First Ever Road Race for the CyclingGuy

Wow, half way thru the 2009 year. I apologize for being slack about writing lately. Truth is I've been trying to ride as much as possible. When not training myself, I'm out tryig to teach some newbies. It's been a lot of fun this year for sure.

Well, two Lowes Time trials so far and I can't seem to get into the groove that I was in last season. I have a feeling I have spent two much time on the road and the trainer. The next event is in July and hopefully I will cut some more time off the clock.

My goal this year was to enter one or two road races or crit events. I happened to be reading a local cycling clubs website ( Carolina Masters ) and noticed an event for this weekend. The NC RR Championship is being held in Salisbury, NC today and Sunday. I registered to ride in the Sunday Cat 5 - 35 and over 41 mile event.

The weather should be a scorcher Sunday at 90 degrees. I'll take plenty of Cytomax just in case. Other than that I'm not real sure what to expect, so I'm just gonna try to ride steady and have a good time. Maybe I will learn a thing or three.

Wish me luck :-).

One last Paceline ride for 2008

The weather was great here in Charlotte, NC yesterday and it made for a great evening to ride at the Huntersville Business Park. I was able to get to the park about 4:30 and squeezed in about 18 miles of solo riding before a small group of riders showed up. The temp. was close to 65 degrees but the shady course was still slightly on the chilly side.

I had to stop for a few minutes as all the workers in the business park started leaving work. Traffic sorta got hectic. With 8 out of 10 drivers talking on their cell phones and 10 out of 10 being in a hurry to get home, I thought it would be best to get out of their way. This actually worked out perfect. When I hopped back on the bike the fresh group of riders were forming up in a paceline. I was able to hop on and sit in for a fast couple of 2.8 mile laps. Five or six riders were from the Phieffer College Cycling Team and they definitely had younger legs than me. I managed to hold my own and bailed off the back after two laps. I wanted to get another lap in but had promised my wife I would ride 20 miles while she walked the dogs in the park. Good excuse right? Truth is, I was about exhausted and ready to get home.

Last year we had near perfect riding weather thru most of the winter season. Perfect to me is about 55 to 65 degrees. Anything short of that and my tail is riding indoors. This year we just have not been as fortunate with the weather.

It felt great to squeeze in my last paceline ride of 2008. There is nothing more intent than rolling along in a tight paceline group. It helps keep you focused and also keeps your skills sharp. Not to mention a much better cycling workout. See everyone in 2009.

Jfinn

The Indoor Time Trials Are Rolling

Saturday proved to be a lackluster performance for our first indoor time trial event at Cool Breeze Cyclery. The class was crowded with seven riders. Some newbies (congrats to each), some seasoned vets and one of the newbies just happened to be my wife Jennifer.

I saved myself from buying her a bike by simply adjusting my Scott S20 Speedster that I have had a few years now. So far Jennifer has only been able to ride indoors to a few training DVDs and is starting to get used to changing gears and more importantly unclipping. Maybe by spring we will get her on the road.

The first ride was only a six mile sprint. Something about the Computrainer just makes it feel like seven or eight miles. I managed to cross the imaginary line at 17:11. Several guys that rode in earlier class events finished in the low to mid 15s. Good for them :-). I'm pretty sure this short ride was more to get a good measurement of where all the riders fit in. Once we see all the times, we can group the riders together and see who we are competing with. Hopefully my sandbagging performance pays off . hahaha. No, Honestly, I thought I pushed myself about all that I could. Definitely nothing worth bragging about. One thing for sure, it sure beat sitting on the couch.

I do want to do a little bragging on Jennifer's performance however. Man, she really impressed me with a time of 19:15. This was her first ever time being on a computrainer and probably 3rd time on my bike. She does participate in a weekly Spin Class at the local YMCA. But all of us riders know that there is a big difference once you are on the real bike. On the way home from Cool Breeze, Jennifer admitted that she died two times. Just one look at her red face and I knew she gave it all she had. She managed to give herself a pounding headache. I gave her one Cliffbar power gel block and it went right away. Then I broke the news about next weeks ride being two miles longer. :-)

I plan to check with the staff and riders at Cool Breeze to see if anyone would mine If I made a couple of videos of the indoor rides. I think it would be pretty cool to capture the agony and pain in the riders faces. Then they can show others what indoor bike training is all about.

Kudos to Sarah Matchett for coordinating the event series.

See ya next week.

JFinn a.k.a Cycling Guy

Big Stampede Swap Meet at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

This Sunday Nov. 9th brings the Big Stampede and Swapmeet to Lowe's Motor Speeway. This is one of the best places to get great deals on Bikes, bike accessories, clothing and wheels. Many of the cycling teams bring in their equipment to sell and this usually means GOOD DEALS. Be sure to come out to Lowe's Motor Speedway and bring cash.

The time trial championship will also be held this Sunday. This special time trial event will have riders from all over the SouthEast. The event is sponsored by the Speedway Children's Charity. There will be a 20k event and also a 10k event.

See ya there, JFinn

Tour De Tots - Concord NC - Nov. 1st 2008

The Carolina Medical Center-NorthEast is hosting the 3rd annual Tour De Tots on Nov. 1st 2008. This ride benefits the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital in Concord, NC. The event has a 62 mile Metric route, a 31 mile half metric route and also a Bike rodeo as well as a Wheels on Parade for the entire family.

The Tour De Tots will also be a memorable event for me. It just so happens that this was my first ever cycling event two years ago during the inaugral Tour De Tots ride. This is a great countryside route with some intermediate but challenging hills. Unfortunatey I will miss this ride due to being out of town at another event.

If you want to attend this ride, be sure to register early and save yourself $5 ahead of time. The registrations are done online thru Active.com. Have a great ride!

JFinn