Monthly Archives: December 2013

300 miles and I’m a little Toast

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I forget how hard it is riding in the end of November, early December, even when it is relatively warm. I’m not that out of shape, well maybe I am, and I have been eating antibiotics and antiviral medicine by the handfuls, but whatever the reason, it sure does seem hard getting a 300 mile week.

Part of the reason is because there isn’t anyone else around here that can pull much, so I spend a nearly the whole day in the wind. We did have a day this week that was nearly perfect, really still, but normal wind speed for around here is 15 mph+, emphasizing the +. Plus, even though it has been in the 50’s, it seems colder. It only stays warm for a couple hours a day, so it seems like you’re never quite dressed right.

Catherine came back from Seattle and rode with us for 3 days. Up in Seattle, she has been riding outside on the weekends and then 3 times a week at Todd Herriott’s Place at night. You’d think that would be enough to keep her in pretty good shape, but it isn’t. Well, it isn’t good enough to allow her to go out with us and do an even share of pulling, in the wind, 3 days in a row. When it got down to four of us one day, Catherine was pulling out all the tricks to rest. Whenever I looked back, instead of 2 riders behind us, there would only be one, then Catherine was drafting him. There is a much better draft two guys back, and after the ride, she admitted that she was just being overly cautious, but this time of the year you never know when your going to just blow. I can’t blame her.

The temperatures are supposed to plummet tomorrow. Thursday the high is supposed to be in the lower 20’s. Same Friday and Saturday. Those temperatures are when I like to ride off-road, slower speeds, harder pedaling. But, I’m sort of trying to take it easy and riding on trails or in the grass isn’t ever easy, but neither is the wind, so………….

Catherine taking a little break 30 miles into the ride.

Catherine taking a little break 30 miles into the ride.

Trudi headed off to Park City for a little BMC mini-camp for the US riders.

Trudi headed off to Park City for a little BMC mini-camp for the US riders.

Last night they went to a Utah Jazz game.  Watched from a skybox of course.

Last night they went to a Utah Jazz game. Watched from a skybox of course.

It's been so warm that we're still eating lettuce and spinach for our garden.  We cover it at night.

It’s been so warm that we’re still eating lettuce and spinach for our garden. We cover it at night.

How about Black Friday sales at Walmart?  An AR-15.  "For your favorite outdoorsman"? I don't think many people think of this gun as one for hunting.   It is pretty much an assault rifle.

How about Black Friday sales at Walmart? An AR-15. “For your favorite outdoorsman”? I don’t think many people think of this gun as one for hunting. It is pretty much an assault rifle.

“I have a high sweat rate, and low attention span” – Jeremy Powers

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling on by .

Jeremy Powers is giving up racing on the road and concentrating fully on cyclocross according to this article at Cyclingnews. That is a little surprising, but I guess he felt too much pressure to have big presence on his road team. I loved the quote above. I totally get it. I tend to ride better when it is colder out nowadays and the way that professional road racing has “evolved”, sometimes racing road races is like watching paint dry.

So, now here in the US, we have 3 professional cyclocross racers, which Tim Johnson and Jonathan Page being the other two. Actually, let’s not forget Katie Compton. That would make four. There are a few other guys that could nearly be “classified” in that group, but the amount of money exchanging hands isn’t enough to get there.

Jeremy says he’d like to have a bigger presence in World Cup cyclocross racing. I don’t know if he’s going to be happy with the results. Unless he is going to just uproot and move over to Europe, there is going to be an enormous amount of travel involved with that. He says he wants to restrict his race starts and travel, and he might be able to do that, but if he is going to do a full World Cup season, either he lives in Europe or travels a ton back and forth.

The Belgians have a huge advantage when it comes to scheduling and travel. Just look at the remaining races this season over the holidays. There is a World Cup on December 22 in Namur Belgium and then another one the day after Christmas on the 26th in Heusden-Zolder Belgium. So unless you are Belgian, every other rider in the race is going to have to spend Christmas Day away from home. That is just wrong. Obviously it is a Belgian sport for the most part.

I’ve always thought that the road gives you a good base for racing cyclocross. From my experience, if I want to be going great a cyclocross, I agree with Jeremy and would restrict the number of cross racers, but would look for some cyclo-cross season road racing to keep the form during the cross season when the weather seems to make it hard to stay consistent. A few years ago, I did the Tour of Southland in November, a 5 day stage race in New Zealand, and I kept that form for the next 4 weeks at least.

Anyway, I wish Jeremy the best. The guy has an enormous amount of energy (click here to watch a few of his fellow pros impersonate him), I have to give him that. I’m not so sure about his self perception of a “low attention span”. When he puts his mind to things, it seems to work out pretty great for him.

Seems strange he won't be donning the Jelly Belly colors for now on.

Seems strange he won’t be donning the Jelly Belly colors for now on.