New Training Tool

If this weather keeps up, I'm looking at one of these so I can actually train outside:

XTR and First Endurance

Things are starting to come together for next year. Sponsorship proposals went out a few weeks back. Now its a waiting game.

I do know that I will have a complete '07 Shimano XTR group and wheelset on one of the race rigs next year. I love XTR because it works really well. Some notable features this year include a ti/carbon middle chain ring, lighter wheelset, and a more durable finish on the cranks.



Also, I got word that First Endurance will continue to be my nutrition product sponsor. I am looking forward to trying out their new EFS bar.



Blue Star

Carpe Diem

I suck at posting to this blog. Lately, it seems the more I want to do something, the more likely other things will get in the way. The paradox of my life, which was not always that way. Well, today, I have managed to pull together a few spare minutes to create a post. Some thoughts followed by photos from Worlds and a cross race.

I am another year older today and another race season has come and gone. Reflecting back on Year 30, I find myself dissecting some simple, yet challenging questions: did you accomplish your goals?; what do you want to do next?; what will make you happy?. I think the answers lie in my favorite poem by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

As I sit here at the fork in the road wondering what the future will bring, I know Year 31 is going to be an interesting one.

Some photos from Worlds at Sun Peaks

Warming up at Worlds in the Team USA jersey


About to head up another leg searing climb


Exiting the pain cave after the battle is over


Some photos of cross at Kelly Creek

Into the barriers


More barriers


Runup (that's me making the pass on the right)


Hopefully, it doesn't take me another 8 weeks to write again.

Blue Star

Masters World Championships

In just a few days, SLR and I will be heading north to Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, British Columbia for the UCI Masters World Mountain Bike Championships. It will be exciting to don the Team USA jersey and represent the United States against competitors from around the World. The race is only broken down by age groups, so I'll be doing battle with some pro racers and many top amateurs. This is the final year that Canada will host the event and for the next three years it will be at a small ski resort in the south of France.

Lately, my form has been finicky after a long season of training and racing. Regardless, racing in my first international race surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the BC interior is a proper way to wind up the season. I've achieved some of my goals this year and fell short on others. This fall Coach Thomas and I will sit down and evaluate what worked and what didn't and see if we can fine tune my engine just that little bit more so I can make the step to the next level. Mix in some local cross races and maybe a couple of epic fall MTB rides with THayes and it should make for a good off-season.

Blue Star

And some more from the Brian Head NORBA

Father & Son. Live Strong, Dudster!


The venue at 10k feet


Climbing


Turning


Wheelie across the line


A podium for the Short Track XC

A Photo Dump

If anyone still checks this site, you know I haven't posted in forever. Hopefully, I can keep a regular posting schedule moving forward. Once you slip, it's easy to put off posting. Rather than attempt to capture the last two months of riding in words, I'll try and do it with images.

Warming up for the Mt. Constitution Hill Climb


On the switchbacks on Mt. Constitution


Mt. Hood Pre-ride. Does it get any more beautiful?


Given'r with a grin on Mt. Hood


Ripping on some SWEET singletrack


The National Championships in Sonoma, California


Waiting for the gun


Towing a wheel sucker in the Short Track XC


Fourth Place in the XC to add to the year's hardware

Hello? Anyone home?

Yeah Yeah. I know. It's been like a month since I've posted anything. I've got updates in the hopper. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. But, alas, this thing called a job is keeping me quite busy lately. A colleague of mine recently said, "Wow, if you're not working or sleeping you are on your bike." That quote sums up the last month or so in a nutshell. Although the training volume and quality have definitely taken a hit because I'm mentally spent at the end of the day. I'll endeavor to get some race reports up soon.

Here's a photo of the short track XC from last weekend:

2006 Ellsworth Truth

Just under 25lbs of pure racing goodness:


Close up of new asymmetrical chainstay and carbon cross member:


There is no other bike that I would want to toe a start line on. It is fast, plush, and responsive. We shall see if its rider can take it to the podium.

To Mom:

Because of you I strive to make it be there every day!



Thank you and have a Happy Mother's Day!

With much love,
Blue Star

Allergies, The Shuffle, and the Inland Empire Strikes Back

I've been a total slacker when it comes to blogging. I promise to me more diligent in the future. Soooo, what's been happening?

Allergies
Just after my last post, I went to the allergy doctor because my seasonal water works turned on and the dreaded gagging cough that has plagued me the last few years since I moved to Seattle returned. The Doc did a variety of tests for common allergens in the Pacific NW. Grass -- positive. Trees -- Positive. Weeds -- Positive. Dust -- Positive. Pet Dander -- Positive. And, of course, all stinging insects -- MAJOR Positive. The nurse and doc watched the various test sites swell beyond their little measurement card could handle. With a furled brow, the doctor asked me: "Are you sure you don't want to take up an indoor sport? I hear speed skating is fun?" Sorry, no can do. He then prescribed an anti-allergy cocktail in hopes of combatting those pesky allergens. All the drugs were OK on the WADA and USADA banned substance lists.

Seatac Shuffle
Two days later I toed the start line for the Seatac Shuffle. I was breathing free and clear for the most part because of my new morning regimen of little pills and spraying stuff up my nose. The pack hit it hard from the start and the usual cast of characters moved to the front. I was tentative at the start and hit the singletrack around 5th place, but quickly realized I was on a good day. I had power on demand and was motoring. I started picking off the guys in front of me with ease. I was feeling so good I backed off a little because I was afraid that I would blow up and not be able to maintain such a high pace to the finish. On the last lap, I was in eye sight of first place but just couldn't close the gap down and I finished a close second less than 30 seconds back from the winner. A promising result, especially because Seatac is a power course with no climbs to speak of.

Fontana NORBA
Next up, was the first Norba National stop of the year in Fontana, CA outside LA. The course was in a city park that was smack between huge residential neighborhoods on all sides. The smog was so thick I didn't see blue sky the whole weekend even though there were no clouds. This area of CA is called the Inland Empire. I definitely felt like I was riding on another planet in a Star Wars movie with all the strange blown out foundations and big dump trucks on course. Although the course was pretty fun, with some good climbing and real loose technical descents. The course was 75% or so singletrack so I perceived a good start to be important. The group took off and I hit the gas immediately and was first into the singletrack. No dust and no slow traffic to worry about. I was riding strong, not as good as Seatac, but still really good. I was in the top-5 after the first lap and actually passed a couple guys on the big climb to start the second lap. I was just starting to think I was going to get on the box, when BAM, my tire blows up after hitting a rock that was buried in the sand in one of the chutes on the descent. My front wheel locked up sending me on an over the bar hop and tumble-run into the brush on the side of the trail. Stunned, I ran back to my bike and changed the tire as fast as possible. Riders streaming past me like a sand through an hour glass. I quickly realized I was now probably in last place. Nonetheless, I charged on picking off as many riders as I could in the remaining lap and half. I ended up finishing in 11th place out of 25 starters in my group. The guy who finished 5th was behind me when my tire incident occurred, so I have a feeling I would have made the podium. DAMN! Gotta give a shout out to the Parents that made the drive over from Lost Wages to see me flat. I'll try and redeem myself at Brian Head.

Motivation
I feel like I am on top of the fitness curve right now for the amount of time I have been training. It's really motivating to see the results of hardwork paying off, but really frustrating to have a flat ruin a chance at a big result. I'm chomping at the bit for a big result. Now that day-light savings time has hit, I hope to crank out some more training time and get even faster. Earning my semi-pro upgrade is my major objective this year. I probably could upgrade now with the results I have had, but I want to bust out some solid top-5's and even win a National before making the move.

Race Schedule Update
Unfortunately, the trip planning for this summer hasn't worked well. Mt. Snow isn't going to happen because of prohibitive flight costs. Plus, USAC cancelled the one-day at Mammoth and bumped it up a week and changed the venue to Sonoma. This move may bode well for me because the course will not be at altitude. However, they made the switch after I booked my tickets for Mammoth. I'm planning on re-finalizing the schedule this weekend and will post where I'll be over the summer.

New Truth
The new frame has arrived and is built. It is a work of art and comes in at 24.5 L bees. I will post some pics this weekend. I'm sure some folks on the MTBR board will want to have a peak.

Til next time,
Blue Star

Atomic Bonk, Recovery, and Wednesday Night World's

Well, the Sea Otter XC race did not go as I planned. I suffered through a bonk of epic proportions. I got a good start and my first lap of the 19 mile course went well. I was definitely in the top 5 or so riders in my age-group. Then things began to unravel, I noticed I was getting hungry and soon thereafter I was in serious need of calories. I sucked down some EFS sports drink and some gel, but it was too little, too late. I was probably a little dehydrated and I couldn't process the sugar. My stomach got upset and I was still in need of energy. I was soon left staring at my front tire and pedaling like a small child. Needless to say, riders started coming by me at a regular rate. To add to my misery, my drivetrain started to skip gears on the second lap because of all the mud that had accumulated in my chain and derailleur cables. I was left with only one functioning gear to negotiate the remaining 8 miles of the second lap. I persevered to the finish taking a lofty 22nd place in my age-group. A little less than half of my field DNF'd. Oh, forgot to mention that is was pouring rain the entire race.

I buried myself to finish Sea Otter. Upon returning to Seattle, my legs were cooked for a solid 7 days. I took several days of the bike to aid in their recovery. I went to bed early and slept a lot. I did do a couple of recovery spins and a 3-hour low-intensity ride to close out the week. The entire 3-hour ride my legs were saying "no!" I was worried that the legs weren't going to come around.

But, with every valley, there comes a peak. I raced my first Wednesday Night race down at Seatac Park yesterday. The legs came alive and I was motoring. I beat all my usual competitors and was in eye sight of the leading pack of pro racers. Definitely a boost to the morale. Fitness is a finicky thing.

This weekend is the Seatac Shuffle. Another Indie Series race that should be a good test to see where I am at on the fitness curve. I'm hoping to build back up some for the NORBA in Fontana, CA outside LA in early May.

That's about all for now,

Blue Star

Sea Otter - Days 1 & 2 (and some hardware)

Day #1:
My flight left Seattle bright and early on Friday morning. Hayes, Aaron, and myself arrived at the San Jose airport to clear skies and warm temps. We rolled down to Monterey and the race venue at Laguna Seca. Beautiful green hills with a car race track all wrapped up in the terrain. The event is huge. Industry rigs everywhere, several different races (road, mtb, dirt jump, etc.) going on at one time, and a whole lot of people on bikes. I heard there were over 10k people registered for the various events over the course of the weekend. With all the mud, it definitely has a Woodstock of bikes vibe about it. Anyway, we proceeded to get the bikes built and hit the XC course for a pre-ride. It's wicked fast with lots of swoopy fun singletrack. About two-thirds into the 18 mile loop, the skies turned dark and opened up with 25 mph wind gusts. Fun stuff for a pre-ride. The sandy course ate my middle ring in the process so I was suffering from a wicked case of chain suck. We got back to our pimp rental van, changed, and made our way through the massive traffic jam to Salinas. I stopped at a shop in Salinas and luckily they had an XTR middle ring to replace the one that was misfiring on my Enlightenment during the pre-ride. We grabbed some grub and then I promptly set in to a few hours of bike maintenance to get the rig ready for short-track XC on Saturday morning.

Day #2:
Arrived at the race venue bright and early to scope the yet unseen short-track course out. Wow, lots and lots and lots of mud. I watched the earlier races and noted all the pits that were unrideable because I certainly wasn't going to pre-ride in those nasty conditions. I decided to mount up the full fender set to stay reasonably clean. I get a short warmup in and then head over for my 11:00 am start. The whistle blows and were off like pigs in mud. Slip and slide was the name of the game. Run over the impassable stuff and slide down the somewhat rideable stuff. I had my running game on today and passed many people that were trying in vane to keep pedaling. I ended up on the box in third place. Mission accomplished.

Here's a shot of the hardware:


I'll have some action and podium shots in the future.

Now, its time to recover and get prepped for battle number two the 36-mile beast of a XC race. Hopefully, the climbing legs are firing on all cylinders and I can give'r a go.

Later,

Blue Star

Off to Sunny (err.. Rainy) California

I'm off to Sea Otter tomorrow morning.



The hardtail is clean, dialed in, and packed in its plastic case for the trip. Legs are feeling really good. The weather is, well, it's nasty, but that should be to my advantage coming from the Pacific Northwest. People from California have been complaining that it has rained like 20 days straight in Monterey. I've been there, done that. Remember this post or this post.

There is supposed to be in the neighborhood of 60k people attending (spectators and racers) over the course of the weekend. That's a whole lot of bike freaks in one town. The exciting part is that the Expert XC race on Sunday goes off immediately after the Pros so all the fans will be on course cheering us on too.

I'm taking the laptop and camera so I'll try and get some posts of the festivities up over the weekend.

Blue Star

On the Box

A short race report from the weekends 20th Annual Peak Sports Mudslinger in Blodgett, OR.

SLR and I rolled down to Portland, OR on Friday night and met up with our good friend Mags from MU. She generously served as our host for the weekend showing us around Stumptown and joining us on the journey to Blodgett for the race. On Saturday, we stopped in at a sweet bike shop in Portland that fabricates the most beautiful wooden bike fenders I have ever seen. My mind quickly was processing what kind of bike I could build around those fenders.

Race day was Sunday morning. We got a little lost on our way to the little town due to a lack of adequate directions in the race information. We arrived at Blodgett Elementary where the cars with roof racks lined both sides of the road and we were relegated to parking on a fire road a good distance from the registration area. The number of cars was indicative of the number of racers in the field, many.

The race started with a 2-mile neutral rollout to the base of the first climb. Once there we staged for the start and I was stuck mid-pack. Despite my poor start position, I quickly started passing riders on the steep stair-step climb. The course just kept going up and I just kept passing riders. As it turns out, the race had no shortage of climbing, somewhere between 4000 and 4800 feet of vertical gain depending on who you talk to.

After slogging up the climbs and sliding down the slippery descents, I came through after the first lap in 4th place. I should have ran fenders on my bike because the Mudslinger was living up to its name. SLR and Mags cheered me on and gave me a fresh bottle as I started the climb again and with their encouragement I focused on catching more racers. About a mile into the climb, the skies opened up, first with rain, then with hail. The conditions motivated me even more to charge up the climb. I caught up to the third place rider and quickly moved by before he could muster a counter attack. Again, I descended slow and steady in the mud because I couldn't see and I was doing my best to keep the bike upright.

I dropped onto the road back to the finish line, put it in the big ring, and hammered as hard as I could. I passed the second place rider like he was in the granny. I crested the final climb to the cheers of SLR and Mags. I rolled across the line as the second expert overall in about 2:40. I'm considering it a win, because the winner of the expert category beat the entire semi-pro field and half the pro field in the process. I think I could have shaved some serious time off if I had run some fenders and could see the trail when heading downhill. Hindsight!

Charging to the finish (note the fresh coat of mud on my face):



There was some mud out there:



On the Box:



Bring on Sea Otter because I'm ready to thrown down. Hopefully, there is enough climbing that I can put the hurt on some guys.

Later,

Blue Star

Gear Rolls In

Almost all the sponsorship goods are in the garage. It's so fun to get new gear from the sponsors. Almost like being a kid on Christmas with a mountain of new toys to play with. I just hope I represent this season and make their investment worth while.

A few weeks back Maxxis sent me a bunch of tires to satisfy my OC obsession with having the right tire for the right condition. My initial shipment included a good mix of tires for conditions from hardpack to wet and loose. I will post reviews of the various tires after I get some more time on them. This past weekend I ran an Ignitor on the front and an ADvantage on the rear. I think this is a good all-around condition setup. My only gripe is that the bead on the Ignitor is a little loose and I couldn't get it to seat in the rim with a Stan's NoTubes rim strip, which resulted in a mess of wet latex on the garage floor. So, I'm running a tube up front and Stan's in the rear for the moment until I get brave and try and do the Stan's again. I've got some Rancheros set up on the XTR wheelset for the Otter.

Spent a few hours last night getting the Enlightenment (a.k.a Stealth Bomber) dialed in. I'm going to run it this weekend with all the climbing that the Mudslinger course is going to throw at me. Plus, it will allow me to identify any issues that may be lurking before Sea Otter. As it sits now, its weighing in at ~21 el bees.

Yesterday, the brown box truck dropped off a sweet Fox F100x fork. I ran the F100x on my Enlightenment hardtail last year and liked it so much am going to put the one that arrived yesterday on the new Truth (when it FINALLY gets to Seattle). The beauty of the X line of Fox forks is the inertia valve. I call it the auto-lockout. Essentially, what the valve does is prevent the fork from compressing when there is downward force from the handlebar, i.e. no bob, and it will activate when the wheel takes an upward hit from the terrain. This technology makes out of saddle efforts during races easy because you don't waste any energy on a pogo-sticking front fork and when your in the pain cave you don't have to remember to turn on or off a manual lockout. Not to mention, that all the forks guts are machined aluminum and the stanchions are some super-stiff 32mm fattys. No flexy legs or out of spec plastic crap need apply.

Stick a fork in me...

... because I'm done.

Blue Star out

Dash for Cash

On Sunday, SLR and I hopped the ferry over to Whidbey Island for the Dash for Cash race (formerly known as the Whidbey Island Mudder). Sunny skies and dry trails made for a good day to be racing the mountain bike. Lots of racers turned out this weekend, the Expert 30-39 category had 21 guys doing battle.

The race was held on a short, fast course that winds like an intestine on a fairly small piece of private property. The key to doing well is acceleration. Brake, turn 180 degrees, accelerate explosively to hold the wheel of the guy in front of you. Repeat many, many times. There were two short gradual climbs that could be used to crack the whip on some wheel suckers.

My strength as a cyclist is not high end power. Steady efforts are my thing. So, I did my best to follow wheels today. I got a good start and placed myself 3rd going into the singletrack. I jockeyed for that position the rest of the day. I had second in my sight for the first 3 out of 5 laps, but that blue and yellow jersey slowly disappeared out of view. The last lap my legs began to fade from all the power surges. I ended up giving up my third place position as I zig zagged through the intestine one last time. I almost got it back on the climb, but my descending in a fog of fatigue allowed the gap to grow again. I crossed the line comfortably in fourth place in a time of about 1 hour and 25 minutes. My dash for some cash fell one spot short. Nevertheless, I fought the good fight and am happy with 4th place. I realize that I just don't do well on power courses.

This weekend we're off to Corvallis, OR for the Mudslinger. The Mudslinger promises to be more my style of race with a 32 mile course and 4000 feet of climbing. Maybe all that climbing THayes and I did over the winter will be put to good use at this one.

17 days until Sea Otter.

Blue Star

Weekend Off

I took a holiday from training this weekend. It was THayes' last stand as a bachelor. The chosen venue was Whistler, during "Ladies' Week" no less. Lots of snow the past two months had locals saying that the conditions were the best in 5 years. Good skiing. Good times. That's about all I can say because what happens in Canada stays in Canada.

Now it is back to training for Sea Otter. Only 24 days until the biggest MTB race in the country. Lots of super high intensity intervals and some tune-up races during that time should give me a few more watts in the legs when I hit the start line. I'm really looking forward to some warm weather where no leg or arm warmers are necessary.

Blue Star

Quote Day Returns

A personal favorite:

"Do not speak, unless it improves on silence."
--Buddhist Proverb

Still Waiting

Got word that my new Truth won't be showing up for another month. Luckily, Sea Otter is a hardtail course and I'll be running the Enlightenment. Here's a sneak peak at the new Truth:


The frame has the new asymmetrical stays, smooth ano finish, and allegedly cuts some ounces with a carbon cross bar on the rocker. Artwork!

Tired Cyclist = No Posts

Sorry for the lack of updates around here. I've been so tired for the last few weeks. I think it correlates with the start of the build phase in my training plan, which includes a plethora of high-intensity intervals throughout the week. Stack hard workouts on top of a heavy work load at the j-o-b and that equals no blog updates.

A few things to report. My first race of the season was on February 12th at South Seatac Park. It went well with a win in my age-group although I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the overall fastest time. I got a real bad start and had to work through the field and that allowed a couple guys to get away. Seatac does not suit my strengths either because it requires lots of big power bursts and I train for putting out long steady efforts in anticipation of the climbing races to come this summer.

The second race of the season did not go as well. The Valentine's Challenge is at Tahuhya State Forest near Belfair, WA. I historically do well at this race and my legs were feeling good. I got the hole shot from the start and built a substantial lead during the early portions of the first lap. Near the end of the first lap in a rooty technical section, a stick kicked up into my cassette at high speed and sheared my derailleur hanger off the frame and bent the derailleur 90 degrees the wrong direction. Needless to say, my day was done and I started the slow walk back to the start/finish area. About two minutes later, the main pack in my category came by. Frustrating.

35 days until Sea Otter. Looking forward to some sun and dry trails.

Until next time (hopefully not two weeks from now),

Blue Star

Schoolhouse Rock Lesson

This week's "quote" is the lyrics to "Three Ring Government". If you have been following the news lately, you know why.

Gonna have a three-ring circus someday,
People will say it's a fine one, son.
Gonna have a three-ring circus someday,
People will come from miles around.
Lions, tigers, acrobats, and jugglers and clowns galore,
Tightrope walkers, pony riders, elephants, and so much more...

Guess I got the idea right here at school.
Felt like a fool when they called my name,
Talkin' about the government and how it's arranged,
Divided in three like a circus.
Ring one, Executive,
Two is Legislative, that's Congress.
Ring three, Judiciary.
See it's kind of like my circus, circus.

Step right up and visit ring number one.
The show's just begun. Meet the President.
I am here to see that the laws get done.
The ringmaster of the government.

On with the show!

Hurry, hurry, hurry to ring number two.
See what they do in the Congress.
Passin' laws and juggling bills,
Oh, it's quite a thrill in the Congress.
Focus your attention on ring number three.
The Judiciary's in the spotlight.
The courts take the law and they tame the crimes
Balancing the wrongs with your rights.

No one part can be
more powerful than any other is.
Each controls the other you see,
and that's what we call checks and balances.

Well, everybody's act is part of the show.
And no one's job is more important.
The audience is kinda like the country you know,
Keeping and eye on their performance.

Ring one, Executive,
Two is Legislative, that's Congress.
Ring three, Judiciary.
See it's kind of like my circus, circus.

Gonna have a three-ring circus someday.
People will say it's a fine one son,
But until I get it, I'll do my thing
With government. It's got three rings.

Quick Update

Saturday was marked by a huge wind storm lashing Western Washington. Sustained winds up over 40 mph and gusts up to 60+ mph. Not a good day to be on the bike, so luckily I had a power test on the schedule that would be accomplished on the indoor trainer. I spent most of the day watching and filming an old 80 foot tree in our neighbors yard rock and sway. The root ball was causing the ground around the tree to heave as if the earth were breathing. I noticed some stress fractures form in the bark and wondered out loud while filming whether the root ball would let go or the tree was going to crack about 15 feet off the ground. I was taking a break from filming when SLR and I heard a loud crack followed by a rumbling boom. The tree had given up the fight and I missed it. Luckily, it fell in a place where it only took out power lines and did no damage to homes or fences.

With that excitement out the way, I commenced my power test. The test involved one five-minute maximal effort, two one-minute efforts, and two fifteen second efforts. The results create a power profile. Those durations reflect power at maximal oxygen uptake, anaerobic capacity, and neuromuscular power. The results were very encouraging. I put out a personal best for the five minute interval. This is very exciting, because I have not even begun my build phases yet. During build phase, I will include some lung searing intervals to build up sustainable power at the various durations. Bottom line, I'm faster now then ever before and I can expect to get faster!

On Sunday, Hayes and I did our Tiger Mountain climbing day. We were on the fire roads early so we could get back in time to watch Seattle do battle for the Lombardi trophy. We hit the climb to West Summit, Cross Over Road, and the power line cut. Total ride time was in the neighborhood of three hours. The beautiful thing was that the sun was shining and the skies clear. A drastic change from weekends past when we were battling snow, rain, and wind. The legs were a little cooked from the power testing the day before, but any day on the bike is a good day.

Unfortunately, the Seahwawks came up short on their dream season. A valiant effort and hopefully a harbinger of good things to come for the team.

Blue Star

A Bike Quote for a Bike Blog

"After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow."
~H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

5 Hours

Five hours on the road bike, 88 miles, and one huge bonk about a 1/2 hour from home. Stopped at Subway to fill the tank. I was in serious need of calories and my stomach was saying "NO!" to any more sugary syrup or sugary drink. So, it was a six inch roasted chicken breast on wheat with a bag of baked potato chips. I was lovin' that food, especially the chips. I crave salt during long rides. Tonight, lots of sodium on tap too with some seriously good sushi at Chiso. Maybe a Kirin Ichiban while I'm at it to get some more carbs. ;-)

Lots of snow in the Cascades the past few days. Something like 3 to 4 feet in the last 36 hours and snow level is down to 1500 feet. There was an avalanche on I-90 not too far from Tiger Mountain. So, Hayes and I are probably going to skip Tiger this weekend and do an alternative MTB ride. I'm going to sift through my guide books tonight to find something that offers enough mileage to get in about three hours, drains well, and is at or below snow level.

Blue Star out

This Week's Quote and Weather Rant

"There is little chance that meteorologists can solve the mysteries of weather until they gain an understanding of the mutual attraction of rain and weekends."
~Arnot Sheppard

Today, is the first day in a long while that I can recall there being sunshine and blue skies. I actually had to pull the shades in my office because of the glare of my computer screen. The problem is that the last two weeks it has rained so hard on Saturday that it has interfered with my long road rides. I can handle mist and some intermittent rain, but the past couple of Saturdays have been steady downpours for hours on end that are sure to bring on hypothermia during long rides on a bike. I want some sun this Saturday. I would give up today's blue skies in if I could get a few hours of good weather on Saturday, but the meteorologists don't care because rain showers are predicted for the next 10 days!

Climbing in the Snow

Hayes and I have been heading to Tiger Mountain for some climbing on the mountain bikes the past four Sundays. This weekend and last we slogged through some snow at the higher altitudes.

We chamoised up at about 10 am and started up hill. After a solid half-hour of moderate paced climbing on the main summit road, we hit the snow and stopped for a food break. This time of year only the fire roads are open to bikes and sweet singletrack like the Preston RR trail are closed for another few months. No ribbon like trails for us until April 15th as the barrier in front of the trailhead clearly states.



Hayes plows forward in the snow on our way to West Tiger to some untracked fire roads.



We explored some new roads I haven't seen before and for the third week in a row ran into some strange characters. This week, two guys were hiking the road in the middle of nowhere. It was misting and cloudy so there were no views to be had. To add to the creepy factor, the guys were not wearing your typical REI issue outdoor gear. Rather, they were sporting stuff straight out of Soldiers of Fortune Magazine. I joked that the one guy was wearing the green poncho to cover up his automatic rifle. I guess combat boots must be comfortable or something. After that interesting encounter, I think we rode a little faster to put some distance between us and those guys.

On the way back, we hit the Crossover road and some serious snow on the north face of the mountain. There were some big watts being put out on the climb to push through about six inches of snow. You know its deep when you can step off the bike and it stays standing. The descent was some slip sliding fun as the bikes squirted around until we dropped below the snow level.



Hayes and I wrapped up the day by hitting some short and steep grinders on the Powerline cut. We rolled into the parking lot with about 3.5 hours of riding time in our legs. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Blue Star

Quote of the Week

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
-Andre Gide

Know when to say when.



I had 5-6 hours on the schedule today. I was hoping to get my first hundie (100 miles) in for 2006. The weather had other ideas in mind. I hit the road around 11am under overcast skies with some mist in the air. I was thinking not too bad, but the back of my mind was warning that it was a little cold and fairly windy. As I rolled south, the tempo of the rain started to pick up until it was clearly a down pour. My jacket had just received a fresh treatment with Nikwax, so it was keeping the moisture at bay for the most part. My lycra clad legs were getting soaked. My windstopper gloves, start to sop up water like sponges. My booties did likewise. Soon enough, my feet, legs, hands, and head were soaked through. My Tifosi glasses needed wipers so I could see.

The doubts started to creep in my mind whether I could endure another 4 hours in the saddle. Each pedal stroke squished water from my feet. I was still close to Lake Washington, but planned to head east into the mountains. I looked up the road and saw nothing but dark, heavy clouds hanging low in the sky. They were surely dumping their H2o cargo on the foothills to make it up over the mountains.

As I approached my turnout to head up hill, I decided to bag it and head towards home. Just then, the winds picked up, which added further conviction to my decision. On the run home, my hands and lower extremities lost feeling. It started raining so hard, the roads were covered in sheets of water several inches deep. Spray from my wheels was escaping from under the fenders and making sure any dry part of my body became wet.

I finally rolled in the driveway. A little over three hours later with about 50 miles in the legs. I stripped off all my wet layers to reveal swollen feet and hands. I had to get my wedding ring off fast to keep my finger from exploding under the pressure. I hit a hot shower and drained the hot water tank enjoying the steamy warmth.

I didn't quite get the time or miles planned, but sometime mother nature has other ideas. The picture above is near where my planned route was to take me in the mountains. I made the right choice. Just another interesting day in the saddle in the Pacific Northwest.

Go Seahawks!

Blue Star

This Week's Quote

Some wisdom from a Starbucks cup:

"Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time."
~Margaret Bonnano

"When it rains, it pours" and Riding the Wave.

Well, including today, Seattle has experienced 23 consecutive days of rain and the forecast is calling for at least seven more. The record is 33 straight days. Now that's some good training weather. This weekend has some long rides on tap that will include some big climbs, so at least I won't be too cold. I'm moving into my final base phase, which means the rides are going to start including some harder efforts as the race season fast approaches and I transition into build phase.

Anyway, did you ever notice that good fortune comes in waves? Kind of like the rain that has inundated Seattle. Maybe it's luck, maybe it's karma, maybe it's hard work. Who knows, but I like to ride the big waves. Two sponsors haved added themselves to my roster of supporters this year in a big way. A couple of months ago, I had no idea what to expect when I was spending all those hours putting together my race resume. It has turned out to be more than worth the effort.

Maxxis Tires
I'm going to be rolling on the best tires on the planet. Maxxis prides itself on high quality products. They have a tire for every condition and for some conditions multiple tires. Having Maxxis in my corner is like having a secret weapon for each course. Plus, I go through tires like candy and Maxxis is going to take care of my sweet tooth. In the next few weeks, all of my bikes will be sporting the big orange Maxxis logo. K-bomb, Gunn-Rita Dahle, and... Blue Star! Be sure to visit the Maxxis website at www.maxxis.com and whether you are in the market for bike tires or car tires there is something there for you.

Fox Racing Shox
I'm starting to sound like a skipping CD in my praise for my sponsors, but Fox makes the only suspension forks and shocks that I will ride. I submitted my resume to only those companies whose product I wanted to race on. Fox will be hooking up my '06 Truth with a shiny and smooth F100x fork and Float R rear shock. I'm in love with the automatic lockout of the super-efficient inertia valve on the F100x. Get out the saddle and stomp and there's no bob, but ride over some low frequency bumps in the trail and the suspension kicks in like butter. Fast suspension products and some cool scenery can be seen at their website: http://www.foxracingshox.com/

In other news, Cathy at Ellsworth has sent me the new Ellsworth team kit. I'm going to be pimpin' at the races. I'm hoping I cross the finish line first at a race this year so, I can bust out my pimp pop victory salute with the new threads. Also, my new Truth should be on the way in the next couple of weeks. Guess what color.... You will have to wait and see, but it should not be that hard to figure out.

T-minus one month and two days until my first warm up race at South Seatac Park. If my CP12 test this weekend and the way I felt on the bike today are any indication, I think Ellsworth will be happy they put a logo on the arse of my shorts.

It's pouring outside. Bring on the rain, bring on the waves.

Blue Star signing off.

Crankbrothers Pedals under Blue Star's feet

Another awesome sponsor on board for the '06 race season. I'll be putting the power down on some Crankbrothers Eggbeater Ti pedals. I submitted a sponorship request to ride for Crankbrothers because their pedals are beautiful, perform, and are lightweight. A key feature for NW riding is that clip ins and outs are accomplished with ease and this pedal does that in even the nastiest conditions because of the open retention hoops. Crankbrothers is one cool company with a sense of style. Check out their site at Crankbrothers.com

New Year's Adage

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda

Think about it.

17+ Hours in the Saddle

Wow, I just experienced quite a week on the bicycle. Work slows down between the Christmas and New Year holidays, so Coach Thomas set up my schedule to take advantage of having more time to devote to training. In total, I put in over 17 hours in the saddle for just about 250 miles. Not a bad haul for a 7 day period that included 2 recovery days.

Monday: Recovery Day. I had to let my legs recover from the effort of the past weekend. Plus, the weather was nasty.

Tuesday: 3 hours of saddle time. The first half of the ride was outside taking advantage of the waning light. Mr. Bicep and I hit the Birk Gilman for a short spin. Intensity was fairly low, but I cranked it up a little towards the end to remind Mr. Bicep that single malt doesn't make you fast on the bike. Just as the last bit of light slipped behind the western horizon, I returned home and set the bike up on the hamster wheel. I spent another hour and half of riding on the trainer, zoning out to some music on the iPod.

Wednesday: 1 hour of gym time and 90 minutes of chamois time. I started my day with 90 minutes on the stationary trainer. My body hates early morning workouts. In fact, it revolts and the engine refuses to fire for at least an hour. I plodded through the ride and was relieved when it was over. Later in the day, I hit the gym. I'm now in my strength maintenance phase, which means I'm backing off the weights some, but still lifting enough to allow me to keep the strength gains I have made without putting on any more muscle mass. One of the keys to going fast on a bike (especially on those long, lung searing climbs in the mountains) is power to weight ratio. More power over less weight equals more speed. Lose too much weight and you also lose muscle that generates power. Put on too much muscle and the power increase from that additional muscle mass is not enough to offset the weight being carried. It's a tenuous balance to maintain. I've put on about 2 kilos of muscle in my legs, arse, and lower back the last two and half months. The big question is whether my power ouput on the bike has increased to compensate, or exceed, the weight gain as compared to where I was at the end of last season. In other words, have I increased my power to weight ratio. From my recent rides, I think there is more power under the hood. I have some power tests coming up soon to confirm my suspicion.

Thursday: 2.5 hours of riding on the trainer (a new personal record). Thursday's workout was very specific, so it had to be done on the trainer. After a long warm up, I did 5 sets of force intervals. As I described in a previous post, force intervals are low RPM, high power output affairs. Essentially, this workou is like weight lifting on the bike as I slowly crank out big watts. I did 5 sets of three minutes at my CP12 power with three minutes of recovery following each effort. Even though the effort was high, I felt really smooth and powerful today. It is exciting to see fitness developing.

Friday: Recovery day, sort of. A half day of taking advantage of fresh snow at Snoqualmie Pass. Not a vacation for the legs, but it was fun to get back on the slopes after a dry winter last year. The snow was so good the Pass was closed for a few hours at the end of the day. We had to hang out and have some food and drink while the DOT folks plowed like crazy to make I-90 drivable.

Saturday: An epic 5.5 hour group ride totaling 90 miles. We began the day be heading about 30 miles to the northeast to Snohomish. In Snohomish, we stopped for a slice of fresh pie at a small bakery to fill the tank for the next 60 miles. After getting warm and eating yummy apple crumb pie, we braved the elements and turned south along the Snohomish River valley. The roads in this part of Washington are very beautiful. Unobstructed views of the snow capped Cascades to west with pastures and undeveloped land in the foreground. Plus, there were only about 5 cars that passed by in a 30-mile stretch. After heading south along the river valley putting in some solid tempo in a pace line, we had to cross back over the western slope of valley. Union Hill Road took us out of the valley and dropped us down into Redmond. Union Hill is the perfect climb. It is just steep enough to generate a steady effort while the road winds ahead in the distance all encased by woods filled with big trees. I was motoring dropping all my riding companions in my wake. The beautiful thing was that I did not even put out an effort, staying in HR zones 3 and 4 the entire 3-mile climb. After regrouping on top, we descended into Redmond, went south through Bellevue, across I-90 and north back to the U-village Zoka.

Sunday: 4+ hours. Hayes and I headed to Tiger Mountain for some mountain bike fun on the fire roads. We road out to Poo Poo Point. Poo Poo Point is a 15 mile out and back ride that features some serious climbing in both directions, but it is worth it for the westerly views from the top. We set off in heavy winds and a slight drizzle. Half-way out the clouds began to thin revealing some button holes of blue sky and occasional rays of sun. The last two miles of the climb gain 1000 vertical feet. We crested the top and rolled out onto the point. The point serves as a launching pad for hang gliders and and parasailers, but none were braving the shifting and heavy winds today. The urban towers of Bellevue stood like monolisks in the distance, flanked on either side by shimmering waters of Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington. I-90 was pumping cars and trucks in and out of the city. It was as if the landscape was alive. I was snapped out of my thoughts by a harsh gust of wind that signaled our call to retreat to the car before the weather turned nasty. A fast two-mile descent, letting the bike drift through the gravel in the turns at 30mph, was soon followed by some steady rolling climbs for the next five miles back to car. About a two miles out from the trail head, the cold rain started to fall, first slowly but picking up pace with each pedal stroke. We got back to the car and decided to bag heading for the 4 miles up to Tiger Summit. Total mountain bike ride time was just over 2 hours.

After retreating off Tiger to my warm and dry living room, I set up the road bike on the hamster wheel for another 2 hours of spinning. 32 miles on the trainer to close out the weekend. iPod to the rescue again to keep my mind from imploding from the monotony of pedaling but not moving anywhere. Daydreaming of the mountain bike ride to the rhythms of Dave Matthews, U2, and others made the time pass by quickly.

Over 17 hours later, it's time for a recovery week. It is important to remember that fitness develops during recovery not the workout. Only seven hours on the schedule this week, which happens to coincide with what is surely going to be a busy week at work as everyone returns to normal schedules fresh from their respective holiday breaks. I'll probably make a trip to Dream Clinic for a massage to work out some kinks (both physical and mental) at the end of the week.

Three pair of Tifosi glasses arrived last week. I'll post photos and reviews soon. Preliminary report is that the Q2 is the perfect riding eyewear.

That's it for this long post. Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year to all,

Blue Star out.

Audioblogger in the house...

Christmakah Eve

In keeping with family tradition of opening gifts early, SLR and I exchanged a couple of presents on the eve before Christmakah begins.

You'll see me at the races this year sporting this cool fitted Ellsworth hat:



And rollin' fast on some XTR wheels:


Today's training ride was 5 hours of climbing and descending. Luckily, we didn't get rained on, which is a Christmakah miracle according to the Seattle weather prognosticators. Nevertheless, we still got pretty wet from all the water on the roads as the result of several days of consistent heavy rain. Coach Thomas, A.C., and I hit the roads at 9am and went south around Lake Washington through Renton then headed east and ticked off some hefty climbs up Tiger Mountain Road and Cougar Mountain. After descending Cougar Mountain, we made a quick stop for a sandwich and some espresso to fuel us back home across I-90 and north to the U-district. 80ish miles in total. Not a bad way to spend Christmakah eve morning/afternoon. Some uphill suffering, some good conversation, and some wet feet were had by all.

Recover and repeat on Christmas Day, but with lesser inclines.

Blue Star

Random Odds and Ends...

Sorry for the delay between posts. Keeping up with the holiday gatherings (one each night last weekend), plus training, plus work, has led to a lack of updates to the blog.

Christmas tree is up with lots of bike ornaments. I'm thinking of putting some ribbon on some old cogs to add to the bike theme. Santa (Fed Ex) is supposed to drop off another present to put under the tree today. According to my Santa's Helper sources (at eBay), I'm getting a new super-light Shimano XTR Wheelset. Nothing makes for some good holiday cheer like a 1600 gram wheelset decked out with a Ti freehub body and axles.

Big training block coming up the next couple of weeks. Lots o' miles including some big climbing days. Also, I will be doing some force work on the trainer during the week to start converting that strength I developed at the gym into strength to apply force the pedals. These workouts consist of turning over a BIG gear at a really low cadence (less than 60 rpm) for intervals between 3 and 10 minutes.

On the sponsorship front, I'm supposed to hear in the next couple of weeks from the remaining sponsors I submitted requests to. Got word from Tifosi that the several new pairs of specs are in the mail today and will arrive next week or so. Ellsworth hasn't given word yet when I can get my mitts on the new bike(s). Hopefully soon.

Crashed again on the road bike and scraped up the other hip. Go figure, twice in 2 weeks. This time I hit a patch of ice on a twisty descent and before I could register why the road looked kind of funny, the front wheel was over my head and my hip was firmly planted on the tarmac. Just a little road rash to care for and now I really have to replace the STI shifters. Mom, don't worry too much, I usually don't fall this often really.

That's about all. Maybe some epic tales of 5 hour rides in wind and rain to follow next week.

Blue Star

Pinning it

Saturday had a CP30 test on the schedule. A CP30 test is an all out effort for 30 minutes during which my Powertap measures my power output, heart rate, cadence, and speed. I do my testing on the trainer so variables such as weather, cars, and road hazards are eliminated. I repeat this test throughout the year to see where my fitness is by comparing the results.

The effort today yielded a less then stellar output. I was hoping for a bigger number given all the miles I have been putting in lately. However, the sub par result wasn't for lack of trying. I pinned it at 190 beats per minute for the full half hour. To put that number in perspective, it is about 95% of my max heart rate of 202 bpm. In short, it really hurt. It took everything I had not to get off the bike at about the 15 minute mark, especially because it was clear that I was not generating much power. Nevertheless, I soldiered on and kept the pedals turning over. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... I guess.

The low number is probably a result of some fatigue from the big miles lately. Also, I just finished the first block of base so I haven't done an intense effort of this duration since September. So, I can't be too discouraged. I just hope the legs come around soon because I have a HUGE block of training coming up.

Off to bed to let the legs repair themselves. The furnass will be fired up.

Blue Star

The New Ellsworth Team Kit

Here's what you can find me blazing the trails and roads in next year

The Jersey:


The Shorts:

2006 Race Schedule

If you found yourself wondering, where will Blue Star's travels take him in 2006, then this post is for you. A few months back during my transition phase, I sat down with Coach Thomas to plan out next year's race schedule. Why so soon? Well, the entire calendar year's training schedule hinges on two, maybe three if your lucky, "peaks" that are spread out throughout season. A peak follows a short period of recovery that allows all the hours of intervals, squats, and other suffering to add up to me being really fast on the bike. A person can not maintain peak form for more than a week or so. This theory of training is known as "periodization." Some proven benefits of periodization are improved muscular endurance, strength, power, motor performance, and/or muscle hypertrophy. Anyway, enough techno babble, the key to it all is I pick three big racesI want to go fast at and Coach Thomas designs my annual training plan around those races. Nevertheless, the goal will be to go as fast I can at every race I toe the start line at.

The three races I hope to peak for are:

1) Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, CA: April 6-9. The self-proclaimed "Celebration of Cycling" is the largest racing event in the U.S. including almost every bicycling discipline. This is the first big MTB race of the year, so all the fast guys use it to show off their early season form. Hopefully, I have something to show off.

2) U.S. National Championship, Mammoth Lakes, CA, July 20-23. I affectionately call this race the "One-Day." The winner of this one is crowned national champion and wears the stars and bars jersey until the next year.

3) UCI Master's World Championships, Sun Peaks Resort, B.C., Canada, September 2-3. This one is for all the marbles. Put the wood to everyone at this race and you walk away with the rainbow jersey for the over 30 set. That's right, World Champ! It is even more exciting for me because the race is only a 5 1/2 hour drive from Seattle at the Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, B.C. and the trails there promise to be epic Pacific NW style (i.e. rocky, rooty, super tech stuff). I'll be cocked and ready to go off like a rocket and represent the U.S. of A.

"B" races are very important, but don't fall during a peak in the periodization schedule. I hope to hit most of the NORBA National Championship Series for my B races. The Series Schedule (although not on their web site yet) is as follows:

April 22-23: Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park - San Dimas, Calif. Sea level = Fast Blue Star

June 10-11: Sugar Mountain Resort - Banner Elk, N.C. Probably going to skip this one.

June 17-18: Mount Snow Resort - West Dover, Vt. My absolute favorite course!

July 8-9: Deer Valley Resort - Park City, Utah. Coughing up a lung at 10k feet.

August 5-6: Brian Head Resort - Brian Head, Utah. Ditto. One epic 30 mile lap.

August 12-13: Snowmass Resort - Aspen, Colorado. Ditto. Can I get an altitude tent yet?

"C" races are mostly local stuff. Fun races to give 'er at and build fitness. I plan on doing all of the Indie Series races that do not conflict with anything listed above. I'd love to post the calendar for ya, but, in classic WA bike racing style, no schedule is set yet. Maybe they'll get around to it by January! I may also throw in a trip or two down to Oregon for an OBRA event, because they have their shizit together down there, unlike the WA folks.

I will fill in any gaps in the schedule with the "Wednesday Night World Championship" races Stiff Wick puts on at South Sea-Tac Park. These races, as the name implies, are every Wednesday night in the summer. Round and round we go in the sand as the planes take off and land. Low key stuff. Never really sure where I finish other than behind the pros and in front of most everyone else. Also, if it's being put on again this year, I'll probably hit the Dirty Dozen in Port Gamble, WA, because it's a fun course and they pay mucho $$$ for the podium finishers.

All this, of course, is subject to change based on the numerous variables that life can throw at me. I hope to see YOU out at some of the races. Suffering up a climb is always easier when someone you know is screaming their head off and ringing a cow bell.

'til next time, Blue Star

Sh!t Happens... Or Lucky Guy... Or The Eternal Optimist...

I went out for a ride last night after work. It was about 32 degrees or so and I put on lots of warm fuzzy clothes including a balaclava to keep the head/neck warm. With all my clothes on, I felt like a kid who was going to go out sledding. The extremities don't bend very well because of all the fabric. Walking looks more like waddling. Imagine Ralphie from the movie "A Christmas Story" when his mom dresses him to go play in the snow, except I had an orange helmet on with a really bright light on it.

Click, Click. Spinning along in the cold quite night. Each breath producing a cloud of steam that leaves tracer trails behind me like a jet through the sky. I'm about 10 minutes into my ride on my usual night route, thinking about how great the legs felt, when sh!t began to happen. I look over my shoulder to check for cars in preparation to make a left turn. The problem is I started to drift to the right when I was looking over my shoulder (maybe all those clothes threw my balance off). When I turn around to look forward, I noticed that I was about to hit the curb running along the side of the road. Wham! I clipped the curb with my front wheel and got pitched sideways onto the sidewalk hip first. I did a spinning slide across the concrete sidewalk into the bushes where I came to an abrupt stop from 18 mph.

I immediately pop up to my feet, adrenaline pumping, and assess the damage to body and bike. Body good? Check. All the clothes acted as buffer to keep skin away from concrete. I didn't even rip my jacket or tights. Right glove was a little mangled (note to self - might have to replace those). Bike good? Check. Some surface scratches to the shifters and some torn bar tape but other than that good to go. No damage to the frame or important parts (read, the expensive stuff). I decide to soldier on and finish out the 2 hour ride.

But, wait a minute, what stinks? I mean something was really stinking like sh!t. Huh? What's that on my shoulder? A few pine needles from the bushes. Why are they sticking to my jacket? OOOHHHH that's what smells like sh!t, IT IS SH!T! All over my shoulder. When I came to a stop in the bushes adjacent to the sidewalk, I landed in a steaming fresh pile of dog poo. I come to the realization that I simply can't continue my ride smelling like that so I return home, strip off my aromatic outer layers, and throw them in the wash. Determined to get some training time in, I rode on the trainer for a half hour or so pontificating about the events that just occurred.

What are the chances? I have logged about 20k miles on my road bike and have never laid it down once. Yesterday, the stars aligned and I crash. Of all the places to fall on the planet earth, I serendipitously land in a pile of sh!t. Again, I ask, what are the chances? I figure it just about the same odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot. Unlikely to damn near impossible.

Eternal optimist I am (in Yoda voice). The way I see it I'm lucky. I didn't break any bones. I didn't ruin any clothes. Bike will be fixed for less than $100. Plus, I needed to replace some worn out parts on the bike anyway. Perfect opportunity. So, all is good in the Emerald City. After some garage time tomorrow night over a few glasses of wine, I'll be out logging a pair of five hour rides on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Snow or no snow I'll be out there.

(Black and) Blue Star out.

Orcas Training Camp

I just returned from spending the long Turkey Day weekend on Orcas Island. Orcas provided the perfect backdrop for some long training rides, good food, and family time.

Day 0 (Travel Day):
Both SLR and I had to work on Wednesday, so we didn't hit the road until about 4:30 or so. The drive north to Anacortes took forever. We didn't exceed 15mph all the way north to Marysville. The exhaust fumes were actually nauseating with the windows UP! We sat in traffic for two hours before the gridlock eased. We were starting to worry that we were going to miss the 8:25 ferry we were trying to catch and was the last of the day. We made it with not much time to spare. Once on the ferry, all the stresses of life, work, and driving melt away. I slept the entire way to Orcas.

Day 1 (Turkey Day):
The biggest training day of the weekend. 4 hours on the schedule had me doing some rough calculations of how many paved miles of road are on the island. According to H's contact, there are 59 point something miles, which was plenty to get the job done. The riding was the stuff that bike tours are made of. I saw nearly every corner of the island and the roads were empty. I may have passed 10 cars the entire afternoon. While over near Olga and Obstruction pass, I watched as the shroud of clouds that blanket the Olympics this time of year parted for a brief moment to reveal the snowy mountain treasures hidden underneath. The Olympics were a sight to behold especially when backlit by the waning sun. At one point near the end of my ride, a bald eagle and I glided along at the same pace along a desolate stretch of road that tracked the water's edge. The only sound was the ticking of my freewheel and a slight wind that pushed us both along to our future destinations. Invigorated by the Island's beauty, I hardly noticed that my scheduled riding time was almost up. I circled back to the house to finish the day.

Recovery is easy when you can consume enough protein (the Bird), carbs (mash and stuffin'), and fat (in just about everything on the table) in one sitting. Upon my return, I pitched in to finish up the preparations by mashing some taters and prepping the bread putting for desert. The Chef's creations could have graced Martha Stewart's Living. I tore into a heaping plate and enjoyed with much thanks for family, bikes, and the beauty of Orcas. I'm sure I downed enough Kcals to replace what I burned over the course of the ride.

Day 2 (Rainy Day):
The rain was falling fast with big drops for almost the whole day. In other words, it was really wet and not the best riding weather. Good thing I have a coach that can make it rain when I have a gym day scheduled. 1 hour of max strength time at the Orcas Athletic Club. Max strength phase requires moving lots of weight until your legs feel like they are going to fold over backwards. Mission accomplished. Tossed in a few treys on the court to make sure I still have the j working.

Day 3 (Dirty Roads Day):
Having exhausted all the paved roads on Thanksgiving, I decided to hit some dirt roads on Saturday. 3 hours of chamois time on tap. I made it my mission to explore the nooks and crannies that most visitors of Orcas pass by on route to their respective destinations. I headed down seldom traveled dirt roads, most of which were plastered with "Private Road" signs. I think I ended up in places like Spring Point, Killebrew Lake, and Victorian Valley, but one can never be sure because I was winging it. Another solid training day in the books.

Day 4 (Last Day):
3 more hours. I took the Killebrew/Dolphin Bay Road route into town. Both are open dirt roads that pass by beautiful lakes and wetlands. The trees and moss form a tunnel hiding the sun making it rather cold riding. I decided to retrace my steps out to Olga to see if the Olympics would make an appearance today. No such luck. I headed back via Crow Valley Road with a brief jaunt towards Deer Harbor on the way. The water of Massacre Bay was green and still giving off the appearance that it was solid jade and not really H2o. One last slog up the hill on Orcas Road that leads to Orcas landing and I called it a weekend. That hill is a grind, even more so because at the crest there is a road sign laughing at you, "Uff da Hill Rd." Before I knew it, back on the ferry for the journey home; revitalized with some solid base miles in the legs.

Total Ride Time: 10 hours
Gym Time: 1 hour
Orcas beauty and Thanksgiving with Family: Priceless.

Blue Star

Life's Ingredients:

slr.

rest.

eat (preferably sushi).

coffee.

work.

train.

race.

No additives.

VO2 Max Test

A week or so ago, I had some physiological testing done at Swedish Hospital. I was given the chance to do the testing for free so the doctors could test some new equipment. I worked with two great doctors Dr. Carey and Dr. Noonan and a number of other techs and nurses. Dr. Carey is the cardiologist and sports physician for the Seattle Superonics and Seattle Storm basketball teams.

VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that can be removed from circulating blood and used by the working tissues during a exercise. In other words, the bigger the V02 max, the better the endurance athlete. An athlete's Vo2 max number can fluctuate between 5-15% with training (more for untrained individuals). Intense workouts at or near the current max number can train the body's ability to use oxygen during high intensity efforts thereby raising the VO2 max number until the genetic ceiling has been reached. Professional cyclists typically test in the low to mid 70's (ml/kg/min). Lance Armstrong is reputed to have a maximum around 85 ml/kg/min.

My max result was 64 ml/kg/min. This number is very encouraging because, as Dr. Carey wrote in his report, that number is "the highest range of cardiorespitory fitness for age. " It is also encouraging because it's off season. I have not been doing any intense efforts and in October I didn't really do much cycling at all. Accordingly, I'm probably at the bottom of my trained Vo2 spectrum and could expect to have a number near what a pro cyclist generates during the season.

So, there you have it. I have got the engine under the hood.

Blue Star

MST & Base Miles

Not much to report. Yesterday, was the first day of max strength phase in the gym. Movin' some big weights on the leg sled. I wasn't that sore today so I'll be increasing weights next week. Tonight, it was 2 hours in the saddle. It wasn't raining so I strapped on the light system and all my reflective gear and hit the road and the Birk Gilman trail. I think I saw two other cyclists out there. I have made a pact with myself that whenever it's not raining, no matter how cold it is, I will stay off the indoor trainer to maintain my sanity.

That's it for now.

Blue Star

Burning Some Kcals...

Here's some stats from yesterday's four-hour training ride:
Distance: 64 miles
Kcals: 2165
Power Average: 150 watts
HR Average: 151 bpm

I burned enough calories yesterday to eat whatever I want. It's hard to stuff in enough food to account for the day's expenditure. The stomach is only so big and it doesn't like too much at any one time. The picture is the power file from my ride. Purple = Power, Red = HR, Blue = Speed, Green = Cadence.

2.5 hours on tap for today. The weather is looking ominous. Hopefully, the heavy rains hold off. A little mist/drizzle already. Then I've got to work. No rest for the weary.

Blue Star

A Training Update...

Lately, I have been posting on everything but my training so I figured I'd give you an update on my recent workouts and the plan for this off season. I'm just finishing up "Preparation Phase," which is just a lot of running, lifting, and riding all mixed together during the week. Aerobic intensity is relatively low, it's really just a period of time to get mentally and physically ready to start base and max strength weight training. Tomorrow, I start my "Base 1" period. Base 1 focuses on laying the aerobic foundation that I will build upon for the rest of the season. The key to base is lots of miles at low intensity.

My theory is that riding a bike fast is a combination of four elements: (1) strength, (2) speed, (3) stamina, (4) bike handling skills. In other words, I can go faster by either applying more force to the pedals, spinning the pedals at a higher cadence, maintaining speed over longer periods, or being a Jedi master in the singletrack so that I never touch the brakes. One other element is body weight but I'll avoid that one since most think I'm skinny enough.

For strength, I've really been focusing on building strong legs and core in the gym. I'm hoping that more leg strength will translate to some more watts on the bike. I'm doing squats, leg press, leg extensions and curls, calf raises, and a variety of core exercises. The weight workouts cook my legs. No pain, no gain. Since October, I have increased weights on the various leg exercises up to 20%.

I already have good leg speed. So, in the coming months, I will focus on maintaining high cadence riding as I attempt to increase leg strength. I will throw in some pedaling drills occasionally including spin ups and high rev cruise intervals. I don't have a scooter, so I'm not doing any motorpacing like the pros. Plus, I can't really see SLR riding around on the cold, rain on a scooter.

Stamina is built during base. Long, slow endurance building rides for the next two months. Tomorrow, it's 4 hours in the saddle. In December and early January I will build up to several 250+ miles weeks and 15 hours on the bike (good thing Holidays are slow around the office).

Lastly, bike handling. I think I'm a good bike handler. However, this year I decided to do some local cross races to further enhance my skills. I'm hoping riding off road in sloppy conditions on skinny knobbies will improve my feel for the bike. I'll also throw in track stands and other slow speed stuff whenever I can.

Add all that up and maybe, just maybe, next year I'm able to dominate the early season expert races and make the move to semi-pro. We shall see.

Until next time,

Blue Star

Tifosi Optics

More good news. Tifosi Optics will be my eyewear sponsor for 2006. Tifosi makes some sweet glasses. Interchangeable lenses with a variety of tints to suit light conditions, adjustable noses pieces, Variable Tint Technology (called V.I.T. for short) that darkens or lightens the lenses depending on UV exposure, and lots of frame colors to chose from are just some of the things that make Tifosi a great eyewear company. All this at half the price of the competition.

Visit Tifosi's site at www.tifosioptics.com

EL TRAMPOSO?

I should have suspected something was amiss when a 130lb climber takes second in a grand tour long time trial. Dopers suck! Although until the B test comes back I will hold off on becoming too disgruntled. http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9142.0.html

First Endurance Sponsorship

Good news, First Endurance has stepped up to support me for the 2006 race season. I am excited to serve as an ambassador for First Endurance because I am confident they make the most advanced and effective nutritional supplements for endurance athletes. It is easy to promote a company's products that you believe in. Plus, it's is pretty cool to be affiliated with a company that also supports Levi Leipheimer, Fred Rodriquez, and the T-Mobile women's team. Good company to be in.

Check 'em out at http://www.firstendurance.com