...thinking 2 road race and

...thinking 2 road race and mt bike race as much as i can next year...yes that means single track Dave....so....i need 2 practice more on the nar

talk about perfect....

headed to LaCrosse, WI this weekend with the family for a few days of family and friends...well, more family than friends - and that is just fine with me!

we took our time getting to LaX, eating at A&W in Inver Grove Heights, a stop in Rochester and then once Tina was asleep I cranked the speed up to 85 mph from Rochester to LaX and basically followed a rented RV with bikes on the back all the way to the hotel exit...funny. It was the same rental RV company that many RAAM teams used. I had flash backs.

If you have never been to LaX for Oktoberfest - its a weird thing. It used to be MUCH more insane in years past. My brother commented that in the late 70's through 80's even the Hell's Angels would come into town to party. I remember some weekends(years) that the town would go fro 40k to 250-300k for the weekend...they have toned it down but still...the O-fest parade is like 5 miles long and takes about 2.5 -3 hours to complete - great memories, actually didnt see many friends at all as I think we all look REALLY different now.

The best part was family - Chris, Elaine and Taylor and Nina came into town from Seattle. Jen/Scott, Jack and Nick from Burnsville - us from Dayton...Mom and Dad were in Heaven. First time we were ALL HOME in like 7 years....at the same time. Food was incredible both days - Dad's ribs and Scott taking charge of steaks on Sunday - insane....I HAD to bike for two reasons - 1. why not bike in LaCrosse - you kidding me? 2. the caloric intake was absurd.

Which leads me to biking b/c i wont bore the 3 readers with my family stuff. I had very limited time so I opted for a sprint up Grandads to the flag (actually a faster time now than when i was in college...go figure...yes I have the times listed from many moons ago - my first diytt.) when i was up top i looked across the river valley to the MN side and its about 8 miles across I think. I then figured to bike down graddads then to MN and up Apple Blossom road which isnt as bad as Bliss road but still - it's altitude. it has been since college that i rode up that hill...the memories. There are some nice climbs down south and I miss it alot. My dad and neighbor both workout at UWL field house every morning and they BOTH know Jake Cohn as a result of working out there - how cool is that?! Jake is LOVIN LaCrosse and one of these days i will ride with sir Speedy but O-fest weekend is not the best time - too much lemonade. Got a flat 3 miles from LaCrosse without a tube/kit - one phone call to the best crew member (dad) and he had me in the truck inside of 5 mins...he was very happy to still be TSH Crew!!!!!

A side note - Dad now has a super cool new Marin flat bar road bike with all the gear. He logs about 75 miles a week and he is 70 yrs young. He was inspired prior to RAAM but really got the bug during RAAM...so did I. My dad is amazing!

A fun weekend filled with family, food, friends and biking....

oktoberfest! lax

getting coffee...going2parade. pete is nuts.

skinnyski

credit to Skinnyski

proof that i did ride parts of firetower hill...not a whole lot but did my best...i almost got to the first flat on the bike - walked from there and got on here and there then cramped so bad...good thing they took the pic while i was at least on the bike instead of the one where i was hunched over working the knots out of calf muscles....

PB

had a fun and painful ride on saturday. was able to crest the PB slot and shaved some time off the clock...it was great to see so many people i knew. I had hopes for more time and it sealed it when at 7 miles to go - i literally fell apart inside and melted...it took all i had to push the dang bike up the last hills...good but rough finish.

i learned a lot about my self on saturday.

Am I Ready?

I guess I cant say for sure...I know I am ready to leave to enjoy a weekend away and heck...if it includes friends, bikes and perfect weather - who wouldnt be ready? As far as racing - that is a crap shoot I guess. Race day is like "any given sunday" in that anything can happen. Prep, train, repair and just show up - let the chips fall where they may.

Last night I noticed I wore out my chainring and chain - typical...BB all loose and then cleaned the little lady up for the trip. Light ride tonight for good measure and the road trip starts tomorrow.

Saturday - get up later than most - get a warm up ride in and show up for the dance...pedal my butt off and do my best as that is all I can expect. From there...we see what happens. 70deg temps and clear skies with dry dirt will make for a fast and bumpy race - I am excited and even more so that all my friends will be there to race too...see ya up there guys/gals!

36x16 with mid 20's for psi is the choice for the race. I plan to be there early afternoon tomorrow and will hit the trail a bit either at rosey's field or OO...if your up there at the same time - lets get some miles in together!

Andrew

Taper????

ok - so i didnt do what i should but that means no more riding till Saturday. it was 1.5 hours of speed on open roads...on our mt bikes in the parker lake to baker area and back on the luce line...great ride for sure and lots of hills and lots of high end cardio....my legs were flying and my heart about jumped out of my chest.

limited riding - prepping the bike - work and most importantly family...

ok. not supposed to ride hard but went out for a full lap of the park plus 5 repeates up the ski hill and one lap on ther tt course. low intensity for the loops, cant do low intensity on the hills. at north end of park, did 2 repeates up the gravel climb to that camping area...good day!

hall pass granted...1 hour plus. going 2 chalet for repeats again. lighter ride tomorrow after wrk...maybe not ez but more spinning. try 2 ride wed night or thursday super light...race sat.

post ride

did the outer loop with 5 hill repeats on the ski hill with one lap of tt loop. just about 25 miles from front door to front door. those hill repeats today were harder than i was expecting.

the un-ending hills

very nice (warm / buggy) day 2 ride. [blogging from phone so spelling isnt the greatest]. left the driveway at 1pm and got back at 5pm with a water break at the bike shop for 20min or so and they r bizy. jaytwas fixing a wheel and it was nice to catch up.

i did horse trails, mt bike trails, urban and hil repeats at the chalet. it was 15 in a row (10 on ski hill then 5 on tubbing hill) then i puked half way up climb 15. nice i guess but not nice. cleaned the taste out of my mouth at the chalet and i am sure the people there for the wedding reception were not happy 2 see me walking into the building the throw up all over.

took it easy home. recovery foods and 4.5 hours on the 36x16 fauxnalgo...now to take it easy 4 the week.

jayt

team strong wheel...

1 week to go....

rode with Earl the other day and we danced around the hills of elm creek to the sounds of rain, bugs and thunder - i forget sometimes just how beautiful storms can be out there. the ground was soft and forgiving and the low tire pressure was perfect. the climbs stuck, my lungs were open and my legs kept moving. thank you RAAM for teaching me quick recovery but i must say that each day is in the balance of the days of preparation before. miss one trick - you miss the benefit of fitness...which is why i guess I am still nervous...hey, its a big deal this race.

keeping it in perspective - most of us are not pro/God status on bikes - mostly me so I look at races like this as fun...that's it....fun. beat my old time or just finish and I will be happy. seriously - those are my goals. i have also adopted Dave Hoglands mindset to ride just below puke and that usually helps - kind of.

so if you are reading this and racing on the 19th - and you pass up the orange Colnago (Fauxnalgo) with the Team Strong Heart kit - give a smile, high five, a pat on the back and a word of encouragement b/c after all this race is truly worth just riding.

i plan to push a gear i am "ready" for but maybe have no business riding. I am done doing the math at this point and figure to suffer if that is my lot. i feel strong, i feel confident but each day is different - really different.

enjoy this week my friends and have a blast this weekend!

great vac day and last day of vac for the kids. being lazy. ready 2 go..kind of. i headed solo into the park and got about 28miles in (per google map thing). i have 2 clear my head- way too much going on to ignore..enuf to worry me to not sleeping. so a ride on the bike was a good fit. the ride was basically 5 min on and 1 min off the whole ride except for the hill repeats at the chalet and by hoglands house.

wish all biking days were this good. as much as riding with friends trumps just about anything-the well placed solo ride can open doors to yourself u didnt know were there.

the car is done and ready for the next major problem!

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david climbing on the mtbtt course!