Monthly Archives: April 2013

Randomness

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling on by .

I’ve been sleeping better the last couple nights. But, that being said, it ain’t anywhere near what I need to be doing to train and race bikes properly. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The most common suggestion is still to go out and get a reclining chair. I’m not going to do it. For one, I don’t want to own a recliner. Two, I can’t imagine a place in my house to put the recliner and sleep in it. Where are you supposed to place it exactly? Are you supposed to place it next to your bed and then just sleep there?

I’ve been taking a big handful of Motrin before going to sleep, along with 1/2 a Valium. I’m going to hold back on taking Ambien for a last resort. This lack of REM sleep plays havoc on daylight hours. It’s been a chore. The PT I’ve been doing over at Rebound Therapy has been an eye opener. Before this, I would have told you that I could rehabilitate just about any injury I had by myself. That isn’t the case here. I would be weeks behind without doing the small, seeming meaningless, movements that I’ve been doing there. It is one good part of this whole ordeal.

I see that Johan Bruyneel is back and posting on his blog once more. He didn’t have much to say other than it is a joy acting like a father for once in his life. He hasn’t removed the 9X Winning Tour de France Sports Director from the heading of the blog. I guess he missed the memo that Lance has officially won none as of now. That puts a big dent into the number 9. The other two were from Alberto Contador. You can take those as you see fit. When is this arbitration hearing going on where Johan can prove that he can come back and win more Tours? I thought it was supposed to start and finish in 2012? Guess not.

I heard a deal on NPR about the failure to pass any legislation on gun control. I don’t know where any of you stand on this, but some of it just makes common sense. We don’t seem to complain when we have to register our cars. I’m not sure why anyone would be against this. It seems like law abiding people wouldn’t care the least. So it would only address criminals in theory. The best quote I heard this morning on the radio was from some senator or legislator (I would love to put his name here) and he said “the fact is that no amount of government interaction (it might of been legislation) can stop irrational people from doing terrible things.”

I know it is hard to sound credible when someone is recording everything you say, but that statement is regoddamndiculous. He must of taken an Ambien after he woke this morning. If you use his logic, then there is absolutely no reason to have Homeland Security. For that matter, even having any police around.

It seems like spring is non existent here. Dennis said it is supposed to snow another 1/2 foot or so up in Cable. They need to hold the Birkie in April since this weather pattern has shifted.

Trudi ordered a truckload of mulch that was delivered yesterday in the rain. I was mildly horrified. She is taking off this afternoon for a month, so I assumed that it was going to be up to me to spread it around. I went to PT, came back and Dennis and Trudi had spread the majority of it. I only had to move 10-15 wheelbarrows full and it was done. It looks good.

The is a stage race in Lawrence this weekend. But, none of my guys can race it. For some really unexplained reason, the guys at Velotek Gran Prix, and their races in general, don’t allow Cat. 1’s to race. I’ve received a few emails from friends wanting to come and are super surprised that there is no race for them. It is a long story, that probably doesn’t really have a conclusion, but it is jacked up to say the least. Our sport is much too small to start excluding certain people from racing. It’s that simple.

Catherine is racing over there this weekend. There is Cat. 1 racing for the women. I think Bill and Brian should just race the Master’s races and smear everyone. Maybe they would put the Cat. 1 men back. I’ll probably ride over and watch some. It’s an easy way to get some miles.

Okay, I need to ride before heading over to the airport in Kansas City to drop Trudi off. It is 38, wet and blustery. Perfect April weather.

It doesn't look like much, but it is way over 50 wheelbarrows full. Maybe closer to 100.

It doesn’t look like much, but it is way over 50 wheelbarrows full. Maybe closer to 100.

It is easy to spread it in the front, but around back took more effort.

It is easy to spread it in the front, but around back took more effort.

The kittens, all siblings, are super interested in anything going on outside.

The kittens, all siblings, are super interested in anything going on outside.

Bill and I just heading out to ride to Lawrence on gravel. Bromont was up for it, but Hawkeye was done from walking. I found out my shoulder isn't up for gravel riding yet.

Bill and I just heading out to ride to Lawrence on gravel. Bromont was up for it, but Hawkeye was done from walking. I found out my shoulder isn’t up for gravel riding yet.

Sucking Cornering

This entry was posted in Racing on by .

I’ve been cornering like shit recently. Bill told me this a couple days ago and I agree with him completely. There are a couple reasons for this and I know them, but that doesn’t change it.

The main reason is that I am pretty spooked about falling on my right shoulder. I’ve invested a good portion of my life into this shoulder repair and don’t want to screw it up by falling down. The 2nd is because there is a fair amount of sand left in the roads from the winter and you can never tell if there is going to be sand there or not. But that is the case every Spring, so it doesn’t really count.

I’m not sure when I’m going to put more effort into corning correctly. I’m turning left pretty good, just not right. It is bugging me, but not bugging me enough that I plan to go and try to corner at race speed training. It just isn’t “worth it”. That is so weird I write that because I hear that statement all the time when people are making excuses for a regret they have in a bike race and I hate it. If they didn’t think it was worth it, then they shouldn’t of started the race in the first place is my usual thought.

Anyway, it will come around when my arm works better. I don’t have the ability to compensate for something that might need a quick correction, so I’m just not messing around with it now.

But, I was thinking about what I’m doing wrong and why I’m cornering so horribly. It is mainly that I’m not putting all my weight on my outside pedal and turning the corner smoothly. I’m leaving some of my weight on my seat, making it nearly impossible to turn a tight corner at the correct angle. It is weird how I would change something that I have done most of my life, just to compensate for a bum shoulder.

I am looking forward to going out when the sand is gone and practice turning. I know that sounds amateurish, and it is, but I think I might do it anyway. It will be a first. I don’t plan on entering a race until I am positive that my shoulder is good and can do everything I want it to do it all circumstances. Right now I’m not even close. I probably could go and enter a tame road race, if it wasn’t windy, and ride alright, but there are way too many times, even in the most tame races where you have to do a quick movement, a jerk that I’m not close to capable of doing.

That is one thing I love about the sport of cycling, mastering something that seems nearly impossible. That is one of the reasons that I’ve switched around so much between road, cyclo-x and MTB racing. Each aspect of the sport has things that are unique to them.

The road is pretty straight forward, but not really. You have to be able to corner on dry cement, wet cement, dry asphalt, wet asphalt and do all these at various speeds. Not counting you have to be able to do it now, day or night, since so many of our races are night time criteriums.

Cross and MTB are so much different. Reading the ground is so important. Being able to identify, as you approach, the different kinds of mud, by sight is mandatory if you want to excel at the sport. Then riding on loose gravel, wet rocks, wet roots, wet leaves, etc. makes the learning curve huge.

Berryman Epic this past year is a good example. I was riding like hell. I was in a super physical slump. But, I got lucky that there was 6 inches of leaves covering the whole course. I got lucky because for one, I’d raced the race 3 times before and knew how rocky it was, but two, I can ride my bike relatively good over rocks covered with leaves. That was the difference there.

It takes years of bike racing to attain most the abilities that you need to be able to handle your bike well. I hate showing up somewhere and not having the exact ability to do what is needed. I hate having to take a chance to keep up, but I usually do. Then I go out and try to learn the skill I was missing, so the next time I don’t have to take a chance. I already have it in my quiver, so I’m at an advantage, thus faster.

This isn't the best example of corning, but it is the only one I could find. My leg is pretty straight, but obviously, all the weight is off my seat on my left pedal, lowering my center of gravity.

This isn’t the best example of corning, but it is the only one I could find. My leg is pretty straight, but obviously, all the weight is off my seat on my left pedal, lowering my center of gravity.