2-WHEELS Elite Cycling

Overall, the weekend was a good weekend, but there were two things that went terribly wrong.  First off, I forgot to pack Michele’s 11/28 cassette (yes, I am the bike bitch and happy about it!).  So on our way to the race we stopped off to buy another 11/28 (this one is for me…lol!).  Unfortunately, this side trip to get a new cassette caused us to be late for the Pro, 1, 2 race.  The second major issue for the weekend happened on Sunday when I locked my keys in the trunk.  Michele and I planned to go ride on Sunday morning.  I went to the car to get ready, placed my keys on the floor of the trunk, closed the trunk and realized the car was locked.  After three hours, and a lot of help from Brian (my sister’s boyfriend) we finally got a lock smith and got into the car.  Other than those two issues, the weekend was great! 

I am not too sure how much more I can add to Michele’s race report for the Race for Humanity.  This is the third time we have done this race, and I think it is one of the best road races in Florida.  Unlike previous years, this year’s race was a bit warmer.   One of the best things about this year’s race besides the warmer weather was that I was able to go to the start line with Ray, Chip, Mark, Thomas, David and Michele (due to being late for the Pro,1, 2 race because of the cassette).  It is always good to race with some teammates.   So here is the race from my perspective:

The race was three laps of a 17 mile course with a nice three stair step climb coming into the finish.  In all the previous year’s races the climb has always been the determining factor in the finish.  This year was no different.   For the majority of the first lap things were pretty mellow.  There were a few attacks but nothing to be worried about.  Like most races, I tried to stay toward the front of the peloton to stay out of trouble.  At one point, I did drift all the way to the rear of the peloton and realized how sketchy it was back there.  I took my time to working my way back up through the peloton and I finally made it back to the front a couple of miles prior to the stair step climb.  When we finally made the turn onto the road leading to the stair step climb (start/finish road), there was a two man break up the road.  I attacked the peloton and bridged to the break bringing another rider with me.  The four of us worked together through the stair steps and by the last step/climb another six riders caught us bringing the total for the break to ten.  The break started working together with each rider rotating through and we slowly started to build a gap on the field.   At the end of the second lap leading into the third lap I attacked on the last stair step trying to break the breakaway group up but no one went with me and I soloed for a few miles until I was pulled back in.  Knowing that I could not interfere with the race I did a good bit of work on the backside of the course until the last turn leading into the finishing road (same road with the stair steps).  From this moment on I sat on the back of the break and watched as a couple of riders could not hang on to the pace.  I eventually rolled into the finish in 7^th place and feeling like I got in some good riding.

Maybe next race I will arrive on time and will be able to race in the Pro, 1, 2 field. 

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,100 times in 2010. That’s about 7 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 22 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 27 posts. There were 22 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 23mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was July 29th with 119 views. The most popular post that day was 206.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were pcpraceteam.wordpress.com, quarq.com, mystufie.co.cc, usacycling.org, and digg.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for cycling logo, cyclist logo, 2 wheels elite cycling, space coast cycling festival, and sugarloaf mountain florida cycling.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Race Schedule March 2010
1 comment

Pictures March 2010

About October 2008

Plans October 2008

The 2011 Tentative Road Racing Schedule has been posted. Please click on the Racing Schedule Page.

If you are like me you are probably fried from all the hard training and racing throughout the year.  Whether you’re a racer or a weekend warrior the feeling of being fried and un-motivated after a big season is real.  This time of the year, we all mentally want to get off the bike and let it sit in the corner of the house and collect dust and cob webs until the New Year.  This would suck the hard-earned fitness from your legs, heart and lungs leaving you sluggish, soft and ready for the biggest loser competition after the holidays.    The concern that most of us have during this part of the year is how do I maintain all the good fitness I gained throughout the year and keep the weight off? 

It’s difficult to make progress year after year if we take three to four months off at the end of each season.  Our minds and motivation might need the break but our bodies can’t handle it.  Training is a building block process year after year and if you are losing a majority of your fitness due to a long break it is that much harder to get stronger the following year.  So what is the key to maintaining a reasonable fitness level throughout the off season but also allowing the motivation level to climb back up for next season?

1)       Get away from structured training.

2)      Plan on riding two to three times a week…this can include spinning.

3)      Spend the other days doing other endurance activities (i.e. running, step mill, swimming, etc.)

4)      Ride more with friends/buddies and ride how you feel.

5)      Plan on putting a couple of efforts in during your rides (mix them up).

6)      Work on mixing up your cadence (ride for a couple of minutes with RPM above 100 and then a couple of minutes at 90 RPMs and 80 RPMs).

7)      Weight training.  Head back into the gym focusing on legs and core strength. 

Enjoy this time of the season and realize that the 2011 season is right around the corner.   In a month or two it will be time to sit down, develop your season goals, build a tentative racing/ride schedule, and outline you training plan for 2011.

Another weekend of racing!  Michele and I with Austin in tow went up to Gwinnett County to race in the Gwinnett Bike Fest.  For Michele, the race was a four event race that started with Friday’s road race.  I decided to race in the 40 plus category and the men’s events started on Wednesday.  My plan was only to race three of the six events starting with Friday’s road race.

 Friday’s Road Race:

 Harbin’s Road Race on Friday was a hilly 7.4 mile loop with the major climb being the start/finish.  We raced this same course last year at a different event and I won the master’s 35 plus finishing the race in a break away with a category 3 rider.  However, at last year’s Harbin’s road race I was in a break and got a flat tire and ended up having to pulling out.   Michele won last year’s Harbin’s road race by getting in a break and out sprinting her break away companions. 

 This year’s race pretty much started on time but the big concern this year was the heat.  The temperatures were high and the humidity made it a lot worse.  Michele’s race was 25 miles or 3 laps and started at 11:05.  She raced aggressively and tried to make a couple of breaks work; unfortunately, nothing stuck and the field came into the finishing climb all together.  During the race her asthma started to bother her and knowing this she went to the front and pushed hard on the downhill prior to the finishing climb to try and get a gap.  The field did not let her get too much of a gap and they surged up the hill while Michele suffered one of her worst asthma attacks I have ever heard.  I and everyone else could hear her breathing coming up the finishing hill.  She ended up rolling in with the peloton and taking 8^th overall. Not a bad result considering that she basically could not breathe.

 As for me, the 40 plus field raced with the category 3 field at 12:15 and we had to do 8 laps, about 68 miles.  The race pretty much started on time and I immediately went to the front and lead with an easy tempo ride pace.  The first attack happened before we hit 1 mile into the race and the field just let the guy roll off.  The field stayed together on the first lap and as we were coming into the start/finish climb I hit it hard to get the king of the mountain points.  Only two other riders followed me and after cresting the top of the climb we realized we had a gap on the field. I decided to test the waters and see if we could get away.  The three of us caught the lead breakaway rider and quickly went by him.  We worked well together but before the end of the second lap one of the breakaway riders with me dropped back.  With me and another rider, a guy wearing an Ecuador cycling kit, trying to hold off the field for 6 more laps, I did not think the break was going to hold.  We continued to work together and I lead up the start/finish climb each time we came around.  With two laps to go, I dropped Ecuador on the start/finish climb but waited up for him to catch.  On the last lap, I dropped Ecuador again on the climb but this time as I took a feed from Michele, she yelled at me to drop Ecuador and win the race.  I soloed the last lap trying to push the pace as hard as I could.  The official on the motorcycle did give me a time split by saying “I waited over 3 minutes for the peloton and then gave up and Ecuador has his tongue on the ground between you and the peloton”.  It was an uneventful finish.  I soloed to the finish with Ecuador coming in a couple minutes behind me and the field rolling in a couple minutes behind him.  The big “Thanks!” goes out to Michele and Austin who stood out in the heat and the sun and made sure I got a feed on each lap.           

 Stay tune for Saturday’s Time Trial, Saturday’s Criterium, and Sunday’s Road Race report they will be posted shortly.