Speed!

So I bought my Mid Life Crisis speed machine. While most go for a Corvette or a Porsche or something similar, I went with an all carbon, super aero TT bike from Meridian Cycles. The Felt B16.
This bike is ridiculous. It is all of 20 pounds loaded and ready to go. It is impossibly thin, or as Monty Python would say, it's wafer thin!
Hopefully this is a good view, because there's going to be a lot of people staring at it for miles! ;)

This bike has all sorts of fancy red anodized bits on it. All of which I am certain will make me faster!


It also has a buried rear brake, something will take some getting used to.



I took it out for a test run yesterday afternoon, and it is very quick! Even in a stiff wind 15-20 mph, it was quick and responsive. Now this bike is not meant to be ridden around in traffic, so getting out to the open road to open it up was challenging. The pedals were set with very light tension, so I was popping out when taking off from street lights. That's an easy fix however, a simple turn of the tension set screw and we are good to go. Being light, thin and having a wide flat profile, it will get pushed around a little in a cross wind. This is a bike you have to pay attention to when riding in the aero position. But once you are there, and start applying the watts, that full carbon frame puts all the watts to the wheels. This bike takes off like it was shot from a cannon!

Now that I have the bike, I need to focus on the engine. The Jason Broome Time Trial will be here in just a few months.

The chill is in the air

Where did the season go? It seems like it was just a month ago that I saddled up for my first race ever, the Slammer Road Race. It was a last second affair, as I hadn't planned on racing the Slammer, but had planned on racing the Jason Broome Time Trial before. Well, the TT got postponed due to horrible weather, and so I made it into the Slammer. This wasn't going to be my best effort, as I had just spent the previous week in Conway Arkansas for work, and didn't get any training in at all. I flew back to the valley Friday night and Saturday morning there I was, full of nervous energy, more than a little intimidated, and hoping upon hope that I didn't kill anyone.

The race began with a rolling start, and the Cat 5's started off, racers all over the road, apparently no one could hold a line. I had to physically hold 1 guy off three times just to keep him from crossing over my front wheel, and as we made the corner and the pace car pulled off, the front took off and the rubber band stretched and stretched until those of us in the back half snapped off the back. That was the race. I spent the next 40 miles struggling against a fierce headwind and bitter cold, trying to pick off riders ahead of me 1 by 1. In the end, I beat out a guy I'd been chasing for about 10 miles at the line in a mad uphill "sprint" to the finish. And like that, it was done. I had completed my first race, and no one got hurt! I think I finished mid pack, but it was a great experience. I am hooked on this racing thing.

The big ride

Debbie has signed up to ride the Little Red Riding Hood in Utah this June with Diana and several other women from the valley. 80 miles! I think that will be her longest ride to date. I am so proud of her! I just hope she's doing it because she wants to and not because I am into riding so much. I know that her previous bike was very uncomfortable to ride and so the experience wasn't pleasant at all. 80 miles is going to be a challenge, but I am certain she can do it. She's a very strong woman, and has been training for it since at least December. I am going to be the driver and volunteer doing whatever needs doing at the event. Have fun baby!

on a related note....

I bought my USA Cycling racing license. AND I signed up for the Jason Broome Time Trial on March 13th. Should be good times!.

Warm Lake 3 Summit Challenge

SO I decided that since I wasn't going to run Robie Creek this year, my life is lacking in suffering. To help with that, I have signed up for the Warm Lake 3 Summit Challenge on July 31st. It is a 65 mile ride over 3 summits with something like 5000 feet of climbing. I even convinced my brother in law Bill to do it as well. Nothing says love like sharing your suffering!

The PLAN!

So here's what I hope to compete in this year.

Jason Broome Time Trial - March 13 (10 miles)

Slammer Road Race - March 14 (Maybe, if I can walk after the TT. 40 miles)

Arkansas Trip March 28 - April 2 (Work)

Birds of Prey Road Race - April 3 (47 miles)

Chicken Dinner Road Race (LOVE the name!) - April 11 (30 miles)

Emmett Roubaix - April 25 (45 miles)

Cycle for Independence - May 22 (Metric Century, 100K)

Camel's Back Duathlon - May 29 (Short Course, 2K run, 15K ride, 2K run)

Bob LeBow Bike Tour - June (35 miles)

Blue Cruise of Idaho - July (with Debbie and Diana. Century Ride, 100 miles)

Hubbard Time Trials - Thursday evenings (10 miles)

SWICA Crit series (25 minutes, Tuesday evenings 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, 5/25, 6/1, 6/8, 6/15, 7/6, 7/13)

Bogus Basin Hill Climb - August (15 miles straight friggin' UP!)

Hidden Springs Duathlon- Sept 18 ( 5K run, 18K ride, 5K run)

+ a couple of running races whenever we can fit them in, and some Saturday and Sunday club rides. Y'know, when I have free time.

The start of something painful...

I am purchasing my first USA Cycling license tomorrow. This will allow me to enter sanctioned races in 2010. Hard to believe that 2 years ago I was a 300 pound couch tater. I will be entering as a Category 5 (Cat 5) racer, which is the lowest you can go. I'll do it this year and see where this goes. I didn't think I'd like Time Trials the first time I did it, but I have fallen in love with the sport. If this racing goes well, and I like it, I'll see about trying to move up to Cat 4 in the future.