Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Missed the kolaches but still had kraut!
did a mix of the Wilber ride with GLGA revisit (cortland to ash rd to 98th to apple to 110); a sweet side trip to Wagon Train single track and back to the house to share a post ride refreshment with JV and show off my basement finish.
Wilber ride had Cornbread, JP, Syd, Aaron, MG, JV and JXW to battle headwind to Cortland together. I had to peel off there and enjoyed the awesome northeasterly jaunt with JV.
Ran into Coach and PC headed the opposite direction on Wagon Train single track. What a great resource, I need to get down there more often.
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Saturday, November 7, 2009
11 P.M.
Just watched NE pull out a win.
Went out back and finished dialing in my new brakepads after the new game. Damn, I go through those fast (kool-stop) on commutes with the CX. BTW, reached 2000 ish since Aug 8 on the commute.
Contemplating tomorrow's activies. Been invited to a game of "paintball", will plan to try that one out. For the first 1/2 of the day, I'm still planning my ride. You see, I have a family that likes their sleep and my ideas for 6 a.m. gravel get in the way of that. I would love to meet at Meadowlark for a Wilber 80, but more realistically will be looking to go to Wagon Train for a gravel 30 with some singletrack solo.
Or just the usual 130 mile commute week and call it good.
Goodnight.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
See ya later cough and chills!
OK...feeling much better (100%?) now but I did get a nasty bout of cough and chills 1.5 weeks ago. Spent thurs-sunday sick and the rest of last week recovering (on the bike--4 commutes in hard rain to boot!). This week I coughed out the last of the congestion, but was off the bike Saturday until now and was in California with the fam. Should be able to consistently train from now until Pioneers CX. Definitely had a rest week, full of pizza and pop. Everyone else seems busy racing every weekend. I couldn't wait to get on the blogs and check CX results when we got home from vaca. It will be interesting to see if I can keep up in 3 ish weeks!
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sunday CX Swanson
Final results in 1,2,3's
Left yesterday feeling that my technique was lacking and I had the fitness to advance a few places. I felt today I may have misjudged my form after all.
Before November, I need to increase endurance and work on some technical riding skills. Not out of reach and I look forward to the road ahead. All in all, it was an awesome weekend...
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
D. Farnham's photos
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Perfect day for a race--Omaha Day 1
The view from the cockpit.
Took a graceful? spill on off camber turn leading up to the barriers with one foot out and back up and running, but the bars were stuck this way and I didn't take the time to fix them. At least the left shifter was bent further in, keeping it straight even though it was "set back" due to the angle of the bar. Seemed to work great actually!
Thanks to Randy Crist and Velo Veloce for laying out a great course and pulling off this huge event!!
I'll be back tomorrow!
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Cross Tune Up Summary
Mileage so far in fall of 2009 has reached 850...should eclipse 1000 next week. Folks probably laugh at the lack of miles, but it has been a hectic summer which wiped out any miles and I don't get out on weekends. Started intervals 2 weeks ago on the trips home. 3 sessions last week, 1 day this week (due to a cold and job stress). Kicked the cold in 3 days which is much faster recovery than I've had from colds in the past. Luck? Or a tribute to 2 hours/day on the bike and good nutrition? Need to go tune up my cross skills, but not to worried, may just head to the park across the street a few times next week. Looking forward to Omaha and it will also be a wakeup call for what needs to be done before Pioneers in Nov. All in all, I will be happy to complete 2009 based on two cross race weekends!
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
GLGA Truely Was the Good Life

--RESULTS
--The guy's wheel I followed for 80 miles
Finished the GLGA yesterday. Showed up with lots of questions about my ability to "just" finish as I have only biked (not even trained!) for 3 weeks. I really didn't get on a bike ALL summer! Good turnout at the MOPAC east trailhead at 5:40 a.m.; not sure if we got the 60 that had signed up, but there were lots of faces. My light ran out of battery, so I started in the dark. Neutral roll out to 112th and HWY 34 and then the pace picked up. The front group went out so fast, by the time we hit Adams, I could see riders stretched out 1/2 mi ahead of me. I did chase a little (against my better judgment), as we had many many miles to go. I ended up settling in with Mike Miles (?) and the promoter of Dirty Kanza. We picked up Burke and made our way to the monster rollers on Branched Oak Road. Burke rolled away and Mike and I stayed together until almost Valperaso. I was feeling spent. Current milage: 44/140. Ouch. Long day ahead. Made our first checkpoint and I told Mike to go on without me. Headed out alone north of Valpo. Settled into a rhythm between Valpo and Malcolm. Lots of guys passing me but didn't care, I'm going for a strong finish and trying to ride within myself. Hit Malcolm (66ish/140) and rode out with Burke. Denton came quickly with a nice tailwind. Now we were at mile 88. Between Denton and Cortland, started feeling motion sickness...only way I could explain it, but the legs were OK. Still enjoying tailwind! Cortland stop (110/140) I was tired and not looking forward to the last 35 miles into the wind. I was chicken leaving Cortland and drafted off Burke to Wagon Train lake. I did cramp up a little for a short while, so with out Burke I might have had trouble! Fortunately he waited and I grabbed his wheel again. Feeling guilty, I started taking pulls at Wagon Train. All of a sudden, I was feeling great again! Now we were at like 120/140, and I was back. I finished the day strong and feeling pretty good. In the open category I finished 13th. There were a few single speeders ahead of me also. Total time just over 10 hours. Computer had my average speed as 15.8, although that doesn't figure in the 1 hour we spent (total) over 4 stops. I heard Troy Krause, the overall winner, finished 2 hours ahead of me! Wow.
Thanks to Cornbread, TK, and all the others who laid out this awesome course and event. I had a blast.
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