Tuesday, January 30, 2007
here to stay?
Yeah... so Winter has definitely set in. No relief in sight! Thanks Dave, for letting me borrow your rollers.
Friday, January 26, 2007
more TTx
I finally took the TTx out for a real ride. That bike is fast! The frame is stiff! It was pretty dag-on windy out; but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I guess all I need now is a supercharger for the engine! Tomorrow looks to be a nice day in the upper 50's... but alas, it'll be in the 30's when I'm out before work. Hopefully tomorrow night's rain will wash the salt off the roads. ($1.87 now)
Thursday, January 25, 2007
$1.88!!!
Alright.... gas is well below $2/gallon here; all the flatlanders have no more excuses... get out here and ride!
Todd... I've got plenty of hilly routes for you here (although, I'm not sure if I'd wish that much punishment upon myself!).
Todd... I've got plenty of hilly routes for you here (although, I'm not sure if I'd wish that much punishment upon myself!).
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
frrrrreezing rain!
It was sleeting when I left the house yesterday morning... and then it turned to freezing rain. It's hard to stay warm when a shell of ice encases your arms and shoecovers! Doh! In the end, I did cut the ride short... while the roads were only wet; I did not want to ride 4 hours with an exoskeleton of ice! Woohoo! The rain bike is alive an kickin' again with some big ol' fenders and weighs about 27 pounds!
Monday, January 15, 2007
homecoming.
Got to cruise the "flatlands" this weekend with many of my friends and teammates. It was definitely a huge treat! Katie and I departed eastward early Saturday morning with the intention of arriving at my parents' house with enough time for me to squeeze in a solid 2.5 hours before an officers meeting at Shackleford's that evening. Plus, it allowed my family to see all 300+ pictures of Italy we printed.
Saturday afternoon, I was able to squeeze in the BikeBeat @ Kiln Creek shop ride (minus the Wormley Creek Tour Rd. Section) to get just a hair over two hours in. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees with only a light wind (very rare for Yorktown!)... plus no real hills (other than coming up the bluff in Yorktown). For dinner, Katie went with my parents and the Wallace's to Andrea's, our favorite Italian restaurant... while I headed up to meet KJ, Jen, Roger, Eli, Chad, Tim, Steve-O, and (eventually) Big Daddy DW at Shackleford's for a delicious dinner meeting. Got home. Went to bed. Tossed and turned all night.
Big Daddy DW's email calling for the resurrection of the Sunday morning Waller Mill ride resulted in a huge turnout! I think when everybody grouped up, we had at least 30 show up... almost entirely of JRVS, which is extremely exciting. To get time on the bike, and get a steady aerobic workout beforehand, I rode up from the house. The ride from Grafton to Waller Mill is almost a perfectly flat 25 miles or so that only has a few shallow rises on Rt. 143.
Leaving the parking lot, the normal casual warmup pace ensued with plenty of conversation. The normal cast of heavy hitters were there (sans ToddXXX), so suffering was definitely in store. Right around the autographed Roubaix sign things began heating up. The pace ebbed and flowed, until finally the knob was turned to attrition. I knew I was tired from the week's workouts... but I wanted to be a survivor, and kept the poker face on as long as possible. We hit the ascent of Col' de Stonehouse hard... which is usually the beginning of the end for me. I arrived at the top welin good position and feeling pretty good. I think it was Mt. Laurel Rd. when the cramps showed up; which is strange because I hardly ever cramp!
After meandering back to the parking lot, it was time to head over to my aunt and uncle's to grab a ride back to the parents' place. It was a great ride! The training stress score was pretty high; but I at least had fun ridin' hard. "Angel Wings" Simet was out rippin' it on his new Bontrager Aeolus 6.5 clinchers. I want some too.
Saturday afternoon, I was able to squeeze in the BikeBeat @ Kiln Creek shop ride (minus the Wormley Creek Tour Rd. Section) to get just a hair over two hours in. The weather was perfect, 70 degrees with only a light wind (very rare for Yorktown!)... plus no real hills (other than coming up the bluff in Yorktown). For dinner, Katie went with my parents and the Wallace's to Andrea's, our favorite Italian restaurant... while I headed up to meet KJ, Jen, Roger, Eli, Chad, Tim, Steve-O, and (eventually) Big Daddy DW at Shackleford's for a delicious dinner meeting. Got home. Went to bed. Tossed and turned all night.
Big Daddy DW's email calling for the resurrection of the Sunday morning Waller Mill ride resulted in a huge turnout! I think when everybody grouped up, we had at least 30 show up... almost entirely of JRVS, which is extremely exciting. To get time on the bike, and get a steady aerobic workout beforehand, I rode up from the house. The ride from Grafton to Waller Mill is almost a perfectly flat 25 miles or so that only has a few shallow rises on Rt. 143.
Leaving the parking lot, the normal casual warmup pace ensued with plenty of conversation. The normal cast of heavy hitters were there (sans ToddXXX), so suffering was definitely in store. Right around the autographed Roubaix sign things began heating up. The pace ebbed and flowed, until finally the knob was turned to attrition. I knew I was tired from the week's workouts... but I wanted to be a survivor, and kept the poker face on as long as possible. We hit the ascent of Col' de Stonehouse hard... which is usually the beginning of the end for me. I arrived at the top welin good position and feeling pretty good. I think it was Mt. Laurel Rd. when the cramps showed up; which is strange because I hardly ever cramp!
After meandering back to the parking lot, it was time to head over to my aunt and uncle's to grab a ride back to the parents' place. It was a great ride! The training stress score was pretty high; but I at least had fun ridin' hard. "Angel Wings" Simet was out rippin' it on his new Bontrager Aeolus 6.5 clinchers. I want some too.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
"Are you a pro biker?"
That was the question asked while buzzing into the local Starbucks (which is inside the nearest Kroger) by one of the bag boys. While very flattered, I hope he wasn't disappointed by my answer. The other day, a cyclist from the William & Mary cycling team noticed the JRVS kit and promptly asked if I ride for JRVS...
"Yup."
"What are you doing out here????"
"I live here!"
I can't remember his name; but I remember riding with him a couple years ago during their "team training camp"... he did just pick up a sweet Cannondale System Six bike.
I'm steadily progressing in the gym these days... beginning to move into higher weight/lower reps. I'm not sure if I'll be surpassing some of the numbers I put up last year; but my hamstrings are definitely much much stronger than last year!
Recently, one of the local gyms has closed... which has led to a completely new composition of 6am regulars at the Y; entertaining to say the least.
That's all for now... might see some of you at the Waller Mill ride Sunday.
"Yup."
"What are you doing out here????"
"I live here!"
I can't remember his name; but I remember riding with him a couple years ago during their "team training camp"... he did just pick up a sweet Cannondale System Six bike.
I'm steadily progressing in the gym these days... beginning to move into higher weight/lower reps. I'm not sure if I'll be surpassing some of the numbers I put up last year; but my hamstrings are definitely much much stronger than last year!
Recently, one of the local gyms has closed... which has led to a completely new composition of 6am regulars at the Y; entertaining to say the least.
That's all for now... might see some of you at the Waller Mill ride Sunday.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Updated weather forecast...
Looks like I'll be puttin' the fenders on the steel clunker tonight! Riding in the snow can be sublime... I may run an extra blinky.
new weather forecast:
new weather forecast:
Winter is back.
Winter is back! It was feezing cold this morning... with a windchill down into the 20's. Parts of Bradshaw Rd. were completely covered in a sheet of ice; and it snowed today! It was just a flurry, but some of the higher elevations nearby had a short-lived dusting. Tomorrow morning is going to be COLD! It's definitely going to be an abrupt adjustment.
Tomorrow's morning ride weather:
(courtesy weather.com)
Saturday, January 06, 2007
beginning to feel like myself again
I'm finally readjusting to Eastern Standard Time! I rode Bradshaw before dawn this morning and felt great... everything feels like it's beginning to gel again, so confidence is on the rebound.
Shortly after daybreak, a farmer transporting his two horses (by attaching them to the trailer hitch of his truck while driving 3 mph) asked me to hold one horse while he put his other away. I tried to get a picture with the camera phone... but it didn't turn out too well. I didn't see that one coming when I left this morning! Nevertheless, I had a good laugh.
Shortly after daybreak, a farmer transporting his two horses (by attaching them to the trailer hitch of his truck while driving 3 mph) asked me to hold one horse while he put his other away. I tried to get a picture with the camera phone... but it didn't turn out too well. I didn't see that one coming when I left this morning! Nevertheless, I had a good laugh.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
back in the USA
Just got back from Italia... had a brilliant 5 days and nights, but boy was it exhausting! Too tired to write anything at the moment... pics and a short synopsis are coming.
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