where is everyone?
Last Post 07/25/2016 06:02 AM by Michael Carbajal. 26 Replies.
Author Messages
thinline

Posts:323

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06/28/2016 07:45 AM
Is anyone out there?  Doing any pedaling?

Last Saturday I did a century that raised money for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a group that provides funding and equipment for athletes with physical disabilities.  It was pretty cool because there were quite a few folks out on hand cycles doing the ride.  It was 40 F when we started.  brrrrr.  90 F when we finished.

Next week (the 8th and 9th) I'm in for back-to-back century days (the "Prouty") to raise money for an area cancer research and treatment center.  Day one is limited to 150 riders and is really intimate and low key.  We all stay at a college in Manchester, NH Thursday night, have dinner together and leave after breakfast Friday morning with a police escort out of the city.  Saturday will see about 3,000 cyclists doing various routes.  It's an amazing event, incredibly well organized and supported.

So, how about y'all?  Any events?  Fun trips?  Tour de What?
Dale

Posts:1767

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06/28/2016 09:12 AM
Live... sold my house after having it on the market close to a year. That kept me occupied what with cleaning, buyer demands, etc. I'm way behind on my usual riding but enjoying marriage, kids, grandkids.


United has some stupid cheap fares to Europe so my wife and I are working on a trip to Italy... a few days in Rome then ON TO WATCH MILAN-SAN REMO LIVE AND IN PERSON!!!


I need to pick the brains of those who have done that. Race is on the 18th of March and the Fondo is the 19th... 120k over the last couple of climbs and down to the finish. Of course I have to do that!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/28/2016 10:43 AM
Mt Baker ride (145kms) planned for Canada Day (Jul 1). If I survive that Hemlock return (215kms) Jul 2. Nice grave climb. If I survive both Hellracer 250 (245kms) Jul 9. Lots of gravel, remote back country, one brutal 8km, 12 percent gravel climb w pitches to 24 percent, overall 4800 m of climbing.

Club rides Jul 3 and 10...maybe.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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06/28/2016 11:24 AM
Focusing on IM Wisconsin on September 11. So far, things are lining up well. Two shorter Olympic distance races in the bag....2nd in my AG at the first one. Second one changed to a dualthlon due to weather (cancelled the swim). 2.3 mile run, 40K bike, 10K run. Won my AG, 13th Overall and 4th fastest bike split overall.

best part is that my power numbers are pretty low....went 24.2mph on Sunday on 223w (average) / 232w (normalized). I love aero.

3 weeks is the Half-Ironman in Racine...that will be a big test. Planning on pushing myself pretty hard as opposed to past years when I basically was conserving energy the whole race. We'll see how it goes!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Cranky Tom

Posts:58

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06/28/2016 12:39 PM
Trying to find time to train in between work and four kids. Two of my kids are big into swimming and this is the height of their season. Instead of riding last weekend I got to drive 4 hours north to Fresno, CA and watch a swim meet (I actually like watching swim meets but sitting next a pool for a whole day watching others exercise when I haven't gotten in a workout is torture! They really need to set aside just one lane in the warm up pool for us adults). I did manage a really nice 60 mile road ride the weekend before last so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

As for trips, I get to spend five days in Hawaii alone with my wife in August when my kids are with their grandparents. I cannot wait for that.

At this point I really do need to put an event on the calendar to reinvigorate my training. Next up may be a 12 hour relay mountain bike race in late October. I've done many of those events before and they're a blast. I'd like to up my game a bit this year which may mean some changes to my usual informal training plan. I find that the start/stop nature of the relay usually means leg cramp issues for me, so I need to find a way to train for that.
SideBySide

Posts:444

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06/28/2016 12:43 PM
Unfortunately for me, summer is 100% booked on the weekends through August. The only riding I get to do is to and from work, and even that is subject to other activities.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/28/2016 01:12 PM
As to vacation, we're hitting NY and DC for 2 weeks mid-Aug.
smokey52

Posts:492

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06/28/2016 01:52 PM
My son & I did the Cape Cod Getaway MS ride last weekend, from Boston to Provincetown with an overnight at the Maritime Academy near the Bourne Bridge, which we crossed the next morning. I took the ferry back to Boston. Maybe the NYC Century in September.
Spud

Posts:525

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06/28/2016 02:08 PM
Stuck in Tucson for the summer. Soooooo friggin hot! Out the door at 4:50 am for my rides now. Dropped 20 lbs and feeling great. Too much good eating, and double IPA's (Boneyard Brewery) were getting the best of me. Smokey, that sounds like the Pan Mass route. I'll be riding El Tour on the tandem this year. Talked a friend into riding it with me. A runner with a few marathons under his belt. He'll be running the Chicago Marathon this year CK.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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06/28/2016 02:36 PM
Spud, I'm doing the Chicago Marathon as well this year....4 short weeks after Madison. Ouch....

Figure I'll take the first week as complete rest, maybe a few bike rides then a couple of weeks of only running and then taper / recover the week before the race. Will be interesting to see how I bounce back from Madison.

Could be ugly!! if I was doing it as my only "A" race, I think I would stand a decent chance at qualifying for Boston......coming 4 weeks after an IM, who knows?
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Spud

Posts:525

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06/28/2016 05:27 PM
Any idea what the riding is like in San Jose, CA area? My wife potentially will be getting her next gig there for about 8 months.
SideBySide

Posts:444

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06/28/2016 05:45 PM
My brother lives south of there, at the end of the Almaden Expwy, off McKean Rd. There are some nice rolling hills, as long as you don't mind some traffic.

The city's suck, IMHO.
SideBySide

Posts:444

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06/28/2016 06:40 PM
If you want more of a hill, Dunne Ave, east of Morgan Hill, is pretty good and I don't think highly traveled. It is narrow though.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/28/2016 08:35 PM
Only ever did Mount Hamilton out of San Jose. Possibilities depend on which end of city you are, from recollection. To west, beautiful riding galore in SC Mountains. I used to live for a little while in Palo Alto to NW of San Jose. Very easy to get out on mountain roads from there. That's the side of city I'd pick given a choice.
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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06/29/2016 01:32 PM
It has been quite the year. Retired from U of PA after 30+ years 2 March. Helped move entire lab 'across the street' to a private research institute. My Dad died 11 March. Wife's Mom died 5 days later. We finally took our deferred honeymoon in early April: Amsterdam and 8 days on the Rhine to Basel. Much preparation for wife's daughter's wedding in our backyard last weekend. Hoping to get 2 rides in over this coming weekend, but I am battling germs that seemingly had no effect on my littlest grand-girl...... 2 weeks of a bad back was in there somewhere, too.

Have had fewer that 12 bike rides this year, but more than that commuting by moto to work this month alone, so some fun is being had on 2 wheels. And, I snagged a Lemond Ultegra triple on eBay for 4 bills, shipped. Have not assembled it yet.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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06/29/2016 01:51 PM
Wow...that kinda sucks, Mike. Get to retire and have all the joy / satisfaction of that milestone quickly rocked by other family stuff.

Things will sort themselves out....they always do and then you can get some bike time in.

Enjoy retirement....that is pretty damn cool.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Yo Mike

Posts:338

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06/29/2016 03:12 PM
Thanks, CK. It was pretty damn weird and stressful for a while.

I actually retired from one job (with continuing health benes) but am still working full time. Same people, just new location, smaller, and friendlier. This is likely my last job, and I'm 'only' 58. Retirement is still hard to get a handle on, but the inheritance money will surely help; thanks, Dad!

Really need to be on the bicycle more, and I need to make the effort to get a ride in before or after work during the week. I even bought a decent pair of running shoes, thinking it would be a quicker, less complicated workout. I'll never do more than a few miles at a time, and I'll let you know how it goes once I actually start. Where do you find the time?
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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06/29/2016 04:24 PM
Supportive family, more than anything else. Also a flexible job re: work hours....so I can nab a quick ride / run at lunch and go abit longer than an hour. That helps a lot.

Been getting up pretty early most days during the week, usually at it no later than 5:30 (up @ 5-ish, feed / water the dogs, get schitt together, out the door).

I do my best minimize lost family time, but it gets harder as the season goes on and I need longer workouts....hence the supportive family. They understand and accept it. I also will do weird things like ride / run to / from ome of the girl's soccer games, take the kids to the pool with their friends and swim laps while they play, etc. You just gotta get creative sometimes.....and include the family in the planning process. "OK, what do we have going on this weekend 'cuz I need to do XYZ" and you just work around it.

Lot to be said for just throwing on running shows and shorts and heading out the door for 3 miles and being back in 30 min.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Gonzo Cyclist

Posts:568

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06/29/2016 06:52 PM
I have just been hammering it, built a new Mountain bike about three weeks ago. Been riding and racing a ton!! 3 cross country races, one of those an SS race, 2 big mtn enduro races, and 2 endurance races, one 12 hour, one 24 hour so far this season, more to come in July and August.
It's been fun, but my legs feel like they are about to fall off, most days are two ride days, 30 to 40 miles every morning before work, and maybe 20 to 30 in the evening?
jookey

Posts:197

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06/30/2016 06:24 AM
Off bike for over a year. Gained more weight than Ulrich winter training plan. Started riding again. Doing group rides now because my friends enjoy putting me at that line of suffering without blowing me up. I admit though, I enjoy the pain. I'd rather be dishing it out though. Wife got me a fat bike for father's day (hopefully that will be the only fat thing around soon). Will be taking it on vacation with me next week. Also found a decent road bike for the 10 year old and he's excited to begin doing longer rides with me.
Nick A

Posts:625

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06/30/2016 12:29 PM
Haven't been riding the road bike a lot. But have gotten more and more eccentric with the city bike. I now have a steel, Chinese Burley cargo trailer knock off. It weighs a ton, and then add groceries. But it's very good exercise. I know guys race into their old age, but as I turn 50, I'm seeing a triple, or compact crank with my big cassette. I may even go to mountain bike shoes. Still too cool for school right now. LOL. We have the Albuquerque century later in the fall. Unless I'm in atrocious shape, I'll likely do some part of that. It's very flat, a "lollipop" shape, with a lot of out and back, and a lot of participants. So even if I'm not feeling it, I can do 50 and find wheels all over the place.

Last two road rides over the last few weeks were an easy, flat 25, and a less easy 30 with a steady six mile climb.

After bailing on FB for a couple of years, I'm back on. A guy one year younger than me that I raced with as a junior is looking ripped, a guy from my youth whose no like 67 is postin pix of him at Nationals! So that should shame me into at least spiking the heart rate a little.

Nick
Gonzo Cyclist

Posts:568

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07/03/2016 12:13 PM
Nick, New XT Shimano, you could do a triple front with an 11-46 rear, that cassette should be available any time. I have been running the XT 1x with the 11-42, and a 30 tooth cog up front, stuff works flawless, and I can climb anywhere in the steeps of Santa Fe, no problem
I think I'm getting too old for the fully rigid Ritchey P-29 SS these days, this new bike has me spoiled
Nick A

Posts:625

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07/03/2016 12:40 PM
Aside from money, space is my issue. I've always had a road bike, and even when I've had down time, I always wind up riding it again. I've bought and sold commuters, mountain bikes, fixed gears, etc. They never seem to stick. I want to like some sort of off road riding ... but just never feel comfortable with a super relaxed seat tube, long crank arms, hand position on bars, etc., etc. Good to know about those gears! I have a 39x28 right now. When I was a junior, my lowest gear was 42x19!!!! (I also raced twice a week, and although one inch shorter, weighed 35 lbs less.)

I keep thinking of setting up sort of touring, or gravel, or heavier duty road bike. Something with low gears, tires that I can use on the poorly maintained dirt road up the back side of Sandia, and be a little less "serious", and be able to take extra water, food, etc., when there's no place to stop.

Nick
zootracer

Posts:833

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07/03/2016 01:36 PM
Broke my Campagnolo Chorus compact carbon crank. The aluminum insert for pedal spindle came out (this is the second time for a Chorus carbon crank). Not willing to fork over the price for another piece of road candy I opted for a Athena Alloy Power Torque. The owner of my LBS tried to get Campy to cover the Chorus crank for warranty, they said no (it was five years old). While waiting for my Athena crank to arrive, I rode the heck out of my old Colnago Master X-Light (bought it in 2002). I fell in love with the ride of steel. My 'main ride is a '07 Trek Madone SL5.9. I had a little trouble adapting to the 53/39 crank on the Master with all the climbing I do. After the crank came in for the Trek, I purchased an Athena compact (50/34) for the Master. Now I am scratching my head trying to figure out why it has been basically hanging in my garage being seldom ridden for the past 9 years. No more. I only rode it for 5 years before buying the Madone, so basically it is a five year old bike. I think when I broke that carbon crank and was majorly pissed off, it was a blessing in disguise. Rediscovering the ride of steel. In one word, FUN!!! No more hanging in the garage for sure.....oh, Can't tell the diff between the alloy and carbon crank. Carbon was just pretty to look at..
thinline

Posts:323

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07/12/2016 01:42 PM
Well, did my back-to-back century days event last Friday and Saturday. Got rained on both days for about the first 50 miles or so, wet roads when it wasn't raining until later in the day both days. A bit on the chilly side in the mornings. And, the last 40 miles of day 2 featured a headwind up around 15 mph or so. All in all, IT WAS AWESOME! 150 riders day one, and about 3,000 on day two. Nothing but smiles everywhere in spite of the conditions. Unofficial post-event fundraising total (for Norris Cotton Cancer Center in NH) was just under $3.4 million. Not bad for a bunch of folks pedaling bikes.
ChinookPass

Posts:809

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07/12/2016 05:32 PM
thinline, sounds awesome in a "nothing to do but pedal all day" sorta way.
jookey

Posts:197

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07/25/2016 06:02 AM
Retired from racing bikes. Quasi retired riding bike. My cycling friends are calling me Eddy Mercx (the retired heavy version). Been coaching youth sports. I signed up to help marshall (on a bike) a 120 ride this September. My 30b weight gain from racing days doesn't effect me on the flats, but on the hills... OYE!!!! Got in 200 miles last week with a pair of 50's over the weekend. Its coming back slowly...

If only it were as fun losing weight as it is gaining weight!


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