Lessons about bike racing:
 

Number 1. It is hard for any older guy to race against younger guys.

Number 2. Two hard rides per week by an older guy is not sufficient to keep up with younger guys riding six times per week. IOW, lessons numbers one and two seem to compound each other.

Number 3. Some guys are really fast.

Number 4. Did you know some men with lycra, small jersey, can have a sag in it? It is true.

Number 5. If you are strong enough, you can torq and break a bottom bracket during a sprint, but it doesn't look pretty afterwards.

Number 6. It is still very fun to race even if you're last place.

Okay, an aside.

I'm sitting in the start line of the crit, not feeling too great, with normal anxieties.

So the starter talks about some of the rules, and states, if you violated a particular rule, you'd be dropped down to number 80. Which as luck would have it was my placing out of 89. Yes, I sucked, but at least my placing got special sucky mention. In reality, my placing was appropriate for my training. Everybody was bragging to me how they trained 500 miles per week. I responded, I got in a wonderful 80 miles so there.

Bottom line is, an older body with less training will not compete well against a younger body well trained.

However, bike racing is fun!

Maybe at the end you should have violated a rule on purpose, so you had an excuse why you finished in 89th.

I'm not certain I follow. I probably got a DNF for blowing up on the crit. My excuse is, "I'm not very good, but still have fun." I was a grand 82d out of 100, especially grand after almost missing my start with no warm up on the TT, have no idea where I was on the RR and stunk in the crit as usual.

Nonetheless sprint workouts started today to remedy the lack of speed in my legs. Those guys were cranking out 45 mph at the sprint. That's fast after a lengthy crit.

I understand Mike can crit race. I cannot until midseason rolls around. I usually go hard until I blow, then just soft pedal until I'm yanked.

I was more or less joking, just trying to give you an excuse for finishing so far back in the pack. The fact that you can even ride a bike impresses me. I dont think i have ridden a bike in about 10 years.

I forgot a rule.

Never be in charge of a bunch of single persons whose race times start after yours.

For those, who don't know or don't care, it is customary for one to warm up a significant amount of time before starting any event.

Each except the last, I was the first to start, and my compadres, a single and bunch of single women, took their sweet time getting to the car, so in the TT, I had about two minutes before I rolled out. In a TT, that is death. It probably cost me about three minutes. But oh what the hell.

In the road race, I almost missed my start, thanks again to a chick who wanted fart around. Thanks a lot. It showed as my legs weren't warm by the time we hit the hills. Chicks can be great, but just ignore the space cadettes. Our compadre did win her crit, thanks to our help.

I've never raced.

I don't train enough.

And those guys get in wrecks all the time. I don't feel like breaking my collarbone.

one word for Mike: Sandbagger.

Yes broken collar bones suck, that's why I sit up if it's getting too hairy, though my bike skills are improving. It pisses me off when guys touch their breaks or fail to pedal through the corners though.

I can't do my Wed. group rides anymore because of YM and Scouting. It's really put the damper on my riding.

I didn't know our very own Quisqueno rode with you this weekend. Holy cow. ;)

45 is fast at any level. I only reach it going downhill with a tailwind.

And that is why I get left in the dust. I only reach 45 on a down slope most of the time.

I did okay today and 40 is about tops if it works out okay, but most of the time, I'm struggly to break 33 to 35 mph. It is fun to feel the bottom bracket creak as one torqs away.

I can hit 45 easily with my bike.

Of course, by "with my bike" I mean the bike is mounted on the car's bike rack and the only pedals I'm using are the gas and the brake.

So, the doc said no activity 6 weeks post-op.

But it's been three weeks, and I figured that was close enough, and I didn't want to lose anymore time with spring just around the corner.

So I hit the pool and the bike today.

Pain. My muscles are very angry with me for the hiatus. As sore as I am today, I don't look forward to tomorrow's workout.

I can't figure out why I somehow hold the doctor responsible for this.

It is the doctor's fault. Any pain you suffer following surgery is the doctor's fault. Surgery is supposed to fix you up like new without pain.

Three weeks of hiatus? What sort of masochist is this doctor?

I think you are definitely right on this one. 3 weeks, rounded up to the nearest 6 weeks, is close enough.

So whats planned for tomorrow if today, your first workout back, involved swimming and cycling? I heard the ecochallenge is still looking for more participants. Maybe some rock climbing and repelling, followed by a couple of hours on the elliptical?

Babs, I never listen to what my doctor says. He's just trying to inflate his bill.

For example, I was hospitalized following being hit by a car at 35 mph. I was in the hospital with nothing broken and they wanted to keep me there overnight. I told them, not only "No," but "Hell, no! These beds are uncomfortable." I left as soon as non-ripped up clothing was delivered.

Eh, that's nothing. A real workout: Last week I babysat five kids: ages 7, 6, 5, 4, and 2. Anybody have a 1 and 3-year-old I can borrow to complete the set?

I have one of each. In fact most of here probably do. Remember? we're Mormons.:)

Wait just a dolganged minute. Go back to that list. DId you say you broke a bottom bracket in a sprint? How the heck did you recover from that? What happened?

If you're in an 11/23 configuration, using all your force with arms, butt and legs, sometimes unfortunately, it can be done. Not something I recommend.

COmeon, You can tell us more than that. You broke a bottom bvracket in a race and all you can say is you don't recommend it? Whta' the story?

If you stay upright, you get to softpedal until they escort you out.

Just try getting in your big ring and biggest gear, step on it with on all your might driving your legs to 120 bpm, driving with arms furiously, swearing, sweating and see what I mean. Sometimes unfortunately, they can break. And it will piss you off.

Archaea, I salute you for doing what you did. I don't think I'll ever be up for racing.

You are the man.

Ok, so you're not a story teller. Fine, I'll get it out of you some other day. If it had happened to me it would have made a 5 paragraph post, at least.

Come on, Paddy, you too can humiliate yourself in front of hundreds of fans. It takes a man of no pride to embarrass himself, and to pay for the privilege of embarrassment.

The interesting aspect of road racing is that it takes different skills than triathloning. As I'm certain everybody notes, I am a man of few to no talents athletically, but tremendous interest in sports.

Mountain Biking has even a different skillset than road racing.

Triathloning requires one to maintain a steady increasing effort, reserving sufficient effort to run hard afterwards.

Road race time trialing requires one to build to a point of no return, using one's efforts so that upon the last one Kilometer, one begins a sprint to where one literally pukes at the finish line. The effort when done properly requires to be in such a state of pain so as to render one almost wheezing at the end. It truly painful and glorious.

The road race is one of heaven's invitation to hellions. You start with varying paces, jumps and attacks, bridges, survival, difference in grades and just plain, awful pain. But if you stay with just the peloton, one feels a sense of accomplishment. The comradery, even among competitors is magnificent.

The crit is the NASCAR of road racing. Bumping and grinding, teamwork and brute force, coupled with utter flaming thighs and exhaustion. (I've not personally experienced the thrill of victory in this style, but it is fun, just crazy.)

Utah has some hairy races, mostly involving nasty climbing, as opposed to some of the rolling races of California or Arizona. Cali has some nasty climbing races as well.

The hope of attacking cycling is to develop my cycling for triathloning. It is a marvelous endeavor, and I hope some of you will join us.

It's because I'm too scared to remember the stuff, and you just hear this grunting, "uhhhh" when you ride next to me during a sprint. I try to roar, hoping to summon some last bit of energy, but alas it usually fails. However, the first time somebody hears it, it scares them, then picture a bottom bracket cracking, and you almost crapping your jersey, fearing for your life.