Cold Workout

The ice storm the rolled through on Thursday made for a good workout this weekend. I was out shovelling and scraping ice Friday night and Sunday. Sunday was the best, it was 0 degrees with -30 degree windchill. I lasted about an hour, but that was because I broke my scrapper. After fixing it I decided I was too sweaty (and tired) to go back out. I'll have to get back out again to finish up since we have family coming over Wednesday night.

The Dude

A New Day

My back pain and cold are nearly gone. So today I got up and did a kettlebell workout. I about threw up since I hadn't worked out for a couple weeks. I normally workout after work but usually I'm not in the mood to work out when I get home so I end up skipping it.

The Dude

On the DL

I hurt my back a couple weeks ago and have been on the mend since. My back is feeling better so going to try it tonight to see if I can get back on track.


The Dude

A New Start?

Deleted

Going Forward

After a long hiatus and a busy summer, I'm back.

The RAGBRAI That (Almost) Was

Well after a long awaited RAGBRAI, we didn't go. My wife came down with the flew and we cancelled our trip on Thursday. To be honest I was glad it turned out that way. There was something about cycling, drinking, 95 degree heat, humidity, sun, crowds, and hangovers that didn't appeal to me. I guess when it comes to cycling I like a more cool, calm, and sober approach. I like to drink as much as the next guy but there is a time and a place for it. I realize some of you reading this are thinking (or saying) "pussy!", but to each their own. There is something about BRAN that appeals to me, primarilly the cooler temps and lesser crowds (if 600 is not a crowd). Don't get me wrong BRAN has it's faults, primarilly the attitudes of the people that organize it, but it is a good ride otherwise. So I don't think I'll be riding across Iowa anytime soon. Now what I did instead is another story for another time.

The Dude

Long Time No Blog

Wow it's been over a month since my last post. I've been lacking in my blogger responsibilities.

The weekend of July 4th Kelli and I rode 20 miles on the trails Friday morning. I got a flat 4 miles in so we probably would have gone further. Saturday a group of us met up at the Wabash trail head in CB and rode to Malvern to had breakfast. Good food, great ride, and great weather. 45 miles that day. We didn't get off the couch Sunday.

This past weekend I met my brother in Chicago for the NASCAR race. We had a great time and caught up on things.

This weekend is RAGBRAI! Wow, I'm under trained but will be alright I have this new ability to climb hills with ease so the seat time my only concern. I'm going to squeeze in a couple 20 mile rides this week after work to try to acclimate to the heat a little better. After tailgating all weekend I've got a good start I just need to adjust to riding in the heat.

The Dude

Bike Ride Across Nebraska

My wife and I got back last night from doing the first 4 days of BRAN. It was a great ride. Day 3 had a 20mph headwind, but otherwise it was very enjoyable. The scenery was great, I had no idea Nebraska had such beautiful scenery. There were a couple of times I thought I was in another state. States typically associated with beatuifull scenery like Wyoming and Montana. Hopefully my pictures turn out and show what I'm talking about.

BRAN Time!

This coming weekend is BRAN (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska). My wife and I will be riding the first 4 days. The weather looks pretty decent, highs in the low 80s and lows around 60. As rainy as it has been I'm expecting rain and can deal with that. I actually like riding in the rain. It's camping in the rain that I don't like. The route this year will be real scenic and not very hilly, which is nice.

BRAN is a really good ride for the money. You get fully supported SAG vehicles every 10-12 miles, gear transportation from town to town, use of school shower facilities, a smaller less chaotic ride, and you really get to be personal with the people in each town. Unlike RAGRAI, BRAN is more of a family atmosphere so you don't see people getting drunk. People do drink (I'm one of them), but it's more controlled and responsible. The ride is very oganized and eventhough it is limited to 600 riders it rarely fills up.

www.bran-inc.org

The Dude

Clydesdale in Horse Country

This weekend we went to Lexington, KY to visit friends. I rented a Specialized Sequoia from a local bike shop and went for a couple rides. Lexington is in what is called Bluegrass Country. It is also what I would call horse country. There are a ton of multi-million dollar horse farms surrounding Lexington. So not only did I get a good hill workout but the scenery was phenomenal. Rolling green grassy hills, black painted fences, thoroughbred horses, stables that look like mansions, and well paved roads. Best of all Lexington is a cycling community and motorists are used to seeing cyclists on the roads and are patient when passing. I felt very comfortable out riding on the roads. Overall it was a good weekend with a couple good hilly rides. I got 44 miles in on a holiday weekend away from home. It's 44 miles I normally wouldn't have gotten so I'll take it.

The Dude

Slump Buster

Deleted

Enter The Kettelbell!

Last night got my Kettlebell (KB). I was very impressed with the speed of delivery and the quality of the KB itself. I ran through a couple of the warm up exercises so I knew what I was doing and then I started the timer and ran through a repeating sequence of 3 warm up moves for 10 minutes. After that I jumped into my workout. For 12 minutes I did what is called the swing, the most basic move in kettlebell workouts. It is the basis for which everything is built off of. I did 40 reps and then did what is called an active rest in between sets. My active rest consisted of running in place. So I repeated that non stop for 12 minutes. I managed to cycle through the swings and active rest 5 times. 40 swings per cycle = 200 reps in 12 minutes. I was literally soaking wet at the end of my workout. When I was training for the marathon it would take me far longer to get a shirt soaking sweat worked up. WOW it kicked my ass. In 25 minutes I got an awesome workout. I didn't go to a gym, or work out for 2 hours either. This was done in the comfort of my home and at a time of my choosing. It doesn't get much better than that.

Today I'm not too sore, although my soreness usually doesn't set in until two days after. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

The Dude

Kettlebells

My brother has recently taken up training with kettlebells. I had never heard about them before so after I got back from his house after Easter I did some research on the internet about them. I thought they looked like a good way for me to get back into lifting weights. I lifted weights religiously from the time I was 13 until I was about 25. Then I just got burnt out and also got married, so my priorities changed. So 50 pounds later I need to get back into shape. I've wanted to start lifting weights again, but just have not had the motivation to since the first thing I think about is how much I hated lifting that last time I did it regularly. Kettlebell training is completely different than anything I've ever done. It is a very old school way of training. There is a lot of technique involved and the movements are very explosive.

Last week I contacted a certified kettlebell instructor (the only one in the area) and arranged for him to come over Saturday to give me a demo and training session. I have to say I was kind of worried about what I was getting into. I haven't lifted consistently for 7 years. So I was worried about how sore I would be the next day and days after. Anyway Eric came over on Saturday and gave me an impressive demo. The types of things you can do with the kettlebells is amazing. Then he showed me the techniques and had me try some of the Olympic lifts. I did cleans, jerks, and snatch. I had issues getting the technique down for the cleans. Once he took me through the technique for some of the lifts he ran me through a short training session. OMG! It absolutely kicked my ass. I don't know the last time I felt that fatigued and out of breath. It felt good and bad at the same time. It is such a weird combination of exercise it's hard to explain. It's like sprinting and lifting to failure at the same time. Eric did a great job presenting kettlebells to me. I'm planning on getting back with him in a few weeks to go over my form.

I ordered a 35# kettlebell last Friday and it will be here on Wednesday. I'll start my workouts that night and continue to report on my progress here. I'm really excited to see how this training will effect my cycling. It really works your whole body but it really works your core muscles. I'm really lacking core muscles and often have a sore lower back after a hard ride. I'm also really bad at hills. I'm hoping the increased strength in my legs (and hopefully weight loss that comes with working out ) will assist me with BRAN and RAGBRAI. Ride On!

The Dude

Let The Training Begin!

April 5th was my first weekly Wabash Breakfast Ride (WBR). My wife Kelli couldn't make it but out friends Chris and Karol did. We met at the trail head in Council Bluffs at 8am and headed to Malvern, IA. Early on we decided to cut the ride short. I was sick the day before and felt dead, and it was Chris and Karol's first ride of the year and they didn't have their cycling legs/butt yet. There is a good little diner in Silver City we were going to stop at to eat and turn around and head back from there. By the time we got close to Silver City we were starving and ready to eat. One big problem, the place was closed. Not only was it closed, it for sale. So we decided to grit it out and ride an additional 9 miles to Malvern. It was brutal, but we made it and had a great brunch. It was a great small town Iowa experience. Everyone was really nice to us and made us feel like we were from there. We took several breaks on the way back, the best one was the stop we made at the Mineola Steak House. We did a "one and done" which is grabbing a beer and leaving. We took our time having that beer too. we struggled our way back to the trail head. 5 hours and 46 miles later we were done.

Sunday I got up and did some yard work. Then I cleaned by road bike and degreased/lubed my gears. There is something therapeutic about cleaning your bike. I set up my work stand in the driveway, set my bike up on it and set out on an hour clean job.

I got out tonight for a short 16 miler. It was really windy and a little brisk. My feet were pretty cold when I got done. I need to wear my shoe covers next time. My bike rode great, it's amazing how a clean chain and gears can make a big difference.

The Dude

Spring is in the air!

Well after travelling the last 3 weekends I am looking forward to April. I have verry little planned and can get back on track with cycling. BRAN is the second week of June so I've got 2 months to get back into shape for that type of riding. I am far better prepared to ride in cool spring weather than I was last year. So I plan to get a jump start in April while the weather is cool. Now that we are post day light savings time I can get out after work and have plenty of time to ride. I'm planning on logging about 300 miles in April and 500 miles in May. That will give me close to a thousand miles in the saddle before BRAN. Then I just need to maintain for RAGBRAI at the end of July.

This coming weekend will be the first weekly Wabash Breakfast Ride that I organized. I've made it a standing reservation for Saturday mornings. I sent a note out to all my cycling friends and let them know I'd be there every week unless they heard differently from me. It makes it so that I don't have to organize who is going to be there weekly. I'll be there to ride regardless so if someone joins me, all the better. We start at the trailhead in Council Bluffs, IA and ride to Malvern, IA 22.5 miles to the southeast. There is a great little family run diner there that we'll have breakfast at and then head back. It will give me a great excuse to get some use out of my new cyclocross bike and also to get up and get going on a Saturday.

The Dude

Sham Rock On!

What a weekend in Virginia Beach. We were there for the Yuengling Shamrock Sportsfest. We did some sightseeing, some eating, a lot of running, and a lot of drinking. The run went pretty good, as well as 13.1 miles can go anyway. My wife and I ran together the whole time. We ran the first 6 miles and ran/walked the last half. By the end my legs felt like tree trunks and would barely function. We finished in under 3 hours as planned at a time of 2:47. After we finished we put on some warmer clothes and waited for one of our friends to finish the marathon. It was her first marathon and she finished in 3:14, qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2009. Not to shabby. One of the reasons I signed up for this run was because it was sponsored by Yuengling beer. There was a huge tent set up on the beach right next to the finish line that was full of kegs. I celebrated the run and the St Pats holiday with several beers (11). Did I mention they were all free!

The downside of running 13.1 miles is the aftermath. Oh yes the pain that ensues is brutal. Unfortunately I had a little extra pain beyond the norm. I have (warning, self diagnosis) a tendon in my foot that I think is strained. It only hurts when I walk and doesn't hurt to the touch. If it still hurts in another day I'm going to see a doctor. I hate going to the doctor so that means it's bad. I've been icing it a lot so we'll see how it goes.

So now that the run is over I can turn my concentration on to cycling. I've got a long list of rides I want to do this year. I just need my foot to heal so I can go full out.

My Own March Madness

March has been so far and will be a busy month. Last weekend I made a run to my families farm in Missouri to prepare for our annual spring camping trip. Sunday I went with a couple of me friends to help them pick out new bikes. They are pretty green to cycling and don't know much of anything. So I was glad to help. You don't realize how much you know about bikes until you help someone pick one out.
This coming weekend (St Patty's Weekend) is the half marathon in VA Beach. We leave Thursday and Get back on Monday. I'm pretty under trained and so is my wife, so we are just going to have fun and run as much of it as we can and not try to kill ourselves. It will be a great weekend and I'm looking forward to it.
Next weekend we are flying out to Pittsburgh. We'll spend a day taking in the sights of downtown Pit and then drive up to spend some time with my brother and his family. We haven't seen our 2 nieces and nephew since early January.
Finally to finish off the month is the aforementioned camping trip in Northwest Missouri. We'll be joined by 6 of our friends, and every one's dogs. It's a good relaxing weekend given that the weather cooperates.
After that April will slow down and that is when I start my cycling season. It was 66 in Omaha today. I went out and got 20 miles in. I felt strong considering it was my second outside ride. I think all the running I did over the winter helped me more than I thought.

The Future of Pro Cycling?

Since the end of the Tour of CA I have thought about how much it seems like pro cycling has changed. You still have teams, you still have riders, you still have sponsors, and you still have tours. Those are the constant factors of cycling. However there are factors that change constantly. You have doping, you have new rules, you have new technology, you have new riders on new teams, you have new sponsors, and you have new tours. It seems that from last year the cycling world has been turned not necessarily upside down, but on it's side.

Astana:
As we all know Astana was banned from any ASO events. All new team under all new management. We all know this is BS and hopefully that decision will be overturned.

Rock Racing:
Say what you will about Michael Ball, but the man is bringing fresh new ideas to cycling. He's shaking up the cycling world with his candid approach and criticism of the norm. This is not golf and this is not a gentleman's sport. He wants to come in and change the sport for the better. Granted he's not being a gentleman about it, but I think it is the right approach. He got a lot of coverage last week and got his message out to the fans as well as the governing bodies. The old boy network of cycling doesn't like change. I think with the fans support of Ball's ideas it will put more pressure on the UCI and ASO to make changes. Ball's main ideas include an organization of team owners. His idea of governing the sport internally is the correct way to do it. He also thinks the cyclists themselves should unite. NFL, MLB, & NBA all have players unions. Cycling should have the same thing. The changes Ball is proposing are not unreasonable. Like he said he is a business man first and foremost. He could single handedly change the sport of cycling.

UCI vs ASO:
How confusing is this. The fact is pro cycling is a poorly run sport and that is why it is in a state of panic. Doping was allowed to get out of control. Sponsors and fans strayed away, and cycling got a bad name for itself. How are two competing organizations supposed to govern one sport? They can't, and haven't. The comparison to cycling and open wheel racing is uncanny. The IRL and Champ Car are two identical organizations that tore apart the open wheel world. They have now come full circle and are in the process of combining their organizations because the sport is dying. These two organizations need to find a common ground and work with each other to rebuild this sport or it will also die a slow death.

NASCAR:
What does NASCAR have to do with pro cycling? The UCI and ASO need to benchmark the marketing style of NASCAR. Talk about similarities, you have racers, their rides, their sponsors, and teams. The keys to NASCAR are their fans, first and foremost, followed by the sponsors. With out those two things you have no NASCAR. Cycling is exactly the same way. Cycling needs to take a look at how the fans are listened to and how NASCAR changes its rules to better accommodate the fans. Sponsors are taken care of and their needs are met too. NASCAR sponsors spend 15-20 million dollars a year to sponsor one car. So to reel in a sponsor takes a lot of guarantees. Drivers do year round appearances and are constantly saying their sponsors name and showing their logo on TV.

Sponsors:
Cycling needs to take a sponsor friendly approach. You don't see the riders thanking their sponsors when they are interviewed, they don't thank the bike manufactures for the technology they are riding, and they don't thank the teams which include the mechanics and support drivers. I don't want to turn this into a knock on the cyclists themselves but rather a knock on system as a whole. I look at some of the sponsors in cycling and wonder where they came from. Granted I'm an "arrogant American" and don't know these European companies. With the average cost of sponsoring a pro team at about $12 million it doesn't surprise me that we don't see more mainstream companies stepping up to sponsor a team. With all the bad press cycling has gotten who would want to have a their name plastered across the chest of potential or confirmed doper. Not exactly the kind of press people look for. Until the sport is clean sponsors are going to be few and far between. For now I solute the sponsors that have stuck it out through the rough times. Hopefully things will get better sooner rather than later.

The Dude

My First Outside Ride of 08 and Review of New Gear

This has got to be one of the worst winters I can remember. It is never ending. Don't get me wrong I love winter, I love sledding, I love wearing sweatshirts, I just love cold weather in general. However this winter here in Omaha has just been miserable. Weekly snow and constant cold have made it impossible to get out and ride, and run for that matter. As soon as the snow melts it snows again and gets cold again. So lots of ice on the ground, sidewalks, and bike paths.
This weekend we got a heat wave. It was in the mid 40s both Saturday and Sunday. My wife and I went out for a ride on Sunday. It was around 42 degrees when we started and luckily I guessed correctly on my clothes. It had been a long time since I had to dress for cold weather cycling. Dressing for cold running is completely different than cold weather cycling. I could make this about what to wear but there is enough info on that topic out there on the inter-web.
My wife got to ride her new Felt FW40 road bike and I decided to take my new Felt F1X cross bike. I got new slick (or commuter) tires for it just for pavement riding. I'll probably not use these tires much but I have them if I need them. Anyway my bike rode extremely well. The gearing was surprisingly good. I was worried about only having a double crank that I'd run out of gears. I took off on a sprint and got it up to 21mph. It wasn't a full out sprint but faster than we were riding. I was hanging back to stay with my wife since this is her first year riding she's not in cycling shape yet.
The stock seat on my bike was not very cushy. It is more of a race style seat. We went 15.5 miles and I thought that had we gone 22 as planned I would have been a little uncomfortable in the taint by the end of the ride. I am of course not close to being in full riding shape so this saddle may end up working for me yet. The other thing I was real happy about is the overall comfort of the my hands and feet. Normally my hands and feet go numb with in 5 miles of my ride. Then I'm fighting it my whole ride.
I am using a two sided Shimano pedal. On one side is a platform and the other side is the SPD clip. I was clipped in about half the time mainly because of the reduced speed and also because we were having to stop frequently to cross slabs of ice where the path crossed under roadways.
The handle bars feel good they are either wider or the bar tape is thicker than what is on my road bike. The thicker handle bars distribute the pressure on my hands more evenly hence making my hands more comfortable on the bars.
My new Shimano M075 shoes are great. Not only do they not have a big clip sticking off the ball of my foot (like my Time road clips) but they are an all around more comfortable shoe. These shoes have 3 velcro straps to adjust the fit. You can tighten or loosen the shoes as you are riding down the road too. The nice thing is these shoes are versatile enough to use for mountain bike shoes and road shoes.
I'm not sold on the SPD clips though but I may eventually switch out my Time cleats and pedals on my road bike so I can use these new shoes. The SPDs did not engage like they should and my wife actually got stuck in one of her cleats and I had to twist her foot out of it. My road shoes are nice high quality shoes but they fit too tight and cause my feet to go numb. I like how the Time cleats work, but I don't like walking on them off the bike. When you are doing multi day tours or century rides you are getting off the bike often and walking around. The Time pedals and clips are pricey too, so replacing them is not fun.
Overall it was a very enjoyable ride. My new bike was great. I look forward to riding it more. It felt really good to get outside and ride. The euphoria I get from riding outside is indescribable. That is why I love cycling. The forecast is looking good for an other weekend ride.

The Dude

The 2008 Season Is Here!

The Tour of California started Sunday. I'm disappointed at Versus's TV coverage. Sundays was good because time trails are boring, but now that we are into the road stages I'd really like to see coverage like they provide during the Tour de France. With all the changes that have taken place amongst the teams I'd like to see them spend more time talking about the various teams. My other issue is that I'm in the central time zone so I now have to watch coverage from 10-11pm. We get a very condensed version of the day's events. That doesn't do the tour justice. I remember that last years whole Tour of Missouri was condensed into one 2 hour show. I don't get it. They are going to the effort and cost of sending a camera crew out to film the whole tour, but they are not giving it the desered TV time. It doesn't make sense. It's not fair to pro cycling fans and it's not fair to the American tours.

Well beyond the lack of TV coverage it was very exciting to the former Discovery team members in their new team jerseys. I was already a fan of Slipstream/Chipotle, but now I'm going to have to follow Astana. I like Levi and Johan, and they got screwed by the ASO. I'm hoping they go out and dominate this year (in the tours they are allowed to compete in) and show the world that they deserve to be allowed in all the pro tour events.

The Dude

Team Astana banned from competing in ASO races for 2008!

No Tour De France for Astana Team
By JEAN-LUC COURTHIAL
PARIS (AP) — Tour de France champion Alberto Contador likely won't get to defend his title after Tour organizers excluded the Astana cycling team from this year's race.
Astana was banned from the race Wednesday because of its past doping issues. The "damage caused by this team to the Tour de France and cycling in general, both in 2006 and 2007," led to their exclusion, organizers said.
Astana pulled out of the race last year after Alexandre Vinokourov, a pre-race favorite, tested positive for a blood transfusion after his victory in the 13th stage time trial. The team was excluded in 2006 after being linked to Operation Puerto, the Spanish blood-doping scandal in which Contador was implicated.
Contador said he was devastated by the decision.
"I never thought that it would be possible not to do the Tour the France," Contador said. "It is my race, I dream of that race. We are not invited. What can we do? It is a real blow for me and all of us at Astana. I think the decision to leave us out, and to do so on the basis of the team's past, is unfair.
"I'm afraid other sponsors can leave cycling because of what happened today. It is a sad day for cycling."
Another top Astana rider — American Levi Leipheimer, who was third in last year's Tour — expressed similar sentiments.
"I am in shock and I am very disappointed," Leipheimer said in a statement. "Along with my friends, family and supporters, I can't understand why we are not allowed to take part in the Tour and defend Alberto's title with two other riders capable of winning, myself included. We are all left wondering."
The Tour de France has been hit with a series of drug scandals in the past two years that have threatened to turn the race into a farce. The 2006 winner, Floyd Landis, was stripped of the title for failing a doping test. Last year, race leader Michael Rasmussen was sent home for skipping drug tests, and Vinokourov also tested positive.
Contador, from Spain, won the Tour last year riding for the American Discovery Channel team. The team disbanded late last year, and he signed a two-year deal with Astana.
Tour director Christian Prudhomme denied that Contador was the focal point of the Astana ban.
"We don't part with the winner of the Tour for the fun of it, but it is the team he chose," Prudhomme said. "Contador was in no way targeted."
Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens said Contador's contract doesn't have an escape clause that applies to this situation, suggesting that the 25-year-old Spaniard is unlikely to be able to defend his title.
Maertens said Contador's clause allowed him to get out of his contract only if Astana got caught in a doping scandal. But since this is not a new doping scandal, the clause does not apply.
After the Astana team quit the Tour last year, it was barred from the Spanish Vuelta. It also has been denied admission to this year's Giro d'Italia.
"We feel disbelief and bafflement, although we had an inkling after the Giro decision," Maertens said. "Sponsors may flee and it is not good for the fans either."
ASO, which organizes the Tour, said Astana won't be invited to any of its 2008 events. That includes Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Fleche Wallonne, Paris-Tours and others.
Astana wasn't among the 20 teams selected Wednesday by ASO for the March 9-16 Paris-Nice race.
In 2006, Astana-Wurth couldn't field the minimum six cyclists required — after the implicated five riders were withdrawn — and pulled out on the eve of the Tour.
ASO said Astana could be allowed back in the future if it has a 2008 season "without suspicions."
Astana has tried to revamp itself this year under new leadership, with Johan Bruyneel becoming general manager of the team. Bruyneel was the architect of Lance Armstrong's seven Tour victories.
"We have done everything to change the dynamics of the team," Bruyneel said. "New management, new riders, new philosophy. Only the name of the sponsor remained.
"Many other teams, with similar suspicious pasts that did not change management or structure, can participate without problems. Where is the consistency? Is Tour de France not losing all credibility now?"
Aside from Contador and Leipheimer, other top Astana riders include Andreas Kloden of Germany, the runner-up in 2004 and '06.
"We will fight back with the whole team," Leipheimer said


In an article by Dave Luecking of STLToday.com he states: "Oddly, the A.S.O. did invite High Road Sports to its Paris-Nice race. High Road Sports, now under American Bob Stapleton, has instituted strict anti-doping controls, just as Astana did under Bruyneel. The old management of Stapleton’s team, then known as T-Mobile, made a mockery of the Tour with admitted doping by 1996 winner Bjarne Riis and six-time sprint winner Erik Zabel, and suspected doping by 1997 winner Jan Ullrich. Yet High Road with new management is OK, and Astana with new management is not?"
In addition Dave states:
"The Vuelta has announced that Astana will be invited this year, which may place its desire to race in the Tour of Missouri in jeopardy."


Crazy right? I am planning on going to the Tour of Missouri. Last year in its first year I saw the final US appearance of the Discovery Channel Team. Kansas City rolled out the red carpet for opening day last year. The Tour of Missouri deserves to have Team Astana competing. It will be a shame if Astana can't make it because of the ASO screwing up their schedule. The future of this team may be in trouble. Sponsors are likely to back away after finding out that they not going to be in the biggest most publicised race of the year. What's the point of watching the Tour de France if the best team will not be there? It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

The Dude

Jonesing to Ride

Not much on the cycling forefront to report on. I put in an order at Nashbar the other day. I'm getting a pannier rack and commuting tires for my cross bike, and bar wrap for my road bike. I know I've said it before but I'm going to say it again. I can't wait for this half marathon to be over. I do not enjoy running and never really have. Cycling is my passion and I can't wait to get back into it. I've been intermittently riding on my trainer but haven't had much time because of the running I've been doing. What can I say, life gets in the way.

There were a few details released about the Nebraska MS150 ride. I rode it last year and it was my first century ride. I didn't ride the second day because I had a previous obligation. This year I've got the weekend free and will do both days. In the past the ride has been an out and back route. This year they are going to do an overnight stay in Lincoln and then back to Omaha the next day. They are putting us up in one of the dorms on the UNL campus. I'm really looking forward to see how they are going to handle the logistics of getting peoples bags to Lincoln and then back to Omaha. I'm also curious to see the route. In the past with the out and back route people had the option of doing a shorter ride. Last year they offered a 10, 25, 50, 75, or 100 mile rides on the first day. Really with an out and back you can turn around at any time. So with this route not being an out and back I'm wondering if they are going to just have us go 75 miles both days to get the 150 total miles. There may be an option for a century but it is going to be different from the norm. Either way all my cycling friends are doing this ride so it will be fun.

The Dude

Have Map, Will Travel

I'm a map fiend and an internet search guru. I spend hours and hours surfing the net for everything. I love mapping vacation routes, cycling rides, and running routes. I'm always looking for a new route somewhere.

I'll start with my favorite mapping software, Delorme Topo USA. Overall I love this program. There are a few features I do not like the functionality of, but I can deal with them. I've used this program for many hiking trips in the Rocky Mountain Range. In the last year I've found a new use for it, cycling. Last year I used it to map a couple routes on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. I also used it to map the week of BRAN. Besides the mapping the route and distance, the elevation info is priceless. When I'm planning a new route I can see how hilly the ride is and know a head of time what kind of ride it's going to be. http://www.maps.google.com/

As for maps on the internet, there's only one source...Google. Google maps are great since you can flip back and forth between satellite and map view. I love being able to drag the page around and zoom in and out with my roller ball. The roads are pretty accurate and there are even some old rail lines shown that are now bike trails. So it makes them easier to locate. A new site that Google has is the Gmap Pedometer. I have used this site extensively. It is great for mapping running routes, bike trails, and commuter routes that zig zag on back roads. I use the satellite view and can zoom in on a bike trail and map distances of my specific rides. I can map out a run through a neighborhood or on the bike path. This site does what Google maps can not. You can even save your route you created and it will give you a URL to copy and paste or you can add the route to your favorites to recall it at a later time. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

I hope you can use these sources to plan your next excursion, whatever it may be.

The Dude

Two Down, None To Go!...And Some Ranting

I finally got my cyclocross bike this weekend. It's a Felt F1X. The LBS had to order it in so I have to wait a week or so to get it. The weather warmed up this weekend and I was actually able to take it out for a test ride before I bought it. It felt great. It was a lot more stretched out than my road bike but the bike shop took care of that with a few adjustments. I'm excited to get out and ride it some more.

After the weather was in the 40s and 50s this weekend, we had a 40 degree temperature swing from yesterday and it is now in the teens and blizzard like conditions outside. I'm not a sissy when it comes to the cold and am not against riding outside in it. I am however not a fan of wrecking, especially my new bike. Omaha ignores their bike paths when it comes to plowing them. There are patches of ice that cover the trail making it dangerous for anything other than walking. So I'll wait until it is safe outside to ride. Plus until daylight savings comes I can't ride after work and my weekends are booked solid.. Excuses, excuses, I know.

I've seen some other blogs talking about commuting to work in this type of weather. The problem I have is that Omaha is not commuter friendly. I've tried to look at different routes that I could take to get to work and all roads lead to no where. There is one possibility but in order for that to work the city has to finish a connector trail. That trail is not slated to be done until 2009, but since they did no work on it this year so it will probably be 2010 now.

The Dude

RAGBRAI or Bust

The big news of the weekend is that the RAGBRAI route was revealed. Missouri Valley will be the start this year which is just a country mile north of Omaha. I have never done RAGBRAI before and am looking forward to it. We have a few friends that are part of a team that have invited us to ride with them. The chaos will be overwhelming, but it will be an experience to remember. I'm familiar with the multi-day rides since I did BRAN last year. Although BRAN has a cap of 800 riders and RAGBRAI has over 8500 riders. So it will be challenge to deal with that many people. There are a lot of "crazies" that ride RAGBRAI and are not accustomed to the rules of the road. So riding defensively will be a must. I love people watching and from the pictures I've seen this will be an eyeful. After last years ride I went through the Des Moines Register's online pictures and was amazed at some of the people I saw.

The Dude

Cycling 2008

I'm really getting excited about some bike rides I'm doing this year. Last year I did a few days of BRAN and some charity rides and fun rides. This year I'm taking more of a social approach to cycling. I'm a pretty quiet guy so socializing is not one of my strong suits. When I have something in common with people I usually am pretty talkative. So as potential social cyclist I aim to create some new friendships and expand current ones. Nebraska is not known for its cycling. If you look online for bike rides you won't find more than a dozen rides. So this year I am crossing the river into Iowa. With the popularity of RAGBRAI, Iowa has become a very cycling friendly state. Iowa has a lot of paved rural roads with minimal traffic. It's the perfect setting for a Saturday training ride or a for an organized ride.
I am planning on doing the first few days of RAGBRAI, as well as some party rides, and charity rides. I will always do the charity rides because they are for good causes. The party rides are going to be a new thing for me. I have to admit, for someone that likes beer, I never liked the thought of mixing cycling and beer. I look at cycling as a way to loose weight. So to think about drinking and eating before, during, and or after is not something I can easily get through my head. It's like going to the gym to lift weights and bringing a cooler of beers or a bottle of tequila. It's just not the norm. This of course is coming from someone that has not experienced RAGBRAI and all it's drunken splendor. I had a chance to go with a team last year and turned it down because I didn't see the point. As I've aged I don't like to party like I used to and mixing it with any exercise usually doesn't turn out well. I did a fun ride last year (42 miles with hills) hung over with about 5 hours sleep. It was not pretty. About 3 miles into it I had to find a porta pot to drop a deuce. Then the hangover hung over me like a ton of bricks. So that was probably the worst ride I've ever done. So to think about drinking and biking for a week does not appeal to me. So I'm going to start slow and ease my way into it. There a ride in Iowa about a month before RAGBRAI that is a bar hopping party ride, except that the bars are all in different towns. It sounds like fun....right? I'm still not sold on the idea but I'm willing to try it.
Aside from the party rides and multi-day rides I'm focusing heavily on the fun rides. Most of these will be unorganized fun rides. I'm going to to put word out to our group of cycling friends that my wife and I are going to have a standing Saturday ride From April until October. We'll be there at 8am and if you want to join us feel free to meet us and come along. We'll go 22 miles to a small town to have breakfast and then bike back. As the summer goes on we may extend the mileage or maybe not. We figured this is a good way to get the weekend started. We may not always be able to make it but we plan to try to make it as much as possible.
I'm also looking at mixing it up a little and doing a few other Saturday rides. There is a ride I've been wanting to do on the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. I'll start in Belleve, NE and cut over to Iowa and then ride down to Hamburg, IA and cross the state line into Missouri. 3 states in one day is not bad. It's 50 miles one way, so I it could be a century ride if I get real ambitious. One of the other rides is on the MoPac Trail east out of Lincoln, NE. It's a rail trail that goes 22 miles east of Lincoln and ends in a little town called Wabash. So I plan to start about 9 miles north and take gravel roads to Wabash and then on into Lincoln for lunch and then head back. I'll get my money's worth out of my cyclocross bike this year. The last ride that I'd like to do is on the Cowboy Trail, the nations longest rail trail. Currently it spans 143 miles from Norfolk, NE to Ainsworth, NE. In time it will go over 320 miles across the north edge of Nebraska. So my plan would be to go about 70 miles to O'Neill, NE and spend the night and go back to Norfolk. If I had some vacation to spare I could take two days to go the 143 miles and then another 2 days to come back. That might be for another year though.
So with all these cycling plans I can't wait to start riding outside again. I have to get through my half marathon training first. I can't wait for it to be over.

The Dude

Clydesdale Clothes...or lack there of.

I found a sweet cycling jersey online last week. I decided to order it with the intention of buying another one of a different color if it fit good. This was described as an expanded club cut. I have a club cut jersey and it is a little snug for my liking. So when I saw his i though I might have fond the perfect jersey. A few days after I ordered it I ot an email from the company and said they were backordered for about 4 to 6 weeks. I cancelled my order and gave up for the time being. I dedcided to try another search for this same jersey. I found it on another site and placed my order again. A few days later I got an email saying they were backordered for 2-3 weeks. I responded and said I could wait and to keep my order active. So I'm not sure if I just hapened to choose two random sites that did not have this jersey in stock, or if no one has it. My question is why do you have something on your site if you do not have it in stock. At least make a note that it is back ordered an your order will be delayed. The struggle continues.

The Dude

One Down, One To Go

It was a big weekend. Saturday my wife and I got up and went for an 8 mile training run. Notice I said training. I wouldn't just get up and run 8 miles for the hell of it. It was about 26 degrees with a not so pleasant 13-16mph wind. Beyond the wind it went fairly well. I didn't run it with out stopping by any means but did well considering.

Later on we went to a LBS to look at Felt bikes. My wife bought a Felt FW40. It's a great looking bike and will allow her to come along on group rides and some of the charity rides I would normally do without her. I'm really hoping she gets into cycling because I'd like to have a riding partner. The LBS did a great job fitting her to the bike. They had a bikefitting.com fitting system that they used to make sure what size frame she needed. Then after she decided that was the bike she wanted the guy put her on a trainer and took some more measurements and got her seat set up. He said for her to get some miles on it and if she had any discomfort to come back and they could make some more adjustments depending on what discomforts she had. To me that is really good service.

I looked at a Felt F1X cyclocross bike. They didn't have one in my size so I couldn't get on it see how it felt, no pun intended. They ordered one and it will be in next week. I will most likely buy this bike unless it feels horrible on me. I would still like to take a look at the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple. It has a triple chain ring where as most (if not all) other CX bikes have a double. It is several hundred dollars cheaper too. The Felt is on the high end of my price range so that is my only hesitation with it. However the Felt has much better components than the Sport Triple. Sunday we got on our bikes and went for a ride on the trainers. My wife had no complaints about her bike. I told her she needs to continue riding on the trainer so that when it warms up she can hit the ground running. I did the same last year and it really helped me get into some longer rides right off the bat. I don't know that I have ever ridden more than 20 miles on my trainer. That is about my limit.

I decided I'm going to get a professional fit for my road bike this year. My bike wasn't really "fit" to me when I bought it. They measured me to see what size frame I need, but did not do anything beyond that. Needless to say I won't buy a bike from that LBS again. I used a program off the Competitive Cyclist website to get my bike set up initially. It seemed to work initially but isn't working now. Anyway I have what I think are poor bike fit issues that I don't want to deal with again this year. My feet go numb, my hands go really numb and my taint/sit bones have gotten so sore that I couldn't hardly sit on my saddle during a ride. Of course my size could be a large part of it, but I have to think that some if it has to do with the fit. I tinkered around with the seat position and handlebar angle yesterday to see if I could figure it out. When I rode last night my feet were going numb by mile 5. My hands were fine because on a trainer I use some hand positions that I couldn't normally use outside. As for my taint/sit bones not much luck there either. I have a sweet spot on my saddle and if I get in it I can be fine. The problem with that is every time I move my hand position I have to readjust to find the sweet spot. I spent a lot of money on my saddle and I'd really hate to spend another large amount to get a different one. I did see that Selle makes a Clydesdale version of their An Atomica. It looks like a Brooks knock-off. I've heard good things about Brooks saddles though so who knows. If any one has any opinions on a clydesdale friendly saddle email me and let me know. clydesdalenation@gmail.com

Let The Search Begin!

My wife is wanting to start cycling so we have been shopping around for bikes for her. She is tired of being left out since almost all of our friends ride. We are looking for a women specific design. I'm trying to get her on the most comfortable bike we can find. We started looking last weekend and checked out a Specialized Dolce and Sequoia. She like both bikes but did like the upright riding position of the Sequoia even though it was not a women bike. A friend of ours is wanting to sell her bike, a Cannondale R1000, and she let us borrow it for a while to see if it worked. We picked it up a couple days ago but wife hasn't really ridden it yet. I'm wanting to have her try out a Felt FW40 which is an entry level women's road bike. So if we have time this weekend we may go look at one.

I am also looking for a cyclocross bike. Not for competition but for trail riding. We live near a rail trail that is crushed limestone. I really enjoy riding on it, but not on my MTB. So that is why I want to look at a cross bike. The drop handle bars will give me multiple hand positions and allow me to ride longer. One of my goals this year is to ride to the end of the trail and back. The trail is 62.5 miles long, exactly a metric century. I would not be able to do that on my MTB. I love my MTB but not for long distances. So I'm not looking for a high end CX bike, but one that is capable of doing what I intend to use it for. I really wanted the Kona Jake the Snake, but I can't find one anywhere. I wanted the 2007 model because of the color, but they are sold out. So I have begun to look at other manufacturers like the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple, Jamis Nova Pro, and the Felt F1X. I really like the versatility of the Specialized because it has a triple crank. All others have a double crank. So I need to ride them to see which one feels the best and talk to the LBS to get their opinion. I know some people or real advocates of their LBS but I have not had much luck with mine. I get people who are just working a part time job that don't really seem to know what they are talking about. That is why I try to research all I can about a bike before I step into a bike shop. So if I have an idiot helping me I can make an educated decision based on what I know. Test riding a bike in winter is a whole other issue I won't get into. So more to come on the new bikes situation. I'd like to have one by March for sure, but know I can't wait that long.

Slackin Ain't Easy

The last several days have been interesting. My half marathon training is picking up. After slacking off the in month of December, I am really feeling my lack of training. On Sunday I did 7 miles on the treadmill. I probably walked close to 2 miles of that. It was pretty brutal. I watched the new Die Hard movie on ppv which really helped keep my mind off my pain. It was a really good movie by the way. So Monday I had trouble walking I was so sore. I had to do 3 miles that night and I thought there was no way I could do it. I got on the treadmill and started hobbling my way into a running motion. I made it about .75 miles before I started walking. I ended up walking half of the 3 miles. Again it was brutal. Tuesday was an off day for running so I had decided to get my bike set up on my trainer and get my first miles of the new year logged. Cycling and running are completely different as far as the muscles used and the way you breathe. It felt good to get back on the bike again. I think September was the last time I had ridden. Too long, I know. So anyway, I think after two brutal runs my legs were out of juice. I got in 20 miles but it was nothing to brag about. Of course riding on a trainer is not fun in the first place. Tonight I have to run 4 miles. I'm hoping that it goes better. I may try to go outside to do it. The treadmill is getting old, but the weather has not been cooperative to get outside.

The Dude

Resolutions

As with every new year, resolutions are made. Normally I'm not one for resolutions since I always say I'm going to loose weight. Normally that doesn't happen so I never get too excited about resolutions. The last 2 years I have made resolutions and stuck to them. In 2006 my resolution was to try new things. I did just that and then some. I ate vegetables, besides potatoes, green beans, and corn, I did not eat vegetables. I opened up my mind and put aside all my misconceptions about vegetables. I will now eat about every kind of vegetable there is. Another new thing i tried that year was beer. I was a Bud Light and Coors Light drinker. I never strayed away from those beers and in the past if I tried something other than those two I had the bitter beer face. I just didn't like the full flavored beers. That year my wife and I went to Ireland, so in keeping with my resolution I tried new beers. After all I wasn't going to be able to get BL and CL in Ireland. We went to an Irish bar and sampled Guinness, Harp, and Bass. The Guinness felt like a whole meal to me. I was really worried about going to Ireland and not liking any of the beers I had there. Turned out I liked every beer I had in Ireland. We actually made a list of all the different beers I tried. I only had two a day with dinner at the end of the day. I think the biggest turning point in my taste for beer came at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. They had the actual roasted barley they use to brew Guinness. The roasting is what gives it the dark full flavor. You could take the barley and eat it. Tasting the origin of the beer really gave a better understanding of where beer gets it flavor and allowed me to respect those dark rich beers. So anyway 2006 was a good year for my resolutions.
I carried that momentum into 2007 with a resolution to bike in 2007. I had ridden a MTB with slicks on the local bike paths in 2006 and got the bug for cycling. I decided that in 2007 I was going to go full force into cycling. I purchased a road bike and entered several organized rides. My two biggest accomplishments were I completed my first century, rode in the 3 of the 7 days of BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska). We have a very active group of friends that bike and run so keeping motivated was easy.
For 2008 my resolution is to actually loose weight. I would really like to get down to the 200-210 range. I have a big frame and a muscular base so to go below 200 would be an unreasonable goal. To help accomplish this I have set some higher goals for myself this year. I signed up for a half marathon (13 miles) and intend to do a double metric century (125 miles). I'm currently training for the half marathon and getting ready to start cycling again after a couple months hiatus. The half marathon is in Virginia Beach over St Patty's Day weekend. Our main group of friends are all going and most of them are either running the half or the full marathon. So having that support will help me to achieve my goal. There is a possibility I will run another half marathon in April, but I want to see how the VA Beach one goes first before I commit to a second one. In addition to the running I really want to become a stronger cyclist. I have no intention of ever competing, but I want to keep up with my friends who are in much better shape than I. I also want to be able take on hills better. I was not a big fan of hills last year. My weight hindered my performance on the up hill side.
Wish me luck in 2008, I have set some lofty goals for myself. I hope all your resolutions are met in 2008 as well.

The Dude

The First One

This blog is for all the Clydesdales out there. I am fairly new to cycling so this blog will take that approach. I want this to be a resource for the clydesdale riders out there.

I'm 6' 2" and weigh well over 200 pounds, I am a Clydesdale.

The Dude