Chad's spot for various thoughts, musings, poetry, ideas and whatnot

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

I am a beast!

So, I went and did the Six Gap Century this last weekend. What an epic ride. In Georgia a "gap" is what everyone else calls a pass through the mountains so, as you might surmise" the century took over six passes or gaps; Neal's, Jack's, Unicoi, Hogpen, Wolfpen and Woody's. The first three gaps weren't oo bad. I managed to stay with the lead group throughout the climbs but I had trouble on the descents. I'm not used to descending at speeds of 40+ miles and hour throguh switchback turns so I got dropped on each descent. The good news was that as soon at the group hit the flats, I was able to hook back up. Coming down off Unicoi I got dropped "for good" which was OK since I didn't wnat to climb Hogpen in a group and I certainly didn't wish to havre to deal with descending in groups any more.

Hogpen is the really, really hard climb on the ride. There's a 2 mile section in the middle that's a relentless 12-14% grade that you have to grind up. I was climbing well and when I hit the bottom I was only about 45 seconds off the back of the main group. I quickly passed about 30% of the now fragmented lead group before we got to the steep part and then proceeded to make up a lot of time on the rest of people. The stategy was too just keep steady rhythm and kind of do a zen mind thing to hold off the pain. When my heart rate hit 187 I would paper boy a bit to get it back odwn and then resume the climbing. By the top I had caught and passed all but about 25 guys. The way down Hogpen was fast and tricky and I decided that not only did I need better brakes but that I was never going to do this ride again.

At the bottom I rolled along some pretty relaxed stuff with another guy until just before Wolfpen were I dropped him on a long steady rise. I skipped the rest stop because I felt good and didn't think I would need water. About 3/4 of the way up Wolfpen, I realized what a bad decision that was when I reached for some water and there was none to be had. I knew there was a rest stop at the top so I told myself to hang on until then. As I went around each switchback I kept telling myself that the top was just around the next corner. At soem point I became convinced that I was just about at the top and when I turned the corner and there was still a lot more upwardly pointed road I think my will just left me. I realized that there was this bright spot growing in my vision and that I was wobbling pretty bad on the bike. I was about to bonk! So I stopped, ate a Balance bar and sipped the last few drops of water I had and let my heart rate come down. After about 5 minutes I got back on the bike and easily rode the last 3/4 of a mile tot he rest stop and got some real food and more water.

The rest of the ride was pretty simple. I got over Woody gap and then descended for the next 15 miles to Dahlonega and the finish which was a lot of fun. I finished with a time of 5 hours and 12 minutes which was great. I was around 25th out of 1600 or so riders which was a whole lot better than I expected to do. So it was a good ride and a good time. Walkign on Monday was an adventure but I'm feeling a lot better now so hopefully I'll be able to get out and put in a good ride today.

Thanks for reading.

The Physicist   Link Me    |

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

I'm Getting Better...

Well, the good news is that whatever had me under the weather for the last week or so seems to have passed. I had good rides on Monday and Tuesday and recovered well without undue fatigue. The bad news is that my wife is showing the symptoms of whatever crud I had. At least I know it was something and not just some weird psychological letdown thing.

Six Gaps

Assuming Jeanne stays away I'll be heading up to North Georgia this weekend to ride the Six Gap Century. 14,000 feet of climbing over a 100 mile course. It'll be the hardest century I've ever done but it should be boatloads of fun. I had the bike shop 39 tooth front chain ring on the S-Works in place of the 42 so that I had easier gearing for the climb. Riding the 39 was a bit weird last night but I think it'll be OK.

Stupid Questions People Ask

Over the course of the last couple of weeks I've heard a lot of people asking why we're still talking about the Veitnam war. Well, duh? When a political candidate decides to use his war experience on his resume, so to speak, people are going to evaluate that. If John Kerry had just said I served and been done with it then this wouldn't be an issue. Instead he says that not only did he serve but he did so with distinction and that because of this he is more deserving of the office of President. You gotta figure that in the political arena, a claim like this will be challenged. That his campaign seems to have been caught off gaurd by this says something I think.

That we as a people want to use decisions someone made at the age of 18 or 25 as a gauge of their abilities in there forties says something not so good about us. I know that I did some things in my late teens and early twenties that I'm not real proud of. While they are a part of who I am that is more because of what I may or may not have learned from the experiences. When I interview for a job now I'm evaluated on what I would do today, not what I would have done then. I think there's a lot of irrelevant talk about what both candidates did during that time of their lives. Let's look at the men they are now and the leaders they are now.

A little advice to the Kerry campaign. You're not going to win this thing based on your service in Veitnam. Most people really don't give a hoot. That was over 30 years ago. Your record there and what you did following the war related to it are a mixed bag to those who do care. You can't win this thing on your record in the Senate either. Its too vague and indistinct. To say that you worked behind the scenes a lot doesn't show you to be the dynamic leader Americans want. John McCain can run on his Senate record. You can't. You can't attack Bush, it looks unpatriotic to attack the guy who stood on the rubble of the World Trade Center with the firefighters and gave them and the nation hope. What you've got to run on are your ideas. They need to be straightforward and, unfortunately, not nearly so nuanced. Joe Six-Pack doesn't care about some fifteen point plan to bring some jobs back to the US but not others. He wants a clear, easy to understand roadmap. If you're going to talk about the war on terror, do so with a simple message. Something like, "We are not safer because of the war on Iraq. We need to clearly allocate resources to the following three areas... Our goals and objectives are the following..." If Reagan were running he might ask, "Are you safer than you were three years ago because the war in Iraq? Do you feel more secure now than you did on September 12th? Are we going to be led into yet another war with faulty intelligence and a divided cabinet?" Finally, it's too late but don't be cute on Letterman or Leno. That may go over well with 18-35 year olds but most of them don't vote and more of those that do are Republicans. It's hard to look steely-eyed and resolute Tuesday when on Monday night you were cracking jokes with a guy who'll use you as monologue material on Wednesday.

But hey, if this political thing doesn't work out, I hear that CBS might be hiring.

The Physicist   Link Me    |

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Struggling with Something

I'm not sure what it is but I am definitely fighting some sort of illness. Since Thursday my favorite activity has been to sleep a lot. I actually slept through a lot of Ivan the Pretty Bad's wrath here in Barnesville, only being woken up by the tornado sirens. Friday wasn't as bad and Saturday I actually went to the Buggy Days festivities a bit and rode my bike on the rollers. Today, however, has been miserable with a nagging headache and general all around fatigue. I've napped for most of the afternoon and I'm sure I'll fall right into bed when I get home from worship tonight. I wish I knew what the cause was but apparently that's to remain a mystery. Fortunately, I only have to give back tests and give tests tomorrow so that'll be good. The downside is that all of the great plans that I had for today are sort of flown out the window. I may still try and mow the dog run but even that may be a stretch for my seemingly worn out body.

Thanks for reading.

The Physicist   Link Me    |

Monday, September 13, 2004

Not with a Bang, but a Whimper...

Well, the 2004 road racing season is now over. Things didn't go very well in LaGrange this weekend with a 9th, a 16th and a DNF to my credit. I should stay in the top ten in overall standings for the Georgia Cup but not much better than that. The conspiracy of a cold and not enough sleep took just enough out of me to spell doom. It was a hard thing to accept but cycling is like that. It's a sport of peaks and valleys. Two weeks ago was a peak and I couldn't stretch it out quite long enough.

Still though I accomplished most of my major goals. I became a major force in time trialing in Georgia and maybe even the southeast. I won the South Carolina State Championship and took the silver in the Georgia State Championship. I won at Brooks, took second in Powder Springs and third at Union City. I was competitive in several Masters 35+ races and went to the National Cahmpionships. The only thing I didn't accomplish was moving up to Cat 3 but that's not too far off. If I had wanted to go out on a high note, I would've stopped after Madison.

From here on out I plan to do a bit more social riding. Centuries and group rides as I can with a lot less intensity training. I may try to peak one last time for the GAP Finale at Dauset Trails but the two races before that are just for the few points I'll pick up for racing. If conditions are bad for the Gainesville race this weekend, there's a good chance I'll skip that.

On a different note, take a few minutes to pray for the Gordon students. Last week and this week are the hieght of the first exams week. Lots and lots of stress to be had by all. Several of the students we know have delayed studying for the short-term goal of "having fun" and now are way behind and not having fun at all. The stress from this is bleeding into all of the other ascepts of their lives and turning those sour as well. Add to this the possible impact of Ivan and things should be a lot of fun around Thursday or so.

Thanks for reading.

The Physicist   Link Me    |

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Recovery Week

What a weekend...one of labor indeed. Friday I went out to ride a hilly road that must have run near a religious milling establishment at one time near Thomaston that was suggested by a co-worker who also rides. Alan said I'd get a good hill workout and he wasn't kidding. On most of the hills I was able to dance up the inclines but the last one was a long grinder that really made me suffer. I'm not sure how long it was since I was too busy suffering to look at my cyclometer but I sure felt great about finishing it. I ended up doing 50 miles with a climb over King's Mt. on a route I hadn't done before.

Saturday I did my traditional Labor Day Weekend Century. Usually I go to Savannah but with the hurricane and my frustration with how poorly it was orginzed last year I decided to throw together something from some of my flatter training routes. I did the ride in 4:45 which was good considering the constant northeast wind that made parts of the ride pretty tedious. The downside was that I pushed a little too hard and my left hamstring spend the rest of the day trying to cramp up.

Sunday I decided to skip church and worship at Our Lady of the Knobby Tire. I had gotten some pretty disturbing news Saturday afternoon and I really needed a chance to reflect. The three hour drive up to and back from Carter's Lake provided the time I needed to digest all the ramifications of what I had learned. I road the Carter's Lake course which is te harest race we do all year. I only crashed twice in two laps (way down from 6 in one lap last year) and I figured a lot of things out. My skills are better but the hard work of the weekend really a toll. I was completely toast after two not very fast laps but I got a better sense of the course. Most importantly, I'm going to switch to a 34 pie-plate on the back of The Man O' War for the race. The 32 big cog is great for Dauset but not too good for Carter's Lake.

Monday was housework day while we waited for Frances to get here. The weather slowly deterioraited over the course of the day from windy and drizzly to really windy and heavy rain later on. The heaviest winds hit at abou 3 am and woke us both up. I don't think either of us slept really well all night. Fortunately, we only had one leak we had to deal with for the most part.

Today is a soggy back-to-work day but at least it's lab day so I don't have to be really sharp. Hopefully, I'll get some good sleep tonight and I'll feel better tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

The Physicist   Link Me    |

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

This last weekend was race weekend for me. Saturday was the Georgia State Time Trial Championship with a crit later in the day. Sunday was the Macon Madness MTB race at what we locals affectionately call the Pig Trial.

The first race was good. Even though the organizers weren't so organized I managed, through a modicum of good planning, to get my number and a bit of a warm-up. Just like in South Carolina, I got a solid start and turned up the power over the next 21 miles. I really felt good on the way back and poured the power on for a 50:27 finish. Had I raced Cat IV or Cat III I'd be the state champ right now. However, since I'm racing Masters 35+, I have the opportunity to race against former pros. Still, though, I managed to win the bronze medal which was good.

The crit later in the day was bad. I got dropped on lap 2 and was never in contention. The only silver lining was that I cornered well at speed both in and out of the pack. I have to work on my ability to sprint out of the corners or I'll never be competitive in crits.

The ugly bit was the MTB race. I won this race in the beginners class last year though the course was a different one. I wanted a good race since it's the home team race. I got my usual poor start but I was cool with that. I now expect it and plan my strategy with it in mind. Once we cleared a little bit of technical stuff I started to move up pretty rapidly and passed most of the field in the first lap. My buddy Todd Park hooked up with me and things looked good at the end of the first lap (out of three). I got tot he power portion of the second lap and I started passing guys in the second group. I got up to the guys that were driving the pace and decided to make my move. I felt strong and knew that I could drop them and get a gap to bridge to the leaders. As I was powering up though, my rear wheel slid out and I crashed really hard. I slid about 30 feet before coming to a stop and was nearly run over about 4 times. After that, the race was a matter of just trying to hold something together. I finished 16th out of about 35 guys which was disappointing. I think the hardest thing isn't the finish as much as the fact as I was in contention for a high place before the crash. Several times this year I've been up in the running for a top ten when something dumb like that happens. I either have to learn to ride the darn bike or catch a little luck. What really galls me is that yesterday I went out and rode at Dauset and I tore it up. I mean I just absolutely killed it. I spent 70% of the time in the big ring, I was on the edge of the envelope and managed not to crash and I never felt really tired on the climbs. The only thing that was tough was I didn't always feel like I was in control on the descents. It was the same way I felt when I was heading towards a top five at Helen before my spokes got taken out.

Oh well, that's racing I guess. I know that the power's there so I just have to work on skills and catch some luck. I don't have to do any more time trial training this year so those rides are going to be shifted to the dirt so I can practice a whole bunch more. Hopefully, I'll see some improvement and my race placings will improve.

Thanks for reading.

The Physicist   Link Me    |