>they</i> do.<br />
<br />
You don't go and blast up the first hill and shell them.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePcvkrZGC_hjlC9ENRS6NCp_nkYxs4p216QMS4sRcqE5l70Fg_NEmK20uGcYu0s2hMJmTxVTHnHbJ44VCHU1mE-TR2FBzA6Y0d2NzlWkKDmaqaZiJbfFHfrBmwIZDiHeLmolbhQ/s1600/2016-09-22_1432257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePcvkrZGC_hjlC9ENRS6NCp_nkYxs4p216QMS4sRcqE5l70Fg_NEmK20uGcYu0s2hMJmTxVTHnHbJ44VCHU1mE-TR2FBzA6Y0d2NzlWkKDmaqaZiJbfFHfrBmwIZDiHeLmolbhQ/s320/2016-09-22_1432257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So what happens at the start of the "Romain Grosjean" ride?<br />
<br />
<i>Literally 2/3 of the group goes and shells him, hammering at the front</i>.<br />
<br />
I don't have solid data but I saw lots of 2.5-3.0 w/kg up front. With Zwift's limited drafting benefit it is harder than real life to stay together, yet these riders were at the front going well over the advertised ride pace.<br />
<br />
For what?<br />
<br />
I say again, for what?<br />
<br />
To say that they beat Grosjean in a virtual bike ride? To get him pedaling so hard he can't answer questions from fans of F1 who happen to be on Zwift?<br />
<br />
It took a lot of CAPS LOCK pleas to get the front group to ease a bit, but as soon as Grosjean was on the hammer went back down.<br />
<br />
I was off the back pretty quickly so I eased, letting them lap me. I was only on my second lap, they were on their third, and the third/last lap was an open free for all per the ride description. I had a selfish thought here - with such a big group, and with the group racing, I could try and beat my PR for the green jersey sprint. I usually start the sprint at about 24-25 mph, but if I could jump at a higher speed I could take literally a second or more off my PR.<br />
<br />
Per the ride leaders they did keep it together until the start of the sprint, saying that the start line for the sprint was the place to go go go (the "go" words were in caps). Even Romain himself messaged the group to ride as they pleased once the "race" was on. This means the group did 3/4 of the lap under some kind of control.<br />
<br />
So I got in the group just before the sprint (i.e. they caught me). I was looking forward to sprinting down into the 21s range, possibly into the 20s, depending on how my legs felt.<br />
<br />
I got to the sprint, I jumped really late at the line per the ride rules (not 5-8 seconds before), went a few pedal strokes...<br />
<br />
Then I stopped because it looked like no one was sprinting.<br />
<br />
I mentioned before you can see other riders' power, specifically their w/kg ratio. If their power goes up a lot the number turns orange. However most of the riders weren't even bright white, they were still regular white.<br />
<br />
Well one guy was orange but I didn't want to be one of the two nimrods that sprinted to show Romain just who's boss. So I chilled on the sprint.<br />
<br />
Then, about 3 or 4 seconds later, I saw other riders sprinting, so, after a bit of internal debate on if this was a dick move or not, I did another jump.<br />
<br />
Ends up that after all the stutter start/stop I posted the third best time of the group. The guy that jumped on his own posted the best time. It was insane, 19.9s or something, I've never broken 20s in this physics model. He jumped early, was in the 13-15 w/kg range, and held it to the line. I think it's justified and probably accurate. With a 30 mph leadout I think low 20s would have been possible, mid 21s would have been pretty slow.<br />
<br />
Of course it helps if I had actually sprinted the whole sprint.<br />
<br />
In looking back at the data it looks like I sprinted for 2 seconds before shutting it down, then waited about 5 seconds before doing a half hearted sprint to the line, sitting up a bit early because I was disappointed that I didn't jump at my normal mark before the start line and go all the way to the finish.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless I did a 22.97 second sprint. This is the same time as a pretty poor solo attempt a bit earlier this week but one that ended up my 30 day best until today (22.99).<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0bA6DZrOunmEdfULUb2P8S4RY6ml2yVIYoZk6YiioNFHK8OEdZU64SuuRgpL6vMVoUpjeJR41JLR00Zqk80n8IrIgtGm0qo9dWjskYLhMG35C1HzpjRI9V20NfDiJZo2UWV6ew/s1600/2016-09-22_15150213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0bA6DZrOunmEdfULUb2P8S4RY6ml2yVIYoZk6YiioNFHK8OEdZU64SuuRgpL6vMVoUpjeJR41JLR00Zqk80n8IrIgtGm0qo9dWjskYLhMG35C1HzpjRI9V20NfDiJZo2UWV6ew/s320/2016-09-22_15150213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn't take a shot of the leaderboard but I was third after the sprint.</div>
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The list of riders to the right are all part of the group ride.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm slowing hard (4 mph) so they're passing me en masse.</div>
<br />
<b>After The Sprint</b><br />
<br />
After the sprint I recovered at my normal 0-1 mph, 5-20 watt pace. The group quickly disappeared, literally in fact. Once a rider gets to the end of the ride they revert to a normal rider, not a group rider, and dropped off the visible riders in the "group ride list". Ends up me and a guy named Mike were the only two that decided to do the third lap solo, and he was a few minutes ahead of me, looks like about 12 minutes by the time I finished the final lap.<br />
<br />
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Typical road race result for me. Dead last, 35 minutes down from the leader.</div>
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This would have been a short road race, like 30-40 miles.</div>
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Note that all the other riders have zero heart rates. They're already logged off the ride.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In group ride mode you can't see non-group ride members except when they pass you. Can't message others. Can't search for them. Etc. So although there were about 500 riders on the course I was really alone.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I started thinking of stuff on this final lap.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I understand that I'm weak on the bike, weaker still on Zwift. But the 2-2.5 w/kg ride pace should have been possible for me, at least for a lap. I got about 8 minutes in before I had to pull the plug.</div>
<br />
I understand riders want to go hard, go fast, go at whatever pace they want. I get that.<br />
<br />
What I don't get is when a rider joins a group and blatantly, obviously, rides above the pace and shreds the front of the group. The ride leader has a couple options. One is to ignore the offender. Another is to call them back. A third is to chase down the offenders.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately the third option will push people over the edge. I've seen this happen where the ride leader says, "Okay, follow me, I'll pull you up" and half the riders basically explode. They were already redlined and the pace increase killed them. Limited draft, redlined riders... not a good combination.<br />
<br />
The first option, ignoring the offender, works sometimes, but if people start bridging it gets tough. There's a critical mass point where if, say, 2/3 of the riders ends up in the front group, well, that's 2/3 of the group.<br />
<br />
The second option, calling them back, sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.<br />
<br />
I don't understand the mentality of "winning" a group ride.<br />
<br />
<b>Racing</b><br />
<br />
One big difference, I think, is that I actually race sanctioned races. We race for a known goal, typically the finish line after a number of laps, and with a controlled environment you usually get a good idea of where you stand. Sometimes I do okay, often I don't.<br />
<br />
I'm good with that.<br />
<br />
When I'm not racing I don't need to "beat" other riders. You want to pass me while I'm climbing this hill? Go ahead. Want to sprint past me to make the light? Be my guest. In Florida in 2009 my 7 year old niece wanted to race me, her on her scooter and me on my bike.<br />
<br />
She won every time.<br />
<br />
In fact with Zwift I toodle along at ridiculously low wattages, 60 or 80 watts or some absurdly low power like that. I like doing sprints at designated points because, frankly, I want to see if I can get the green jersey, but it's a 100% effort that makes it even harder for me to hold even minimal power levels after the sprint.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIeDCB4rokRnTbr2tZjp3k6od1wIQysLkhohwx_CzppAsczQy3HurLeCatZfQL7Ln1zaVpRfcdHhAsotl3YEIaK3e6EgUX4HqZdM20zkKhPuWs5KXA-mQXwBQaSO6IyLcMs4rOA/s1600/20160922_ZwiftPower.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIeDCB4rokRnTbr2tZjp3k6od1wIQysLkhohwx_CzppAsczQy3HurLeCatZfQL7Ln1zaVpRfcdHhAsotl3YEIaK3e6EgUX4HqZdM20zkKhPuWs5KXA-mQXwBQaSO6IyLcMs4rOA/s320/20160922_ZwiftPower.png" width="128" /></a></div>
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Going for lowest average power possible.</div>
<br />
If you look at the above screenshot you'll see that I averaged 51w, 87w, 65w, 145w, and 93w. What's kind of ironic is that the hardest ride, the 145w one, I quit after 26 minutes because it was a Sub2 group sustaining well over a 2 w/kg pace.<br />
<br />
I also skipped mentioning the 33w partial ride since it was me briefly contemplating riding on my own and deciding I'd much rather read to Junior.<br />
<br />
Put me in a group ride (not a race) and it's all about the group. I don't sprint unless the ride leader says we're sprinting. I don't attack the group, I don't push harder just because I can. Admittedly I'm rarely in that situation but it's happened.<br />
<br />
It's disappointing to go through everything I need to do to join a group ride and then have it ruined because the ride doesn't follow the advertised pace. I've gotten my dad settled, or, worse, asked the Missus to handle some of my responsibilities. Left Junior for bed without reading him a few books or even checking up on him as he's drifting off into la la land. But I do that now and then because I'd like to get in a group ride that has a pace I can handle.<br />
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Then the group hammers, redlines me, and eventually sheds me.<br />
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And to join this ride I made the choice to sacrifice a bit of family time. I could easily ride later, on my own, but then I wouldn't have the group to ride with, the conversation, the feeling of solidarity, etc.<br />
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However this is what I miss when I'm joining a Sub2 ride at 8 PM:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIhTPY7-vgafN95lvMz_kk057SgozyJdbexEqgihhTmXCSS7dbTYKzE9vY3CAffzWX5j2_uSBZsh6AtmMRjErmypd6oUn7mBcutTqsFqq0wZoj3LaMSH8YRWueHC4O_sO_ug9Eg/s1600/20160925_Koichi-reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIhTPY7-vgafN95lvMz_kk057SgozyJdbexEqgihhTmXCSS7dbTYKzE9vY3CAffzWX5j2_uSBZsh6AtmMRjErmypd6oUn7mBcutTqsFqq0wZoj3LaMSH8YRWueHC4O_sO_ug9Eg/s320/20160925_Koichi-reading.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Reading to Junior.</div>
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Bella is the feline sitting on the edge of the bed rail.</div>
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I make the call to ride instead of read to Junior, I acknowledge that. However I make the call with a certain expectation of the ride.</div>
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On the Romain ride I elected to stay on, mainly because it was a weird time ride (2:30 PM) and we'd all have time after the ride. However on that 145w ride a few days prior?<br />
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I climbed off the bike, went upstairs, let Junior know that I'd read after I showered, and then I got to read some books with him.Akihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.com1