ToStL. Spring!! Oops, it skipped the Midwest.

The last few weeks have been very tough for anyone trying train and race and even really do anything outside North of the Mason- Dixon Line. Cold, Rain, Wind, Warm, Sun, Snow, and more Wind have all been in the weather forecast. Typically, we’ll get 2-3 of the above mentioned conditions, sometimes 3. This weekend was actually hot and windy! Strange how we haven’t even had two days consecutive of mid 70s and all of a sudden you’re grabbing the cooler and filling it up with ice on the way to the races.

Mercy cycling made the trip through MissourA across I-70 to race the Tour of Saint Louis (ToStL). It’s a low key event put on by Mike Weiss and Big Shark cycling. Strange thing is that the “low key” brought some high- powered motors to come have a shot at being the King of the ToStL.

Day 1:

After meeting up with good friend Rob Kelly, we made our way to first criterium where we were greeted by Windy and Hot and Windy weather. Jason Knight’s SRM claimed 99F just before the race began.

The wide open conditions and weather made perfect conditions for a Cyclocross start and what a start we had. 27 mph in the gutter in a criterium? Huh? Seriously? Okay, here we go! 15 minutes later Joe Schmalz is in a 5 man move and rolling up the road with Bill Marshall having established himself in a secondary move. Not bad for only having 3 guys in the race. It would definitely have been nice to have a full compliment of team mates for the races. I was being shadowed by some guys who apparently read Steve Tilford’s blog and thought I was some sort of superman. Little do they know…..

Joe and Co. lapped the field with 15 minutes + 5 laps to go and the field then reabsorbed the secondary move. Time for some sort of lead out.

In the end, there were only about 15 guys sprinting although we left Joe in the wind without any help too early to really make a push for the win. Joe scored a 3^rd place.

Race over. We decided that without any Time Trial equipment and the Windy, Hot, Windy conditions, it would be best spent to simply not head to the TT and save it for tomorrow.

Day2:

Carondolet Park Circuit Race. This one took the Tuesday Night World’s course and combined it with the traditional park criterium to make a fun circuit race. Weather again was Hot and Windy with chance of a pollen storm. I’ve never seen pollen accumulate on my tires ever in my life until this race. Strange how something different happens every time you race.

Mercy decided that the best way to handle the conditions today would be to go on the offensive early and often. Straight from the gun Mercy had a keen eye on everything. I managed to slip into a move of 3, swelling to 5 that would manage to ride with a 15-20 second advantage for about 15 minutes before being reabsorbed by an angered field.

The following 4 moves all proved to be serious and Mercy managed to cover every one up until Butthead, Zach Reed and Jeff Schrotelin (sp?) ran away with the race. Everyone was either gassed or out of position and thus Mercy completely got caught out with the move; and without enough guys or horsepower to reel it back, we were basically left with no choice but to scrap for the next paying spots.

3 to go and a crowd prime of $110 is called, which instantly got all my attention. At this point 1-3 are up the road and $110 is more than 3^rd place prize money. I was basically prepared to bet the farm on the prime. This late in the race, everyone is tired and only about 10 guys are racing, marking each other and effectively neutralizing each other. I found the guy I thought could unknowingly take me to the line and just like I thought he did it perfectly. Unfortunately, I left him and went onto a different wheel, only to have it flail and fade. Never leave change your bet and have the confidence to stay with your first decision.

Meanwhile, Joe makes his way into a secondary move and pulls out a 6^th place today. I spent too much energy on the prime and never really recovered afterwards. Game, set, match. One spot for the team and a hell of a weekend of results for Mercy.

Photos courtesy of STL Biking Photos.

Shorts

One of the most important days in every spring is the first day you can wear shorts.... comfortably. Not that, "it's cold but I really want it to be warm so I'll still wear shorts in a vain effort to believe that spring is upon us." I'm hoping today is the day. The FIRST day in shorts. It's been a while and I've got some things to say about some races and I'll do that later. But first:

Why do you see Ugg Boots and winter coats but running shorts? Huh? Winter boots and shorts?

New "foster dog" that Alyson is caring for. It's really just a ploy to get me to adopt the dog. I'm growing a liking to him.



HyVee meat department. I think this is awesome! Strange but people got upset about this. One angered person was Vegan. I don't get it... People are "okay" with ground bovine flesh out for all to view, but the moment you have some fun with it, it's gross? Whatever.



Finally! I saw this at the store. It's an AXE Detailer. Look closely and you can see that it's actually just a Luffa only in Man-stlye... seriously. Is that possible? A Man-Luffa? Basically, let's take a Luffa (pictured to the right, in pink), make it black (manly color) and add a spare monster truck tire looking thing to it (to make it more manly), and put a manly blood red scrubber on it and BAM! Manly right?! You be the judge. I just think it's silly. Oh and it's $3.50 compared to the pink thing ($0.99). Why would you need to look tuff in the shower?

Power. Performance in your own Hands

I remember when I was just starting into "riding fast." I wanted to know how to go "fast." The amount of books, magazine articles, papers, and stories I absorbed knowledge from amazes me. Even now, I still want to know that I'm at the best of my ability. Funny thing... I'm not the only one. EVERYONE who is competitive wants to be this way.

Well, one thing led to another and here I am, working as a consultant for Source Endurance and helping others of all ages and abilities to be faster and stronger than they have ever been. I feel accomplished as a coach/ consultant every time I get a call from a client who "just won their first race!" or had a "great ride/ race!" It's an impressive feeling.

I've also noticed that many people talk after races about not having that "little bit extra" at the end. For starters, that "little bit" is very difficult to realize. However, it is attainable. The only problem is that you can't get it with light wheels, a stiff frame, or carbon handlebars (they help the bike, not the motor). Heart rate is really not applicable for reaching that, "little bit," either, which leaves Power. I'm going to be giving a couple of free talks about Training with Power. If you have any questions about how to make any sense of all this witchcraft, come join us. Here are the details:

Wednesday, March 18. 8-9 pm @ Big Shark in Saint Louis.

Thursday, March 19. 730-830 @ Trek Bicycle Store of Kansas City.
Flyer below.




Look who else has been in the Source Endurance lab in Austin, TX!

Joe Schmalz, Mercy Cycling





Shadd Smith, Tradewind Energy/ Trek Team

New Mercy Cycling Site and "Disaster" Update.

2009 has officially begun for Mercy Cycling. The website is updated! Here are some updates and a shot of the new team threads for 2009

Click HERE for Mercy's website.... or HERE!






Another "Disaster Update"

March 11, 2009
Called Sleeptronic, again. The mattress has been "invoiced" for today, which means that it should be in Topeka by Friday, or Monday....... In theory. Best case: 38 days without a mattress.

Training and Training Races

I got home after my fantastic trip to Texas and was genuinely surprised to see that the warm air had followed me north. This meant for some more fun in the sun on the bike and fun we had. It’s easy to get used to 70 degree weather. Almost too easy.... Especially, when spring officially starts on March 20^th this year. Until then, it's STILL Winter!

I had an old friend from the olden days (Okay, it’s not really that long ago, but it sure seems like it sometimes) for business. He works for the FBI so he’s not allowed to tell me what work it is. All that I know is that he’s got two mobile PDA’s and a badge. We had intended to do some racing and training in the KS between his business trips. However, there was a bit of a hitch with the first day of racing.

I guess the Spring Fling has now been made into an event that leaves out the elite categories. I’m not sure what the reasoning is for this is as P,1,2 riders haven’t influenced the outcome of the series in years. Also, it’s a good way to pick up some entry fees from some of the guys if they’re not traveling. I’ve done the Spring Fling every year since it began and this is the first time I’ve ever been refused entry solely because I’m over-qualified. Typically, athletes relish the opportunity to race with the highest quality of field they can.…. But I could be wrong.

Rob Kelly got to race, click here for his report.

The next day, we rode to the Perry Series and I was allowed to race. Whew, I can still race in Kansas. Thanks the Wheatland Cycling Team for continuing to have a full repertoire of races.

The ride out was brutal! 30mph block headwind and 40 degrees. I took a page from the Steve Tilford San Antonio ride and decided 10min rotations were the way to go. Probably not the best warm up. By the time Jason, Rob, and myself got to the race we were basically gassed. Uh, oh. We start and within a lap, Rob and Tom Price are off the front, where they will remain for ½ the race. It all came back together with about a lap to go and I started jumping. I thought, maybe I could sneak off the front. But in actuality, I managed to get everyone fixated on me and only me. Rob rolled off the front again, virtually unchecked. Interesting. I led new teammate, Bill Marshall, out for the uphill sprint and he took the win, passing a totally nuked Rob in the process.

Kudos to Rob: He realized early in the race that he didn’t have the “punch” to get up the hill and place well in an uphill sprint. SO… he took some steps to remove the uphill sprint from his race and get a result. It didn’t work for him, but if things would have been just a bit different………

Some Numbers for the Perry Race:

Riding to the race:

Time: 1:11

Avg Speed: 15.2

Avg Power: 236 W

Work: 957 kj

Windnoise: 80 decibels, What?! I can't hear you!

Perry Race:

Time: 54min.

Avg Speed: 21.9mph.

Work: 880 kj (about normal for a 1 hour Cat 3 criterium)

Avg Power: 326 W

Ride Home, with Tom and Co:

Time to Lawrence: 52min.

Avg Speed: 21.6mph

Avg Power: 175 W

Work: 475 kj

Lago Vista 1 and 2

Lago Vista I and II

The first race of 2009 with a nearly full squad of Mercy riders. Still in the blue colors of old as the new stuff hasn’t came in yet. I wonder when the new clothes come in?

Anyways, with a start list boasting over 130 riders in the P,1,2 one thing was positive. Positioning would be an integral part to success. I covered some moves, but spent too much energy trying to keep Joe and the Werewolf out of the wind and up front. Probably too much juice as the legs weren’t there in the end. Heath Blackgrove and Steve Tilford showed that they were the best that day. Impressive ride for the both of them.

Numbers, numbers, numbers:
Time spent at or above Lactate Threshold: 91 min.
Amount of coasting: 17%
Number of 1000kj hours: 2.75, couldn't quite finish the 3rd.
Number of times I moved teammates around the field, keeping them out of the wind: too many.
Times I got dropped: 3.
Times I got back on the field: 2.
How much that sucked on a scale of 1-10: 11.2.


Lago II

Judging by the scenery, I thought it must be St. Patrick’s Day. Kelly Benefits decided to enter 10 PRO riders into the race. Interesting. They placed 5 of the top 7, as they should. With those numbers of top riders, they should really have the entire podium wrapped up (all 5 spots). But they didn’t which means they either gave away some spots or they just didn’t show enough hustle.

16 minutes and it felt way easier than the previous day. Flat tire. Crap! But the interesting thing, my “neutral wheel” had totally seized up bearings. Seriously? What kind of person puts a wheel with seized bearings in the wheel truck? Not cool. That guy has some serious bad Karma heading his way.

So there I was, sulky. I wanted to race. I didn’t drive 700 miles to watch. Boooooo! That’s when I hooked up with Charlie Tamas of Team Hotel San Jose and we rode from Lago Vista all the way to Circle C (host house of ex- Topeka rider George McDirmid (sp?)). We rode along Lake Travis all the way to the Dam Loop and around to Barton Springs road. Basically, taking the best parts of 3-4 area rides and doing them all in the same day. Great ride and I’m very thankful to have such a good ride on a gorgeous day.

Between race weekends...

One trip to Houston, and a few days of training....

When you’re having fun in the sun during 80 degree days, and you're coming from the great white north, don’t forget to thoroughly apply sunscreen……

Last few days......

In the last few days, 14 to be exact, I went to Austin, TX for some racing, working, and fun. Last year, when I went to ATX for a week and change it was for a vacation and racing bikes. This year, it was more of a work trip. Basically, I raced, worked, trained, worked, raced, worked and came back. Funny thing is, I really didn't sleep that much. Strange how you finally get rested once you get home. Here's the race reports and what not. Mostly the what not..

Walburg RR

In the land of open roads and windswept farms lies the first road race of the 2009 season. I’ve done this race the last 3 years and every time it becomes epic at some point. This year’s edition did not disappoint and sure enough, I was brutally reminded that Wii Fit does not get you ready for road racing.

Bill Stolte got away in the early break, again, and got 2^nd which was his worst placing ever at Walburg. I’m hopeful that next year he’ll focus and try to return to his historic Walburg form. As for the rest of us (me), it was, uh, fun.

65 and muggy became 50 and sunny but not before some rain and lots of wind. Wind so strong it could take the paint off your bike. Wind like that of the Wizard of Oz. I made the front group when it all went down (Blackgrove and Travis Burant did their motorcycle impression). Got punched out of that group and sat up to wait for the next group. Here comes 5 guys from TX Tough and a couple others. They had me in the gutter too and I’m not strong enough to sit in that wind for more than 25 seconds. Pow! Out the back of that group I go! I sit up and look behind me thinking, “Okay, who’s gonna drop me now?! I’m ready. Bring it on!”

The third group caught me and I was actually able to rotate and ride. Woo Hoo! We rotated and ended up doing the full distance. I counted that our posse was sprinting for 16^th, which is out of the paying places which is a bit demoralizing, but I figured why not? I jumped the group a couple of times for fun and wound up 17^th in the sprint. It was fun, and epic. It’s so much fun riding flat out at 11mph on a flat road. Crazy!

Numbers for all the nerds:

Work completed the first hour: 821 kj

Windspeed: not much, drafting possible.

Work completed the second hour: 1026kj

Windspeed: high- could have taken the paint off my bike.

Work completed the third hour: 921 kj

Winspeed: I should have brought my cross bike so I could draft in the gutter.

Normalized power for the entire race: 293 W

Pace Bend RR

This race was my undoing last year when I ended up crash landing at 40mph. Even still, it was so much fun! Uphill, rollercoaster, downhill, swerves, uphill, repeat. I sat in most of the day, basically all day as the small groups got away and were reabsorbed. In the end, I just rode in at the back of the field. One thing is for sure, that was the exact opposite of the day before.

Actually, it resembles a Superweek race. Fast, flowing, not technical, easy to sit in, hard to get away and a fun atmosphere.

Both promoters did a fantastic job with the events and I’m planning on returning next year.

For the number crunchers out there:

SRM was only working for the first hour of the race so.....

work completed for hour 1: 821kj

Amount of coasting: 24%

Opening Day?

I'm in Austin, TX getting ready to do some racing this weekend. It seems like February, anytime in February really, is too early in the season to be "fit" enough to race. Walburg Saturday, Pace Bend on Sunday. Stay tuned.......

Disaster in the Making, an update

Feb 18: Phone KS Furniture Mart. The mattress is in Dallas being fixed! That's the easy part. Now let's see if I ever get it back.......

Disaster in the Making...... oh, crap.

The wonderful thing about "big purchases" is that they usually come with a warranty. Such was the case when I purchased my mattress and box springs back in October 2003. Upon setting up the new bed, I see the warranty card is for 25 years. 25 years! Awesome! NOTHING made in this country lasts 25 years anymore so I'm keeping this for the inevitable time where my mattress becomes a hammock. Fast forward to January 20th, 2009..... tic, tock, tic, tock...

Okay so now my mattress sags like a hammock. Actually, I should just hang the hammock in my room as it's more comfortable. I phone Payless Furniture in Lawrence, where I purchased the mattress. Problem: They don't carry that brand anymore. Argh. BUT they can make a phone call and get the company rep to help me out. They'll call me back.

Jan. 22: I call back to Payless Furniture. They took a message and said they would call me back.

Jan. 24: I call Payless Furniture AGAIN. Still no word from the rep (if they ever called). They assured me they would call me "soon" with information about how to service/ honor my warranty, which is supposed to last 25 years. Have never heard a peep from them since. Not one. So much for customer service....

Jan. 26: I call the Sleeptronic and talk to Aaron about the warranty/ service aspect of the mattress. He seems to think that there's a place in Lawrence that can warranty the mattress. I assure him there is not. He gives me the number of two places in Kansas City that can warranty the mattress as they carry the Sleeptronic brand.

Jan. 27: I call both places. The first phone number is deactiviated. The second number never gets answered and there is no answering machine. Both calls are made during normal business hours.

Jan. 28. I call back to Aaron at Sleeptronic and explain the phone number problem. He seems perplexed and gives me the phone number of Kansas Furniture Mart in Topeka, KS.
Kansas Furniture Mart
Ste B

4547 SW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66609

(785) 273-6278

This time I reach a real person! It's also where it gets interesting....

I need the ticket, and warranty card. Got it. Then I have to fax a copy of them to Aaron at Sleeptronic. At which point, get ready......

Aaron has to issue a pick up order to the next delivery truck running from Dallas, TX to Topeka, KS -whenever that happens- to pick up my mattress, which I need to drop off at Kansas Furniture Mart (and hope it doesn't get lost), and return it to the factory. Once it's there, the factory will fix it, and put it back on the next delivery truck heading to Topeka, KS where it will be dropped off at Kansas Furniture Mart. The problem is that KS Furniture Mart may not know it's my mattress and decide to sell it or send it back. Either way, it is going to require the work of: Aaron to issue the tag, Delivery guys to not forget to pick it up, KS Furniture Mart to not misplace/ sell my mattress, factory to fix it, Aaron to issue orders to send it back to KS, Delivery guys to take it there and drop it off, KS Furniture Mart to identify that it's mine and to notify me to come get it. Simple! Oh and there ain't exactly digital tracking like UPS. Actually, from what I can tell, it's mostly done by memory..... crap.

Feb. 4: Dropped the mattress off, sent fax, crossed fingers. KS Furniture Mart was in the middle of installing a new floor so their inventory was scattered throughout the building. Aw, oh.

Feb. 11: Phoned Kansas Furniture Mart to see the status of the mattress...... It's still there. Oh, and the owner hasn't been in the office since January.

This should be fun.

I'm thinking I won't have mattress again until sometime in May. Anyone else have a prediction?

Aging and Athletic Performance

Anyone who thinks you're only going downhill, read this:

Exercise and Aging-1

Mercy Team Camp: Day 3

Okay, so the camp is in the books. These guys can pedal! We rode out to Mt. Gaylor today. Up, down, and home. I didn't have a speedometer after my broken spoke in the front wheel so I'm having to get some numbers from others.

SRM Stats for Day 3.
Distance: 82 miles.
Max Speed: ?
Normalized power for the entire ride: 267 W.
Difficulty of this ride compared to days 1 and 2: Easiest
Reason: Was smart enough to not pull with those on the, "Short List"
Calories Burned: Over 2800, probably more like 3000
Ride Time: 4:15
Coasting time: at least 16% until my wheel broke.
Time spent at/ above Lactate Threshold: 80 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, amount that I appreciated going up Mt. Gaylor: 2
On a scale of 1-10, amount that I appreciated going DOWN Mt. Gaylor: 11

Now, I'm happy to be home and happy to be able to sleep later than 650am.

Mercy Team Camp Day 2.

Okay so day 2 is in the books. We did Talamina (sp?) road, which is pronounced, "67 miles uphill."

Well, that's how it felt. For the record when someone says, "the road rolls for the first hour" it means there should be some downhills too. Roll, goes both ways. Instead, we basically did different gradients of uphill for the first hour.

Everyone is so excited to ride down here. And everyone is excited to ride hard. I already have my short list of guys who I'm avoiding pulling with in the group. Ahem, Nolan.

Okay so without further ado, SRM stats:

Distance: 67miles.
Max Speed: 49.5 mph.
Work completed: 3054 kcal.
Ride time: 4:07
Avg. Temp: 64F
Normalized Power for the ride: 260 W.
Amount of coasting: 16% or 39 minutes
Ride time going uphill: 3:28
Ride time going downhill: 39 minutes
Coincidence?: No.
Time spent at or above Lactate Threshold: 95 minutes.
Amount of MexiCAN food eaten after the ride: LOTS!

Okay I'm going to bed now.

Mercy Team Camp Day 1.

It's "late" and we're up early. I'll be brief.
Our 3 hour ride turned to 5 hours and we didn't get finished until well after dark. We climbed some "hill" that was super hard and really high. Actually, I think it's 2 feet shy of a mountain.

Anyways, it was fun to ride new roads I've never seen before and team is looking good.

I just got an SRM so here are some stats:
Work: 3114 kj
Total ride time: 4:54
Dist: 87 miles
Normalized power for the ride: 240 W.
Time at which I was ready to be done riding: 4 hours.
Time spent coasting: 20% or roughly 1 hour.
Average Temperature: 67F
Average Heart Rate: 13 bpm, which is odd because I wasn't wearing a HRM.

Pictures...... No idea, but I'll see if anyone took any.