The intent was to get out in the woods on Saturday for a 2-3 hour frollick. Unfortunately the weather had different plans. I woke up and it was seven degrees outside. I had a few hours to burn before I was to get to the shop and pick up the Mamasita. By the time I got there it had warmed up to a whopping 11 degrees, terrific. I then went and got some groceries to fire up a little crockpot action. when I was walking out of the store I thought that it was not too bad, the sun was out, the air was crisp and maybe I would be able to pull the ride off after all. By the time I finished loading the last of five bags into my car, I could barely feel my hands and my legs were absolutely freezing. Well, that was about it, another day on the trainer for me it seemed. So that is what I did, an hour and a half while watching a DVR'd movie, Hitman. Pretty okay movie, though at some point towards the end I stopped paying attention and was confused by the finish.
Sunday held new hope and promise at getting into the woods. I got dressed, put medium balm on my legs, and headed out. The first thing that I noticed was after about twenty millimeters of travel, my fork ended in an abrupt THUNK! Well, that just is not right. I rolled down to Cadence to meet my two riding companions. When I got there, I went to get a drink from my Camelback and, nothing. Yeah, Cameback was sitting in the back of my car, shit! So, I got into the shop, put air in my fork, buy a water bottle and head out for my ride. It was good, even with my fork blowing through travel and bottoming out in a noisey mess, the ride was a blast. We kept the pace nice and steady, the trails were fast and hooking up great. Thankfully no mechanicals because I was ill prepared to say the least. We ended up in the woods for two and a half hours, and the rides two and from the trailhead made the day total out at three hours. That was the longest I have been on a bike since the disaster at the Brentjens challenge. After that it got busy, straight to the shower, where the balm got really toasty. Then I dropped the bike off to get a complete fork overhaul, Starbucks to get coffee for the week, grocery store to pick up some odds and ends then home to get cooking. I fired up a pot of chili and put it in the fridge to go in the crockpot for today, lunch ready, made some puddin'. Then it was to Adobe' to watch the Eagles game. I really hate them, so I was happy I did not have to hear about the Super Bowl for the span of two weeks.
Oh, I also got a pair of compression tights to sleep in. They are supposed to help recovery efforts and stimulate blood flow and this and that. I have been reading about them for years and decided to give them a go. I wore them for a few hours last night, but could not sleep with them on, very restrictive, and pinchy around the waist. I will try to see what the deal is with them as my study progresses.
Well, that is a weekend wrap, have a good one.
Respect each other
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My sports teams stink
I may give up on sports, I am just having a tough time with it right now. The Giants played horrible football against the Eagles on Sunday, thus ending that season. The Flyers, who have been very dominant at home this year, played the Penguins on Tuesday. The Pens have been 1-7 in their last eight games knocked them off 4-2. It is starting to get to me a little bit honestly. A loss I can accept, it happens and I get it. The thing that bothers me the most is that the other teams won. See, I have a special kind of hatred for those two teams. I never want them to win, ever. This kind of dislike is not something I hold for any other team, or any other sport. I actually don't know where it came from either, it is a bit disturbing to me actually, but as the dude in Red Dawn said, "My hatred keeps me warm."
I peeled myself out of bed yesterday and got my butt down to class at the shop for 6am. There is a bit of strangeness for me in that. I just have a very tough time in making myself go to that class, but it is not the waking up part, because I get up at the same time when I have work anyway. I just cannot bring myself to work out at that time in the morning. I can do anything else, anything! Regardless I through my bike on top of the car and drove the 3/4 mile to the shop. When I got there and pulled my bike off the car, I noticed one thing, it is freaking freezing. It was about 10 degrees outside, burr. I got my usual trainer set up and noticed that the class was pretty crowded. They ran a deal on the coaching packages and it looks like many people are taking advantage of it. I sat between two guys who obviously picked up new gear for the new year. Anyway, the class went pretty well, I suffered through it and got to work. I will say that by 4 in the afternoon, I had hit the wall and was ready to get out of there.
Well, it is looking like my qualifying race that usually takes place at the end of April will be taking place the beginning of March due to a return trip to Euroland.
Time to get my grind on.
Respect each other
I peeled myself out of bed yesterday and got my butt down to class at the shop for 6am. There is a bit of strangeness for me in that. I just have a very tough time in making myself go to that class, but it is not the waking up part, because I get up at the same time when I have work anyway. I just cannot bring myself to work out at that time in the morning. I can do anything else, anything! Regardless I through my bike on top of the car and drove the 3/4 mile to the shop. When I got there and pulled my bike off the car, I noticed one thing, it is freaking freezing. It was about 10 degrees outside, burr. I got my usual trainer set up and noticed that the class was pretty crowded. They ran a deal on the coaching packages and it looks like many people are taking advantage of it. I sat between two guys who obviously picked up new gear for the new year. Anyway, the class went pretty well, I suffered through it and got to work. I will say that by 4 in the afternoon, I had hit the wall and was ready to get out of there.
Well, it is looking like my qualifying race that usually takes place at the end of April will be taking place the beginning of March due to a return trip to Euroland.
Time to get my grind on.
Respect each other
Monday, January 12, 2009
Building a bigger engine
This is a critical time of year for training. Rides are to be done in the "endurance zone." I am told that it gets your heart, lungs, and muscles prepared to do harder efforts that come later down the line. Where I am at now, there is an up and downside to it. The upside is that, being that I was essentially off the bike for three months and living on beer and frites, I don't have much more than an endurance pace in my body. The downside is that when I am in a group, and they are also doing endurance zone, I am at the very upper end of my zone, when they have just entered theirs. It is kind of making training with others a bit more difficult. I do have to say that I am feeling a lot better than I did just three weeks ago when I started my season. I also found out that I have a rather large descrepancy between my left and right leg. I am left leg dominant, (which can lead to a much larger conversation about what body part does what better than the other in my life) but when pedalling a bike, I have a big hole in the pedal stroke on my left leg. My right can, on its own, produce a reasonable facsimilie of a circle. My left has a rather large deadspot between the ten and two o'clock position. That is something that needs to be worked on more sooner than later. The last thing is that I have to de-fat myself a bit prior to what is going to be my season opener.
Well, the football team that I am a fan of lost yesterday to the team that I hate the most. The Eagles knocked off the Giants. So, quite honestly my football watching season is now over. It has become more and more difficult for me to watch the game. Between the criminals playing widout, the showboating of the running backs and the awful dances performed by the defensive lineman after a tackle or a sack. Each year it gets easier for me to get up during a game, to do something completely different. Though I have to say, I still enjoy watching offensive lineplay. It is a position I held for twelve years growing up, and I like watching the front five (or six if you have a good tight end) do work. The thing is, I have no back up team. It is all hockey and cycling now. The hockey season is half way over and the road season starts next week.
The weather is looking pretty good for the forseeable future. I just need some more sunlight at the end of the day. I can join a night mountain bike ride on Tuesday, the issue is that right now I have neither lights nor a mountain bike. Since I have been back a bit over a week, I needed a new rear wheel to be built and now then my fork took the proverbial dump on me. Thankfully the head wrench at the shop has a clinic covering rebuilding suspension forks today and tomorrow. That means I should be good to go this coming weekend. I am also having a remote lockout put on the handlebars, I just don't have it in me to reach those eight or so inches to the top of the fork to lock it out.
Hope ya'll had a good weekend. Respect each other
Well, the football team that I am a fan of lost yesterday to the team that I hate the most. The Eagles knocked off the Giants. So, quite honestly my football watching season is now over. It has become more and more difficult for me to watch the game. Between the criminals playing widout, the showboating of the running backs and the awful dances performed by the defensive lineman after a tackle or a sack. Each year it gets easier for me to get up during a game, to do something completely different. Though I have to say, I still enjoy watching offensive lineplay. It is a position I held for twelve years growing up, and I like watching the front five (or six if you have a good tight end) do work. The thing is, I have no back up team. It is all hockey and cycling now. The hockey season is half way over and the road season starts next week.
The weather is looking pretty good for the forseeable future. I just need some more sunlight at the end of the day. I can join a night mountain bike ride on Tuesday, the issue is that right now I have neither lights nor a mountain bike. Since I have been back a bit over a week, I needed a new rear wheel to be built and now then my fork took the proverbial dump on me. Thankfully the head wrench at the shop has a clinic covering rebuilding suspension forks today and tomorrow. That means I should be good to go this coming weekend. I am also having a remote lockout put on the handlebars, I just don't have it in me to reach those eight or so inches to the top of the fork to lock it out.
Hope ya'll had a good weekend. Respect each other
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Back to it, and rankings
I'm back, both to the grind of the everyday of work, as well as trying to keep up with the blogging side of life. I am not sure if I find this cathartic or what, but after doing it for some time, I figured I would just keep going. Let's see, since the last post... I wrapped up my Euro stint, well part one at least. I got back to the States, got engaged, and am starting base training for racing season 2009. It looks like I will be heading back to Europe so I am not sure if the base training will be a complete waste of time, but at least it will help me sleep at night.
I upgraded from cat 5 to cat 4 on the road side of racing things. They also changed to categories on the mountain bike front, and I am a cat 2, go figure. It really sounds a lot better than it actually is, I remain a guy who is a bit too girthy or distracted during a race to be a real threat. It is my goal to remedy that side of things. Anyway, I got my rankings for both road and mountain at the beginning of the season, I am hoping to improve the overall but will put everything down to keep track as the season progresses.
USCF Criterium Cat 4 Standing:
Rank in zip code - 1
Rank in state - 12
Rank in riding age (37) - 15
Rank in 5 year age ranger (35-39) - 73
Rank in 10 year age range - (30-39) - 119
Overall rank - 348
NORBA cross country standings
Rank in zip code - 1
Rank in state - 3
Rank in riding age (37) - 6
Rank in 5 year age range (35-39) - 29
Rank in 10 year age range - (30-39) - 41
Overall rank - 161
Now I just have to put the work in and get moving up.
I started doing my base training which included an epic ride in 50mph wind gusts and brutal snow squalls that took place on New Years Eve. Sunday was a two hour effort in 24 degree weather, which was not actually the stupid part. The part that got to me was that it took place at eight in the morning. Being that I have no kids or real responsibilities, I don't see why weekend rides should start prior to ten. Yesterday I pulled myself out of bed to do a 6am class at Cadence, which is just ridiculously early. It is funny that it does not require my getting out of bed any earlier than I would if I was heading to work, but just the riding that early gets to me. I also doubled up by doing the evening movie and a spin down there. Unfortunately I was not really ready for the second part, went out too quick and blew myself up. Oh well, it is all good.
Okay, that is enough of a start for now. I hope all is well with everyone. Spoke with the Ogre yesterday, so I know what he's doing.
Respect each other
I upgraded from cat 5 to cat 4 on the road side of racing things. They also changed to categories on the mountain bike front, and I am a cat 2, go figure. It really sounds a lot better than it actually is, I remain a guy who is a bit too girthy or distracted during a race to be a real threat. It is my goal to remedy that side of things. Anyway, I got my rankings for both road and mountain at the beginning of the season, I am hoping to improve the overall but will put everything down to keep track as the season progresses.
USCF Criterium Cat 4 Standing:
Rank in zip code - 1
Rank in state - 12
Rank in riding age (37) - 15
Rank in 5 year age ranger (35-39) - 73
Rank in 10 year age range - (30-39) - 119
Overall rank - 348
NORBA cross country standings
Rank in zip code - 1
Rank in state - 3
Rank in riding age (37) - 6
Rank in 5 year age range (35-39) - 29
Rank in 10 year age range - (30-39) - 41
Overall rank - 161
Now I just have to put the work in and get moving up.
I started doing my base training which included an epic ride in 50mph wind gusts and brutal snow squalls that took place on New Years Eve. Sunday was a two hour effort in 24 degree weather, which was not actually the stupid part. The part that got to me was that it took place at eight in the morning. Being that I have no kids or real responsibilities, I don't see why weekend rides should start prior to ten. Yesterday I pulled myself out of bed to do a 6am class at Cadence, which is just ridiculously early. It is funny that it does not require my getting out of bed any earlier than I would if I was heading to work, but just the riding that early gets to me. I also doubled up by doing the evening movie and a spin down there. Unfortunately I was not really ready for the second part, went out too quick and blew myself up. Oh well, it is all good.
Okay, that is enough of a start for now. I hope all is well with everyone. Spoke with the Ogre yesterday, so I know what he's doing.
Respect each other
Monday, November 3, 2008
Rental car racing stripes
So last Friday, Halloween, I moved into a new apartment. The apartment is a lot more comfortable than the last, which I thought at the time was fine. After four weeks I guess you get used to your situation. Then when you move up in the world, it is that much better.
I also got a parking spot with this place. I am driving a Ford Mondeo wagon. It was delivered with zero kilometers on it. When I saw where I was to park, I did not see much of an issue, but I was more concerned about getting into the apartment. Saturday morning I went to move the car off the street and into the spot.
Here is the layout, a garage door that is streetside, leading down a narrow corridor into a small courtyard with about 15 garages there. Think of a capital "P" type deal. So I go and open the door and start to swing the car into the opening. It was then I noticed that it was a tight fit. A very tight fit. The Mondeo has parking sensors on the front and back. They start with a slow beep.....beep.....beep that increase infrequency when you approach something until it is a steady beeeeeeeep, meaning you are pretty much out of room. So I give it the first try, dopplers go off in the front. I back up to get a better angle, and this being a European street, the back goes off that I am going to hit someone's car. Forward and the nose of the car is in, not directly straight though. I slowly ease in and the front alarm goes off, too close to the wall in the corridor. I turn the wheel, ease away from the wall and ssscrrraaappppeeee!! Rear passenger door against the garage door railing.. SHIT.. I back away from it and thankfully do not hit the front of the car as it is now as steady buzz.. I eventually get it straightened out and head down the thirty some foot corridor.. I get to the end and realize, man this courtyard is a bit on the tight side of things. I swing around in an attempt to back into my allotted spot, which was in the middle of the fat part of the "P". I eventually get it backed in after multiple attempts and a whole crapload of beeping annnndd, there is no way I can open the door far enough to get out of the car. Well, this certainly is not going to work. Screw it, I am out of here. I then have to navigate back out the corridor, the opening of which is against the wall. I think I did about a three dozen point turn and still could not get to a straight shot. I thought I had it knocked, as I slowly started to creep into the corridor, the fast beep of the front sensor turned solid so I turned the wheel to get straight. Another couple feet and sscrraaaappppeeeee!!! Down the drivers side rear door. Looking in the rear view mirror, the door handle was also caved in a bit. Great. A few more back and forths and I eventually got it freed.
I had a sickening feeling in my stomach. I finally realized that company policy for renting cars overseas was to get as much insurance as possible. I am just hoping that the policy was followed because I did not see any paperwork, I just autographed a piece of paper for delivery of a brand new car. Oh boy!!!
I am thankful that my Cross bike showed up. The last two days I rode into work. There is something to be said for bike commuting, over cobbled roads, along a port, in Belgium. There certainly are worse ways to start the day..
I also got a parking spot with this place. I am driving a Ford Mondeo wagon. It was delivered with zero kilometers on it. When I saw where I was to park, I did not see much of an issue, but I was more concerned about getting into the apartment. Saturday morning I went to move the car off the street and into the spot.
Here is the layout, a garage door that is streetside, leading down a narrow corridor into a small courtyard with about 15 garages there. Think of a capital "P" type deal. So I go and open the door and start to swing the car into the opening. It was then I noticed that it was a tight fit. A very tight fit. The Mondeo has parking sensors on the front and back. They start with a slow beep.....beep.....beep that increase infrequency when you approach something until it is a steady beeeeeeeep, meaning you are pretty much out of room. So I give it the first try, dopplers go off in the front. I back up to get a better angle, and this being a European street, the back goes off that I am going to hit someone's car. Forward and the nose of the car is in, not directly straight though. I slowly ease in and the front alarm goes off, too close to the wall in the corridor. I turn the wheel, ease away from the wall and ssscrrraaappppeeee!! Rear passenger door against the garage door railing.. SHIT.. I back away from it and thankfully do not hit the front of the car as it is now as steady buzz.. I eventually get it straightened out and head down the thirty some foot corridor.. I get to the end and realize, man this courtyard is a bit on the tight side of things. I swing around in an attempt to back into my allotted spot, which was in the middle of the fat part of the "P". I eventually get it backed in after multiple attempts and a whole crapload of beeping annnndd, there is no way I can open the door far enough to get out of the car. Well, this certainly is not going to work. Screw it, I am out of here. I then have to navigate back out the corridor, the opening of which is against the wall. I think I did about a three dozen point turn and still could not get to a straight shot. I thought I had it knocked, as I slowly started to creep into the corridor, the fast beep of the front sensor turned solid so I turned the wheel to get straight. Another couple feet and sscrraaaappppeeeee!!! Down the drivers side rear door. Looking in the rear view mirror, the door handle was also caved in a bit. Great. A few more back and forths and I eventually got it freed.
I had a sickening feeling in my stomach. I finally realized that company policy for renting cars overseas was to get as much insurance as possible. I am just hoping that the policy was followed because I did not see any paperwork, I just autographed a piece of paper for delivery of a brand new car. Oh boy!!!
I am thankful that my Cross bike showed up. The last two days I rode into work. There is something to be said for bike commuting, over cobbled roads, along a port, in Belgium. There certainly are worse ways to start the day..
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Suffering, Cont...
So I was 50K in and the cramping has started. Continuing on this up and down journey I realized, it was all up and down. There was not a flat three meter section to be found anywhere. Yeah, I had thought that Holland, as a country, in total, was pancake flat and below sea level. This is based on any time I spent there, and the postcards, and the fact that when you land at Schipol airport (the international airport in the country) you are landing twelve feet below sea level, and there is your triva for the day. Anyway, the southern part of the country is anything but flat. It is a sea of rolling hills, never ending, rolling hills with farm after farm.
I was on a desent a few kilometers later where a few hundred people were standing in the middle of the trail. The trail was more along the lines of a very steep ditch that was claylike in consistency and had my bike weighing about five pounds more that it would clean with this crap stuck to every tube and derailleur. Anyway, a guy stacked it up pretty hard. Thankfully after moving around him I was able to get back on the bike and enjoy going downhill again. Unfortunately that fun was short lived where I heard someone yell "Pon Guy" and I looked over to see a fellow Pon employee on the side of the trail with a flat. The only thing he had to repair his issue was a tube. No tyre levers, no pump, nada. So I stopped, handed over what he needed and waited. I was able to take a Euro style pee as a few dozen people flew past. I was thinking about leaving him with my stuff and continuing on with the premise if I flatted, he would give it back as he passed. I am glad I did not do that.
About 60K in, I was in rough shape. I only partially filled a camelback because my lower back has issues but I used it to carry some food, tools, and tubes. I finished one water bottle a while ago and when I was on a little downhill, I dropped my other when I tried to wash the cowcrapmud from it. I would have stopped but after dropping it, I ran it over, yep it was that kind of day. So, my legs were siezing up pretty nicely at this point. When I bent a leg to relieve the cramp in my quad, my hamstring in the other leg would ball up. The only thing that felt good at all was spinning very tiny little gears. Any effort would cause serious pain after a very short while. I was beginning to question even if I was going to finish this thing but at 60K there was a beautiful sight, the second rest stop. I hammered back a banana (knowing that my guts were not going to like that at all), multiple cups of sports drink, an energy bar, and also filled my bottle.
I left after a few minutes with renewed energy. That energy lasted about a half hour. Suprisingly, my back was the last thing to start giving me grief, but eventually it did. I continued on, no longer able to hold wheels as people past. I was using the "ride within yourself" adage, which at this point can only be interpreted as, just finish this thing. I came down another decent, the number of which I could not count and was starting up another hill when I realized the back end was a bit more squishy than it should. It was then I realized there was air leaving my bike tire. Okay, horrific. It was good to have an excuse to get off the bike though. I pulled the wheel out, took the tube out and checked to find the hole. In a nightmare I saw that the hole was on the inside of the tube, looking at the wheel, I saw that my rim tape slid over, exposing three spoke holes. Now that is a big issue. I did not have any patches or tire boots so the only thing I could do was suck down a banana gu, tear the packet apart and put it over the holes. Unfortunately that is easier said than done. It took a bunch of time to rip the pack apart with my weak, birdlike fingers, and then I needed another set of hands because the tire would not seat. That is the blessing of and the curse of the 29er. Sometimes it is actually too easy to put a tire back on. Eventually I got it mounted up and I was back on my way, evern more gingerly now.
Continuing on my hills, up and down, ad naseum. Another guy from Pon came past me. A nice guy who signed me up for this torture. He came by and told me that there was just another 10K to go. That was great news to me and I figured another half hour or so and I was out of this. That lasted until I came upon the third rest station. It seemed weird to me that they would have a station what was now 8K from the finish. Nope, there was 20K left. I kind of wanted to cry a little. One more full bottle and I was on my way.
The balance of the race was just wanting to see the end around the next turn, dozens and dozens of turns. Each brought a little hope to me, each time it vanished. I finally recognized the church steeple that was near where we started, it has to be over soon. I got closer and closer, only to be turned out for another loop to nowhere. Eventually though, it did end. To say that relief washed over me six hours and twenty five minutes after the start would be an understatement. When I stopped to hand over my transponder from the race, I yelped as my legs continued to cramp up when I unclipped.
I looked at the display area, seeing a few hundred people hanging out, drinking and listening to techno thump away, I figured I would just head to the car. If no one was there, I would just lay down next to it. When I saw the BBB trailer (Bikers Behind the Bushes) trailer, I could not be more happy. Even better was to get out of the bibs I was wearing for the past twelve hours and drink a warm Coke and Sprite. Different parts of my body would take turns knotting up and I would grunt in pain. The funny thing is how short the memory of what went on is. About a half hour later, the memories dull and conversations turn to training more, and doing the next ride.
Patrick thankfully invited me to stay at his place for dinner. The Mamasita was cleaned and boxed, ready to head back to the states. I was still filthy, but fed on Dutch pea soup, bread and pasta. The drive home was not too bad, and thankfully I got a parking spot right outside my apartment because if I was two blocks away, I seriously think I would have slept in my car.
The funny thing is that, even though I was exhausted in every way possible, I could not get to sleep because I was so sore. Now it is two days later, still not back to normal.
Oh, one other thing. The Renault car I have been driving is getting turned in. Some light with a wrench came on the dashboard. I notified the rental company and told them I want something different. The French, wine, yep, cheese, yep, cars... NOPE!
I wonder what the ogre is up to these days?
I was on a desent a few kilometers later where a few hundred people were standing in the middle of the trail. The trail was more along the lines of a very steep ditch that was claylike in consistency and had my bike weighing about five pounds more that it would clean with this crap stuck to every tube and derailleur. Anyway, a guy stacked it up pretty hard. Thankfully after moving around him I was able to get back on the bike and enjoy going downhill again. Unfortunately that fun was short lived where I heard someone yell "Pon Guy" and I looked over to see a fellow Pon employee on the side of the trail with a flat. The only thing he had to repair his issue was a tube. No tyre levers, no pump, nada. So I stopped, handed over what he needed and waited. I was able to take a Euro style pee as a few dozen people flew past. I was thinking about leaving him with my stuff and continuing on with the premise if I flatted, he would give it back as he passed. I am glad I did not do that.
About 60K in, I was in rough shape. I only partially filled a camelback because my lower back has issues but I used it to carry some food, tools, and tubes. I finished one water bottle a while ago and when I was on a little downhill, I dropped my other when I tried to wash the cowcrapmud from it. I would have stopped but after dropping it, I ran it over, yep it was that kind of day. So, my legs were siezing up pretty nicely at this point. When I bent a leg to relieve the cramp in my quad, my hamstring in the other leg would ball up. The only thing that felt good at all was spinning very tiny little gears. Any effort would cause serious pain after a very short while. I was beginning to question even if I was going to finish this thing but at 60K there was a beautiful sight, the second rest stop. I hammered back a banana (knowing that my guts were not going to like that at all), multiple cups of sports drink, an energy bar, and also filled my bottle.
I left after a few minutes with renewed energy. That energy lasted about a half hour. Suprisingly, my back was the last thing to start giving me grief, but eventually it did. I continued on, no longer able to hold wheels as people past. I was using the "ride within yourself" adage, which at this point can only be interpreted as, just finish this thing. I came down another decent, the number of which I could not count and was starting up another hill when I realized the back end was a bit more squishy than it should. It was then I realized there was air leaving my bike tire. Okay, horrific. It was good to have an excuse to get off the bike though. I pulled the wheel out, took the tube out and checked to find the hole. In a nightmare I saw that the hole was on the inside of the tube, looking at the wheel, I saw that my rim tape slid over, exposing three spoke holes. Now that is a big issue. I did not have any patches or tire boots so the only thing I could do was suck down a banana gu, tear the packet apart and put it over the holes. Unfortunately that is easier said than done. It took a bunch of time to rip the pack apart with my weak, birdlike fingers, and then I needed another set of hands because the tire would not seat. That is the blessing of and the curse of the 29er. Sometimes it is actually too easy to put a tire back on. Eventually I got it mounted up and I was back on my way, evern more gingerly now.
Continuing on my hills, up and down, ad naseum. Another guy from Pon came past me. A nice guy who signed me up for this torture. He came by and told me that there was just another 10K to go. That was great news to me and I figured another half hour or so and I was out of this. That lasted until I came upon the third rest station. It seemed weird to me that they would have a station what was now 8K from the finish. Nope, there was 20K left. I kind of wanted to cry a little. One more full bottle and I was on my way.
The balance of the race was just wanting to see the end around the next turn, dozens and dozens of turns. Each brought a little hope to me, each time it vanished. I finally recognized the church steeple that was near where we started, it has to be over soon. I got closer and closer, only to be turned out for another loop to nowhere. Eventually though, it did end. To say that relief washed over me six hours and twenty five minutes after the start would be an understatement. When I stopped to hand over my transponder from the race, I yelped as my legs continued to cramp up when I unclipped.
I looked at the display area, seeing a few hundred people hanging out, drinking and listening to techno thump away, I figured I would just head to the car. If no one was there, I would just lay down next to it. When I saw the BBB trailer (Bikers Behind the Bushes) trailer, I could not be more happy. Even better was to get out of the bibs I was wearing for the past twelve hours and drink a warm Coke and Sprite. Different parts of my body would take turns knotting up and I would grunt in pain. The funny thing is how short the memory of what went on is. About a half hour later, the memories dull and conversations turn to training more, and doing the next ride.
Patrick thankfully invited me to stay at his place for dinner. The Mamasita was cleaned and boxed, ready to head back to the states. I was still filthy, but fed on Dutch pea soup, bread and pasta. The drive home was not too bad, and thankfully I got a parking spot right outside my apartment because if I was two blocks away, I seriously think I would have slept in my car.
The funny thing is that, even though I was exhausted in every way possible, I could not get to sleep because I was so sore. Now it is two days later, still not back to normal.
Oh, one other thing. The Renault car I have been driving is getting turned in. Some light with a wrench came on the dashboard. I notified the rental company and told them I want something different. The French, wine, yep, cheese, yep, cars... NOPE!
I wonder what the ogre is up to these days?
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Suffering
I honestly can say that I have never suffered as much on a bike as I did yesterday. It was a long day all the way around. I woke at five, had some granola and a banana and then got on the road to Holland. I stopped at a rest stop on the highway. Interesting thing about that, they sell beer everywhere. This rest stop was not like in the States with restaurants and whatnot. It was essentially a WaWa with an area with some standing tables, no chairs. Well, it was about quarter to six when I walked in and it was honestly like walking into a bar. That room had a dozen or so people around the tables, it was filled with smoke with empty cans of Jupiler all round. They were a raucos group as well, I can imagine how long there had been there. The thing is, it was a rest stop on a highway. The only place to go was back on the highway. Interesting to say the least.
I got to Patrick's house in Holland at a quarter to seven and built up the Mamasita for another run on European soil. After that we loaded four bikes on the top of a little trailer (pic to follow, I need one of them) and headed south. About and hour and a half later we were kitting up in a parking lot. Another Euro thing, if you have to pee, turn around and pee. There is no need to seek shelter or hide, just take care of business. Then it was off to the start line.
It was another mass of humanity, with a few thousand riders registered, though not the sixteen thousand in Norway. From the gun I had pretty good sensation in my legs, especially after about four weeks off the bike. It took about an hour to get the legs rolling but I was holding my own sitting in a crowd. We went through cow fields, old tractor roads, double and single track. Before the race started I was filling out my medical form when it asked what my blood type is. Needless to say, I don't know. I was also wondering why that was needed. Well, when I was desending this ribbon of slimy singletrack just about full out and realized I was two feet away from barbed wire fencing. After the sun burned the morning fog off, it turned out to be a nice day, which I am very grateful for because I cannot imagine what the course is like in rain.
So, at the first stop, I grabbed a banana and a few sports drinks. The stop was minimal, about 30K in and when I stop, I cramp. A little ways after the stop there was a sign, 50 and 75K to the left, 100K to the right. Well, I took the right.
Fast forward and hour and a half. I realized that the entire course, everything, was either going up or down. Ridiculous, not a flat spot to be found. Some of the climbs were just steep but nothing was overly long. I also realized that my bike was weighed down by an additional five pounds or so of claylike mud that contained both cow and horse shit. That made grabbing a mud caked water bottle more of a necessity than a luxury. I really started cramping up right at the beginning of hour threee. On a climb that pitched up to a granny gear march at the end, I could not make it and when both feet hit the ground, both quads siezed up at the same time. I just stood there looking down at the raquetballs above my knees begging for release. Thankfully they eventually let go and I was on my way, a little more gingerly. Two corners later I was hit with this dose of reality, a sign that read "50K". I figured, I was in trouble....
To be continued...
I got to Patrick's house in Holland at a quarter to seven and built up the Mamasita for another run on European soil. After that we loaded four bikes on the top of a little trailer (pic to follow, I need one of them) and headed south. About and hour and a half later we were kitting up in a parking lot. Another Euro thing, if you have to pee, turn around and pee. There is no need to seek shelter or hide, just take care of business. Then it was off to the start line.
It was another mass of humanity, with a few thousand riders registered, though not the sixteen thousand in Norway. From the gun I had pretty good sensation in my legs, especially after about four weeks off the bike. It took about an hour to get the legs rolling but I was holding my own sitting in a crowd. We went through cow fields, old tractor roads, double and single track. Before the race started I was filling out my medical form when it asked what my blood type is. Needless to say, I don't know. I was also wondering why that was needed. Well, when I was desending this ribbon of slimy singletrack just about full out and realized I was two feet away from barbed wire fencing. After the sun burned the morning fog off, it turned out to be a nice day, which I am very grateful for because I cannot imagine what the course is like in rain.
So, at the first stop, I grabbed a banana and a few sports drinks. The stop was minimal, about 30K in and when I stop, I cramp. A little ways after the stop there was a sign, 50 and 75K to the left, 100K to the right. Well, I took the right.
Fast forward and hour and a half. I realized that the entire course, everything, was either going up or down. Ridiculous, not a flat spot to be found. Some of the climbs were just steep but nothing was overly long. I also realized that my bike was weighed down by an additional five pounds or so of claylike mud that contained both cow and horse shit. That made grabbing a mud caked water bottle more of a necessity than a luxury. I really started cramping up right at the beginning of hour threee. On a climb that pitched up to a granny gear march at the end, I could not make it and when both feet hit the ground, both quads siezed up at the same time. I just stood there looking down at the raquetballs above my knees begging for release. Thankfully they eventually let go and I was on my way, a little more gingerly. Two corners later I was hit with this dose of reality, a sign that read "50K". I figured, I was in trouble....
To be continued...
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