One Down

While the majority of you were lounging at home complaining about the awful weather or the declining stock market, Heywood was out there doing it. Last Saturday, Woody competed in the 15th annual Cool mountain bike race. Cool is located about 6 miles south of God’s Country (Auburn for those of you who were wondering). Known for its mud in the winter, this year was surprisingly dry compared to years past. The temperature was in the mid 70’s with clear skies and no wind to speak of. The route consisted of two laps of a 10 mile loop. 70% fire road, 30% single track or double track. There are two really tough climbs with the rest of the course mostly rolling hills. What a perfect day for racing on the west coast.

Wood was a little anxious and did not want to be underdressed.

Me friend BIG CAT chose to wear his lucky suspenders.

Dust was in the air as 400 racers sprinted to the first turn.

Approaching the conclusion of each lap the riders faced a choice; take the easy route to the right which contained a muddy quagmire to slow down the pace or the jump to the left which got you over the swamp quickly as long as both wheels remained upright.

BIG CAT selected the bog. At least he was not overheating to any further extent.

Jablome took the jump.

While Wood did not finish 1st as previously premeditated, he did manage to stay clear of the dreadful DNF. This leaves lots of room for improvement for next year. Cheers!

Ides Of March

Al here. What's with everyone killing himself lately?

Anyway, Freddy Boy and I blew off a production meeting at the mine and pumped out some miles. It was overcast and breezy (through one section of the ride it was downright WINDY). Freddy and I did a nice 30 miles keepin' the pace up for a good portion of the ride. I'm getting more and more used to the aero rig. I feel fast on the thing, but I miss the classic geometry of my old Lemond Zurich.

Blowing off the Bronx 1/2 this Sunday. I probably could do it and be all right, but I just think it will be wise to wait a little while (allow a little more recovery time) before competing.

HEYWOOD!

Good Gawd, Man! Get your ass down south and save Moveitfred's West Coast digs!

time tri-AL

Well folks, I feel Good! Today was my first "real" workout in weeks. (I am feeling like I'm about 90% recovered which is a big improvement. I've been pretty sick for the last 2 months.) Today, Freddy and I took to the roads. It was the first warm (er) day up here in a while. We started early, so it was still chilly at our start (prolly 35 degrees). By the time we finished, it was a nice and sunny 45. I got my first real ride on the TT bike, and it was great.



The aero positioning took some getting used to. I found it strange to be steering with my elbows, shoulders, and back muscles. This was a real adjustment. At first, I noticed a good bit of weave when I pedaled. It took me a bit to get the right balance and positioning. By mid ride, I felt pretty confident. There was only one scary moment for me...The bars started to shift on a down hill when I was tucked down tight. This was a bit freaky: I'm pressing down in the tuck and the bars are rolling down on me...eeek! But all was cool after a bit of roadside tightening. (Nothing quite as dramatic as Solo's mid ride gruppo install / hemorrhoidectomy--eyes closed and only a rusty leatherman.)

We only had a shortish chunk of time this morning, so we did some nice flat (sorta fast) pace work for about 22 miles then finished with some hill repeats. I died on the 4th hill repeat. But pushed on for one more. It'll take me a few weeks to build back up after all the illness, I guess. The new and improved (slenderized) Moveitfred was tough. He pressed on for another one after I said "mommy." Now if we can only do something about his riding attire.