your daily bicycle log

lols @ that solution u peddling, i do get mega crabby when i get hungry.

http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~penge/freddo/freddo_giant_naked.jpg

^ gran freddo

there's a fair few of these gran freddos cropping up down here too, seems to attract a certain type if u know what i mean - like this which is probably going to get 3,000 ppl. where are they every other weekend? was out on the same roads today and i probably saw 20 other bikes, max. i know you get mechanical support and stuff which is nice but ppl can't be THAT worried abt breaking down surely, you'd never leave the fucken house otherwise!

I was doing the 10-mile hilly time trial again last night, when just two-and-a-bit laps into the eight laps my chain came off. This has been happening quite a lot in races, usually when I change down to the small ring on a climb, but last night it happened when I was in top gear pushing along at over 30mph on a flat section after a descent. Normally I can ride it back on again within 5 seconds if I play with the front shifter, but this time it took about 15 seconds of crunching sounds and a lot of loss of momentum before I got it back on. As soon as I started riding again it became clear something was fucked: about once every two or three pedal revolutions the back mech would spasm and click out of gear and back in again.

As this was a time trial I couldn't take a lap out to deal with the mechanical issue, and I could just about keep riding (even though it meant I had annoying jerking crunch every few seconds) so I carried on. The problem didn't sort itself, it just got gradually worse (especially when climbing at full power) with the gears constantly slipping and the chain came right off again. Amazingly, I managed to finish 5 seconds quicker than last week for a new PB for that course, but I think I would have been a good 30 seconds faster still without all that hassle.

I've taken the bike in for repair and it seems that the chain got badly twisted and has damaged links so needs replacing. It had done over 4,000 miles so was probably due to be replaced anyway. On the advice of the shop I'm getting a new cassette and chainrings at the same time. The winter bike is going to have to be pressed back into action for the next week (fortunately I'm not racing this weekend) - hopefully it still works (I haven't riden it since it went crashing down a flight of stairs when the bracket fell out of the wall).

On a positive note, I found I was really able to corner better than ever before last night. I'd read an article somewhere about focusing on where you want to go, rather than where you don't want to go, and it really made a difference. Before, my eyes would keep flicking wide to the edge that I was trying to avoid and this seemed to send me out that way: now I just focus on the near side and keep it as tight as possible and it's amazing how little you drift across.

WARNING LONGGGGGGGGG

2010 Tour of California Stage 3

Distance:120.0 mi
Time:06:40 (07:08 elapsed)
Elevation:8,547
Avg Speed:18.0 mph (Max 46.9 mph)
Avg Watts:220W (Max 1m 527W, 5m 402W, 10m 397W, 20m 310W, 30m 301W)
Avg HR: 143bpm (!!!) Max: 178bpm

Race-time = 11am which meant our group of ~60 riders would leave SF at 8am to travel 113 miles down the coast to Santa Cruz.

Course profile = rolling coastal Highway 1 (aka PCH - Pacific Coast Highway) with 4 category KOM climbs:

(1) Tunitas Creek which connects Half Moon Bay with Woodide: 5.7 miles avg 5.5% grade. Starts steep and windy then rolls along the ridge to the KOM
(2) Hwy 84/"New" La Honda which connects Woodside with La Honda town: 3.3 miles avg 6.1% grade. Steady grade, well-paved.
(3) Haskins Hill which connects La Honda to Pescadero: only 1.6 miles but avg grade 7.1%. Looks short but feels long.
(4) Bonny Doon which is a diversion instead of going straight into Santa Cruz: 5.6 miles of steep (3.2 miles at 7.2%) which finally shows mercy (another 2.4 miles @ 5.1%). Worse yet, the KOM 5k sign comes right in the midst of a steep pitch up the front (~10-11% grade)

I was quite timid at the start as I see I recognize 2 cat4 racers that can both climb, a cat3 dude who loves to drop me in the crosswinds, a cat1 guy that can pull 27mph+ for over 20mins over a rolling crit course, oh and a two-time IronMan champion. To add to that, there are about 20 dudes on TT bikes. Seeing as I only ride with one of these guys regularly, I have no idea what the pace would be like (or how quick I would get dropped). We take it easy for the first 13 miles but I try to stay in the front of the group when what do you know, I see a Herbalife Sprint sign on the shoulder and I'm looking around, there are only 10 guys with me, but no one I recognize. Somehow* we broke away from the main group despite not really pushing it. After the sprint there's a short 6-7 minute effort hill that I got dropped on last time I rode it so I figure "eh... they'll catch me anyway" and I just pull off the front and power through the sprint.

So off I go, sprinting down and then flying up (well, for me) the short Devil's Slide climb and solo down the back into Half Moon Bay, nervously looking over my shoulder awaiting the pack that I'm convinced will soon swallow me up. After taking a long glance behind me and seeing empty road I figure I'm either way out front or somehow everyone knew about a secret shortcut and I'm way behind.

Essentially, there are two things that make me ride faster: predatory mode and prey mode. Yesterday was prey mode. I knew those guys behind me could easily outride and outclimb me, and would surely catch me before Bonny Doon, if not on the climb itself. Bear in mind, this is no race... just an excuse to take the day off and ride a Pro Tour course and end up at the finish. But it bears repeating, my fat ass can't climb worth a shit and I got a pack of hungry 130lb. mantis-people that can't be far behind me.

One of the joys of riding a Pro Tour Course is all the glorious signage. You name it. Sprint begins 1km, Sprint start, Sprint finish. 50km, 100km, 150km travelled. 5k to KOM, 1k to KOM, 200m to KOM, KOM! Feed Zone (sad, it was empty when I rolled through when I could have used a hand-off). But best of all the 25km, 20km, 10km, 5-4-3-2-1km then 500m-400m-300m-200m-100m to go signs. Even though I had nothing left at the end of the ride it was not hard to just grind it out knowing when exactly the pain would end.

So I attack the first hill, Tunitas Creek. Weather had been typically foggy turning into heavy mist in Half Moon Bay. Once I began my ascent into the Redwoods the mist turned into drizzle, then flat out rain by the crest. I felt fresh and strong at the top of the climb and towards the top, people had began gathering to get a glimpse of the tour. The KOM point of the first climb is Skyline Blvd which you could take about 5 miles south and also catch the KOM of the 2nd climb so there was a fair share of folks on bikes out to take advantage of the opportunity to catch 2 KOM battles in such a small area. But along with the thrill of riding in front of crowds of people came the really wet sog and slog. Also, I couldn't kill the super-technical descent so I had to keep it chill at around 25mph.

Still no sign of anyone behind me so I attack the second hill and I start to feel some fatique towards the top. Bottles were getting empty and I needed a nature break after about 3 hours / 56 miles (halfway point). Try to keep it about 5-6 mins. I'm freezing, it's about 48 degrees and all I've got on are soggy/muddy bib shorts, soaked jersey, soaked short sleeve base layer and soaked arm warmers. Now I've got a 10 mile descent from about 2200 feet to 200 feet so I'm just anxious to get this part over with. The descent is straightish so I'm able to just tuck and mash... only one more hill separating me from the 27 miles of flattish coastal stretch where I can ~let it out~. One more hill first, the short and steep one. It's here where I realize I'm starting to feel it, having a hard time maintaining 10mph (my goal on all these climbs is >10mph). Hitting the coast, I stopped for one last time. Refilled the bottles and got some solid food (Clif Bars) as I think the liquid and gus and gellies may not have been enough for the entire journey.

Back on the coast, it became more apparent that it was race day. Less than usual traffic except for AToC SUVs caravanning up and down Hwy 1 with CHiP escorts. Photographers with $10k lenses setting up their tripods. Still me, alone, waiting... those dudes HAVE to be coming right???? A good 26mph paceline could catch my 24mph pace along this hourlong stretch. I keep my hands skinny on the flats, elbows in, back straight. The gray sky breaks into warm sunshine. I peel off my arm warmers and put my sunglasses back on.

AND THEN...

Bonny Doon. The final ascent. I hit the century mark on the flat before the climb. My max HR is in the mid-190s. I have hit 178 on an early climb but I've mostly keeping it around 150-160 on the flats/hills. But here on Bonny Doon, I hit 165bpm and I feel zonked. I'm talking feeling my pulse in my brain WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP. Remember that 10mph goal for all climbs? lol. I look down at one point: 6.7mph. I'm in my granny gear with a cadence of about 40-50rpm. Headache coming on, any HR above 165 sends me into dizziness, legs are just cooked and unresponsive, my back (due to all the soloing in the drops) is esp pained and sore, my lungs are just burnt. But the crowds are out, which is good and bad. If there was nobody around, I'd be pulling over and feigning a "nature break" for several hours. But no, supportive crowd on hand with cowbells and cheers of encouragement forcing me to ride the redline as delicately as possible. This was definitely the most painful moment in my brief cycling career: completely cross-eyed and dug deep into the innermost bowels of the pain cave.

But then, in my darkest dpeths, I hear: "St3v3 Sh@st@!" and I look over and see a teammate and his fotog GF. I realllllly wanted to stop and say hi but I knew that I would never get back on the bike if that was the case. Mostly I wanted a chug from his oil can of Fosters. I think I heard another teammate who was in the area yell out my name but I was so cross-eyed and bleary, I may hav imagined it. As I mentioned above the KOM 5km to go sign comes right in the midst of a steep pitch up the front (~10-11% grade) but it felt like it took forever to get to that point. Eventually it mellows out toward the top and begins this really fast and gradual descent what is now fully-closed-off course. The weather really brightened up, it was 75+ and sunny in Santa Cruz. It was hard not to blast through town even with nothing left in my legs. It was weird to run so many stop signs and red lights with cops everywhere, the km countdown signs just urging me to push a little harder to the finish.

***Sooo... Solo breakaway off the front holding off the chase pack? Not hardly. What I didn't know is that there were many mechanical issues (flats, broken spokes) that held the group up. And with my imagination running wild, I ended up soloing 100+ miles all the way into Santa Cruz. Riding alone not knowing that people behind were stuck with mechanicals really sucked; I could have used the comraderie, conversation and most importantly: a wheel to sit on for the last 70 miles.

When it was all said and done, it was a great ride and a great race too! Seeing DZ-NUTZ flying into the finish and holding off MRog and Levi really stoked me to the most max. God bless Capt America.

DZ finished the same course in 4:45 elapsed which is just nuts. So much respect for those dudes and their fitness. GODZ.

FUKKIN BALLER

yesterday I got a new a v PRO laser helmet (in team ritte colors) and rode around the city for two hours to celebrate

only rode ten miles today but pulled the trigger on a new wheelset so I'm feeling good. also realized that I have been scooched too far aft on my saddle for like TWO YEARS and am suddenly a billion x more comfortable AND faster

also last night I decided irrationally to SPRINT muh the five miles to the bar, avg speed like 23 mph (fast for this guy), str8 cat sixing old ladies on hybrids, all devouring their horrible frailty

btw guys I think I am gonna start a cycling team called Fat Mantis, cool?

sick dv

can i join? i can send you a race resume in two words- "im slow"

My mind's eye has been designing fat mantis shirts whilst riding.

I hope I'm following in your pedal strokes, steve.

thxing u dudes. here's the course elevation profile I forgot to insert into my long-ass post:
http://www.steephill.tv/2010/tour-of-california/profile-03.png

ALSO: i'd gladly rock a team Fat Mantis kit (size XXL plz) if y'all are serious about starting an internet based cycling team of pastry loving pootling vicars.

*googles custom jersey pricing*

have been persisting w/crappy pedals on my roadie since xmas when I had picked up some spds. finally got round to re-fitting the spds onto the roadie this morning and gave them a quick try. didn't really notice the 'pull' effect all tht much but I think I had the tension set too low, cos I was having trouble getting into them. will give them a more thorough work out tomorrow on a longer run

*googles custom jersey pricing*

check out champion systems

yeah that's where the teams i know get 'em

doing the rapha gentlemen's race again tomorrow. this time it's in connecticut:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ct/cornwall/288127368426658731

champ-sys is dope and iirc there is some sort of nyc ilx connection there afair.

garneau is dope though, not sure if i'll ever *switch*

cuttles, 6 clubmates did it last year in Oregon and said it was so completely epic. hit me up on im and i'll send you link to pix and ride report (full rundown).

Got my bike back yesterday after spending about £220 to sort out the problems (new chain, new chainrings, new cassette, new jockey wheels), more than I was expecting to spend, but they'd upgraded some bits to Dura Ace.

Went out and did 46.5 miles today at a leisurely pace. The combined effects of hayfever medication drowsiness and the baking sunshine convinced me to take it easy.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34191891

40% of that ride was gravel, dirt and rocks. those big climbs in the middle there... all rocks... insanity.

so excellent cutty. what tires were you riding? hope they were fat.

finally got out on the road bike, it was cloudless but pretty cold at 6:30 am. did a climb i don't usually get out to nowadays. when you begin the steep descent into evergreen you get an amazing view of the valley and mt evans.

Distance: 53.83 mi
Time: 03:15:36 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 4,715 ft
Avg Speed: 16.5 mph

i used 700x25 hutchinson intensive tubeless tires:

http://www.hutchinsontires.com/en/catalogue-route.php?fiche=intensive-rtl.php&univers=4&pid=10

amazing performance

I cat 6ed the real fat mantis today. (OK so he was an chinese guy on an Airborne and he was in pretty good shape, slightly chubby face, however he did look slightly like the guy in the pic)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4633934736_05dd180265_b.jpg

guess who the guy on the left in orange t-shirt taking is? will upload pix tomorrow.

Did an mtb course on sat - the same one more or less we did a year or two ago and failed to capitalise on. Great stuff, from the ground up - basic riding position, dealing with drops/steeps, cornering. The stuff for drops and steep bits is probably the easiest win, basically hang right back off the back, even dropping down behind the saddle so it touches your chest. Danger of going over the bars becomes virtually nil, you're still in control, if it comes to the worst you can just drop right off the back. Cornering I think will be a lot harder to master.

is there anything better than cycling about in pleasant spring weather

ha went for my longer clipless test ride this morning. was going along fine until about the 7th or 8th set of traffic lights. slowed down and thought I had enough space to track stand till they changed, was edging along and realised I was going to run out of road before the red switched so decided to unclip but in the process completely lost my balance and went over like a tree

didn't hurt all that much but it was pretty embarassing falling over like an idiot in front of a queue of cars : /

hint: clip out as you anticipate slowing down but keep your cleat in the seat of the clip with just enough pressure NOT to clip in. it takes a little practice but is healthier than falling over in the middle of the road.

if the light changes green, just apply pressure down and you're back in business.

if the light stays red, then you can easily put your foot down.

Did the hilly 10-mile circuit time trial again tonight and knocked another 20 seconds off my course best. This time the battery died on my Cateye computer before the start, so I had to ride 'blind' and just guess how fast I was going. Fortunately this didn't seem to have any impact. I'm really getting the hang of the fast cornering now.

Startled a girl on my way to work this morning. She was pootling. I gave a clear "Passing left but she" was too busy waving to her friend across the street. She gave shriek and put her foot down as I gave her a wide berth. I feel a little guilty but I'm not sure if I did anything wrong.

Maybe your "Passing left but she" wasn't that clear?

hint: clip out as you anticipate slowing down but keep your cleat in the seat of the clip with just enough pressure NOT to clip in. it takes a little practice but is healthier than falling over in the middle of the road.

this is a total pro-tip, thanking you. got this done w/a little practice this afternoon and thankfully didn't fall once during a brisk 20 miler :)

got this down*

Time: 28:34:05
Distance: 538.53 km
Elevation Gain: 2,221 m
Calories: 36,881 C

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35526805

Whoa! Any text to go along with the data?

woah nice, ed! yeah, what's the deal? trans-europe tour?

just got back from a 40 miler around the campsie hills myself; beautiful day here in glasgow so I got some pics I'll put up in a bit

the kms threw me off, apols, I realise 300miles isn't enough to get you across europe

42.82miles, 2hrs52mins, 14.88mph avg., top speed 36.44mph (new record!)
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-rf5qp5udsgb1x8e1rpu247ahd9.jpg

bottom of the crow road
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-tkwxwx8wj6hg7nurc2yjjjpawd.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-8436a7rbyd989x4e3pm86ftg2r.jpg
from the car park at the top
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-emp8q8p5qx2fryrc7simaa4qn1.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-p53qjse4cu5511scyy5b9y3p8w.jpg
http://img.skitch.com/20100603-be7caewhd3et2uy7wrk18x9wkp.jpg

totally feeling that!

i need me some more scotland imho.

That was my annual DC to Pittsburgh bike trip, left friday evening got into town yesterday. Time was rolling time rather than continuous. Pretty easy semi-credit card style touring, camping but buying food in restaurants along the way. Averaging around 55-60 miles a day on the flat is fine but the canal up to cumberland can be pretty draining as it is rough, lots of ruts and tree roots. 20 set out, the DC folks went home from Cumberland MD which was a blessing as there were a few idiots in that bunch, (Who buys 160 buck ortlieb panniers and hangs them off a seat post rack and wonders is them banging into the spokes is a bad thing or not?)

Nothing too alarming on the technical front, One girl broke 7 spokes over a couple of days, kevlar replacement spokes are a godsend but we got to know all the bike shops on the route. What I surmise happened was that the wheel was over tight as manufactured (it had already broken a spoke just commuting in DC), every time we replaced a spoke we tightened to true it, stressing the spokes even more leading to more failures. Once we loosened all of the spokes a turn it ceased to break them.

I gave myself a self inflicted flat on the climb up to Frostberg. I thought I had a slow puncture as the crushed limestone trail feels slippy like when you have a flat. I pumped the tyre, went another mile pumped it again, went 100 yards and blew the tyre off the rim. As always was pissed off and rushed the repair and fucked a second tube. That messed with my aim to do the climb to frostberg non-stop, not steep, max 2% but you definitely feel it. B. a tiny indian girl was our unexpected KOM there. Other things of note was K. doing the whole tour on a fixie as, despite having 19 bikes in his basement, it was the best thing he could cobble together for the trip. He also started a day late and did 120 miles in one stint arriving at 1am having had tyre problems in the morning.

Coming down off the continental divide we got a great paceline going to deal with the headwind. Again its former railroad so the grade is slight but as R. says it makes you feel like a fucking ninja. Good for an extra couple of sustainable mph.

Good fun, managed to avoid any rain until we got ourselves fixed in the pub back in Pittsburgh.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_be__MpmPq4U/TAhx0MxWRcI/AAAAAAAABpI/B03tXZm91JY/s512/DC%20to%20Pittsburgh%20-%20May%202010%20558.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_be__MpmPq4U/TAhw1H6TQrI/AAAAAAAABn0/3-kb71hGPg0/s512/DC%20to%20Pittsburgh%20-%20May%202010%20397.JPG

camping but buying food in restaurants along the way.

good idea imo

set out this morning at 10 to 8 - forecast was for 'fog, then sunny, 17 deg c'. it just looked a bit cloudy tho. north on bike path with short climb at the end, then flat roads east then north away from the burbs. (stopped for coffee and bacon+egg wrap on way.) had 55km up and still overcast by the time i hit humevale road. wish i'd had camera with me as i ground my way up, with the mix of burned trees mixed w/ fresh vegetation and growing misty, it looked amazing (and not a car all the way up). by the time i got to the top the mist was dense fog w/ visibility of about 20 metres, and it got worse all the way up to kinglake - i got off the road onto a shared path at one stage to make sure i didn't get cleaned up by a car. i had frost forming on my jersey at this point also. stopped for lunch and to thaw out at kinglake, then took sketchy descent w/ the fog and some damp patches on the road. (roadworks at one point too.) rollers back towards the suburbs, and by the time i got to eltham i'd had enough and caught the train home!

5:15.30
114.1 km
21.7 km/h avg
63 rpm avg
154 bpm avg
2542 calories

humevale ascent timed from the start of the road rather than the climb proper: 9.9km, 36:32.0 @ 16.3 km/h

which country has the best roads?

Ed, Cozen, those are some sweet rides. I'm feeling very blah towards cycling at the moment and need to get a) out of London and b) somewhere new and interesting and get stuck in. I have a sportive in 4 weeks and I haven't done a 30+ mile ride since 2009, sigh.

got to do these sometime; krakow have you done either? (pinched from gfgss ;)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13224084
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3410659

anyway did a quick ride this morning, wanted to see how fast I could do 10 miles. managed a moderately hilly 10 miles w/traffic lights in 34 mins: officially a fat mantis. def think I could go faster on that course, and obv faster still on a flat course w/no lights

if only I had a zone 5

I've done the Largs ride, cozen, but not the epic ferry hopping route. The ride to Largs was a nice one, quite a bit of busy road through Port Glasgow, so be prepared for that, but the views, especially once you pass Greenock, can be tremendous and well worth it.