random notes
- raced saturday, first time out in a good long while (work, fourth of july no racing, tandemonium no racing) so it felt good to get out there. first race was a 10 lap super tempo, which is probably my favorite race with regular tempo in close second. as we rounded out of turn 4 for the gun, i thought fuck it, i'll go, take an early 3 points by getting first on the lap and then see how my legs will feel for the next few laps, then sit in and try to take a few more (either 3 2 or 1 i didn't really care too much). dave tidey, my nemesis and track buddy beats me at the line giving me 2nd on the second lap and then some other dude got me into third on the third. at this point my legs were feeling it so i swing up off the front and down onto the last wheel. big mistake. right after i get on this dude's wheel, he's fading quick, so i have to swing back up on the back straight and pass him, meanwhile the group is a good straight's length ahead of me. fuck, now instead of just sitting on some dude's wheel and regaining energy, i've got to chase back on. so i start chasing. and chasing. oh look, they're sitting up and slowing down! down to half the straight and they're up again. FUCK. eventually all but 3 on the lead drop off the back, me still in pursuit. 2 laps left, i've got 'em down to two or three bike lengths! i don't have enough to pass any of them for the 2nd to last lap's points, but i've got them slowing down enough that even though i've been chasing on for 6 fucking laps i can fucking outsprint one guy for third place points. 5th place in that race.
felt like i was going to fucking throw up for all of the time until the next race, a 3km scratch. alright, this will be nice, easy pace, no one's going to want to go too hard after the super tempo. first 3 laps or so are really slow, i was right. well, since that's fucking boring as shit, i make a brake in order to try and stretch the field out, maybe catch them off guard, you know, and get a decent gap. two other dudes see my break and try to get on. awesome, we'll be able to work half lap pulls. i peel off and let the other dude take a pull, with a decent 1/8 lap lead. not bad. dude swings up off of his turn and so does the third dude, a junior on restricted gearing. FUCK. anyways, they slow up, not wanting to try and work this gap so the field swallows us up. i make another break with 1 to go and get overtaken on the back straight. fuck dudes who don't try to make breaks and just sit in for the race and then go. maybe i should try it, but dammit, i'd rather fucking attack over the top and try to get one or two guys to follow and work it with them. afterwards while cooling down the dude on the break with me was like 'i was totally going to work that break with you and then that kid pulled up right behind me and just slowed me down too much to get back on your pace". oh well.
last race was a 4km points race, 3 sprints. awesome, i love fucking intermediate sprints for points, even though i'm totally not a sprinter. (but i'm getting better). no points on the first sprint. i make an early ish break for the 2nd sprint, dave's hot on my wheel on the home straight, side by side before the line and just inches past me at the line, giving me what, 3 points or so?i let out some loud grunt going into turn 1, i can't tell if it was like "ugh fuck this you fucking fuck" or more like "ugh last ditch effort!" probably a combo of the both. last sprint i make another break, two dude's pass me on the home straight and there's another wheel coming on fast so i fucking step on it and try to hold onto the sprint (like i said, i suck at sprinting, i need long races) anyways, i throw my bike at the end and apparently held onto the sprint, fucking stoked! i ended up 4th with 6 points. i think the last lap's points are something like 7 5 3 2 1 so i was able to score 2 3's.
i'm gonna try 49 x 14 for the first race next saturday, see how it feels, maybe gear down then. dave t is running that now and says it feels pretty good, a little high, but yeah. i need a 47 and a 51 t chainring. more money to spend.
-spokes should be here anyday now, race wheels will get built and i'll be fucking STOKED. i just wish i had the tires and glue, but i wanna check out the podiums the one shop should be getting in before i just blow the cash on the vittoria's. sick tire, but really light. i dunno. i also need a second set of pedals for the road bike so i can stop having to switch them out every time i ride on bike or the other. look keo carbons or fucking sprinters or fucking classic? do i go for the lightest so i can get my road bike down again? geez, i'm such a nerd.
-century today. 100.3 miles. didn't bonk hard until like, 97 with no food or powerbar during the ride, just a thing of gatorade. had a cali burrito earlier in the day and that was it. i always bonk around 65 miles but i was able to fucking hold onto it pretty well, even with a decent amount of climbing in the last 20 miles.
-reading premium is finally available in bottled form!
-cali burrito of the week - veggie ground beef! yummy!
-i'm still fucking tan as shit.
- 155 fucking pounds as of this evening, even after a fucking large milkshake! gooooo me! i guess this is my race weight!
-guess i'll start packing up all the shit i don't use here so i can get ready to move back to pittsburgh.
here's my tentative plan as of now: last day of work friday the 10th, racing at ttown on the 11th, cali burrito, driving to fucking pittsburgh, getting totally fucked up that night! riding around a lot in that week, working on my sprint down at the oval with whoever wants to ride hard and fast, hang out a lot, then friday morning head back east for the air products finals (car room available ! ) and then the last race of the season on saturday. victory brewery, su tao, etc. back sunday, i guess. coalesce monday night in pittsburgh.
anyways, this is long but fuck you norway!
oh and i haven't drank beer in a week, so i'm not sure if i will for a while or not. reading premium in bottles? sorta cool, i'll probably buy a case and not drink it for a while. and who knows if i'll get too fucked up in pgh. haha, who am i kidding?
felt like i was going to fucking throw up for all of the time until the next race, a 3km scratch. alright, this will be nice, easy pace, no one's going to want to go too hard after the super tempo. first 3 laps or so are really slow, i was right. well, since that's fucking boring as shit, i make a brake in order to try and stretch the field out, maybe catch them off guard, you know, and get a decent gap. two other dudes see my break and try to get on. awesome, we'll be able to work half lap pulls. i peel off and let the other dude take a pull, with a decent 1/8 lap lead. not bad. dude swings up off of his turn and so does the third dude, a junior on restricted gearing. FUCK. anyways, they slow up, not wanting to try and work this gap so the field swallows us up. i make another break with 1 to go and get overtaken on the back straight. fuck dudes who don't try to make breaks and just sit in for the race and then go. maybe i should try it, but dammit, i'd rather fucking attack over the top and try to get one or two guys to follow and work it with them. afterwards while cooling down the dude on the break with me was like 'i was totally going to work that break with you and then that kid pulled up right behind me and just slowed me down too much to get back on your pace". oh well.
last race was a 4km points race, 3 sprints. awesome, i love fucking intermediate sprints for points, even though i'm totally not a sprinter. (but i'm getting better). no points on the first sprint. i make an early ish break for the 2nd sprint, dave's hot on my wheel on the home straight, side by side before the line and just inches past me at the line, giving me what, 3 points or so?i let out some loud grunt going into turn 1, i can't tell if it was like "ugh fuck this you fucking fuck" or more like "ugh last ditch effort!" probably a combo of the both. last sprint i make another break, two dude's pass me on the home straight and there's another wheel coming on fast so i fucking step on it and try to hold onto the sprint (like i said, i suck at sprinting, i need long races) anyways, i throw my bike at the end and apparently held onto the sprint, fucking stoked! i ended up 4th with 6 points. i think the last lap's points are something like 7 5 3 2 1 so i was able to score 2 3's.
i'm gonna try 49 x 14 for the first race next saturday, see how it feels, maybe gear down then. dave t is running that now and says it feels pretty good, a little high, but yeah. i need a 47 and a 51 t chainring. more money to spend.
-spokes should be here anyday now, race wheels will get built and i'll be fucking STOKED. i just wish i had the tires and glue, but i wanna check out the podiums the one shop should be getting in before i just blow the cash on the vittoria's. sick tire, but really light. i dunno. i also need a second set of pedals for the road bike so i can stop having to switch them out every time i ride on bike or the other. look keo carbons or fucking sprinters or fucking classic? do i go for the lightest so i can get my road bike down again? geez, i'm such a nerd.
-century today. 100.3 miles. didn't bonk hard until like, 97 with no food or powerbar during the ride, just a thing of gatorade. had a cali burrito earlier in the day and that was it. i always bonk around 65 miles but i was able to fucking hold onto it pretty well, even with a decent amount of climbing in the last 20 miles.
-reading premium is finally available in bottled form!
-cali burrito of the week - veggie ground beef! yummy!
-i'm still fucking tan as shit.
- 155 fucking pounds as of this evening, even after a fucking large milkshake! gooooo me! i guess this is my race weight!
-guess i'll start packing up all the shit i don't use here so i can get ready to move back to pittsburgh.
here's my tentative plan as of now: last day of work friday the 10th, racing at ttown on the 11th, cali burrito, driving to fucking pittsburgh, getting totally fucked up that night! riding around a lot in that week, working on my sprint down at the oval with whoever wants to ride hard and fast, hang out a lot, then friday morning head back east for the air products finals (car room available ! ) and then the last race of the season on saturday. victory brewery, su tao, etc. back sunday, i guess. coalesce monday night in pittsburgh.
anyways, this is long but fuck you norway!
oh and i haven't drank beer in a week, so i'm not sure if i will for a while or not. reading premium in bottles? sorta cool, i'll probably buy a case and not drink it for a while. and who knows if i'll get too fucked up in pgh. haha, who am i kidding?