After wrestling with my road bike for awhile and getting my new FSA SLK carbon bar, WTB saddle, and Thompson seatpost and stem on my road bike, I was ready to get out and test my new set-up. Results? My crotch didn’t hurt and my hands didn’t go numb. Great success! The FSA bar was my favorite of the new bike porn. It’s all ergonomic and stuff!

Power file. My power numbers and HR were a little off. Fortunately the power was pretty high for the given HR.   My HR should have been higher with the effort, but as long as the power numbers are up, I don’t care.  I don’t mind that so much… I am definitely getting pretty tired from the workouts so far this week, but just one more day of riding and I get to rest for a day.  I went to yoga a lot last year, and am ancy to go.  I just hate how freaking expensive it is.  Boo on that.

I usually take the mountain bike when I ride to Gold Hill b/c the gravel roads are steep, and sometimes can be nasty.   Today was no exception.  Once I hit the dirt, I found it difficult to go fast.  There was a fresh coat of gravel, so if I stood up to pedal, I’d loose traction.  Seated, it’s a bitch to turn it over on the steep sections.  In addition, today it was extra washboard-y.  Now if only my abs were that way!

I love climbing.  LOVE IT!  I usually love descending too, but not today.  I had to go really slow due to the road conditions, and I figured out what bolts I didn’t tighten down enough this morning.    I went up Sunshine Canyon, and down 4 mile.  I like the Sunshine climb better, but the 4 mile Canyon descent is always WAY colder.  I had to stop a few times and shove my hands in my armpits b/c I couldn’t feel them anymore!

The skies were blue and the air was clear today.  The views were breath-taking.  I can’t wait to go ride my bike above 10,000 ft.

I heart mountains.  Couldn’t live without ‘em.

So that was another 2.5-3 hour day.  Check!  I am definitely tired and sore from all the riding this week.  I haven’t done this many hours in several weeks so my body is feeling it big time.  Just one more day till I can rest.  We’ll see how things go tomorrow. It may be just an easy recovery spin day! We shall see.

Wow, what a great day!!!!  I went out again this morning to see how the legs felt and headed toward Heil Ranch which is just up Lefthand Canyon. The last time I rode there was when I first moved to Boulder in August of 2005. I rode it once, thought it was nothing but a lame, rocky horse trail and never bat an eye about it. Then, there was all the hype about the Picture Rock trail, so I had to check it out. Much to my delight, I discovered that not only Picture Rock was new, but also the Wild Turkey trail since I had last placed rubber on the dirt there.

I am very excited about all the new trails. If you include Hall Ranch(which is fun and technical for the climb, and swoopy, fast lollipop loop at the top) and the commute to/from town to the trailhead, you’re looking at a 6 hour mountain bike ride. Ride a couple of the loops more than once and you get longer. Yes please!

The weather called for snow around noon.  It was about 25F out when I left this morning.  I hadn’t busted out the winter jacket or booties in quite awhile (I am lucky), so I didn’t mind so much.  The weather ended up getting warmer and the wind picked up later.  I was sweating like a beast with all the warm clothes, but I have been stuck in snow storms, ill-prepared and was not willing to take that risk today.

Uhhh, could you like, not snow, and stuff? Ok! so I wanted to find a sound clip from Beavis and Butthead do America of Butthead saying, “Uhh… could you like not stand there and stuff?” I couldn’t find it, but I did find a whole assload of B&B Soundboards. Check it out here. I am afraid to admit how much fun I had with this…. uhhh… thso?!

Oh my goodness.

I think this might be the Picture Rock? Maybe?  They weren’t kidding with the name.  Part of Picture Rock is respectably rocky.  The kind where I can’t just rage the downhill without consequences.  There was some finesse through some of the rocky sections needed fo’ sho’

I wish I got some pics of the rockier sections, but I didn’t want to stop. It’s tricky b/c if you have too much momentum, you won’t have enough control to finesse through tight one-line rocky sections. If you don’t have enough speed, you will not make it through. The Rotwild handled AWESOME. I am loving that bike more every time I ride it.

A lookout point off Ponderosa Trail.  See the snow on the mountains?

I ended up seeing like 12 other mountain bikers out riding, but I saw even more deer.

I am learning to use Imovie. It’ll get better. The filming though, will not, until I get a sweet helmet cam… and then you’ll get to see something different than the buffed part of the trail!!  I took this on Ponderosa near the end of my ride.

And back to the parking lot. What a view.

The ride from my house in Boulder and back was about 4 hours.  My legs felt great, my heart rate was what it was supposed to be.  I rode about 1 hour at my 70 mile endurance pace (HR of 170-175), about 1 hour at what I’d do a 100 mile race at (160s), a smidge of time at sub-threshold (low 180s), and the rest of the time in zone 1 and 2.  It felt effortless and it was easy to stay on top of the gears and keep up a good speed.   Rick da man is trying to get my central nervous system (after all the shocks it has had in the last few weeks) to stabilize so I have been riding consistently every day.  We shall see how tomorrow goes.  I am not going to stress about it, just enjoy riding my bike.

I came home to some very exciting packages.  Time to swap out some road bike parts!

Also, check out this blog post on Dave Wiens and trail advocacy.

Yesterday the sun was out and the winds weren’t too bad. Mark Harrison and I went out for an easy to moderate spin for 1.5 hours. We headed north toward through the farmlands on the flats and also hit up some gravel. The grass was a golden wheat color which was a great contrast to the bluebird skies.

I can’t wait to get my Topeak Ergon kits. Only a few more weeks.

I can’t leave out gravel. It’s a part of almost all my rides!

Mark’s Bicycling blog is cool b/c it maps out all these different rides. I was headed out to ride the new Picture Rock trail(which I shamefully have not ridden yet) via the Heil/Hall system today, but my body was still too fatigued from Tuesday. Instead, I did an easy 2 hour spin and headed home. Better luck tomorrow. It was CRAZY windy today too! Sustained wind of 30 mph with gusts up to 70 mph.

And a funny for you:

I get to spend some more time with friends this weekend. Mr. Kerkove is in Indianapolis for the Handmade Bicycle Show. Wish I could have gone!! Thanks for stopping by!

Looks like DZ got robbed. That’s a lot of sweet stuff to lose. Poor guy…

See the article here.

Yesterday, I did an easy 2 hour spin to assess the body a little bit. Of course, after 8-9 days off the bike, anyone’s legs would feel heavy and sluggish. They felt like they weighed 9000 lbs each, but it was nice to be outside and riding again, plus, I knew I’d feel better the next day.

That brings us to today, Tuesday. The high was 65 and it was like a spring day, complete with a spring breeze. In the lower country, the wind wasn’t cold. I even got to wear no knee warmers for part of the ride! Rick da man gave me a 4 hour riding prescription with a good chunk of Z3 time and some climbing. My legs felt much happier today, as did I. Not exercising for 9 days doesn’t put me in the most euphoric state and I always feel happier and more like myself when I get to do strenuous outdoor activities.

I decided since the weather was nice, it’d be a perfect opportunity to ride to Gold Hill and from there, up to Peak to Peak highway, down through Ward, up Old Stage and home. This ride rocks b/c it’s about 2.5 to 3 hours of climbing (on a mountain bike), incorporates gravel road, and is 4000+ ft of climbing. I opted to bring my sexy Rotwild so I could keep the effort level within my required zones, and because it’s just so damn awesome.

Hottie Rottie.

Once I got to around 8500′, the weather wasn’t so nice. Sure, it was still kinda warm, but the wind was raging. I admittedly had to use my granny a few times in order to keep the HR down, and even that was tough.

The clouds up around Niwot Ridge and the Continental Divide are almost always there, and it seems like it’s always windy in that area.

I love the smell of freshly toiled dirt. It was fragrant and earthy. Then I saw why….

I also love the color and texture. Something as simple as dirt can be such a beautiful thing.

All in all, my body felt good. The ride wasn’t all fun and games. There was about 10 minutes where I was really scared. The kind of fear you feel when you see lightning strike near you. It was the wind. Up in the mountains along the peak to peak highway, winds gust around 120 mph on bad days. We have to design solar to withstand that kind of wind. Today was one of those days. There is a stretch of road that descends west near Niwot Ridge. Note I said descends. I have NEVER experienced wind that bad, and I have been out riding with 70 mph gusts before. I got blown off my bike about 3 times. The guy on the road bike about 50 yds in front of me was having the same problems. I had to get off and WALK DOWN the pavement highway. At times, the wind was so fierce that I could not even take a step forward. I felt my bike trying to blow away as I clutched it for dear life, and my helmet and glasses were trying to break lose. It didn’t help that there was a cliff on one side of the road either. I haven’t felt scared like that in a long time. I’m glad I got through it and hope to not experience that for a long time to come.

Tomorrow will be an easy day. Coach and I are slowly ramping up for more intense intervals later this week or next week. I feel like myself again now that I can ride. Cycling isn’t just what I do, it’s a part of who I am.

Tech geeks and renewable energy minded folks, read on.

I have been doing some supplemental reading for work this morning. I try to keep my renewable energy preaching under wraps, but in this day and age, it is starting to no longer become optional, so bear with me.

This is something very simple. So what’s the deal? You go to Target and you see two types of AA batteries on the shelf. You need some for your remote control or you old ass CD walkman that you still use. You see Duracell Alkaline batteries, and you see Energizer Nimh batteries. The alkaline are cheaper at first glance for instant gratification at about $2.85 for a 4 pack. But then you look at the Nimh batteries. 12 bucks for a 4 pack plus 30 bucks for a charger. Man, that seems like a lot of cost up front. The guy who is in a hurry would grab the batteries for 2.85. We have all done it, I am guilty as well. Which is a better deal?

Well… I don’t use a lot of batteries, so the payback period takes longer for me for Nimh batteries, but it’s less trips to Target when my remote stops working. Say you use 4000 Amp-hours over several years. That is 2000 alkaline batteries or a whopping $1,425. Buy your Nimh batteries once, and cycle them 2,000 times to achieve the same 4,0000 A-h. That’s about 61 bucks including the price of electricity to recharge. 61 bucks or 1425 bones. Hmmm. Tough decision. Not to mention that alkaline batteries are toxic and create a lot of waste. (Data courtesy of Gaiam Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook)

Good. These run at ~ 1.25 volts.

Bad. These run at ~ 1.5 volts.

Just some food for thought next time you’re about to buy some batteries.

I have been put in lock-down mode by coach to so I can recover from being sick. We are “throwing in dirt and building a mound” on this hole I seemed to have slipped in. That would explain my lack of posts this week.

The good news is that I am now 100% healthy and will resume training on Tuesday. I can hardly wait!!!! I also am revamping my road bike a little bit, so a few different parts will be coming in this week. Thompson is helping me out with a new stem and seatpost. I have a set-back at the moment, and I also am not comfortable on my bars, so I got a 0 degree setback seatpost and a stem with a little more rise. Also, I got the FSA SLK carbon road handlebar to try out. I was debating between that and the K-wing, but I will give this a try first. I also have this saddle on the way so my bootay stops hurting so much on rides. Taint you very much. With my new cockpit, I should be excited to hop on the skinny tires.

Mr. Kerkove was at Frostbike this weekend, so with him gone and no bike rides, I had a ton of free time this weekend. It was a totally foreign feeling. I spent a large chunk of time with my friends who were psyched to have my back in their possession for a weekend. I also undertook a massive early spring cleaning project. No, I cannot sit still. I went through all my boxes in the storage closet and my normal closet. I am a pack rat, and a clutterbug so it was a task. I threw away 2 huge black garbage bags worth of crap and also filled my whole trunk up with stuff to give to the Salvation Army. It took two days, but I got through it all, and it’s a great feeling to know I have less stuff.

My room was a construction zone.

I was also stoked that Sunflower Market had blueberries and strawberries on sale last week. Adding that to my oatmeal along with almonds, flaxseed, soymilk, and agave nectar is one of my favor breakfasts. mmmm.

I also made some killer brownies a second ago to welcome my manny man back and to pass out to my friends. NOM NOM NOM!

I CAN’T WAIT TO RIDE!!! Patience is a tough game sometimes.

Check out videos and photos on the Ergon blog!. Good stuff, lots of good speakers. I particularly like the narration of the story Dave wrote for Mountain Bike in 1998. Excellent.

Podium… I am psyched that our first race of the year was FIRST PLACE!

Somewhere out in the high desert of Tuscon was a small oasis called 24 Hour Town. After a few days of pre-riding the course and selling mucho Ergon product, race day had arrived.

The Ergon booth

The Venue.

All the people at the start. It was mass running start, so I was holding Yuki’s bike while he sprinted like the wind.

The 4 of us entered the 5 Person Co-ed Category. There wasn’t a co-ed category for 4 people, so we were already down 1 person. No worries though, because we were there to have a good time and get in a few laps to build fitness, and of course, mingle with all our racer buddies! I was upset about being sick for the race. I haven’t done a 24 hr race since 24 Hr Nats in 2006. I have done well in all the 24 hour team format races I have done and wanted to do my part, so I was definitely beating myself up a little. I raced for the first 12 hours.

Yuki turned over a smokin’ fast first lap leaving me a good starting position for my first lap. It was really tough. I haven’t done any intensity since September, so going at a time trail effort in February is pretty much the most self-inflicted painful thing I can do to myself. And pain it was, I was drooling, grunting, making faces. It was sexy. I tried to stay out of the pro guys way who were coming up like a freight train behind me. I also observed how sloppy I was on the singletrack at warp speed – I get more smooth in zone 99 as the season progresses. I think the lap also hurt pretty bad b/c I didn’t do any openers leading up to the race, trying to conserve my energy.

I know I probably shouldn’t post a proof, but this pic is too funny not to post.

Suffer face.

For my second lap, I decided to back it off and ride in zone 4 because it was more comfortable for my fitness level, and the lap was 100x more enjoyable. Of course, there was a ton of traffic on the course which also forced me to slow down, but I had the most fun on lap 2. I came in just after dark so the last 10 min or so of the lap were a little… uhh… dark.

Lap 3 came at 10 something at night. I was amped to go. The problem was that when I tried to push down the gas, the engine turned off. My HR was super low (back to the problem I was having the last 2 weeks – the fatigue monster) and I couldn’t push very hard. The effort level was that of my last lap – AVG HR of 187… but this time, my AVG HR was very low zone 3-161. Halfway through the lap, my arms and legs were shaking and I felt as if I’d have to get off and walk. I just had to finish the lap… and that I did. Immediately I got off my bike and walked back to the RV. It was the first moment that I felt I was hampered by being sick. My coach, Jeff’s coach, and I decided I needed to rest after midnight. The guys switched over to 3 man rotations while I tried to rest. Through not so restful sleep, I got up at 5 AM, hoping to get out to do another lap. I was nauseated, flushed, and weak. Jeff took one look at me and said, “I really don’t think you should go out for a lap. You don’t look so good.” I was super bummed, but I knew he was right. I spent the rest of the morning supporting the guys and making food so they’d eat. It’s hard to eat deep into a 24 hour race. Nothing sounds good…so sometimes you have to rely on the olfactory lobe to whet your appetite.

Dave Wiens’ last lap.

Jeff going out on his last lap at 11 AM the next day.

Forward to 27 seconds. I know… I do not have a steady hand. Oh well.

We ended up winning the race! Yuki, Jeff, and Dave held so strong for the last 12 hours of the race. The team in second place consisting of Jen and Dave Wilson definitely made us work for the win. They were awesome and I know they were racing a man down as well. By the end, as a team, we had raced 21 total laps giving us the overall win for the 5 person category, and 4th out of all categories.

We ate at one of my favorite places in Santa Fe, NM. They are the owners of Chama Brewery – the one I am always raving about in Albuquerque. Good Mexican food.

Recovery drink. haha. Just kiddin’

Thanks so much to my teammates, all the volunteers at the race, everyone who came by the booth, all the people who cheered for us, to Epic Rides, and to our wonderful sponsors!

I know I still owe a race report and that will happen later today, but I must share Topeak Ergon’s new Magura brakes with the world.

Enjoy the bike porn for today.

And a cool tune to go with it. And easy people, I am not making any statement on religion, I just like the song, mkay?

Also, I am very excited about the part of Obama’s Stimulus Package that gives basically an uncapped, 30% tax credit on all renewable energy products. That rocks! Now if I only owned a house to put some solar on the roof….

Stay tuned, race report coming soon. I wrote one for the Ergon blog if you absolutely can’t wait. Mine will say the same stuff, but not as formal.