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The blog isn't dead...yet. I'm Tweeting way more than blogging these days. Follow me @ TheRealScottyD. CX Season is here.

For You Hogan

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If you have to throw your paddle to land a waterfall its TOO HIGH!

Something to think about Springfield

By my count Springfield brought home 9 medals from the Missouri State TT. 6 Gold's (Master men 35-39, 40-44, 50-54, 55-59 women 50-54), 2 Silver's(Cat 5, Jr boys 13-14), & 1 bronze; even after almost getting hit by another car(Roger Hinson) . Why doesn't the SPR have a TT series or even one single Time Trial?


On a side note after thinking about it. Registration was a complete disaster @ State TT this year. You were actually PUNISHED for preregistrating. Those who waited till day off got to walk straight up(no line), didn't have to pay a Sportsbase online fee, & slotted into good spots. I like the idea of starting by category(like CX nationals this year) but this was ridiculous. there was a 10 minute slot before me with ONE person in it. Please rethink this plan for next year & don't punish those whose preregister.

Twilight Crit Pics

Photos from the Photo by Petti

Goodbye phone Hello Storm

I dropped my old cell phone in a machine full of shit today. No shit a machine full of shit. I work in a plant that reman's starters & alternators used primarliy on farm equipment. To clean the core its sent through a washer. The core being from farm implements contains a lot of animal manure. Thus the washer contains a lot of animal after matter which has to be sucked out every few months. Well today was the shit sucking day or as I like to say: " the shitters full." Anyway out of my pocket went the phone & into non working mode it went. I've been telling Amber for months we';d get new phones. The shit just spend up the process. We went from 5 year old cells to Blackberry Storms. Quite the upgrade. Needless to say all my contacts went down the drain. So if you have my phone # in your cell call me so I have your number or shoot me an email with the appropriate info.

I'm Back!

I've been computer less for a week now. Hard drive conveniently lost a few sectors after I got done watching the Tour de New Jersey House Wives last Saturday. Well after some serious FrankenDelling I'm back in a temporary state until I decide to go new or rebuild. Currently running for all intensive purposes 3 computers to get one...Software from one, hard drive from a dead soldier, & drivers from another. I've got my IT connection trying to salvage 2 years worth of PT data from the corrupt drive. Whats fascinating is they think they can do it by loading it onto a Linux computer & pulling files. Another reason I need to learn & switch to Linux! If they pull it off they'll be drinking primo beer for awhile.

Tour de SPR Mafia this wknd. I've managed to overcook my eggs but I'm still locked and loaded for what looks like another rainy Missouri Hotel Crit. This year with team mates in tow.

What Have I been up to

Lack of posting lately is do to a mad schedule of travel, training, & work. This week alone I put in almost 70 hours at work. With the heat & working all day Saturday I decided not to donate $30 to racing at Sac today. Maybe next year(I've been saying that for the last 3 or 4 years now).

Lets see what else is happening? Big news is a new team. I made the switch during the mid season UCI transfer period to SKC Racing. Its a great opportunity for me to race with some really strong & really classy racers. I'm pretty excited about it. I made my debut @ the Tour of KC part 1. Less than glamorous with a very lack luster performance. Mia got sick & my planned staying in KC turned into a driving marathon. 8 hours of driving for two crits. Sunday I had to throw in the towel & had one of my few DNF's. I did manage to win the first prime though. Not the debut with a new team I wanted to make.

Last week Mia & I made a trip up to KC to get the Volvo serviced & take a trip to the zoo. A great time. Though my shoulders were shredded from carrying her around on my shoulders for almost 4 hours.

This week was work, work, work, & some more work. We rearranged half the plant in 3 days with only two electricians. Crazy! Too much stress & wiring for my taste. Hopefully next week I can skate by with a measly 50 hours instead of 65-70.

Speaking of next week Amber & Mia are off to Texas for 4 days. Amber is visiting an old friend & going to Sea World. I'm bummed about not getting to go but no vacation & the need for money keeps me at home. Plus I get to maybe sleep more than 6 hours a night as Amber tells me.

Today I got up a little late. Watched a little bore fest on the Intraweb. Real snooze fest stage, except for Pellizotti not taking the stage. Went for a quick ride. Ran some errands & hung out with the family. I guess that's about it for now. Off to bed to start another week.

So, I train alone.

So, I train alone. Amen Molly.

"Because I’m convinced I can progress. Is that the secret trap of cycling? You can always get better, get fitter right? I don’t have the raw talent that the PRO riders have. So I have to compensate by training smart. And training a lot..... And then the sacrifices will feel like they are worth it."

That's me except for the train a lot. Less is more is my new mantra. The numbers seem to be agreeing.

Le Tour hints of things to come?

Explain it Hogan, I don't get it

I call this last shot the Dunsmuir.
WTF?

At least explain it if your going to bag on me.

I really need to update

Lots to say/talk about but very little time to do it in. I'll try & update ASAP.

'09 Kansas State Time Trial

Missouri State TT is fast approaching so I needed to get a 40K in my legs. That usually means a trip to Arkansas. Unfortunately this year schedules conflicted so I head to Walnut, KS for the Kansas State TT. I figured cool, its Kansas it will be dead flat & fast. Nope! Take a look at the profile. Just a few speed bumps, right? Not even close. Driving in I was shocked at the amount of climbing. Don't get me wrong the climbs aren't Mountains but enough to put the hurt in your legs. I figured I had better come up with a pacing strategy or I was going to be toast the last 10K since the hardest part of the course is 10-30K. Especially since I had a very hard week of training in my legs already & was feeling the load.

I got to the race in time to register & learn I had to kill off 3 hours before my start. It was 80F & humid @ 6:30am so I kept up my hydration plan & kicked up my legs & watched the officials set up & racers start to show up. I chatted Bill Hall & his wife up for awhile. Then it was time to start warming up. Of course now the blackening clouds decided to drop some liquid humidity. I set the trainer up under an entry way & put into action my secret hot weather warm up strategy.

Start time is within 15 minutes so I put the trainer up mount the disc wheel & put the pointy helmet on. Time to get in line. I'll give this race props for having their crap together. 3 tents set up in a row for staging. No standing around in the hot sun, or rain in this case. The rain did let up about this time though leaving the roads wet.

Missouri could learn a thing or two from Kansas on how to put on a time trial. They have plenty of officials & volunteers. The start area has the road all painted up with sponsors logos. They even have a holder. Something Missouri used to do & has given up in the last few years.

I get my turn & the count down from ten begins. The official says 1, go & I push off & spin a wheel on the painted logos. Oops. I only loose a little momentum & I'm rolling. I decided not to go out crazy fast & get up to 45kph in about 30 seconds. I feel comfortable & the heart rate climbs to only 165. About what I want(normally I do a 40K @ 171). Pacing plan is in full swing. It feels weird not going balls out but I don't want to over cook it. I hit the first climb & I keep my rhythm. The course is L shaped & right after the L turn I hit a slight cross/head wind & my legs give me that first Oh Shit feeling. I work through it telling myself I'm not going that hard & can recover. I get my legs back & keep ticking away @ 40KPH. Shortly I see Willy Gualt hauling ass on the return(on his way to a high 52!) He's on one of the descents & I decided I need to really kick it up on the steeper descents on the 20-30K Section.

I hit the turn around @ just under 29 minutes & Laterne Rouge Roger is warning me to slow down the turn is very slick. I get around safe & I hear him yell good job now get your ass moving! OK Roger I'll see what I can do. Turns out not much. The 20-30K section beats me up but I keep my pacing strategy & roll on. I'm still on pace for a sub 59. At the 5K to go mark my one minute guy catches me. Oh well this is just training. I let him get the legal distance & I get to the side of him to avoid his draft. I hit the line in 58:56 feeling fresher than I ever have @ the end of a 40K.

Probably paced myself a little too well. I figure I had a 57:30 in my legs. The course is deceptively fast. Next year I'll know better. But a sub 59 after a hard week I'll take any time. Now I have to keep my focus, make it through Tour of KC part 1 & do some specific work. If the weather cooperates on race day I might finally get that 56 I've been shooting for.

Good thing is my worries about my new TT position seem to be unfounded. I made quite a few changes this spring & in testing this week it seemed fast but I wasn't able to put out the power #'s I have in the past. I figured either it was better aerodynamics or it was a crappy set up. Either way I'd find out in a race. Turns out, I think, its better aerodynamics. Now a few more tweaks & I should have it dialed.

A must read

Read what the flying Scots have to say. Crazy, crazy, crazy. Its a sign of the times I guess.

In a nut shell:
Lessons learned:

- Ladies get no respect in the bicycle industry, regardless of ability level.

- Boutique bike builders lack quality control and R&D found in the big bike companies.

- If you have to buy your team kit you haven’t really joined a team.

- and drum roll please….buy your own stuff!

I agree with all on some level, levels.

The almost unheard of almost mid week post

I know I hardly ever post during the week anymore, busy, busy. Racing the Kansas State ITT this Saturday so taking a rest day today. More like letting my body recover from the first ride on the TT rig of the year. Got out last night on the TT after breaking the Excalibur; broke the seat post binder. Totally my fault, over torque issue. Turns out the brass piece is made to fail if over torqued(pretty good design on 4ZA 's behalf, an engineer must of had his head out of his ass that day or was designed by a millwright). Anyway I have a plan. Take apart a scrap 3/4" gate valve, turn down the stem, & viola I'll have multiple spare brass pieces to over torque @ my leisure.

Anyway I digress. TT initial ride went well. 8 seconds of practice TT course record(which was set with full TT rig including disc). Not shabby, but not miss leading me for Saturday either. Gimp shoulder is jacked today though. Will spend the rest of the week on the TT rig to adjust & give me time to fix the roadie before the Tour of KC part 1. 3 days of crit racing, oh yeah!

Had salad from the garden tonight. Have been eating lettuce & spinach for a few weeks now. Added Green pepper, banana peppers, jalapenos tonight, & one carrot.


Check out Cyclingdirt.org if you haven't yet

"go really fast guys, go!"

Pro Cycling

Evans being aggressive at the Dauphiné Libéré 2009 - Climb of the Col de la Madeleine final climb of stage 7.

Part 4


Part 5



Also @ the Tour de Suisse

top 10 Stage 1 Look @ 9th place Lars. Also 4-7 for Columbia, wow! Yesterday was a big day for CX racers. Nature Valley the top aggressors are Crossers.

Results

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank                       9.21  (50.053 km/h)
2 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas                               0.19
3 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana                                  0.22
4 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - Highroad               0.24
5 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad                   0.31
6 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - Highroad                    
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - Highroad                0.32
8 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Cervélo TestTeam                     0.34
9 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank                                      
10 Rui Alberto Faria (Por) Caisse d'Epargne                    0.35

A ride in pics

Rode over to my secret training grounds for some hills.

Cool wooden bridge.

Steep hill, 400 watts for about a minute or so. Heart rate didn't go ballistic which was nice.

Its rained a lot lately

Another steep hill

That made my legs hurt.

7 minutes

That's all it took for Mia's surgery. Getting her down on the table was more traumatic for me than I think it was for her, especially after she started getting the gas. She's home now counting all her stickers she got from the nurses(she hit the sticker jackpot!) & watching Sponge Bob. She was a little sluggish but is really perking up now.

Tubular

Tomorrow @ the Ass crack of dawn Mia goes in for surgery. Nothing major just tubes in her ears. Hopefully it will end the constant battle we have had with ear infections. Unfortunately she inherited my bad ear genes & has chronic ear infections. I didn't have to go the tube route but she does. Though I am getting as deaf as a bat(work related more than genetic) we don't want her to be. They say it is no big deal.

Tonight Mia & I went to a pre op party to get a tour of what we'll go through Friday. I get to go in the operating room till the gas knocks her out. Since we're shooting for kiddo numero dos Amber has to sit in the waiting room while I wear the white antrax suit. The tour was pretty informative & Cox does a good job of putting the parent & the kid at ease for what is happening. Mia even walked away with a belly full of ice cream & a baggy full goodies(I'm sure I'll be billed for it all).

Read this article. while you wish Mia well. A lot of familiar names ie Irwin & Smith. Great pics of my old stomping grounds. Man I miss Gunni!

Tail gunning

Sunday went about as I expected. Hotter than the 7th level of hell, lots off craziness on the climb(goofy spectators with baby dolls). I used all my years of wisdom & got off the line like a bat out oif hell to miss the first lap screw ups on the initial climb. Faded back nicely to the tail gunner spot. "Yelled/scolded" @ JB(a real gamer & class act racer who had his head somewhere else, way smarter than that normally). Big ring on the climb? Not this kid I spent 95% of the race in my 38(which the 235 avg watts will attest too). Only got in the 53 long enough to grab a wheel out of the downhill turn & shifted back down to the 38 at or right after the finish line. What can I say I have mad tail gunning skills. I did about screw the pooch with 8 or 9 to go & had to grab a jr's wheel & let him drag me around 10 guys who split off the back.

Normally the heat KILLS me. Tried a new strategy that worked killer! Plus I rode through the sprinkler EVERY lap. One of the benefits of tail gunning. I rolled in 26th. I beat 4 whole guys in the sprint. Yeah me! Something like 80 starters 30-35 finishers. Mad Attrition. Like I said JB the race is all fluff till the last 15 minutes. Conserve, conserve, conserve.

Tulsa Tough Update

Two races down one REALLY hard one left to go. Friday night got in the money(18th). Felt good the whole race & was able to pack surf at will. With 5 laps to go a huge pile up took down /stopped the back half of the field. It was surreal to have a bike bouncing 10 feet high across the start line. It actually hit me in the left forearm. Was able to push it away & luckily only unclipped for a few seconds. Didn't even have to sprint to stay in the main group. Positioned myself pretty well for myself & hadn't a descent turn of speed @ the end, just don't have that extra gear sprinters have.

Saturday was H!O!T!! First hot day of the year for me. Started the race with ice in all my pockets. Felt good all race & never really taxed(according to the Power File). Flatted my front tire with 15 laps to go(B Town Reject delivered me my new tires so not overly impressed with PRO Race 3 so far) It was a weird flat; dumped about 40PSI really fast then slowed down. Actually did a full lap on it before going to the back & pulling in for my free lap. Finished the race with pretty sweet 404. Thanks SRAM neutral support. Don't like the Brady district course, its too wide open for me. Was potioned pretty good @ the bell lap but the road is so wide got swarmed in the first turn & had to do a little fighting to get back where I wanted to be. The finish straight was all tail wind so I was screwed.

23rd & out of the money. 3rd time I've done Brady & 3rd time I've been out of the money. I'm 2 for 3 @ Blue Dome. 1 for 1 @ Riverside so hopefully the trend continues there today.

After Saturdays race, a shower, & dinner we watched the end of the PRO race. Huff took his 2nd win(Blue Dome Friday, Brady Saturday). They said he's the first PRO male to go back to back, doubt he'll go 3 for 3. Its a pretty nasty climb Sunday. Chatted it up a little after. Walking back to the car saw Floyd Landis. Shook his hand(nice guy). Mia didn't want anything to do with him. Don't feel bad Floyd she was impressed with Lars Boom either.