200 pounds...
Not bad for a slow guy.
Since I'm just getting the Flickr account going, I'll put up some Trans Iowa photos. I will jump around some over the next few days, but I'll try to keep somewhat of a theme for the day going. Here will be the photos of the bike before and after the event. Also, photos of me before, during and after.
The bike before the race. Pretty much all packed up and ready to go.
Me the night before getting ready.
Me before the start.
The next ones will be me each hour after the start of the race.
Me at the pickup point in Cresco.
What the bike looked like after 6 hours in the Iowa wind.
As you can tell, I was looking pretty yucky by the end. In the middle I was smiling, but my face was half frozen. I gotta check out why my helmet was so turned though. Looks pretty dorky.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Trans Iowa in a Nutshell
A quick thought or two after the race.
For me, it was the toughest I have worked to go so little.
Going in, I knew if it was windy I would be screwed. And that's exactly what happened. For me, I'm more of a participant than a competitor and boy did that show. Friday night's prerace meeting, I was really questioning my decision on even being there, considering all the racer types in the room. But I pretty much figured, hey, starting the event is half the battle. And I was most definitely going to start the event.
It was in the mid 30's at the start, with wind chills probably in the 20's. Light snow falling. 20 mph winds with gusts probably up to 30 or more. I figured I would be warmed up after the first hill, I was wrong. I froze for the first hour. I thought it would get better, but it didn't. By the end of the third hour, I had put on all the gear that I had and I was slightly better. At hour 4 in the pelting snow, I called it quits and phoned my wife to get me in the next town. It took 2 more hours to get there. I missed two turns along the way. I rode for about 45 miles in those 6 hours. It was very tough mentally for me. Besides being really cold, the body felt well. I just need to train harder so that I have more power so that I can put out when the wind is like that. I also need to rethink my bike choice. I rode what I had, a mountain bike. I put a frame bag on that and it pretty much ended up being a sail in that strong wind. I was really lucky not to have gone down a few times with the gusts.
In the end, 55 people started, with only 5 completing. The race was shorten to 240 miles because of bad road conditions. There were trees down, water over the road and a mud slide.
I took pictures over the 6 hours that I was out and drove the course afterwards to show my wife and kids where I was, taking more photos. I will have those up in the next few days along with a longer write up.
For me, it was the toughest I have worked to go so little.
Going in, I knew if it was windy I would be screwed. And that's exactly what happened. For me, I'm more of a participant than a competitor and boy did that show. Friday night's prerace meeting, I was really questioning my decision on even being there, considering all the racer types in the room. But I pretty much figured, hey, starting the event is half the battle. And I was most definitely going to start the event.
It was in the mid 30's at the start, with wind chills probably in the 20's. Light snow falling. 20 mph winds with gusts probably up to 30 or more. I figured I would be warmed up after the first hill, I was wrong. I froze for the first hour. I thought it would get better, but it didn't. By the end of the third hour, I had put on all the gear that I had and I was slightly better. At hour 4 in the pelting snow, I called it quits and phoned my wife to get me in the next town. It took 2 more hours to get there. I missed two turns along the way. I rode for about 45 miles in those 6 hours. It was very tough mentally for me. Besides being really cold, the body felt well. I just need to train harder so that I have more power so that I can put out when the wind is like that. I also need to rethink my bike choice. I rode what I had, a mountain bike. I put a frame bag on that and it pretty much ended up being a sail in that strong wind. I was really lucky not to have gone down a few times with the gusts.
In the end, 55 people started, with only 5 completing. The race was shorten to 240 miles because of bad road conditions. There were trees down, water over the road and a mud slide.
I took pictures over the 6 hours that I was out and drove the course afterwards to show my wife and kids where I was, taking more photos. I will have those up in the next few days along with a longer write up.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
And the bike bags look like this
200 pounds....
I'm not really keeping track here. Maybe after Trans Iowa.
Here is what the bike looks like with new bags.
I'm not really keeping track here. Maybe after Trans Iowa.
Here is what the bike looks like with new bags.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Trans Iowa in under 5 days
202 pounds....
At this point I'm not even thinking about my weight. Bring on the pain of Trans Iowa. That will help me forget about my weight.
I did get out this weekend and do some riding and picture taking. Here's a few for your viewing pleasure from the Bug Line Trail.
At this point I'm not even thinking about my weight. Bring on the pain of Trans Iowa. That will help me forget about my weight.
I did get out this weekend and do some riding and picture taking. Here's a few for your viewing pleasure from the Bug Line Trail.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Ernesto Lube is in the House!
200 pounds....
Hopefully taking off a couple of pounds this week will be a good indicator what is to come.
Ernesto Lube is now another sponsor of me. So please check out their website and buy their wares. I'll be using the bike lube during Trans Iowa.
I was out on the bike today for about 2.5 hours. The new Wobble Naught fit has been working well. The body is fairly happy with the new fit. There is some break in time so I figured not going a long time today just to let the body get used to the new position. Breaking a new seat in has been a pain. Slight pain in my left knee, but only when I'm really pushing it. So hopefully that is only a temporary thing. Ice is in store for the knees and lots of full body stretching.
Another thing that is getting tried out this weekend is Sole shoe inserts. These are the ones that you throw in the oven for 2 minutes at 200 degrees and then put them in your shoes and stand in them for 2 minutes. I road today with my current Specialized insoles and tomorrow I will use the Sole ones. We will have to see how they work.
I picked up the EasyUp clone that I ordered from REI. This is the second one of these that I have gotten from them. The first one I got from them, the canvas cover was torn and had various holes in it. Hopefully this one will be better. If not, I will have to find somewhere else to get one. The reason that I got this one though is because I used my member dividend and a 20% off coupon. So I paid under $100 for it.
One other thing that I picked up today was a new camera. It is an Olympus weather proof one. So hopefully I will be taking a bunch of pictures from Trans Iowa.
Hopefully taking off a couple of pounds this week will be a good indicator what is to come.
Ernesto Lube is now another sponsor of me. So please check out their website and buy their wares. I'll be using the bike lube during Trans Iowa.
I was out on the bike today for about 2.5 hours. The new Wobble Naught fit has been working well. The body is fairly happy with the new fit. There is some break in time so I figured not going a long time today just to let the body get used to the new position. Breaking a new seat in has been a pain. Slight pain in my left knee, but only when I'm really pushing it. So hopefully that is only a temporary thing. Ice is in store for the knees and lots of full body stretching.
Another thing that is getting tried out this weekend is Sole shoe inserts. These are the ones that you throw in the oven for 2 minutes at 200 degrees and then put them in your shoes and stand in them for 2 minutes. I road today with my current Specialized insoles and tomorrow I will use the Sole ones. We will have to see how they work.
I picked up the EasyUp clone that I ordered from REI. This is the second one of these that I have gotten from them. The first one I got from them, the canvas cover was torn and had various holes in it. Hopefully this one will be better. If not, I will have to find somewhere else to get one. The reason that I got this one though is because I used my member dividend and a 20% off coupon. So I paid under $100 for it.
One other thing that I picked up today was a new camera. It is an Olympus weather proof one. So hopefully I will be taking a bunch of pictures from Trans Iowa.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Pre Race Week Jitters
203 pounds....
Yup, nothing happening there.
I got my Wobble Naught fits this past weekend. Whoa! I highly recommend it to everyone. Getting on the bike after everything was adjusted, I was quite surprised at how everything just felt right. I can't wait to get a bunch more hours on the bike to see how my body feels.
The bags from Carousel Design Works are still not here. In speaking with Jeff out there, he said hopefully they will be finished by the end of this week. A frame bag, seat bag and fuel cell. I can't wait for them to get here.
Been getting the S-Works in shape for next weekend's race. Here it is pictured with the new Crank Brothers Pump that I bought. Just when you think you have it all worked out, you see something else that isn't just quite right. Trans Iowa is going to be a long one, but no matter what, I'm starting it and giving it a good shot. You will know when I finish, because you will hear me yelling.
Yup, nothing happening there.
I got my Wobble Naught fits this past weekend. Whoa! I highly recommend it to everyone. Getting on the bike after everything was adjusted, I was quite surprised at how everything just felt right. I can't wait to get a bunch more hours on the bike to see how my body feels.
The bags from Carousel Design Works are still not here. In speaking with Jeff out there, he said hopefully they will be finished by the end of this week. A frame bag, seat bag and fuel cell. I can't wait for them to get here.
Been getting the S-Works in shape for next weekend's race. Here it is pictured with the new Crank Brothers Pump that I bought. Just when you think you have it all worked out, you see something else that isn't just quite right. Trans Iowa is going to be a long one, but no matter what, I'm starting it and giving it a good shot. You will know when I finish, because you will hear me yelling.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me
Yup, another year has come and gone. I hit the big 45 today. I don't feel any older though. Kinda odd that I would start becoming an endurance racer at such an age. The guys at the bike shop were quite surprised that I'm as old as I am.
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