hillsboro, commuting and dog poo

Just over a week ago I finished a dissapointing 73rd at hillsboro. Up until those last two weeks my training was going fine. I was unable to peak/taper properly for those last two weeks and came in feeling a little sluggish. I was dropped from the pack about 15 miles into the race. The wind, flats, and constant accel-decellerations at the back of the pack where i was unstrategically located did me in and I was unable to hang onto the pack.

I rode my second commute of the year this past friday. Due to "long distances" and overall wussin out I did not bike commute this winter as I have for the last 4 years. With a brand new rack and panniers the kaffenbach is fully commutered out. Some very well ridden gatorskins and fenders complete the package.

To supplement the income Im walking dogs now. My parents laughed when I explained to them the concept of a dog walker but the extra money will be really nice.

california dreamin

Unfortunately this is the only picture of me on a bike from my san francisco trip last week. Definitely the easiest miles of the week were on that marin hybrid. Most of the week was spent being a tour guide for my sister, niece, and my cousin.
The couple of rides that i managed to get in were not the best. Unable to meet up with any local riders and winging it on the local roads I managed to find a lot of dead ends and "private property no tresspassing" signs. With the dead end routes and heavy legs my week on the west coast was quickly coming to an end.
On friday things changed. I awoke feeling fresh and well rested. With my tour guide responsibilities non-existant for the day I made my way to the local starbucks for their 3.99$ wifi internet session. The route I found promised me at least 30 miles of rolling terrain.
Without a single breeze blowing and 72 degrees of pure california sunshine I kitted up in my fastest white euro team kit.
The first 5 or so miles after my aunts house (where I was staying) were on busy 4 lane street through the middle of town. It didnt help that about 3 blocks into the ride the road went up for about 3 miles. Traffic cooperated for the most part and once i was at the top, a fast easy descent got me off the busy roads and out of town. From here on out I was riding on bike lane or an extremely wide shoulder for the rest of the ride. The 4-5 mile stretch of road after the busy city portion was heaven.
Mostly flat I saw more bikes than cars. The roads were buttery smooth and the scenery was breathtaking. A couple of turns and loop around farms and sleepy neighborhoods I looped around and back. Taking a couple of short digs and going a little hard on some of the longer climbs my legs responded.
Three and a half hours and 55 miles later, along with a new 5min power record(280w) I was back to where I started. The next day I was greeted in chicago by 34 degree rain but all i could think of was those sun drenched picture perfect california roads...

best week ever

Never quite made it out to brasstown bald but still rode 146 extremely non-flat miles in 4 days. The scenery and riding were the best I have ever done in my short cycling "career". Mile after mile of buttery smooth roads, cows horses and the occasional runaway dog made for some very memorable moments.

Two of my favorite pics courtesy of soupy and zach, the first one shows the team Rapha style riding the roads on our way to some black and white leg-busting lung-searing adventure. The second pic is at the top of a climb called pebble pile or rock pile or something or other. At the top of this climb we intersected with the appalachian trail. The view at top was spectacular, so was the descent. Without a doubt the funnest time I have ever had on two wheels

coming soon to a pair of legs near you

rest weeks...

go by so slow. After hammering away for the last three weeks the easy weeks pass by so slow cant wait until march. A lot of miles are going to be ridden in preparation for hillsboro.

this is a pic of a ride that me and some teammates made out to elgin. I was hanging on for dear life that day but recent training is telling me that it wont be like that for long. whoops somehow the picture got cutoff and isnt showin joe. Joe along with Zach and Kevin are some of the guys that I hope to keep up with this year.

Registered!

For cat 4 hillsboro-roubaix without any problems!