Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34

I made it home from my ride in time to watch the second half of the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss completely controlled #7 Texas Tech and went on to win 47 to 34. SEC, baby!

Endurance Test #4

The cyclocross race in Columbia is a wash, so I went out to the Holly Springs National Forest for another endurance test. I found a different route on my map to the Forest Service roads that will save me the trouble of having to ride too much on the shoulder of highway 30. I ended up in a development called Timber Lake and got lost for a few miles, but eventually figured things out.

I seem to have my riding position worked out for endurance rides, as I didn’t experience any discomfort issues. This afforded me the opportunity to pound the cranks, concentrate on keeping my speed high, and closely monitor my heart rate.

If the weather ever cooperates, and the ground dries, I plan to take my next endurance test out to the Clear Creek Trail for a single-track endurance test. It’s one thing to rail on gravel roads, it’s quite another to do in on single track.


Make a right turn at this sign.


Make a left turn at this sign. I made a right turn originally and got lost. By the way, it's really not that foggy. I had my camera in my jersey pocket and the lens fogged. :)


Hammering down the Forest Service roads at high speed.



The Numbers:
Trip Distance - 50.99
Trip Time - 3:55:05
Average Speed - 13.01
Max Speed - 31.28
Start Time Temp. - 56 degrees
Items consumed - Two 21 ounce bottles of Heed, Two gels

First Ride of 2009

I went out to the Clear Creek mountain bike trail today and started my new year by threading a little single track. The temperature was in the middle 30’s when I started, and as usual, I over dressed and started getting too hot within the first two miles. Fortunately, the trail loops past the parking area at the three-mile mark, so I ditched my jacket and got back on the trail where I came out. With all the rain we’ve had over the past two weeks, the trail was muddy in a few spots and some of the corners felt loose. It probably didn’t help that I run a Kenda Small-Block on the back, which is awesome on a dry surface, but temperamental on anything wet. This is also the first time I’ve ridden single track since the end of the racing season. I made too many mistakes and just felt sloppy.

The local mountain bike crew is doing a lot of trail work on different sections and rerouting others out there. The “Big Switchback” in the middle of the system is much harder now and there are a couple more tight turns than before. The biggest change over last year is a complete reroute of the last mile. This new section is going to be sick fast when the surface compacts a little more. This new section also adds some distance to the overall trail, making it just over 10 miles.

There is a cyclocross race in Columbia, Tennessee this Saturday I want to do, but I’m watching the weather and it looks sketchy. I will likely continue with my endurance tests tomorrow if the CX race is a wash.

Return trip to the car so I could ditch my jacket. Damn! That bike is HOT! ;)

Enjoying the first day of 2009.

2009 Resolutions and Goals

My Resolutions:

(Eat healthier) It’s not that I subsist on a diet of Twinkies and Pop-Tarts, but I do rely on the microwave, sandwiches, and prepackaged meals a little too much. It’s not easy cooking for one since most recipe’s are designed to serve groups of four or more. Then there is the matter of keeping things like lettuce fresh long enough. I can’t count the number of times something has turned to goo before I could eat all of it. I realize this resolution requires actually using my stove for more than storing my pots and pans on top of it, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Let’s just say I plan to eat more like an athlete and less like a chronic bachelor. Another thing I plan to do is drastically reduce the amount of sodium and processed sugar in my diet. I’m already good at avoiding high fat foods. However, according to some of the literature provided to me by Hammer Nutrition, simple sugars like fructose, sucrose, and glucose are poor carbohydrate sources for exercise. They also bring a host of other health problems in the long term. Hammer Nutrition also recommends athletes eat a low to moderate sodium diet. The Hammer rational is a high sodium diet only increases the salt concentration in sweat and impairs the body’s sodium-regulating mechanism. Salt only provides two of the electrolytes (sodium and chloride) the body needs during exercise.

(Save more) This will probably be my easiest resolution to keep since I’m already a cheap bastard and do a good job of saving. With the economy whirling down the toilet, I think it will be more important than ever to pinch every penny. It just comes down to necessity over luxury and putting things in priority. This isn’t to say I’m going to live like a hermit, but just look closer at my choices.

(Enjoy life more) This may contradict my resolution to save more, but one doesn’t necessarily have to be extravagant to enjoy living. Some of the greatest pleasures in life are small. For starters, I can expand my little container garden. I rescued some flowers last summer from a construction lot (got them free), and tending to my plants gives me something to nurture. Another thing I can do is connect more with people. Anyone who knows me will tell you I can be very quiet and shy. The truth is I’ve always been that quiet kid in the back of the classroom. I can also take a break from the daily grind; maybe do some hiking or camping. I would like to take a vacation, perhaps to New Mexico or maybe back to the Pacific Northwest. I’ll just have to wait for a good deal.

My Goals:

1. Place in the top 5 at Chickasaw Trace.
2. Place in the top 25% at Syllamo’s Revenge.
3. Win the Rock Crusher Classic.
4. Podium at Bump ‘N Grind.
5. Win the State Games of Mississippi mtb. Race.
6. Survive the Iron Butt 100 in Memphis.
7. Place in the top 20% at Fool’s Gold 100/50.
8. Win the Clear Creek Challenge – again.
9. Earn upgrade mountain bike points.
10. Continue to progress at cyclocross.

Darn it

Something really weird happened with my bike computer because the numbers from my last endurance test just don't make any sense. I think the problem is with the transmitter because it came with my first Sigma computer. I never bothered to install the new transmitter when I changed to another Sigma. Since they are both 1106-DTS computers, I figured it wouldn't matter. Maybe I was wrong.

By the way, there are 2286 millimeters in 90", right?



Monkey Edit:
There is the very real possibility I may have failed to clear the trip time or some other data before setting off on my ride. In any event, I installed the transmitter that came with this computer.

Dogtown

I just finished watching an episode of Dogtown on the National Geographic Channel about the Michael Vic dogs. I just have to say there must be a special place in Hell for Michael Vic because he deserves the same cruelty these dogs had to endure. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but the story of one dog in particular broke my heart.

Endurance Test #3

My latest endurance test went much better than expected, especially considering I didn’t do anything remotely related to exercise in over a week. Getting myself out of bed this morning was half the battle. The other half was tossing a leg over my bike. I’m apparently motivated in stages.

I set off for the Holly Springs National Forest shortly before noon and made a good pace going out. My focus for this test tide would be comfort and fueling.

The Ritchey WCS grips I put on my bike last week seemed to do the trick since I didn’t experience any hand cramping issues. I may have to tinker with saddle positioning since I did experience some minor discomfort after 4 hours on the bike. The discomfort wasn’t anything too serious and didn’t affect my performance. I also wasn’t wearing my usual shorts, so that could have been a factor.

The fueling aspect of the ride went beyond my expectations. I never once felt sluggish during my outing and actually felt strong for the full 5+ hours I was on the bike. I could have easily broken the 50-mile mark today, but it was getting late. The Hammer Nutrition products I tried have specific dosing instructions based on body weight and weather (temperature), and I used those as my baseline. I also followed the intake recommendations to the best of my ability, which is 20-25 ounces of fluid hourly and Hammer Gels as a part-time fuel. I used Hammer Perpetium beyond two hours on the bike. One thing I will have to address is how to carry Perpetium and Hammer Sustained Energy since they can’t be used in a pack system. For today’s test, I carried plain water in my pack and individual envelopes of Perpetueum in my jersey pockets. I used the water in my pack to mix my Perpetueum once I finished both bottles of Heed. This method probably isn’t practical in a race, but I was mainly concerned with fueling performance over practicality. I will probably carry Heed in my pack and either Perpetium or Sustained Energy in bottles for endurance events.

The Numbers:
Distance - 47.68 miles
Trip Time - 5:14:14
Average Speed - 13.15 mph
Max Speed - 30.63 mph
Items Consumed - Two 21oz. bottles of Heed, One 21oz. bottle of Perpetueum, three gels
Starting Temperature - 47 degrees.
Total Elevation Gain - Enough to hurt


I have the unique ability to dress in full kit while yapping on the phone.


Ritchey WCS Ergo True Grips, 36 grams of endurance comfort.


One thing I discovered is I can’t reach my second bottle while actually riding. Still, I like having that rear suspension system!


A brief stop to check my map and mix some Perpetium.


Bike shorts are a great place to store maps and gels.


The Holly Springs National Forest, home of the Cycle Monkey endurance tests.