sun

addicted

another great weekend of coffee and riding through the western roads of ann arbor. i finished the week with really good miles and really great times with friends in the process. and with the weather outlook calling for additional warm weather i'm motivated.

we started the day with a large group but in the end it got wittled down to only 5 of us. it ended up being the perfect mix of people. good conversation and positive energy kept us charging along even when the roads didn't ride so smooth.


i don't know anything about the local city road commission but the first couple miles of huron river parkway are blasted. at the enterence to the road from main street all the way to barton park were signs of new pavement in the roads future. "road closed" signs and marked trees were all telling me that its likely we could have some nice rolling at the starts to our rides this summer. i hope so. its pretty bad.

wrecked

good week

i'm feeling good. rode both saturday and sunday. monday off. rode tues, wed and today. 3hrs in the saddle today with shueg knight. went a little hard at first but started feeling strong when we came in. it felt longer than it was. windy as shit. this is what my bike and clothing looked like tuesday when i came in. wrecked.

that trusty single speed is turning out to be a workhorse. i don't clean it, i don't adjust it, i don't do shit to it. i just grab it and go. and on tuesday thats all i had time for. it was a bit sloppy but i felt damn good to be on the bike after driving all day. and yep still dirty as shit until the next emergency. the rest of the rides have been good rides on the road bike. i'm really used to it now and the spinning is starting to feel good. looks like i can't make the first FRCC in clarkston but i'll surely make the A2 the next day.

cold weekend

more miles

another cold weekend of riding. after a nice breakfast to fuel my body i ventured out into the sunny cold for more base miles. i really had no motivation to ride in these temps. but at this point i just have to force myself to ride. and of course once out i feel great. i didn't ride for long but at least i rode.

racing is just 2 weeks away. i can't afford to sit around and get fat all weekend after spending routine days riding the trainer. i have to stay on the bike. its a challenge. its trying to find motivation to ride when you don't want to. i'll be so happy once spring is here and the racing begins. the hard work will make me feel like i'm in the right zone.

shueg knight and i did a ripping 2 1/2 hour ride on tuesday when it was still nice and warm. i knew the temps wouldn't last long. its just what we have to live with. damn the winds down on the south part of town are brutal. i've ridden the finish to cone azalia like 100 times. soon i'll start riding the actual course. i'm looking forward to getting additional training down in north carolina in april. that will be nice. i wish it was warm.

spring training begins

go sauce

today was totally the best pre spring ride i've had in a long time. it was right around 50 and not a cloud in the sky. got to take the sweet new OCLV bike out for her maiden voyage. oh my. tight and light and rippin fast. boy that sounds cheesy but when the new equipment comes out for the first time its always exciting. made a nice loop through dexter from the south and was hoping for a quick clothing adjustment and coffee check at the dexter bearclaw, however upon arrival we noticed the stop light was not working and most other local businesses were closed down. and the go sauce i wanted was also out of order. no biggie though....i still had plenty in the tank. i was feeling really good today. legs were tight and i was dressed well. time to make our way back.

3 1/2 hours in the saddle. the new ride is just awesome. coming in with a final wieght of just over 15lbs (and thats without carbon wheels!) i'm very happy. i've been riding the trainer pretty regular and i think i noticed today that those hard evenings with the group paid off. i also noticed that the bike felt much different on the road than in the trainer. i was worried when i first got it that it might be the wrong size but now i'm totally sure i did the right thing. need just a bit more spring for the full effect of the season to get here. either way i'm feeling good about whats to come.

the real deal

base

this is what happens when you ride in the tundra of the winter months. robert heriman should be proud of me! 2 hours friday on the single speed. all in the dark with lights. a death march trying to get home with huge wind gusts almost blowing any rider off the road. dangerous. i felt good though.

the very next day another 1 1/2 hours. felt like shit on the way out. got a nice double espresso in the blood stream at the bearclaw coffee shop in dexter and was ready to rock on the way back. was pretty worked over on sunday but was convinced and motivated to do a run after a long day of being on my feet. a 40 min run on top of the 2 days of torture in the arctic. 5k run race next weekend then road racing begins.