stuck in limbo

Insane...ly Awesome!

Did my first SF2G commute to work this week and had an absolute blast. Met some great people and loved being able to squeeze out a 40 mile ride on a weekday. Some of the guys are insanely fast, and one of the riders decided to pull a 50lb. dog the entire way. That's some serious strength right there. I wonder how fast he crushes it on a race bike?

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Humble Pie


At 2pm today, I thought I was a beast. Despite only having done one true road ride in the past four months, I felt like I was in strong cycling shape. After riding and training exclusively with a single speed Tricross since arriving in CA, I felt more powerful and had really improved my standing pedaling endurace.

At 3:15pm, I thought I was a beast. I was confidently pushing the big ring while cruising on the flats, and was getting excited to attack the rest of today's ride. Forcing myself to push the 48x17 gearing on my single speed had really helped me generate some much needed power throughout my pedal stroke.

At 3:30pm, I felt like I got punched in the face and kicked in the nuts. Instead of doing my planned 40 mile route along Calaveras Road through some beautiful back country hills, I ended up only doing 20. Once I hit the climbs, it all fell apart. I foolishly decided to go on a ride 30 minutes after eating a very late, and fairly massive lunch. Unfortunately, once the efforts stepped up in intensity, my stomach started a protest of its own. I decided to turn around when I was almost through my water bottles, but let's be honest. I would've thrown in the towel and ran even if I had a SAG behind me. It was that bad. Even without the stomach problems though, I don't think I would've made it all the way. I struggled mightily today.

It's experiences like this that really show me how much more I need to improve before I can consider myself a decent cyclist. I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger on the SuperSix, because I don't deserve a bike that great right now. As penance, I forced myself to hit up some weights post ride and will be eating a large serving of humble pie tonight.

I will return for you Calaveras Road. And when I do, I will destroy you.

Man vs. Beast

via road.cc

Up there with other classics such as Kobayashi vs. a bear eating hot dogs, midgets vs. an elephant pulling a plane, and a sumo vs. an orangutan tug-o-war. I wonder how much better he would've faired if he were able to run racier tires on a surface more suited toward road bikes?

Rites of Passage

There are so many things on this list that I've crossed off, yet so many more that I've yet to experience. A few of my favorites:
81. Explicating your training in exquisite detail on a blog, then realizing nobody cares.
97. Passing someone whose bike costs twice as much as yours.
100. Reading The Rider.
0911_rites_passage

Photo: Colin Erie

01. Realizing that the hill isn't in the way; it is the way.

An essay by Mark Levine

So, there was this hill.

It didn't look like much. It was called Mount Sentinel, and its western slope, hovering over my new hometown, Missoula, Montana, was treeless and dun-colored and suggested the lumpy mass of a sleepy, overfed dog. Halfway up, a giant whitewashed "M" was emblazoned on its face, and standing before it in the sharp northern light of late-afternoon August, I could see a few dozen figures—children, oldsters and house pets among them—ambling upward on switchbacks. The hill seemed as forbidding as a neighborhood playground.

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The Chuck Norris of Cycling

Media_httpwwwjensvoig_gqjmi
via jensvoigtfacts.com

JENS VOIGT! The man, the legend:

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Chuck Norris wears Jens Voigt pajamas.

I tuned in for the opening stage of this year's Paris-Nice, and really enjoyed the commentary on Jens Voigt. He's 39 years old but still pedals with the same frenetic, madman pace that's made him such a fan favorite. From his Wikipedia article:

Voigt is known for his propensity to attack, and for his positive racing attitude. He is capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo, and breaking away from the peloton.

My kinda guy. How can you not be a fan of that?
Posterous theme by Cory Watilo
  
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