echappist

i can always fake it and drop off

bostongarden

shovel, because of location, you might be interested: I've done one TTT in my life; it was out in the Amherst area for a UMass sponsored championship event (ECCC maybe).

bostongarden

Oy. I'm not going to indicate to which post I am saying Oy

shovelhd

I don't have a team to time trial with.

carpediemracing 

I haven't done much better too - almost taking out a family (what if he hadn't been a racer) wouldn't have been good. I did want to point out that bunny hopping the curb may not be any better than anything else you try/do.

This. When my mom was sick, I trained very little, even less than normal. I was on my way from about 170 to 215 lbs, riding maybe once every week to 2 weeks (initially - later it was once every 3 weeks). Mind you, I wouldn't have changed my schedule in retrospect because it was time I spent with my mom/family, I'm just saying that's what happened.

However... I showed up at the state crits the second year my mom was sick, with two really, really, really good teammates. Both could win from a break or a sprint, and both have totally annihilated me at Bethel. They're good riders. The course favors "sit and wait" (New Britain), so that helped me. But my teammates, they can win anything.

I warmed up with my two teammates, told them the last time I rode was 9 days ago, did 15 min the day before, not feeling really good. I told them I'd work for them. They're not riders that are used to getting "domestiques" - they normally just race on their own. One didn't have much to say other than telling me not to worry about it. The other told me not to work for them, just sit in until 10 to go (25 lap race I think) and see what happens. They both said I'd be able to do a sprint no matter what.

In the race my two teammates were heavily marked (if I wasn't on their team I'm mark them too - Morgan S and Stephen G - and I have, when I eventually left the team). When a break went up the road, maybe 8-10 guys in it, I decided to see if I could bridge. A lot of people didn't know my home situation so they'd assume I was relatively fit by June/July. They'd be reluctant to drag me to the line.

After a violent but brief chase, 3/4 lap at full tilt - I was holding 35-38 mph on the tailwind backstretch just before I go there - I was on. I actually pulled a couple times but got yelled at for going too slow. I knew the guys behind wouldn't chase, I knew the break guys would start looking at me suspiciously, worrying about the finish. That suited me fine because I wanted them to think about me and not about the break. Then my two teammates would be back in the game.

Sure enough the break ended up easing, guys started to bridge in ones and twos, then the field came up to us. The pace ramped back up.

I hung on for dear life, totally miserable. I was pretty much delirious for the rest of the race. I had the presence of mind to move up for the sprint (of course). We came into the final straight all together, my two teammates well in front of me, perfect position. Everyone jumped. Guys started going around to the left because the road curves to the right (so the first riders will hug the right curb). But because it was a headwind sprint and the left side was longer(outside of the right hand curve), everyone slowed dramatically, and those in the back had a LOT of shelter.

You know, like me.

So everyone is going left, left, left, a huge echelon kind of shape. The right side had a long wedge shaped opening up the curb, right up to the front guy. I figured I might as well sprint. What the heck, right? I knew the wind was killing everyone at the front. I also knew that even though I was pretty far back (maybe 15-20 at that point), I knew that a protected good sprint would be extremely effective.

I passed everyone but a guy way out in front. Second in the race. Gold medal for CT racers. I called my now-wife, who had been kind of worried about my whole life/stress thing. I called my mom and let her know. Got interviewed on the announcer's stand by the formerly-ubiquitous New England announcer and racer Dick Ring (his real name unfortunately). Brought home a medal and a jersey for my mom.

I'd like to say that every race I went to where I thought I'd work for someone else I won something, but that's not true. I've gotten mistakenly placed for 6th in a big road race, I've done well in races where I virtually gave up, but this was an important race for me. It taught me that even if I'm not quite fit, if conditions are such that I can take advantage of them, then it's possible to do okay.

I've found that going into a race with no expectations can lead to either nothing or something. Going into a race aiming for nothing always gets me nothing. One gives you a glimmer of hope. The other almost always guarantees you nothing (although in one very weird race I attacked at the gun and ended up winning the race).

Go into the race with an open mind. See what happens.

shovelhd

We used to call him Rick Ding, since when he rang the bell for primes, he would sound like an auctioneer. There was another guy in the area, Bruce somethingorother. I've wondered what they are both up to. Same with Grace Jones, my district rep at the time. She made kits as well. I still ride in one of her jerseys that's almost 30 years old, and other than the screen print, looks like new.

Great story, CDR.

substructure

I'm still around - if y'alls were wondering.

Things at home have been a little on the bleak side but seem to be turning around. Money problems but I'm selling off some things to help me. So all is good. I've been racing a whole lot less and this has helped on both fronts. With money and with the wife. She seems to want me to race if/when it's possible. I get paid this weekend so I'm racing. And I'm looking somewhat forward to it.

But ...

My training has been for crap the past several days, including this morning. I used to be able to mentally muscle through a workout no matter how tough. Now when it starts biting back I give up. This is so unlike me. I've rarely given up on things no matter how small. I guess it's the new me.

Back to oblivion. See you all later.

Flatballer

It feels like I managed to break my pinky toe, while asleep. I woke up this morning and it was hurting like hell. It's not broken, but damn if it doesn't feel like it. Not sure how I did so much damage while sleeping.

Smallguy

if it was directed at me

I'll give more info

I'm 95% certain I will be getting .....

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...uel/topfuel98/

Flatballer

That's no fun. I'm guessing my post.

carpediemracing 

My dad got an email from my aunt (his sister) that lives (lived?) in Sendai. She's okay but not I'm not sure of any specifics. Other family, like my mom's sister, is in Tokyo and we'd already been in touch.

bostongarden

Not directed at you, but, I appreciate the update

FB - ding ding!!!

bostongarden

Wishing the best for your family.

roadiejorge 

Sometimes it's important to give up the things that can be let go, but just make sure that it doesn't lead to a defeatist attitude because that rarely helps things. Chin up and don't worry about training etc. just race and have a good time.

roadiejorge 

My thoughts are with you CDR, hope your family is well. I've been following the news on Japan pretty closely and it's alarming that there's a potential for nuclear meltdown to add to the devastation.

echappist

+1. Watching the thing unfold is like having an event akin to 9/11 go on for five days, and the real horror is that the worst may have yet to come.

Jancouver

Just got tickets for Rammstein so my concert schedule is:

Metallica: Sat, 04/23/11
Rammstein: Fri, 05/20/11
System Of A Down: Sat, 05/21/11
Godsmack: Sat, 07/09/11

Duh!

caloso

CDR: my thoughts and prayers are with your family. And all of Japan.

jwible

Definite thoughts and prayers for everyone in Japan.

jwible

Race prep question -- how do you guys define leg openers? In the world of offshore sailing we defined them as a stiff drink that women liked.

ridethecliche

Rammstein? Really?

I'm judging you...

ericm979

I'm sure he's attending ironically.

Smallguy

hope all is well for you and your Family CDR

carpediemracing 

My chest hurts just thinking of this stuff. I just can't imagine what it's like in the disaster area. I'm kind of glad in a selfish way that I'm not that close to anyone there. My aunt in Tokyo is already living a charmed life - she was a baby when she was recovered from Hiroshima near the epicenter. She's had a couple kids, is healthy (outlived my mom, who by then was living in Sendai), etc. (The rest of her family didn't make it through the war). She was at my mom's side when my mom died in 2003, was at our house for at least a month before that, etc etc.

Apparently in other areas it's life like normal. I think people do that normally, like in the middle of war everyone goes about normally.

For me it's any effort that makes me go anaerobic. If you want to get a wattage number, relative to my 200-250w ftp, it's an effort that is 800-1200 watts for 10-20 seconds. I did a few before one race where I was doing 1000-1100 watts for almost 30 seconds, 1400+ peaks. I think that was a bit much though. I normally hit 1200w max in a race, sometimes max as low as 900 (if I sprint; if I don't sprint it's usually much lower, i.e. I'm hanging on for dear life then get dropped 800w max etc).

Usually I do my first leg opener in the first few laps of a race.

jwible

I've been reading some books on the Pacific Theater of WWII. My father was in the Navy in the 60's and his college roommate authored a book on Tarawa that included notes from the Japanese side of things. I can't imagine being Japanese in WWII with the military and Emperor pretty much pushing for a complete death before surrender for the entire population .

I just finished up another account of Okinawa. More folks killed there on both sides than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The US and Japanese forces were set of total annihilation of each other. Very different mindset than the European Theater. Very very horrific warfare and waste of life for all involved.

But I have no doubt that Japan will come out of this tragedy stronger than ever. It will take time and, unfortunately suffering, but if ever there was a nation that could band together for a single purpose it is Japan.