Masters State Road Race Championships
Masters C, about 45 riders?, four 10.5 mile laps, 8 Zoka brothers, and two finished in the lead group top 12-15 or so.
There really wasn't a chase group of any kind. The other 30 or so riders had already been dropped. All the men in brown worked hard, but it was a tough race.It rained most of the time, but it wasn't near as cold as TST so I wasn't facing hypothermia this time.
The big hill was long, steep, (relative terms I guess) and I had a difficult time in a 39-25 by the third time up. And that's all she wrote. Plain and simple I didn't have the fitness, but I also had my worst back pain of the season and my left cleat was about to fall off so that didn't help matters.The follow car went by and there was no hope of catching back on. About half the field had already been dropped by this time, but I didn't find anyone nearby to ride with. I finished out the 3rd lap and went to the car to change out of my soaked clothes and watch the finish. (Luckily we left the key behind this time).Brian G and Don S were the sole Zoka survivors. Great job, guys!
z "hopin to avoid anymore rain races" dog
Monday, May 08, 2006
Bus Roadeo
The last weekend in April I flew down to CA (Irvine) for a "Bus Roadeo". Sportworks was a sponsor so I was there to wave the company flag. Bus drivers from all over the country compete on a course made up of turns, stops, tight back ups, etc. They also do a pre-drive inspection of a bus that has "bugs" planted a ead of time. Our rack was on the buses and the pivot bolt had been taken out. Above are a couple pics. Note to self: next time research better where the hotel is. I didn't have a car and there was no place to eat nearby.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
TST Race Report
The following is what I sent to my team after last Saturday's (4/16) Tahuya-Seabeck-Tahuya road race. 65 miles, 4,000' of climbing. Winter conditions.
Short version: The weather conditions were bloody miserable. In a decade of racing that was the worst weather experience I've ever had. It sucked. I almost froze to death. I got dropped on the Seabeck hill and I think Jason took3rd.
(Really) Long version:Even though Rick and I had planned to leave at 7:30, pick up Christine, and get there in plenty of time for a good warmup that didn't happen at all. We left late, I needed gas, we stopped at Safeway (inBelfair), and before we knew it we were scrambling to get ready on the road near the church. I think Rick got 6 or 7 minutes on the trainer and I had maybe 12.
It was pouring down rain with no sign of it letting up. So much for the little sun breaks we saw halfway there. It was also very cold. We lined up and waited what felt like a half hour as we got soaked before even starting. Once we got going and the road spray came up I was totally soaked except my saving grace. Thank Buddah/God/Your Choice that I decided to wear my clear rain cape. That really saved my torso.
There was a lot of talk leading up to the race about all the big hills, but I was really concerned with the first one that didn't get talked about. It's only about 3 miles in and it's not major, but enough that other people I talked to said a lot of people get dropped right there and never catch on again. I sure as hell didn't want to get dropped 3 miles after the start and it was a real concern of mine. So, I made sure I was right near the front going up it and pushed it hard so that when I faded back I'd still be able to hang with the pack. That worked and I thought I'd at least make it to Seabeck now.
As we rolled along I went to the front and put in a hard effort to speed things up a little and to try and get warm. After that I drifted way back and was worried I was toast already. I rested up and went back up near the front. There were a lot of Byrne guys at the front. Two of them had gone off and had a gap. I didn't see any other Zoka's nearby except Rick. I thought, well, this is my job. Go get those guys now as they had been out there awhile and we weren't gaining on them while some Byrne guys were blocking. I asked Rick to get around the two blocking Byrne guys, and I grabbed a Second Ascent guy too. The 3 of us worked together for a bit and the SA guy was quite strong so I began slipping back into the pack again. Other SA guys came up and took over.
About 25 miles into it I looked back and saw that a lot of people had bailed out already. I was feeling pretty frozen at this point with my hands being the worst off. I had chemical toe warmers in my shoes so that helped a little, but my hands were going numb.I saw Adam nearby and asked him if he wanted to go get warm. He said yeah! So the two of us worked our way up to the front and began working together for a couple miles to bring the pace up again, but the main reason was to simply try and heat up our bodies. After that hard effort I felt okay except my hands. So we hit the Seabeck hill and I couldn't hang on anymore. It didn't help that my legs were having"cold" cramps, but we were all in the same boat, or water I should say. And by the way, it's pretty much been pouring this whole time! Visibility was very poor too.
I hooked up with a Garage guy and we worked it for a while with the pack just a hundred yards in front of us but we couldn't close the gap. At this point about40 guys had already been dropped or simply abandoned. And there were only 5 or 6 Zoka's left in the leadpack. The Garage guy dropped me on Anderson and then I pulled over at 44 miles because I absolutely could not feel my hands at all. I couldn't operate the shifters or brakes and could barely tell if I was holding the bars. I was envisioning frost bite and my fingers turning black and having to be amputated! I forgot to mention that it started snowing as well! I fumbled for some food and drink and tried rubbing my hands between my legs. I started getting a little blood flow back and my hands were stinging so bad I wanted to lay in the ditch and die, or at least cry. Okay, so I'm a wimp with the cold. But it was BAD!
Now I'm thinking how am I ever going to ride another 20 miles back to the finish. I really didn't think I could do it. Just then a car comes by and the window rolls down and I see Adam. He asks if I want in and I say, Yes, Please!! So this local guy that had picked up Adam makes room in his junky old car full of garbage, which I don't mind at all, and I jump in. The heat is cranked, but Adam and I were shaking uncontrollably. Thank you,Adam, for having this guy stop for me!!
This guy ended up being really cool, not to mention a life saver, and we was actually interested in the race and not pissed off that cyclists were all over his roads. He said the temp was 35 degrees! We caught up to the follow car and watched more and more riders get dropped going up Dewatto. A few more Zoka's were coming off, but I thought we still had a couple in the lead group. There was a flat bed truck/sag wagon of sorts in front of us and I could see several riders under a tarp with all their bikes strewn across the flatbed. There was a Zoka arm poking out, but couldn't tell who it was.
So in the end a solo guy won, second place was alone as well, and then our dedicated team leader, Jason W, outsprinted a few he was with to take third. I could be off on that, but I think that's what took place. Christine was at the finish line and said less than 15 people actually finished anywhere near the winner. I think a couple other Zoka's will be in the top 20 or better. I'm done racing in the rain this year!! Although, if it had been 55 today instead of 35 that would've made a huge difference.
Z "Soggy, Frozen, Frostbitten, Black Fingers" Dog
Short version: The weather conditions were bloody miserable. In a decade of racing that was the worst weather experience I've ever had. It sucked. I almost froze to death. I got dropped on the Seabeck hill and I think Jason took3rd.
(Really) Long version:Even though Rick and I had planned to leave at 7:30, pick up Christine, and get there in plenty of time for a good warmup that didn't happen at all. We left late, I needed gas, we stopped at Safeway (inBelfair), and before we knew it we were scrambling to get ready on the road near the church. I think Rick got 6 or 7 minutes on the trainer and I had maybe 12.
It was pouring down rain with no sign of it letting up. So much for the little sun breaks we saw halfway there. It was also very cold. We lined up and waited what felt like a half hour as we got soaked before even starting. Once we got going and the road spray came up I was totally soaked except my saving grace. Thank Buddah/God/Your Choice that I decided to wear my clear rain cape. That really saved my torso.
There was a lot of talk leading up to the race about all the big hills, but I was really concerned with the first one that didn't get talked about. It's only about 3 miles in and it's not major, but enough that other people I talked to said a lot of people get dropped right there and never catch on again. I sure as hell didn't want to get dropped 3 miles after the start and it was a real concern of mine. So, I made sure I was right near the front going up it and pushed it hard so that when I faded back I'd still be able to hang with the pack. That worked and I thought I'd at least make it to Seabeck now.
As we rolled along I went to the front and put in a hard effort to speed things up a little and to try and get warm. After that I drifted way back and was worried I was toast already. I rested up and went back up near the front. There were a lot of Byrne guys at the front. Two of them had gone off and had a gap. I didn't see any other Zoka's nearby except Rick. I thought, well, this is my job. Go get those guys now as they had been out there awhile and we weren't gaining on them while some Byrne guys were blocking. I asked Rick to get around the two blocking Byrne guys, and I grabbed a Second Ascent guy too. The 3 of us worked together for a bit and the SA guy was quite strong so I began slipping back into the pack again. Other SA guys came up and took over.
About 25 miles into it I looked back and saw that a lot of people had bailed out already. I was feeling pretty frozen at this point with my hands being the worst off. I had chemical toe warmers in my shoes so that helped a little, but my hands were going numb.I saw Adam nearby and asked him if he wanted to go get warm. He said yeah! So the two of us worked our way up to the front and began working together for a couple miles to bring the pace up again, but the main reason was to simply try and heat up our bodies. After that hard effort I felt okay except my hands. So we hit the Seabeck hill and I couldn't hang on anymore. It didn't help that my legs were having"cold" cramps, but we were all in the same boat, or water I should say. And by the way, it's pretty much been pouring this whole time! Visibility was very poor too.
I hooked up with a Garage guy and we worked it for a while with the pack just a hundred yards in front of us but we couldn't close the gap. At this point about40 guys had already been dropped or simply abandoned. And there were only 5 or 6 Zoka's left in the leadpack. The Garage guy dropped me on Anderson and then I pulled over at 44 miles because I absolutely could not feel my hands at all. I couldn't operate the shifters or brakes and could barely tell if I was holding the bars. I was envisioning frost bite and my fingers turning black and having to be amputated! I forgot to mention that it started snowing as well! I fumbled for some food and drink and tried rubbing my hands between my legs. I started getting a little blood flow back and my hands were stinging so bad I wanted to lay in the ditch and die, or at least cry. Okay, so I'm a wimp with the cold. But it was BAD!
Now I'm thinking how am I ever going to ride another 20 miles back to the finish. I really didn't think I could do it. Just then a car comes by and the window rolls down and I see Adam. He asks if I want in and I say, Yes, Please!! So this local guy that had picked up Adam makes room in his junky old car full of garbage, which I don't mind at all, and I jump in. The heat is cranked, but Adam and I were shaking uncontrollably. Thank you,Adam, for having this guy stop for me!!
This guy ended up being really cool, not to mention a life saver, and we was actually interested in the race and not pissed off that cyclists were all over his roads. He said the temp was 35 degrees! We caught up to the follow car and watched more and more riders get dropped going up Dewatto. A few more Zoka's were coming off, but I thought we still had a couple in the lead group. There was a flat bed truck/sag wagon of sorts in front of us and I could see several riders under a tarp with all their bikes strewn across the flatbed. There was a Zoka arm poking out, but couldn't tell who it was.
So in the end a solo guy won, second place was alone as well, and then our dedicated team leader, Jason W, outsprinted a few he was with to take third. I could be off on that, but I think that's what took place. Christine was at the finish line and said less than 15 people actually finished anywhere near the winner. I think a couple other Zoka's will be in the top 20 or better. I'm done racing in the rain this year!! Although, if it had been 55 today instead of 35 that would've made a huge difference.
Z "Soggy, Frozen, Frostbitten, Black Fingers" Dog
Stats from the CA Trip
Total Days gone: 18
Total Miles Driven: 3,325
MPG: 16.3-19.5 (not very good, eh)
Price per gal: $2.33-$3.08
Money spent on petrol: $510
Days ridden on bike: 14 out of 18; 9 road bike, 5 mountain bike
Miles ridden on bike: 375
Nights spent at friends: 16
Nights spent in a hotel: 0
Nights spent in my car: 1
Road Kill: 37
Car wrecks seen: 6 (all in LA)
Total Miles Driven: 3,325
MPG: 16.3-19.5 (not very good, eh)
Price per gal: $2.33-$3.08
Money spent on petrol: $510
Days ridden on bike: 14 out of 18; 9 road bike, 5 mountain bike
Miles ridden on bike: 375
Nights spent at friends: 16
Nights spent in a hotel: 0
Nights spent in my car: 1
Road Kill: 37
Car wrecks seen: 6 (all in LA)
A shout out to all my friends on the CA trip!
My CA road trip was not about sightseeing. It was about visiting my friends, soaking up some sun (which didn't happen), and riding my bike. Hanging out with my friends was awesome! It means so much to me to spend some quality time catching up and in some cases meeting their "new" kids. My friends mean a lot to me and it was so great to see them when they live so far away. The side benefit of staying with my friends is the massive amount of money I was able to save by not paying for lodging the entire trip. (I slept in my car once). That really helps make the whole big trip possible!
Thank you so much, JJ, Jennifer, Aaron, Jeff, Marc & Lisa, Willie & Bonnie, Doug & Weni, Chris, Kim, and Spike & Cara! I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much, JJ, Jennifer, Aaron, Jeff, Marc & Lisa, Willie & Bonnie, Doug & Weni, Chris, Kim, and Spike & Cara! I really appreciate it!
Narca "car" lepsi
I'm pleasantly surprised I made it through over 3,000 miles of driving on my CA trip with only one episode of narca "car" lepsi. I fall asleep very easily behind the wheel and have driven off the road while dozing a couple times in the past. One reason I did better on this trip is because I had a cell phone and I called a lot of people while driving. Talking to people always helps keep me awake. I also had to rely on coke a few times. (I'm talking soda pop). :-) I don't normally drink pop, but the caffeine keeps me going on road trips. Another thing I do is make up game shows and I shout out loud the rules and the play by play which usually has to do with the cars around me on the freeway. So I only struggled really bad to stay away once on the entire journey. That's a lot better than I expected.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Pics out of order
A bunch of pics are out of order now (due to matters out of my control). But if you follow along working from the bottom up it'll all make sense.
N. Umpqua River
This is the river the trail runs along (or nearby) for 79 miles! It's a roller coaster of a mtn. bike ride.
Douglas Fir along N. Umpqua
A lot of trees were this big in here. It was awesome, especially bunny hoppin the ones that fell. I love big trees. They give me chills.
What speed limit?
It was so weird/funny to me that I could drive 80-85 in a 65 zone on the freeway and just be in the "flow" of traffic. This mainly happened in and around larger metropolitan areas of CA. Most everyone drives fast. On the other hand, there are more CA drivers than WA drivers that drive slow in the fast/passing lane. It's ridiculous how clueless they are at times.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
This desert tortoise is over 60 years old.
Spike's back yard. Three of them live there and spend most of their time in a hole hiding from the sun.
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