to all those in the tri-state area- be there to be fair

Buying stuff makes the winter go by faster!

Oof.

almost an entire week of straight trainer/roller work.

I was supposed to do a 2-3 hr workout yesterday- and I though I would rough it out in the outdoors. I bundled myself up, and off I went. and hour and forty minutes later, I ran back home, shivering. maybe I got a wee bit ahead of myself.

I finally saw breaking away. I know, I know- don't give me crap about it. i should have seen it a long time ago. a great movie- I really liked the bike race scenes. who knew the bad guy from Home alone was in that movie?!



I went for a ride with some of my teammates today- it was a balmy 40 degrees, and a bunch of us made it out to piermont for a nice 40 miles and change. I haven't been on a longer ride outside in a few weeks and it felt great to be back on the bike, riding with my old buddies. We hit up river road and a few of us got in a hill repeat while waiting for some others. we stopped at one of the tiny coffee shops in Piermont. this little place has one of the best muffins I've ever had in my life- It's called a Bunbury Muffin- It's got carrots, walnuts, coconuts, raisins, and I think some bran in it. washed it down with a great little latte, and off we went.

I felt really good today- I pulled the entire way back (about 25 mi), feeling nice and strong, and staying in my Endurance zone (except for the one little hill where the girls wanted a battle of the sexes- I had to preserve my manhood, dammit!)

i was so glad to get out and go for a good long ride with my friends today- I was starting to get cabin fever after about 2 weeks of solid indoor riding. I had even resorted to buying shit to help pass the time between now and racing season:

an oldschool Team Lampre Jersey (back when Fondriest sponsored them). yes i know its pink. i guess we'll soon see whether or not italians are the only people who can pull off wearing inherently "fancy" clothing in a gruff, masculine sort of way (as masculine as one who shaves his legs and wears spandex can be) :


a new Louis Garneau Oz-zy helmet to replace the 4 year old one I'm using now (in the NYVC team colors!):


aaand a pair of George Hincapie Sunglasses! that's right- i got a pair of Oakley Pro Racing jackets. and you know what? I think I'm just obnoxious enough to pull it off (in a funny "look at the Cat 5 with hincapie sunglasses" sort of way)



wow. reading over this post doesn't make me feel shallow and pathetic at all!

The Winter Cycling Ninja rides again! (sort of)

So the warm streak in new york has finally broken- the temps are finally in the 20's and 30's, and we're solidly in the winter.

We were supposed to have a short team ride yesterday morning. I woke up, saw that it was 24 degrees outside, and went ahead and dressed up. I took the cross bike out (it's maiden ride since i slapped the Campy components and carbon bars on it) and went to meet everyone at the boathouse. Well apparently I get hardcore points for being the only one who showed up! maybe it's because there was still snow on the ground...

I went ahead and got a lap in (about 6 mi) before saying "F That" and going home to ride the rollers.

rollers were fun- I didnt break my ass and I got the hang of doing it with no hands (for very brief amounts of time).

Today was two hours on the trainer.

boo. trainer time. so much trainer time.

being on the trainer for more than an hour and a half makes me suicidal. Thankfully, watching Kill Bill Vol 2 Dulled the pain a bit.

I think I'm going to start looking for a new saddle. A ong trainer season really puts your saddle to the test, and as much as I love my Fizik Arione (and as much as it matched my bike), I might need to look around, because I enjoy not being sterile.

I think I'll try out one of the New Selle Flites and the Fizik Gobi (I would try the Aliante, but that shit is wayyy too expensive)

I recently got my Fondriest Fitted by Mike Sherry at Performance Labs HC . It was a pretty Deluxe fitting, setting me back about $250. I feel much better on the bike. Mike took a ton of skeletal measurements and ended up raising my seatpost by almost 2 inches, and lowered my Stem height by about an inch. My hips are more open, and I feel different muscle groups in my legs being used. I'll be excited to get back out on the road for a real ride and see what the difference is. Overall, it was a great fitting experience. Mike was super knowledgable and did a great job. Highly reccomended!

Tomorrow's a rest day. Thank the frigging lord.

If this cold weather keeps going, I just might slap the knobbies back on my cross bike and go romping through central park on a snowy afternoon. Who's with me?!

Writing for ChaosCyclingClub.com

In addition to this specacular, epic, and eloquent blog that you, my loyal readers, enjoy on a regular basis (HA!), I have also started writing for www.chaoscyclingclub.com as one of their blog writers. The site is up but not completely functional yet. You can get the gist from their myspace page HERE. Here's the first piece I wrote for them:

State of the cycling Union

My fellow cyclists,

As we stand on the horizon of the 2007, I can't help but think about what this year has in store for us. What will bring us excitement? Who will win the tour? What scandal is going to rock our world next? Will the Pro-tour survive another year of mismanagement and bad protocol? Will I even come close to winning a bike race?

Who knows.

I've been mulling over the general state of cycling and how it has changed over the past year. The thing about this marvelous two-wheeled invention is that it means so many things to many different people. a work of art, a commuter, a $12,000 racing machine, a bike messenger's most prized possession, and a weapon of competition. Hell, to you it may mean all of those things rolled into one.

Look at the current state of pro cycling. Unfounded accusations can ruin a pro's career. Anti-doping regulations have turned into glorified witch hunts. All hunches, no evidence. It's a shaky base to build a case on.

What will happen in the next twelve months? Will we ever be able to look up to these cycling masters with the child-like reverie that people had for Eddie Merckx and Fausto Coppi? Can a cycling legend be forged in the current environment we live in, or will the reputations of every budding cycling hero be so easily chopped down by accusations and scandal?

When looking at the pro cycling world, I've realized a few things:

-A simple accusation does not make a person guilty until they're proven to be so in a court of law. Until then, they're innocent. Remember that the next time you get into a debate over Floyd, Jan, or Ivan. They're innocent until a court proves otherwise. Sorry. It's called the justice system.
-The (general) media does more harm than good when cycling is in the news. Does it ever surprise you that the media attacks cycling for being a dirty, scandal ridden sport when it is in fact vastly more regulated than other professional sports that overweight beer swillers watch? If Barry Bonds were a cyclist (which is a hilarious visualization in and of itself,) he would have had it MUCH rougher than he does now.
-The Officials governing the sport need to get their acts together. Sometimes it seems like they are out to kill the sport. They have to stick to the rules that they come up with, and there needs to be a system of checks and balances to ensure that officials cannot abuse their power. Reputations of the cyclists and the sport in general will be at stake if the officials can't get their acts together.

As for my predictions for the next year's winners, they're as follows:

Paris-Roubaix: Big George Hincapie
The Giro: Basso or Cunego
The Tour: Landis (if he can compete), Basso, or Vino

We as cyclists have to make a choice. There's no place for cynicism in cycling- that's what'll kill the sport. The world of cycling is larger than the pros. Sure, they're amazing to watch, and they're stronger cyclists than most of us will ever hope to be, but pro cycling shouldn't define what the experience means to us. It is what we make of it.

It's time to return to the simple joy of pedaling a bicycle. Get out there and suffer up a hill, blast down a descent, and trackstand at the stoplight. Do a wheelie. Sprint for the Line. Compete in your first race. Bunny hop a cyclocross barrier. Try to ride a unicycle.

Push yourself, and let this two wheeled wonder make you a better, stronger, and more balanced person. The more you ride, the better it gets.

New Orleans: Beer, Liquor, Food, and (consequently) Recovery Rides

I flew down to New Orleans this weekend to recharge my batteries and Visit my Alma Madre. The folks at Tulane U. decided it would be a good idea to fly me down and interview me for their admissions video, and who am I to argue with people shoving free airfare in my face??

Given the relationship and history New Orleans and I had back in college, I was pretty worried that I was going to single-handedly undo all of the hard work I've done up to this point in the training season and end up in the french quarter with no pants on (again). I'd lost 5 lbs this month, and was getting into a good groove with the 6 day-a-week workout schedule. What better way to disrupt all that hard work with copious amounts of heavy,delicious food and car-wreck inducing alcoholic beverages??


Luckily for me, the weather was fantastic. Even luckier for me: an old riding buddy had an extra bike for me to use. Hoo-Ha! All is not lost.

Not only did I get to hit up all of my old and favorite alcoholic and culinary stomping grounds, but I also got to hit up my old cycling territory: The Mississippi River Trail (or MRT for all you acronymaholics).


The MRT is a glorious stretch of bike path that lies on the tippy-top of the Mississippi river levee. It goes out for at least 25 miles. Best part? No cars allowed, and its flat. Worst part? It's flat. And Windy.

It's a pace-liner's dream.

When not in a pace line, it makes for an interesting ride.


Usually what happens is you end up flying on the way out. Gee, You feel so good and strong, zooming along in your big ring without a care in the world. you could go on like this forever!

Then you turn around, and are slapped in the face by the invisible hand that was gently pushing you along the whole time. Thanks! You end up grinding out those same miles on the way back. Whoopie.

Aside from that, the Levee path has a fond place in my heart. I developed into a road rider on that path- starting out as a huge Fred on his Gary fisher with knobby tires, a camelbak, baggy shorts and platform pedals and eventually turning into a spandex- wearing, clipless pedalling, skinny tire rollin' fool that I am today. I've got this path to thank for that.

The sights on the levee are pretty unique. you pass a golf course, huge bridges, ghetto projects, grand plantation mansions, Oil Refineries, and Barge Loading facilities. You can imagine the looks I used to get when I would walk into the Blue-collar convenience store for a Gatorade all decked out in spandex.


I met up with my old cycling cohort Mikey and our friend Scott, who just started cycling, and off we went for a friendly little jaunt along the Mississippi. We took it slow, caught up, had a few laughs, and snapped a few photos. It was good to see those two, and i enjoyed drooling over Mikey's new BMC Street Machine (Mikey, email me pics and a description of that hot piece of gear if you want it features on here as bike porn).


I got to use his old steel LeMond from the 90's. It was pretty entertaining to ride it, considering the frame was 3 cm too big for me, and the crank arms were 175mm (as opposed to 170's that I run on mine). I felt like I was pedaling a penny-farthing or something... It did, however, have the old Shimano RSX 7-speed components, and I was really impressed at how well they shifted.

I took it out again the next day to clear up my hang over, and got a good 45 mile Endurance ride in. Just what I needed.

Going for a ride those two times was a good bit of damage control for the delicious crap I was going to eat and drink. Namely, This:


You can order a triple-bypass on the side, if needed.

Now I'm back home, relishing the fun I had, and the fact that my silly cycling tan lines are back. I look like a redneck farmer with raccoon eyes, and boy does it feel good.

Back to training!