59 days. That is how long we have to wait until the wacky world of cyclocross starts around here. The Bearcat Cross over in Hermann starts things off this year. Things kick off here in Kansas City big time with the start of the De Stad Cyclocross Van Kansas Series . First round will be the very popular Diamond Blackfan Cyclocross Challange. My good friend Tige Lamb is again hosting this fine event with help from his Cow Town team and this guy.
Breaking news!!! For round # 2 things move to a new location. The great City of Independence, home of Harry S. Truman, will host its first cyclocross race on October 11, 2009. After months of hard work by myself, Richard, Ashly and Matthew of the Independence parks department, we finally got approval to use this sweet new park. Rich is busy working on designing a course. Oh, did I mention that Richard Anderson is taking over the famous Chris Cross event. I have kind of a theme going here. First two events and I am not the race director. Sounds good to me.
More info on the series, some training clinics and following rounds, including the return of an event at E.H. Young Riverfront Park in Riverside, MO after we address one important issue. Someone has to help put on these events. Since I am not taking on has much responsibility this year in the De Stad Series (mentally exhausted), there is a great need for volunteers to make this series continue. So far, only 4 people have signed up to volunteer and help make these fine event happen. Please consider signing up to volunteer for one of the many volunteer positions available. Heather, Tige, Richard and Roger need the help believe me :-)......The form can be found at Here or below
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Cow Appreciaton Day
Time to pay appreciation to all the Cows in the world. Today Chick-fil-A is hosting the 5th Annual Cow Appreciation Day. were you receive a free meal if you come dressed as a Cow. I was really surprised by how many people were dressed up for this fine event. I think I won the contest today. I had the best outfit hands down. What do yo think?
Monday, July 6, 2009
What have I gotten myself into?
As I pedaled along Hwy 210 on a 5 hour ride yesterday, I yelled out "what the hell was I thinking?" Here I am, injured (Bilateral IT Band Tendinitis) with instructions from my Doctor and PT to rest. But who can rest when they have an Ironman triathlon to train for. Only 74 more days until the Redman.
Yea, I rested for a week. Even hit the lake for a couple days with the family. Tige invited us to come on down for a two days of lake fun. Christopher got to ride a Honda Wave Runner. He was a little timid at first, but after awhile he got his balance and some confidence. He actually got going over 40 mph on it. Not as fast has my 62 mph, but still fast.
After 4 visits to the PT clinic, I am starting to get convinced that they do not know what they are doing. They have only shown me 2 exercises/stretches to do. The remainder of the time they talk and ask questions. They just want me to rest. Well, I can tell you that resting did not help any. They did video tape me running to see if that has caused the problem. After laughing at me for 30 minutes and telling me that my hips look funny (wiggle to much) and that I over-pronate on the left side only. Well, it is my right knee that is causing me the most problems. They did not seem to hear that. Anyone know of a sports specific PT clinic that I could go to?
I got back to training and plan to gradually build up my swim and run milage. My cycling is already there. Ride the Rockies made sure of that. Running will be my main challenge. Luckly, my knee really does not bother me much while running. I am still trying to figure out if my position is off on my bikes. I did find out that my cleat base (Crank Brother Quatro) was really worn out. I changed the cleats out and will continue to work on some minor adjustments. I might break down and get a bike fit. I have made so many changes lately that now I am all jacked up....
Training for an Ironman distance event takes an incredible amount of time and commitment. For some reason I am compelled to complete another one. Why, God only knows. I am thankful that my family is supporting me on this endeavor. Christopher even followed me on his bike last week hauling extra water for me. I hope he is ready for a lot more run/rides. I need both Carolynn's and Christopher's help if I am going to reach my goal.
Yea, I rested for a week. Even hit the lake for a couple days with the family. Tige invited us to come on down for a two days of lake fun. Christopher got to ride a Honda Wave Runner. He was a little timid at first, but after awhile he got his balance and some confidence. He actually got going over 40 mph on it. Not as fast has my 62 mph, but still fast.
After 4 visits to the PT clinic, I am starting to get convinced that they do not know what they are doing. They have only shown me 2 exercises/stretches to do. The remainder of the time they talk and ask questions. They just want me to rest. Well, I can tell you that resting did not help any. They did video tape me running to see if that has caused the problem. After laughing at me for 30 minutes and telling me that my hips look funny (wiggle to much) and that I over-pronate on the left side only. Well, it is my right knee that is causing me the most problems. They did not seem to hear that. Anyone know of a sports specific PT clinic that I could go to?
I got back to training and plan to gradually build up my swim and run milage. My cycling is already there. Ride the Rockies made sure of that. Running will be my main challenge. Luckly, my knee really does not bother me much while running. I am still trying to figure out if my position is off on my bikes. I did find out that my cleat base (Crank Brother Quatro) was really worn out. I changed the cleats out and will continue to work on some minor adjustments. I might break down and get a bike fit. I have made so many changes lately that now I am all jacked up....
Training for an Ironman distance event takes an incredible amount of time and commitment. For some reason I am compelled to complete another one. Why, God only knows. I am thankful that my family is supporting me on this endeavor. Christopher even followed me on his bike last week hauling extra water for me. I hope he is ready for a lot more run/rides. I need both Carolynn's and Christopher's help if I am going to reach my goal.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
2009 Ride The Rockies
Carolynn and I finished up the Ride the Rockies tour yesterday. It was a great ride and we both enjoyed ourselves despite some troubling times along the route.
Day 1: Glenwood Springs, CO to Hotchkiss, CO. Being Carolynn's first time out in Colorado, I did not know wh
at to expect from her and the high altitude. Day 1 started off easy enough with the first 30 miles only rising 1700 feet up to aid station 2. The next 9 miles to the next aid station would be our first big test - the climb up to McClure Pass The last 3 miles of this climb is a real bastard rising from 7500' to 8755'. We just about failed this first test and actually had to stop two times for Carolynn to catch her breath. I was doing fine, but she thought she was going to pass out so we stopped. We finally made it up and after a rather lengthy stay at #3, we got to enjoy a nearly 10 mile descent (actually we dropped from 8755 to 5300 in over 43 miles, but we did have some small climbs along the way). Carolynn was freaking out as we started to plummet down the mountain because all the other tandem teams said thing
s like "I can't believe you don't have a drum/disc brake on your tandem. Those V-brakes are going to burn up...." What they didn't know is I had no plans of using the brakes :-)....well I actually did hit the brakes some. Our top speed was 55 mph. We could have been in the 60's if I did not keep her in check. We were passing riders like they were standing still. Fun stuff for sure.
Needless to say, by the time we finished, setup our tent, showered (after standing in line for over an hour) and ate we were both ready for nice nights sleep. I can tell you this, I was ready for the ride, but not all the snoring folks that camped by us. A little bit of advice for anyone doing this ride. Get a hotel or be sure to bring something to drown out all the noise from the snorers.
Day 2: Hotchkiss, CO to Gunnison, CO. Another 80 miler was in store for us today. Carolynn was not having a good day from the get go. No sleep due to the snorers and this lady who had some serious issues. She was either snoring, farting or coughing all night. Another good climbing day with the first 35 miles being mostly uphill - 5300' to 9000'. After we got some food in us, both Carolynn and I actually started to have a great day. My knee was not hurting that bad today. I have been having some issues with my IT band, but today things were good.
What views we had of the Black Canyon. Truly breathtaking. We both really enjoyed this day the most of all of them. I could have spent all day on the ride with the sites we had. Add in about 20 miles of downhill and rollers and you have a great day. The last 25 miles of the ride to Gunnison was nice due mainly to a mostly tailwind and we hooked up with a couple of tandems and got a nice paceline going.
After not getting much to eat in Hotchkiss due to them running out of food, we decided to take the bus into town for dinner. A very nice dinner with Salmon and pasta. We ate with a interesting fellow that I met while waiting for a shower. He was actually not part of the ride, but was just tagging on with us for a few days as he road across Colorado. When I first saw him I actually thought is was my teammate Garet Steinmetz. I come up to him and start talking to him like he is Garet. Funny thing is I did not realize it until about 20 min later because he acted like he knew me also.
Day 3: Gunnison to Salida. One word describes this day: Shitty. Monarch Pass was in the route for today. A brutal 9 mile climb up to nearly 11,500'. Add the climb, the fact that my knee(s) were really hurting today and that Carolynn was just about as worthless as "tits on a boar hog" and you get a truly shitty day on the bike (yes, sometimes it is better to be at work than riding a bike....). Two 80 mile days in the saddle and no sleep had turned Carolynn into a 130+ pound dead weight that I had to carry for most of the ride. She had nothing in her legs today - the hardest day of the tour by the way. The worst part was that she had mentally given up and wanted to take the SAG wagon. At add station two, which was at the foot of the climb up Monarch Pass, things were not looking good. What do you do when your teammate wants to give up and you want to continue on? Let me tell you that it is very hard to try and "motivate" your spouse to do something that she just does not think she can and stay married at the same time. After a rather long rest stop of over 30 minutes, she finally agreed to attempt the nearly 3000' climb. I am proud to say that she did not give up and did what I asked - Just try it, yo
u never know what you are made of unless you try. It took us about 3 hours, but we made it. Yes, we stopped several times for Carolynn to catch her breath. She was having a really hard time breathing, but she kept going and I am very proud of her. The 23 mile downhill run to Salinda was well worth all the effort. Again the old Duet handled the descent like a champ. We cruised between 45 mph and 58 mph for the first 8 miles until we caught a long train of vehicles and had to slow down some until we worked our way around everyone. It is quite funny to be passing cars on your bike. I wonder what they are thinking when they have a bicycle come flying pass them?
Here are some pictures until I get the energy to recap our adventure.
Day 1: Glenwood Springs, CO to Hotchkiss, CO. Being Carolynn's first time out in Colorado, I did not know wh
at to expect from her and the high altitude. Day 1 started off easy enough with the first 30 miles only rising 1700 feet up to aid station 2. The next 9 miles to the next aid station would be our first big test - the climb up to McClure Pass The last 3 miles of this climb is a real bastard rising from 7500' to 8755'. We just about failed this first test and actually had to stop two times for Carolynn to catch her breath. I was doing fine, but she thought she was going to pass out so we stopped. We finally made it up and after a rather lengthy stay at #3, we got to enjoy a nearly 10 mile descent (actually we dropped from 8755 to 5300 in over 43 miles, but we did have some small climbs along the way). Carolynn was freaking out as we started to plummet down the mountain because all the other tandem teams said thing
s like "I can't believe you don't have a drum/disc brake on your tandem. Those V-brakes are going to burn up...." What they didn't know is I had no plans of using the brakes :-)....well I actually did hit the brakes some. Our top speed was 55 mph. We could have been in the 60's if I did not keep her in check. We were passing riders like they were standing still. Fun stuff for sure.Needless to say, by the time we finished, setup our tent, showered (after standing in line for over an hour) and ate we were both ready for nice nights sleep. I can tell you this, I was ready for the ride, but not all the snoring folks that camped by us. A little bit of advice for anyone doing this ride. Get a hotel or be sure to bring something to drown out all the noise from the snorers.
Day 2: Hotchkiss, CO to Gunnison, CO. Another 80 miler was in store for us today. Carolynn was not having a good day from the get go. No sleep due to the snorers and this lady who had some serious issues. She was either snoring, farting or coughing all night. Another good climbing day with the first 35 miles being mostly uphill - 5300' to 9000'. After we got some food in us, both Carolynn and I actually started to have a great day. My knee was not hurting that bad today. I have been having some issues with my IT band, but today things were good.
What views we had of the Black Canyon. Truly breathtaking. We both really enjoyed this day the most of all of them. I could have spent all day on the ride with the sites we had. Add in about 20 miles of downhill and rollers and you have a great day. The last 25 miles of the ride to Gunnison was nice due mainly to a mostly tailwind and we hooked up with a couple of tandems and got a nice paceline going.
After not getting much to eat in Hotchkiss due to them running out of food, we decided to take the bus into town for dinner. A very nice dinner with Salmon and pasta. We ate with a interesting fellow that I met while waiting for a shower. He was actually not part of the ride, but was just tagging on with us for a few days as he road across Colorado. When I first saw him I actually thought is was my teammate Garet Steinmetz. I come up to him and start talking to him like he is Garet. Funny thing is I did not realize it until about 20 min later because he acted like he knew me also.
Day 3: Gunnison to Salida. One word describes this day: Shitty. Monarch Pass was in the route for today. A brutal 9 mile climb up to nearly 11,500'. Add the climb, the fact that my knee(s) were really hurting today and that Carolynn was just about as worthless as "tits on a boar hog" and you get a truly shitty day on the bike (yes, sometimes it is better to be at work than riding a bike....). Two 80 mile days in the saddle and no sleep had turned Carolynn into a 130+ pound dead weight that I had to carry for most of the ride. She had nothing in her legs today - the hardest day of the tour by the way. The worst part was that she had mentally given up and wanted to take the SAG wagon. At add station two, which was at the foot of the climb up Monarch Pass, things were not looking good. What do you do when your teammate wants to give up and you want to continue on? Let me tell you that it is very hard to try and "motivate" your spouse to do something that she just does not think she can and stay married at the same time. After a rather long rest stop of over 30 minutes, she finally agreed to attempt the nearly 3000' climb. I am proud to say that she did not give up and did what I asked - Just try it, yo
u never know what you are made of unless you try. It took us about 3 hours, but we made it. Yes, we stopped several times for Carolynn to catch her breath. She was having a really hard time breathing, but she kept going and I am very proud of her. The 23 mile downhill run to Salinda was well worth all the effort. Again the old Duet handled the descent like a champ. We cruised between 45 mph and 58 mph for the first 8 miles until we caught a long train of vehicles and had to slow down some until we worked our way around everyone. It is quite funny to be passing cars on your bike. I wonder what they are thinking when they have a bicycle come flying pass them?Here are some pictures until I get the energy to recap our adventure.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Colorado Bound for the Ride the Rockies
Carolynn and I are off to Colorado for the Ride the Rockies Tour. This will be Carolynn's first trip out to Colorado. She has never climbed any mountains nor ridden at altitude. Hopefully we did enough training to prepare for the climbs. I am personally looking forward to the descents. A 375+ pound bike can really get hauling down those mountains. Carolynn said we can not go over 50 mph. I am going for at least 65 mph so I can beat my personal record of 62. Don't worry honey, when you ask how fast we are going it will be 49 - what you don't know will not hurt you...
I have spent the last month going over every bolt, nipple and bearing on our Burley Duet. She is basically brand new and looking sweet. I also put on a new set of Ritchey Slicks. I really like them so far. Let's hope they hook up well descending Black Canyon.
We finally figured out how we were going to transport the beast to Glenwood Springs. Thanks to Dave Wathen, we converted a motorcycle carrier to a tandem carrier. It works great. Check out the sweet bracket that I made.
I have spent the last month going over every bolt, nipple and bearing on our Burley Duet. She is basically brand new and looking sweet. I also put on a new set of Ritchey Slicks. I really like them so far. Let's hope they hook up well descending Black Canyon.
We finally figured out how we were going to transport the beast to Glenwood Springs. Thanks to Dave Wathen, we converted a motorcycle carrier to a tandem carrier. It works great. Check out the sweet bracket that I made.
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