Redemption?

Well, I guess the new name was the talk of the ride for a little bit here and there -- actually it was more like wise crack comments..." Hey Andy, do you have your keys????". Yeah, I get it. I wont be able to live that one down - its okay, I enjoyed the race and I was happy with how I did.

Tonights ride was interesting - threat of rain...the reality of rain...the enjoyment of salt, sand, spitting rain in the face all funneling down to the shoes. It started out fine with 7 riders in all - Bernie, John, Me (andy), Madonna, Jay H, Hemi and Andrea. Good to see Dave's single speed. It misted on and off while we did the Neilorator...going into St Michael it rained. Dave and Andrea headed back to the shop before then but the stupid few that went on were blessed with turning a light shade of brown. I felt stiff - slightly cold - mentally a bit wore out. I enjoy the severe weather riding, dont get me wrong, you just have to adjust a bit. We rolled out over the 144 stretch slightly offset to not get a mouth full of road slime and then we slowly ramped up the speed...no surprise...Bernie was with us. Me, Bernie and John broke off and kept up the speed...once again maxed out on rpm's as the single speed is not a high speed machine.

We made the turn to Dayton River Road and then to Pineview...super prime. It seemed all so quiet - Bernie said he didnt want to sprint in the rain so I assumed it would be casual...Then John lights it up the wall and I pick up chase. He is about 30 ft in front of me and I bridge the gap at the top of the first climb and latch onto his wheel...half way across the false flat I get the legs going like a sewing machine and pull off a win for Team Cannondale...its not really a team I guess - i was just riding one.

I must have been upset about dropping my keys - Redemption? Maybe so - but more importantly we had a blast riding with friends in some not so friendly conditions. If you can have fun in this stuff - what can stop you? Kudos to the group for one heck of a ride - if we could have taken a picture of us after the ride - it would have been priceless...we were a mess and we loved it!

I am the Keymaster....

State Championship Road Race - Avon MN. wow, how fun was that? Master 4/5 had what...12 Loons in the mix. Seeing that I have not done this in a LONG time, I was a bit nervous. I kept telling myself - its just a big group ride and a hockey match rolled into one. 51 miles - 3 laps of 17 miles. Nice set up - some good climbs with matching downhills - good speed for sure. Aside from the corners - we typically sat at about 24-28 mph. This is just fine in the group. I really did not like riding with handlebars touching - cutting lines and such - I know its part of the deal but instead I spent alot of the time near the front. The first lap was fast and about 20 sprinted or sped up for the finishing of lap one - I think I was 5th. We eased back on the 2nd lap and I spent some time in the pack. When we hit the half way point on lap 2, things took off again. The whole group accelerated and at those speeds - I wanted nothing to do with the pack. Up to the front where the riders were single file. I was sucking wheels for most of the 2nd lap and when we came to the last leg of lap 2 - I led out first on a pace line and held it to the finish of lap2...man, that was cool. The people were lined, the cowbell dinging, the cheering...that was addicting for sure. I really felt strong - or at least really good - no lasting fatigue, no burn in the legs...yet. My plan was to sit back for the rest of lap 3. As we headed into lap 3, I was riding next to Neil Thunderstorm and when I saw him reach for a bit to eat... I thought to grab a bite too...the only problem was that my car key ( here it comes) was in the same stupid back pocket as my bar. Out comes the bar....and out comes the phrase from a few riders back..." someones key just fell out...in the ditch". Yup, my key. I cannot remember why it was there, it normally isnt. But now, it was in the ditch. Stop, go back, pick up key and get going - solo and they were 1 min up on me in a flash....at 25 mph plus.

Well, that was 1 mile into lap 3, sucky. I did finish however by myelf - I reset the computer and maintained an average of 21 point something for 16 miles. Too bad a group of 62 rides a bit faster. On the last leg, there was a crash and it left one Loon to go to the hospital with a broken collar bone and Neil got some SERIOUS road rash...I saw the aftermath as I was in back...way back...I did finish strong - glad I did it - i was happy with how I did just not happy with my key placement...now let me see - where did i put my keys????

Thursday night Spin...kind of.

Well - the thursday night ride was great - the weather was perfect. Good to see John out there - thanks Holly for letting Johnny out to play. 5 headed out from the shop and we met Melinda on the way to Fletcher. We did the TT loop in reverse - which is interesting - we almost got turned around. lol. It was supposed to be an easy night for me anyway but of course it was fast...thanks John. I took the SS out again and it was a spin session from the nether regions - good thing it wasnt a long ride. Trying to draft behind John and Melinda when they go aero is like drafting behind a toothpick. I did practice staying in the pack - not jumping on every sign prime - tough to do. Great ride however - and today....I will not ride. Avon here I come - should be fun to race once again. Now back to lunch - pasta....more pasta and protien shakes.

Have a great day


andy

Sultans of Slop...part duex

Pulling into the parking lot at 5 pm...I was thinking - no way is anyone going to show. Then one, two...and a "meet me in the park"....hey, now we're cookin with gas! We had 6 by the time we hit Fletcher. Point being here is that the rain did NOT keep the faithful few off the bikes. On and off rain and the ever popular grit in the craw...gotta love it. We headed out to Fletcher to Hanover and back through St.Michael...then the rollers on 144. Boy isnt it nice to have that road smooth and all fancy?

With the rain I opted for the single speed as it has been beat hard and can handle the rain...plus I need to get one last hard ride in before the race this weekend. The ride was thwart with breakaway workouts, pace line ( kind of) and some strong interval workouts. Brian and I headed two up across 144 in a break away and traded off to Dayton River Road averaging mid 20's for that stretch..Looking back we didnt see anyone so we kept the pace up to super prime. Side by side we climbed the initial wall and then slowly increased the pace to 25 with about 50 yds to go and then old trusty Blue Thunder Single Speed ramped up the rpm's and I pulled away for the prime win...go team Cannondale!

Good show of the women tonight! Holly and Carol pounded out the miles and always smiling - I heard a rumor that Holly is letting John out to play Thursday night for the ride....

Have a great week all and hope to see you at Avon for the road race...

zuko

Sat Morning - no rain

The rain held off until just after 9 am. Apparently I made some claims about certian people being wimps for skipping out of the ride - just b/c it seemed like it was going to rain. I almost didnt make it to the ride in time - and if that had happened...Jorge would have killed me. Everyone was there 13 in all - good group. We did the 144 loop as usual with the TT route added on.

Kudo's to Jorge for sneaking around my blind spot on one of the primes. it was very funny... We held a fast pace the entire ride. We had some fast lead-outs, long burns...good interval training today...Gotta get ready for Fat Tire. I am starting to like the rollers - we took them Bernie style - fast and hard. Super prime was nice too - I got some coaching....Bernie told me to make sure too....oops, cant tell you that..... well, I did take super prime solo. The secret is safe with me.

So with so many ready for bad weather - the rain didnt happen until the ride was done. I hope you guys that did a few laps in the park stayed dry enough. Today I ended up rebuilding my pedals, eating at Culvers with the kids and now watching The Return of the Jedi.... my day is complete.


Have a great weekend all.


Andy

Mini-Donuts anyone?

Last week Wednesday was a sad day indeed. Something so dramatic and crushing...knowing that it could have been anyone...any day...I am talking about the 35W bridge. I do thank God for the lives that were spared as it could have been much more catastrophic that it really was. But today I found something a bit more disturbing...on the stone arch ride.

I showed up late - maybe by 5 mins or so and I knew I had to catch up. I unload the bike, throw all the duds on, grab some water and up to the bridge I go...only to find out I almost have to walk my bike there were so many people. I was like - what the heck is going on? Everyone had cameras, vid cameras...all pointing and staring downriver. Whole families, one's and two's - what were they staring at....oh, the bridge where too many died. There it was and there were the people getting on tip toes to get a better look.

It was impressive - the magnitude I mean. But this was like 1000 people slowing down to look at the car wreck - hoping to see some visible sign of death. It was worse on the way back after the ride - which was great by the way. People going all directions - snapping photos and the vendor selling ice cream ( which i belive is there all the time ) had a real deal going.

My thought was to get a mini-donut stand and wait for the next disaster to strike so I can make a profit off of the folks looking for a little death.

just didnt feel right..

Ever have a ride where you seriously felt about two steps off of center? Tired for no reason? I guess i have nothing to really complain about - at least i wasnt traversing a river on a cable with my bike hanging off my back. None the less - I seemed to have issues and I couldnt figure it out. Last night was a bit interesting...i had mechanical issues but aside from that - things didnt seem fluid, it felt like i was riding in the spring when my body had no idea what i was trying to do. this happens when i ride the bianchi instead of the single speed. i am taking a guess that I have forgotten how to effectivly ride with many gears...not that i was effective before but i am used to NOT changing gears on hills and downhills...and if i am in the wrong gear - i reach threshold reallllllyyyyyy fast.

I think i am going to stick with the SS more - it is fun, easy to switch gears and punishing plus it is really comfy.

I suppose that the cure to my problem is to ride with gears a bit more to get used to it again. heck, just ride more and get stronger and i wont have this fade problem. so instead of trying to be the leader of the pack or sign prime master - maybe the loons can hire me on as a full time domestique - that way i wont have to worry about trying to be the first across the line.

have a great day....

ac

Viva Las Vegas

Well - I will be honest - not all that spectacular...really. There are some really neat things but I would seriously rather take a punishing day in the hills riding with Neil than spend more time in Vegas. Now - I didnt have a chance to leave at all while I was there so we walked alot - spent WAY TOO much on EVERYTHING - man, you can get there cheap - forget having a cheap vacation there. I will say, we stayed at the coolest hotel - the Venetian - by far the best - spectacular!

I was perplexed - the city of LV was advertising how "family friendly" the city was ...then everywhere you go - its porn "playing cards" of hookers on the streets, lots of adult entertainment stuff...everywhere...family friendly? my kids wont be going there.


Glad to be home! I have to get out on my bike....


andy

Note to self - Vicodin Does NOT Help in Fitness

Well - I had a root canal done yesterday and with all the advents of technology - they had a tough time getting one of the roots numb...in the efforts of time as they got me in on standby, I said to go ahead without the one nerve numb. They already had half my face numb - i didnt need more. So they gave me a couple vicodin - crushed which actually helped alot...problem - that was about 3 pm and I was biking at 5pm. Well, it wasnt all that bad but a lesson in nutrition - my tooth broke over the weekend and living on pain meds and anti-biotics - and not nearly enough food - really took its toll.

I went into yesterdays ride thinking I could fake the fitness - I was wrong. Why is it when you basically fall apart - do you only see the where you went wrong. Bonk...yeah - that happened - throw in some pain meds and it makes for an interesting ride. I wont be riding with medication again - vicodin does not help in fitness. Great job to Mellissa - new girl took super prime out of the hands of Brian...

see ya on Thursday hill climb - i will be well fed and off the meds.

Is comfort different for everyone?

I am a bit perplexed. As of late, I have been addicted to my old Cannondale - 88-89 ( one of the two). It is the 3.0 frame set - I say that like I know what that means - I really don't. Anyhoo, it is rigid, stiff and you feel everything on the road. Its compact and tight and exceptionally nimble - climbs like a goat. Last March I purchased a Bianchi Virata - the opposite in some respects - a little better and of course some things I can do without.

I went out tonight after a rather stressful last couple of days to the Fletcher TT course - a little course that is 9 miles that has hills, straights, flats, wind and ends with a good climb. I just got the Bianchi back from a tune up - thanks Mason - and was thinking...man this should be a good time to post. It was, I was happy but not comfortable. I am trying to put a finger on it but I cannot - maybe someone out there knows how I feel.

Virata - steel frame - carbon stays and fork. This thing has one heck of a smooth ride - holy crap it does. It is really like riding on water but I am thinking that might be my issue. I have been used to riding on the Cannondale for so long that still after a year and a half - I'm not used to smooth. Power transfer...frame flex...I am guessing I like the type of ride that you feel the road...

Am I crazy? Well, maybe this is the excuse I have been waiting for to get a different frame. Hmmm...less money than a new bike...Is there a good stiff compact frame set I should consider?

Your thoughts are welcome.


andy

100 miles and running...

BlueThunder SS

I made it....along with a great group of 9 or 10. We did what was dubbed the "wussinator" and what a great ride - down south to Wayzata/Hopkins - into Mpls/Stpl and came back to Champlin...the actual route was like 86 miles and i would say the moving average was between 20-21 mph. Actual just under 20 - lots of stops. With my ride in the park prior to and after - getting pizza and goodies at PDQ - i topped off at 102.7 miles for the day on the trusty BlueThunder SS. I managed to sneak out 4 legit sign preems - Dayton, Corcoran, Maple Plane or Medina - I cannot remember and the last was Hopkins. Bernie took the hilltop preem of - Maple Plane or Medina ( i got the two mixed up) with a hearty series of grunts...he told me I needed to grunt earlier. Well, my grunt was more along the lines of pain rather than trying to muster up some magical strength. Bernie also sneaked in the hand painted city sign of Orono - good eye Bernie - that sign looked like a work of art not a city sign. Bergerbergermeister handled the Rogers preem on a solo sprint - never looking back once...almost missing the turn to Fletcher Ln. If I am missing any, sorry. There were some creek/river preems and city watershed signs - which were pointed out to me that they are more *personal* points rather than actual group victories.

Great show of people and great riding - I would love to do that again! Of course - we did miss the likes of Neil and Jay....and where was Erik???? On a particular note - Bernie and I were talking about how strong the entire group is at TH...I mean seriously, everyone was and is strong and not just for 20-30 miles...I mean 80-100 miles! What a blessing to have such desire and motivation. The neat thing...no one is really race motivated - they do it because it is about the ride.

So thank you for a great group and thank you Larry and Pam for putting up with us.

Camp Bluedog

bluedog cycle

My buddy Pete Taylor runs the shop in Viroqua WI...great place to ride. The shop is connected to a great sandwich shop - called the Cheese factory or something like that. If you are ever down there - stop by - closed Mondays.

He is hosting a camp for the area for intro into Mt.Biking and cycling in general - this is the logo I designed for the camp. All done - had to share.

Hills, then some more hills...oh, and then one more for good measure

Riding in LaCrosse is truly amazing this time of year. If you get a chance to ride in southern Minnesota - near Loon Camp or in La Crosse - DO IT. Perfect weather all three days I was riding. I dared myself a bit and ended up taking the SS to LaCrosse...I normally run a 42x15 on that thing but put a 17 on the back for the hills - I think I actually pulled a butt muscle. My time was limited - after all I was on vacation with the family so I had to make hay while the sun shined - super early morning rides. Friday was two rides totaling 30, Sat was 25 morning (hill repeats) - 25 evening same route...Sunday was the fun day - Hills and a major drop into Barrie Mills and back home - 35 miles. Not alot of miles but all hill repeats and insane. I didn't break a chain and I was maxed on output - constant climbing. I have a new TT for DIYTT - the Alpine TT....the base of Grandads Bluff to the Alpine Bar - 7min 48 sec - SS.

Riding down there makes me want to live there once again - the views, the rides....its all there. I hope to be back on a reg schedule with the group this week.


zuko

RAAM...and so much more

I hope you had a chance to meet these guys - really a class act. AND if you were smart enough to get your lazy butt out of bed last Sat to ride with them - kudos to you. Neil - you raced the entire breadth of this nation to come home and reach another goal - 20 on Sat Morning ride!!!!

That's right - we had 20 riders - including some RAAM guys. We also had a bad spill that caused some $erious bucks - I hope all is okay. The 7 am ride was a simple loop out west of town. Perfect weather was around us and perfect company beside us. We opted to not take 144 back - by the way, I think they are done with that road - it still sucks but I road it in the dark tonight and it seemed okay. The Fletcher prime was close...I thought - again I say thought - I had it after Greg lead out up the preceding hill...he has some legs on him. Bernie and I bridged the breakaway and passed Greg and that sprint up the hill was too much for me and with Bernie at the top of his game - smiled as he snatched the sign...That was FUN. I did win the last prime - the ever elusive Brooklyn Park prime by the shop. I will say it is the uber-cheese prime but it did say "welcome to Brooklyn Park" - so it counts....not really.

The 9 am ride was cool - Evan with his mid 70s Merckx super corsa / up to date Campy was really cool. With Neils Colnago and the Merckx - we were riding in style. Down to Dunn Bros in Mpls was once again very cool. The funny story of the day was the fact that 4 guys about 800 miles each and they only had one flat....to mpls and back I think we had 4.

I think it was just over 80 miles for the day. With me riding to the shop and a lap in the park I had 107 for the day. Very nice indeed - group rides like that make cycling worth it. Lets keep it up.

Enjoy the week!

By the way - taking a look at the finishing riders in solo RAAM - how about John Spurgeon - he finished with a single speed. I mean holy crap, he had some focus and sore legs I bet.


zuko

Goal - I did it!

For anyone with a family - job - expectations - to do lists - not to do lists - friends - sleep....you get the idea....it is a tough balance to find the needed time to train or ride. If you are looking to really put miles in the bank - you can almost forget it with all the stuff you need to do during the week. Well, fate has a way of putting two and two together. This week my car - the trusty VW Jeta - i call it the Jedi Knight...no comments...decided to take a nap whilst i was driving - my alternator went to lunch. Easy enough to change - I hate spending money on that thing however. I have 220,000 miles on it - runs GREAT but the $129 alternator just about trumps the value of the car - but it is better to buy the part than make payments on the most depreciating thing on the planet.

So with my new found inability to drive that beast, the bike became my ONLY form of transportation - except family night out for dinner. To work every day - 4 big rides after work and some mt bike rides mixed in. Goal was first to hit 250 which isn't that bad - good goal but I hit that at the end of Friday and heck - I HAD to ride to Dunn Bros on Sat morning - no one should miss a ride into the cities on sat morning - Bernie - I had their last Rhubarb bar in honor of you...then I had Jay H's cheesecake bar too...then Jorge and I stuffed our Voodoo Iced Cooler Dante's Mocha Espressos into the water bottles and headed to people watch at Stone Arch - perfect day, perfect company. Thanks guys.

Got home just in time to try out the new tensioner on the mt bike - and new chain but the thing skips like its missing cog teeth under extreme load - not sure what i need to do there. So with a complete loop and then some - I checked the running total and 305 for the week. I promised NO RIDING on Sunday - the kids rejoiced. My wife then promised to tear up the divorce papers.

thursday night ride in Elk River...

i felt like a trator.... not riding with TH group but it was with a former Loon - actually like the first Loon from when it was first formed - Dave Lunde....name is spelled wrong for sure. We headed out of Ramsey Cycle to Elk River for Hill Repeat night - I had never done this ride before so why not take the single speed.

The 10-15 mile ride to ER was great - we had nice rodes, low winds, lots of sun and great fellowship - of course I had to ask alot about Dave's World Champion Track history - yes he has the rainbow jersey to prove it. Very cool - super conversation - great tips and above all friends out for a ride.

The hill just outside ER proper is good climb - I am guessing just under a mile??? Two false flats ending on an extended straight climb....we ended up doing it 5 times. We had a preem set on the top of each climb then would loop down and around and do it all over again from a dead stop. It was a blast! Totally worth doing that ride once or twice a week.

GO STRONGHEART!!!!!!! glad to see that all is well.

tuesday night ride....hey, i didnt bonk

last time i did the Neilerator, I was on the Blue Thunder Super Sport....and with speeds reaching mach 2.5 - i had no more pedal and I bonked. There is a limit to the speed which you can go - but no limit on the pain you feel. So....in honor of RAAM but not to compare...I am riding into work every day along with the rides and then some. Since Sunday I am currently at 151 miles and last night was a blast. Neilerator, 90 degs, pounding south wind and a fast crew. Had a major mechanical at St.Michael....Hollys crank almost came all the way off...interesting.

Jay, Holly and I then headed back on our own over the rollers and it was quick. Hey, I didn't bonk! It is fun when you don't bonk.

okay, back to work.


andy

i caught myelf here...

thinking about how crappy its going to be biking home in this heat. in 10 min, RAAM is kicking off for the team event and they will be riding through the Mojave Dessert - and with that I have nothing to complain about. I will be watching this more than the Tour - for sure....cuz we know these guys and it takes alot more to do this than to take a stage win....and for many better reasons. the kids, the camp, the families....need i go on? Average joes and janes taking on the impossible and going forward believing...despite pain, illnes (neil) and hallucinations....making dreams and lives possible for kids - i cant think of a more noble cause.

6 mins and counting.....

my new favorite site - I cannot stop laughing

http://chainstainstakeoncucknorris.blogspot.com/

thanks phoneix

STONE ARCH

This ride is so cool. I have to admit - riding in the countryside is mucho bettero - hows my bilingual skills? This was the first time for me driving to stone arch and riding from there. Much easier. So its what....35-36 miles in the city? Big hills - fast breaks....especially when Patrick is drafting a Volvo at 39 mph....Don't worry Pat - you really are that fast anyway - in fact I thought I saw the Volvo drafting behind your rainbow jersey. I was happy with how I rode - I was freaked out cuz with names like Red Lantern, Painman, Hailstone....how does one compete with excellence? I was awarded a few names yesterday - JayT latched onto Fluffy, Cleary looking into his crystal ball and came up with Pinto....Skibby insisted on Zuko - for a pic I had with a curly cue hair style. I was happy - after a blistering ride on Tuesday, I had no idea how wed was going to turn out - felt good - feeling better every ride.

I must say it was nice to meet so many Loon state riders that I have never seen before. 12 or 15????? If I met you, trust me, I forgot your name about 10 sec after we met. I played around with the micro wave too much as a kid - messing things up.... My computer on the bike showed just over 20mph - give or take - average and for the amount of hills on that ride - i think that is good. Thanks for the great ride guys -- even though most of you will never read this blog..lol.